C4 I Am Kidding You Come Here and Have Fun!
Host: Chiang Xie
Level: Foundation Stage Level 9
Status: In imminent danger
Experience: 87 / 3000
Main Character Value: 0
Villain Martial Skill: Devil Slaying
Villain Martial Skill: Thunderous Cannon
Villain Martial Skill: Shark Tooth
Overall Evaluation: You seem to be on your last legs!
Chiang Xie had made a hasty departure from the Chiang family and fled Fire Cloud City, ending up in an unfamiliar forest. There, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and, with a ghastly pale face, accessed his host page.
The addition of a dire status left him dumbfounded, and the overall evaluation nearly made him spit out another mouthful of blood. It seemed his dramatic efforts had only bought him a couple more chapters at best.
The system, however, spoke up nonchalantly: "Young man, be grateful. For someone at the Foundation Stage to survive a blow from someone at the Golden Core Stage is quite the feat."
"And as for your acting, the system is almost inclined to applaud you."
Struggling with blurred vision, Chiang Xie had no time for idle chat with the system and cut to the chase: "Is there any item that can keep me alive? If I die, you go down with me, right?"
"Indeed! What would become of me if you died?" The system replied, suddenly anxious.
"..."
"You haven't completed any missions and have no Main Character Value, so you can't purchase anything from the System Shop. But you did complete the initial achievement of escaping the beginner's area, which comes with a reward. You might as well take a chance on it."
At the mention of a reward, Chiang Xie was about to open the reward package when he blacked out and lost consciousness.
When Chiang Xie eventually came to, he found himself in a clean, modest room. It took him a moment to gather his bearings.
He realized that while he had been unconscious, the passive healing powers of the Devil Slaying Technique had been at work, and someone had rescued him, sparing his life. Who could have been his savior?
"You're awake?" His thoughts were interrupted by the soft voice of a young girl in a purple dress, who had gently opened the door.
Chiang Xie, taking in the sight of the graceful and ethereal girl, thought to himself: "She would be the most beautiful child star back on Earth!"
Chiang Xie rose from the bed with polite gratitude and clasped his fists, "Thank you, miss, for your timely rescue!"
The young girl, noticing Chiang Xie's injuries hadn't healed and seeing him rise from the bed, urgently exclaimed, "Please lie back down. I'll go fetch Xiao Yan for you."
At the mention of Xiao Yan, Chiang Xie was thunderstruck. Xiao Yan? No way, Battle Through the Heavens! Just then, the system's voice chimed in.
"Ding! Villain mission detected. Host, your task is to usurp Xiao Yan's role, sway his convictions, and strip him of his protagonist potential. Successful completion of the mission will reward you with two hundred Main Character Value, one Yellow Level Experience Pill, and one Profound Level Experience Book (worth five thousand experience points). Additionally, you'll receive one free lottery draw."
Chiang Xie, momentarily dazed, questioned the system, "Isn't this the Profound Sky Continent? How is Xiao Yan from the Dou Qi Continent here?"
"Well, the Profound Sky Continent is quite peculiar, merging all the protagonists from various novels into one. In essence, it's a parallel universe. This Xiao Yan is the Flame Emperor, or rather, he isn't yet, as he's still considered worthless."
"That means you need to prevent him from embarking on the path to becoming the Flame Emperor. If you don't, you'll become irrelevant, as the whole continent will revolve around him, thanks to the Main Character Aura."
Damn! Chiang Xie finally got it; this continent was teeming with protagonists, and here he was, the lone villain relegated to a bit part.
And to survive, he'd have to manipulate these heroes, luring them from the light into the darkness... But why did it feel like he was sabotaging their futures? It seemed somewhat unethical.
"Are you feeling alright?" The girl, seeing Chiang Xie motionless, feared his injuries had worsened.
"No... No, I'm fine. But tell me, is this Wutan City? And are you Xiao Xuner?" Chiang Xie inquired, looking at the girl.
"Yes, this is Wutan City. How did you know my name?" Xiao Xuner asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Cough, cough, never mind that. Please go and get Xiao Yan. I need to speak with him," Chiang Xie managed between coughs. So it was Xiao Yan after all, and even his counterpart Xiao Xuner was present. This system was definitely stirring up trouble.
After Xiao Xuner departed, Chiang Xie lay on his bed pondering the need to understand the system before he could start deceiving others. He decided to pose a few questions to the system.
For instance, how could he enhance his cultivation level? What purpose did the Main Character Value serve? It seemed prudent to get these questions answered.
Despite its impatience, the system explained with a measure of patience, "To increase your cultivation, you can kill people, slay Demonic Beasts, or use items like Experience Pills to gain experience. The Main Character Value acts as the currency of this world, similar to Spirit Stones. With it, you can purchase villainous cultivation techniques, abilities, and magical tools from the System Shop, as long as you have enough Main Character Value!"
"Ultimately, I'd rather not be answering your questions. Haven't you ever played online games or read novels about systems? Are you daft?"
Chiang Xie's mouth twitched, leaving him at a loss for words. Such a sardonic response was unexpected; this didn't seem like any system he knew.
"Daft, my foot! I'm going to open that achievement package from earlier. Make it snappy, I want to see how you became so adept!" Chiang Xie deftly changed the subject and continued.
Finally, Chiang Xie opened the achievement package, revealing an item called the Villain's Essence package.
Inside were three bars of soap: one that enhanced charm, another that boosted intelligence, and the last one was a... cough, a tiger whip soap bar designed to strengthen one's 'little brother'!
Impressive, my system! If Xiao Yan isn't completely bamboozled by me this time, I'll eat my hat!
Meanwhile, a foolproof plan to bamboozle Xiao Yan crystallized in his mind.
"Bang, bang, bang." At the sound of three knocks, Xiao Xuner and a striking young man with piercing eyes stood before Chiang Xie.
Upon seeing the renowned Emperor Xiao Yan, Chiang Xie was thrilled to his core, his hands quivering uncontrollably, though he was oblivious to it.
"Brother, your hand..." Xiao Yan, noticing Chiang Xie's trembling hands, mistook it for a sign of a grave injury.
Hearing his idol mention his hand, Chiang Xie eagerly grasped Xiao Yan's hand and blurted out with excitement, "Shake hands! Shake hands! I'm the boss, and you're... well, you know!"
"Ah..." In a burst of excitement, Chiang Xie accidentally let slip a curse. How embarrassing... He swore it wasn't intentional!
Xiao Yan's smile instantly stiffened. Why on earth did this guy just throw out an insult? Who's he calling a dog?
"Pfft, Xiao Yan brother, this big brother is really quite the comedian," Xiao Xuner remarked, realizing that Chiang Xie hadn't meant to insult anyone and quickly smoothed things over.
Impressive! Clearly, Xiao Xuner wasn't just a pretty face; she was emotionally intelligent too. Right then and there, everyone's fondness for her grew.
"Exactly! I was only kidding! Haha, did you find it funny?" Chiang Xie cringed inwardly after his words, tempted to give himself a couple of slaps. It was just meeting an idol; was there any need to be this anxious? You're supposed to be the Strongest Villain!
"Hehe, very funny," Xiao Yan replied, seeing that Chiang Xie meant no harm and managing an awkward chuckle. This guy really had a way with words.
However, in the next instant, Chiang Xie's demeanor took a sharp turn as he exclaimed, "Laugh at this! Come on, let's party! The old driver's about to take off!"