Please, graduates, slay the demon!

Chen Yang carefully folded the poster neatly.

Without thinking, he threw the poster into the trash can on the side of the road.

At this moment, several military pickup trucks are parked on the side of the road.

The soldiers in uniform stood ramrod straight, shouting recruitment announcements through megaphones, but not a single person came up to line up and register.

Among them, the soldier directly opposite Chen Yang was staring intently at him as he threw the recruitment brochure into the trash can.

"Cough cough."

Chen Yang coughed twice, walked around the military pickup truck, and went into the convenience store next door. He cooked himself a bowl of instant noodles and got a bottle of yogurt, thinking about what to do next.

While waiting, a soldier with a buzz cut walked into the convenience store, bought a pack of cigarettes, sat down next to Chen Yang, lit a cigarette, and smoked it in silence.

The shop assistant seemed to be trying to remind the customer that smoking was prohibited indoors, but the burly man immediately turned around and glared at the shop assistant with a fierce look. The shop assistant had no choice but to shrink back and pretend to check the goods.

Chen Yang glanced at the soldier's shoulder insignia out of the corner of his eye; two bars indicated he was a squad leader.

But what does this have to do with me?

Drop drop drop.

The phone rang three times.

Chen Yang picked up his phone and saw a long message in the "Happy Family" group chat:

Stepmother: "Walnuts are on sale at the supermarket today, remember to buy some. Your younger brother is in a crucial stage of his academic development and needs brain-boosting supplements. Come back quickly after you buy them. Your brother's martial arts skills are hitting a bottleneck again, so as his older brother, you should give him some guidance. He has a university interview the day after tomorrow."

Grandpa: "Chen Yang, why haven't you gone to work at the place I got through my connections today? It's a really good job; you could be a martial arts instructor and have summer and winter vacations. These days, without family connections, do you think you can find a job on your own?"

At this point, another video popped up on Chen Yang's phone.

The video shows a group of elderly people practicing Tai Chi in a circle.

Yes.

The family found a good job by pulling strings to have the top martial arts student from City 7 High School teach the old man Tai Chi.

Thinking of this, Chen Yang unconsciously touched the curse mark under his sleeve.

Two and a half years have passed since Chen Yang transmigrated to this world. He has tried countless methods to leave this home, but all of them have ended in failure.

If he runs away from home, his parents will call the police and have him brought back.

If Chen Yang, a minor, were to flee to other cities, he would be caught at the border without a travel permit.

Over the years, Chen Yang has tried countless outrageous methods to get away from this family, but all of them have ended in failure.

Therefore, Chen Yang decided to abandon the methods of a bad student and instead take the path of a good student.

It is said that knowledge changes destiny.

Leaving this place after taking the college entrance exam became his only way out.

Yes, the Chen Yang in the body now is not the original owner of this body.

The original owner, Chen Yang, was the eldest son of the Chen family. His mother passed away when he was young, and after his father remarried, he became the neglected child in the Chen family.

The original owner, Chen Yang, was timid, had mediocre grades, and lacked family love. These factors contributed to his timid and sensitive personality.

Finally, after entering high school, Chen Yang, whose depression had reached its peak, chose to end his painful life.

Before dying, the original owner obtained a strange demon summoning ritual from some website. The original owner made a wish that in the next life, she would live a carefree life and leave this sinful home.

Chen Yang is dead.

Chen Yang, who was writing his graduation thesis in another world, transmigrated here.

The original owner's will turned into a curse and was branded into Chen Yang's wrist.

Therefore, Chen Yang studied hard, took exams, and improved his grades in order to get into university, fulfill the original owner's last wish, leave his family, and break the curse.

But the outcome was obvious; for some reason, the plan failed.

After three years of miserable life in this family, Chen Yang himself was somewhat unsure whether his aversion to the family stemmed from the original owner of the body or was something he had developed later in life.

At this moment, the large-screen TV in the convenience store is playing the morning news.

The headline news is that the fog outside the circle has become even thicker, and visibility has dropped from fifty meters to thirty meters.

Hundreds of years ago, a thick fog descended from the sky, enveloping the entire world in mist.

Hidden within the thick white mist is a powerful demon capable of easily defeating humanity.

So, in earlier years, people built high walls to keep the fog out.

The world is divided into eleven circles, each representing a city. The further in you go, the smaller the circle and the more affluent the life becomes.

The people living there are descendants of the powerful and wealthy who lived in the early days of the New World.

Similarly, moving closer to the outer edge of the circle means enduring harsh conditions and the constant threat of powerful demons attacking the city.

The arrival of fog also brings new opportunities to the world.

Spiritual practice has become a compulsory course for every household.

"Your noodles are ready."

Suddenly, the soldier next to Chen Yang spoke up to remind him.

"Thanks."

Chen Yang tore open a piece of steamed bread, picked up a mouthful of noodles, and ate it.

"You don't seem too happy. Did you not pass the university interview? I've seen many candidates who didn't look like this when they actually got in." Da Bing lit another cigarette and took the initiative to talk to Chen Yang.

Chen Yang remained silent, too lazy to pay attention, and continued slurping his noodles.

