Chapter 1
“Splash.”
Jiang Jitang lifted his head from the water-filled basin. Light shimmered across the water’s surface as droplets slid one by one down his high, prominent nose.
Fogged glass blurred the mirror. Through the mist, the man reflected was strikingly handsome—yet his lips were bloodless, and his face as pale as a ghost.
His fingers rested on his pulse. The heartbeat was weak, barely there, and the skin at his fingertips was as cold as moonlight.
His lifeline was cut, yet he remained alive.
He took a razor blade from the shaver and sliced it across his arm.
Blood welled from the wound—only to vanish the next second, his skin restored to its original state. If not for the remaining blood stains, he might have believed the pain moments ago was merely an illusion.
It seemed he was still human—not a walking corpse.
“Master, did you remember anything?”
On his left wrist was a dark-gold bracelet, heavy and ancient in design. Embedded in it was a metallic eye, also dark gold, its pupil constantly rotating—eerie and unsettling.
“No.”
It was a magical artifact bound to his soul. The moment he woke up, he summoned it, intending to use its ability to freely traverse time and space to uncover the truth behind his ‘death’ in this life.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work.
He possessed all his memories—of this life, and the previous one—except for the last three days.
Jiang Jitang, twenty years old. His most recent memory was returning home from attending his graduation ceremony three days ago.
When he woke again, it was morning. He found himself lying in an alley not far from home. His clothing was disheveled but intact, no signs of struggle. His backpack was untouched, his phone was still in his pocket. It wasn’t a robbery or assault—he had simply… ‘disappeared.’
Cough, cough.
Suddenly turned from a healthy young man into someone frail and sickly, he coughed uncomfortably and tried to recall.
From the school gate to that usually empty alley, the straight-line distance was 7.8 kilometers—more in reality. There were surveillance cameras along parts of the route; perhaps some might have caught everything.
With that thought, Jiang Jitang took out his phone.
Today was a workday. Perfect.
Even if it weren’t, the public administrative app of Nan Jiang Province’s online service network operated year-round without breaks.
Yes—he decided to apply online to the local public security traffic bureau to review surveillance footage.
Drying his face, he walked from the bathroom to his room. His rubber slippers squeaked quietly, accompanied by the ticking of the wall-mounted projection clock.
His steps didn’t stop as he went downstairs. New sounds entered his ears—like marbles bouncing, floorboards cracking, the sound of water flowing through pipes, and the rustling of birds cleaning their feathers on the balcony.
As in his previous life, he still possessed senses far sharper than ordinary people.
Jiang Jitang pressed ‘Confirm to submit application.’ He raised his head toward the crow on the balcony. Though five or six meters away, the image appeared in his eyes with uncanny clarity.
Yet the crow remained oblivious, still perched on the railing, grooming itself. Its black feathers shimmered with a blue-green metallic tint under the sunlight.
[Ding. You have sixty-four unread text messages.]
His phone vibrated. The screen lit up with a new notification. All sixty-four messages were received over the past three days—from the same person.
[Jitang, are you okay? Why aren’t you answering my calls?]
[Reply when you see this.]
[I’m Song Ji’an, your…]
The first message was sent three days ago, shortly after he lost consciousness. Someone recently in contact with him—sending such messages at this critical time.
Suspicious.
Between deleting and blocking, he hesitated for two seconds—then decided to leave it for now.
The crow on the balcony shook out its neatly arranged feathers, then took flight. Watching its shadowy form recede, Jiang Jitang muttered softly, “What happened to me? Can you tell me?”
[Ding. Tasker query detected. Initiating Beginner Guidance Mode.]
A dialogue bubble abruptly appeared in midair:
[Enable Game Tutorial?]
[Yes / No]
Only this line. Nothing else.
Jiang Jitang was startled for a moment—then relaxed.
It had appeared so suddenly and mysteriously. Whatever it was, it clearly possessed abilities beyond his comprehension. Impossible to resist—so he might as well comply. Maybe it could help him figure out what happened during those missing three days.
“Yes.”
The bubble burst. New ones popped up one after another, rapidly replacing the previous.
[Modules [Translation] [Supplement] and [Adaptation] have been loaded. Matching task plane from common source.]
[A speck of dust still has its day to shine. Greetings, Host. I am Wish Fulfillment General Store, from ‘Stardust Charity.’]
[Task Participant: Jiang Jitang.
Debt: 100 million. In the first year, repayments must be 300 points monthly; thereafter, at least 1,000 points monthly.
Failure to meet target: elimination.
Novice Gift Pack issued.]
[You have received Backpack Lv1. You have received Vehicle Lv1.]
Jiang Jitang’s expression darkened.
One hundred million in debt?
He never expected that the largest sum of money he would ever see… would be what he owed. Does the law of C-Country apply to extraterrestrial systems? Is a dominance contract without personal consent legally valid? Would reporting it to the police help?
The bubbles continued.
[Backpack Lv1: one cubic meter storage space, non-vacuum, with synchronized external time flow. Reduces item weight by 50% when equipped. Requires 100 points to upgrade.]
[Vehicle Lv1: Max speed 30 km/h. No protective barrier, no navigation, no autopilot. Provides basic shock absorption. Offers 3 customizable forms. Requires 100 points to upgrade.]
Two spheres of light fell into his palm, transforming into backpack and vehicle icons only he could ‘see.’ A final box appeared—his personal page.
[Wish Fulfillment General Store
Tasker: Jiang Jitang
Debt: 100 million
Points: 0
Shops owned: None
Function cards: None
Equipment: Lv1 Tasker Backpack, Lv1 Tasker Vehicle
Points Mall: Locked]
“How am I supposed to repay this?”
