Inside a room that appeared somewhat old but brimming with life, a pale young man lay on the bed, his brow furrowed, occasionally muttering unintelligible sounds, almost as if he were possessed.
After an unknown amount of time, the young man's eyes snapped open, his dark pupils filled with confusion, sadness, and a hint of relief.
"I remember it all," a raspy, dry voice echoed in the silent room, sending a shiver down one's spine.
The young man's name was Luo Chuan, a resident of Daxing Village in Jiangzhou City. His parents had divorced, and he had lived with his grandmother since childhood. Now a sophomore at Jiefangbei Middle School, he possessed striking good looks, but academically, he was a match for the infamous Daxing Village F4, and even had a slight edge.
Of course, this edge meant he merely hovered around the bottom of the class.
Simply put, aside from his good looks, he had no redeeming qualities.
The reason for Luo Chuan's current state was his grandmother's passing just two days ago.
It wasn't an unexpected event; the old lady had lived to the age of eighty. While she had never been wealthy, she had also never experienced any major illnesses or misfortunes. She simply left quietly one morning, a few days ago.
Considering Luo Chuan's grandmother's age, it could be considered a happy death.
However, for Luo Chuan, this was the only family he had in the world. With his only relative now gone, the grief that welled up within him, combined with his already frail body, caused him to faint.
He remained delirious and listless for days afterwards.
If it weren't for the kindhearted neighbors who helped Luo Chuan with the funeral arrangements, he might have been completely lost, unsure of what to do.
What others didn't know was that Luo Chuan's delirium these past few days was due to his overwhelming grief, which had inadvertently unlocked the secrets of his birth, triggering memories from his previous life.
"So, I've been reborn, and I've landed in the world of Wind Dog," Luo Chuan mumbled, gazing at the bright moon outside.
In his previous life, Luo Chuan was just an ordinary young man who had just graduated and entered the vast and unforgiving world of society. As a programmer, he worked tirelessly, sacrificing his health for his boss's luxurious villa, eventually collapsing and dying at his desk from exhaustion.
While Luo Chuan now possessed memories of his past life, everything in his current life was also his own lived experience.
Two tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. Luo Chuan raised his arm to wipe them away, the bewilderment and confusion in his eyes fading. He pushed down the sorrow for his grandmother, burying it deep within his heart, leaving only anticipation for the future.
"Grandma, don't worry, I'll live a good life. I'll leave Daxing Village and live a life more fulfilling than anyone else's."
"System," Luo Chuan muttered in his mind.
When Luo Chuan's memories fully returned, he sensed the existence of this golden finger, a standard feature for transmigrators.
A light blue screen, invisible to others, appeared before Luo Chuan's eyes.
【Luo Chuan】
Age: 17
Abilities: Programming LV2: 111/1000, English LV2: 24/1000, Chinese Language LV2: 54/1000, Cooking LV1: 83/100, Mathematics LV1: 77/100, Physics LV1: 31/100, ...
The system panel was exceptionally simple, but the data it displayed was downright pitiful, causing Luo Chuan to utter a curse of "useless" upon seeing it.
The abilities naturally represented what Luo Chuan currently knew. It wasn't the dazzling revelation he'd hoped for.
The highest level abilities, Programming and English, were remnants of his past life. As for why Mathematics, Chinese Language, and the like were still so low, well...
...Ahem, high school was the smartest he'd ever been. After four years of university and two years of work, he had long since forgotten everything he'd learned in high school, not even remembering as much as he'd learned in this life….
As for the ability levels, Luo Chuan had a general understanding. LV1 represented a basic understanding, a certain level of familiarity with a skill. It was the average level for ordinary people unless they specifically dedicated themselves to a particular field. LV2 indicated that someone had invested a considerable amount of time and effort in a skill, achieving a certain degree of success.
LV3 was already considered a master of the field, while LV4 represented the pinnacle of global achievement. As for LV5, Luo Chuan only had two words to describe such a skill level: god-level.
An LV5 skill could be described as transforming the mundane into the extraordinary. While not capable of changing the world, it was sufficient to leave a lasting legacy and immortalize one's name.
Of course, LV5 abilities were incredibly difficult to achieve. After all, human attention spans were limited, and it was difficult for ordinary people to determine whether the path they were following was correct, often leading to wasted lives and ultimately a wrong result.
However, Luo Chuan wouldn't face these issues. He could improve his ability levels through learning, and he could determine whether he was on the right track by simply looking at the experience bar.
In other words, as long as Luo Chuan was willing to put in the effort and work hard, he was guaranteed to succeed. To put it simply, hard work would be rewarded, with success guaranteed for all who diligently pursued their goals.
The abilities displayed on the system panel were not just anything that came along. At least, things like picking your nose or rubbing your toes had absolutely no chance of appearing on the system panel.
Luo Chuan understood that only skills or talents that he was willing to devote time and thought to, and that he actively pursued, had a chance of forming an ability on the system panel.
After exploring the system for a while and confirming that there were no newbie packages or system intelligence, the exhausted Luo Chuan looked up at the moon and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, a misty haze hung over Daxing Village, and a chilly wind sent a shiver through anyone who braved its touch.
Luo Chuan stepped out of his room, his gaze swept across the familiar surroundings, only to find that the familiar figure was gone, leaving behind an empty living room.
After a moment of silence, Luo Chuan entered the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, finding only a few hard buns and a few eggs.
With a sigh, Luo Chuan decided to make do with a fried egg.
He placed the buns in the pot, turned on the gas stove, and then walked into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth.
However, halfway through brushing his teeth, there was a loud bang. His wooden front door let out a bone-chilling groan.
"Who is it?"
Luo Chuan, with his toothbrush still in his mouth, rushed out, only to see a tomboyish figure standing at his door, dressed in a thick padded jacket, her short hair falling over her shoulders.
Seeing the tomboy, the anger on Luo Chuan's face instantly dissipated, and he smiled, saying,
"It's Jiao Jie. You should have called out if you had something to say; no need to put in so much effort."
As he spoke, he glanced at his front door, his heart aching. The spot where the door had been hit clearly had two cracks. If it got hit a couple more times, it might fall apart, considering it had been serving him for over ten years.
"Xiao Chuan, come with me. My old man wants you to come over for dinner," a thick Chongqing dialect spilled from her mouth.
Jiao Jie, her real name was Zhu Wei Jiao, nicknamed "Dali Jiao" for her incredible strength. She was the only girl in the Daxing Village F4.
Before awakening his memories, Luo Chuan's relationship with the Daxing Village F4 was limited to greeting each other on the street and going their separate ways at school.
However, due to the funeral, all their neighbors, people they rarely interacted with, had gone out of their way to help. Perhaps that's what people mean when they say, "Near neighbors are better than distant relatives."
Dali Jiao's father had even been the head chef for the funeral, going out of his way to assist Luo Chuan, a favor he couldn't repay.