The soldier raised an eyebrow, glanced at the shop assistant behind him, then at Chen Yang: "Aren't you afraid of me?"

Chen Yang pointed to the monitor on his head, then glanced at the soldier's shoulder badges: "Do you dare cut me?"

The soldier was taken aback. His lips twitched, and he exhaled a smoke ring. He reached for the yogurt next to Chen Yang, but when he saw that it was photinia flavored, he had no choice but to put it back and buy a bottle of mineral water for himself.

"Since you didn't get into university, are you interested in joining the army? Six types of insurance and two types of funds, a year-end bonus of 15 months' salary, and one month of annual leave every year."

"Me?" Chen Yang was taken aback. "To join the army?"

Chen Yang really hadn't expected this. Da Bing must have seen him throw the recruitment brochure into the trash can across the street, but he didn't expect him to be willing to take the initiative to recruit.

The soldier continued:

"If you don't get into university, you'll lose your greatest cultivation resource—no teachers, no spirit stones to support you. Your current martial arts talent will be with you for life. If you join the army, we don't care what your rank is. You'll have the best teachers, top-tier spirit stone benefits, and more..."

Meeting Chen Yang's deadly gaze, the soldier's words were interrupted by the graduate in front of him:

"What is your personal annual leave usage rate? How many people join the military each year, and how many are able to go home for the Spring Festival? Is the rate of receiving regular salary or pension payments higher? What is the kill rate of the powerful monster? Is the probability of earning money but not being able to spend it more high?"

Those words were hurtful.

Only a small percentage of people in this world join the military.

This small group of people held the last line of defense for the world.

But Chen Yang did not want to be one of those few.

The two looked at each other.

Chen Yang caught a glimpse of something unusual in the soldier's eyes.

Anger, resentment?

But this feeling dissipated quickly, turning into an inexplicable melancholy in the blink of an eye.

"Sorry to bother you."

Dabing stubbed out his cigarette, went to the counter to scan the code to pay, and also paid for Chen Yang's noodles.

As soon as he stepped outside, the soldier yelled at the admissions office staff:

"Speak louder, haven't you eaten yet!"

Instantly, four military pickup trucks lined the street, filled with soldiers who shouted at the top of their lungs:

"When the nation is in trouble, when the people are in trouble, we urge graduates to join the army, we urge graduates to slay demons."

However, passersby simply covered their ears and walked away without even glancing at it.

Chen Yang sighed deeply.

In his previous life, he would have been very willing to join the army to protect his country.

But in this world, he felt no sense of belonging.

Moreover, he was very clear about what he would face in the future.

The monsters in the thick fog.

Historical records show that the number of first-rank demons that humans have killed so far is pitifully small. Most of the time, they have taken conservative measures and built high city walls to keep these monsters out.

A first-rank demon is the lowest-ranking demon.

Chen Yang breathed a sigh of relief, and another message popped up on his phone.

It was news from my father.

The father rarely sent messages to Chen Yang.

The message above reads:

"I apologize on behalf of your grandfather for the loss of your status as a recent graduate. But even without this incident, you wouldn't be able to go to university."

"Our family's finances are limited. I can only choose between my brother and you."

"I'm sorry, child, I love this family more now."

The moment the message ended, Chen Yang felt a pang of heart palpitation, as if a woman who had just had her nails done was pinching his heart with her fingernails.

He wasn't sad; he didn't feel anything for this family.

What's sad is the other soul inside the body.

This happens often, but it has never been as painful as it is today.

In an instant, Chen Yang felt the angina reach its peak, his face turned pale, and he fell off the chair.

The intense pain forced him to crawl on his knees, unable to stand up.

"I not only want to leave them, I want them dead, I want them to suffer a fate worse than death!"

The voice comes from the depths of the soul.

The curse marks under his sleeve changed and were re-imprinted on Chen Yang's skin.

"I want them dead."

"I want them dead!"

The voice in his soul kept repeating, and Chen Yang saw his two hands aging and decaying at a visible speed.

Their lives hung by a thread.

Chen Yang nodded, making a firm decision.

He looked up at the soldier's departing figure, clutched his heart, crawled to the glass door, and shouted:

"Wait a moment!"

The soldier stopped and turned back, staring blankly at Chen Yang's kneeling posture:

What do you mean by that?

Suddenly, the soldier took a step back:

"Hey kid, you're not trying to scam me, are you? Let me tell you, there are security cameras around here."

"I want to be a soldier, I want to be a soldier, I say I want to be a soldier..."

Chen Yang almost shouted it out.

The soldier was stunned.

The other soldiers at the admissions office were also stunned.

They all turned around and looked at Chen Yang kneeling on the ground in front of them.

Looking at the boy in front of them, they felt his devotion was truly astounding.

"Oh dear, look at you! If you're going to join the army, then join the army. If you're going to take the oath, then take the oath. Why are you kneeling down?"

The soldier stepped forward to help Chen Yang up, but Chen Yang grabbed his arm.

"You just said that anyone, regardless of their status, can join the military, right?"

Seeing the soldier nod, Chen Yang continued to ask:

"What if I commit a serious crime? I mean something very serious, like killing my whole family? Can I still join the army?"