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That evening, the cool sea breeze from Qingdao seeped in through the window cracks, causing the lamplight on the desk to sway gently.

Fan Lin was naturally too embarrassed to stay overnight at the Su family's house; at most, she would secretly try the forbidden fruit with Su Ning.

After seeing Fan Lin off, Su Ning sat in a chair, unconsciously twirling a pen between her fingers, her mind replaying the recent "system notifications"...

From the initial 0.1% to the current 0.7%, the scene of each "ding-dong" sound vividly appears like a movie clip.

He suddenly stopped writing, his heart leaping.

The reason for suspecting that the "system" is related to matters between men and women is that every time the progress bar increases, it happens after the two people have intimate contact.

This discovery made his back tense slightly, and the pen in his hand almost slipped from his grasp and fell onto the table.

He tried to think about what happened before the car accident, about the campus of Zhejiang University, about his high school friends, but his mind was still blank, and he couldn't even grasp the slightest vague image.

But the moment you think of the "system," a magical virtual panel reappears, and the light blue progress bar reappears.

"Could it be... that this system is really related to my missing memories?" Su Ning murmured to herself, her fingertips unconsciously tracing circles on the table. "If I push the progress to 100%, will I be able to remember things from before?"

This bold guess was quickly suppressed by himself.

Each increase is only 0.1%, so it would take more than a thousand times to reach 100%.

He shook his head with a wry smile. Even a donkey might not be able to handle it, and even if he could, Fan Lin wouldn't cooperate. This idea was simply too unrealistic.

Looking at the phantom image of "System repair progress 0.7%", Su Ning suddenly felt that this thing, which he had taken as an illusion, might be quietly leading his life in some way that he couldn't understand.

Fan Lin, or other close female friends, are the most crucial "switch".

At this moment, Su Ning felt a strange itch deep inside, a conflicting desire to try someone else.

Before I could even think about this speculation, the separation came first.

A few days later, one afternoon, Fan Lin sat on the sofa in Suning's room, holding a plane ticket in her hand, her tone a little helpless: "The company is urging me to go back to Beijing tomorrow. There's a new drama that's about to start filming, and I have to go to the set."

Su Ning paused, her hand holding the pen still. She felt a slight emptiness in her heart, as if something had gently bumped into her.

He knew that Fan Lin was different from him...

He doesn't sign with any agency, and acting is just an occasional side job, so he naturally seems very free.

But Fan Lin is a legitimate actress, bound by her contract and unable to control her own life.

"Then...when will you come back?" he asked in a low voice.

"It's hard to say," Fan Lin sighed, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "There are many variables in filming, it might take two or three months. But I'll send you a message, you should focus on your exams, and by the time I get back, you might already be back at Zhejiang University."

"Sister Lin, would you like to stay today?"

"Yeah, I won't feel at ease if I don't make sure you, my little puppy, are well-fed."

"Isn't it a little teddy bear?"

"Hehe, they're all the same! They're all my enemies."

"..."

Two or three hours passed quickly, and Su Ning held Fan Lin tightly in her arms.

However, a familiar "ding-dong" sound suddenly rang in my mind...

System repair progress: 0.8%

He was stunned, and suddenly realized: even if Fan Lin was leaving, this "system" would still exist.

His missing memories, his relationship with Fan Lin, and this mysterious system may all be hidden in an answer he has yet to find.

……

The next morning, Suning went to the airport to see Fan Lin off.

At the check-in gate, Fan Lin put her boarding pass into her bag and looked at him, reminding him: "Remember to eat on time and don't stay up all night doing practice problems. If you encounter a problem you don't know how to solve, just leave it for now and don't push yourself too hard."

“I know,” Su Ning nodded, then suddenly remembered something and took out her phone from her pocket. “Wait a minute, I’m going to make a couple of calls.”

He first dialed Director Kong's number, and after the call connected, he said with a smile, "Director Kong, I'm letting you know I'm back in Qingdao. I also wanted to let you know that I plan to go back to school in September, so I probably won't have much time to film anymore."

Director Kong paused for a moment on the other end of the phone, then laughed and said, "Great! At your age, you should be studying. Acting is just a side job. It's good that you understand that. If you have time during your holidays and want to film, feel free to contact me anytime."

"Thank you, Director Kong," Su Ning paused, then added, "By the way, I know a fellow townsman named Fan Lin, who is also an actress. She took good care of me when I was filming in Beijing. She's going to film a new drama now. If you have any suitable roles in the future, could you keep an eye out for her? She's a very good actress, but she doesn't have many resources."

Director Kong laughed heartily upon hearing this: "You little rascal, you're quite the go-getter. Alright, I'll remember this name. If there's a suitable script in the future, I'll have Lao Wang contact her."

After hanging up with Director Kong, Su Ning called Teacher Mei and Teacher Guo separately, also to discuss returning to school and recommending Fan Lin.

Both seniors were very supportive of his studies and readily agreed to keep an eye on Fan Lin.

