Room 201, Building 3, Jinling Residential Community, Xing City.
Early in the morning, Lin Yang had just gotten out of bed and was video calling his parents.
"Dad, Mom, I'm doing well here. My work is going smoothly, and my income is stable. I'll transfer money to you as soon as my salary comes in."
"Son, we're relieved to hear you're doing well. You said you couldn't get train tickets to come home for New Year's, but the New Year has passed. When are you coming back? It's been two years since you've been home; we miss you."
"My unit has been too busy recently. As soon as this busy period is over, I'll take my annual leave and come back to see you."
"Alright then, we'll listen to you. Young people should prioritize their careers. Didn't we hear you were dating a girlfriend before? It's been almost a year. Remember to bring her when you come back."
"Yes, I will when the time is right."
Afterward, Lin Yang chatted with his parents for a few more sentences, and then they hung up the video call.
As soon as the video call ended, Lin Yang's originally high-spirited expression instantly turned desolate.
"Dad, Mom, your son is useless. I haven't made a name for myself and I've made you worry!"
Lin Yang clenched his fists and punched the bed.
With a "creak," the already wobbly bed almost collapsed.
"Lin Yang, how much do you make a month now? My son opened a small factory and can earn two to three hundred thousand a year."
"Lin Yang's mother, didn't your son say he had a girlfriend? Why hasn't he brought her home? Is your family too poor, afraid she'll leave?"
"Lin Yang's father, didn't your son graduate from a key university? Why does he still take the train home for New Year's? My son bought a car last year."
...
Every time he returned to his hometown, his neighbors repeated these words countless times.
When his parents heard these words, they always looked downcast and embarrassed.
Although he was very angry, these were all undeniable truths, leaving no room for rebuttal.
In his hometown, every household had newly built small villas, while his own family still lived in a two-story house built thirty years ago, with red bricks exposed and the walls not even plastered.
During the New Year, other families had cars parked outside their doors, while his own had a muddy electric bike.
His parents claimed not to care, but the envy in their eyes when they looked at their neighbors' villas and cars was undeniable.
From that moment on, Lin Yang swore that he would never return home and embarrass his parents until he had made a name for himself.
However, how difficult it was for a small-town problem solver with no background or connections to make a name for himself in a big city.
Right now, he was already struggling to make ends meet.
Two days ago, he was framed by his department head, taking the blame, which led to him being fired from the company.
No job meant no income, yet expenses were everywhere.
It was already the end of the month, and he needed to send money home and pay rent, totaling 4,000, but he only had less than 1,000 yuan in hand.
If he didn't send money home, his father wouldn't have money for medicine. If he didn't pay rent, he'd have nowhere to live.
Even if these two issues were resolved, food and drink for the foreseeable future would become a problem.
"Ding, Daily Intel System activated successfully."
"Automatically push 3 to 10 pieces of intel to the host every day."
"Gain 10 experience points for each piece of intel read. Accumulate enough experience, and the system can upgrade to Weekly Intel, Monthly Intel, Yearly Intel..."
"The value of each piece of intel varies. The higher the system level, the higher the intel value. Additionally, the pushed intel is closely related to the host's daily life, what they see, what they think, and the people, events, and objects they encounter."
Suddenly, a mechanical voice sounded in Lin Yang's mind.
System?
I have the system that novel protagonists possess?
Lin Yang was startled at first, then his heart surged with uncontrollable excitement.
He actually had the system that leads novel protagonists to the pinnacle of life.
What if he had no background, no connections? He could still reach the pinnacle.
This time, he would definitely make a name for himself and return to his hometown in glory to make his parents proud.
"Ding, Host, do you want to receive today's intel?"
"Receive."
Lin Yang suppressed his inner excitement and began to try using the system.
As the command was issued, a light screen appeared before his eyes, displaying five pieces of intel.
"Daily Intel 1: Miracle Fitness will abscond with funds after closing tonight. Before absconding, they will hold a super-discount promotion. Be careful not to fall for it."
He was already struggling to live, so how could he have money for a gym? However, it seemed his roommate Qin Zhiyuan worked out at that gym. He should remind him.
"Daily Intel 2: A new fruit supermarket has opened at the community entrance. All fruits are 50% off today. If you go too late, they'll be out of stock."
What was the use of such intel? Everyone knew that.
"Daily Intel 3: The Route 118 bus collided with an electric bike when passing the Wanxiang City stop. The delivery rider was thrown off. Taking another bus route can avoid being late for work."
Route 118 was the route he used to take to work. Now that he was fired, he wouldn't be taking it anymore.
"Daily Intel 4: Wang Guangsheng, the head of the technical department at Huada Machinery Factory, and Liu Fang, the attendance clerk, are lovers. They collude to force subordinates to work overtime for free, but actually report the overtime to the company, and the overtime pay goes into their pockets. The evidence is in the third drawer of Wang Guangsheng's back metal cabinet. Obtain the evidence and report them to the factory director to reclaim the embezzled overtime pay."
Huada Machinery Factory was the unit he used to work for. Wang Guangsheng, the department head, always forced them to work overtime for various reasons and never paid overtime.
Lin Yang had defied him a few times and was targeted because of it. A few days ago, when Lin Yang asked for overtime pay again, he actually fired him on the grounds of false overtime claims.
He hadn't expected the reason behind it was that the department head and the attendance clerk were colluding to embezzle all the overtime pay. No wonder they always seemed off before.
He must find an opportunity to get the evidence and reclaim the overtime pay they embezzled!
"Daily Intel 5: The lottery shop at the community entrance has a first-prize scratch-off winner for the 'Good Luck Ten Times' lottery, with a prize of 400,000 yuan. Go to the lottery shop in advance and buy all the 'Good Luck Ten Times' scratch-offs to intercept the first prize."
"Holy cow! There's even winning lottery intel!"
Looking at the five pieces of intel listed on the panel, Lin Yang was very surprised.
This Daily Intel System was too powerful! Not only did it provide intel, but it also offered solutions.
Putting aside the other intel, just the fifth piece of intel alone was worth 400,000 yuan. This single piece of intel could resolve all the difficulties he was currently facing.
Lin Yang knew the lottery shop at the community entrance; he saw it every time he passed by. It usually opened around 8 AM.
He lit up his phone screen and checked the time. It was already 8:30 AM. The lottery shop had already opened. Had that winning lottery ticket already been bought by someone else?
If it had been bought by someone else, wouldn't this intel be useless?