Chapter 1: The Mascot's Awakening

June 2014, Jinling City, Huaguo.

The scorching June sun roasted the earth, seeming to evaporate the last traces of moisture from the asphalt road. Standing in front of the China Unicom store, Lu Zhou stared blankly at the bustling street. Though the cool air from the store's air conditioning occasionally drifted his way, the thick mascot costume he wore made it impossible to feel any of its relief.

Why was he here?

Well... for the money, obviously.

To put it plainly:

China Unicom had teamed up with Vivo to launch a summer promotion. All he had to do was stand outside the store in a mascot suit for an hour and earn sixty yuan—nearly twice what he'd make handing out flyers, and without enduring any condescending looks. Plus, with the temperature exceeding thirty degrees Celsius, he even got a ten-yuan heat subsidy per hour, bringing his hourly wage to a whopping seventy yuan.

The moment he heard the pay rate, Lu Zhou didn't hesitate for even a second before accepting the job. quick calculation told him: five hours of work a day meant 350 yuan. Thirty days of that, and he'd be looking at 10,500 yuan a month.

Who would've thought that a job earning a yearly salary of a hundred thousand yuan could be found just by standing outside a China Unicom store?

Of course, Lu Zhou also knew that neither Vivo nor even the deep-pocketed Huawei could afford to run promotions every day.

But even if he only worked for a week, that was still over twenty-six hundred yuan.

Just as he had grown so bored that he started counting the leaves on the plane tree in front of the store, a slightly tanned, chubby man wiped the sweat from his brow and walked toward him.

This was Wu Dahai—a fellow math major at Jinling University, two years ahead of Lu Zhou, currently in his third year and about to enter his fourth. As the leader of the part-time student workers, he was the one who had recommended this mascot job to Lu Zhou.

"Lu Zhou, you good? Want me to find someone to take over so you can rest inside the store?" Wu Dahai asked, his entire body drenched as if he'd just been pulled out of water.

Though desperate for a break, Lu Zhou shook his head. "I'm fine. I can hold on a bit longer."

"Seriously, are you sure? You've been standing here almost the whole afternoon," Wu Dahai said with a pained expression.

He was genuinely worried Lu Zhou might collapse from heatstroke.

"I'm really okay. Don't worry about me," Lu Zhou insisted, shaking his head firmly. "Only an hour left till my shift ends. I've already lasted this long—what's one more hour, right?"

Wu Dahai hesitated, then said, "Alright... I guess I won't force you, then."

"Yep, go handle your stuff," Lu Zhou replied.

Seeing Lu Zhou's unwavering determination, Wu Dahai didn't press further.

Truth be told, he wasn't entirely without relief.

Finding someone to cover a shift in this heat wasn't easy. Though he had plenty of part-timers under him, none worked as hard as Lu Zhou. If push came to shove, he might have to don the "big cotton-padded jacket" himself.

As Wu Dahai's retreating figure disappeared from view, Lu Zhou turned his gaze back to the plane tree in front of the store—and that was when things started to feel... off.

The pedestrians on the street—why were they floating upward?

His legs turned to jelly, and he collapsed backward.

With his fading consciousness, he faintly heard hurried footsteps and shouts from inside the store.

"The mascot's heatstroke!" "Quick, take off his headpiece and get him some water!" "Damn it, Lu Zhou, you can't die on us!" "No response—hurry, take him to the hospital!" "I'll give you a ride." "..."

The last sliver of light vanished from his vision, replaced by endless darkness...

...

Lu Zhou, a freshman majoring in mathematics at Jinling University, would be entering his second year in a few months.

Originally, he had intended to apply for software engineering, but missing the cutoff by a few points had landed him in the unpopular math department after being placed via adjustment.

Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder—what use would this godforsaken major be after four years?

The answer seemed bleak.

For math majors, there were only two conventional paths: further study (abroad or graduate school) or switching majors.

There was also the option of staying at the university, but that wasn't something undergraduates could realistically consider unless they had a particularly close relationship with a professor. And even then, it would only be a menial research assistant role—hardly better than directly pursuing a master's degree here.

But for Lu Zhou, even graduate school felt out of reach.

His hometown was Jiangling—a name that differed by only one character from Jinling, yet a place separated by an entire world. His father worked as an ordinary laborer at the Jiangling Steel Factory, while his mother had long been laid off, her health perpetually poor due to frequent medical expenses.

The family's entire income relied on his father's wages, not to mention his younger sister, who was still in high school. Once she got into university, the financial burden would only grow heavier.

