The Son of Luck #1 was named Zhao Chen. Until two days ago, his life followed the classic pattern: dignified poverty, hidden talent, iron will... and an opportunity destined to change everything. Today, that opportunity was thirty meters away. And he didn't know it.
The Original Event
According to the plot: Zhao Chen was supposed to enter an old building in the historic district by mistake to take shelter from the rain and discover a forgotten metal box. Inside:
An experimental chip developed by a defunct company.
Real Value: Incalculable.
Value to Zhao Chen: The beginning of his technological rise.
The system displayed it with stark clarity:
Key Event: "Initial Technological Legacy" Importance: High Original Result: Zhao Chen obtains the chip → foundation of the first miracle.
Su Qingyue swallowed hard. "If you take that away from him... what does he have left?" Lin Mo thought without emotion. "Nothing." "That's why it's important."
The Preparation
It was raining. The old district was almost empty. Lin Mo watched from a black car, discreetly parked. "Store," he thought.
[Item Acquired: Fate Event Detector (Temporary)] Cost: 50 DP
The device vibrated. A red dot appeared. "There it is," he murmured. Zhao Chen was running along the sidewalk, soaked, cursing his bad luck. Five minutes. "Shall we stop him?" Qingyue asked. "No," Lin Mo replied. "Destiny is best stolen without touching the target."
The Theft
Lin Mo stepped out of the car, opened an umbrella, and entered the building a minute ahead of time. The place was dark, damp, forgotten. The metal box was there. Rusted. Covered in dust. Lin Mo picked it up. The system vibrated violently.
Warning: Direct intervention in a High-Value Event.
"I accept," he thought. In that instant, Zhao Chen came running in... and stopped dead. "Huh?" He saw Lin Mo. He saw the box in his hand. Something inside him screamed. "Hey," he said. "That... that place was empty a second ago."
Lin Mo looked at him. Without contempt. Without arrogance. Only certainty. "I got here first." Direct, relentless thought: "It wasn't yours. You only believed it would be."
Zhao Chen felt a wave of dizziness, as if something were being ripped from his chest. "That... that was important to me," he whispered, without knowing why. The system confirmed:
Key Event Successfully Stolen. Rewards:
+300 Destiny Points
Key Item: Experimental Chip (Sealed)
Severe weakening of the Protagonist's Halo
Initiation of Forced Alternate Path (Failure)
Zhao Chen fell to his knees. He didn't cry. He didn't scream. He just stayed there, soaked and empty. "Why...?" he murmured. Lin Mo walked past him. "The world owes you nothing." Final thought, which Zhao Chen could not hear but felt: "And I owe you even less."
Afterward
Back in the car, Qingyue was silent. "Now... I finally understand," she said at last. "You're not just stealing things from him." "You're stealing his future."
Lin Mo looked at the chip in his hand. "And every stolen future..." Clear thought: "...brings me closer to dominating this city."
The system appeared, satisfied.
Current Balance: Destiny Points: 440 New options available in the store.
The rain drummed against the glass. Somewhere, Zhao Chen felt his story had just veered off course... And that he was no longer the protagonist.