Chapter 1
On the desolate, sparsely populated ice plains, a discreet police escort vehicle sped by.
The specially designed polar anti-skid tires are thick and tall, crushing the rammed earth mixed with ice shards as they roar.
This is the Siberian region of Russia.
The average winter temperature of minus fifty degrees Celsius and the severe snow and wind are enough to keep most living things at bay, and even the few scattered plants can only bow to the fierce north wind.
Inside the armored vehicle, which swayed slightly with the road conditions, Ye Yihe opened his eyes after signing the contract with the system.
He awoke in a body that did not belong to him.
Having just acquired a physical form, Ye Yihe's consciousness had not yet adapted to this body. He slowly closed his eyes twice more before his vision gradually became clear.
He sat in the slightly swaying carriage, with sturdy, fine steel railings covering all possible exits, including every window.
The most striking sight was the row of bald, muscular men in prison uniforms opposite him—but more like panting brown bears than well-built athletes.
What kept them in place were the extremely thick shackles locked around their wrists and ankles.
Criminal—this label unsurprisingly appeared in Ye Yihe's mind.
“…”
Ye Yihe looked down at himself, wearing the same prison uniform and shackles.
But unlike those tall and strong men, his raised wrist was quite slender, and when he clenched his fist, the pale blue veins were clearly visible under his pale skin; there were also deep and shallow bite marks on the knuckles of his index finger, scars created by years of bad habits.
Upon closer inspection from a higher position, it was discovered that the thumb nail also showed signs of being bitten.
His posture seemed slightly hunched, and as Ye Yihe lowered his raised hand, he straightened his back as well.
He subconsciously analyzed the body.
The child's constitution is weak, suggesting mild malnutrition; habitual nail-biting and joint-biting... could it be a zinc deficiency? Or is it due to unmet oral development needs as defined by psychology? There also appears to be a slight hunchback; it's unclear whether there are any cardiopulmonary issues...
No matter how you look at it, it's far removed from his original physical condition.
—That's right, the original body.
Ye Yihe's death was not sudden, but the appearance of the system was an accident.
[Buzz, buzz... System activated... Data connection... Information scan... Host Ye Yihe, this system is an emergency resurrection device. It will automatically respond and activate the resurrection process after detecting that you have lost vital signs...]
In this vast emptiness where light, form, and even color do not exist, a rather mechanical, electronic voice suddenly appears, as if it has been processed and then restored from electrical signals.
In contrast to this electronic voice, a soft sigh echoed in this chaotic space.
This should have been the voice of [someone], but now he may only have a vague "consciousness" left, lingering in the gap between life and death.
[To be brought back to life... While death is certainly regrettable, I didn't really want to live anyway.]
【…………】
On the first business trip, I encountered a host whose mental state at the time of death was so peaceful. The system's electronic voice clearly froze, as if a program that was running halfway through suddenly reported an error.
[By the way, was that mechanical voice a deliberate tribute to WALL-E?]
Ye Yihe's voice was soft and her tone indifferent, "[But you're not a physical robot, so theoretically you shouldn't be able to produce this kind of electronically processed voice... Even if you were, Xiao Ai (AI assistant) reads with more emotion than you.]"
Xiao Ai is still just a smart voice Bluetooth speaker, although most of the time it is only used for alarm clock function.
The system's mechanical voice fluctuated slightly; [this was specially designed to give the host a sense of immersion.]
[I see. I thought you were a kind of placebo before death, like the brain's final work producing gamma oscillations, bestowing a pleasurable terminal hallucination...]
Ye Yihe's consciousness uttered more words, drifting aimlessly, the last syllables ending with a negative, downward spiral.
[If you are real, what price must I pay to be brought back to life...]
The system was quiet for a moment—and when it made a sound again, it actually simulated the voice of Xiao Ai (Xiaomi's AI assistant).
[This might differ slightly from the host's usual understanding. May I continue the explanation?]
"[Sigh,]" Ye Yihe said softly, "[I can't stop you from continuing.]"
Even a system that considers itself to operate solely according to procedures and merely simulate human thought processes in communication couldn't help but stall again.
Young hosts with a weak will to survive are rare.
[Does the host usually communicate with people like this?] It couldn't help but ask this question.
Of course not.
He said "no," but Ye Yihe's voice remained as flat as a zero-wave electrocardiogram.
[But according to the theory of the psychology master Freud, if the physical body no longer exists and only consciousness remains, then every thought comes from the completely subconscious id... Sorry, just take it as the truth that can't be hidden.]
Ye Yihe said, "[Of course, I don't rule out the possibility of continuing to live... Living is a good thing, and I like to look forward to each tomorrow.]"
The system will then provide further explanation.
The system's voice returned to normal. [Based on the latest decree No. 04751 issued by &￥&￥, the host must collect resurrection points by doing good deeds. Only after reaching the maximum points can the host obtain a new body.]
