Brainless, over-the-top fun. Leave your logic at the door.
......
Fengfu Central Hospital.
Lin Xi stood on the rooftop, screaming at the sky:
"Great job, cancer! Great job, terminal stage!"
Lin Xi's family wasn't well-off. His parents' salaries barely covered daily expenses. Ever since his diagnosis of terminal cancer, they'd drained their life savings and piled up heavy debts.
He knew there was no cure. Continuing treatment wouldn't help—only burden his already struggling family further.
It was just a pity… life had barely begun.
"The evening breeze is so pleasant… too bad I'll never feel it again. What a shame." Lin Xi spread his arms, letting the wind slip through his fingers, caress his skin.
"Goodbye, world…" With that, he leapt from the rooftop.
In that moment, fear gripped him—fear of the pain of death, fear of life slipping away.
But then, it faded into regret—regret for everything he'd never had, for a life left unfinished.
Just before impact, Lin Xi finally found peace.
Wasn't this, in its own way, a complete life?
A release?
If there was a next life… he'd live it properly—really live!
Thud!
[Ding—]
[System detects intense emotional fluctuation. Binding host...]
1%
57%
99%
Binding successful.
Host detected in critical condition. Activating Rebirth.
Lying in a pool of blood, Lin Xi was engulfed in excruciating pain—as if he'd been thrown into a meat grinder and torn apart. Through the haze, he faintly heard that strange voice.
"…Hearing things before I die?" Lin Xi let out a bitter laugh… and then, silence.
[World selection complete. Initiating transfer.]
[Soul transfer successful.]
...
"It hurts!" Lin Xi slowly opened his eyes.
His clothes were torn, deep, bloody claw marks raked across his body, oozing red, staining the fabric, dripping steadily from the frayed edges.
He was lying beneath a tree on a hillside. The evening breeze was still gentle, rustling the leaves, echoing softly through the mountains.
Only the searing pain confirmed one thing—
He was alive.
Lin Xi looked down the slope. A small village was being consumed by flames—fire lit the sky, illuminating miles around. Screams pierced the night, growing fewer… then fading into silence.
Oooowww—!
A wolf's howl jolted Lin Xi upright.
Wolves!
No time to think. The howls were getting closer, multiplying, surrounding him.
Ignoring the pain, Lin Xi tore strips from his clothes and tightly wrapped the bleeding wounds.
After a crude dressing, he struggled to his feet, limping toward the peak. Only by escaping the danger could he survive.
Lin Xi gritted his teeth. He'd already died once. He wouldn't give up now. This time, no matter what, he would live!
The screams from the village stopped. The forest rustled—something was moving. The wolves were near. Despair thickened the air, choking him.
Don't give up! Don't give up! Don't give up!
He repeated it in his mind, a desperate mantra.
[Ding—]
[Would the host like to perform today's draw?]
"Who's there?!" Lin Xi spun around, wincing in pain, raising his fists defensively.
A mischievous giggle echoed.
"Heehee."
"Stop playing ghost! Show yourself!" Lin Xi shouted.
Wolves behind, ghost in front—his already frayed nerves were on the brink of collapse. Was this how his second life ended? Here, like this?
"No need to panic. I'm the Life-Consuming System. You can't see me—I'm in your mind."
System?
Lin Xi remembered the novels he'd read—protagonists died, clung to life, reincarnated, got a system, became overpowered.
But…
Life-Consuming System?
Did I just spend my entire life to get this?!
"System! Can you help me with this mess?" Lin Xi asked desperately.
"Currently…" The system paused.
"No." It answered calmly.
"What do you mean, no?! What good are you then?!" Lin Xi nearly cursed.
"Because your remaining lifespan is less than a day. You can't afford to 'spend life' right now. Also, your one free resurrection was already used when you jumped."
Lin Xi said nothing. He kept climbing.
Less than a day? So what?
Lin Xi, you'll survive. Not by systems. Not by luck. By your own will. You'll live!
No matter how hard. No matter how painful.
He would live!
Seeing Lin Xi ignore it, the system chimed again:
"But you can do today's draw, you know~"
Lin Xi kept walking. Blood seeped through the cloth, dripping to the ground.
"The top prize is a hundred years of life~ You sure you don't want to try?" The system teased, voice dripping with temptation.
Hundred years! Lin Xi froze.
"…Draw."
A translucent spinning wheel appeared—futuristic, like a holographic display.
[Prizes on the wheel: -10 years, -1 year, -1 month, +1 month, +1 year, +10 years, +100 years.]
Lin Xi frowned. "What does the minus mean?"
"Deducting lifespan, of course! But hey, no worries—if you get a negative, you just die instantly." The system chirped.
