Chapter 1: Gray Darkness, the Fainting, the Beginning of Everything
Gray, dim, a world without light.
"Fuck… why can't I move?"
Cao Yichen realized his hands and feet were tightly bound; no matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free.
His head was heavy and foggy. Where the hell was he?
Suddenly, voices came from outside.
"Bro, instant noodles are seriously the best. I haven't tasted anything this good in forever."
"Eat quietly, don't attract the zombies outside the door."
Hearing those voices, everything came rushing back to Cao Yichen.
The two outside were the Wang brothers who lived upstairs. When the apocalypse hit, Cao Yichen had seen some secret alerts on his phone and planned to team up with them to kill zombies.
They were neighbors, after all. He was ready to share some of his food and then fight together.
Even though he had prepared defenses, he still got knocked out cold with a single blow.
"Bro, what do we do with the kid inside?"
"What else? The world's ended. No news from the military for days—they're probably finished."
"Then I'll go finish that kid off in a bit and toss him downstairs to feed the zombies."
The more Cao Yichen listened, the more terrified he became. He curled up and pressed himself against the wall.
He was a transmigrator who had been reborn on Blue Star with all his memories intact. He got into the Imperial Capital University he never dared dream of in his previous life, used his foreknowledge to break into finance, and was on the verge of reaching the peak of his life.
Then disaster struck.
A few days ago, a strange energy wave swept across the planet. The apocalypse arrived. Zombies fell from the sky, biting anything human. Plants and animals mutated.
[Strange energy fluctuation sweeping Blue Star. Everyone, please lock doors and windows and take protective measures.]
He had only seen the headline back then and didn't think much of it.
For months, sensationalist reports had been everywhere: meteor about to hit Earth, the sun dying soon, the whole world plunging into darkness, etc.
He'd grown numb to those headlines, so he ignored this one too.
Who would've thought the very last report was actually real?
Fortunately, after seeing those earlier doomsday articles, he had stocked up on several cases of instant noodles and bottled water and kept them at home.
Because nothing happened for months, he never touched the stash.
And now that stash had lured wolves right into his house.
Regret flooded Cao Yichen's heart.
In this life, he was handsome and charismatic. From childhood, he had always ranked at the top of his class. Countless girls at school liked him, but he turned them all down because of his studies.
Actually, he had planned to make money first, improve his life, then think about romance.
Now that was the thing he regretted most.
He hadn't tasted a woman in his previous life, and not in this one either.
He was about to die—looked like he was destined to be a two-life virgin.
While his thoughts spiraled, another sound came from outside.
This time it was different—the cold rasp of a blade being drawn.
"Bro, I'm going to check on the kid."
The door cracked open, revealing the silhouette of a burly man.
Cao Yichen struggled desperately, but it was useless.
Just when despair swallowed him, a heavenly voice rang in his mind.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have awakened the Dimensional Summoning System."
Like celestial music, Cao Yichen couldn't help but cry. "After all these years… Goldfinger, you're finally here!"
"Kid, any last words? Grandpa's about to send you on your way."
The younger Wang brother, Wang Nannan, sneered.
"Quick, System! What can you do?!"
"This System allows you to draw characters and their abilities from the 2D multiverse. Host currently has one free draw. Would you like to draw now?"
"Yes, draw! Of course draw!"
"Would Host like to choose the Character Pool or the Ability Pool?"
"Character!"
His limbs were tied—he figured an ability wouldn't help much right now.
A roulette wheel appeared before his eyes.
90% White, 9% Green, 0.99% Blue, 0.01% Purple.
"Kid, what the hell are you muttering? I told you to leave regrets, not recite nonsense."
Wang Nannan turned toward the door and shouted, "Bro, this guy's gone nuts!"
"Quit wasting time. Kill him and throw him out to feed the zombies."
"Got it."
Cao Yichen stared at the spinning wheel. It stopped on blue first—he felt a surge of excitement. Saved!
Then it kept going… into purple territory!
Familiar names flashed by: Jiraiya, Kizaru…
He didn't have time to admire them. Wang Nannan's knife was already swinging down.
"Wait, wait, wait! Brother Wang, I just remembered something. Don't you want to know where the rest of the food is?"
At the word "food," Wang Nannan froze, grinning wide enough to show his teeth.
"Speak. Tell me where it is, and I'll let you go."
They had only found two cases of instant noodles in Cao Yichen's place. According to what Cao Yichen had said earlier, there should be several more cases, but they couldn't find them no matter how hard they searched.
They originally thought he wasn't stupid enough to trust them after being knocked out, so they didn't bother interrogating him.
Once he was dead, they could search all they wanted.
But now that the kid was willing to talk, things just got easier.
"Brother Wang… if I tell you, you'll really let me go?"
"Of course! You've known your Brother Wang for years. Don't you know what kind of guy I am?"
Cao Yichen pretended to think, then said, "In my impression, Brother Wang is a lazy bum who mooches off his parents, beats them, and begs for money…"
"You courting death?!"
Wang Nannan's anger flared, but he held back—he still needed the information.
He decided that once the kid talked, he'd show him the ten great tortures.
"Fine, I'll trust you for now."
"Hurry up and tell me. Say it and I'll untie you."
At that moment, the roulette finally stopped.
The portrait that appeared was none other than Tsunade-hime.
Measurements: 106 / 58 / 89
That was the one set of numbers Cao Yichen remembered perfectly from watching Naruto.
And exactly because of those numbers, he had never found a girlfriend he deemed worthy.
"Congratulations, Host! You have drawn a Purple-tier character: Tsunade! Would you like to summon her or decompose her? Decomposing grants a chance to obtain one of her abilities."
"Are you kidding? Summon, obviously!"
Hearing that, Wang Nannan spat, "You're crazy again? I actually believed you!"
He swung the kitchen knife down toward Cao Yichen's head.
In that instant, a golden-haired beauty materialized beside Cao Yichen.
Wearing a loose green bathrobe that barely contained her explosive figure, her overwhelming presence stunned everyone in the room.