Chapter 275: This is Life

Chapter 275: This is Life

From a personal perspective, Lu Ke considered himself an ordinary man.

What is an ordinary man?

The kind of person with no refined hobbies, who doesn't know how to care for narcissus in a vase, can't differentiate between various clothing and pants, and can't help but take a few extra glances when a beautiful girl with black stockings passes by. He occasionally goes out with friends, enjoying grilled skewers and cold beer while discussing international affairs as if they know it all. He vents about annoying colleagues and bosses, just like any other average Joe.

Mediocre and unremarkable, he's as common as they come.

Lu Ke struggled to find anything exceptional about himself.

He stood at 175 cm tall, neither short nor tall, weighed 128 kg, neither fat nor thin, and had a decent appearance, though not particularly handsome. His degree from a second-tier university was just one among millions of graduates. His work experience was merely a statistic in the unemployment rate, and he blended into the crowd like a drop in the ocean, nothing about him stood out.

He was unlucky, no doubt about it.

The year he graduated, a pandemic broke out, and his city was one of the first seven to be locked down. He couldn't even leave to attend the spring recruitment event at his university.

When he finally got the chance to look for a job, time and opportunities were scarce. Most positions were already filled, so Lu Ke, with his worthless resume, was turned over and over like a toy by interviewers, who gave him brief and concise evaluations.

"Sorry, we only hire post-graduates."

"Sorry, you need a postnatal recovery service certificate."

"Sorry, we prefer graduates with three years of internship experience..."

Anger surged within him, and he stormed out, his tail between his legs.

They had no idea what they'd unleashed! This little loser had just stepped out of the ivory tower and was hit by a once-in-a-century tornado, along with a batch of unlucky graduates, swept into the sky and then thrown back down, half-dead.

He thought that being a male nurse might have been a better choice. Although male nurses were treated like beasts of burden in hospitals, doing all the dirty and tiring work, at least finding a job wouldn't be a problem. Every department would be fighting to hire them.

Lu Ke could only console himself that there were many paths to Rome. If his major didn't work out, he could find something else. How many jobs were a perfect fit for one's major anyway? Lao Ma had been an English teacher, and he was doing great. Maybe a change of path would bring him success: "A golden dragon trapped in a pond will soar into the sky when it meets the wind and clouds."

With this thought, Lu Ke, drooling with anticipation, rushed to the job market, only to be greeted with another round of apologies.

"Sorry, you're not flexible enough."

"Sorry, we don't have any openings."

"Sorry, we don't offer weekends off or overtime pay."

"Sorry, your moral standards are too high."

"Sorry, you're just unlucky..."

For a while, Lu Ke's mind was filled with these three words, making him feel like he was mentally vomiting, yet he couldn't bring himself to say it to the interviewers with their receding hairlines.

In the following years, he worked in sales, at an electronics factory, and even in a logistics company, but his bosses seemed oblivious to the concept of labor laws, treating their employees like cattle.

At one point, he considered buying a gaming helmet to work in the virtual world of 'Nine Provinces' as a bricklayer, which seemed like a more reliable option. Unfortunately, the expensive gaming helmet was a reminder that even virtual bricklaying required startup capital.

One night, after a grueling night shift and a month of double shifts, Lu Ke saw a message from his spendthrift parents on WeChat, asking for money. Looking at his haggard reflection in the mirror, he felt a surge of bitterness.

Was this what life was supposed to be? Was this how people lived?

He remembered a high school textbook article that had left a deep impression on him, titled "The Bound Laborer." It vividly depicted the harsh conditions of bound laborers with simple yet powerful words, describing their terrifyingly long working hours, the inability to take leave, and how they were doused with cold water to continue working when sick, and had to fight for scraps of food. Reading it had left his young heart scarred, and he had even shed tears of sympathy.

Now, he was working fourteen hours a day, enduring the relentless pace of the assembly line, eating food fit for pigs, and couldn't afford to get sick or take leave. His life was barely better than that of the "Reed Girl."

Was he a bound laborer himself?

Lu Ke felt increasingly sad and wistful, identifying with Fantine from 'Les Miserables.' His family, a bunch of good-for-nothings, reminded him of the Thenardiers and their daughter Cosette, always selling something—their dignity, labor, health, and even their hair and teeth.

What could he do next? Perhaps, like Fantine, he would have to sell everything, even his hair and teeth, and then scream, "To hell with it all!"

Lu Ke decided to quit his job, ignoring the insincere advice from his heartless team leader. He cursed the black-hearted intermediary with the harshest words he could think of, deleted her WeChat contact, and resolved to change paths once again.

Lu Ke spent some time recovering his complexion, and with his relatively clean and handsome face, he managed to pull some strings and found a semi-famous female internet celebrity. He planned to collaborate on some borderline provocative videos, hoping that one day, a "sister" who appreciated his strengths would notice him and he could start living a luxurious life.)



