Chapter 84
Yu Zhi had imagined what might be written in the invitation.
Secrets about pollution-source experiments.
Tempting offers involving abilities or universal coins.
He had even considered the possibility that it might reference his own past.
But he had never expected Meteorite Biotech to drop something so blunt and explosive that it made his heart pound wildly.
Who wouldn’t want to escape this damn system and its missions?
Yu Zhi took a deep breath and quickly read on.
There was nothing else.
The rest of the page was completely blank.
He flipped it over.
Also blank.
He checked the envelope and letter twice over. Aside from the single line—
“Do you want to escape the missions?”
—there wasn’t a single extra word.
Yu Zhi: “???”
No contact information?
No time? No location?
Just that one sentence?
Such a huge sheet of paper—and that’s all Meteorite Biotech wrote?!
Couldn’t they add a little more?!
The corner of Yu Zhi’s mouth twitched as he cursed internally.
Suddenly, his fingertip burned.
A flame ignited out of thin air at the center of the page. Orange-red fire spread rapidly across the paper.
Yu Zhi instinctively let go. Before he could even grab water to put it out, the flames swallowed the entire sheet.
The burning paper drifted downward, but before it even hit the floor, it had already been reduced to ashes.
Not just the paper—the envelope ignited as well.
Yu Zhi’s gaze stilled.
Waterproof. Wrinkle-proof. Self-destructing after reading.
This invitation was likely a one-time-use item.
He lowered his lashes, watching the ash scatter and slowly vanish against the bathroom tiles, sinking into thought.
How dared Meteorite Biotech directly ask if he wanted to escape the missions? Did they know what the system truly was? What the missions truly were?
Or…
Was this just a grand empty promise? A baited hook to lure him in?
Like when senior students invited him to join research projects in university—
“Junior, do you want to win awards?”
Awards were the grand goal.
But once you actually joined, you might not even earn a single point of merit credit.
The more Yu Zhi thought about it, the more likely the second possibility seemed.
If Meteorite Biotech truly had a way to escape the missions, the letter should have said:
“We can help you escape.”
Not—
“Do you want to escape?”
What if he said yes—and they replied, “We want to as well”?
If they were powerful enough to break free from missions, would they still be unable to figure out what his ability was? Would they not know that Yu Yi was actually Fu Suxi?
Besides, if anyone had ever escaped, A Zheng would definitely have mentioned it—bragged about how incredible Fu Suxi was for breaking free.
But A Zheng had never once mentioned anyone escaping missions.
Yu Zhi steadied himself. His racing thoughts gradually slowed. His pounding heart returned to a normal rhythm.
He exhaled slowly—and viciously cursed Meteorite Biotech several more times in his mind.
If he’d known the invitation was just an empty promise, he would’ve opened it during the livestream.
Might as well have fed it to the viewers—whatever they were.
After calming down, Yu Zhi spoke softly:
“System, you’ve been watching me, right?”
“We said so back in the pollution zone.”
The mechanical childlike voice rang in his ear.
“Mm.”
“You saw what the invitation said, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
The system clearly didn’t believe he was asking without reason. It asked warily:
“What are you planning?”
Yu Zhi found its indifference to the letter strange.
He pulled out paper and pen from his bag as he spoke casually, “Nothing. Just asking.”
“Since the livestream isn’t on yet, let’s finalize the contract we owe.”
This wasn’t the first time he’d signed one. They’d already discussed it in the pollution zone. Within five minutes, the agreement was signed: if he was contaminated by pollution sources affected by [My Trash], the system would immediately notify him.
Yu Zhi put away the contract and quickly showered.
He changed clothes and stepped out of the bathroom.
The livestream automatically activated.
[Livestream starting…]
[Livestream H310000: Online]
[Viewers: 6,948]
The barrage instantly flooded in:
[User “Strongest King” frantically questions whether you secretly opened the invitation.]
[User “momo” is curious about your plan and tips you 20 universal coins.]
[User “Reborn in Another Universe Romance” reminds you to dry your hair before sleeping.]
[User “Rich Young Master Domineering Cool” looks forward to your actions and tips 0.1 coin.]
[User “Pure and Abstinent” questions why you’re not sharing a room with your temporary lover.]
Yu Zhi touched his half-dry hair, sat on the bed, and said:
“I did glance at the invitation.”
