Chapter 87: Merchandise Gifts, Bad Luck Turns Trash into Treasure

Chapter 87 Collectibles, Unlucky Draw, Turning Trash into Treasure

The production team has two different live broadcast systems.

One is the ordinary system, which is usually directly dispatched by the production team to a pre-selected planet.

These planets are often recommended by industry experts or audience members.

The coordinates of the planet and its internal conditions are fully scouted. When viewer hype is strong, or when authorities believe that a broadcast from there would have appeal, the system gets deployed for a shoot.

The other system is a special one, like the System Bird, which actively seeks out suitable less-developed planets on its own.

The system's appearances are randomized, with no predetermined targets.

Before the System Bird goes live, even the production team has no idea where it will appear.

Viewers, including VIPs, cannot know in advance either.

If even they are unaware, then Tianlan Star's inhabitants were completely in the dark.

Since they don’t know, the events and objects captured by the System Bird are considered part of that planet’s daily life—legit.

There’s no way this was staged.

Besides, to create decent counterfeits, one would at least need to have seen the real thing. How could the natives of a truly backward planet have ever encountered genuine high technology?

Moreover, regarding the mecha and the protective clothing—whether they were real or fake—they weren’t blind—couldn’t they tell those were the real deal?

Not to mention the scenes of the plants "freaking out" or the butterflies obeying commands, flying wherever directed and doing whatever was asked. Could those be faked?

So they genuinely believed that Tianlan Star was hiding its true capabilities and even suspected it of playing possum to lure them in.

As the saying goes, the real hunter always appears as the prey.

They had already recognized this place as a skilled hunter—you’d have to be dumb to keep pushing it.

Fortunately, the situation didn’t escalate past the point of no return. The destruction of the System Bird put an end to everything.

Even so, some more cautious individuals remained anxious for a long time, fearing that Tianlan Star might track them down.

Often, it’s only when the blade falls on their own heads that they understand true fear.

Sheng Qingquan had no idea this "performance" would be so effective. In any case, he had done his best.

After finishing the task, he put the matter aside.

Once the system was dealt with, his Qiankun Coin balance ticked up, and new collectibles appeared. Sheng Qingquan’s attention was immediately drawn to them.

"What’ve we got?"

Sheng Qingquan looked over curiously.

"Don’t get me wrong—they’re handy. But for such a precious opportunity, I’d prefer something else."

What he really lacked were OP skills—though dope loot works too.

After this experience, Sheng Qingquan felt that all kinds of skills and treasures were welcome. He wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"As for the coordinates..."

Sheng Qingquan wasn’t concerned about that.

"Last time, with just a bit of gemstone powder, the scientists managed to develop detectors and locators in such a short time. This time, the System Bird's body is still intact. Even if the stored data is damaged, I believe the scientists will be able to recover it eventually."

"Wouldn’t the System Bird know its own origin point?!"

"Worst case, I remember the Infinite Flow System’s shop has an item that could help."

Sheng Qingquan had merely let loose that so-called "Divine Child Training Game," which was actually an Infinite Flow game system. It wasn’t like he’d forgotten.

Even if he blanked for a second, he’d remember when he needed to.

Precisely because of this double assurance, Sheng Qingquan wanted something that could positively impact the mess Tianlanxing’s in right now more than just obtaining coordinates.

Now that he got it, Sheng Qingquan couldn’t hide his disappointment.

A rainbow-colored bird fluttered its wings, emerging from the book and flying toward Sheng Qingquan.

Wait… is this a system?"

It looked the same, but this one seemed kinda dead inside—its eyes blank and glazed over. Not like the last System Bird—that thing was lively as a woodland spirit, no question.

Maybe it’s fresh off the assembly line and hasn’t developed a personality yet?"

"Systems popping up left and right—do they all have a thing for conference calls on Tianlanxing?"

Sheng Qingquan muttered under his breath.

By then, the bird had already flown to Sheng Qingquan. It tucked its wings in and landed on his shoulder.

Sheng Qingquan picked the bird off his shoulder.

It wasn’t until he held it that he realized something wasn’t right.

"It’s not a system."

"It’s just a system’s disguise."

"No wonder it’s so stiff. It’s like a game skin—you can’t expect a costume to have a soul."

"Even if it’s not an ordinary piece of clothing. Game skins have all these flashy effects—they move, sprout flowers, make it snow, glow… but at the end of the day, they’re still just dead code."

The merch gifts are hit or miss—some are great, some are trash." A staff member remarked.

"Looks like we got the dud this round."

"Tough break this time. But hey, dodging disaster’s still a win."

"Just having the Prophecy Book is lucky enough. Can’t get too greedy..."

Easy to say, but everyone still felt a twinge of disappointment—this was just coping.

They got the logic, but you can’t just switch off feelings. Sheng Qingquan was also disappointed.

"Would’ve been nicer if they’d handed over a real system."

"A hollow shell’s useless without the guts."

