Chapter 7 – The Job That Shouldn’t Be Mine
Chapter 7 – The Job That Shouldn't Be Mine
Ding!
A familiar, emotionless chime echoed in his mind.
[New Mission Assigned: Pass the Job Interview.]
Chen Yunran blinked at his phone screen.
A new text message had just arrived.
[TechLink Solutions]
"Dear Mr. Chen, we have reviewed your application and would like to invite you for an interview tomorrow at 10 AM. Please bring a copy of your resume. We look forward to meeting you."
He stared at it for a long moment.
Then exhaled. "...Crap."
The Interview of Lies
The next morning, dressed in the least wrinkled button-up he could find, Chen Yunran arrived at the company's office.
A sleek, modern lobby. Glass walls. People walking around in suits, pretending to be busy.
He hated it already.
A receptionist led him to a small room where a balding man with glasses sat behind a desk. His name tag read "Mr. Wang – Senior Hiring Manager."
"Chen Yunran, right?" the man said, shuffling through some papers.
"Yes, sir."
Mr. Wang adjusted his glasses. "You have an interesting background."
Chen Yunran smiled. "I try my best."
[Reminder: Most of your background is fake.]
"Tell me about your previous experience," Mr. Wang said, tapping his pen on the table.
[Host, activating skill: 'Bullsh— Professional Fabrication.']
Chen Yunran immediately straightened his back. "Of course! My last job involved working on network security, optimizing backend infrastructure, and streamlining system performance."
Mr. Wang nodded. "I see, I see. What would you say is your biggest strength?"
[Host, activating 'Confident Bluffing' mode.]
"My adaptability. I can quickly analyze problems and find solutions on the fly."
Mr. Wang scribbled something on his notes. "And your biggest weakness?"
[Warning: Do not say 'employment.']
Chen Yunran smiled. "I can be too detail-oriented sometimes."
Mr. Wang nodded approvingly. "That's a good answer."
[It was also a complete lie, but well played.]
"One last thing," Mr. Wang said. "You mentioned familiarity with cybersecurity. Can you solve this simple test?"
A laptop was slid across the desk. A command prompt was open.
[Host, activating 'Basic Hacking.']
Chen Yunran immediately recognized the problem.
Within ten seconds, he typed out a few commands, exploited a minor vulnerability, and—
Access granted.
Mr. Wang blinked. "That was… impressive."
[New Achievement Unlocked: 'Hacker Man.']
"We'll send you the job details soon," Mr. Wang said, standing up. "Welcome to TechLink Solutions."
Celebration & Chaos
Lin Xiu slammed his glass onto the table, a smirk on his face. "So, let me get this straight. You wake up in a hospital, barely alive, and now, just a few days later, you suddenly have a job interview? Do you even know how to code?"
Zhao Lei leaned forward, eyes wide. "Wait, wait, is this one of those 'hidden rich family' moments? Yunran, be honest, do you have a secret billionaire grandfather?"
Guo Fan adjusted his glasses. "Unlikely. More plausible theory: government experiment. Maybe he was implanted with advanced tech. That would explain his sudden skills."
Chen Yunran sighed, rubbing his temples. "None of those. I just… got lucky."
Zhao Lei gasped dramatically. "So your Luck stat finally stopped being garbage!"
Chen Yunran choked on his drink. He shot Zhao Lei a look. "If I could lower my own Luck stat just to mess with you, I would."
Lin Xiu chuckled. "Jokes aside, this is good. Tech pays well. And with your, uh… luck, you might actually make something of yourself."
"Thanks for the faith," Chen Yunran said dryly.
Zhao Lei suddenly perked up. "Wait, does this mean you'll be buying drinks next time? Our rich tech bro?"
Guo Fan pushed up his glasses. "Or investing in my next project? I'm working on something big."
Lin Xiu smirked. "No, no. We should be responsible. Yunran just got out of the hospital. We need to help him."
Chen Yunran raised an eyebrow. "That… actually sounds reasonable."
Lin Xiu grinned. "By making sure he spends his first paycheck on us!"
Chen Yunran groaned.
Zhao Lei threw an arm around his shoulder. "Face it, Yunran. We're here for life. You'll never be free of us."
Guo Fan nodded. "The bonds of brotherhood cannot be severed."
Lin Xiu raised his glass. "To Yunran's new job!"
Zhao Lei and Guo Fan echoed the toast.
Chen Yunran sighed. "I already regret this."
They clinked glasses anyway.
Tomorrow, he'd deal with the interview.
For now, he'd enjoy the chaos that was his life.
Status Update
[Host: Chen Yunran][Race: Human (Ascended – Sealed)][Physique: Weakened Cultivator Body (Suppressed)]
Stats:Strength: 7 (You can now lift groceries without looking pathetic.)Agility: 6 (Slightly better than a couch potato.)Stamina: 7 (Congratulations, you can now walk up stairs without gasping for air.)Perception: 8 (Your instincts are sharper. Still not enough to dodge Zhao Lei's food theft.)Qi Reserves: Sealed (Try harder.)
Innate Skills:— Perseverance (From First Life): Your refusal to die makes you a cockroach in human form.— Fast Learner (From First Life): Your ability to analyze and adapt to new knowledge is significantly enhanced.— Survival Instinct (From First Life): Your gut feeling warns you of danger before it happens.
— Cultivation Techniques (From Second Life): You possess advanced knowledge of Qi techniques, martial arts, and energy refinement.— Body Refinement Mastery (From Second Life): Your body was once indestructible. Even weakened, you recover faster than normal humans.— Pill Creation (From Second Life): You retain expertise in concocting powerful medicines, poisons, and enhancement elixirs.— Stealth Mastery (From Second Life): You were a master of concealment and infiltration techniques, allowing you to move undetected.— Weapon Proficiency (From Second Life): You have instinctive mastery over various weapons, even improvised ones.— Technical Aptitude (From System): You now have a solid understanding of computer systems, coding, and digital security.
[Sealed Skills:]— Transformation (Locked. Will unlock upon first employment.)
Next Mission:[Secure Employment Mission: Pass the interview.][Rewards: +2 Intelligence, +1 Perception, Skill Unlock – 'Data Manipulation']
Chen Yunran sighed as he stared at his stats.
"System, I swear… if I end up as a hacker spy, I'm uninstalling you."
[Acknowledged. Error: System cannot be uninstalled.]
Of course.
Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.