The sound of footsteps echoed through a dark and murky passageway. Dressed in a thin and disheveled white robe, Zhu Yu was running with no exit in sight.
"System, provide me a way out of this mess!"
Thereafter, a pleasant voice belonging to a woman sounded in his mind.
[Request received, please wait a moment…]
One breath later, a compass fell into Zhu Yu's hand. The brightness given off by the inscriptions on the compass were his only source of light. He heaved a deep sigh of relief before speeding up.
"Now, explain yourself."
…
The feminine voice sounded again.
[Host had passed away in his sleep at 5:06 pm the previous day due to food poisoning. Host was ignorant in regards to the true ways of life but nonetheless brimming with potential, therefore Host's fleeting soul was placed in a different body.]
Zhu Yu's eyebrow began twitching.
"Please elaborate."
[Transmigration is no different than Reincarnation, except that Host's soul entered a previously inhabited body. System hopes that the body is to Host's liking. As for the latter part, Cultivation of the mind and soul is the most beneficial way of life. It can enhance Host's strength and prolong Host's life. Cultivation was not practiced by the Host due to complete absence of knowledge.]
Zhu Yu smacked his lips in response.
"In other words, I was given a second-hand body? How gracious of you. Oh, remind me of that cultivation thing once we're out of here. What's up with this place anyways?"
Beads of sweat continued to roll down his forehead as he kept on running, turning right and left in a frenzy with the compass held firmly in his hand. Zhu Yu used to be an Herbalist in his past life, unbothered and thriving, before waking up on a cold laboratory bed. Other than the bed he was lying on, everything else was thrashed and debris lay everywhere. Not long afterwards, the System's sudden 'appearance' gave him another shocker and almost caused him to lose consciousness.
He didn't like surprises.
[The previous owner of this body, Lu Shui, had been kidnapped and experimented on for several years. The individuals that kidnapped him belonged to the 'Lone Star Organization'. Host, these are it's headquarters.]
System's voice paused momentarily before echoing in his mind again.
[Prior to Lu Shui's death, the Lone Star Organization found a way to inject a unique gene into his body. Lu Shui's soul, however, was torn apart by the gene as it wasn't able to adapt. Host's soul meets the minimum requirements and was therefore placed in this specific body.]
...
He shuddered and inwardly lit a candle for Lu Shui before proceeding.
"If these are the headquarters, where are the people?" Zhu Yu wondered. He had been on the run for a good felt 15 minutes but hasn't seen anyone yet, be it friend or foe.
[The turmoil caused by the successful injection of the gene was very severe, thus everyone had no choice but to flee. They will soon return. System humbly advises Host to quicken up his pace.]
Suddenly, a dingling sound venerated through his mind.
[New Mission: Escape!]
...
Σ(￣□￣lll)
Zhu Yu's heart almost shot out of his chest.
They're coming back? Soon?!
Zhu Yu couldn't help but gnash his teeth in dismay and quicken up his pace. His slender body was covered in scars and semi-healed cuts from neck to toe; a horrifying view indeed.
He could only hope that these cuts wouldn't open up again as he was rushing all about.
His anxiety reached an all-new high and his body was in pain. Zhu Yu had never been put into this kind of an agonizing situation before.