A plug-in struck by lightning

Chapter 1: The Cheat Code Struck by Lightning

“The Prestige God System” Chapter 1: The Cheat Code Struck by Lightning

01: Slap in the Face During Morning Self-Study (7:15 AM)

At 7:15 AM, the morning self-study classroom was enveloped in a thick, heavy haze, with a suffocating atmosphere permeating every inch of air, as if the entire space was wrapped in an airtight layer of cling film, making people breathe cautiously. Ye Qiu was like a startled mouse, cowering in the most inconspicuous corner of the last row of the classroom. On his old spectacle lenses, oil stains from eating instant noodles last night shimmered embarrassingly in the morning light filtering through the mottled window, silently narrating his night of destitution, full of awkwardness and helplessness.

The girls in the front row were like a flock of chattering sparrows, their lively discussions rising and falling. “Did you hear? Young Master Zhang’s new Rolex Submariner, I heard it costs two hundred thousand!” A girl with a high ponytail exclaimed excitedly, her eyes sparkling with envy and longing, her voice full of yearning for a luxurious life. “Yes, his dad just donated a laboratory building to the school a while ago. This kind of wealth, people from ordinary families like us can’t even dream of it.” Another girl with bangs echoed, her tone filled with deep emotion and a hint of unconcealed inferiority.

Just then, a thunderous roar suddenly broke the seemingly ordinary commotion. “Hey, four-eyed geek!” Zhang Tianhao, like a domineering street thug, kicked Ye Qiu’s desk viciously, his face full of arrogance and haughtiness. With a “clatter,” the math test papers, which were already not neatly arranged on the desk, scattered across the floor like snowflakes, as if materializing Ye Qiu’s chaotic mood at that moment. “Where’s the ‘Five Years of College Entrance Exam’ I told you to bring yesterday? Are you deliberately going against me and not bringing it?” Zhang Tianhao stood with his hands on his hips, his impatience and anger burning like a raging fire on his face, fully exposed.

Ye Qiu’s heart suddenly tightened, as if squeezed by an invisible large hand, and his heart began to beat wildly and uncontrollably. He subconsciously reached into his pocket, clutching the crumpled ten yuan bill tightly. This money was hard-earned; he had racked his brains and risked being discovered to secretly modify the scratch-off lottery ticket numbers. But at this moment, the money was like a red-hot branding iron, making his palms break out in a cold sweat, as if reminding him of the unease brought by such an unsavory act. Immediately, a burst of piercing laughter came from the back row: “Haha, look at this pauper, he can’t even afford a textbook, yet he’s still pretending to go to school! He doesn’t even know his place!” Every word was like a sharp knife, piercing deeply into Ye Qiu’s heart.

Just as Ye Qiu was so embarrassed he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into and disappear from everyone’s sight forever, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly and without warning rang in his mind: “Ding! Epic Prestige Scene detected!” The voice was like a flash of lightning cutting through the dark night sky, making Ye Qiu tremble violently, almost jumping out of his seat. He subconsciously looked closely, only to see that the Submariner on Zhang Tianhao’s wrist was emitting a strange blue light, flickering like a special effect when a hidden quest is triggered in a game, both mysterious and eerie, as if announcing the opening of a new world to him.

02: System Activation (7:16:33)

Ye Qiu was still completely immersed in the tremendous shock brought by the sudden voice, his entire being in a state of extreme confusion, his mind blank, as if a pause button had been pressed. Just then, a strange interface emitting a soft glow appeared before his eyes without warning, as if projected from another mysterious dimension, carrying a sense of technology not belonging to this world.

“host: Ye Qiu (Bronze-level Prestigious One) prestige value: -50 (Warning! Lightning Tribulation countdown: 29 minutes, 17 seconds) Novice Gift Pack: Frozen due to insulting System name.”

“What… what is all this?” Ye Qiu almost couldn’t help but exclaim, his face filled with confusion, shock, and disbelief. Lightning Tribulation? What kind of ghost thing was that? It sounded full of danger and the unknown. And this Novice Gift Pack, how was it mercilessly frozen just because he had impulsively insulted the System’s name earlier? The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt, and a surge of unnamed anger “whoosh” rose from the bottom of his heart, quickly spreading throughout his body. He suddenly stood up, his movements too abrupt, and his knee accidentally hit the desk heavily, making a dull “thump” that caused the surrounding classmates to look over.

“Wait!” Ye Qiu took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and forced a confident smile onto his face, attempting to hide his inner panic, but a subtle cunningness was revealed in his eyes. “Young Master Zhang, the ceramic bezel color of your Submariner seems to be about 0.3 shades lighter than the genuine one. And how come there are two fewer threads on the crown? Could it be a knock-off from some small workshop in Putian?” As he spoke, he secretly prayed that his judgment was correct, otherwise, he would truly be unable to save face today.

