Chapter 1: Rebirth and System Acquisition
Li City.
A secluded alley.
Someone was squatting at the alley entrance, their gaze fixed on the trash can ahead, looking eager and secretly rubbing their fists. Even stray dogs passing by were startled, stumbled backward, and ran away.
Oh, where did this crazy woman come from in broad daylight?
“Jiang Xiaoya, there’s no one around now, hurry up and go through the trash can! If this keeps up, forget about completing the task, you’ll just faint from hunger again, and our show will be delayed.”
The assistant streamer, wearing a tianyan earphone, was forced to speak.
Xiao Ya heard the assistant streamer’s urging. She knew this live broadcast tianyan device was waterproof, high-temperature resistant, and directly connected to the live stream. There was no doubt that the netizens in the live stream were probably cursing again. She looked at the group of menacing, snarling stray dogs in the distance and let out a long howl to the sky: “Stop urging me! I’ll snatch food from the dogs right now!”
This was ridiculous, like opening the door for ridiculousness itself—ridiculousness had truly arrived.
In her previous life, she was at least the only daughter of a famous first-generation entrepreneur, a true second-generation rich. The starting point of her rebirth was unexpectedly this terrible.
The original host had a tragic background. After graduating from university, she couldn't find a job and signed up for a reality show about competition among the social lower class. Logically, with such a tragic background, she shouldn't have been so timid, but reality was so melodramatic. The original host didn't have the resilient quality of someone from a humble background; instead, she had the common problem of being self-conscious and sensitive. In three days, let alone getting a ranking, she couldn't even scrape together money for food and actually ‘fainted’ from hunger.
Regardless of the show's ranking, Xiao Ya knew that if she didn't dig something out, she would soon follow in the original host's footsteps and ascend to heaven.
She would really starve to death!
Xiao Ya seemed to have made some kind of decision. She clenched her fists and began her food-snatching plan.
She picked up a red brick from under her feet, weighed it in her hand, and then suddenly looked up and rushed towards the trash can across the street, coincidentally colliding with a large black dog that had been waiting for a long time, slowly approaching the trash can, looking for an opportunity.
The big black dog seemed startled by the sudden appearance of the crazy woman. It stumbled violently and retreated, baring its teeth.
Xiao Ya, startled, recoiled and accidentally tripped over a stone under her foot, landing on the ground with a thud.
Big black dog: “...”
Netizens in the live stream: “...”
After a brief silence, the bullet comments flew.
“Useless! What are you afraid of with a brick in your hand?!”
“Scared silly?”
“First time seeing a look of idiocy on a dog’s face…”
“From the moment I saw the live stream, I was drawn to the aura of stupidity around her. The next day, she wandered a few streets, and I bet she was a dark horse. On the third day, she starved herself unconscious, giving little old me a huge shock. Just when I thought her potential would finally be unleashed and she would surely rise, I sighed… she might as well have starved to death just now.”
“How did the show crew recruit someone like this? Aren’t they afraid something serious will happen?”
“It’s a competitive survival show, they’ve signed contracts, don’t worry.”
“Where did this idiot come from?”
However, the reason Xiao Ya didn’t immediately get up and fight was because she had awakened a system!
“Ding, system detecting environment.”
“Detection successful…”
“Activating Social Work Skills System!”
“Activation successful!”
Xiao Ya was immersed in the joy and confusion of gaining a system.
She carefully examined the new system.
“Social Work Skills System.”
The gloomy mood she had just felt due to her low starting point in rebirth instantly dissipated. Her expression became excited, sweeping away her previous frantic, disoriented image.
How did the saying go? When you’re sleepy, you find a pillow; when you’re starving to death, the God of Wealth delivers a meal ticket.
“Ding, detecting host’s profession as… Scavenger.”
“Reward skill: Detect.”
“The system uses a task-point system. Points can be exchanged for gifts. Scavenging can also lead to wealth. Host, act quickly.”
Detect?
Xiao Ya was pondering how to use this skill when her eyes inadvertently swept over the trash can across the street.
She saw that the originally green trash can was now covered in a faint, reddish mist.
At the same time, a system alert sounded in her mind.
“Ding, valuable item detected, valuable item detected…”
Xiao Ya’s eyes instantly gleamed. She threw away the brick in her hand, scrambled up from the ground, and rushed across the street.
The big black dog, seeing the suddenly crazy person, was scared away.
Netizens in the live stream were all exclaiming.
“Is she not finding trash and switching to staged accidents?”
“Awesome, truly brilliant, why didn’t I think of that?”
“Is she…?! Is she going to pull out the trash can and sell it for money?!”
“Something big is happening! They told her to pick up trash, not commit a crime!”
“Trash cans are public property, does she have a brain?”
“If she had a brain, would she starve herself unconscious?”
“She must be crazy from hunger.”
Xiao Ya was patient at first, rummaging through the trash can while leaning over it, but she couldn't reach the bottom. In a fit of anger, she pulled out the trash can and dumped all its contents out.
Her mind was filled with the system’s words ‘valuable item.’ She looked at the black plastic bag at the bottom as if it were a treasure and quickly untied it.
She’s rich, she’s rich! This time, she’s really rich.
“Goodbye, Mama, tonight I’m sailing away, don’t worry about me, I have paddles of joy and wisdom… Ah!!!!”
The netizens in the live stream, hearing the woman inexplicably start singing, were all speechless. Suddenly, a scream erupted, and the netizens in the live stream simultaneously covered their ears.
“My mom asked if I have some major illness for watching this idiot.”
“Hahaha, what was she singing? So funny.”
“The crazy woman scared herself. There’s no craziest, only crazier.”
“Wait, look closely, what fell on the ground?”
“Black hair, red blood… is it a human head?!”
“Ah!!!!”
The plastic bag in Xiao Ya’s hand dropped, and the human head inside rolled at her feet, its eyeballs staring fixedly upwards at her. Xiao Ya screamed again.
She must have bound to a prank system! Damn it, f*ck!
Xiao Ya ignored her reeking fingertips and tremblingly pulled out her phone, which had only one bar of battery left, to call the police.
“Hello, Police Uncle, I want to turn in a human head—bah, it’s not my human head, it’s someone else’s human head. I didn’t kill anyone, but the head is in my hand. It’s hard to explain, but anyway, please come quickly, someone died.”
In less than half an hour, the news that someone had live-streamed finding a human head became a trending topic. Netizens flocked to the live stream, gathering in the front row to watch the crime scene.
The police officers arrived quickly, immediately cordoned off the scene, and detained Xiao Ya, taking her back to make a statement.
Xiao Ya initially refused, insisting. She had just been reborn and hadn't even experienced a good life yet; she didn't want to be labeled a criminal suspect.
Hearing the whispered discussions of several officers, she realized this might be the bounty task their department had just issued—finding human remains could earn a reward. She immediately agreed to go with them without another word.