Lin Fan's consciousness felt like a tattered cloth, ripped apart and crudely stitched back together. His last memory was of the earth-shattering explosion in the lab. A blinding white light had consumed everything, and he, an ordinary physics graduate student, had become the most direct casualty of that catastrophe.
When he next opened his eyes, the violent jolting and the screech of grinding metal made him believe he was in hell. He was strapped tightly into a cold seat, and through the cracked viewport, he could only see an endless, unsettling crimson expanse.
"Warning… Warning… Oxygen level below three percent… External radiation intensity exceeding limits… Main spacecraft structure 92% damaged…"
An icy, synthesized voice echoed in the cockpit. Each word struck Lin Fan's chaotic mind like a heavy hammer. Hadn't he died? Where was this place?
Struggling to unbuckle his seatbelt, Lin Fan staggered to his feet. He looked around. This was the interior of a small landing pod, filled with severed wires and dead screens. His protective suit was torn, and the warning lights on his helmet flashed a dangerous red.
"Mars… I've actually come to Mars?"
A flood of fragmented memories, not his own, surged into his mind. The original owner of this body had been an advance team member of the "Mars Colonization Project." During the landing, they had encountered an unprecedented energy storm, the main ship disintegrated, and his landing pod had crashed into this desolate wasteland.
Before he could fully process the unbelievable truth of his transmigration, the threat of death loomed. His suit's oxygen reserves were almost depleted, and the environment outside the pod, for an unprotected Earthling, was nothing short of lethal poison.
"I have to find a way to survive!"
Lin Fan forced himself to calm down, frantically searching the cramped cabin. Food, water, an intact oxygen tank… anything that could keep him alive.
In the end, he only found half a bottle of nutrient solution and a spare oxygen tube. He pushed open the severely deformed hatch, and a thin, rust-tinged air rushed in, causing an instant, suffocating dizziness. He stepped onto the soft, red soil of Mars, beneath his feet lay eons of solitude.
As far as the eye could see, the world was a desolate red. In the distance, rolling sand dunes stretched to the horizon, while grotesque rock formations dotted the foreground. A sun, emitting a faint glow, hung in the sky. There was no sign of life, only endless desolation and despair.
Just then, a rustling sound came from behind a nearby dune. Lin Fan's heart tightened, and he looked over warily. A bizarre creature, the size of a leopard and covered in dark red carapace, stared intently at him with its multiple crimson eyes.
"Radiation-mutated beast!"
The term flashed through Lin Fan's mind. He gripped the only weapon he had—a metal pipe—his heart pounding. He knew that in his current physical state, a close encounter with this thing meant certain death.
The mutated beast, apparently losing patience, let out a sharp shriek. Its four limbs propelled it forward like a crimson lightning bolt.
Lin Fan's pupils constricted. His survival instinct unleashed his last reserves of strength, and he awkwardly rolled to the side, dodging the attack. The beast's sharp claws tore through his protective suit, leaving a deep gash on his arm. Blood instantly stained his sleeve.
A searing pain shot through him, and Lin Fan's vision blurred, almost causing him to pass out. He could feel his life force rapidly draining away. Was he going to die here, right after transmigrating? He refused to accept it!
Just as his consciousness was about to plunge into darkness, a cold, emotionless mechanical voice, like the first light of creation, abruptly echoed deep within his mind:
[Detecting host's vital signs critically low… Activating "Supreme System" conditions met…]
[System activating… 10%… 50%… 100%…]
[Emergency binding protocol initiated… Binding successful!]
[Welcome, Host Lin Fan.]
A translucent blue interface, like a holographic projection from a sci-fi movie, abruptly unfolded before Lin Fan's retina.
[Host: Lin Fan]
[Physical Grade: F- (Dying)]
[Origin Energy Level: LV0]
[Skills Mastered: None]
[Newbie Quest Issued: Desperate Survival]
[Objective: Absorb Mars Origin Energy, repair physical damage.]
[Guidance: Three hundred meters directly ahead, at the edge of an ancient civilization ruin, low-concentration Origin Energy detected.]
This sudden turn of events sobered Lin Fan slightly. A system? A cheat? He couldn't afford to be overjoyed, because the mutated beast, having missed its first strike, adjusted its stance, preparing for a fatal blow.
"Three hundred meters… All or nothing!"
Lin Fan gritted his teeth, using every last ounce of his strength to scramble and crawl towards the direction indicated by the system. The will to survive overwhelmed everything else; he couldn't even feel the excruciating pain in his arm.
The mutated beast pursued relentlessly, its foul breath already hot on his neck. Just as Lin Fan was about to be caught, he finally stumbled into an area exposing strange metallic structures. His foot slipped, and he tumbled into a sand-half-buried cave entrance.
Inside the cave, soft blue light emanated from mysterious runes carved into the walls. Lin Fan gasped for breath, feeling as if all his strength had been drained. The mutated beast, seemingly wary of the blue light within the cave, paced and snarled at the entrance but hesitated to enter.
[Entered Origin Energy zone. Begin absorption?]
The system's prompt sounded again.
"Absorb! Absorb immediately!" Lin Fan roared in his mind.
The next second, an indescribable warm current surged from the surrounding air into his limbs and bones. It was a wild yet pure energy, frantically scouring and repairing his damaged body. The wound on his arm healed at a visible rate, withered cells regained vitality, and strength, little by little, returned to his body.
This process was filled with unbearable pain, as if every cell in his body was being shattered and reformed. But Lin Fan clenched his jaw, knowing this was his only hope for survival.
He didn't know how long it took, but when the physical transformation finally ended, Lin Fan lay exhausted on the ground. Yet, he could clearly feel that he had been reborn.
[Origin Energy absorption complete.]
[Physical Grade increased: E-Grade]
[Origin Energy Level increased: LV1]
Lin Fan slowly stood up, clenching his fist, feeling an unprecedented sense of power within him. His senses became incredibly sharp; he could even hear the rustling of sand outside the cave and the mutated beast's unwilling growl.
He cast his gaze towards the cave entrance, his eyes no longer holding the fear and despair from before. Instead, they gleamed with a cold killing intent.
"Now, it's time to settle the score."