Though his father insisted he shouldn't worry about money and should focus on studying, even aiming for a Ph.D., Lu Zhou knew that was impossible.

Having already dipped one foot into society, he couldn't ignore the harsh realities of life.

Specifically, the issue of money.

He refused to be a burden on his family or hold back his sister. So from the moment he entered university, he had worked tirelessly to achieve financial independence. While others participated in club activities or buried themselves in library studies, he spent his time handing out flyers, installing routers, and delivering takeout.

Sometimes, he couldn't help but question the meaning of his university life. The work he did required no special skills—anyone with a middle school education could do it, probably even better than him. At the very least, they wouldn't collapse from standing outside in the heat for hours.

But just like the question about his major's future, this one had no answer either.

And now, he had collapsed...

Consciousness returned.

Standing in a world of blinding white, Lu Zhou stared blankly around him.

"What the hell... is this place?"

No answer came.

Faint memories told him he had collapsed from heatstroke outside the China Unicom store. Someone must have carried him to a nearby hospital—but this place didn't resemble any hospital he knew. In fact, it didn't even seem like the real world.

Just as anxiety began to creep in, a translucent screen suddenly materialized before him, startling him so much that he stumbled backward.

"Black tech... system? What the hell?!"

The bold words slowly emerging on the screen made Lu Zhou's heart race with shock before surging into euphoria.

Could it be?

Had he really been chosen by a legendary system?

He had read enough web novels to recognize the signs.

Swallowing hard, he asked, "System... what exactly can you do?"

But there was no mysterious voice answering his question. The holographic screen simply continued displaying text on its own.

---

[Black Tech System]

This system is dedicated to elevating the technological level of native civilizations. For the secrets of this system, the wielder must explore on their own. The following is a detailed explanation of its functions.

Main Interface Introduction: Core Sciences (The backbone of the tech tree, focusing on theoretical foundations. Maximum level: 10. Experience can only be gained through missions, not exchanged with points. Fully leveling a core science unlocks future-era options and megastructure projects.)

A. Mathematics: The foundation of all disciplines, determining the level cap for other core sciences. B. Physics: Helps you understand the universe. C. Biochemistry: Helps you understand yourself. D. Engineering: Modify tools, environments, and the world itself. E. Materials Science: Indispensable counterpart to engineering. F. Energy Science: From fossil fuels to helium-3, from solid-state lithium-air batteries to antimatter batteries, from wireless power transmission to ultra-long-distance laser conduction—life feeds on negative entropy, and the pinnacle of energy development lies in the distant stars... G. Informatics: Genetics is God's code, and the ultimate goal of code is to create God. ※ Branch Sciences (Secondary branches of the tech tree. Once unlocked, upgrade costs can be paid with points instead of experience.)

Example: Genetics LV1 requires Biochemistry LV1. Can be unlocked by spending 100 points (0/1000). Genetics LV2 requires Biochemistry LV2, Engineering LV1, and 1000 experience points to upgrade from LV1 to LV2 (0/?). Technical Blueprints: As the name suggests, straightforward technical schematics. From nanochips to megastructures like Dyson Spheres. Given the necessary production conditions, these blueprints can be followed to achieve construction.

Points: Can be used to unlock reward missions or spent (200 points) to reroll a mission. Points can also solve technical problems (cost depends on the science level, problem difficulty, and solution complexity).

Missions: Three random missions appear each time. Choose one to complete for rewards. The mission panel resets immediately after completion.

---

At this moment, Lu Zhou didn't know what expression to make.

The math major he had always considered useless was now, in this system, the foundation of all other sciences?

This reversal of fortune left him speechless.

And it got even more absurd.

After the explanation vanished, his status panel appeared.

---

[Black Tech System]

Host: Lu Zhou

Core Sciences: A. Mathematics: LV0 (0/1000) B. Physics: LV0 (0/1000) C. Biochemistry: LV0 (0/1000) D. Engineering: LV0 (0/1000) E. Materials Science: LV0 (0/1000) F. Energy Science: LV0 (0/1000) G. Informatics: LV0 (0/1000)

Branch Sciences: None Technical Blueprints: None Points: 0 Missions: Not yet claimed

---

He was a 985 university student—sure, not a top student, but this string of zeros... was the system mocking him?

Lu Zhou stared at the panel, torn between laughter and exasperation.

There was no way this system wasn't bugged.

Just as he thought this, a violent shake jolted his shoulder—and his consciousness was yanked back from the blank void...