My name is Li Fan. Just like my name suggests, I'm the kind of guy who'd disappear in a crowd if you didn't look closely enough.
Back then, my parents gave me this name hoping I'd lead an ordinary, stable life. And I lived up to their expectations, living peacefully... until one day.
I received a mysterious email:
"Sir, here is the deal: if you are interested, we can arrange an interview for you in three hours."
Yes, out of nowhere, while I was already planning to switch jobs, I received a mysterious email in the middle of the night. And the content happened to be an interview notice.
"Big Data is getting ridiculous these days," I muttered to myself while preparing a reply:
"Hello, I can't make it for an interview right now. How about Sunday? I'm free then. If you're interested, please get back to me."
The other party replied almost instantly: "Actually, I'm a god. Do you believe me?"
I had no idea which company hired such a "brilliant" HR person to mess with me at this hour. Forget it. I ignored them and went to bed as usual.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a strange place. My logic told me I must be dreaming.
"Hello, Mr. Li," a young, gentle voice echoed. "Shall we begin the interview?"
What the hell? This dream actually picks up where reality left off?
Thinking about this, I got a bit curious. Lucid dreams are rare enough, let alone one with a continuous plot. I sat down casually in the chair in front of me. Sitting across from me was a young man wearing glasses, looking quite scholarly. Before he could speak, I took the initiative:
"So, you guys are hiring? First, tell me who you are."
The young man gave a professional smile:
"I am the one who sent you the email. This is our interview location. Since the interviewer had an emergency, I will be conducting the interview in his place."
Since it was a dream, I started talking nonsense:
"I remember you said you were a god, right? Come on, turn that stone into gold for me. Let me see some magic."
The guy froze for a second. I pressed my advantage:
"Hurry up, don't just sit there. I've never seen a god in my life. Get a move on."
"Well... this is a job recruitment, could you please..."
"I know it's a recruitment, but you're a god, right? I want to ask you, back in the day, did Sun Wukong really beat the crap out of you guys until you ran for your lives?"
The young man was speechless. He adjusted his glasses:
"You probably haven't grasped the situation yet. Let me introduce myself. My name is Zhang, Zhang Lin. You can call me Mr. Zhang. Also, you probably think you're in a dream, but we've actually just brought your consciousness here. Your body is still lying at home."
"Impressive! Since your tech is so high-end, can you show me your interstellar battleships? A small starship would do."
My jumping thoughts were making Zhang Lin distressed. He rubbed his forehead and sighed:
"You've misunderstood us. We aren't aliens. This is the God Realm. And you aren't dreaming. If you don't believe me, give yourself a hard pinch. You'll have your answer immediately."
I gave myself a hard pinch. A sharp pain shot through me.
Wait... do you feel pain in dreams?
Stubbornly, I pinched myself again even harder. The pain was even more intense. The reality was that I was still here, and I hadn't woken up in bed as expected.
Seeing my face pale, Zhang Lin's lips curled into a slight smile: "Now you finally understand. Let's get down to business."
I started to panic:
"Mr. Zhang... Brother Zhang! If I don't pass the interview, you'll send me back, right? Don't worry, I'm a tight-lipped guy. I won't say a word."
"Don't worry about that. Our process is very humane. Besides, many people come here, not just you. Now, let me ask you a few questions."
My heart was in my throat. I had already made up my mind to give the wrong answers just so I could go home.
"If sacrificing yourself could save the world, would you do it willingly?"
"No! Absolutely not! I'd run as far as I could. If I can't run, we can all go down together!"
"Hmm..." Zhang Lin fell into thought. "You're quite honest. Better than the previous ones."
"Second question: If you were walking down the street and saw some thugs bullying a girl, what would you do?"
"Pretend I didn't see anything and call the police. I value my life very much. I would never just rush in. What if they have knives?"
"Very good, very good. Courage and strategy." Zhang Lin looked delighted. "Last question: Do you want to be isekai'd (transmigrated)?"
"No!" I blurted out, afraid he'd misunderstand. "Earth is just fine. Actually, I just remembered I have to get up early tomorrow, so how about we..."
