C1 Beginning

The sun blazed in the sky, accompanied by a gentle breeze.

Su Chen sat in his somewhat worn-down dormitory, staring at the battery icon in the lower right corner of his field of vision, lost in thought.

"What in the world is this? Is this some kind of retribution for my late-night phone binges? I must be more vigilant. But this is a rather peculiar form of vigilance! Why does it have such an odd shape?"

Eventually, Su Chen reluctantly grabbed his phone and hailed a taxi to the nearest hospital.

Two hours later, back in his room, Su Chen gazed at his phone balance, which had been halved, and was torn between laughter and tears.

The routine was familiar: registration, examination, consultation. The diagnosis was as expected—there was nothing wrong with his eyes; he was just exhausted and experiencing hallucinations. Su Chen could still recall the way the old doctor had looked at him.

But Su Chen was certain it wasn't a hallucination. No figment of the imagination could persist in the bottom right corner of one's vision, shimmering, as soon as one opened their eyes. It looked like a fully charged battery!

It closely resembled the battery indicator on his phone. If it weren't for its misplaced position, Su Chen might have mistaken it for his phone's battery level.

As Su Chen focused on the battery icon, a wave of dizziness hit him like a roller coaster ride, followed by a surge of nausea. Clutching a tree for support, he vomited.

Then, as he became aware of something amiss, he felt a rough texture in his palm. Fighting back the urge to be sick again, he looked up and his existential crisis began.

"Where am I? What am I doing here?" Su Chen asked himself three profound questions.

In that moment, Su Chen realized he was in the midst of a forest, surrounded by nothing but trees and underbrush. But these were trivial details. The real question was how he ended up here. Had he somehow traveled to another world, unprepared? He was an orphan, yes, but he had made his mark on society. The amount of data he consumed on his phone had supported countless individuals in the tech industry, the extent of which he couldn't even fathom.

"Could this be the cause?"

Su Chen noticed the battery icon in the bottom right corner had turned gray on the top half, while the bottom half was still illuminated.

Fixated on the battery icon, the dizziness hit him again, and in the next instant, Su Chen found himself back in his familiar rental home.

The familiar bed, computer, desk, and chair. "Is this a dream?" He glanced at the battery icon once more, only to see that it had now completely turned gray in the corner of his vision.

Su Chen's expression grew intrigued; he couldn't even be bothered to feel nauseous. These were trivial issues; the icon was the main concern. Was this his superpower? Or perhaps it was the Goldfinger? But now that the icon was entirely gray, did it mean it was out of power? Would it be unusable in the future? Did it need to be charged?

He looked over at the wall socket by the bed, but Su Chen quickly dismissed this impractical thought. He valued his life too much.

But to let this valuable Goldfinger go to waste? Su Chen felt a pang of reluctance. How many people would willingly let go of such a chance? Yet, he was completely clueless about what to do next!

Wouldn't it be great to have a Goldfinger with built-in intelligence, like a system? Su Chen wasn't asking for much, just a system without any lethal features would do. Ideally, it would upgrade with simple actions like drinking water or breathing, propelling him to the pinnacle of life in no time.

Hold on, Su Chen suddenly noticed a faint glow at the bottom of the battery icon, accompanied by a lightning bolt symbol. Was it charging?

After intensely watching the battery icon for about ten minutes, Su Chen confirmed it was indeed charging. At this rate, it would take a full day to charge completely. That meant in a day's time, he could return to that forest, or perhaps another location. Either way, his Goldfinger was back in action, and he was ready to soar to new heights!

Su Chen was lost in thought. With the Goldfinger issue resolved, the next question was how to utilize it effectively. First, he needed to figure out if the forest was on Earth or in another world, and what benefits it could possibly bring him.

If it were on Earth, he could consider doing deliveries, acting as a courier. What's that? Smuggling? No, Su Chen was a law-abiding citizen through and through. Smuggling was out of the question.

In another world, Su Chen would be incredibly impressive, practically soaring with greatness. There, even a simple blade of grass would be a treasure beyond measure. Just by selling it, he could have government officials inviting him for a chat over tea in no time.

Of course, these were just Su Chen's flights of fancy. The real impact would depend on how the Goldfinger icon performed on its second use.

Exhausted from the day's events—from the icon's appearance, to the hospital visit, the transmigration, and finally his return—Su Chen needed a good rest. He slept deeply and peacefully. When he awoke, it was morning, and his first action was to check if the icon in the lower right corner of his field of vision was still present.

Relieved, Su Chen realized that yesterday's experiences weren't a dream; the icon remained.

Now, the icon's energy had replenished by more than half and looked like it would be fully charged in another two or three hours.

After waking up and freshening up, Su Chen dressed, grabbed his keys, and headed out. He hailed a taxi and directed it to a military surplus store he had found the night before.

Despite suspecting that the store would likely carry knock-offs rather than genuine articles, Su Chen had no other options. Merely buying a couple of machetes from a supermarket would be tantamount to a death wish.

Upon arrival, he was surprised to find the store owner was a young man sporting a crisp crew cut, tanned skin, and muscular build. Su Chen would bet his life that the man was a soldier.

"What do you need?" the owner asked, glancing up at Su Chen before returning to whatever he was working on.

Su Chen listed his needs, "I'm looking for stab-resistant boots, a protective vest, abrasion-resistant gloves, a helmet, and, do you have an electric baton? Also, I need a Luoyang shovel. Do you carry those?"

"Bro, are you planning a tomb raid or an outdoor adventure?" the owner asked incredulously, looking at Su Chen. "You've even asked for a Luoyang shovel. What's next, a black donkey hoof and a compass?"

"Uh, you could say it's a bit of wilderness adventuring! Isn't a Luoyang shovel handy? It's good for digging and chopping." Su Chen sheepishly rubbed his nose, ruefully thinking about the misleading effects of movies.

The shop owner got the picture: here was a complete novice! Without further questioning, he set aside his work and retrieved a meter-long box from a shelf. "Buddy, you'll find everything you need right here, even items you haven't thought of."

Su Chen gave him a puzzled look. What was he getting at?

The owner, looking as though he had met his match in Su Chen, explained, "Inside this box is a full set of wilderness survival gear. Apart from the boots, clothing, gloves, and helmet you're after, there's also a multifunctional flashlight that doubles as a stun gun, a multipurpose military shovel, a satellite GPS navigator, and more. It'll meet all your various needs."

"How much does it cost?"

"Five thousand five hundred, non-negotiable. Trust me, this gear is worth every penny." The owner said with a confident air.

"Is a bank transfer possible?" Su Chen decided to put his faith in the owner, whose impressive physique suggested a level of expertise. It made sense for Su Chen, the amateur, to follow a professional's lead. After all, what other choice did he have? He wouldn't even know where to begin on his own.

"Updates to follow..."