"Come back early after reading at the library. And remember to remind your father to come home too. It's rare for the whole family to have a holiday together, and we need to have lunch on time at noon."
"No problem, Mom."
Taking the schoolbag handed to him, Ryan waved at the blonde middle-aged woman standing at the door before stepping onto the sidewalk, heading toward the nearby library.
The sky was a clear blue with a few white clouds drifting lazily. Because it was a holiday, many neighbors took advantage of the pleasant weather to tend their lawns or simply bask in the sun in front of their homes. Ryan greeted them as he passed.
Seeing the familiar scene unfold before him, he sighed silently. It had been ten years.
Upon arriving at the library, Ryan greeted the manager before heading upstairs to the second-floor reading room, where he spotted his adoptive father, Oden Smith, writing at a table. A middle-aged man of mixed British and Chinese descent, Oden was a well-known author with several regional bestsellers.
Ryan had always known he was adopted. His adoptive parents had been open about it since he was in elementary school. After all, there was no way a white couple could have a purely Asian child.
For Ryan, the reality was even more surreal. In his past life, he had been an ordinary college graduate working a white-collar job—until he was inexplicably struck by a meteor and found himself reborn as a one-year-old in a foreign land. Despite the strange circumstances, he considered himself fortunate to have been adopted by a loving couple who raised him as their own. They even gave him the same surname he had in his past life. Ten years of warmth and care were enough for him to wholeheartedly accept them as his real parents.
After greeting Oden and relaying his mother's instructions, Ryan settled into an empty seat and began reviewing his middle school textbooks. With the mind of an adult, excelling in elementary school had been effortless. After all, having a college-level foundation in a class full of children wasn't exactly an achievement worth boasting about.
If everything went as planned, he would attend a prestigious private middle and high school before securing a place at one of the UK's top ten universities. Even with the knowledge from his past life, he doubted he had what it took to get into Oxbridge, but a reputable university was well within reach.
A week after being adopted, he had already mapped out his life goals: complete his education, use his knowledge of future events to make some money, and achieve financial freedom before 30—a dream he had never accomplished in his past life.
Just as he was focused on his studies, an unexpected notification rang in his mind.
Ding-dong—
System activated—
Tim Hortans Grocery Store is opening—
Ding-dong—
System initializing... Plane channel successfully opened—
Ding-dong—
Novice mission generated. Please accept—
What's going on?!
Ryan froze. Up until now, he had assumed he was living the typical life of an urban rebirth protagonist, with no supernatural elements disrupting his second chance. The world had progressed exactly as he remembered. So why was a system suddenly appearing?
In his past life, he had read plenty of web novels and was well aware of the classic trope where protagonists gained a "golden finger"—some kind of special ability or system that gave them an advantage. But those were just stories.
After reincarnating, he had considered himself lucky enough to have a complete family and a promising future. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect a system to fall into his lap.
But now...
A golden finger had arrived.
Am I the protagonist of some grand destiny? he mused wryly.
Once he accepted the reality of the situation, Ryan quickly calmed down and began examining the system.
According to the information displayed, the system's core originated from the last remaining fragment of a dying crystal wall system. During its journey across dimensions, it had crashed into Ryan's previous life—manifesting as the meteor that struck him. It had then carried him into this new world, integrating with his body, soul, and the surrounding energy over the past ten years until it had finally accumulated enough power to activate.
Unfortunately, this system wasn't as advanced as the ones in web novels. There was no artificial intelligence to chat with or offer witty remarks. Aside from an origin summary, all it contained was a personal attribute panel and a mission log.
Its minimalist interface made everything easy to understand—though one thing stood out.
Is this really something an 11-year-old is supposed to handle?
Displayed on the mission panel was:
Grocery Store Mission – Opening
Objective: Since this is a store, the first task is naturally to complete a transaction.
Hint: The Tim Hortans Grocery Store specializes in interdimensional trade. Please prepare for travel. The free novice world available is Plants vs. Zombies.
Reward: Official store activation.
A standard interdimensional mission—just like in novels.
The problem? Ryan was only 11 years old. Could he really manage a trade in another world? Even if it was just the world of Plants vs. Zombies, that place wasn't exactly safe.
Still, now that he had a golden finger, ignoring it would be foolish. The system had given him 24 hours to prepare, so he decided to wait until his parents were asleep before attempting the mission. Vanishing without explanation would only cause unnecessary trouble.
With his priorities shifted, Ryan abandoned his textbooks and picked up a few survival guides instead. Cramming might not be very effective, but it was better than nothing.
At noon, Oden called him to head home.
On the way, Oden glanced at him. "Why the sudden interest in wilderness survival books?"
"I just needed a break from studying. Besides, survival training sounds fun," Ryan replied, not wanting to raise any concerns.
"Ah, that's a good mindset. Studying isn't everything. Oh, by the way, tomorrow's your birthday. I have a brand-new camping kit stored away—I'll dig it out and give it to you as a present. I also prepared another gift."
As they reached the house, Oden unlocked the door.
"When did you buy camping gear, Dad? We've never gone camping."
"Well, that's because—"
"Because your father is a homebody," his mother, Sally, interjected as she walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate. "He bought all the equipment, swore we'd go as a family, and then kept making excuses every time I planned a trip. In the end, everything just collected dust in the backyard pantry."
She set the table and turned to them. "Now go wash your hands. Lunch is ready."
After a satisfying meal, Ryan and Oden headed to the backyard to retrieve the camping gear, tidying up the pantry in the process.
("It's a holiday. You two should do some housework." "No problem, wife/Mom.")
Later that afternoon, Ryan carefully selected the most useful items and packed them into his schoolbag.
When night fell and his parents were sound asleep, Ryan quietly snuck into the kitchen, stuffing his bag with frozen tacos and a jar of Laoganma hot sauce from the fridge. Then he returned to his bedroom and activated the mission.
A blue light flashed.
Ryan vanished from the room.
Unaware of what had just transpired, his adoptive parents slept peacefully in their room. The entire neighborhood remained undisturbed under the moonlight.
Outside, an owl silently swooped down, dropping a parchment envelope into the Smiths' letterbox.
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