[Scanning...]
The blue light of the interface pulsed in Jin Hao's vision, a digital heartbeat overlaid on the quiet night of the Jin Estate. He stood in the shadows of the raw materials warehouse he had just gutted, the empty space behind him a testament to his newfound hunger. The thrill of theft was a drug more potent than any pill.
[Scan Complete.]
[Target Detected: Secure Storage Vault B-3.]
[Distance: 400 Meters North-West.]
[Contents: High-Grade Spiritual Resources (Pills, Artifacts, Spirit Ores).]
[Estimated Value: Exceptional.]
Jin Hao's eyes narrowed, focusing on the cluster of pulsating blue and purple lights that appeared on his system's map. It was distinct from the main treasury, located in a heavily fortified annex near the estate's rear logistics center.
"Exceptional value," Jin Hao muttered, a sneer curling his lip. "While I'm stuck begging for scraps, my 'family' has vaults full of high-grade resources just sitting there, gathering dust."
He scoffed, kicking a pebble across the cobblestones. "Pathetic. They hoard wealth they don't even use. If they had given even a fraction of those resources to me five years ago, I wouldn't have to be a thief tonight. I would be the Young Master they dreamed of."
"System," he thought, his mental voice casual despite the adrenaline coursing through him. "Is there a path? Can we get in?"
[Pathfinding initiated. Patrol routes analyzed. A window of opportunity exists. Success probability: 98% based on Host's current Strength parameters.]
"Ninety-eight percent," Jin Hao chuckled. "I like those odds. Lead the way."
The energy of the Initial Stage of Foundation Establishment surged through him. As he crept through the garden, dodging a patrol of guards with effortless ease thanks to the System's map, his mind drifted. The adrenaline was fading slightly into a familiar emptiness that had plagued him since his transmigration.
"Five years," he whispered to himself. "Five years without Wi-Fi. Five years without air conditioning. Five years without a flush toilet."
He missed Earth. He missed the convenience. But most of all, he missed his phone.
He thought about the folder he had hidden deep in his gallery back home. The "Homework" folder. Gigabytes of videos, images, and the finest collection of Japanese AV idols he had painstakingly curated over a decade.
"I miss them," he groaned internally, a wave of frustration washing over him. "I miss Rina. I miss Yua. I miss the pixelated blur that promised paradise."
He looked around the ancient-style garden. "Cultivation world beauties are fine, sure. Su Lian is... well, she's a goddess. But she's so much work. You have to court them, recite poetry, and fight duels. Back home, I just had to tap a screen."
He clenched his fist. "But that's why I need power. In this world, power is the ultimate smartphone. If I'm strong enough, I don't need to court anyone. I don't need to be polite. I can simply take what I want. Su Lian... once I'm a Sovereign, she won't be looking at Arya Chen. She'll be begging for my attention."
The thought of Su Lian and the memory of his lost digital harem fueled a fire in his belly that was distinct from the spiritual energy. It was a hunger for raw flesh.
"System," he grumbled. "When I get to the top, can I create a technique to project images from my memory? Like a hologram?"
[Query outside of the current database. However, illusion arts of sufficient level can manifest memory constructs.]
"Good," Jin Hao grinned. "Add that to the to-do list. Right after 'Srupass Arya Chen's cultivation'."
He reached the perimeter of the annex. The architecture here was reinforced with ironwood and shimmering with faint defensive formations.
According to the map, the vault was guarded. He peeked around the corner of a corridor. There standing in front of the heavy bronze doors of the vault was a single guard.
Jin Hao's breath hitched. This was a man in the full armor of the Jin elite guard.
[Target Analysis: Guard. Cultivation: Peak Foundation Establishment.]
Jin Hao pulled back, his heart skipping a beat. "Peak Foundation Establishment? System, you said there was a 98% success rate! I just broke through to Initial Foundation Establishment an hour ago! I can't fight him! He'll crush me before I can even activate a skill!"
[Analysis remains valid. Direct confrontation is not recommended. The host is advised to identify and exploit environmental vulnerabilities for a strategic advantage.]
"Environmental vulnerabilities?" Jin Hao hissed, his initial fear returning. "What good is that against a Peak Foundation Establishment expert? He'll crush me!"
[You can either stand here and complain or you can use your head and actually get inside,] the System replied.
"Shut up, you don't have to face him, I do!" Jin Hao snapped back.
After a moment of silence, he spat on the floor and muttered, "Fine, I'll do it."
He scanned the dark corridor frantically. "I need a strategy," he muttered, forcing his eyes to sweep the mundane surroundings with a new intensity. He needed a distraction to draw the guard away, or...
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the corridor. It was an erratic gust, swirling leaves and dust into a miniature cyclone.
Above the guard's head was an ornamental iron lantern. It had likely hung there for fifty years, rusting silently and ignored by the maintenance crews.
Taking advantage of the swirling dust, Jin Hao picked up a stone and threw the stone at the lantern
The stone hit the lantern. It swung. Once. Twice.
Creak.
The guard looked up, his brow furrowing. "What the..."
Snap.
The rusted chain gave way.
It happened in slow motion for Jin Hao. The heavy iron lantern plummeted straight down.
The guard should have dodged. He would have dodged. But at that exact moment, a stray cat darted out from the bushes and ran right between the guard's legs.
The guard stumbled, his focus broken for a split second as he tried not to trip over the animal.
CLANG.
The lantern struck the guard squarely on the helmet. The guard's eyes rolled back in his head, and he crumpled to the ground like a sack of wet grain, unconscious before he even hit the floor.
The cat hissed and vanished into the night.
Silence returned to the corridor.
Jin Hao stood there, mouth agape. He looked from the unconscious guard to the broken lantern, and then up to the sky.
"Okay," he whispered, a giddy laugh bubbling up in his throat. "Okay. That... that was ridiculous. That was cartoonish."
He walked over to the guard, prodding him with his toe. The man was unconscious.
"But I'll take it," Jin Hao grinned. "The Heavenly Dao truly is apologizing. First the ring, then the gourd, and now this. It's clearing the path for me. It's making sure its protagonist gets his due."
He stepped over the body and approached the bronze doors. They were sealed with a complex array of locking formations.
"System," Jin Hao said, placing his hand on the cold metal. "This looks complicated. Can we eat it?"
[Scanning... Target Identified: Spirit-Bronze Door with 'Three-Lock' Formation. Medium-Grade Spiritual Item.]
[Devour Protocol: Applicable.]
"Devour," Jin Hao commanded.
[Devouring...]
The blue light flared from his palm. The metal turned into a stream of golden particles that flowed into Jin Hao's hand.
The doors vanished, leaving a gaping rectangular hole in the wall.
[Devouring Complete. Energy negligible. Cultivation increase: 0.01%.]
He slipped inside and the darkness swallowed him.