Lin Zhan’s eyelids fluttered open to a strange and alien world. A cold wind brushed against his face, and the sensation felt like a distant memory, as if he had been sleeping for far too long. His head throbbed with an aching intensity, but he could still feel something... different in the air. Something... unnatural. As he slowly regained consciousness, the events that led him to this moment were blurry at best, fleeting at worst.
The last thing he remembered was sitting at his desk in his small apartment on Earth. He had been working, as usual, on his laptop—writing some code for a new project at his tech company—when the world around him suddenly seemed to tremble. A blinding flash of light swallowed him whole, and just like that, his surroundings vanished.
Now, standing in the middle of an unfamiliar forest, Lin Zhan’s heart raced as panic started to set in. The trees around him were impossibly tall, their branches heavy with thick, moss-covered vines. The air smelled damp, rich with the scent of strange flowers and decaying leaves. There was an eerie, unnatural quiet to the place. No birds chirped. No animals scurried. Just the soft rustling of the wind.
“What… what is this place?” Lin Zhan muttered under his breath, his voice thick with confusion. His hands instinctively touched his face, as if expecting to find some form of injury. To his surprise, there were no scratches or bruises. His body felt oddly light and agile, though still weary from the disorientation.
Then, his gaze shifted upward. What he saw almost made him gasp. The sky above was an unusual shade of violet, a color he had never seen on Earth. There were two suns, one a faint yellow, the other a deep red, suspended in the sky. The atmosphere seemed thick with an otherworldly energy, and the clouds, dark and swirling, moved as though alive.
“No... this can’t be real,” Lin Zhan whispered, his mind struggling to piece together the truth of his situation. Was this some kind of dream? Had he somehow fallen unconscious after overworking and hallucinated all this?
But the feeling in the pit of his stomach told him otherwise. This wasn’t a dream. It was far too vivid, too detailed. He was truly somewhere else. Somewhere that wasn’t Earth.
“Welcome to the Blue Star, Host.”
The voice echoed in Lin Zhan’s mind, and he froze. The voice was neither male nor female, but completely neutral in tone. It wasn’t loud, but it was unmistakable, resonating deep inside his thoughts.
Host? Lin Zhan frowned, his heartbeat quickening. His senses sharpened, and a strange feeling of unease gnawed at him. Was he hearing things? He looked around, but there was no one in sight. The forest remained eerily still, as though time itself was frozen in this strange place.
“Host, you have been chosen. The Golden Finger system has bound itself to you. Your journey has just begun.”
"Golden Finger?" Lin Zhan repeated under his breath, completely bewildered. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He shook his head, trying to focus, but the strange feeling of being watched lingered.
“You have been transported to Blue Star, a world unlike Earth. Here, the law of the strong rules, and the weak perish. Your mission is to grow stronger and ascend to power. Only by doing so will you have a chance at survival.”
Lin Zhan stood frozen as the words lingered in his mind. This couldn’t be happening. This was insanity. Yet, he couldn’t deny the weight of the voice in his head. It wasn’t a hallucination. He felt it, a connection forming, a bond with the words that the voice spoke.
The Golden Finger? A system that granted power? He had read stories about such things—about people transported to other worlds, given abilities, and tasked with surviving or conquering. But those were just novels, fantasies.
“Is this a joke?” Lin Zhan muttered aloud, shaking his head. “There’s no way this is happening.”
The forest around him seemed to respond with a low, guttural growl.
Lin Zhan snapped his head to the sound. Something was approaching. His instincts screamed at him to move, but his body still felt sluggish, weak, as though it had been drained of energy. The rustling of leaves grew louder, then... the snap of branches. A shadow loomed from the mist.
His eyes widened as a hulking figure emerged from the trees. It was a massive undead creature, its body covered in decaying, rusted armor, its skin a sickly shade of green. Bloodshot eyes locked onto him, and its claws—sharp and twisted—scraped against the earth with a sound that sent a chill down Lin Zhan’s spine.
The undead creature’s growl echoed in the air as it lumbered forward, its movements slow but powerful. The air around it shimmered with an eerie energy, its very presence causing the plants to wither and decay.
Lin Zhan stumbled backward, panic rising within him. His body was still sluggish from the strange journey, and he had no idea how to defend himself against this terrifying creature. His thoughts raced, looking for a solution.
“Host, do not fear,” the voice echoed again, its tone cool and detached. “You possess the Golden Finger, a gift that grants you power. Use it wisely.”
The words were simple, but they ignited something deep within Lin Zhan. For the first time, he felt a strange heat coursing through his body. Energy surged, and his senses sharpened, bringing clarity to his thoughts. He could feel it—a presence within him, the Golden Finger system, giving him something—something powerful.
The undead creature roared and charged forward, its claws slashing through the air. Lin Zhan didn’t have time to think. He instinctively raised his hand, and before he could comprehend what was happening, a surge of raw energy shot from his palm. The blast hit the undead creature square in the chest, knocking it back with incredible force. The beast let out a howl of pain, its body staggering backward, but the impact wasn’t enough to defeat it.
Lin Zhan’s heart raced as he tried to regain control of his faculties. His hand trembled as he readied himself for the next move. He didn’t know where this power had come from, but he couldn’t deny it—it was real.
The creature was on the move again, but this time, Lin Zhan’s movements were far quicker, more precise. He ducked under the beast’s swipe and, with a fluid motion, unleashed another energy blast. This time, it was even stronger, more concentrated. The energy beam struck the undead creature’s head, sending it sprawling backward as its skull shattered into pieces.
The beast collapsed to the ground with a sickening thud, its form disintegrating into a pile of ash and bone. Lin Zhan stood there, panting, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His limbs were trembling, but the overwhelming feeling of power coursing through him was undeniable.
“Congratulations, Host,” the voice in his mind said, its tone devoid of emotion. “You have passed the first test. Your power has begun to awaken. You will face greater challenges in this world. Prepare yourself, Lin Zhan.”
Lin Zhan stood in stunned silence, looking down at the remnants of the undead creature. His chest heaved as he tried to process what had just happened. He had… won? With a power he didn’t even understand? This was only the beginning, but Lin Zhan knew one thing for sure—this world was dangerous. And he would need to get stronger if he hoped to survive.
As the last remnants of the undead creature faded into nothing, Lin Zhan looked up at the dark sky above. The world of Blue Star stretched endlessly before him, filled with unknown threats and unimaginable power. He had no choice but to face it head-on. And so, Lin Zhan’s journey began.
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