2008, Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York!
In the shabby Chinese restaurant's kitchen, the lighting was dim and gloomy, and the small space was filled with smoke and heat.
A middle-aged man and a young man mechanically scrubbed the mountain of tableware.
The water in the sink was turbid and emitted a pungent smell. The wall tiles were yellowed and covered in oil and water stains.
The middle-aged man took a plate from the young man, rinsed it, and asked, "Yang Xu, how long have you been in America?"
"Not long, maybe three years," Yang Xu replied, his hands never slowing.
After scrubbing the greasy dishes, he handed them off to the person replacing him, who was paid even less.
The middle-aged man looked at Yang Xu in shock and disdainfully said, "Three years?! And you're still washing dishes? In a place full of opportunities!"
Yang Xu wasn't bothered by the man's attitude. He'd seen it many times. "I have no choice. I don't have a green card, and no one will sponsor me. I can only wash dishes to survive."
"If I had been here all these years," the middle-aged man declared, "I'd be a millionaire, living in a villa, raising expensive dogs, and dating foreign women!" He spoke of his "lofty ideals" as if they were within reach.
Had Yang Xu just arrived, he might have warned the man about making noise in Hell's Kitchen, a place filled with drug addicts and supervillains. But after advising a newcomer to work quietly, save money, and leave, only to have that newcomer cause trouble and blame him, Yang Xu had learned his lesson.
He simply replied, "You have a great ideal. You'll definitely succeed," in a flat, perfunctory tone.
Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed in Yang Xu's mind, capturing his attention.
"Ding! The Infinite Advent System activated. New member gift pack distributed."
"Finally, my system is fully activated!"
Yang Xu suppressed his excitement. He knew he had to be cautious, especially as an illegal immigrant.
"What's wrong?" the middle-aged man asked, noticing Yang Xu's sudden silence.
Forcing a calm tone, Yang Xu said, "Nothing. I just remembered I haven't paid rent this month."
"How pitiful! I'll be in a villa soon..." the man mumbled.
Ignoring him, Yang Xu took deep breaths to calm himself. "Three years... do you know how I spent them?"
"We were eating hotpot and singing when, bam, I was sent here. If it weren't for the original owner of this body, who had no money, no identity, and no friends, I wouldn't have lasted a week."
His thoughts and excitement made him wash the dishes faster.
After finishing work, he declined the man's offer for a drink and hurried out.
Avoiding the dangerous crowds, he reached a street with no signs, lights, or name.
Using his experience from past robberies, Yang Xu safely returned to his small room.
He sighed and sat on the bed.
Then, he opened the system that had been loading for three years.
A simple virtual panel appeared.
[Host: Yang Xu]
[Descending identity: ...]
[Reputation value: 0]
"At least I have a job," Yang Xu thought. "Even if the system is bad, I can survive."
He spent half an hour understanding the system:
* Reputation: Earned by creating events that attract attention and admiration. Powerful people yield higher rewards.
* Store: Purchase lottery chances with reputation points.
Lottery tiers:
* Black Iron (100 points): Iron-level characters, daily items.
* Bronze (1,000 points): Bronze-level characters, extraordinary items.
* Silver (10,000 points): Silver-level characters, powerful items.
* Gold (100,000 points): Gold-level characters, artifacts.
* Star (1,000,000 Points): Cosmic level characters, or guaranteed gold character.
Ten fragments of a character create a random character of the same level.
Every ten draws guarantee a character card.
"Money makes the world go round," Yang Xu thought.
He shook his head and considered, "Ten consecutive draws are the safest. I'll save up. The lottery isn't kind to the unlucky."