1: Chapter 1 Daily Intelligence System

"I'm sorry, you don't meet our interview qualifications. Please go back."

The female clerk with delicate features was very polite.

But her words made Zhao Jian feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

He had come to Xiong City after graduating from university three months ago, thinking it wouldn't be hard to find a job with his bachelor's degree.

But after countless interviews and printing many resumes, there was no progress at all in his job search.

The money he brought from home had been spent as early as the first month.

These days, he relied entirely on borrowed money to get by.

By today, he only had a single one-yuan coin left in his pocket. He thought about finding a job that provided food and housing to solve his basic needs first, but he didn't even have the qualifications for an interview.

It was already six in the evening. Zhao Jian clutched his stomach, which had been empty all day, and walked near a ramen stall.

He wanted to eat, but the one-yuan coin in his pocket couldn't buy the cheapest five-yuan filling plain noodles.

He stood diagonally across from the stall and hesitated for a long time until he heard someone shout from afar: "The Chengguan are here!"

The stall owner packed up his belongings and fled.

In the end, he couldn't bring himself to take off his "long gown" and ask the stall owner if he could sell him a portion of noodles for one yuan.

As he turned around, the ringtone of the phone in his pocket started beeping.

The caller was his roommate, who was also his creditor.

"Hello? Bao Bao. I still haven't found a job. I'll have to wait another two months to pay back the money I owe you. I'm really sorry, brother."

Zhao Jian felt very guilty.

Everyone had just graduated, and Bao Bao's family situation wasn't any better than his. Lending two thousand yuan actually significantly impacted his quality of life.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

Soon, a forcedly lighthearted laugh reached Zhao Jian's heart through the receiver:

"Hey, it's fine, no rush. I'm calling today to let you know that I'm getting married on the 8th of next month. You must come for a drink."

"Definitely, definitely. Congratulations, Bao Bao! Is it the 'department flower' of the Economics Department from our school?"

"Sigh, that's over. We broke up right after graduation. It was an amicable split. I'm marrying a junior high school classmate."

Zhao Jian didn't know how to respond, so he just smiled and said congratulations.

Facing a roommate, he would have had ten thousand jokes to make. But facing a creditor, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

Bao Bao chatted a bit more about the situation of their other four roommates, lamenting how difficult things were after graduation. Then, at some point, they bid each other take care and hung up.

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Zhao Jian finally noticed that the moon had climbed into the sky.

"Forget it. 'When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on any man, it will first exercise his mind with suffering and subject his body to hunger.' I'll just stay hungry for another meal."

Sighing, he rubbed his face vigorously with his hands. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a light screen.

[Ding! Congratulations on binding the Daily Intelligence System]

[Host: Zhao Jian]

[Gain upgrade experience based on the number of days the system has been bound. Current system level: Level 1]

[A Level 1 system can receive one intelligence broadcast per day]

[Today's Intelligence (White): Liu Hao, a patient with a congenital mental illness, went missing three years ago. His mother, Ms. Liu, has searched in vain and posted a missing person notice, promising a 2,000 yuan reward for genuine clues. Contact number: xxx. Liu Hao is currently at the East Gate of West City Park.]

System?

Zhao Jian reached out to touch the light screen but pulled back before getting close.

He was afraid it was a hallucination before fainting from hunger and that it would shatter upon contact.

"Two thousand yuan?" Zhao Jian muttered to himself.

Perhaps the light screen before him was a hallucination, but what else did he have to lose?

Give it a try.

If it's true, I'll have an income of two thousand yuan!

West City Park was four kilometers away from his current location. It would take an hour to walk.

It only took fifteen minutes by bus.

Zhao Jian chose to take a bold gamble!

He used his last yuan to board the bus and found a seat near the rear door.

It was nearing seven in the evening, the peak of the commute. Electric bikes that didn't follow traffic rules often darted in front of the bus.

Every time this happened, Zhao Jian's anxiety would intensify with each jolt of the bus.

