Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lu Wei always drove with total concentration, reflecting his meticulous appearance. He kept his eyes on the road ahead while the playful laughter of his ex-wife's son drifted from the back seat.

But as he drove, something began to feel off.

This road leading to the amusement park was the right one, yet this area was always a bustling hub of traffic and pedestrians. How could it be, in broad daylight, that there wasn't a single car in sight ahead, behind, or to either side of him?

Not a soul was in sight.

Lu Wei frowned and pulled the car over to the side of the road. He turned his head and called out, "Ah Sang!"

The back seat was empty; there was no trace of his ex-wife's son.

The bright, cloudless sky suddenly darkened.

Lu Wei turned on the headlights, watching the beams cut into the darkness, his frown deepening. Everything happening before him defied common sense; he had no idea what was happening. After thinking for a moment, he picked up his phone from beside him, planning to call for help.

Before he could dial, the phone screen lit up on its own. The number he had intended to dial, "110," appeared on the display.

Lu Wei pressed the answer button. "Hello."

"You're quite calm, aren't you, Host?" A mechanized voice came from the other end of the line.

"Who are you? What do you want?" In a situation completely beyond his control, Lu Wei felt uneasy inside, but he kept his voice and expression calm.

Staying calm was his only way to maximize his chances of probing the other party, uncovering the reason, and finding their weakness.

"You may call me 031," the voice introduced itself. "What I am about to do is send the Host into different parallel spaces."

"I understand what you mean." Parallel spaces, other dimensions—Lu Wei had come across such ideas in sci-fi movies and novels. "But why do this? Why me?"

"The reason is not in the database. 031 is merely executing a task. As for why you were chosen, it's because you are sufficiently calm and detached. You are not the first host 031 has selected. To be precise, you are the 219th host."

Lu Wei inhaled sharply. "Can you tell me what happened to the previous 218 hosts?"

The voice was silent for a long moment before responding, "The previous hosts... the best record was surviving five worlds. They all died."

"Do I have the right to refuse?" Lu Wei pressed a hand to his forehead. The mortality rate appeared to be one hundred percent.

"No," the voice answered. "But don't lose heart, Host. You are different from the others. Initially, 031 did not know what kind of person to select, so many wrong turns were taken, leading to the deaths of a large number of hosts. In terms of psychological resilience and emotional detachment, you are the most exceptional 031 has encountered. Moreover, your psyche is completely different from normal people's. Even if someone loves you deeply, you feel no guilt for betraying them and can even derive pleasure from it."

Lu Wei smiled bitterly. "Thank you for the... compliment."

He knew his mind worked differently than a normal person's, though it wasn't obvious to others. This was the first time someone had pointed out this fact.

"Well, the Host is about to enter the first world." The conversation was brief. Before Lu Wei could fully discern the system's patterns, the voice announced its verdict. "A reminder: the system's activation energy comes from Qin Ge's obsession with you. Therefore, Qin Ge, whose memories are erased but whose obsession remains, will appear in the first world. Your status will be at a disadvantage. 031 does not know what Qin Ge will do to you."

"However, the Host need not worry too much. Once a world forms, it will establish its own systems. Advantages and disadvantages are not absolutely irreversible. I wish the Host a pleasant journey."

As soon as the mechanical voice finished, Lu Wei's vision went completely dark, and even his consciousness sank into a deep, murky swamp.

...

When he regained awareness, Lu Wei found himself in armor, riding a powerful black warhorse, holding a long sword that was still dripping blood. Corpses and severed limbs were strewn everywhere, surrounded by blood-soaked, fierce-looking warriors.

On the ancient battlefield, war banners flew high and the sun stood directly overhead. A heavy stench of blood, mixed with the smell of horses and dust, assaulted his senses.

What the hell... What's going on?

"The Host is currently charging into battle," the mechanical voice prompted him. "The goal is to survive."

In an era where time-travel films and novels were popular, Lu Wei, though not particularly interested in the trend, had inevitably been exposed to some of it. Damn it, wasn't the standard setup usually waking up safely in bed and then asking the maid, "Where is this? Who am I?"

No wonder the mortality rate was one hundred percent.

Internal complaints aside, since he had been thrown here, he had to face it. There was absolutely no possibility of escape.

Lu Wei carefully observed his surroundings. The armies here were clearly divided into two sides. One side, wearing red garments and black armor, belonged to his faction. The other side wore bronze-colored armor, each soldier with many small braids, pointed helmets, and burlier builds with rougher facial features—likely a foreign tribe.

His own side flew a large banner with the character "Lu." Approximately seven to eight hundred men surrounded him, trapped within a circle of the foreign warriors.

Lu Wei couldn't estimate the exact number of enemies. All he could see was a seemingly endless sea of enemy troops, with his own side completely and tightly surrounded.

