Chapter 1: The Life I Want, You Can

Brain Sacrifice Site

"Let's break up."

Inside the Western restaurant, Xia Weiwei tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her voice flippant.

Across from her, Su Ming felt a weight in his chest, his throat drying.

"Why?"

"You ask me why?! You should be mature enough; I don't want to waste my youth any longer."

Xia Weiwei looked at him, a hint of pity in her eyes.

"The life I want, you can't give me."

"We... are ultimately not people of the same world."

Xia Weiwei smiled, stood up, and picked up the clutch on the seat.

A Dior latest model.

Su Ming's three months' salary bought it as a birthday gift.

She walked straight toward the Gate, her figure buoyant.

Outside the restaurant, a glaring high-beam light flashed twice.

It was a brand‑new Maybach.

In the driver's seat, a man stuck his head out and smiled at Xia Weiwei.

Immediately, he gave Su Ming by the window a provocative glance, a mocking curl at his mouth.

Whispered gossip drifted from the neighboring table.

"Sigh, these days, who can talk about love without money?"

"Exactly, look at that girl—clearly hitched herself to a rich guy."

"Where deep affection can't reach, a Maybach will get you in."

Su Ming staggered out of the restaurant, lost and despondent.

At dusk, the street teemed with traffic, neon lights glaring.

Unemployment, betrayal.

Life seemed to have fallen into an abyss, the road ahead shrouded in darkness.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Su Ming jerked his head upward.

Something felt off...

Why is the sky so black today?!

Every pedestrian and driver on the street stared at the sky in horror.

"That... what is that!"

Above the Sky Vault, massive black specks fell from the heavens, drawing nearer!

A buzzing sound swept across the world.

"Doomsday! The world's end!"

"Run, quick!"

"I know this! Spicy Tiansen!"

Panic instantly ignited the entire street.

Boom—!

With a deafening blast, the black specks in the sky vanished abruptly.

Yet in the plaza ahead, a altar about ten meters in diameter crashed down from nowhere, kicking up clouds of dust.

Its surface emitted an eerie dim glow.

Time ticked by, second by second.

The altar stood there, motionless.

Some of the braver souls began to approach cautiously.

"Is this... alien stuff?"

"Miracle! Absolutely a miracle!"

"Quick, toss a bag of dried fish in, see if we can summon a tender cat girl?"

In the crowd, Fatty stepped half a foot forward, holding a half‑gnawed piece of bread.

"Fatty, what are you trying to do?"

"Already this fat and still eating! Throw the stale bread in and see?"

Hearing the chatter, Fatty's face flushed bright red.

He gritted his teeth, flung the half‑bread with force, landing precisely at the altar's center.

Everyone held their breath.

One second.

Two seconds.

"Damn, nothing…"

The mocking laughter hadn't faded.

Buzz—!

Suddenly, the altar shimmered with a gentle White Light.

The light faded, and the bread vanished.

In the next second, a crystal‑clear fruit emitting a faint fragrance materialized out of thin air!

The crowd fell deathly silent.

What… what's going on?

Fei Zhai's breathing grew heavy.

He mustered his courage, stepped toward the altar, extended his trembling hand, and lifted the fruit.

After a moment's hesitation, he shoved it into his mouth.

"Ah!"

Fei Zhai let out a roar, and the surrounding crowd erupted in commotion.

But in the next instant, the fat on his body contracted rapidly.

Ssshh—!

The cheap T‑shirt was ripped apart by muscles that bulged in an instant!

In just a few seconds.

The once greasy homebody suddenly became a sharply defined muscular man!

He stared at his own hands in awe, feeling the explosive power within his body.

"I… I…"

Hiss!

This scene completely ignited everyone present.

"It's real! The sacrifice works!"

"My watch! Patek Philippe! Take it!"

"My Hermès bag, also for the sacrifice!"

The frenzied crowd surged forward in a mass.

"Ugh—!"

Amid the chaos, Su Ming, who had been staring at the altar, suddenly felt a tearing pain in his eyes.

But the agony came quickly and left just as fast.

When he opened his eyes again.

"This… this is!"

The world has already changed!

Lines of text that only he could see floated clearly above the altar!

【Altar Number】: 666

【Connection Marker】: Boundless Abyss

【Karma Overview】: A mysterious giant beast that devours all things lies dormant; endless ages have left it bland, and it longs for a palate stimulus that can pierce the soul and bring extreme pain and burning sensation.

Su Ming's heart hammered wildly, his mind a blank.

Bland?

Longing… for a taste that brings ultimate pain and burning to the palate?!

A memory suddenly resurfaced.

Back then, a friend brought him back from abroad a pack of Death God Spicy Strips!

It claimed to use the world's hottest chili; a single stick could make a person experience a near‑death sensation!

He only licked it once, and felt his tongue as if scorched by a branding iron, his rear burning for three days!

It's truly not meant for eating!

But…

Just because he can't, it doesn't mean that mysterious beast can't.

"Even a bland‑tasting bread can be exchanged for a power fruit…"

Su Ming swallowed, and the dimness in his eyes vanished.

Unemployed?

Dumped?

Worthless?

So what!

Now, the situation seems different!

Su Ming spun around abruptly, ran against the frenzied crowd heading toward the altar, and sprinted toward home!

Home!

Grab the spicy strips!

"Bang!"

Su Ming rushed back inside and locked the Gate.

The Gate panel blocked the outside clamor and madness, and also cut off his crushing past.

He bolted to the corner, and rummaged through a pile of junk to pull out the pack of Death God Spicy Strips bearing a snarling skull.

【Challenger, good luck!】

Seeing the slogan on the packaging, Su Ming felt a bit excited.

"Huh… stay calm!"

He didn't rush out.

He pulled the chair open with one motion and switched on the old computer beside it.

He knew it well.

Time is opportunity.

But impulsiveness is also the devil.

Under the global anomaly, information gaps are especially important, a matter of life and death.

As expected.

Less than half an hour after the altar's descent, the global network was already in an uproar!

The servers of major social media and news sites were nearly paralyzed, all flooded with the two words "Altar".

【Emergency! Miracle or disaster? Mysterious altars appear simultaneously in many places around the world!】

【Aliens' conspiracy? First batch of sacrificers report! I've left the cabin, feeling fine!】

【Great debate on sacrifice theory! What kind of offering yields the best reward?】

All kinds of discussions and speculations keep emerging.

Su Ming's eyes were sharp, his brain working at high speed, filtering massive amounts of information.

Most of it was useless emotional venting.

But soon, a post that countless people had pushed to the top of the hot search, with a blood-red title, made his hair stand on end.