Ryan Ling spent the whole meal on edge. Every time Sophie Su spoke to him in her soft voice, he could hear the sound of boys grinding their teeth all around.
What made Ryan even more nervous was when Sophie handed him the chicken drumstick from her bowl, smiling sweetly. Instantly, he could hear chopsticks snapping all around—jealous boys cracking them in frustration.
It felt like, after this meal, he’d made enemies with at least half the boys in school.
Of course, Sophie was only treating him to lunch to thank him for saving her life last night.
But obviously, nobody was going to believe that reason.
No matter how you looked at it—her words, her expressions, even the way she wiped his sweat—they totally looked like a sweet couple.
And just after they left the cafeteria, the place basically went nuts—trays started flying, and the chubby head chef nearly called the cops.
Not long after leaving the cafeteria, Sophie got a call from her best friend. She told Ryan not to walk her out. Seeing how stunning she looked today, Ryan couldn’t help but wonder if, after last night, she might actually have a little crush on him.
But then he thought about it: Sophie came from a rich family and was gorgeous—there’s no way she’d go for him. At best, she saw him as her savior, maybe just an older brother type.
Ryan sighed. He hadn’t gotten any real benefit—he’d just become the public enemy of all the boys. He felt pretty helpless about it.
He managed to lay low until school ended, then took a side route to avoid getting beaten up by the angry boys.
Just as he finally escaped, the system cackled in his mind: 'Bro, feeling good today? You schooled the losers and even landed the school beauty…'
'Enough, enough, even you’re making fun of me!' Ryan quickly cut the system off.
'Alright, let’s get back to business. No matter how much fun you had today, it’s time to make money!' The system coughed twice.
'Make money? What money?' Ryan was baffled.
'Pay my salary!' the system replied instantly.
'Pay your salary? What salary? Get real—you’re just a system, a virtual thing! What would you even do with money? Are you kidding me?' Ryan was speechless.
But as soon as he said that, he saw his stats panel—his property value was now minus eleven thousand yuan.
Ryan nearly spat blood. That stupid needle had already cost him a thousand, and now the system hit him for another ten thousand—was it trying to kill him?
'What do you even want? I’m Lord Yama’s son—you, stupid system, trying to rebel?' Ryan was about to lose it.
'Bro, chill—this is just normal salary collection. No matter where you go, I’m in the right! Besides, your dad designed all this, I’m just following orders. You’d better pay up, or next month your debt doubles to twenty thousand, then forty thousand the month after. So you’d better start making money!' The system tried to sound innocent.
'Dad, are you trying to kill your own son?' Ryan clutched his chest in despair—he was just a high schooler, how was he supposed to earn that much money?
'Don’t be discouraged! You’re Lord Yama’s son—you’ll figure it out. Work hard and man up!' the system cheered him on.
'What, you want me to go be a gigolo?' Ryan shot the system a look of pure disdain.
'No way. System rules say you have to get a legit job and earn through hard work. No cheating, scamming, or even winning the lottery!' the system insisted.
'Come on, just send me straight to the eighteenth level of hell—I don’t want to live anymore!' Ryan was totally hopeless.
'No can do. You’ve got at least 150 years of lifespan—get to work. Besides, I just happen to have a job for you. I wasn’t going to give it, but since you’re so down, I’ll throw you a bone!' the system said quickly.
'What job?' Ryan perked up a little.
'Hearse driver at Harbor City Funeral Home. As the future successor to Lord Yama, you need to learn to deal with the dead. Go drive, kid!' The system finished, and Ryan just about passed out.
...
A day later, deep in debt and worn down by the system’s nonstop nagging, Ryan finally went to Harbor City Funeral Home. The damn system had become a master nagger, even giving him hearse-driving skills and promising that if he stuck with it, the hearse would be registered in his name and could be tricked out to look cooler than any race car.
Ryan didn’t think that far ahead. He was already on the thief ship—might as well let fate take its course.
At the funeral home’s parking lot, a fat guy was yawning, looking like he hadn’t slept in days. His eye bags were nearly as big as a panda’s.
'Hey, I heard you’re hiring drivers?' Ryan hurried up to ask.
'Yep, hiring—pay’s ten thousand a month, room and board included. Most work is mornings and evenings. As long as you can drive and meet the requirements, you’re good!' The fat guy perked up, obviously desperate for help—he seemed to be the only one in the huge parking lot.
'I’m definitely qualified, but I don’t need room and board. Can you maybe bump up the base pay?' Ryan pleaded.
That damn system wanted ten thousand a month, so Ryan figured he deserved at least a little pocket money for himself.
'Well…' The fat guy looked troubled, but after biting his finger, he said, 'Bro, try driving first. If your skills are good, I’ll talk to the bosses. It’s hard to find a hearse driver these days—the bosses might bump up your pay!'
'Alright, I’ll test drive now!' Finally seeing some hope, Ryan picked his favorite car and did a few laps. The fat guy was satisfied, poured Ryan a cup of tea, and hurried to the office.
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About ten minutes later, the fat guy came back, all excited.
'It’s settled—ten thousand eight hundred a month, a lucky number! Come in tonight to start!' The fat guy patted Ryan on the shoulder.
'Great, thanks, Fat Bro!' Ryan was grateful—after a month of hard work, he’d at least have a little money left for himself, a small consolation prize.
Once all the paperwork was done, Ryan went home. The job was mostly mornings and nights, so it wouldn’t mess with his studies—just make him a little more tired. Today was Saturday, so Ryan planned to catch up on sleep before starting work tonight.
But just after he’d fallen asleep in his rented room, he heard loud shouting downstairs.
'Ghostfoot Seven of Harbor City, king of racing—you're washed up. You lost, pay up: 100,000, not a cent less!'
'I didn’t really lose—you guys sabotaged my car and set traps on the route. That’s why I lost!'
'Bullshit, pay up now or I’ll beat you to death!'
...
Right after that, the sounds of punches and kicks filled the air.
'Don’t hit my daddy, please! Don’t hit my daddy!' a little girl sobbed.
Ryan immediately realized something was wrong. His downstairs neighbors were a father and daughter: Seven Wang, a straightforward, kind man who often treated Ryan to meals and drinks even though he knew Ryan was poor; and his five-year-old daughter Molly Wang, a sweet kindergarten girl.
Seeing them in danger, Ryan rushed downstairs. Seven Wang was being viciously beaten by four street thugs, and Molly had been shoved to the ground.
'Stop! If you keep beating people, I’ll call the police!' Ryan shouted.
'Who the hell are you, messing with my business? Tired of living?' A green-haired punk strode toward Ryan.
'Feng, this isn’t your problem—leave!' Seven Wang was clearly afraid of dragging Ryan into trouble.
Ryan’s heart sank. These were real street thugs, and his Book of Life and Death plus Justice Pencil only worked on his own classmates—they couldn’t control outsiders.
But Ryan didn’t back down. He was Lord Yama’s adopted son now—how could he lose face for the Netherworld?
Just then, the green-haired punk suddenly pulled a sharp spring knife from his pocket…