"031, did you bring me into this world just to send me to my death?" Lu Wei couldn't help but grit his teeth.

"Not at all," the mechanical voice replied. "Considering this is the Host's first world, here's a hint. What you need to do next is fight to the end."

Damn it!

After cursing inwardly, Lu Wei swung the long sword in his hand, cutting down an enemy cavalryman who had charged at him. A torrential spray of blood splashed up, soaking his red battle cloak.

As a modern man who had never witnessed war or bloodshed, even with a slightly abnormal psyche that didn't lean toward serial killing, he originally couldn't have coldly cut down enemies on the battlefield.

But this body was battle-hardened, skilled in archery and horsemanship. Swinging a sword to kill enemies seemed to have become part of its instinct. After the initial shock, Lu Wei gradually began to adapt.

The black-armored soldiers surrounding Lu Wei were also extremely fierce. Though at an absolute numerical disadvantage, they maintained discipline within the heavy encirclement, each fighting like ten men, refusing to retreat. Lu Wei also began to guess his current identity. Judging by his attire, he was likely the commanding general of these black-armored troops.

After killing a few enemies, Lu Wei also realized that, given the current situation, there was no choice but to fight to the end, just as 031 had said.

Although the black-armored troops were fierce, their numerical disadvantage was irreparable. As time passed from noon to sunset, the enemy's encirclement gradually tightened. Only about a hundred men remained around Lu Wei.

The black horse Lu Wei had been riding had long been pierced by several enemy blades and died. He now fought on foot alongside the black-armored soldiers, his steel sword notched from excessive killing, his face streaked with blood and grime.

Only the "Lu" character banner still fluttered within the formation, never fallen.

A spear thrust out from the side. Having fought until now, Lu Wei's spirit and strength were waning, and his guards were not fully intact. The spear pierced clean through his left shoulder.

Lu Wei let out a loud cry, endured the pain, and grabbed the spear shaft. In the terrified eyes of his attacker, he swung his sword, severed the spear shaft, and followed through by chopping off half of the ambusher's head.

At this moment, Lu Wei exuded an aura of desperate, all-or-nothing ferocity that intimidated the surrounding enemy soldiers. Despite being in an advantageous position, they lacked the courage to press forward and surround him fully.

"The Host's adaptability is quite strong," 031's mechanical voice carried a hint of admiration.

"Strong, my ass! What happens if I die fighting here?" Lu Wei switched to another sword, swinging it to cleave into an enemy's chest, splitting both armor and burly flesh. "Wrapped in a horsehide shroud?!"

"Yes. If the Host's body dies initially in the first world, you will truly die," 031 answered. "The system has expended all its energy to transport you. Before obtaining new energy, it cannot transport you to the next world... At that point, 031 will fall into slumber along with the Host."

Lu Wei pulled out his sword and continued asking, "So, according to you, if I survive in this world, I will gain energy? What is that, and what's its use?"

He seemed to have grasped a clue about 031. Based on his interactions so far, this system exhibited mechanical characteristics—namely, it couldn't lie.

"Accumulating sufficient energy will grant the Host more choices. For example, returning to the original world to continue living, or even becoming a legendary, omnipotent god is possible."

Before Lu Wei could ask how to accumulate energy, he heard voices coming from outside the enemy encirclement. "You barbarians, your main camp is lost! Surrender immediately!"

The voices were loud and uniform, clearly shouted simultaneously by multiple soldiers, repeated several times.

Immediately after, a troop of black iron cavalry flying a "Song" character banner formed a wedge-shaped assault formation and charged toward the encirclement.

"General, Commander Song has finally arrived!" the black-armored troops around Lu Wei let out a triumphant cheer.

Due to the penetrating wound in his left shoulder, Lu Wei's left arm was now numb and completely paralyzed. Holding a blood-stained blade in his right hand, he pointed forward and commanded in a deep voice, "Breakout! Regroup with them!"

In addition to martial arts, Lu Wei had also inherited this body's military acumen.

"Fight! Fight!! Fight!!" After shouting three times, the remaining hundred or so black-armored soldiers surged around Lu Wei, forming a small but razor-sharp black wedge and driving it into the enemy's crumbling encirclement.

After the desperate battle, the iron cavalry and the black-armored soldiers quickly merged. The remnants of the black-armored troops were utterly exhausted; after joining forces, they fell back to the rear lines, while Commander Song led the cavalry in the main confrontation.

The duel was spectacular, but Lu Wei did not see it through to the end. He had sustained over a dozen wounds, large and small, with the injury to his left shoulder being particularly severe. Having lost too much blood, he had clung to consciousness just long enough to make it back to the rear before he blacked out.