【Hello, Host. Welcome to the Time-space Apocalypse Zone. I am System 1066.】
【I will guide you to obtain goodwill points. With enough goodwill points, you can exchange for anything you want—money, power, beauty, lifespan…】
【Host? Are you alright?】
Her head hurt so much…
Le Huan felt like her head was about to explode. The world spun around her, and there was a voice in her mind chattering endlessly…
“Will you shut up, Young lady!”
Her whole body felt weak. She lay stiffly on the floor, dazed as she slowly opened her eyes.
—What came into view was a spiderweb on the wall. As her eyes shifted, she saw a European-style room covered in dust. The leather sofa was torn and worn, stained with scattered dark red blood spots.
Le Huan let out a muffled groan as she propped herself up weakly. Looking down at her small, dusty hands, she pouted.
“Kidnappers, get out here right now. Just name your price—stop wasting time. And where’s that person who was rambling just now? Come out.”
As soon as she recovered a bit, she started throwing a tantrum. Before she lost consciousness, she had been lying in the ICU. She had been born with a heart condition, and the doctors had said she wouldn’t live past adulthood. But she was the Eldest Miss of the Yu family—rich and pampered—so she had stubbornly held on until the age of twenty.
Before she fainted, she vaguely remembered the doctor issuing a critical condition notice. So why was she still alive now?
【…Host】
“Who?”
Le Huan stared blankly, only to see that inside her mind… there was someone. No… not someone.
It was an egg.
The egg had eyes and a nose, staring at her with shining eyes, its tiny limbs flailing as it gestured.
【Host, Host! I am your System 1066. You are the first Host I’ve ever guided!】
Le Huan blinked her glass-like eyes in confusion. Her moist lips parted slightly in surprise, her mind going blank for a moment.
The egg in her mind gradually quieted down and simply stared back at her.
“Am I dead now?”
【…Not yet, for the time being.】
“What’s going on? Am I about to die?”
The egg immediately turned serious upon hearing that, sitting upright as if bracing itself.
【Simply put, you’ve transmigrated. You know what that is, right? If you want to return to your original world, you need to accumulate enough goodwill points. Of course, I’ll assist you!】
After saying that, 1066 puffed out its nonexistent chest.
【I’m 1066. Even though I’ve never guided anyone before, you can rest assured following me!】
It looked extremely confident.
Le Huan glanced at it. “Then what do you want?”
【Well… you just need to share a portion of the goodwill points you earn with me so I can level up.】
Le Huan roughly understood. Over the years, she had seen plenty of transmigration dramas and novels. Because of her illness, she rarely went out, occasionally reading novels to pass the time.
She stood up and looked around. Her small nose twitched as she smelled a rotting, unpleasant odor everywhere. The filthy, messy environment made her instantly uncomfortable.
“You dumped me in this kind of dump? 66, hurry up and send me home. I’m not collecting any stupid goodwill points for you.”
She had never stayed in such a horrible place in her life. It wasn’t exactly ruined—just abandoned for years and dirty—but she had been raised in luxury for twenty years. The damp, stale air alone made her feel short of breath.
【I don’t have enough energy to send you back. You were pulled in by a space-time tunnel. Only those on the verge of death with strong desires can be selected by the system. Without goodwill points, even if you return, you won’t survive past the next day.】
That was true. Le Huan was extremely afraid of death. She never wanted to experience lying helplessly on a hospital bed again.
She spotted a full-length mirror in the corner of the room and walked over. The person in the mirror… was herself.
Her fair body was curvy in all the right places. Her light tea-colored wavy hair cascaded down to her waist like seaweed. Her long eyelashes curled upward, and beneath them were innocent, glass-like eyes—eyes that could make anyone soften toward her. Years of pampering made her look as delicate as an underage girl.
“Since this is my own body… do I still have the heart condition?” Le Huan desperately hoped she could get rid of that cursed illness.
1066 stammered, 【…About that illness… you still have it…】
“What?! Little Six, send me back right now! If I’m going to die anyway, I’d rather die comfortably at home! I want to go home!!”
When she was in a good mood, she called it “66.” When she was angry, it became “Little Six.” Right now, Le Huan was furious. She didn’t want to stay in this place for even a second longer!
1066 panicked. 【Le Huan, don’t be angry! As long as you have goodwill points, your illness won’t flare up! If you collect enough, it can even be completely cured!】
Hearing the word “cured,” Le Huan calmed down. “How do I obtain goodwill points?”
1066 cleared its throat. 【Goodwill points come from positive emotions—like appreciation, recognition, interest, love, and so on. Just do good deeds.】
That left Le Huan at a loss. She had never taken the initiative to do good deeds. As the Eldest Miss of the Yu family, she had never needed to earn anyone’s approval. She had always been willful, spoiled, and selfish. If anything, she had done plenty of bad things.
But for the sake of a healthy body, she could reluctantly try. Thinking this, Le Huan walked toward the door, planning to go outside and help an old lady cross the street.
【Stop! Stop! Le Huan, what are you doing?!】
“What kind of question is that? I’m going out to find goodwill points.”
【Go look out the window first.】
Le Huan dusted herself off and walked to the window. Pulling the curtain aside, she glanced out—and saw several figures staggering around. One of them slowly turned its head.
Le Huan had excellent eyesight. She widened her eyes, staring straight at it.
That thing could hardly be called human anymore. A thin layer of skin loosely clung to its bones. Its eye sockets were empty black holes. Its mouth hung open, exposing its teeth as it wandered aimlessly. It was clearly a walking skeleton, with tattered strips of cloth barely recognizable as clothing.
Le Huan felt a sharp pain in her heart. She had never watched horror movies, and her family had never allowed her to. Her understanding of zombies had only come from written descriptions. The visual shock hit her hard.
【Le Huan, are you okay?!】
1066’s anxious voice rang in her mind. She clutched her chest, taking deep breaths until she gradually calmed down.
“You useless 66, explain what’s going on! You knew I have a heart condition and still made me look at that! Are you trying to kill Young lady?! What are those things?!”
1066 lowered its head, looking aggrieved. 【I told you from the beginning this is the apocalypse zone. Of course there are zombies…】
Le Huan was too dizzy earlier to hear that. She was extremely timid, especially when it came to things beyond her imagination. Back home, she could act however she pleased because people protected her. No one dared to scare her. Now that she knew this world was an apocalypse, she almost didn’t want to live anymore. She would rather die than face such things.
“Since you’re a system, you should be stronger than me. Go clear out those things outside.”
1066 looked troubled. 【But… I don’t have enough energy. Without goodwill points, I can’t do anything.】
Le Huan took a deep breath and glared at it. “But I’m scared of those things. Think of something!” Her tone was like a beautiful wife scolding an incompetent husband.
The chubby white creature in her mind blinked, then burst into tears.
“Waaah… I’m scared too… What did I do to deserve being assigned to the apocalypse zone… Waaah…”
“……”
Looking at the wailing white egg in her head, Le Huan didn’t feel like saying a single word. She walked to the bed and saw a thick layer of dust covering it. Frowning in disgust, she rolled up the blanket and tossed it to the floor. From a nearby cabinet, she found old clothes and an old quilt that smelled strongly of damp wood.
Le Huan had a cleanliness obsession. Her spoiled princess temper flared up. Hearing the crying in her head only made her more irritated.
“Stop crying! You useless system—at least you can remove the smell from the quilt, right?”
1066 immediately stopped crying and looked at her cautiously.
【Yes, yes! I can do that. I don’t have enough energy to deal with zombies, but removing odors is fine.】