(Some say that the author's name is anti-national. To clarify, this phrase comes from Mr. Lu Xun's "The True Story of Ah Q," which satirizes the pretentiousness of the feudal landlord class and contains no elements of anti-nationalism. That's all.)
Cheng Daqi squeezed the muscles around his eyes, trying to open them.
As a brain tumor patient, even this incredibly simple action filled him with pain.
The side effects of the surgery caused his right eye to experience neuroparalytic numbing.
For him, opening his eyes each time was a torture.
But physical pain could never crush a man.
Yes, what was physical pain, really?
Compared to the reality of failing in business due to forces beyond his control in his thirties, owing tens of millions to investors and banks, and losing all possibilities in life.
The mere pain in his eyes was nothing but a fart.
It had become his greatest daily pleasure.
Every painful eye-opening reminder seemed to affirm that he had survived another day!
This time was different!
Cheng Daqi was mentally prepared for the pain, but he didn't feel the familiar agony at all.
What's going on?
Where is this?
Cheng Daqi looked around blankly at his surroundings.
The dim space was narrow and cramped, with a cardboard box on the left side.
On the box were several large mineral water bottles, though all were empty.
Why am I not in the hospital room?
Could it be that security chased me out of the hospital?
There should still be millions in insurance coverage from the insurance company!
The maximum insurance I bought before the company went bankrupt should be enough to afford my chemotherapy in the hospital until I die, right?
Cheng Daqi was full of doubts in his mind.
All his doubts didn't last long, as the information flooding into his mind swept them away completely.
......
After a long while.
Having digested the information in his mind, Cheng Daqi wore a smile that wasn't quite a smile, clutching a torn blanket, and cursed through clenched teeth.
Damn it.
Good news: The glioma was gone; no more half-dead chemo waiting for death; found himself in another country, no longer worried about bloodsucking investor creditors.
The best part was he traveled back from 2023 to 2018 and aged from thirty-five to twenty-one!
Bad news: He had reincarnated as an American vagrant; no son of God, no newbie village protection, born in Saint Rodu, a turf where gunfights happen daily, and as a Hua Country stowaway, all kinds of high-level threats lurked on the streets.
Hell level start!
The worst news, browsing history not deleted, hidden files in the computer's hard drive not formatted in time.
Cheng Daqi had always thought that he could hold on for a while longer, that there was still time to clean up.
Now it was too late for everything!
All spotless reputation gone!
Suddenly, he noticed a system logo appearing in his field of view.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Cheng Daqi opened the system.
Good news: There's a system, and the system can upgrade skills.
Bad news: The system's name is 'Strongest Vagrant System,' strongest vagrant, sounds so sloppy.
[The Strongest Vagrant System is just a name, which appears based on the profession of your reincarnated body. It is not related to the actual strength or weakness of the system's functions.]
Do you know what I'm thinking?
[Yes.]
Without time to marvel at his magical experience, a question immediately surfaced in Cheng Daqi's mind.
So, can you see everything I do?
[This system is merely an unemotional auxiliary tool.]
An emotionless auxiliary tool, eh? That's acceptable.
Cheng Daqi had read many novels about transmigration and reincarnation. Many protagonists carry a system, and there's a question that readers often widely discussed.
Now, he finally had the chance to get an answer.
You say you're an auxiliary tool, so how were you created?
Did you arise naturally, or were you made by some entity?
[Just say if you want it or not.]
Cheng Daqi now suspects this system might also moonlight as a roadside watermelon seller...
He opened the system panel and glanced at his current skills.
"Name: Cheng Daqi
Age: 21
Health: 49\100 (Below sixty, you will receive a sudden death buff, with the likelihood of sudden death increasing as the value decreases. With a system boost, the host's sudden death buff will not occur within one day, countdown 23:57:31)
Satiety: 0\100 (When it reaches 0, it will progressively decrease your health)
Skill Points: 0. (Acquired through completing system tasks)
Skills:
```
Driving LV1: Can drive ordinary cars (heh, weakling).