Fortunately, West City Park was not in the main urban area. As they got closer, the flow of traffic and people decreased.

By the time they reached the stop, the surroundings appeared deserted.

There were only one or two passing pedestrians cycling by, some fast and some slow.

At this time, most people were home for dinner. Occasionally, an elderly man who finished dinner early would go for a stroll, but they would choose a nearby square.

Few people would specifically go to a park on the outskirts of the city for a stroll.

Zhao Jian found the park's East Gate according to the system's prompt.

He didn't see Liu Hao anywhere.

Aside from an Administrator with a red armband in the sentry box at the entrance watching short videos, it was so quiet nearby that there wasn't even a cat.

Had he imagined a non-existent system, or had Liu Hao already left during this time?

Feeling disappointed, Zhao Jian walked around the entire park with the thought that since he was already here, he might as well check, but he still found nothing.

It seemed he really was dizzy with hunger and his mind was hallucinating.

Just as he was planning to walk back to his rented room, the elderly Administrator in the sentry box waved at him.

"Young man, I've seen you wandering around here for quite a while. Is something the matter?"

Zhao Jian explained that he was looking for someone.

Unexpectedly, the old man pointed toward the park and said, "I've seen that kid. He was wearing fairly old clothes and didn't respond when called. He went inside."

Zhao Jian quickly thanked the old man and dashed into the park.

West City Park was a small green park for nearby residents to stroll and exercise; it wasn't very large.

Soon, he saw Liu Hao on a bench, weaving a little dog out of withered foxtail grass.

Only then did Zhao Jian finally believe that he had truly awakened a system.

Unable to hide his excitement, he walked over to the bench in a few steps.

Noticing someone approaching, Liu Hao shrank back in fear, his eyes full of terror as he looked at Zhao Jian standing before him.

"Hello, is your name Liu Hao?"

Zhao Jian tried his best to make his voice sound kind and friendly.

Seeing the other party nod, he couldn't hide his excitement. But to avoid any misunderstanding of someone with the same name, he asked again, "It's dark now, why aren't you going home? It's very dangerous for one person to be outside."

Liu Hao was an adult male. If a normal person heard such a tone used for coaxing children, they would likely think Zhao Jian was crazy.

What kind of danger could a grown man be in!

But Liu Hao had been mentally challenged since childhood. Hearing that it was dark, he looked around in a panic until Zhao Jian comforted him: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

The fear in his eyes gradually faded.

Then, as if he had found someone to rely on, he said indistinctly, "Home... Mama... Can't find Mama."

It seemed it was him.

Zhao Jian hurriedly took out his phone and dialed Ms. Liu's number.

The call connected, and a tired female voice came from the other end:

"Hello? Hi, how can I help you?"

He told her the news of finding Liu Hao and sent the detailed address via text message.

Hearing news of her son, Ms. Liu instantly choked up.

Her voice trembling, she asked, "Re—really? I'll go right now, I'll go right now! Please wait for me."

With that, she hung up the phone.

In just twenty minutes, Zhao Jian saw a middle-aged Woman in expensive clothes but with a sallow complexion running toward them.

Upon getting closer, the middle-aged Woman stared intently at Liu Hao, who had already woven a little dog out of grass blades and was holding it as if it were guarding the house.

"Xiao Hao!" She walked over crying and pulled Liu Hao into her arms, weeping bitterly.

It seemed this was Ms. Liu.

After the mother and son recognized each other, Ms. Liu transferred the promised reward to Zhao Jian's phone.

Then, Zhao Jian declined Ms. Liu's kind offer to give him a ride.

The mother and son had just reunited and needed time alone.

And having earned his first sum of money through the system, he also needed a quiet environment to calm his excitement.

By the time he walked back to his rented room, Zhao Jian's excited heart had finally calmed down.

At this moment, the light screen appeared before his eyes again.

[Countdown to next intelligence refresh: 2 hours 57 minutes]