Chapter 43: The Second Draw

Hua Twelve woke up once more to find himself already back in his own home. He got up, splashed some water on his face, and checked his current state.

The memories in his mind that originally belonged to Liu Beishan had been extracted. Although the memories of his personal experiences were still there, they felt like watching a TV series from an outsider's perspective, completely devoid of any emotion.

Hua Twelve lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. He knew he had feelings for the little yellow duck; after all, they had lived together for decades. Yet now, those feelings were entirely gone.

The changes in his personality and mindset brought about by decades of life experiences were also wiped clean. Before returning to the real world, his mindset had grown world-weary and detached, but now that feeling was completely gone.

He was still the same Hua Twelve as before entering the mission world.

From body to spirit, not a single bit had changed.

He communicated with the system in his mind, and the system responded that this was to protect the host, preventing irreversible changes to the host's mindset due to experiencing someone else's life or staying in the mission world for too long.

Unless the host entered with their original body and experienced things firsthand, which could be retained upon the host's request, all other changes would be erased by the system.

Hua Twelve thought about it for a moment and felt the system made a lot of sense. After all, that was Liu Beishan's life in the mission world; if he had remained trapped in it, wouldn't he have lived as someone else and lost himself?

Thinking about it rationally, this was actually quite nice.

With that realization, Hua Twelve let go of his worries. After all, with his related emotions erased, looking back at Chen Nian, she was now just a character in a drama.

To say he had no emotional ripples at all would be a lie, but the deep love he felt for her in the mission world was definitely gone.

Suddenly thinking of something, Hua Twelve immediately searched through his memories. A few seconds later, he let out an angry roar:

"Damn system, all my decades of hard work!"

After making a fortune in the mission world, he had figured that he would eventually return to the real world, so he had made some preparations in advance. Knowing that valuables like cash and gold couldn't be brought back unless won through a lucky draw, he had spent the subsequent decades studying all sorts of knowledge to enrich himself.

Finance, computer science, hand-to-hand combat, horseback riding and archery, various types of driving, firearm knowledge, foreign languages, bedroom arts, ovarian maintenance, prevention and treatment of breast diseases......

Wait...... something strange seemed to have snuck in there.

Anyway, over decades he had accumulated a massive array of postures and skills. Even when bored, he had learned how to operate an excavator, cook, weld, and do hair and beauty. He had completely maxed out the Blue Xiang vocational skill tree, all prepared for future mission worlds.

Yet now, Hua Twelve discovered that everything he had learned in the mission world had been completely erased by the system. He only remembered that he had studied them, but all the detailed memories were a blur. What a load of crap.

Hua Twelve was utterly nauseated. Decades of painstaking effort! He had even undergone several years of special forces training. If he had known it would turn out like this, wouldn't it have been much sweeter to spend every day chasing girls, eating, drinking, and making merry!

This everlasting hatred knows no end.

What a sin!

Hua Twelve felt that if the system were a living person, one of them would definitely have to fall today. Unless the system knelt down and called him daddy, this matter wouldn't be settled.

He launched a stern and fierce protest against the system in his mind, pointing right at the system's imaginary nose and cursing, demanding just one thing: if he knelt down and called it daddy right now, could his skills be returned to him?

However, the system stated that it had long ago reminded him that any benefits the host wished to obtain in the mission world could only be acquired through lucky draws upon completing missions.

The system also stated that it didn't understand why the host had spent so much effort in the mission world acquiring things that couldn't be brought back.

A single sentence left Hua Twelve completely speechless.

He remembered the system... could, perhaps, seemingly, probably, maybe, or perhaps really have mentioned this before.

So it turned out he had brought this entirely upon himself. How vexing.

"Fine, I want to draw a prize!"

In the mission world, the system had notified him that the mission was complete and he could draw a prize. But just as the little yellow duck had departed from his side, Hua Twelve was overwhelmed by the emotional aftermath of the mission world. At that moment, he was in no mood for any lucky draws.

Now that he remembered the lucky draw, Hua Twelve didn't have any expectations for it.

