Chapter 10: The First Mission
Monday mornings were always chaos.
By seven, Chongqing was already wide awake. Office workers hurried toward subway stations, students drifted through the sidewalks in sleepy groups, and delivery riders darted through traffic as if the city belonged to them. Scooters buzzed between rows of buildings while crowds gathered outside breakfast shops waiting for their orders.
Lin Yuan fastened his helmet, then glanced at the familiar blue window hovering at the edge of his vision.
Mission 001
Objective: Earn ¥10,000 through honest work.
Current Progress: ¥3,846 / ¥10,000
Reward: ¥100,000
The total represented everything he'd earned since the mission had appeared. It wasn't much, but it was moving.
He let out a quiet sigh. "I would've gone to work today even without you."
The System replied in the same calm, emotionless voice.
"Acknowledged."
Lin Yuan couldn't help smiling. "So you're just going to sit there and watch?"
"Correct."
"And if I ask for advice?"
"The Host may ask questions within permitted parameters."
He laughed under his breath. "You really sound like customer support."
The System, unsurprisingly, had nothing to say.
The morning rush began. His phone buzzed with a notification of a new order. He accepted it without hesitation.
The morning disappeared in a blur of deliveries. One order sent him across two districts. Another led him into an apartment complex where the elevator had been broken for weeks. One customer had entered the wrong address and apologized so many times over the phone that Lin Yuan ended up reassuring him instead.
By noon, sweat soaked through the back of his shirt despite the cool autumn breeze.
He pulled over beside a convenience store, bought the cheapest bottle of water he could find, and took a long drink.
The familiar blue screen appeared.
Mission Progress Updated
¥4,112 / ¥10,000
Lin Yuan nodded.
"So it updates automatically."
"Correct."
"No hidden conditions?"
"Mission progress reflects verified income earned through honest labour."
"Fair enough."
At least the System wasn't asking him to rob a bank or climb Mount Everest.
The rest of the afternoon was no different from any other workday. One customer thanked him for arriving ahead of schedule. Another complained because soup had leaked inside the delivery bag, even though the restaurant had packed it poorly in the first place.
Lin Yuan apologized anyway. Years of temporary jobs had taught him that arguing rarely solved anything. Staying calm usually did.
Around four in the afternoon, he stopped outside a small family-run restaurant to pick up another order.
The owner, a woman in her fifties, smiled the moment she saw him. "You're the polite delivery boy."
Lin Yuan grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is." She handed him the takeaway bags. "You always check the packaging before leaving."
"My customers blame me if something spills."
She laughed. "Smart."
While waiting for the receipt, Lin Yuan looked around the restaurant.
Everything was spotless. The aroma coming from the kitchen made his stomach growl. Yet only two tables were occupied.
Across the street, another restaurant with flashy decorations and a long line of customers was overflowing with business.
Lin Yuan frowned as he looked back at the quiet dining room "The food here smells better... so why is nobody eating here?"
The owner noticed where he was looking. "What?"
He hesitated. "Nothing."
She smiled knowingly. "You were wondering why business has been so slow."
"...Maybe a little."
She sighed. "We've been here for twelve years. Business used to be great."
Her eyes drifted toward the crowded restaurant across the street. "Now everyone orders online."
She gave a helpless shrug. "I don't understand those delivery apps."
Lin Yuan nodded thoughtfully. Before becoming a delivery rider, he'd never paid attention to restaurant rankings or online reviews.
Now he saw them every single day. Good food wasn't enough anymore.
People noticed photos before they noticed flavor. Ratings mattered. Search rankings mattered. Convenience mattered. Visibility mattered.
The owner interrupted his thoughts. "You'd better get going. Your customer's waiting."
"Right." Lin Yuan climbed back onto his scooter. As he drove away, he glanced at the quiet restaurant one last time.
For some reason, the image stayed with him.
That evening, Lin Yuan returned home exhausted. He made a bowl of instant noodles, cracked an egg into the boiling water, and sat down in front of his old laptop.
Instead of watching videos like he usually did, he typed a different question into the search bar.
'How do restaurants attract more customers online?'
One article led to another. Then another. Soon he'd opened more than a dozen tabs.
He read about customer reviews, digital menus, food photography, online advertising, search rankings, loyalty programs, and customer retention.
By the time he finally looked away from the screen, it was almost midnight. Three pages of handwritten notes lay scattered across his desk.
None of this had anything to do with his mission. The System had never told him to learn marketing. Still...He couldn't stop reading.
"If a restaurant makes great food..." He stared thoughtfully at his notebook. "...people should know about it."
The System remained silent.
The next week passed quickly. Lin Yuan worked every day without taking a break. Slowly, his earnings climbed.
Every evening, the System quietly updated his progress.
Mission Progress
¥5,287 / ¥10,000
A few days later—
¥6,041 / ¥10,000
And after another exhausting weekend...
¥10,000 / ¥10,000
Mission Complete
Lin Yuan had just parked outside his apartment when the notification appeared. He stared at it for several long seconds. "...I actually did it."
The familiar mechanical voice echoed in his ears.
"Congratulations, Host."
"Reward distribution commencing."
His heartbeat quickened. It wasn't just about the money. One hundred thousand yuan could change everything.
He could pay off his debts. Take business courses. Start building the future he'd always dreamed about.
A golden loading circle appeared beneath the notification.
Reward Processing...
Lin Yuan smiled. "So it actually works."
The circle slowly filled.
Ninety percent.
Ninety-five.
Ninety-eight.
Ninety-nine.
Then—
The screen flickered. The blue interface twisted violently as lines of text dissolved into unreadable symbols. A harsh electronic screech rang through the room.
System Error
The message flashed once. Then again. The entire interface shattered into fragments of blue light and vanished. Silence.
Lin Yuan blinked. "...Hello?"
Nothing. The floating windows were gone. The mechanical voice had disappeared. The apartment was completely quiet.
He waited. One minute. Two. Still nothing.
He opened his banking app. The balance hadn't changed. Not even by a single yuan.
Lin Yuan leaned back in his chair and let out a helpless laugh. "...You've got to be kidding me."
After everything...The System had crashed.
He rubbed his forehead. "I can't believe supernatural software has bugs."
For a second, he felt genuinely frustrated. Then the feeling faded. "I earned that ten thousand myself anyway."
He set his phone on the desk and stood up.
"Was it disappointing? Absolutely."
"Was it the end of the world? Not even close."
Tomorrow morning, he'd put on his helmet, climb back onto his scooter, and get back to work.
Reward or no reward...Life didn't stop moving.
Behind him, unnoticed, a tiny blue spark flickered for less than a second before disappearing. The System hadn't vanished. It had only crashed.