They were all smart people; they didn't pry into the relationship between Su Ning and Fan Lin, nor did they make any empty promises like "I'll definitely help." They simply said they would consider it if the opportunity arose.

But those words carried enough weight, because with their connections, if they were willing to lend a hand, it would be a tremendous opportunity for Fan Lin.

After hanging up the phone, Su Ning put her phone back in her pocket and looked up to see Fan Lin standing not far away, looking at her with a smile in her eyes.

"You told them everything?" She walked over, her voice tinged with emotion.

“Yes,” Su Ning nodded, “They all promised to keep an eye on you and might contact you if a good opportunity arises.”

"Thank you, Su Ning." Fan Lin looked at him, her eyes sparkling, and hugged him. "When I come back, I'll bring you some roasted chestnuts from Beijing."

As the boarding announcement sounded, Fan Lin picked up her luggage and turned to walk towards the security checkpoint.

After walking a few steps, she turned back and waved to Su Ning: "Keep it up! I'm waiting for your good news when you get back to Zhejiang University!"

Su Ning stood there, watching her figure disappear through the security checkpoint, and a sense of emptiness welled up in her heart again.

Suning gripped his phone tightly, a sense of anticipation suddenly rising within him.

When Fan Lin returns, when he goes back to Zhejiang University, perhaps the answer will slowly emerge.

……

Qingdao, Sujia.

Su Ning hunched over his desk, his pen moving rustling across the exercise book.

The study materials on his desk were piled high. With only three months left until the Zhejiang University entrance exam, he stayed up until the wee hours of the morning almost every day.

Suddenly, a "ding-dong" sound exploded in my mind, clearer than ever before.

It was as if someone had gently tapped the depths of his consciousness with a small hammer, making his fingertips pause.

Before he could react, a mysterious virtual screen appeared, and several lines of light blue text suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Instead of the static progress indicator, it now features a dynamic halo:

The system repair process has reached 0.8%.

The system has met the conditions for forced boot.

[Does the host wish to force a restart?]

"What is that?" Su Ning suddenly looked up, and the pen in her hand slammed onto the exercise book with a "thud," leaving a small blot of ink.

He subconsciously looked around; it was his bedroom, and everything there was real.

But those words still lingered in my mind's eye, so clear they didn't seem like a hallucination.

This "system" that he had been suspicious of for nearly a month, this thing that the doctor classified as "psychological suggestion," was actually actually talking to him.

His heart pounded uncontrollably, Su Ning clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, and even his breathing became rapid.

He stared at the prompt asking "Force startup?", his mind a jumble of thoughts.

What happens after the computer is turned on?
Will I gain superpowers like in science fiction novels, or will something even more terrifying happen?
Before he could figure it out, the notification sounded again, and the light blue text flashed twice, carrying an undeniable sense of urgency: [Does the host wish to force startup? 10-second countdown. Failure to select will result in default abandonment—10, 9, 8…]

"Give up my ass!" Su Ning gritted his teeth, a "what the hell" thought popping into his head.

Since I've already lost my memories and my life is full of strange things, I might as well see what this "system" is all about.

He took a deep breath and whispered into the air, "Turn it on."

The moment the words left his mouth, an indescribable power suddenly erupted from the depths of his mind.

It wasn't pain, nor dizziness; it felt more like countless tiny streams of light surging within the skull, spreading along the nerve pathways to the limbs and bones.

Suning felt as if his consciousness had been thrown into a rapidly spinning vortex, and he heard a buzzing sound like electricity in his ears.

The pale blue text on the virtual panel in front of him instantly expanded, transforming into a dazzling sea of ​​light that enveloped his entire body.

The view from the bedroom began to distort.

The desk, the lamp, the posters on the wall, and even the pen he had just put down rippled like a pebble thrown into water, slowly turning into flowing light and shadow.

He reached out to grab the edge of the table, but his fingers passed straight through the illusory wood color.

My fingertips didn't touch anything solid, only a cold, misty substance.

"What is this...?" The words of astonishment stuck in my throat.

Before he could finish speaking, the force suddenly tightened, like an invisible giant hand gripping his consciousness and forcibly "pulling" him out of reality.

The physical sensations were rapidly disappearing, and the sounds of wind and electricity in my ears were gradually fading away.

Before being completely engulfed in white light, Suning caught a glimpse of...

The workbook he had been lying on the table floated down from the air, its pages rustling as an invisible current rippled through it.

Finally, it gently landed on the floor, spreading out on the half-finished math problem.

That workbook became the only trace in the bedroom that proved he had just been there.

Meanwhile, Su Ning's consciousness had already fallen into the depths of the sea of ​​light, rapidly plummeting towards an unknown dimension.

……

As the dizziness receded like the tide, Suning's feet touched solid ground first.

It wasn't the coolness of the bedroom floor, but the dampness of the cement floor.

