Chapter 1: Edward Connor
"When you read this sentence, your mind is already gone."
Jennifer slammed the book onto the table, planted her hands on the surface, and leaned forward, bringing her face close to Edward's.
Her eyes sparkled with mischief, like a cunning fox. "Hey! Edward, there's this awesome band coming to town this weekend. Want to go with me?" She blinked her surprisingly bright, wide eyes, practically glowing with anticipation.
(Jennifer — Jennifer's physical body)
The glances from several guys around them instantly locked on like searchlights, mixed with envy and jealousy. "What's so special about him anyway...?"
Edward leaned back lazily in his chair, lifted his eyelids to glance at her, then shrugged dramatically.
"Sure."
He dragged out the word, his tone suggesting he was just "doing her a favor," in the most annoying way possible.
"Otherwise, I'd just be sitting at home doing nothing anyway." He threw his hands up in mock resignation.
"Then it's a date!" Jennifer clapped her hands excitedly, as if afraid Edward would back out.
"Mm." Edward simply grunted.
Ring, ring, ring.
The entire classroom instantly erupted into chaos—chairs scraping, voices buzzing.
Students poured out of the classroom in small groups, like they were escaping a prison.
Edward blended into the crowd, casually strolling out through the school gate.
He started his walk home. As he walked, he couldn't help but think about his bizarre transmigration experience.
As a regular, law-abiding citizen of the 21st century, he had somehow been transported to this world due to something as ridiculous as running out of toilet paper in the bathroom.
Every time he thought about that absurd reason, Edward wanted to flip off the universe.
Over the past few years, Edward had finally figured out that the world he was in was basically a mashup of horror movies.
The town he now lived in was called Derry, and yes, it was the place where the terrifying clown Pennywise lurked.
Fortunately, Edward had never encountered the demonic clown to this day.
Near the town was Crystal Lake Camp, rumored to be beautiful, with an immortal mama's boy perpetually lurking in its waters!
Additionally, Oregon had the creepy Stanley Hotel, California news frequently reported a serial killer on the loose, and then there was Elm Street in Springwood, where property values must have crashed through the floor—who the hell would dare to sleep there!
The more Edward thought about it, the worse his headache got. But thankfully, when push came to shove, Big Brother System had appeared right on time. Edward silently said, "Open system panel."
Immediately, a virtual panel appeared before him:
[Name: Edward Connor]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 18 years old]
[Main Quest: ???]
[Inventory: Ebony and Ivory, Pure Silver Cross]
[Abilities: Photographic Memory, Pure Yang Body, Charm]
[Pet: None]
[Achievement: [Reverse Prank] — Successfully tripped a ghost 3 times]
[Gold: 999]
Lottery: Low-tier lottery 1000 for 10 draws, Mid-tier lottery 100,000 for 10 draws, High-tier lottery 1,000,000 for 10 draws, Ultimate lottery 100,000,000 for 10 draws
Looking at this incredibly barebones system, without even a proper help menu, Edward felt completely helpless.
To survive in this dangerous world, he could only rely on the allowance he'd saved by being frugal, drawing lotteries bit by bit, and finally acquiring some halfway useful items.
At this moment, as Edward walked, he couldn't help but calculate in his mind: "Just 10 more bucks and I can do another 10-draw. I really hope I can get something good this time, to give me more security in this horror world."
He looked up at the sky; the setting sun was pale and sickly, like a corpse's complexion.
"I'm home!" As Edward stepped through the door, he called out into the house.
His voice echoed in the somewhat empty house. Then, he walked straight to the bathroom sink to wash his hands.
At that moment, a gentle voice came from the kitchen: "Edward, go call your sister down for dinner." It was Edward's current mother—Sarah Connor.
Edward still remembered how pumped he was when he first learned his mother's name, thinking he was in the world of "Terminator."
The classic scene of Arnold even flashed through his mind, imagining him saying with that deadpan expression, "I'll be back."
Unfortunately, reality quickly burst his bubble.
Because his father was also named John Connor, this coincidence made Edward laugh and shake his head, realizing his excitement was all for nothing.
Edward walked upstairs, drying his hands.
Arriving at his sister's door, he knocked gently and said, "Lily, come down for dinner."
With a soft rustle, the door slowly opened, and his sister, Lily Connor, emerged from the room.
For some reason, lately, whenever Edward saw his sister Lily, a weird feeling would creep over him, but no matter how hard he wracked his brain, he couldn't figure out what exactly felt off.
(Lily — Case 39)
After dinner, his mother took his sister out for a walk, leaving only Edward and his father to handle the dishes in the spacious kitchen.
As Edward dried his hands, he turned to his father, who was washing dishes at the sink, and said, "Dad, I need a hundred bucks."
John paused upon hearing this, turning his head slightly: "Son, what do you need that much money for?"
Edward didn't hesitate for a second, immediately responding: "There's a band playing here this weekend, and I asked Jennifer out."
He deliberately emphasized the name "Jennifer."
"I can't look cheap in front of a girl, can I?"
John smiled helplessly, stopped what he was doing, wiped his hands on his apron, and said with a pained expression: "Son, you know your mom controls all the money in this house..."
Before his father could finish, Edward smugly interrupted him, stating confidently:
"The false bottom in the living room vase, inside the chandelier base in the guest room, and page thirty-six of that atlas in your study." Edward rattled off the three locations without missing a beat, grinning at his dad. "Dad, what do you think Mom would do if she found out?"
He smiled like a little devil.
Upon hearing this, John was stunned for a moment, then said: "Good son, is two hundred enough? Don't lose face in front of your friends."
Edward's eyes lit up, his smile widened, and he reached out to take the two hundred-dollar bills his father handed him, happily humming a tune as he turned and walked with a spring in his step back to his room.
John watched his son's retreating back, shaking his head helplessly, muttering to himself: "When the hell did this kid find all my hiding spots? Looks like I need to find new places fast, or he'll bleed me dry."
With that, he continued washing the dishes, still wearing a fond smile.
Edward returned to his room, casually tossing the two hundred dollars onto the table, and eagerly opened the system panel.
Edward took ten dollars from the money he'd just received and recharged it.
With a crisp ding sound, his gold finally reached 1000 as planned.
Looking at his hard-earned 1000 gold, Edward's eyes filled with anticipation, silently praying that this lottery draw would yield something truly useful.
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