"The skin auto-binds on pickup. Other items are too powerful—misuse could hurt you. But once bound, that risk is gone. It's a good thing."

"Yet this is just a skin. It couldn’t hurt me in the first place. The binding is completely unnecessary."

Even as he complained, Sheng Qingquan knew that merchandise gifts locking in on release was the norm.

This time would be no exception.

Still, Sheng Qingquan couldn’t help feeling it was a waste.

"I can’t even wear a System Bird skin. If it weren’t locked, I could’ve traded it to an infinite-stream system and maybe swapped for something valuable."

"Wait."

A wild idea hit him.

"Says who I can’t wear it?"

"It never said I couldn’t, right?"

"So this is the real purpose of the System Bird skin’s binding!"

It all clicked for Sheng Qingquan.

Without this safety net, he’d never have risked it.

No time like the present.

After some fiddling, Sheng Qingquan got the hang of it fast.

Way easier than expected.

He scooped up the bird, gave its head a peck, and it took off, darting straight toward his forehead.

In a flash, the bird dissolved into him.

He was currently in his living room.

With the system matter resolved, there was nothing left for him to do, so he had gone home.

Now the sofa sat empty—the guy who’d been there just vanished.

Left behind was a tiny, rainbow-feathered bird.

The bird did a little hop-skip on the couch, eyes wide with wonder.

"So this is how birds do it!"

The real shock was on the staff monitoring his thoughts.

No way that actually worked?!

What kind of magic was this?

"No wonder the System Bird nails the bird act. Turns out the skin auto-loads the animal’s moveset—walking, flying, all of it."

"No tripping, no spaghetti legs."

"And when you try to fly, you don’t just windmill your wings like an idiot, stuck like your feet are cemented to the floor."

"Nor would it suddenly fall from mid-air and crash to the ground, resulting in a gruesome accident."

Having already tested walking, Sheng Qingquan gave flying a cautious try.

Sure enough, he lifted off with ease—not only swiftly but also steadily.

"The only downside is probably how small this bird form is. After transforming, everything looks enormous. Kinda gives you megalophobia vibes."

"I’ve never realized how big my home is before."

Sheng Qingquan landed on the coffee table, which now felt as sprawling as a playground.

He glanced at the magazine on the table, its cover featuring a close-up of a face. He had seen this photo before and hadn’t thought much of it, but now he couldn’t help but take two steps back.

Whoa, that face is massive!

Kinda creepy.

Unable to resist, he peeked again.

Still enormous.

But once he got used to it, there were benefits. At least with such a large face, you could read every expression like a billboard.

The system probably loved this—helping it observe the host’s emotions and thoughts. Even the subtlest expressions wouldn’t go unnoticed.

Sheng Qingquan's mind drifted to nonsense.

He then checked himself out in the mirror closely.

Gotta admit, the same skin looked far more pleasing on him than it had on his enemy.

His beauty and cuteness levels shot up at least 10%.

After admiring his looks, Sheng Qingquan couldn’t resist taking to the skies for a spin.

This was flying!

Flying on his own—nothing like being on a plane, piloting a mech, or boarding a spaceship.

It felt like he was truly flying, no machines, just pure flight.

Yet there were similarities too. That rush, that total freedom, the thrill of soaring through the heavens—it blew high-tech flight out of the water.

Sheng Qingquan only headed back when he was wiped out.

On his way back, he zipped by his neighbor’s window.

Even though they had seen it coming, the staff were still floored when they saw Sheng Qingquan’s current form.

It was truly like turning lead into gold.

This so-called "system skin" was straight-up druid magic—letting you channel nature and transform into an animal.

Life settled into a quiet rhythm after that.

When he wanted to go out, he'd transform into a bird, fly around, and come back. When he wanted to stay in, he'd cozy up at home and game to his heart's content.

Yes, gaming.

The network was restored the same day the last crisis ended.

Just a few days ago, the government even announced the price of the therapeutic device and its release date. With everyone eagerly waiting, the devices hit the shelves yesterday morning.

Sales skyrocketed right away. If not for the government's ample preparations, they might have sold out long ago.

Sheng Qingquan already had a therapeutic device at home, so he wasn’t in a hurry to buy one. Even if he needed to purchase one to keep up pretenses, he planned to wait a little longer—just to avoid accidentally taking a unit from someone who needed it more.

So while many were rushing to queue up, with long lines forming outside every sales point, Sheng Qingquan was still happily gaming away at home.

"Chang Zilan!"

A sudden roar from upstairs startled Sheng Qingquan.

Once he recovered, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for his neighbor.

When a parent suddenly yells your full name, every kid on the planet knows what that means.

What had Chang Zilan done to anger her mother?

"I told you to find a boyfriend, someone who loves and cherishes you, and date seriously!"

Then, Mother Chang lowered her voice: "Not to call up a male model for fun!"

Though she had deliberately softened her tone for the latter part, Sheng Qingquan still heard it loud and clear.

"And you’re going this wild with it!"