Chapter Eighteen: Devour

At the same time, the system notification sounded again.

[Ding. First time devouring the remains of a carbon-based life form. Gained 7,000 Devour Points.]

[Ding. Devour Points have reached the upgrade threshold. The system has advanced to Level 1 and is now officially activated.]

[Ding. The system has enabled the tenfold draw random exchange feature.]

A series of prompts finally jolted Yan Xuan back to his senses.

There was no time to investigate the system now; the pressing issue was how to deal with the fact that he had just accidentally killed someone.

With trembling hands, Yan Xuan picked up the phone that had been knocked away earlier. The screen was shattered, but at least there was one bar of signal.

Should he call the police or not?

If he called, he would bear the stigma of murder, and his life might be over. But if he didn’t, the mastermind behind all this would surely come after him.

In the end, Yan Xuan chose to call the police. The authorities quickly located him based on his fragmented account.

Seeing his condition, the police immediately sent him to the emergency room. Fortunately, apart from a mild concussion, his injuries were only superficial.

Once his wounds had been treated, a female officer in her thirties began to take his statement.

“You’re saying you didn’t know these people, but they knew you?” the officer asked skeptically. “Do you have any idea who might have sent them? Anyone you suspect?”

Yan Xuan hesitated. If he had to name suspects, he’d managed to offend quite a few people recently.

First, there was Zhou Man and her wealthy friend. But since they’d already gained the upper hand, it was more likely he’d want revenge on them, not the other way around.

Then there was Song Yang. They’d crossed paths twice in the past two days, and Yan Xuan had humiliated him both times, so Song Yang might well bear a grudge.

But the most likely culprit was Tan Le. Tan Le had been pursuing Tang Xueying, who had flatly rejected him and even pulled Yan Xuan into it as a shield.

If the earlier suspicions were mere conjecture, the so-called company call he’d received before the incident was even more suspicious. After all, Tan Le was a manager at the company and could easily obtain Yan Xuan’s information.

Yan Xuan laid out his suspicions one by one. The female officer nodded. “Alright, we’ll look into each of these. Earlier, you mentioned you hit someone. What happened after that?”

Yan Xuan shook his head honestly. “I was beaten unconscious, and when I came to, I was alone. I was afraid they’d come back, so I called the police right away. Officer, please protect me—I’m scared they’ll come back to kill me. And… I won’t be charged for assault, will I?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll assign officers to keep watch outside,” the female officer said as she stood up. “If what you say is true, this is self-defense. Even if you fought back and killed someone, it would still be considered self-defense.”

She meant to reassure him, never imagining that Yan Xuan’s blow had actually killed someone.

With that, the weight in Yan Xuan’s heart finally lifted.

Self-defense. Good. If they couldn’t find the body, there would be no evidence at most. But it was only after hearing the officer’s words that Yan Xuan truly let go.

After the officer left, a policeman remained stationed outside his room. Because of the special circumstances, Yan Xuan had been given a private hospital room, at the far end of the floor.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Yan Xuan first called Director Wu to request leave.

Given his situation, there was no way he could go to work on Monday. His face was bruised and swollen—he didn’t want to frighten anyone, especially Director Wu or Tang Xueying.

After the system’s upgrade, the interface was much clearer and more intuitive, especially now that the tenfold draw feature was enabled. The advantage of the tenfold draw was that the system would offer several categories for Yan Xuan to choose from, increasing his chances of getting what he wanted.

Without hesitation, Yan Xuan started the lottery, even though one of his eyes was so swollen he couldn’t open it. But in the system’s virtual interface, he was completely unaffected.

There were many categories to choose from. Although he’d gained 7,000 points, the system upgrade had consumed 5,000, leaving him with just over 2,300.

Yan Xuan chose the category he liked most and needed most at the moment… automobiles.

[Ding. Tenfold draw initiated.]

[Ding. Consumed 1,000 Devour Points.]

[Congratulations, you received: Nothing…]

Yan Xuan’s face darkened. He’d seen in the system update log that “nothing” could appear, but he hadn’t expected his very first draw to come up empty.

[Congratulations, you received: Unidentified Ore*1 (Note: Can be appraised within the system.)]

[Congratulations, you received: McLaren GT*1 (Note: Due to the low system level, the value of the acquired item is relatively low.)]

A… sports car? He’d won a sports car?

Yan Xuan never dreamed that a single blow, which killed a thug, would upgrade his system—and that the Devour Points would let him win a car.

A car—a sports car—a famous sports car, no less.

Reading the system’s note, Yan Xuan’s mouth twitched.

Because the system level is low, the car’s value is also low? A sports car worth several million, and that’s considered not valuable?

He mentally gave the system full marks for bragging—he wouldn’t mind if it boasted even more!

However, the system’s storage didn’t contain the car itself, only a document. He’d have to go to a dealership to collect it, but all the paperwork was already completed.

Yan Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn’t have to deal with lottery drama, like someone showing up in front of the media claiming the prize was theirs.

Besides the McLaren, the tenfold draw had also given him a piece of ore, a book, and a laptop.

The rest were either blanks or things of little value.

For example, there was a pitch-black stone with no notes. He spent ten Devour Points to appraise it, only to learn: “An ordinary stone commonly found anywhere. Worthless.”

Yan Xuan was exasperated. Ten points for nothing?

The other stone, labeled as ore, was also appraised for ten points. This time, the result was: “Raw jadeite. Has some value.”

At least it wasn’t a total loss.

As for the book, it was “Selected Essentials for Beginners in Interior Design.”

Yan Xuan was overjoyed. This was exactly what he wanted. He’d thought it was a two-volume set, but it turned out to be a trilogy—he hoped to collect the rest soon.

He took the book out of the system inventory, intending to study it carefully, only to realize he couldn’t manage it.

In the system’s virtual environment, his body was uninjured, but once he exited the system, his eye was swollen shut and every part of him ached.