Reborn only to start off owing a hundred million—honestly, he didn’t want this account.
[A temporary task plane has been selected for you:
Safety: 
Resources:
Development:
Description: Feudal Dynasty Plane.]
[Daily task list refreshed. Multiple selections allowed. You have five minutes to review]
Task 1: Purchase a set of traditional Chinese painting pigments and tools for the Cowherd. Budget: 8 copper coins -> 16 yuan. Note: Must be usable. (Difficulty , Countdown 04:38:58)
Task 2: Purchase an old hen for the elderly woman. Budget: 60 copper coins -> 120 yuan. Note: For soup. (Difficulty , Countdown 16:12:07)
Task 3: Purchase an abacus for the shop assistant. Budget: 20 copper coins -> 40 yuan. Note: Must be made of sturdy and durable wood, new or used. (Difficulty , Countdown 17:57:01)
The bubbles appeared and dissolved again, leaving only the task panel floating.
Below the three orders, tiny text read Transaction Instructions:
1. Complete your chosen orders before the countdown ends.
2. You may not provide items beyond customer request.
3. You may not exceed the given budget.
4. To improve ratings, you may add a bonus gift worth up to 10% of shopping funds. Gift content is unrestricted.
The task was so mundanely realistic that it felt like “graduate, become unemployed, register to be a delivery man.”
Worse—there was no delivery fee. He’d even have to spend money to give a gift to get good reviews.
He scrolled through the bubbles—no “complaint” button in sight. Finally, he gave up—and consoled himself: in today’s difficult job market, becoming a courier could be seen as survival wisdom.
Better a living dog than a dead lion. Forced as it was, this still opened a possible path.
Jiang Jitang carefully reviewed the three orders. The last two were reasonably priced, only the first one was somewhat challenging.
From his knowledge, even low-quality student-grade painting supplies—even second-hand—couldn’t be fully purchased for just 16 yuan.
Because recycling markets didn’t take expendables with limited use.
Of course, maybe something could be found on a second-hand marketplace app—but time was too short.
And the countdown hinted that there were many taskers like him in the system—but none had chosen this task. That’s why, even with only four hours left, it was still active.
It wasn’t impossible to complete—just unclear whether there was any point. Was it to challenge difficulty? Fight poverty? Did he look like someone with that much compassion?
Still weighing pros and cons, another bubble appeared:
[You have a private message from the Wish Fulfillment General Store system.]
[Hello Host, I am the Wish Fulfillment General Store. My energy is depleted, and I must enter dormancy. But do not worry—the main system will function normally.]
[The system does not force taskers to accept orders. However, I must remind you—your situation is unique, and so is your environment. Please acquire as many points as possible, as quickly as possible, to repay your debt. Beginner tasks are generally low difficulty—complete all possible tasks.]
[Simply put~ if you don’t play, you die.]
[Good luck. Yours sincerely, The Wish Fulfillment General Store system.]
“…Thank you, System-sama-who-will-kill-me-if-I-don’t-play.”
The bubble vanished. He frowned at the countdown, contemplating his situation.
On one side, a severed lifeline and twisted reality in which he still lived. On the other, a hundred-million debt—with only one path ahead.
He still had his mother—and unpunished vengeance.
In the adult world, there was no luxury of acting on impulse.
Jiang Jitang accepted all tasks—including the Cowherd’s.
Moments later, three separate fund transfers arrived via text. The task orders expanded with full details, viewable at a tap.
The first one that caught his eye was the Cowherd’s.
[Task Description]
The Cowherd is nine years old, a child from a poor rural family. He began working at age five and has been herding cattle for three years. He also spent a year as an apprentice at a dye workshop.
He should have lived muddled like his forefathers. But despite his poverty, he yearns for the most extravagant thing in the world—dreams.
He wants to learn painting. To paint the landlord’s cows. To paint the clouds in the sky.
Dreams are fragile and distant. The Cowherd became a menial worker.
He was beaten savagely by the young master of the dye workshop when caught drawing on the floor with discarded materials. He ran away. Cold and starving, on the verge of death, he risked everything for one chance to learn to paint.
The artist was moved, but told him to gather painting supplies within three days as a test. Eight wen was all his family owned—his last gamble for the future.
“…Alright, I get it. No more emotional manipulation.”
He walked downstairs. A used electric scooter was parked in the backyard. Its battery had been dead—but after loading the ‘Vehicle’—it showed full charge.
“There’s only one place I can go.”
There could be no mistakes with this order—it only gave him a little over four hours.
“Excuse me, thank you.”
The slow-moving scooter swerved around a man wandering in the middle of the road in a daze.
Drunk this early? he muttered inwardly.
Just a few meters out, a strange and sudden gust of wind passed behind him. Jiang Jitang didn’t turn—only heard something crash down.
“Ah! Ah—!”
The piercing scream startled the birds perched on the utility pole—and sent goosebumps up his arm.
As he turned the corner, he glanced back impulsively, catching a split-second image of a pair of legs stretched across the street corner and an advertising board fallen over.
The scene vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Translator Note:
Yaho, Panda Readers~
We’re starting a brand-new series today!
After reading the synopsis and translating a few chapters, this novel really gives me vibes similar to Doomsday Grocery Store and Live-Streaming Food Stall. >.<
It also has a pretty high rating on the Chinese JJWXC platform, so I’m super excited to read — and translate — it for you all. Hop on the new-series bus and let’s enjoy this story together~
