"A slightly spoiled plate of fried rice."
"After consumption: Satiety +3, Stamina +3."
"10% chance to fall into a negative state: Abdominal cramps."
South City.
Suburbs, a certain farm.
Lin Fan stood up after seeing the floating text in front of him, took the fragrant plate of fried rice from the girl sitting across, and said with a smile,"It's been sitting too long. It might've gone bad. I'll get you a fresh one."
"I wasn't planning to eat it anyway."The girl's posture was reserved, her makeup refined—a stark contrast to the slightly dilapidated surroundings. She frowned slightly and said,"Lin Fan, I've had enough! If you keep clinging to this broken-down farm, I'm breaking up with you."
Lin Fan paused, looked at his girlfriend, and corrected her with a blank expression:"Please get this straight. This is not a broken farm—it's an integrated complex of dining, planting, and aquaculture."
"Also, all your living expenses for the past year were paid from this so-called broken farm."
"Including that 30,000 yuan Chanel scarf you're wearing right now."
Lin Fan.
Male.
26 years old.
Unemployed, managing a rundown ancestral estate. Job description…farming and sheep herding.
The girl, Yu Lin, was his girlfriend. They used to be very close.
Used to be.
"Lin Fan, I'm not joking! Everyone at the company is laughing at me for dating a farmer. If you don't get a different job, I'm not marrying you,"Yu Lin said, staring into his eyes, enunciating every word.
Lin Fan frowned.
Their wedding was scheduled for three months later.
He looked out the window at the worn-out farmland and felt a wave of frustration.
Another set of data appeared before his eyes:
"A poorly managed estate."
"Area: 30 acres"
"Usable for aquaculture, planting, construction"
"Profit/Loss: Loss"
Seven days ago, he suddenly experienced a strange change: everything he looked at came with floating data annotations.
After some testing, he found that the ability was limited in use—it only allowed him to see things more clearly, and only within his estate. Once outside, he was no different from any other ordinary person.
This might have been some kind of"golden finger,"but unfortunately, it hadn't changed Lin Fan's life.
He hadn't gotten rich overnight.
He hadn't reached the peak of life.
Now he was even on the verge of being dumped by his girlfriend.
After a long silence, Lin Fan gave in and sighed,"Fine, I'll look for a job outside."
Yu Lin smiled, as if celebrating her victory.
Just then, a mechanical female voice suddenly echoed in Lin Fan's ears:
"Doomsday Game player matching complete. Loading... please wait…"
Lin Fan froze, thinking he must've misheard."Yu Lin, did you hear something?"
Golden finger mutation?
"Don't change the subject!"Yu Lin crossed her arms, sensing that now was the perfect moment to drive in the final nail. She continued,"If you want to marry me, I have one more condition—get rid of that little burden."
Lin Fan's train of thought was abruptly derailed. His face stiffened, and he frowned."What did you say?"
"I said send Li Jiaxin to the orphanage. It's not like you're related—"
"B*llsh*t!"
Suddenly, a low, furious roar exploded in the room.
The plate in Lin Fan's hand smashed in front of Yu Lin, shattering into countless pieces. The warm rice splattered onto her scarf, instantly staining the Chanel with oil and grains of rice!
"Lin Fan, what are you doing?!"Yu Lin shrieked.
Lin Fan's face remained emotionless as he pointed at the door."Get out. Now. Don't make me drag you."
"You're insane!"Yu Lin yelled in anger."Don't think no one else wants me! Just so you know, the VP at my company has been chasing me for months. As soon as I say yes, I'll be living a life a hundred times better than this!"
The estate's reception room door slammed open.
Yu Lin stormed out in fury and resentment.
Lin Fan stood by the window, hands in his pockets, face calm.
He muttered to himself,"Vice president, huh? Big shot. Hope you don't regret it…idiot."
At that moment, two small heads peeked in through the door.
More precisely, it was a little girl—and a ferocious-looking German Shepherd.
The little girl had delicate features but dry, yellowish hair and a pudgy little face—probably malnourished. Her neat bob haircut gave her a slightly pitiful look.
