Chapter 1

Lin Jiu woke up in his small, shabby rental room, his eyes slightly dazed. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt a sense of unfamiliarity around him. However, upon closer inspection, everything seemed normal.

"It must be the stress from studying and living recently!" Lin Jiu shook his head to clear his thoughts and went to wash up. After eating two steamed buns, he gathered the waste he had collected during his free time and headed out.

He had never seen his parents since he was a child. Fortunately, the villagers were quite kind, and he didn't starve. As he grew older, Lin Jiu realized that knowledge could change his fate, so he left the village to attend school.

This meant he had to be self-reliant. At that time, he was too young to work part-time, so he collected and sold waste during his free time to barely make ends meet.

After high school, things got a bit better, and he could take on part-time jobs. However, he wasn't a genius who could excel in both studies and work, so he only managed to get into a second-tier university.

During the holiday, he worked for a while. On the last day, he didn't go to his part-time job but instead brought the waste he had collected to the recycling shop.

"Little Jiu, it's been a while since you last came!" The shop owner, who was very familiar with Lin Jiu, greeted him with a smile.

"I've been working all this time! The holiday is almost over, so I just found some time to come. Old Zhang, weigh it for me quickly!" Lin Jiu replied familiarly.

Lin Jiu pulled out a metal disc larger than a human head, holding it with both hands. "Old Zhang, this copper disc is quite heavy. Weigh this one first!"

Old Zhang took it, struggling to hold it with one hand. He tested it with a magnet and placed it on the scale, smiling. "You've had some good luck! Copper prices are good lately, and this big piece is worth about two hundred yuan."

Lin Jiu smiled, but before he could say anything, a commotion and cries came from a distance. Lin Jiu asked, puzzled, "What's going on over there?"

"Ah," Old Zhang sighed. "That's the construction site for a real estate project. Recently, a worker died on the job, but the real estate boss suppressed the incident and hasn't given much compensation. The deceased's family is causing a disturbance at the site!"

"The real estate boss has so much money, why doesn't he just give more to settle the matter!" Lin Jiu said. He felt sad for the worker, but the so-called family members were just there for the money. Otherwise, they would be preparing to sue.

"These rich people look down on us. They have endless wealth but would rather spend it elsewhere than compensate us!" Old Zhang expressed his frustration.

"That's why there's such a severe conflict between the lower and middle classes. These arrogant people will soon be punished by the people. The real pests are always hiding in the shadows!" Lin Jiu sighed. He had just read a news story about a wealthy person in a neighboring city being stabbed by a young man, who was also killed on the spot.

There are always a few rich people who consider themselves superior and treat the poor as less than human. Some of them even openly show their disdain, which is a death wish in today's society.

They will soon be exposed, their companies will go bankrupt, and they will face ruin. But this will only make the smart pests hide even deeper.

"You intellectuals always talk in such a flowery way." Old Zhang chuckled as he finished the calculation.

Lin Jiu took the few hundred yuan and went home happily. The distant cries of grief did not affect his mood.

The holiday was about to end, and students would return to school. However, Lin Jiu had already applied to live off-campus to make it easier to work part-time. The school, considering his situation, quickly approved his application.

"Finally, I can have a good rest for a day!" Lin Jiu adjusted his position on the small sofa he had bought second-hand, took out his phone, and was about to take a nap.

Suddenly, his eyes caught something on the table. He quickly looked over and saw the familiar metal disc, the "copper" disc he had just sold to Old Zhang!

Lin Jiu didn't know if it was copper. It just looked like it and didn't react to a magnet, so he called it copper. If it had looked better, he would have taken it to a jewelry store and claimed it was a family heirloom.

What was going on now? How did it come back?

Thinking it had come back on its own, Lin Jiu's lips parted, and he walked over, his hands trembling slightly as he picked up the metal disc. His eyes welled up with tears: "After being poor for so long, spring is finally here! I'll get rich with you!"

In such a large recycling shop, the loss of one copper disc wouldn't be noticed. Even if it were, no one would trace it back to Lin Jiu. It had come back on its own, not stolen by him. Lin Jiu felt an urge to visit every recycling shop in the city.

One shop was worth two hundred yuan, ten shops would be two thousand. He could visit them at different times or even move to another city.

Thinking of this, Lin Jiu's eyes narrowed with excitement as he held the metal disc. If it hadn't just come back from the recycling shop, he would have kissed it.

As if sensing Lin Jiu's thoughts, the metal disc trembled slightly. In his surprised gaze, the disc's center lit up with star-like points, and a white ф symbol appeared on it.