Everything seemed to be going smoothly. He passed the MCN interview and managed to convince the proud and arrogant female internet celebrity. He even had a brief encounter with a landlord named Luo, and was ready to embrace a new life.

Then, a dump truck hit him.

A rising live-streaming star's journey ended abruptly before it even began. Just as he was contemplating giving up his dignity and chastity to find a 'sister' who needed a boyfriend to help cut her 50th birthday cake, he paid the ultimate price with his life.

It was as if the world was telling him, "Brother, I really can't bear to see you struggle like this. Why force yourself to endure the hardships of a steel wool ball and a blowtorch? Just start over!" Lu Ke felt that the world had become especially surreal since the pandemic, but even in this surreal world, he, as an ordinary person, never imagined the possibility of being reborn in another world.

It wasn't like he had been reading too many novels.

So, when the roaring dump truck approached, Lu Ke's thoughts weren't about contributing to the business of the world-crossing army, but rather, where he would be buried.

He knew a cemetery was out of the question. He remembered that his village had set up a free burial ground a couple of years ago, where one only needed to pay a small management fee annually.

Due to the low cost, the tombstones were placed so close together that there was barely any space for an adult to kneel and pay respects. Also because of the low cost, many villagers chose to be buried there.

According to his useless dad, life was cramped while alive, and it was the same after death. Lu Ke had once argued that the dead had no feelings, and funerals were purely for the living to satisfy their vanity. But when it was his turn, he felt that a decent cemetery was befitting of the hardships he had endured in life. However, the cemetery plot couldn't be purchased outright, and being dug up and thrown away after twenty years seemed even worse than the village's shabby little burial ground.

He should have bought a house in Hegang to use as a shrine, where the remote and dilapidated houses were as cheap as cabbage, spacious and bright. Even dozens of urns could fit without feeling cramped, and the lease could be renewed after fifty years...

As his body flew through the air, Lu Ke's mind was filled with all sorts of annoying thoughts, as if the more he thought, the further his worries would fade.

He felt his shoe fly off, and when it landed, he didn't feel much pain. Lu Ke suddenly realized that many things didn't seem important anymore.

For instance, his mother, who had put their savings into a high-interest loan and was scammed out of all their money. Or his father, who had fallen for a scam and bought uninsured funds, and now faced divorce due to emotional abuse, but hesitated because he worried about his children's weakness. Or his sister, who had married and had two children but was considering divorce due to cold violence, yet still sought comfort from him, her weak brother...

And of course, his own struggles with finding a decent job, with all his attempts ending in failure. Perhaps even his own potential for a new life.

None of it mattered anymore.

After landing, Lu Ke coughed up a pool of blood and several viscous lumps, which he guessed were pieces of his shattered internal organs. The chances of survival were practically zero.

In the past, he had often complained about the meaninglessness of life, the difficulty of finding a job, the rarity of true friends, and the elusiveness of kindred spirits. He felt that life was like a filthy prostitute, pinning him down and violating him repeatedly, and after it was all over, she didn't even bother to insult his loyal personality. Instead, his throat contracted, squeezing out a mouthful of thick phlegm, and the pouring rain drenched him to the bone.

But in the end, Lu Ke still wanted to live.

Unfortunately, his physical injuries were beyond his conscious control. The human spirit and body are two interconnected yet independent systems. In times of crisis, one can exhibit strength beyond their normal capacity, but they can't stop the bleeding from their wounds. They can endure for days without food or water, but they can never move a glass of water on a table towards them, not even by a nanometer, through sheer willpower.

Once the adrenaline rush subsided, Lu Ke could only lie on the ground, experiencing the physical pain of a broken heart and torn lungs. He had to admit that the emotional pain he felt from heartbreak was nothing compared to the physical pain he was enduring. Literary works that described heartache and despair paled in comparison to the pain he was feeling.

What infuriated him the most was that he couldn't even clear his browsing history on his phone.

Lu Ke's heart was filled with sorrow. He hadn't even had the chance to buy those games he wanted during the Steam Halloween sale, or witness the release of Black Myth and its win at the TGA, or wait for FGO's 10th anniversary and the free 5-star servant, or even get himself a 4090 desktop and a 4K high-refresh monitor to play AAA games...

At least let him lose his virginity before dying! Why didn't he break through his girlfriend's secret when they were in college because of his sense of responsibility?

He was such an idiot. In the 21st century, hookups were as common as World War II, and he was still playing the innocent.

Is purity something that ordinary people can afford? Once you're out in society, without money, even dogs won't give you the time of day. It's time to make the most of your youth, your figure, and your good looks before they fade away. It's only natural to have a few romantic flings while the pretty girls still don't understand that money is the key to success in life!