"Hey! Don't say 'death' so casually!" Lin Xi facepalmed. "So you're saying I'll definitely die tonight since I've less than a day left?"
"Don't look so grim! Maybe you'll draw 100 years and live after all~"
The howls were right behind him. No time left. No escape.
All in.
"System. Draw."
[Ding—]
[Drawing…]
Sweat dripped from Lin Xi's brow—was it from fear, or pain? He clenched his fists. His fate now rested entirely on this wheel. Life or death—hinged on one spin.
The pointer swept past -1 month, -1 year, slowing… then creeping toward -10 years…
"No! No, no, no!" Lin Xi screamed in his mind.
But the wheel kept turning—slowly, agonizingly.
There was still hope.
It passed -10 years, inched toward 100 years—
Lin Xi's heart leapt: "100 YEARS! I GOT IT!"
Then—just as suddenly—the pointer moved away.
His heart shattered.
"That was 100 years… 100 YEARS!"
[Draw result: 10 years.]
The wheel stopped at 10 years. Lin Xi exhaled in relief. Not 100, but 10 was enough—enough to taste life again.
"System, I don't feel any different. How do I live 10 more years?"
"Heh? Forgot to mention—this is usable lifespan, not actual lifespan. It just means you can live that long if no accidents happen. If you get mauled by wolves? Still dead."
Lin Xi groaned: "How dare you be this cheap?! What good is 10 years if I die in the next five minutes?!"
"No worries," the system said cheerfully, pulling up a status panel:
[Name: Lin Xi]
[Age: 17]
[Realm: None]
[Usable Lifespan: 10 years]
Lin Xi stared at "Realm." Hmm… cultivation? Magic?
"About healing my injuries…" The system interrupted, opening another menu.
[Heal 1% injury: 2.5 days]
[...]
[Heal 100% injury: 8 months]
"Heal me! Full heal!" Lin Xi snapped.
Red eyes glinted in the forest. Silver claws flashed in moonlight.
The wolves were climbing. The snap of dry twigs formed a grim rhythm—like death counting its beads.
[Healing complete.]
In an instant, Lin Xi's wounds vanished. No scars. No pain. His body felt light, breath effortless.
No time to marvel—he bolted.
But it was a fatal mistake.
A city boy like him didn't know: never run from a predator.
The wolves saw a fleeing prey.
"Oooowww—!" A hunting howl erupted.
They burst from the trees—fast as lightning. The forest trembled with their charge.
Lin Xi gasped for air. His body was still weak. At this rate, he'd be caught. And torn apart.
"System! Any other functions?!" He clung to hope.
"Of course! Here's what you can buy." The system opened a shop interface.
[Cultivation Techniques, Weapons, Arrays, Talismans…]
As Lin Xi ran, scanning the list, the system added: "But with your current rank, only low-tier items are available."
No time to cultivate. Don't know how to use weapons. No time to set arrays.
Talismans! Yes!
"System, open the talisman menu." Lin Xi grabbed it like a lifeline.
[Fire Talisman: 6 months per talisman]
[Ice Talisman: 6 months per talisman]
[...]
[Lightning Talisman: 1 year per talisman (Insufficient permission)]
Lin Xi calculated: 9 years left → 18 talismans. Should be enough for a wolf pack. Try one first.
"System, one Fire Talisman."
A paper talisman with intricate ink patterns appeared in his hand.
"From the novels… just throw it, right? Let's go!"
"Go! Fire Talisman!" He hurled it at the wolves.
Flames flickered at the edges… burned slowly… then turned to ash.
Lin Xi stared, furious: "System! You sold me a dud! Give me back my lifespan!"
Just then—
BOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted from the ashes.
A wave of scorching heat flung the lead wolves backward, their fur burned off, the stench of charred meat filling the air.
But the one who suffered most wasn't the wolves—
It was Lin Xi.
He'd been too close. The blast shattered his insides. Fire engulfed him.
"Sys…tem… heal… heal…" With his last breath, he collapsed, unconscious.
[Heal 100% injury: 5 years lifespan]
[Healing complete.]
Lin Xi awoke, healed—but his usable lifespan now read: 5 years.
He glared at the system: "What kind of talisman explodes the user too?! Pay me back my 5 years!"
"Heehee, I did give a warning. Can't blame me if you didn't read it~" The system summoned a Fire Talisman.
Lin Xi snatched it, trembling. This time, he saw tiny text on the back:
"Please ensure distance is over 10 meters before use."
—Your beloved system.
He crushed the talisman in his fist.
Five years of life… gone.
He wanted nothing more than to rip the system out of his head and punch it into oblivion.
"You're the most scammy system in history!
The undisputed champion of rip-offs!"