Segment 1
The morning after the club was a study in opulent silence. Yi Lang stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of his penthouse apartment, a space so minimalist and vast it felt more like a museum of modern art than a home. Below, the city stretched out, a concrete and steel jungle humming with unseen energy. The hangover that should have plagued the body of the original Yi Lang was nowhere to be found; his Constitution of 18, enhanced further by the subtle, cleansing flow of Qi he was learning to sense, had burned it away before dawn.
His mind was a crystal-clear strategium. The 900 DVV from last night was a formidable war chest. He had accessed the System Mall (Level 1), but the items—basic Qi-gathering techniques, low-grade physique enhancers—were underwhelming. He needed a larger, more immediate infusion of points to acquire anything truly game-changing. For that, he needed a primary target. A true protagonist to farm.
As if on cue, a notification, different from the standard chime, pulsed in his mind. It was a deeper, more urgent tone, accompanied by a crimson flash on his system interface.
[ Warning! High-Value Plot Point Detected! ]
[ Location: Starlight Plaza. ]
[ Event: 'The Orphanage Incident' is commencing. ]
[ Involved Parties: Protagonist 'Kai Yong' (The Returning Mercenary King), Heroine 'Su Shixi' (The Pure Waitress). ]
[ Estimated Luck Point Value of Protagonist: 8,500 ]
Yi Lang's lips curved into a razor-sharp smile. The Mercenary King. A classic archetype. A man who returns from years of brutal warfare abroad to find his childhood home threatened, setting him on a path of righteous vengeance. And Su Shixi, the sweet waitress from the club, was his cherished anchor to a peaceful past.
This was perfect. A high-value target and a heroine Yi Lang had already begun to ensnare.
"Jun Zi," Yi Lang said, his voice cutting through the silence.
From the shadowed corner of the room, a figure emerged. He was a young man, perhaps a year older than Yi Lang, with a lean, athletic build and a face that was handsome in a clean, unassuming way. He moved with a fluid, economical grace that spoke of rigorous, professional combat training.
— System Identification —
Name:Jun Zi
Age:21
Gender:Male
Appearance:84/99
Status:Loyal Bodyguard / Retained Expert. Orphaned and recruited by the Yi Family's security apparatus. Possesses pre-awakening Qi refinement (Mid Yellow-grade Martial Artist). His unwavering loyalty is to the Yi family, which now means Yi Lang personally.
"Young Master," Jun Zi said, his voice respectful but not subservient. He had been assigned to the 'wastrel' Yi Lang as a form of exile by the family's head of security. But the man who stood before him now was not the man he'd been assigned to protect yesterday.
"The car. We're going to Starlight Plaza," Yi Lang commanded, turning from the window. "There's a performance I don't want to miss."
"Understood." Jun Zi didn't ask questions. The change in Yi Lang's aura was command enough.
The ride was conducted in a black, custom-made luxury vehicle that was more armored fortress than car. As Jun Zi navigated the traffic with preternatural skill—aided by Yi Lang's passive Proficient Driving knowledge allowing him to appreciate the artistry of it—Yi Lang focused inward.
He spent 500 DVV.
[ Purchased: Qi Perception (Primary - Level 1). Cost: 500 DVV. ]
A new sense bloomed within him. The world gained a new layer. He could feel the faint, vibrant life force of the people on the sidewalks, the dull, inert Qi of the buildings, and the concentrated, disciplined energy radiating from Jun Zi in the driver's seat—a steady, yellow-gold aura. This was the foundation of Urban Xuanhuan, the hidden layer of reality.
They arrived at Starlight Plaza. It was a bustling, open-air shopping center. Yi Lang's enhanced Qi Perception immediately zeroed in on a dissonant spike of energy near a small, dilapidated flower shop tucked between two larger stores—the orphanage Su Shixi supported and where the Mercenary King's sentimental past was rooted.
There, the scene was unfolding just as the System had predicted.
A group of thugs, clearly hired muscle, were aggressively confronting a terrified older woman—the shop owner. And standing between them and her was Su Shixi, her small frame trembling but her face set in defiant courage.
