At 1:00 AM, the lights in the cubicle were as pale as moonlight, reflecting off Li Banjia’s equally pale face.
The time in the bottom right corner of his computer screen ticked away stubbornly, as if silently mocking his fading youth and receding hairline.
"Get this PowerPoint finished. I want to see it on Manager Zhao’s desk by nine tomorrow morning. Problems? Solve them yourself. This company didn't hire you to complain."
The greasy face of his boss, Zhao Dezhu, hovered in his mind, his words like a tightening hoop, making Li Banjia’s temples throb painfully.
"Solve them my foot..." he muttered under his breath, his fingers mechanically drumming against the keyboard while his soul had already drifted away to some unknown milk tea shop, a barbecue stall, or at the very least, his own single bed—not particularly soft, but at least his own.
Just then, his phone screen lit up. A text message from his bank, brief and to the point: "Dear customer, the available balance of your account ending in xxxx is 138.52 yuan."
Li Banjia’s heart sank.
Rent, utilities, his Huabei bill, the gift money for his classmate’s wedding next week... every item felt like a mountain, crushing him until he couldn't breathe.
He ran his hands through his already thinning hair in frustration, thinking in despair: When will this life ever end? Am I, Li Banjia, born to be a beast of burden for capitalists? Dammit, I want to rule the mountains and rivers, to hold the power of the world in my hands! Even if it’s just a dream...
As if hearing his deepest, most sacrilegious roar, the computer screen suddenly let out a "crack," briefly flashing with static.
Immediately after, in the bottom right corner where the time was displayed, a pixel-art avatar of a man in ancient eunuch robes popped up out of nowhere.
The eunuch's avatar was expressionless, with long, thin eyes and a trace of... sycophancy... at the corners of his mouth.
Before Li Banjia could wonder if he was hallucinating from overwork, a dialogue box, equally retro (or perhaps "bootleg") in style, popped up, accompanied by an abrupt, jarring sound of a gong: "Clang—!"
【Detected intense subconscious fluctuations of "I am Destiny." Binding criteria met.】
【"Nine-Five Supreme Simulator" system binding...】
【Ding! Binding successful!】
【Newbie task issued: Review the memorials.】
Li Banjia: "???"
He rubbed his eyes and leaned closer to the screen.
"Nine-Five Supreme Simulator? What the hell is this? A new virus? Or some prank plugin made by a sloppy programmer?"
He moved his mouse to click the "X," but found that the cursor couldn't select the eunuch avatar or the dialogue box at all.
"Hey, are you forcing this on me?" Li Banjia grew even more annoyed. "Reviewing memorials? Review your head! All I want to do is finish this pile of damn emails and go home to sleep!"
He glanced instinctively at his email client. Next to the glaring red "99+" badge indicating unread emails, that bootleg eunuch avatar appeared again, with an arrow pointing to the top email from his "Endless Urger" client.
【Newbie task: Review the memorials (1/1)】
【Task goal: Handle the most urgent official business (email).】
【Task reward: Unlock basic system functions, 【Imperial Treasury Silver】 x10, 【Dragon’s Might】 (beginner) trial card x1.】
【Hint: As an emperor, procrastination is the path to chaos.】
"You’ve got to be kidding me... it even has smart recognition?" Li Banjia was shocked by the system’s "dedication," and simultaneously choked by the line, "procrastination is the path to chaos."
"Fine, fine, you win." He decided to just give in; he had to reply to this email eventually anyway. Rather than fighting a weird pop-up, he might as well get it over with.
Suppressing the urge to curse, Li Banjia mustered his last bit of professional decorum, clattered away at his keyboard, and used every bit of "service provider jargon" he knew to reply to the urgent email.
The moment he clicked "Send," the dialogue box next to the eunuch avatar refreshed immediately.
"Clang—!" Another gong sound.
【【Review the memorials】 task complete! Rating: Passable (The phrasing was too humble, lacking in Imperial dignity; do better next time).】
【Reward issued: 【Imperial Treasury Silver】 x10, 【Dragon’s Might】 (beginner) trial card x1.】
【Basic system panel unlocked. Please explore at your leisure, Your Majesty.】
"That’s it? You’re rating me? To hell with your Imperial dignity!" Li Banjia rolled his eyes at the screen, just about to continue complaining when his phone suddenly chimed.
It was the notification sound for his payment app.
He picked up his phone in confusion and froze.
【XX Pay received: 10.00 yuan.】
Ten... ten yuan?
Li Banjia snapped his gaze back to the computer screen. Where it displayed 【Imperial Treasury Silver】 x10, a small set of parentheses had appeared after the number "10," reading "convertible to RMB."
It wasn't a hallucination? This crappy system... it actually gave him money?! Even though it was only ten yuan, the principle was different!
His heart began to race uncontrollably.
His gaze drifted involuntarily to the icon labeled 【Dragon’s Might】 (beginner) trial card. The icon depicted a gold dragon with five-cent special effects, baring its claws.
【【Dragon’s Might】 (beginner) trial card: Upon use, aura increases for 10 minutes, making statements more convincing. Note: Effect is reduced against those with strong wills or status far higher than the user.】
Ten minutes of increased aura? Making statements more convincing?
In Li Banjia’s mind, the image of the progress meeting at nine the next morning, where he had to face his boss, Zhao Dezhu, surfaced immediately.
In past meetings, he had been as nervous as a quail, stuttering and stammering, crushed by Zhao Dezhu’s presence.
This so-called 【Dragon’s Might】...
He looked at the crude eunuch avatar and the words "Nine-Five Supreme Simulator," then looked back at the ten yuan that had indeed been deposited into his phone.
It was absurd, ridiculous, but... what if it were real?
Li Banjia swallowed hard.
For tomorrow’s meeting, why not... give it a try?