Fang Yun had learned long ago that silence was safer than anger.
In his previous life, silence had been survival.
He worked in a gray office filled with flickering fluorescent lights, endless spreadsheets, and meetings that accomplished nothing. He arrived before sunrise and left long after dark, only to repeat the same cycle the next day. Promotions went to louder people. Credit went to others. His effort was consumed without acknowledgment.
A corporate slave.
That was what people like him were called online.
And when the pressure became unbearable, Fang Yun escaped into simulation games.
City builders.
Management sandboxes.
Resource optimization simulators.
He liked broken starts. Barren land. Failing economies.
Given enough time, he could turn any dead system into something stable.
That life ended quietly.
No heroics. No final words.
And then—
Pain.
Fang Yun gasped, his body jolting upright.
He was no longer in an office chair.
He was sitting at a wooden desk, candlelight flickering against stone walls. His chest rose and fell rapidly, sweat soaking his clothes as if he had just clawed his way out of deep water.
His head throbbed.
Memories poured in violently.
The office.
The endless work.
The simulations he loved more than reality.
The feeling of being powerless.
And layered over them—
Another life.
A dusty frontier city.
A cracked city wall.
Nobles whispering behind screens.
A boy who learned too early that weakness invited exploitation.
Fang Yun pressed his hand to his forehead.
The two lives overlapped.
Merged.
He understood immediately.
Reincarnation.
Not at birth.
Not as a blessing.
But as delayed awareness.
"Ha…" A hoarse laugh escaped his throat. "So that's how it is."
He was eighteen again.
Fang Yun, City Lord of ZeroWing City.
A genius in the eyes of others.
A ruler praised for calm judgment and efficient governance.
But beneath that reputation—
Weak.
Realm 1.
Body Tempering.
Level 10. Peak.
Talent in strength? Yes.
Enough to be called promising.
Not enough to matter.
In ZeroWing City, cultivation resources were scarce. Soldiers received priority. Civilians needed food. Fang Yun had never allowed himself to waste resources on personal growth.
He had ruled with his mind, not his fists.
And yet—
As his breathing steadied, something changed.
The air in front of him shimmered.
A translucent interface unfolded silently, like a pane of glass sliding into place.
No voice spoke.
No presence pressed down on him.
It simply existed.
[System Activated]
Fang Yun's pupils narrowed.
He didn't panic.
In his previous life, panic never solved anything.
Three lines appeared.
[Summoning Function: Locked]
[Recycling Function: Locked]
[Energy Reserve: 0]
Below them, another line flickered into existence.
[Forum Access: Established]
"A forum?" Fang Yun murmured.
The system offered no explanation.
The study dissolved.
His awareness shifted, pulled into a vast interface of scrolling text and floating panels. It felt familiar—too familiar.
Like opening a game community page.
Messages flooded past.
---
[General Discussion]
> Is this some new immersive VR test?
I swear I can feel my heartbeat.
No classes yet. No stats either.
[Speculation Thread]
> Feels like a hardcore simulation.
Maybe city management phase before launch?
[Complaints]
> Why is there no tutorial?
Who designs a game like this?
---
Fang Yun's expression didn't change, but his mind accelerated.
Players.
Humans.
From Earth.
Not summoned yet—but connected.
A waiting room.
A holding space.
He scrolled instinctively, fingers moving without touching anything. The interface responded smoothly, obeying intent rather than command.
The system wasn't guiding him.
It wasn't teaching him.
It was exposing a structure.
Fang Yun leaned back slightly.
In his previous life, he had spent thousands of hours inside systems designed for balance, engagement, and exploitation. He understood what kept people logging in. He understood what made players invest emotionally.
This forum—
It was bait.
A slow burn.
A promise without explanation.
"Silent system… no intelligence… no instructions," Fang Yun muttered.
His lips curved faintly.
"Whoever built you… understood restraint."
The interface displayed another line.
[Summoning Conditions: Unmet]
That was all.
No hints.
No progress bar.
No guidance.
Just rules.
Fang Yun exited the forum. The study returned around him—the smell of wax, the quiet hum of the city beyond the walls.
ZeroWing City.
Barren land.
Poor Qi density.
Ignored by the War of All Races.
Monster activity was increasing, but no great power cared enough to intervene.
Which meant—
Time.
Fang Yun stood and walked to the window.
Below, the city slept uneasily. Soldiers patrolled with tired steps. Empty noble estates stood dark, their owners having fled days earlier at the first sign of real danger.
Cowards.
But useful cowards.
Their absence simplified everything.
He placed a hand against the cool stone.
In his previous life, he had managed cities made of pixels.
Here—
Every decision cost blood.
Every mistake cost lives.
Fang Yun closed his eyes briefly.
He was still weak.
Still mortal.
Still easily killed.
But now he understood the board.
A system that followed rules.
A forum filled with players waiting for purpose.
A barren city that could grow without interference.
He exhaled slowly.
"I was powerless in my last life," he said quietly.
His reflection stared back at him from the glass—young, calm, sharp-eyed.
"This time, I'll build something that doesn't collapse."
Behind his eyes, the system remained silent.
The forum continued to scroll in another world.
And ZeroWing City waited—unaware that its future had just begun to shift.
---