Chapter 6: The First Mission

Having a System appear inside his body out of nowhere made Liu Heming feel very uneasy. This matter was too supernatural and too strange, yet it happened to him.

However, the System’s final words gave him little choice. The System said it named itself the “Magical Ranch System” because, given his current situation, he now had his own ranch. The System existed to help him boost his abilities, which naturally included improving his financial situation.

Right now, he needed money—a lot of money. His family wasn’t wealthy and couldn’t offer much support. Being overseas was different from being back home; even if he wanted to borrow money, there was nowhere to turn. He could only rely on himself.

It was true that he had farmed in his hometown as a child and could still get some technical advice from his parents over the phone. But were farming methods back home the same as those used overseas? They were very different!

He wanted to bring happiness to his daughter—it was a beautiful wish. But given the ranch’s current state, would Sasha even agree to send his little treasure, Alex, over?

No wonder he felt like he had fallen into a trap. At least for the first few months, he couldn’t expect to bring his little treasure over. At most, he could schedule visits to see her.

Now, this System that had caused a bump on his forehead had appeared so suddenly. It wasn’t a hallucination or a sign of mental illness; this was his lifeline. He decided to trust it for now. The important thing was to be able to spend time properly with his daughter; everything else could wait.

He was truly determined—he would do anything for his daughter, no matter the cost. But then he realized an awkward problem: he remembered the System had given him a task, but he had been too scared at the time and forgot what the task was.

“System,” he called out involuntarily in his mind, and also shouted aloud.

No response.

“Magical Ranch System,”

“System,”

“Farmer,”

“Open Sesame,”

“Great System,”

…

He tried many different names, but the house remained the same, his eyes remained the same—he didn’t get any response at all.

“Darn it! If you don’t come out, I’ll kill myself!” an angry Liu Heming yelled.

After shouting, he felt a rush of joy as a line of green text appeared before his eyes again: “What do you want?”

“Explain that task to me. What is it, and how do I do it?” Liu Heming thought delightedly.

The System displayed the task “A Farmer Begins to Grow” again. Liu Heming found it frustrating—he recognized every word, but put together, they didn’t make sense.

How could one become a qualified farmer? There weren’t any specific standards for that. Besides, wasn’t he already a farmer now? Couldn’t he just complete it directly?

Also, what were those Strength Points and Spirit Points for as rewards? And what did “punishment to be determined” for task failure mean? He felt this System was totally unreliable.

Just as he was thinking this, another line of green text appeared before his eyes:

We are in a symbiotic relationship now. But if you die, I can use the energy from your body to extract some bio-energy, then enter a dormant state and wait for the next experimental subject.

Currently, my energy is not very sufficient, and my database is not fully complete, so I cannot answer too many of your questions. After you complete corresponding tasks, there will be corresponding explanations.

Liu Heming grew even more puzzled. It seemed that using “threatening suicide” as a method wouldn’t work in the future. If he tried it, he might actually end up dead.

“But your task is unclear and confusing. How can I complete it? Besides, I’m unfamiliar with this place and have communication problems. Since you gave me a task, shouldn’t you give me some hints?” Liu Heming bargained with the System.

The System fell silent. It felt its fate was quite miserable—why did it end up with such an unruly host? Other companions could follow their hosts to achieve great success, so why was its own situation so tough?

It had given him an extremely simple task, practically a free gift. Why couldn’t he understand? Were Strength Points and Spirit Points that easy to improve? How could his foolish brain not grasp such a simple task?

“Hey, buddy, are you still there?” Liu Heming asked after waiting a while with no response.

“Considering the target host belongs to the lowest category among third-level beings, an additional reward can be added before the task begins: Mastery of the English language.”

“After calculation, the corresponding punishment for task failure is: Permanent loss of language ability.”

“The purpose of this System is to train you from a zero into a qualified Ranch Owner. The most basic level is Farmer. The meaning and categories of existence must be explored by the host.”

“During the task, no further assistance will be provided by the System. There are only two outcomes: 1: Task success, receive rewards. 2: Task failure, accept punishment.”

This time, the System didn’t use text but spoke aloud. And after saying “accept punishment,” it displayed an image before his eyes: Comrade Liu Heming sticking out his tongue, which was then chopped off by a knife.

It scared Liu Heming so much he jumped.

He could sense that the System wasn’t lying. If he really couldn’t figure out or complete this task within three months, his tongue would be in trouble.

“Irresponsible, so irresponsible,” Liu Heming complained after waiting a while and seeing that the System seemed to have really gone to rest.

But after saying that, he froze—because he had just spoken in English, and very fluently at that. This made him extremely excited and even more afraid.

The System had just proven how magical it was. It said it would make him master English, and click—he did, without even feeling it. So if he didn’t complete the task, the System would just as easily click—and take away his ability to speak. It might not actually cut off his tongue, but rendering him unable to talk would probably be effortless for the System.

What excited him was how truly amazing this System was. If he could successfully complete the tasks it assigned, maybe in the future he could receive tasks that directly rewarded him with money?

Moreover, the System had just said it wanted to train him into a real Ranch Owner. In the future, wouldn’t he have herds of cattle and sheep, vast fields, and a wonderful life?

Thinking of this, he smacked his lips, feeling a bit conflicted. In his view, this was just a simple nurturing game—except it was the System nurturing him. Hadn’t he seen the first task’s name? It was called “A Farmer Begins to Grow.”