Eloquence LV1: Slightly improves communication efficiency and persuasion success rate (talking to a pro is just more pleasant).
Writing LV1: Level of a street author on Hong Guozi Network (you're actually a writer?).
Scavenging Treasure Chest LV1: Slight increase in the value of scavenged treasure chest materials (entry-level trashpicker).
After reviewing his panel attributes, Cheng Daqi understood why he was able to soul-travel to this body.
The body's original owner triggered a sudden death buff, if Cheng Daqi hadn't reincarnated into his body, the police would have found his rotting corpse after a few days.
System, why can't I load the skill levels from my previous life?
Cheng Daqi had welded, run an auto repair shop, been a lackey for a big brother, operated a gym, and even done some wall plastering for his own store's renovation.
His fitness company once dominated the mainstream market of a second-tier city, with an estimated small goal of PA financing twenty million.
If it weren't for the masks...
Now, not being able to load his skills from his previous life was a significant weakening for Cheng Daqi.
Improving from a stronger base would be much more cost-effective than laboring on this weakling panel.
[You can, but are you sure you want to suffer from glioma again?]
Heartened by the possibility, Cheng Daqi felt a surge of joy.
However, the system's cold reminder made him realize that compared to health, skill levels were unimportant.
Many people have no choice but to trade their health for money for a living, only to find that the little money they get is not enough to fill the void left by their lost health.
It's an abyss.
A healthy body after reincarnation is Cheng Daqi's greatest wealth.
If this is what has come to pass, then so be it, being a vagrant isn't so bad.
A few hundred years ago, there was a vagrant who preferred to remain anonymous—let's call him Zhu Ge.
First, he was a beggar, then he became a monk.
The kind of monk who travels the world asking for alms, whose main job is to visit patrons to ask for food.
Essentially an elite vagrant with a title.
In the process of being an elite vagrant, Zhu Ge honed his skills and initially grew into a relatively insightful and aspiring young man.
Later, Zhu Ge even succeeded in business and became an emperor, showing that even a vagrant's life is full of possibilities.
Wouldn't it be fair to say the future holds promise?
Lu Xun once said, "Just do it and you'll be fine, don't worry about what identity you have."
Zhou Shuren once said, "Try hard, you cicada chrysalis, you're the next wave."
Now, Cheng Daqi's first problem is where to find a meal.
It's urgent to increase his satiety and stop the deterioration of his health.
This calls for stabilizing the fallback before finding new paths and breakthroughs.
[A novice mission is now issued.]
"Stray Dog: As a person living on the edge of the city like a stray dog, with no fixed abode or reliable food, your first task is to survive.
Persist in Saint Rodu for ten days: 0\10.
Reward: A novice gift pack and a choice of identity recognition once (after selection, the new identity recognition will load appropriately, assisting you to adapt better to America)."
System, you insult me by naming the mission 'Stray Dog'
How come the task released sounds like something from weird tales, what does 'persist for ten days' mean?
Is this Gotham? Or American horror?
I'm just an ordinary Reincarnator, you're making me panic with all this...
And isn't the novice gift pack supposed to be issued directly as per the rules?
Why do I have to do a task first?
Are you picking on me because it's my first reincarnation?
The identity recognition is somewhat useful at least.
*System!
Perhaps feeling guilty, the system ignored Cheng Daqi's musings and remained silent.
Feeling weak, Cheng Daqi decided to find something to eat first.
"Cheng? Cheng? Do you want to join the queue for food with us?"
A voice calling out from outside the tent, it was Cheng Daqi's current neighbor.
Like Cheng Daqi, she was a vagrant living in a street tent.
Cheng Daqi pursed his lips; he could feel the dry and cracked skin bleeding.
Feeling alive actually felt pretty good.
A vagrant start on hell difficulty? So what?
Cheng Daqi survived from the brink of real death.
He just felt that starting as a vagrant and climbing back to the top of the world would be an interesting journey.
Looking at the empty water bottle inside the tent, he struggled to stand up and unzipped the tent.
America.
Saint Luo.
I'm coming.
I'm coming!
```