Ye Yihe said, "[I think forcibly helping elderly people cross the street shouldn't count?]"
Yes. This system will project your consciousness into a highly compatible body to coexist, and will awaken you in the event of a crisis. You will gain a certain number of resurrection points by resolving the current crisis.
[It sounds simple and easy to understand.]
Ye Yihe almost sighed. "[It's a bit tedious, reminding me of the days when I grinded events for materials. I initially thought this was a way for games to increase player retention, but it seems even alien technology loves this trick. Does your system have KPIs? Do you have a bottom-ranking elimination system too?]"
【？】
A system that doesn't surf the internet can't understand the new trends among Earthlings, so it proceeds to the next step in a routine manner.
[Does the host agree to initiate this resurrection procedure?]
[Now that you've said all that, I can't think of any reason to refuse.]
Ye Yihe responded calmly, "[But I have a question. Will the one who's been possessed be aware of my existence? Will it cause him any trouble?]"
The time of the host's appearance, as well as any actions taken and traces left behind during that period, will be automatically blocked or ignored by the host's brain, and any missing time will be rationalized in terms of memory.
Xiao Ai... no, the system spoke up, "[Besides...]"
[Besides?]
[According to Decree No. 01288 issued by &￥&￥, subsequent content is confidential.] The system's voice quickly followed: [Process initiated, consciousness being deployed—3—2—1—Deployment successful. Wishing you all the best.]
—Beep.
Just like an old television set whose power button has been pressed, Ye Yihe's consciousness instantly went into blackout sleep mode.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the prison van that was transporting criminals.
Rather than becoming a criminal, Ye Yihe would rather ask the system if there was a calculation error.
[This is the body that best suits me. Did you know I've practiced Jeet Kune Do for many years?]
While Jeet Kune Do, which emphasizes speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness, doesn't demand the same level of stamina as boxing, which requires twelve rounds, it doesn't mean his physical condition is that bad...
[This system matches data through a sweeping frequency of consciousness, and also takes into account the ease or difficulty of obtaining resurrection points,] Xiao Ai's voice rang in his mind, [but it has nothing to do with the host's physical body from his previous life.]
Ye Yihe: ...Ah, that's really something.
Although he was mentally prepared to face any environment and any identity, this opening...
[If I were asked to go to prison to rescue a wrongly convicted prisoner, wouldn't that be a bit too difficult for someone in that position?]
Ye Yihe, who had no prior criminal or prison break record, tried to break free from the two-finger-thick iron chain. True to its state-made nature, it remained completely still, producing only a slight clanging sound, and was undeniably heavy.
"How to act is entirely up to the host's will," the system replied according to the procedure. "This system, as an emergency resurrection processing device, is only used to count resurrection points and distribute rewards; it does not contain any guidance or shop transaction programs."
It turns out it really is a smart voice Bluetooth speaker that isn't connected to the internet.
Ye Yihe wanted to sigh, but he held back because he had a body now.
At that moment, the vehicle seemed to have run over a small clod of earth, causing it to lurch violently from side to side. Ye Yihe was thrown forward and nearly fell to the ground.
A strand of jet-black hair fell in front of her eyes, but Ye Yihe raised her hand and brushed it aside to prevent it from obstructing her vision.
The bald, burly man opposite seemed to be chuckling, and even nudged his companion with his elbow, speaking in a contemptuous, unfamiliar language.
"…………"
Ye Yihe glanced at the other person indifferently, without saying a word.
Although the other person seemed to be mocking him, he couldn't understand the sentence; it was like listening to a bunch of incomprehensible tongue-twisting sounds.
[Where's the automatic language translation function? Where have I been placed, in Russia? But I can't understand a single word!]
Ye Yihe Emergency Call System.
How can you do good deeds if you can't even speak the language?
[Mutual translation? What mutual translation?] The system expressed confusion. [Can't you humans even understand each other's languages?]
[Is this your first time binding with a human host...? Since you've loaded yourself with a universal language pack, don't assume there's only one language on this planet.]
Ye Yihe hissed softly, "[Hurry up and install it for me too.]"
We apologize, but this system, intended as an emergency reactivation device, does not have this function...
[You're useless now.]
Ye Yihe announced with a heavy heart, "[Xiao Ai, please crawl out of my mind.]"
Even alien technology can be this unreliable!
【…………】
The system, with the volume reduced by 20%, suggested: "This system can attempt to activate the bioelectrical signals related to speech information processing within this body's brain and enable them to automatically begin parsing semantics, at least ensuring that the host can share the body's language interpretation abilities."
[This is the first time I've heard of a system needing to borrow the original owner's resources to apply a language translation patch.]
Ye Yihe felt helpless towards the system, but his eyes remained fixed on what was ahead.
The bald, burly man who had just made the mocking remark seemed to have received no response from Ye Yihe—or rather, a cold, wordless glance—and began to grow visibly annoyed.
[Hurry up, I sense our Russian brothers aren't too happy.]
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