May 9, 2047 — Beijing, China
Rain tapped against the grimy window of a cramped studio apartment.
Neon lights from the street below are seen through the thin curtains, a silhouette of reds and blues.
Inside sat Lin Feng, a Chinese university student with sunken eyes and trembling hands, hunched over his computer.
The room was livable to say the least.
A single desk, a battered laptop on life support. A mattress pressed against the wall. Clothes piled in the corner.
Numbers flickered on the screen. Charts, percentages, red arrows pointing downward.
Loss after loss.
"Shit…" Lin Feng dragged his hands down his face. "I need to recover something. If I don't… those loan sharks will really come after my head this time."
He couldn't bear it anymore, he then closed his laptop. He resigned from his fate.
'...should I just make a run for it?'
*Ding dong!
The doorbell echoed.
Lin Feng froze.
"…What?"
His heart pounded. Slowly, he stood.
'Did I order something?' He thought. 'No. I definitely didn't.'
He stepped toward the door but came to a stop. He pondered for a moment, overthinking perhaps it was the loansharks once again, so he asked. "Tsk! Who is it?!"
"A package for...Lin Feng." The man behind the door spoke.
"…Just leave it there," he replied after a pause.
His hand slid toward the kitchen counter. Wrapping his fingers around the knife handle, his hands visibly shaking.
He listened near his door, waiting until the steps slowly walked away,
He waited.
And waited.
Until it was finally gone.
No more footsteps. No voices. Nothing.
'Is he gone?'
*Creakk...
He opened the door carefully, peering through the gap.
The hallway was empty.
At his doorstep sat a plain cardboard box.
"…Am I just paranoid?" He muttered. 'Phew! I thought the loansharks were about to barge in again...'
He dragged the box inside and shut the door behind him
"The receipt says it really was addressed to me... It came from Shanghai? What?"
He sighed and peeled off the tape. The tape peeled away easily.
And then-
*Vrrmmm!
His phone vibrated.
Checking his messages, he saw an unregistered number.
The message read:
"Lin Feng. It's been a month since your last payment. Two weeks ago, some of our men came and you begged for 2 more weeks, and your Interest continues to accumulate. And your 2 weeks are up. You will settle the debt by tomorrow."
"What a load of shit…" Lin Feng laughed shakily. "I'll be gone by tomorrow. Hehehe—"
His laughter cut off.
"—Urghk!"
His throat was seized.
Lin Feng clawed at his neck as the force crushed his airway.
'W-What the fuck?! Stop—!'
He kept flailing, gasping, until his vision blurred.
'I can't breathe!'
"F…U…C—!" His voice broke into wet choking sounds.
There were two hands wrapped around his throat.
He started foaming from his mouth. Tears streamed down his face. His body convulsed, and he finally went limp.
*Thud!
The last thing he saw was the apartment door standing open.
'…Fuck.'
A man's voice echoed above him, indifferent and cold.
"You should've thought twice before borrowing money you couldn't possibly repay."
'Who…?'
Another voice followed.
"Dissect the body. Clean it up nicely will ya'? Then we'll recover the debt after selling his organs."
Their footsteps died down.
'So… this is death.'
'It's not exactly what I envisioned, so is there a hell or a heaven?'
'...nothing?'
A blinding light swallowed his vision.
'What now—?!'
[Host has died.]
"…The fuck?"
The mechanical, emotionless voice continued.
[Host failed to assimilate.]
[System failed to materialize.]
[Reincarnations remaining: 1.]
[Finding suitable system...Loading.]
[Searching for another Lin Feng… Loading.]
'Huh?'
Pain—sharp and sudden, ripped through him despite having no body.
"—Ack!!"
Memories flooded in flashes.
"Shit! This reincarnation was pathetic. Almost laughable. I didn't even manage to materialize the system."
Lin Feng, a person who has gone through the cycle of reincarnation for 99 times through his system granted by the universe, a missionary, he who shall bring forth prosperity no matter which world or era he descends.