As soon as these words left his mouth, the entire classroom was as if under a freezing spell, instantly so quiet that even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard clearly. Everyone’s gaze, like spotlights, shot towards Zhang Tianhao, with both curiosity and anticipation, as if waiting for a wonderful show to unfold. Zhang Tianhao’s face instantly turned crimson, like a ripe pig’s liver, so red it almost dripped blood, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He secretly cursed his bad luck: It’s over, it’s over. This was a high-quality replica he had spent a lot of money on, meticulously custom-made in an underground factory in Dongguan. How could this normally inconspicuous kid have seen through it? This was truly a huge embarrassment!

Just as Zhang Tianhao was awkwardly at a loss, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into, the mechanical voice in Ye Qiu’s mind rang again: “Invisible Prestige achieved! prestige value +66! Skill unlocked: [True Sight Eye Lv1]”

Ye Qiu suddenly felt his vision brighten, and the previously somewhat blurry world instantly became incomparably clear, as if a layer of fog had been completely dispelled. On his spectacle lenses, streams of mysterious data flowed like lightning, so fast that he almost couldn’t react. He looked closer out of curiosity, and what he saw was astonishing: beneath the elegant shoulder blades of the school belle, Lin Qingxue, a dark green vortex of Qi was faintly swirling, like a whirlpool hiding a huge secret; looking at Old Wang, the balding teacher on the podium, through his loose pants pocket, Ye Qiu could clearly see a bottle of ‘Vigour Pills’ hidden inside. This sudden discovery made Ye Qiu’s eyes widen, and his mouth unconsciously opened slightly, exclaiming inwardly: The amount of information is too much! He felt as if he had suddenly fallen into a world full of secrets.

03: First Blood (7:20)

“You brat, you’re practically asking for death!” Zhang Tianhao, enraged and humiliated, his face already red from being exposed, now twisted into a ferocious snarl from anger, like an enraged beast. He casually grabbed the steel thermos cup from the desk and, like a mad bull, hurled it fiercely at Ye Qiu with a furious roar, as if he wanted to smash Ye Qiu into pieces to vent his hatred.

Ye Qiu’s face instantly turned pale from the sudden attack, like a blank sheet of paper, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, as if it wanted to burst out and escape. At this critical, life-or-death moment, a translucent prompt box suddenly popped up before his eyes, like a mission guidance interface appearing at a crucial moment in a game, emitting a faint blue light.

“Recommended Prestige Plan: A. Empty-handed Blade Catch (requires 30 prestige value) B. Physics Holy Sword Counterattack (podium triangle ruler) C. Trigger Lightning Tribulation to perish together.”

Upon seeing these three options, Ye Qiu almost choked with anger: What kind of ridiculous options are these? Is this a joke? But at this moment, he had no time to think; life hung in the balance, every second was precious, and he had to make a choice immediately. At the critical moment, Ye Qiu displayed astonishing reaction speed and composure. With lightning speed, he grabbed the triangle ruler from the side of the podium and precisely swung it at a 45-degree angle, his movements fluid and practiced, as if he had rehearsed countless times.

In that instant, the thermos cup flying towards Ye Qiu was precisely struck by the triangle ruler at the apex of its trajectory, as if controlled by an invisible hand. With a loud “clatter,” the thermos cup, like a cannonball, slammed heavily into the fire hydrant in the corridor, instantly shattering glass everywhere, and the piercing alarm blared, echoing throughout the teaching building. Ye Qiu calmly adjusted his glasses, a triumphant smile on his face, and said earnestly, “According to the law of conservation of momentum, your angle of force was off by 5.72 degrees. If this were on a battlefield, you’d already be dead.” As he spoke, he secretly congratulated himself for his usual interest in physics, which had indeed come in handy at a crucial moment.

“First face-slap critical hit! prestige value +188! Unlocked [Verbal Domain]”

Zhang Tianhao suddenly felt his legs go weak, as if his bones had been removed, and he fell to his knees with a “thud.” This was a 10-second forced daze state triggered by the System. He could only stare at Ye Qiu, his eyes filled with anger, resentment, and helplessness, yet unable to move, as if under a freezing spell. Ye Qiu seized the opportunity to lean down and whispered in Zhang Tianhao’s ear, “Thanks, old friend, for delivering the first bucket of prestige. I’ll have to rely on you to keep sending me prestige value in the future!” His tone carried a hint of teasing and triumph, as if declaring his victory to Zhang Tianhao.

