After reviewing the system's features, Yang Xu glanced through his tiny window at the towering building that symbolized his current struggles.
The word "STARK," emblazoned in bold letters on the top floor, mocked his situation.
He chuckled dryly. "Here I am, stuck in this hellhole, hoping a system will give me superpowers. I'm no different from an illegal immigrant dreaming of striking it rich."
"Without a dime to my name, I'd be lucky to even scrape together a few bucks from the stock market crash caused by Tony Stark's kidnapping."
He turned back to the system panel. "Without this system, I'd be at the mercy of some purple titan's population control plan."
"Alright, let's roll the dice!"
Yang Xu tapped the novice gift package, a small red bag in the corner of the panel.
A golden light erupted, illuminating the panel with the words:
"Login bonus: 10 consecutive draws, guaranteed descending character!"
Yang Xu grimaced at the familiar gacha-game tactic. He clicked the "Novice Ten-Draw Big Wheel" that appeared as the light faded.
The wheel spun, displaying various props and characters. After nine golden flashes, a portrait of a young man with a bowl cut and a white shirt materialized.
"Could it be... a legendary student from the Far East?" Yang Xu thought, hopeful.
He checked the character's stats:
[Character: Binbin]
[Rank: Scrap Iron]
[Source: Public welfare education film]
[Skill: Drunk]
(When drunk and around others, 50% chance of not being targeted!)
[Introduction: You're so strange... Wei!]
Yang Xu was stunned. Then, a note appeared:
(Note: 'Scrap Iron' is below 'Black Iron' and unobtainable normally. It's a novice-only draw, with a 1 in 10,000 chance!)
"Seriously? Are you mocking my luck?" Yang Xu raged, throwing a few punches. He calmed himself and re-examined Binbin's attributes.
"Yeah, if he were useful, he wouldn't be 'scrap iron'."
He looked at the other items:
[Second-hand Artificial Corpse (Bronze)] (Rumored to belong to a Death God girl!)
[Bulletproof Keypad Phone (Iron)] (Smartphones are still superior.)
[Solar Flashlight (Scrap Iron)] (Useless without light.)
[100 Rolls of Toilet Paper (Iron)] (Just regular paper.)
[100 Toothpastes (Black Iron)] (Regular toothpaste.)
[10 Gas Tanks (Iron)] (Powerful when inhaled.)
[10 Tons of Flour (Iron)] (Has unconventional uses, thanks to a certain spy film.)
...
Yang Xu collapsed on the bed. "Asking me to cause chaos with this junk is a joke!"
"Good thing I didn't quit my job."
He stared at the character fragments floating in the air. Wearily, he combined them.
The panel changed, revealing a new character:
A pale face with cracked, scarlet lips and dark green hair.
"Finally, something decent!"
Yang Xu jumped up and checked the character's stats:
[Character: Joker]
[Rank: Bronze]
[Source: Batman: The Dark Knight]
[Skills: Super Criminal Master, Source of Chaos]
(Extremely proficient in crime.)
(Finds weaknesses in order by exploiting extreme chaos.)
[Introduction: Protecting order costs more than destroying it!]
(Note: I'm not a clown, Harley!)
Yang Xu ignored the note and eagerly activated the "advent" option.
Criminal knowledge and skills flooded his mind, altering his perspective. His body felt stronger, his thoughts sharper.
A clown-like shadow lurked behind him, ready to be possessed.
Alarmed, Yang Xu rushed to the bathroom.
The young man in the mirror had an ugly, forced smile. "Is the Joker influencing me? Is this the price?"
As he considered deactivating the system, his enhanced mind countered:
"No choice. Fight with the system, or die."
"Even with the risk, this is the only way!"
To calm himself, Yang Xu activated the clown state.
The shadow engulfed him, transforming him.
His reflection now showed a purple-suited, pale-faced Joker.