I stood up, desperate to leave this place.
"It's you!" Zhang Lin gave me a mysterious smile. "Congratulations, you have successfully become an external employee of our company."
"Wait, is this forced recruitment?! Help! Kidnapping! Murder!"
I yelled at the top of my lungs for a while, but no one came in. My eyes darted around and spotted a phone on the table. I lunged for it, but just as I was about to dial, Zhang Lin—with practiced ease—yanked the phone line out.
I went cold from head to toe. My heart sank.
"Fine... spill it. Are you harvesting my kidneys or selling my blood? I'm screwed, but remember this: I'll haunt you as a ghost!"
Zhang Lin was all smiles: "We aren't some black-market den. It's just that the bosses upstairs keep talking about how human hearts aren't what they used to be and how humanity is corrupted. It's easy for them to talk, but poor us, we have to find ways to get a lucky soul... uh... I mean, a savior."
Dammit! He definitely said 'unlucky soul' first. So I'm the unlucky one.
"Just tell me. What do you want me to do? But let me be clear: I won't do anything that betrays my country."
"It's simple: Transmigration!"
Transmigration! The trope found in countless cultivation, fantasy, romance, and farming novels had finally happened to me. But was it really a good thing? Once you go, it's harder than reaching the heavens to come back. What about my parents?
"Fine. Give me a System first. Throw in some mansions and beautiful women too. Oh, and money. Money is the most important. I'm not asking for a mountain of gold, but at least let me be rich enough to buy a country..."
Zhang Lin looked a bit embarrassed.
"That might be difficult. No mansions, no women. And don't even mention 'cheats.' None of that stuff from your web novels exists here!"
"Then there's nothing to talk about! I'm not doing it. Find someone else. Without anything? Am I supposed to go over there just to hang out with a bunch of dudes?"
"Don't be like that. If there are no conditions, we create them! That place is full of opportunities."
"Opportunities? Why don't you go then? Let's swap: I'll sit here and recruit people, and you go transmigrate."
"Uh, this is a company assignment. You're a company man now, so you have to go."
Zhang Lin seemed to lose his patience and started using corporate pressure on me.
"Then I refuse to follow orders! Tell the boss to fire me immediately. I'm in a hurry to get home."
Zhang Lin's face went from red to white as I refused to budge. Finally, he forced a smile.
"Brother... Brother Li, just help a brother out. I really..."
"Save it. Don't try to get close to me. Just send me home."
The smile on Zhang Lin's face gradually faded.
"I can't. You're a formal employee now. You can't go home until the end of your shift. I can't help you violate company policy. Besides, time in the God Realm is not synchronized with the human world. You know the saying 'one day in heaven is a year on earth.' If I wait until the end of the shift to send you back, about thirty days will have passed on Earth."
"Thirty days?! But my body would already be..."
Zhang Lin regained his smile: "That's why I say, one hand washes the other."
He grabbed my hand enthusiastically.
"You handle this transmigration thing, and I'll maintain your body for you. I'll even send you back to the exact correct time. You can treat it as a dream. When you wake up, you can go back to your normal life."
I was about to say something when Zhang Lin slammed a contract on the table.
"A double-story rustic villa, with a garden and a small vegetable patch! That's my personal sponsorship to you. As for the cheats you mentioned, I'll find a way. Plus, there are real-world rewards after you return."
I immediately threw all my concerns to the wind. Since I couldn't go back anyway...
I steeled myself and signed my name on the contract. Seeing the signature, Zhang Lin beamed with joy.
"Don't worry, I recruited you. If anything happens, I've got your back. Transmigration is just like a field assignment. Just follow the company's instructions, and you'll definitely come back safe."
"Sigh! I hope so. By the way, how do I find you?"
Zhang Lin ignored me and glanced at the clock on the wall.
"Holy crap! I gotta hurry, or your body really will end up in the morgue!"
"WHAT???!!!"
Suddenly, I felt a wave of dizziness. My vision went black.