04: Thunderclouds on the Rooftop (7:28)

Finally free from Zhang Tianhao’s entanglement, Ye Qiu, like a bird regaining its freedom, walked briskly to the rooftop. He wanted to enjoy this rare moment of tranquility in this open space, allowing his wildly beating heart to slowly calm down. At this moment, he squatted on the edge of the rooftop, his legs dangling, munching on a jianbing guozi with a generous packet of spicy strips. His satisfied expression was as if he was savoring the most delicious food in the world, every bite eaten with relish, as if all his troubles were swallowed along with the delicious food. Before his eyes, a holographic panel, visible only to him, floated like a high-tech device from a sci-fi movie, emitting a mysterious glow.

“Cumulative prestige value: 204 Redeemable: – [BGM Domain] (50 points, limited to 3 minutes) – [Storm of Pear Blossoms Emoticon Pack] (100 points, group taunt) – [Quantum Fluctuation Speed Reading] (200 points, lasts 24h)”

Ye Qiu munched on his jianbing guozi, frowning as he pondered which skill to redeem. His finger gently glided through the air, as if touching the illusory interface, his eyes revealing indecision and thought. Just as he was hesitating, a cold, sharp blade suddenly pressed against the back of his neck without a sound, the chill instantly spreading throughout his body, sending a shiver down his spine. “Classmate, you have a very special aura of an ancient Martial Artist.” A clear, pleasant yet somewhat wary voice came from behind him, as if from a distant, mysterious world.

Ye Qiu’s heart skipped a beat. He slowly turned his head, and the sight before him made him slightly stunned. The school belle, Lin Qingxue, stood behind him, her long, dark, lustrous hair gently swaying in the wind like black silk, exuding a captivating sheen; mysterious blue light flickered in her eyes, like stars twinkling in the night sky, deep and charming. She looked like a peerless master who had stepped out of a Wuxia novel, with an extraordinary and ethereal aura. “But your Meridians seem to be completely blocked, as if struck by lightning.” Lin Qingxue scrutinized Ye Qiu, her eyes full of confusion, as if trying to unravel a complex mystery.

Upon hearing this, Ye Qiu couldn’t help but grin, revealing a set of pearly white teeth, his smile carrying a hint of mischief and triumph: “Sister, you’re absolutely right! I was indeed struck by lightning a few days ago, and then inexplicably awakened this miraculous System, isn’t that amazing?” No sooner had he finished speaking than a dull rumble of thunder suddenly echoed from the sky, as if providing the most fitting background sound effect for Ye Qiu’s words. The rumbling sound made the entire atmosphere even more mysterious, as if foreshadowing an even greater storm to come.

05: Novice Gift Pack (7:29:58)

As Ye Qiu and Lin Qingxue conversed, the sky suddenly changed dramatically. The previously clear sky was instantly covered by large patches of dark clouds, as if a huge black curtain was slowly being drawn. A dazzling bolt of lightning, like a sharp sword, cut through the oppressive sky and struck directly at the school’s water tower. With a loud “crack,” the water tower was instantly shattered into pieces, water splashing everywhere, like a grand fireworks display, but these fireworks carried destructive power.

Ye Qiu shivered all over from the sudden lightning, almost dropping the jianbing guozi in his hand. He watched the scene before him in horror, his heart once again pounding wildly and uncontrollably, as if it wanted to jump out of his throat. Then, he roared hysterically at the System’s shop interface in his mind: “Quick, unlock the [Novice Shield] for me, you bastard System!” His voice was filled with fear and urgency, as if sending a final distress signal to the System.

Perhaps Ye Qiu’s roar really worked, for the familiar System prompt sounded in his mind again the moment he finished shouting, like a glimmer of light in the darkness:

“Conditions met! Compensation gift pack issued: 1. [Magnetic Storm Trooper Experience Card] x1 (reference Misaka Mikoto 70% combat power) 2. [Schrödinger’s School Uniform] x1 (damage rate always 50%) 3. [Karma Law Line] “Is there anyone else?!” (Invincible for 30 seconds after use)”

Lin Qingxue stood by, watching Ye Qiu, whose hair stood on end from static electricity in the lightning, and for some reason, the Tang Dao in her hand named “Frost Moon” began to vibrate at a high frequency, as if sensing some powerful force, the frequency of the vibration seeming to tell an ancient and mysterious story. She never imagined that this seemingly ordinary morning was about to become the opening legend of a magnificent chronicle in the entire world of Prestigious Ones, and that she and Ye Qiu would also be drawn into this journey full of fantasy and adventure.