The rough texture transmitted through the sole of the shoe instantly sobered him up.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and the sight before him made his pupils shrink.

There was no familiar desk lamp, no old posters on the wall, only a stretch of murky river stretching out before me.

The wind carried the fishy smell of the river, mixed with the chill of early spring, making him unconsciously frown.

Behind me was a slightly mottled embankment, with a few bare sycamore trees standing crookedly.

In the distance, the faint sounds of bicycle bells and vendors' shouts drifted in—unfamiliar urban noise.

He was standing in a small park by the river. There were only two or three elderly people strolling along the gravel path. No one noticed his strange "appearance out of nowhere".

There were no surveillance devices around, which clearly indicated that the "delivery" was pre-programmed.

Su Ning looked down at her hands, which were still familiar, and she was still wearing the same hoodie and jeans she wore when she was doing her homework at home.

But everything around him was so unfamiliar that it made him feel uneasy.

【ding dong】

A cold, electronic voice suddenly rang in my mind, devoid of any warmth, yet clearer than ever before.

Su Ning's heart skipped a beat. He knew it was the "system" speaking.

[Host delivery completed. Current instance world: "Dying to Survive". Current time: 2004. Location: Shanghai.]

[The host's personal account has been injected with initial capital of RMB 200,000, which has been transferred to the designated bank card]

Main Quest (1): Go to XX Street, Xuhui District, Shanghai, and take over the "Prince Indian God Oil" adult products store. Current owner: Cheng Yong.

[Task Description: After successfully taking over the shop, key NPCs will automatically trigger the storyline. Please strictly follow the subsequent system guidance to advance the task.]

[Task Reward: System repair progress +5%, unlocking some missing memory fragments of the host, and an additional task fund of 100,000 yuan]

[Note: Funds earned in the instance world are automatically deposited into your account, and these funds can also be used in the real world.]

A barrage of information flooded his mind, leaving Su Ning frozen in place, unconsciously repeating the keywords: "2004? Shanghai? 'Dying to Survive'?"

He had never heard of this name before, nor did he know anything about the plot. The system didn't provide any background information, only an address, a name, and a shop name that sounded awkward.

It felt like being blindfolded and thrown into an unfamiliar battlefield, with no map, no weapons, only a cold, impersonal command, and no idea who the enemy was.

Su Ning subconsciously touched the pocket of her hoodie, her fingertips brushing against something hard.

It wasn't his usual canvas wallet, but a black leather wallet.

He quickly took it out and opened it. Inside was an ID card with his face in the photo and the name "Suning" written in the name column. The address was an unfamiliar neighborhood in Shanghai.

There was also a brand new bank card in the wallet. The card had no bank logo on it, only an unfamiliar card number.

It seems that this is the "vessel" for those 200,000.

Su Ning clutched his ID card, his knuckles turning slightly white. A sense of bewilderment and isolation washed over him like a river, making it hard for him to breathe.

He didn't know if the system was friend or foe, what would happen if he completed the mission, or even if he could return to his home in Qingdao.

His parents are still waiting for him to prepare for the exam, and Fan Lin is still filming in Beijing. Now that he has suddenly disappeared, how worried must they be?
The wind blew across the river again, stirring up small waves that crashed against the embankment with a "whoosh" sound.

Suning looked up into the distance, where the city's outline was faintly visible in the thin mist, with a few low, old residential buildings in sight.

The wall was also painted with a red slogan that read "Family Planning".

Occasionally, an old-fashioned bus drives by on the roadside, its exterior adorned with clearly vintage advertisements...

This is indeed what Shanghai looked like in 2004, completely different from the modernized Shanghai of later years.

“There’s no other choice.” Su Ning took a deep breath of the cool air.

Then he put the wallet back in his pocket, his eyes slowly changing from blank to determined.

Regardless of what the system is up to, the only way now is to do as it says: first find that adult products store, then find that person named Cheng Yong; maybe that will lead to a way back.

He walked along the embankment and when he reached the intersection, he saw a yellow-green taxi drive by.

Su Ning quickly raised his hand to flag down the car. The moment the door opened, the driver asked in Mandarin with a Shanghai accent, "Young man, where are you going?"

"Driver, go to Xuhui District, XX Street." Su Ning gave the address given by the system and bent down to sit in the back seat.

The taxi drove away from the riverbank and merged into the not-too-crowded traffic.

Suning leaned against the car window, watching the street scenes rushing past outside.

The music store by the roadside was still playing Jay Chou's "Seven Mile Fragrance," and old-fashioned game consoles were displayed in front of the general store. Pedestrians wore thick cotton-padded coats, their faces bearing the simplicity unique to that era.

I felt both apprehensive about the unknown and a surge of challenge that had been forcibly aroused.

He didn't know who Cheng Yong was, what he was supposed to do after taking over the adult products store, or what kind of plot the so-called "key NPC" would bring.

But he knew that from the moment he got into that taxi, an experience far beyond his imagination had truly begun.

...(End of chapter)