The German Shepherd wagged its tail wildly at the sight of Lin Fan, but its eyes were locked on the chicken drumstick on the table. Unfortunately, the girl had its ears gripped tightly and wouldn't let it move forward. It whimpered pitifully, helpless.
Lin Fan's gaze lingered on the girl for a moment.
"Li Jiaxin"
Species: Human Child
Age: 7
Strength: 1
Intelligence: 3
Speed: 1
Spirit: 9
Satiety: 99
Evaluation: A weak, pitiful, and helpless brat. But very spirited…and eats a lot.
"Big bro, I just saw Sister Yu storm off…did you two fight?"Jiaxin asked in broken Mandarin, curiously.
"…"Lin Fan gave a vague nod and didn't answer directly.
"Is it because of me?"Jiaxin pouted, asking timidly.
Truth be told, she was the third girl who had broken up with Lin Fan because of her…
She was only seven, but she understood more than people thought.
Lin Fan's gaze softened. He gently tousled her neat hair into a mess."She didn't deserve a wonderful little girl like you! Out with the old, in with the new—I'll find you a prettier sister-in-law next time!"
"Mm!"Jiaxin nodded hard. Then she clutched her belly and said pitifully,"Big bro…I'm hungry again…"
Lin Fan laughed.
Even heartbreak couldn't keep him down—as long as this little one was around, he felt instantly revived.
Though they weren't related by blood, they were already indispensable to each other.
Blood ties…weren't everything.
"I'll make some fried rice right now."Lin Fan cleaned up the mess, tied on an apron, and walked to the kitchen.
Before stepping inside, he glanced at the German Shepherd—now pinned to the ground by Jiaxin for trying to sneak a bite.
"Xiao Hei"
Species: Czech Wolfdog
Age: 3
Strength: 5
Intelligence: 2
Speed: 12 (adult human average = 10)
Spirit: 5
Hunger: 35
Evaluation: A loyal and fierce Czech Wolfdog. Shows gentleness only to those it trusts. Warning: If it arches its back, bares its teeth, and growls—RUN. Immediately.
Lin Fan shook his head helplessly.
Seriously, what kind of golden finger is this? A glorified appraisal machine?
Then he remembered that strange voice he heard during the argument with Yu Lin.
The Doomsday Game…
Come to think of it, strange things had been happening lately—like snow falling in June, or massive livestock die-offs in some areas…
He rubbed his temples, went into the kitchen, and began preparing rice.
Then—the voice came again.
"Ding. Game loaded successfully. Shelter binding complete. Points Mall activated. Newbie reward issued. Please check at your convenience."
The crisp female voice startled him.
Before he could react, an unbearable pain exploded in his brain!
In that instant, it felt like his mind was being plugged into a massive USB drive—countless data streams rushed in.
Moments later, Lin Fan opened his eyes, panting.
A new virtual interface had appeared in front of him!
[Doomsday Game]
Player: Lin Fan
Shelter: A poorly managed estate (Level 1)
Shelter Skill (Level 1): True Sight—All objects and creatures will appear as data before the user.
Grade: Homestay-class! (Points needed to upgrade to Fortress-class: 8,000,000)
Area: 30 acres
Existing Facilities: Living Quarters, Farmland, Pasture, Rugged Terrain
At that moment, the vast farm before him was sliced into seven or eight virtual zones by glowing lines!
"Level 3 sunlit zone—ideal for planting. Crop growth accelerated."
"Lush grassland—best grazing for livestock."
"Rugged border zone—ideal for building defenses, highly efficient."
Lin Fan's jaw dropped.
Then his eyes landed on a glaring red warning in the top-right corner:
"Doomsday approaches. Natural disasters will bring ruin. Your shelter is your only hope. Hold onto it—build a new civilization in the ruins."
"Player's sole mission: Survive the Doomsday Game, and turn your shelter into the strongest fortress!"
"Time until Cataclysm: 5 hours, 59 minutes, 36 seconds."