After boarding the ship, Chen Zheng initially thought it would be filled with high-tech, sci-fi scenes like those seen in movies, with futuristic technology everywhere. But the reality was quite different—a small, simple space with a single chair in the middle. That was it!
"It feels more like a little black room," Chen Zheng muttered.
Just as Chen Zheng was puzzling over this, the old man appeared, rising from below.
Though Chen Zheng wasn't exactly used to it, he wasn't shocked either. "Elder, has the ship set off yet?"
"Not yet. Now, you still need to make a choice!" the old man replied.
"Oh!"
Now that he had already boarded the "thieving ship," even if Chen Zheng wanted to back out, it was too late. He had no choice but to follow the old man's instructions. After all, his life didn't matter much to him, and the old man didn't seem to need such a grand scheme to entertain himself—unless he was really that bored.
The old man pulled out a booklet from somewhere, and said, "Welcome aboard. You can choose a package from this booklet."
"Package?"
Chen Zheng wondered if the ship offered food services, which would be a pleasant surprise. He took the booklet, only to find that it wasn't about food. The booklet wasn't something that could be opened like a normal book. The first page was visible, and after reading it, Chen Zheng realized this wasn't about food at all. Instead, it was something much more unique—like the different cabins on a cruise ship, there were various "packages" offering different levels of difficulty, which were more like a classification system for tasks.
In a normal cruise, choosing a package would depend on how much money you had, but since this ship wasn't going to charge him, Chen Zheng figured that the money he found—a hundred "U.S. dollars"—would be of no use here.
These packages worked similarly. Each package represented a different level of difficulty in the tasks Chen Zheng would undertake. Essentially, it was like a different level of service on a cruise ship, but here it was about tasks instead of rooms.
For example, the most luxurious package's task was: "Ensure that Qin Ye doesn't die and Huo Yuanjia undergoes his transformation, showcasing China's power."
The high-level package's task was: "Protect the Huo family from dying in any abnormal way and ensure Huo Yuanjia's transformation."
The intermediate package's task was: "Defeat two foreign experts in the arena."
The basic package's task was as simple as: "Survive."
Of course, just like with real-world services, different packages offered different levels of "convenience." On this ship, there were no actual services, but there were distinct advantages in terms of the worlds that Chen Zheng would be entering.
For instance, the luxurious package included perks like "Main Character Aura, martial arts talent, and physical enhancement at double the rate."
The high-level package didn't have the "Main Character Aura" but still offered martial arts and physical enhancements at double the rate. By the time you got to the intermediate package, the rate was halved to one times enhancement. The basic package offered no enhancements at all.
Additionally, different packages allowed for different role assignments. The luxurious package even allowed the player to become Huo Yuanjia's nephew.
At the bottom of the page, there was a small note: "Conveniences cannot affect the tasks themselves."
In any story, the "Main Character Aura" is the ultimate cheat—once you have it, you're essentially invincible. You could fall off a cliff, meet an old master who saves you, take poison and remain immune, or make reckless moves and still succeed. This convenience was definitely the best, but the small note at the bottom made Chen Zheng anxious.
While the luxurious package had the best perks, the tasks it involved were extremely difficult. From what Chen Zheng understood, this seemed to be referencing a particular *Huo Yuanjia* movie—likely the one starring Jet Li from a few years ago, which was later banned by the government.
Chen Zheng hadn't initially paid attention to the movie, but once he heard it was banned, he became curious and watched it. He speculated that the reason for the ban was the movie's historical inaccuracies.
He vaguely remembered the plot: the movie started with Huo Yuanjia being competitive and killing Qin Ye in a bid to prove his strength. In revenge, Qin Ye's son or disciple killed the entire Huo family. Afterward, Huo Yuanjia went mad, ran to a small village, and slowly washed away his bloodlust, gaining insight into martial arts.
At a time when the country was in crisis, Huo Yuanjia founded the Jing Wu Association and fought foreign experts in various arenas. Eventually, he was poisoned and died in the arena.
The "Qin Ye" mentioned in the task was a crucial character in Huo Yuanjia's transformation. Ensuring that Qin Ye didn't die meant that the Huo family wouldn't be wiped out, which in turn meant that Huo Yuanjia wouldn't undergo his transformation to become the martial arts master he eventually became.
If Chen Zheng had the "Main Character Aura," he might have been tempted to try for the luxurious package, like Naruto in *Naruto*, who used his "Main Character Aura" to make the impossible happen. But with the note that the aura couldn't help with the task itself, Chen Zheng started to doubt his chances.
What did "showcase China's power" mean in this task? Was it a minor thing, or something major? The vagueness of the task made it even more daunting.
The high-level package seemed easier, but it involved the same issues as the luxurious one. Protecting the Huo family was crucial to Huo Yuanjia's transformation. Once he completed his transformation, he would have to face foreign martial artists in the arena. The foreign experts were dangerous—could he survive multiple encounters with them?
"Old man, what happens if I fail the task?" Chen Zheng suddenly asked.
"You will stay on the small island forever," the old man replied.
"The Huo Yuanjia world island? That's not too bad!" Chen Zheng sighed in relief. Even if he failed, it seemed like he would just be stuck there. After all, he didn't have many ties to the real world.
"No, you'll be stuck on the small island of your real world, and you will never have the chance to board another ship," the old man clarified.
Chen Zheng was about to curse, but stopped himself. Being stuck on that small island for a lifetime would be worse than death.
He had no doubts about the old man's words. Anyone capable of building a ship like this could easily trap someone like him.
"What if I die inside?"
"Then it's a failed task," the old man responded.
Well, that was a waste of a question.
Chen Zheng wasn't one to take unnecessary risks. He preferred to play it safe, so in the end, he chose the intermediate package: "Enhance martial arts talent and physical abilities by one times." At least that would make him stronger than the average person.
The task was to "defeat two foreign martial artists." If he learned Huo Yuanjia's style well, this seemed achievable.
After making his decision, Chen Zheng told the old man his choice.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," Chen Zheng nodded.
The old man waved his right hand, and Chen Zheng lost consciousness.