“I planned to open it together with everyone. But it self-ignited.”
The chat filled with skepticism.
Yu Zhi shrugged. “If you don’t believe me, ask the system.”
“System, the invitation burned up right after I read it, didn’t it?”
Silence.
He called again, “H0516. The esteemed viewers are waiting.”
Reluctantly, the system replied, “Yes. The invitation self-combusted.”
The barrage rolled even faster.
Yu Zhi lifted his eyes and looked directly at the scrolling comments.
He didn’t hide anything. Didn’t hedge.
“There was only one sentence.”
“Do you want to escape the missions?”
The system blurted in disbelief, “You’re just saying it outright?”
The chat exploded.
Yu Zhi stared at the barrage without blinking.
After a moment, he slowly blinked his slightly sore eyes, lowering his lashes to conceal the emotion beneath.
No lag.
When he previously asked about the viewers’ identities, or whether Fu Suxi had saved them, there had been clear delays.
But this topic—escaping missions—triggered no restriction at all.
The viewers spoke freely.
More than that—their tone was arrogant.
They were utterly certain that humans could not escape the missions.
The system’s indifferent reaction only reinforced that.
Yu Zhi tilted his head lazily.
“You all don’t believe it?”
“What if Meteorite Biotech really does have a way to avoid missions?”
Sneering comments followed.
Yu Zhi continued probing:
“Maybe what they mean is completing all missions?”
“When you first appeared, didn’t you say this was a planetary defense operation?”
“No matter whether it succeeds or fails, the main storyline will eventually end, right?”
The viewers’ responses revealed something important—
They didn’t know future missions.
They didn’t know what would happen next.
They didn’t know what had occurred before the livestreams even began.
They could only roam between streams, infer from current events, and use tips to nudge hosts into action.
No wonder they loved stirring chaos.
Yu Zhi’s mind crystallized with a plan.
He casually called out, “System, what do you think?”
“Please explore independently! Actively complete missions!” the system recited automatically.
Yu Zhi nodded solemnly.
“Exactly! That’s what I think too.”
The system froze.
In the next second, Yu Zhi declared passionately:
“No matter the outcome of this defense operation, the most important thing right now is to actively complete missions!”
“A small step of action, a giant leap for Earth!”
“Earth is humanity’s only home. Protecting Earth means protecting our future!”
His voice rang with righteous fervor.
The system was stunned.
The barrage went silent for a moment.
Yu Zhi suddenly asked, “System, am I right?”
“…Y-Yes.”
His tone shifted instantly.
“Then organizations like Meteorite Biotech, who not only refuse to complete missions actively but attempt to escape them, are morally reprehensible!”
“They have abandoned the people! They disregard global safety and Earth’s future!”
“Outrageous! Deranged! Utterly wicked!”
The barrage erupted with mock praise.
Yu Zhi caught his breath and pressed on:
“Since that’s the case, shouldn’t the system do something?”
Silence.
The system finally understood.
“…Please wait. Detecting…”
Yu Zhi waited.
No follow-up.
“Detection result?”
“Please wait. Detecting…”
Yu Zhi narrowed his eyes.
Last time he was detected as inactive, he’d been assigned a timed hidden running mission.
Surely Meteorite Biotech wouldn’t face no consequences?
“You’re not colluding with them, are you?”
“Please wait… Reporting…”
After a while, the system replied vaguely:
“This matter involves a wide range of Earth residents. It will require time.”
“How long?”
“Unknown. This is not within my unilateral control.”
“So it might end up with no result?”
Silence.
Yu Zhi turned to the livestream and blinked.
“You see? No denial means admission.”
The system: “……”
“An organization attempts to escape missions, and numerous systems take no action!”
“Where’s the morality? The bottom line? The enthusiasm? The reporting channel?”
The barrage gleefully fanned the flames.
[User “Rich Young Master Domineering Cool” informs you they’ve filed a report and tips 0.1 coin.]
[User “momo” finds the reporting campaign amusing and joins in.]
[User “World’s Cutest Girl” confirms submission.]
[User “Scarecrow’s Straw” reports both the company and the system—and reports you for receiving the invitation.]
Yu Zhi watched the chaos unfold, perfectly calm.
The water was officially muddied now.
