Name: Peijin Wu
Age: 24
Sponsor: ?
Skills: Hindsight lvl. 1, Editor's Pen lvl. 1, Scathing Reviewer (awaiting application)
Stats: Strength lvl. 15, Physique lvl. 10, Agility lvl. 1, Mana lvl. 1, Health lvl. 1
Evaluation: After living a miserable and wasted life, Peijin finds salvation in the apocalypse.
… Who the hell wrote my evaluation?
I gently scratched the bottom of my chin as I evaluated my skill set, tapping my foot on the ground as the blue window continued to glow in front of me. None of these skills were recognizable to me, but they were tailored to me being the author; I already used 'Hindsight,' but I was curious what 'Editor's Pen' could do.
My mind flashed back to the attachment HolyMapleSyrup
Editor's Pen skill activated!
Please type the edit you'd like to make.
My face twisted into a slight grin as I opened up the digital keyboard and typed out an edit. If this skill really worked the way I thought, surviving this apocalypse would be a breeze.
After Chapter-Prerequisite, the richest disciple in the area will receive a coin bonus of 5,000 and gold-tier access to the Azure Dragon store.
I couldn't give any higher boosts—if anything, I was already pushing the limits. Despite being the writer, I had to give some care to the laws of the narrative within the confines of the reader's expectations. That same rule prevented constellations from outright killing disciples they didn't like or the broadcasters, like the Azure Dragon, from influencing the arc from personal biases. The only way around this rule was by using an abundant amount of spiritual energy which only constellations possessed.
This skill already seemed to test that rule, and I didn't want to find out what would happen if I broke it.
Edit granted.
I awkwardly waited for the coin payout while watching Yang and Wei play around with the Azure Dragon store, but nothing came.
Constellation "King of Resourceful Goblins" points and laughs at your naivety.
Was I using the skill wrong? It says it was granted. I waved down the Azure Dragon who quickly popped up in front of me.
[We're starting the next scenario soon, so could you keep this brief?]
I gave the dragon an annoyed stare. "What's your name?"
[Chang.]
"Chang, who's the richest disciple right now for this specific area?"
The Azure Dragon puffed and grabbed one of his whiskers twirling it in between his claws. [As the astute and hard-working broadcaster, I cannot give such classified information.]
"Do they have more than me?"
[A bit less than double.]
Less than double? Who was strong enough to kill that many people or goblins this early on? Even the main character got less than I did during this chapter, and he was the richest in the area.
"Who the hell came up with this stupid system?" I grumbled, kicking the side of the car and putting my hands in my pockets. I looked down and saw Yang sitting beside Yue, holding a miniature vial of kraken mucus that he must have bought from the store.
Yang looked up, sensing my eyes on him, and said, "I bought it from the store. It said it was good healing and soothing injuries." His hands were covered in the slimy substance as he gently rubbed it onto Yue's skinned joints and oozing cuts.
Even during the end of the world, Yang was still preoccupied with caring for others even at his own expense. The kraken mucus must have cost him a few hundred coins, even if he got the smallest size.
"You should save your coins for more important purchases. Yue could have healed from those alone."
"Sorry, it was my idea," Wei jumped in, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head and avoiding my gaze.
No, it definitely wasn't, but whatever. I was more worried about the next scenario, even though it was easy.
Chapter #2 - Party Time!
Difficulty: F
Task: Team up with at least 2 other people by high-fiving them. Appoint a group leader and choose a name.
Time: 5 minutes
Reward: 100 coins
Failure: Death
This chapter was solely meant to sabotage people like Yue, rendering the savages incapable of finding teammates. In Surviving My First Run, Feiyu teamed up with Yue and Wei, but for some reason, he was nowhere to be found.
Oh well, more for me.
I turn to face the group, tying my shoulder-length black hair into a short ponytail behind me. "We'll be a party, but keep it just to us four." I raised my hand into the air and slapped all of their hands, lifting up the unconscious Yue's arm and giving her a hard slap.
Suddenly, someone gripped the back of my leg. I turned my head to see a desperate woman with tears in her eyes as she got blood on my dark green pants.
"Please," she pleaded, lowering her head and pressing her sweaty forehead against my leg, "please let me team up with you."
Hindsight activated!
A blue box hovered over her head. I remembered her now, her frail limbs and tired expression. Liu Simei, a character who was used as fodder during the third arc. When her party was running out of food, she stole and hid it all for herself before dying soon after, leaving all her team members to starve to death.
I kicked her off of me, a look of disgust on my face. "Sorry, but we're full. Find someone else."
Yang gave her a sympathetic look as she cried before begging the next passerby. "How can you be alright with all of this, Peijin?"
His words startled me, but I quickly regained my composure. "We're only alive because fifty percent of the population had to die. If we have to team up, I need a group without liabilities."
"You have an awfully transactional mindset for someone who complained about their exploitative job all the time."
I glared at Yang, pursing my lips, but I knew a part of what he said was true. Rather, none of this felt real to me. I was trapped in a job I hated for years with no hope or fulfillment in sight, but I was now in a world I had crafted with my two hands for a decade. Still, this was only a story with fabricated characters.