Are you kidding me? Was there anything or any skill belonging to Liu Beishan that he actually wanted?

Petty theft or mobile phone repair?

Something is better than nothing, I suppose!

The system's electronic chime rang in his mind: "Lucky draw initiated. Ding! The host has won a river-view luxury mansion in the Beidou Star Palace of Shanghai, registered under Liu Beishan's name. The reward can be claimed at any time!"

Hua Twelve wore a look of utter disbelief.

There were two things that surprised him: first, where on earth did Liu Beishan get a river-view luxury mansion? Second, even if Liu Beishan had a luxury mansion, how could a mansion from the mission world be claimed in the real world?

The next second, however, it clicked. What he won wasn't Liu Beishan's original property, but rather an estate he had acquired by leveraging his prophetic foresight to turn Liu Beishan into a super-rich tycoon after entering the mission world. Mathematically speaking, it was his own property.

As for claiming it in the real world, there was no need to overthink it. During the trial mission, hadn't O'Neal's game salary also been directly deposited into his bank card through a lucky draw?

Clearly, this was the power of the almighty system. (System: Who called me a damn system just now?)

Following that, Hua Twelve realized another thing: if even the properties he had built up through his own hard work could be claimed, then the skills he had learned might also have a chance of being drawn.

Hua Twelve was furious. Luxury mansions were like floating clouds to him; those skills were the foundation for making a living! He stomped his feet in frustration and then chose to claim the reward.

The very next instant, the property ownership certificate for a 597-square-meter river-view flat appeared in his hand.

Hua Twelve's mouth hung wide open. Oh my goodness, sweet mother of pearl, this is truly amazing! Isn't this infinitely better than winning skills like cooking, haircutting, or excavator driving......

Coincidentally, next month was when his rent was due. With a luxury mansion, who would still want to rent a place? He simply tidied up his belongings, packed them into a single suitcase, and left everything else behind.

He called his landlord to inform him that he was moving out, told him to inspect the apartment and wire back the deposit, and then grabbed his laptop and suitcase, walked outside, and hailed a taxi. After putting his suitcase in the trunk, he got into the back seat and told the driver:

"To Beidou Star Palace!"

While driving, the driver smiled and asked, "Are you a tourist from out of town, young man? Are you heading to Beidou Star Palace to check-in for social media?"

Beidou Star Palace consisted of seven buildings constructed according to the positions of the Big Dipper constellation. Not only was it a top-tier luxury apartment complex in Shanghai, but it was also extremely unique. As a result, the area outside Beidou Star Palace had become a very famous internet-famous landmark.

'Hua Twelve' shook his head. "No, I'm a resident there!"

The driver burst out laughing. "That's a pretty funny joke. Actually, I'm a resident there too; we're neighbors!"

Hua Twelve smiled and said nothing. Upon arriving at the destination and paying the fare, he pulled his suitcase and walked straight toward the main gate of Beidou Star Palace.

The driver didn't drive away immediately; instead, he parked there to see if Hua Twelve was actually just going there to take photos for social media.

To his surprise, he saw the young man have a brief conversation with the security guard at the gate, after which the guard saluted the young man, made a polite gesture of welcome, and ushered him inside.

"Holy cow, this kid!"

The driver was a nosy fellow. He turned off his engine, got out of the car, trotted over, and asked the guard, "Hey buddy, why didn't you stop that young man just now?"

The guard amusedly replied, "Am I crazy to stop a resident...... wait... who are you?"

By the end of his sentence, his smile vanished, replaced by a guarded expression.

The driver awkwardly chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, I'm the taxi driver who brought him here. He said he was a resident, but I didn't believe it—he didn't look like he was dressed all that well. You've gotta admit, rich people are weird, right? A guy living in Beidou, and instead of driving a luxury car, he takes a taxi. Is he playing the low-profile game?"

The guard waved a hand. "Move along, move along. He took your car, what business is it of yours where he lives!"

The driver gave a sheepish smile. As soon as he turned around, he saw a traffic police officer sticking a parking ticket onto his car windshield, and his face instantly turned bitter: "Why did I have to go poking my nose into that!"