"So if I die this time… I'll really be gone. Gone forever."
Lin Feng sighed internally, "If only I can take the memories in this space with me when reincarnating, that would be bliss."
Silence ensued.
"Right, let's see where the next one takes me."
[Another Lin Feng: Found.]
[Suitable system: Found. Magic Mastery System.]
"So it's a magical world this time."
Space twisted.
Lin Feng drifted through emptiness, through time itself, until—
Earth. 1988.
He hovered as a soul, watching atop a 2-story house.
"Since I spawned here, the new host must be nearby... but the 80s, huh?" He murmured.
There were two people inside the house, an asian woman and a white man was talking with one another, "Lin Feng is such a handful you know, I mean he is my first child and I think I'm spoiling him quite a bit..."
'Hearing how they're talking about a Lin Feng, it must be my next body, so I'm currently an only child, huh? Now where is he?'
He passed by a room when he heard some noises, "Eleven...uhhh one two... twelve..."
"There goes my cue~" Lin Feng hummed as he made his way towards the child he could see counting with his fingers.
"The body I'm entering is—what? Five years old already?"
He examined the boy first before doing anything.
"…White hair and a hint of blonde? Red eyes as well? Albinism, huh? Not my first time, his features suggest he's American? But he should be Asian to be called Lin Feng though? But his mom is Asian, so I guess that's that."
He sighed.
"I haven't been this excited in a while, plus this is the oldest host I've ever had. Whatever. Once I possess him, I'll forget everything anyway."
The boy was sitting on the floor, in the corner of the room counting with his fingers.
"Nineteen… two ow… twentyy!"
Suddenly, his body jerked.
"Ah—!"
The car slipped from his hand as he stumbled forward and hit the floor with a soft thud.
"…Mmm."
His eyes fluttered, then slowly opened.
"...Huh?"
He blinked at the ceiling.
"That was weird."
'Finally… I'm back—'
The boy frowned.
"…Who said that?"
He sat up and looked around the room.
"Dad?"
No answer.
'I can't move…?' Lin Feng realized. 'Why can't I move?'
The boy wiggled his fingers.
"I can move," he said. "So it's not me."
'You can hear me?'
The boy tilted his head.
"…Yeah. Are you in the wall?"
'In the— no! I'm—'
"Are you a ghost?" the boy asked, eyes widening just a little.
'What? No—'
"Oh." The boy nodded, accepting it instantly. "Then where are you?"
Lin Feng paused.
'I… don't know.'
"…Okay," the boy said, satisfied for now.
He turned his head back and forth.
"Ah! Found you!" He spotted a shadow under the door from the next room.
He immediately ran towards the room across and saw another child hiding just behind the door—black hair, brown eyes, holding his breath.
"Hey, Feng," the white-haired boy called.
"Grrr! You found me!" The boy named Feng grumbled.
"Never mind that, come here."
The other boy looked up. "What?"
"Can you hear a voice?"
The boy named Feng frowned. "No."
Lin Feng's thoughts raced.
'Wait. What's his name?'
The white-haired boy answered without thinking. "That's Lin Feng."
The black-haired boy crossed his arms. "You called me, Levy?"
"…Huh?" Levy, the white-haired boy blinked. "No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did."
"No, I didn't."
They stared at each other.
Lin Feng's soul went cold.
'That kid… that's Lin Feng.'
'Then this one?'
Levy, suddenly rubbed his head. "My head feels funny."
Lin Feng shrugged. "You're always weird."
"…Hey," Levy said slowly, eyes unfocused. "The voice is gone."
Lin Feng felt himself sinking deeper.
'No—wait. Maybe I can get out—'
He desperately tried to escape from this boy Levy, but to no avail, he could not. Darkness pressed in.
'…Fuck.'
"Oh. It's back."
'Fine! I'll make do with it!'
Lin Feng didn't bother hiding his anticipation.