Suddenly, an even larger group of people seemed to race toward my party.
"Everyone, get into the van!"
I hopped back into the driver's seat as Wei was trapped in the backseat with an unconscious Wei. I started the car and drove further down the freeway, trying to throw the hoard off my tracks. Survival meant partnering with people who adapted the fastest and oftentimes abandoning people like Yue, so I wasn't surprised that they were flocking around me.
A small girl caught my eye on the side of the freeway. No one was near her, and she was weeping into the pelt of a small puppy in her arms, her shoulders shaking with each emotional cry. The puppy was clearly deformed, with some of its limbs and features bulging out more than others.
I shook my head. No, don't let it get to you. You made it clear, and the party has already
been solidified. What kind of party leader would I be if I broke my own rules?
I immediately pulled up beside the little girl. Her blond hair waved in front of her face, and she had stunning and crystal-like blue eyes that peered back up at me with tears spilling down her face. The dew of youth seemed to have kissed her skin as I gave her a warm smile, my hand outstretched.
Her hair and eye color told me she was a foreigner or tourist. I peeked into the destroyed car behind her and winced at the sight of her two dead parents, having been gored by goblins. She must have killed her puppy to survive the chapter.
"Do you have a party yet?"
Time left: 2 minutes 03 seconds
I turned around and saw the crowd of people storming toward me again, and I desperately turned back to the girl with an almost impatient look that was disguised under my hopefully sympathetic expression.
She responded with a language I couldn't understand, tears streaming down her face as she backed away from me on all fours in fear.
I gave a little sigh and shut my eyes, slightly frustrated. Would I really have to buy this skill? The Azure Dragon store opened up before me as I swiped, looking for the 'Translator' skill. Before I could purchase the skill, the little girl slapped my hand, the puppy's corpse carefully laid down on the car seat.
"Amelia." She murmured the words under her breath with hesitation, her large blue eyes still full of tears that clung onto her blond lashes.
This was the world I had created and thrown her into. Even if this was just a story, I felt myself getting attached to the people and characters I found here.
"Amelia," I awkwardly repeated, unfamiliar with the consonant sounds. I grabbed her forearm and threw her over my back, running back into the car while people clattered against the locked door.
Yang was far more fit for this than I was, and he could probably speak to the girl if he wanted to. If Yang and I traded positions, he was much more likely to be the main character of this world. Our lives were in different genres.
"Stop banging on the door!" I shouted angrily at the people outside the locked truck while I passed Amelia over to Wei. "This isn't an orphanage! Just team up with the people next to you!"
I drove off while Wei tightly held Amelia in his lap, both of them swaying with my atrocious driving; Yang let out a surprised cry as Yue rolled onto the floor of the car, banging against his seat.
For some odd reason, he seemed tense around her, even if he was in the front of the car. His brow sweated more when he saw her, and he would twiddle his thumbs, but he hadn't made any complaints.
Yang spoke to Amelia in English and she gave a little nod of her head, receptive. He guided her through the Azure Store and transferred enough coins to her to purchase the translator skill.
This man spent water like money. Good thing I was the richest disciple so far.
Richest disciple in this group. Stupid editor's pen skill.
Time left: 1 minute 38 seconds
"We need to come up with a group name. It's temporary for the next few rounds, but does anyone have any ideas?"
"You should pick, Peijin!" Wei said enthusiastically, leaning into the gap between the driver and passenger seat. "You should be the party leader for sure. You saved all of us."
"Of course I'd be party leader," I replied with a satisfied expression on my face, my chin held high.
"I love your confidence, too!"
That sounded passive aggressive. Wei's childish character was predominately based on the type of character I idolized since I was a child. Funny, brave, and handsome. I garnered the inspiration for his character based on my weirdly idealized version of my first school crush, and Wei was the complete opposite to Feiyu.
I was deep in thought for a moment before replying. "What about 'Peijin's Pest Control Corporation?'"
Yang let out a boisterous laugh before going dead silent when I shot him a glare. He replied, seeming perfectly serious. "Why not 'Yang's Pest Control Corporation?' People might be driven away if they see your name in the title."
I stuck my tongue out at him, blowing a raspberry. "No constellation would want to watch a group with that stupid of a name."
Group Leader: Wu Peijin
Party Name: Peijin's World Dominion
I winked into the rearview mirror and giggled before leaning over to cover Amelia's eyes as the scenario ended, and anyone who failed to complete the scenario exploded, their heads seeming to swell as their eyes popped up before they turned into a puddle of red sludge.
Yue was beginning to wake up in the back of the car, groaning as she sat up before punching Wei straight in the face, startled. Amelia let out a horrified shriek, and Yue became even more panicked at the sight of an unknown child.
This was going to be a fun party. If things worked out how I planned, we'd be in the top thirty strongest parties in China by the second arc.
Chapter #2 - Party Time has concluded!
Coins Received: 100