"This symbol looks so familiar. If the color were... blood red!!!" Lin Jiu stared as the white ф turned blood red, and his mind felt as if a seal had been lifted.

"This is the Cycle Paradise! Did I unknowingly travel through time? No wonder I felt a bit strange... Damn!" Lin Jiu suddenly realized, and then he felt the metal disc in his hand lose control and smash into his head.

Lin Jiu only managed to curse half a sentence before his vision went black, and he fell, bleeding from the head. A blood-red ф symbol appeared on his hand, and the metal disc disappeared into the symbol.

"Welcome to... the Cycle Paradise!"

【Talent detection in progress... Result: Average. Preparing the contract for the contractor...】

At this moment, the ф symbol on Lin Jiu's hand lit up, clearly attracting the Cycle Paradise.

【Detected a high-level special unit observer, number 357! Issuing a special unit observer with the last digit 312... Verification in progress!】

【Verification complete! Unknown timeline, future observer 357... This timeline has been destroyed... With several derivative worlds and several original worlds!】

【Identity change in progress... Contractor 13014 [Lin Jiu] identity changed to Hunter... Original number is a false number!】

Cycle Paradise: He gave too much!

【Body transfer in progress...】

【10%, 50%, 100%, transfer complete. Detected severe head injury in the Hunter, initiating repair...】

【Hunter's consciousness not awakened, repair delayed. Maintaining minimum survival state for ten minutes...】

Lin Jiu felt a sharp pain in his head, as if his soul was being torn apart repeatedly. This pain woke him up: "I had a nightmare, dreaming of going to the Cycle Paradise... Damn!"

Originally, he thought he had just had a nightmare when he woke up with a headache. But seeing the blood-red ф symbol on his hand, the dark surroundings, and the pale blue text in front of him, he realized he wasn't dreaming.

【Hunter, welcome to the Cycle Paradise】

This line of text made Lin Jiu fall silent. How could he be a Hunter? He had only fought with a rooster at the village entrance when he was a child, and it had called a group of friends to peck him. Apart from being able to endure hardship, he wasn't good at fighting.

Feeling a liquid dripping, he touched his head and saw that it was indeed bleeding.

As a reader from another world, Lin Jiu had many questions... or so he thought!

"What is that metal disc?"

In front of Lin Jiu, the pale blue text appeared: 【High-level special unit observer 357's special item: Cycle Disc】

"Cycle Disc... Cycle Paradise... Is there a connection?"

【No】

"..."

"What is observer 357?"

【Hunter's permission insufficient... Due to the special connection between the Hunter and observer 357, known: observer 357 is %*$#&!】

"???" Lin Jiu was stunned. Was this a bug in the Cycle Paradise?

Seemingly aware that Lin Jiu understood the rules, a simple, ancient-looking parchment appeared in the air, hanging in front of him.

【Sign the contract? Yes/No】

"Yes!" Lin Jiu understood that the observer had hidden his name. There was no choice but to agree. He couldn't forget that his head was still bleeding! Agreeing now might mean dying in a derivative world later, but disagreeing would mean dying right here and now!

As soon as he spoke, his hand moved involuntarily, and his thumb pressed the blank space on the parchment. A sharp pain came from his fingertip, and a drop of blood stained the parchment, turning it a light red.

【Contract established! Initiating Hunter's injury repair.】

Pale green light points appeared around Lin Jiu, clinging to his body, focusing on his head. In a few seconds, his injuries were completely healed.

【Injury repair complete, talent changed! Forcing the awakening of the Hunter's talent.】

Lin Jiu's face turned grim as intense pain spread through his body. The pain was sudden and intense, causing his previously dazed expression to change dramatically.

Then, his head, or more accurately, his soul, felt as if it was being repeatedly torn apart and healed. Fortunately, Lin Jiu felt familiar with this pain, as if he had endured it before. After about half a minute, it finally ended.

【To intuitively display the Hunter's overall qualities, semi-data mode activated.】

【Warning: Semi-data mode is an auxiliary combat ability. Severe damage to vital organs such as the heart and brain will still result in the Hunter's death.】

【Hunter's exclusive trial begins. Failure to complete the trial will result in the Hunter's identity being stripped, becoming a regular contractor. Death during the mission will result in the Hunter's complete death.】

【Cycle Paradise rule: Everything will be exchanged equally!】

Lin Jiu understood that the novel only showed the tip of the iceberg. He wasn't careful enough and could die at any moment. After reading these rules, he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head and fainted again.

【Transfer beginning...】