> "Even scammers are pulling this kind of trick these days?"
Looking at the web page that suddenly popped up on his computer, Yao Lan's lips slightly parted in disbelief. He was about to say something but quickly swallowed his words.
He had heard of many scam tactics before, seen quite a few as well—there was always some new gimmick. But he never expected something this fake to happen to him—and in such a ridiculous way.
"Transmigration Notification"
It looked like an ordinary webpage—black text on a white background, very minimalist. But…
> "This guy couldn't even bother to add some decoration?"
"Has the world become this competitive? Even if you're trying to scam me, at least put some effort in. Otherwise, how do you expect me to fall for it?"
Out of curiosity, he clicked on the page anyway, though Yao Lan still felt very speechless.
The creator of this so-called notice was clearly someone with zero flair. Aside from the title "Transmigration Notification," it only listed the world of transmigration and the chosen ability...
It was basically a few words written on an A4-sized digital sheet, with some dividing lines. It couldn't be any more fake if it tried.
> "Must be a rookie scammer. No pro would make such an unappealing page. Well, might as well play along for fun."
After a moment's thought, Yao Lan figured it out. But his hands didn't stop moving—he clicked on the "Transmigration World" field and typed in three characters without hesitation:
Sewer!
After all, he didn't believe the transmigration thing was real at all. Since it was obviously fake, might as well mess around and fill it in randomly.
Next, he looked at the "Selected Ability" field. Coincidentally, he had recently been playing a game that also had the character "Dao" (Way/Path) in it.
Railway!
> "If I fill it out like this, it might be kind of funny. Wonder if the rookie behind this site can even understand what I meant?"
Through the plain white web page, Yao Lan could almost imagine the person on the other side scratching their head. Without knowing both references, no one would understand what he meant.
The thought alone made him feel amused.
> "Anyway, I'm just messing around. There's no way I'd pay for this… Huh? Why didn't a payment page pop up?"
Right after he casually clicked "Confirm," something happened that completely caught Yao Lan off guard.
Instead of a predictable payment window, the screen went black!
> "What's going on?"
> "Did my computer break?"
Reflexively, Yao Lan smacked the case like he always did when things froze. But what happened next made his eyes widen in shock.
The pitch-black screen suddenly lit up—not with the previous webpage or his desktop—but with a flood of chaotic numbers and letters rapidly streaming across the screen.
In a flash, Yao Lan realized the real purpose of this thing.
> "Damn it! It's not after my money—it's after my computer's data!"
If he were just tricked out of a little money, he'd probably curse a few times and be done with it. But if the data on his computer got out… Yao Lan couldn't even imagine the consequences.
His photos, his game files, his movie collection… If his family or friends saw some of that stuff, they'd look at him with more disgust than someone stepping on a frog's pee.
Yao Lan's brain started trembling at the thought.
> "I've never seen a scammer this evil!"
First pretending to be an innocent noob, making Yao Lan think he wasn't a threat, then suddenly striking to steal his data?
> "Good grief! You've mastered all 36 stratagems of warfare?"
> "Feigning weakness, deceiving the heavens, striking directly at Shu Han?"
As Yao Lan grumbled and prepared to fight back for control of his computer, his hand froze mid-air.
Because what he saw completely shattered his understanding of reality.
The once static screen of jumbled code suddenly rippled like water… and then a semi-transparent hand reached out and grabbed him by the collar—dragging him straight into the monitor.
The entire process took less than a second.
Yao Lan didn't even have time to react. His whole body vanished on the spot.
As letters and numbers zipped past him at high speed and his consciousness began to blur, Yao Lan used the last of his strength to mutter:
> "Don't turn this into The Ring... I'm not Sadako…"
At that moment, an emotionless mechanical voice echoed out—completely devoid of gender, tone, or warmth. But Yao Lan could no longer hear it.
> "Transmigration successful. Ability granted. Wishing you a pleasant journey."
---
Cold. Trembling...
The moment he woke up, Yao Lan jumped up from the ground like a startled fish, scanning his surroundings warily.
Sunlight. Beach. Waves… No cactus, no old sea captain.
To put it simply—this was a beach.
The last thing he remembered was still clear in his mind. Yao Lan was certain—that kind of experience couldn't be a kidnapping.
That wasn't something that could happen in the real world at all!
If someone had the power to pull you through a computer screen, why would they bother with a lowly crime like kidnapping?
And faintly, Yao Lan could sense that something new had appeared within his body...
He couldn't say exactly what it was, but right now he felt a surge of strength inside him—as if he could smash a boulder with a single punch.
Piecing together everything that had just happened, he quickly reached a conclusion.
> "Did I transmigrate?"
That was the most likely scenario. After all, transmigration novels were a dime a dozen these days. What's one more? No big deal, right?
> "Congratulations, Host. You guessed correctly."
Just as Yao Lan figured out his situation, the emotionless mechanical voice echoed in his mind, confirming his suspicion.
> "You're the system?"
Yao Lan looked around, confirmed no one was nearby, then began communicating with the voice in his head.
> "If you're really the system, then... that 'Transmigration Notification' was real?"
> "Yes, Host."
> "Based on the form you filled out, the system has completed the transmigration process and granted you the ability you selected."
> "I will now serve as your auxiliary system to help you understand and use your powers."
It really was a transmigration...
But instead of excitement, Yao Lan's first reaction was—regret.
"What a loss... a huge loss!"
If he had known the transmigration notice was real, how could he have filled it out so casually?!