"You have until the end of the day!" the lead thug snarled. "The boss wants this land. The price is non-negotiable. Be sensible, old woman, or things will get ugly."
"Please, we need more time!" Su Shixi pleaded, her voice shaking.
This was the setup. The moment of damsel-in-distress peril.
And right on cue, he appeared.
He didn't walk; he materialized. One moment he wasn't there, the next he was standing beside Su Shixi, a solid, imposing presence. He was dressed in simple, rugged trousers and a tight black t-shirt that strained over a powerfully built frame crisscrossed with the faint outlines of old scars. His face was weathered, handsome in a hard, unforgiving way, and his eyes held the cold, dead calm of a man who had seen too much killing.
— System Identification —
Name:Kai Yong
Age:25
Gender:Male
Appearance:90/99
Status:The Returning Mercenary King (Son of Luck). Possesses Peak Yellow-grade Martial Artist strength, honed by a decade of life-or-death combat on international battlefields. Luck Points: 8,500/8,500.
Fated Destiny:To save the orphanage, reunite with Su Shixi, and begin his rise against the corrupt forces of the city—starting with the young master who will inevitably try to claim what is 'his'.
"Walk away," Kai Yong said to the thugs. His voice was low, a gravelly rumble that carried absolute authority. It was the voice of a man used to being obeyed.
The lead thug, emboldened by numbers, laughed. "Or what, pretty boy?"
What happened next was a blur of brutal efficiency. It wasn't a fight; it was a dismantling. Kai Yong's movements were minimal, economical, and devastating. A twist of a wrist sent the first thug's arm bending at a sickening angle. A low kick cracked another's knee with an audible pop. He moved through them like a scythe through wheat, his Qi flaring a bright, aggressive yellow with each strike. In under five seconds, all four thugs were on the ground, moaning in pain.
Su Shixi stared at him, her hands flying to her mouth. "Kai… Kai Yong? Is it really you?"
The Mercenary King's hardened expression softened when he looked at her. "Shixi. I'm back. I told you I'd protect you."
It was a perfect, storybook moment. The hero returns, saves the girl, and vanquishes the immediate threat. Yi Lang, watching from the shaded interior of his car, could almost see the invisible threads of fate weaving together, strengthening Kai Yong's plot armor.
But Yi Lang wasn't here to watch the story. He was here to rewrite it.
"Jun Zi," Yi Lang said, his voice calm. "Go and… tidy that up. Be polite."
A flicker of confusion crossed Jun Zi's face, but he obeyed without question. He exited the car and walked towards the scene just as Kai Yong was helping the last thug to his feet with a warning.
Jun Zi stopped a few paces away, his hands held loosely at his sides. "The young master has taken an interest in this establishment," he stated, his voice even. "You will convey to your employer that any further unsanctioned agitation will be considered a personal insult to the Yi family. Now, remove this trash from the sidewalk."
Kai Yong's head snapped up. His dead-calm eyes narrowed, locking onto Jun Zi. He sensed it immediately—the disciplined Qi, the combat-ready posture. This was no ordinary thug. This was a real fighter.
"The Yi family?" Kai Yong's voice was a low growl. "So, you're the ones behind this."
Jun Zi offered a faint, cold smile. "We are behind the maintenance of order. The motivations of street-level scum are of no concern to us."
The tension spiked. This was no longer a simple conflict between a hero and local gangsters. This was the first, direct confrontation between the protagonist's world and the vast, shadowy power structure Yi Lang represented. Kai Yong's Luck Points hadn't dropped yet, but his original, straightforward path had just been irrevocably complicated.
And from the car, Yi Lang received the notification he was waiting for.
[ Ding! Host has successfully derailed a major plot point ('The Heroic Return'). Protagonist 'Kai Yong's' initial consolidation of power and influence has been disrupted. Destiny Villain Value +1000! ]
[ Ding! Host has caused significant emotional fluctuation in Heroine 'Su Shixi' (Confusion, Fear, Awe). Favorability +10. Destiny Villain Value +300! ]
[ Destiny Villain Value: 1700 ]
The first move was his. The farm was open for business.