'Status. Open.'
A translucent screen unfolded before him, lines of pale-blue text cascading down like light reflected on water.
[Assimilation Progress: 85%… 89%… 92%…]
Lin Feng exhaled slowly.
'Though unprecedented,' he thought calmly. 'Once assimilation completes, I'll forget everything and live on as Levy… that was his name, wasn't it?'
His gaze hardened.
'His soul will be erased.'
[Assimilation Progress: 95%]
"Huh?" Levy blinked. "What's… assimi—assi… that word?"
Lin Feng ignored him.
[Assimilation Progress: 97%]
'I do pity you, boy.'
Levy tilted his head, squinting at the glowing panel. "Hey… why does it say my soul?"
Lin Feng froze.
[Assimilation Progress: 99%]
'…You can see it?'
"Uh-huh!" Levy nodded eagerly. "It's shiny! Is this your magic trick?"
Lin Feng's confidence wavered—just for an instant.
'That shouldn't be possible.'
The system was bound to him.
It had always responded only to his perception.
Two observers were impossible.
[Assimilation Progress: 100%]
'It's done.'
Relief surged through Lin Feng.
Then—
[Assimilation Complete.]
His lips curled upward.
'Yes. The system noticed—'
[Warning: Two different live souls detected.]
[System stability compromised.]
Lin Feng's smile stiffened.
'What?'
[Evaluating dominant consciousness…]
[Evaluating neural synchronization…]
[Evaluating continuity risk…]
Lin Feng laughed, forcing confidence into the sound.
"Heh… hehehe… HAHAHAHAHA—!"
The system did not respond.
A second has passed.
Then another.
A minute.
'…Why's nothing happening?'
He pushed his consciousness outward.
'Oi. Boy. Can you hear me?!'
Nothing.
"The voice is gone," Levy said lightly, swinging his legs. "Kinda boring now."
Lin Feng felt it immediately.
Not resistance.
[Instability source identified.]
[Soul integrity: Lin Feng—Degrading.]
[Action required: Removal.]
'Wait—no!'
Panic tore through him.
'The fuck?! This is nonsense! System! You're my ability! System!'
There was no response.
'Don't—don't do this! I haven't even started yet!'
'What the hell!!' Lin Feng cursed. His own ability bit him in the ass. His own ass.
And then—
The world outside continued without him.
The door opened.
A large man stepped in, filling the doorway with his shadow. Blonde hair. Broad shoulders. Blue eyes
"There you are," he said gently. "Levy. Time to go home."
Levy looked up, bright-eyed.
"Oh! Dad! Okay!"
He jumped to his feet and ran over, grabbing his father's hand.
Inside Levy's mind—
'Please,' Lin Feng begged, panic cracking his thoughts.
'I don't want to disappear. I can help you tremendously. I can be useful—'
His awareness was shrinking, folding inward like a collapsing star.
The man lifted Levy with ease.
Levy laughed, then suddenly turned his head back.
"Oh! I forgot!"
He waved enthusiastically toward the room.
"Lin Feng!"
The boy inside the room looked up.
"Yeh?"
Inside Levy's mind—
'Yes—! I'm here!!'
Levy grinned.
"See ya~!"
The door swung shut.
Inside—
'No—wait! Don't leave me here!'
'Levy! Levy!!'
The boy's voice echoed faintly, distant now.
The real Lin Feng—six years old, black hair and confused eyes—lifted a hand in return.
"…Bye," he said softly.
Inside the sealed darkness—
'Stay. Please stay.'
Levy was carried through the doorway.
The hall light spilled in briefly, then vanished as the door closed.
Click.
Outside, Levy rested his head on his father's shoulder.
"Dad?"
"Yes, my son?"
"…I think I forgot something."
His father smiled. "If you forgot about it, it's probably nothing important."
Inside—
Lin Feng reached out one last time.
Nothing answered.
[Congratulations: An achievement]