Bai Mo woke up to find himself not in the examination hall. He looked around in confusion.
"I was clearly taking the college entrance exam! How did I end up here? Where am I? Am I having a memory lapse?"
Just as he was feeling confused, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang in his mind:
[System activation successful]
[Detection indicates that the host is experiencing mental exhaustion due to continuous differentiation calculations during the college entrance examination mathematics exam.]
[The host's body has been rebuilt and legitimate identity information has been generated]
[Current World: One-Punch Man]
[Initial Ability: Time Stop lv.1]
[Ability Enhancement Method: Earn points by defeating monsters]
Points can be used to: upgrade ability levels/redeem special items/unlock new skills
Bai Mo's face instantly turned bright red: "Wait! What do you mean by 'due to excessive differentiation'? That's too embarrassing! If people knew I was driven to my death by math problems...(╥﹏╥)"
Bai Mo quickly calmed down. He was very familiar with the world of One-Punch Man, after all, it was an anime he had followed.
He pondered the current timeline; if it were before the emergence of the Monster Association, the situation would be relatively optimistic.
"I've finally been reborn, I can't die again."
Bai Mo stood up and looked around, finding himself in a small apartment. The room was empty; the bedroom and kitchen were connected, and the toilet was pitifully small, containing only a toilet bowl.
"It's a toilet...no squat toilet? I'm not used to this."
He looked down at his clothes—thin summer clothes, and his body was covered in a fine sheen of sweat.
"It looks like it's summer..."
After checking his ID card in his pocket, Bai Mo quickly went into the restroom to look in the mirror. He saw no change in himself; it was still that familiar face.
Bai Mo looked around and muttered to himself, "Where exactly is this?"
[System notification: The host is currently located in the suburbs of Z City]
The sudden sound startled Bai Mo. He composed himself and said, "I want to view personal information."
A semi-transparent information panel immediately appeared before his eyes:
[Name: Bai Mo]
[Age: 18]
[Strength: 5 (Ordinary Person)]
[Speed: 5 (average person)]
[Endurance: 5 (average)]
[Ability: Time Stop Lv.1]
[Energy: 100/100 (affected by stamina)]
"How long can my current 100 points of energy be used to pause the current state?"
[System prompt: The current level can be paused for 0.1 seconds]
"It's so short, what's the point!" Bai Mo couldn't help but complain.
[System prompt: Earning points can increase your stamina cap. Do you want to view the points shop now?]
Bai Mo nodded and said, "Yes."
A semi-transparent online store interface immediately appears before your eyes, displaying a dazzling array of products:
[Small Energy Potion - 50 points]
[Strength Enhancer (Basic) - 100 points]
[G36C Assault Rifle - Improved Version (with 30-round magazine) - 500 points]
[Glock 17 Pistol - Improved Version (with 15-round magazine) - 300 points]
[Refined Kitchen Knife - 20 points]
[Youth Training Manual - 5 points]
...
Bai Mo glanced at his points column:
[Current Points: 0]
"This is outrageous!" Bai Mo couldn't help but complain. "Not even a newbie gift pack! Are you expecting me to fight monsters bare-handed? Will these guns even be able to handle them?"
[System Prompt: Warning]
[Our system's motto: Striving for self-improvement]
All weapons have been enhanced and modified.
[Specific parameters:]
[G36C: Armor penetration +1000%]
[Glock 17: Damage +800%]
[Note: Do not attempt challenges beyond your level if you are not skilled enough.]
Bai Mo sighed helplessly: "Alright... then at least help me assess the level of weirdness?"
[System prompt: Basic threat level assessment available]
"That's enough," Bai Mo breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't want to lose my life because I misjudged my opponent's strength."
Just as Bai Mo was focused on browsing the points mall, there was a sudden, urgent knock on the door. He frowned impatiently, hating being disturbed when he was thinking.
He flung the door open: "What is it? Why are you knocking so urgently?"
A domineering landlady stood outside the door: "Hey! You dare yell at me? How long have you been behind on rent? If you don't pay next month, I'll kick you out!"
Bai Mo immediately deflated, weakly replying, "I...I understand...I'll definitely hand it in next month..."
The landlord persisted, "How dare you treat me like this? You...!"
For the next ten minutes, Bai Mo could only silently endure the landlord's scolding.
After finally seeing the landlord off, Bai Mo closed the door and couldn't help but complain, "This system, couldn't it have paid my rent before I transmigrated?"
[System message: This system is also unable to help...]
Bai Mo noticed the system seemed a little dejected and, feeling sorry for it, immediately put on a smiling face: "Haha, just kidding."
Bai Mo thought to himself, "[This system is actually kind of humane...]"
He decided to go out first to confirm the current timeline. He secretly prayed that it was after the establishment of the Hero Association, otherwise he wouldn't be able to make money just by killing monsters.
Stepping out of his dilapidated two-story rented house, Bai Mo looked around helplessly. The rental was indeed shabby, but now was not the time to dwell on that.
Once on the street, Bai Mo stopped a passerby and asked, "Excuse me, is this City A?"
The passerby shook his head and replied, "No, this is Z City."
Bai Mo's heart sank, and he cursed inwardly, "Damn it, it really is in Z City. The system didn't lie to me."
After politely saying goodbye to passersby, Bai Mo wandered aimlessly.
He is now unarmed, an ordinary person, and has been reborn in the most dangerous city, Z City.
As Bai Mo passed through a park, he suddenly stopped—he saw a familiar figure. The man doing squats was undoubtedly Saitama, except that he still had thick hair.
"I need to find a way to get in touch with him..." Bai Mo thought to himself. He walked to the vending machine by the park, intending to buy Qi Yu a drink, and subconsciously punched the machine: "Damn it... I forgot I'm penniless right now."
Left with no other option, Bai Mo casually approached Saitama. After Saitama finished a set of squats, he spoke up at the opportune moment: "Excuse me, is there a supermarket nearby? I just moved here and am not very familiar with the area."
Saitama wiped his sweat: "The supermarket? Just walk straight down this road and you'll see it."
Bai Mo continued probing, "By the way, have you seen any strange, crab-like people around here?"
"Yes, I encountered him yesterday, but I already took care of him," Saitama answered decisively.
"Thank you." Bai Mo tactfully left. Saitama actually mentioned encountering the Crab Monster, and it happened yesterday, which means the Hero Association still needs some time before it's officially established. "I need to find a job first; I can't just starve to death before the Hero Association is set up..."
Following the directions given by Saitama, Bai Mo quickly found the supermarket. Entering the store, he looked around and noticed the shelves were somewhat disorganized and there weren't many customers.
"Are you hiring here?" Bai Mo asked, stopping a staff member who was tidying up the shelves.
The staff member looked him up and down: "Are you here for a job interview?"
"Yes, I just moved to this area and urgently need a job," Bai Mo replied sincerely.
The staff member sighed, "It's really hard to recruit people in Z City... Wait a moment, I'll go get the store manager."
Not long after, a middle-aged man approached: "I heard you're interested in applying? Do you have any work experience?"
"Although I have no supermarket work experience, I have a strong learning ability," Bai Mo replied, straightening his back.
The store manager glanced at the somewhat empty sales area, then at the deserted street outside, and finally nodded, saying, "Alright, one-week trial period, 800 Sakura Coins per hour. Can you come to work tomorrow?"
"No problem!" Bai Mo secretly breathed a sigh of relief; at least his survival problem was temporarily solved. As he walked out of the supermarket, he couldn't help but sigh, "Sure enough, even in a dangerous place like Z City, finding workers isn't easy..."