"What was that thing just now?"
After landing, Wang Zhelin shook his head, wondering if he'd just seen a ghost—or maybe he was losing his mind.
"Ghost? Don't freak yourself out. That's impossible." He muttered to himself, but then paused. "But then again… I've already traveled through time. If something as insane as that can happen, what's stopping ghosts?"
Before he could think further, the same electronically synthesized voice echoed in his head again:
"The Veteran Inheritance System has been bound. Does the host want to start the system?"
"Who the hell are you? Come out and face me directly!" Wang Zhelin cursed, furious.
"The Veteran Inheritance System has been bound. Does the host want to start the system?"
The voice repeated, emotionless, mechanical.
Wang Zhelin froze.
Wait… did it just say… system?
He sucked in a breath.
Calm down. Calm down. Don't lose it.
Finally, forcing his voice steady, he muttered:
"Start. Start the damn thing."
"Beep—password received. System startup complete."
"Scanning host's physical fitness and comprehensive skills…"
A panel appeared before his eyes, glowing faintly.
Name: Lin Bei / Wang Zhelin (default: Wang Zhelin)
Age: 17
Position: Center
Height: 210 cm
Weight: 105 kg
Arm span: 214 cm
Hidden Physical Attributes
Lower Body Strength: 60
Upper Body Strength: 49
Agility: 51
Vertical Jump: 45
Stamina: 47
Injury Resistance: 45
Offensive Abilities
Hook Shots: 36
Layups: 58
Mid-range: 44
Three-point: 25
Dunks: 51
Passing: 32
Ball Handling: 45
Free Throws: 55
Defensive Abilities
Perimeter Defense: 25
Interior Defense: 31
Rebounding: 51
Blocks: 38
Steals: 25
Overall Rating: 43
(Attributes range from 25 – 99)
A 2K-style player card floated before him, complete with numbers and stats.
"Holy—this is just like a damn video game," Wang Zhelin muttered.
For a moment, excitement surged through him. A system, just like in the novels he used to read. Late or not, it had finally arrived.
But as he scanned the numbers, his mood sank like a stone.
The highest stat was lower body strength, sitting at just 60. Not bad on paper—but for a center? It was laughably low. Strength was everything in the paint, and he was already behind.
And the rest…
Perimeter defense, steals, and long-range shooting? They were at 25, the absolute minimum. Barely passable.
The voice in his head spoke again:
"According to analysis, some of the host's stats—stealing, perimeter defense, and long-range shooting—do not actually reach the lower limit of 25. They have been artificially boosted."
Wang Zhelin's face darkened.
"…So I'm charity case material now?"
"Who do you look down on?!" he snapped.
"The system is linked to the host's soul. Communication can be carried out directly in thought or spoken aloud."
Wang Zhelin groaned.
"Fine. High-tech ghost or whatever you are. But can I at least mute you?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then tell me this—where did you come from? Did you cause me to time-travel? Can I go back?"
"This question cannot be answered."
"…"
"Alright, different question. What can you even do? What's the point of this system?"
"This system has two main functions: the Personal Panel and the Lottery Panel. Please check details manually."
"…Low-effort system," Wang Zhelin muttered. Other people's systems dumped all the information straight into their brains. His? He had to click through menus like an outdated RPG.
Still, he wasn't stupid. If he wanted to make it to the NBA, marry rich, and reach the peak of life… this "idiot system" was his only hope.
The Personal Panel was simple enough—it showed player stats, both his and others'.
The Lottery Panel, though… that was the kicker.
There were five tiers of draws:
Bronze
Black Iron
Silver
Gold
Purple Diamond
Each tier required "Fan Value"—a number measuring how many people supported him.
And the rewards? Player cards. With them, he could inherit the skills and talents of legendary athletes.
Bronze (10,000 Fan Value): draw 1 stat, max ability 60
Black Iron (100,000): draw 3 stats, max ability 70
Silver (1,000,000): draw 6 stats, max ability 80
Gold (10,000,000): draw 12 stats + 1 talent, max ability 90
Purple Diamond (100,000,000): full inheritance of all stats and talents
Wang Zhelin's jaw dropped.
"Ten million? A hundred million? Are you kidding me? What am I, a pop idol?!"
Then another thought struck him.
"Wait, system. If people hate me but still follow me, does that count toward Fan Value?"
Silence.
Finally, the system replied:
"Fan Value can only be generated by genuine support. Negative attention does not count."
"…"
Wang Zhelin clutched his head.
"Damn it! Why did I even ask?! Now it's even harder to earn!"
And just when he was about to break down, the system spoke again:
"Bug detected. System upgrade in progress. Duration: 3 minutes. Host will receive compensation upon completion."
The glowing panels vanished instantly, leaving him staring at empty air.
"…You've got to be kidding me," Wang Zhelin muttered. "This thing is broken already?"