If there's a next life, I must become a scumbag!

In the end, Lu Ke mustered all his strength, managing a difficult smile, and raised his middle finger at the mud truck driver who was fleeing in panic.

Run, you idiot.

The punishment for hit-and-run is even heavier! Serves you right for not paying attention and jaywalking, you stupid idiot!

...

"So, brother, pursuing pure love is a dead end. If we look back at our lives, we'll realize that pure love has long been outdated, and harems are the way to go."

Dragon Lu Ke, with a serious expression, was earnestly advising Timeflow Lu Ke, who had just returned to the shared space.

"Everyone curses harems, yet everyone wants one. Once the Sage Era passes, won't those scoundrels still come crawling to me for the latest resources and special services?"

Dragon Lu Ke joined his hands together, showing no hint of embarrassment. Instead, he exuded the aura of a compassionate savior, reciting the Buddhist Zen monk's dialogue from the 'Ancient Venerables' Record' between Han Shan and Shi De.

"When the world slanders, deceives, humiliates, mocks, belittles, insults, and tricks me, how should I deal with it?"

"Just endure, allow, ignore, avoid, tolerate, respect, and don't bother with them. Give it a few years, and you'll see."

Out of respect for his senior, and with a face that seemed to say, "If you don't agree with me, you deserve to be unlucky," Timeflow Lu Ke spoke weakly.

"Well, I'm not exactly a pure love advocate either. I already have two."

This was only his second time in the shared space. Previously, he had just touched the elegant body of the Storm Dragon and was then sealed in the divine realm, where he remained after his consciousness was divided. Feeling bored, he also wanted to join the chat group in the space.

However, he failed the authentication and couldn't get past the thin layer of mist.

It was then that the Lu Kes realized for the first time that an incomplete and non-unified soul consciousness couldn't enter the space, and that there was an anti-theft mechanism in place!

Dragon Lu Ke shook his head in disdain, "You're just here to relax! Two women don't even qualify as a harem. You've become the king of the world and ushered in a new era. If not emulating Gilgamesh's 'Universal First Night Privilege' during the Sumerian period in ancient Babylon, you should at least choose a 'Three Palaces and Six Harems' to enrich your palace!"

"Ah, I just gave myself super administrator privileges. I didn't intend to overthrow the government. As long as my commands can be carried out, I don't care about the rest."

Timeflow Lu Ke scratched his head, "Just... let it happen naturally. I'll think about it when I meet someone I like. I'm also planning to focus on technological development so I can play Black Myth sooner."

"It won't delay my plans either. I've also focused on tech development to play Black Myth!"

Dragon Lu Ke furrowed his brows and proudly said, "I've advanced many technologies to a level ten years ahead of our time. Games, novels, movies, and more are all updated to the latest versions, and some have even undergone partial modifications."

Timeflow Lu Ke was slightly surprised, "How did you manage that?!"

A voice filled with vitality interrupted.

"Of course, it's because of me!"

Eccentric Lu Ke joined the conversation between the two Lu Kes, his face beaming with joy, no longer carrying the previous gloom.

"Although the future world I'm from hasn't advanced technology to an extreme level, it's still the year 2124. Forget about the Black Myth main game, the Lion Camel Ridge DLC, GTA 12, Baldur's Gate 6, Diablo 9... All the games you thought you'd never see in your lifetime are available! Just copy and share the data, and it's all possible."

Dragon Lu Ke clapped his hands and gave a thumbs up, "That's what you call being ahead of the curve!"

"Oh! Has Silk Song been released?"

"It's been renamed Silk Dove, so naturally, it's been delayed."

Their excited conversation caught the attention of the Dead Fire Sea Trio, who were playing Dou Di Zhu nearby. Upon seeing Eccentric Lu Ke online, they immediately started teasing him.

"Hey, isn't this the World Devourer?"

"Did you devour the world today?"

"I bet you didn't. Otherwise, you'd be boasting about it, engraving it on a monument for a major event."

Eccentric Lu Ke: "..."

Those three guys who always form their little cliques are so annoying! This is why guys don't like posting on social media. If you post a melancholy sentence, a bunch of 'Melancholic Brothers' will comment. If you post a wistful sentence, a bunch of 'Wistful Brothers' will appear. If you post a nine-grid photo, they'll mock you as an 'Elegant Boy.' If you post a room escape game, they'll say, 'V me 50.' 'Stop pretending, outside is full of beakers!' and so on.

"Dev... devouring the world... Is that something Lu Ke can do...?"

Eccentric Lu Ke stuttered, glaring angrily at the other Lu Kes. For a moment, the shared space was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

After a rest, everyone felt refreshed and clear-minded.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end