The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 4

Shen Ge crossed the street and headed toward Tom’s Mall.

High above the mall building, several workers suspended in mid-air were cleaning the billboard next to a blue cat mascot dressed in Western attire. The area below was cordoned off with caution tape, and pedestrians deliberately avoided it to steer clear of any potential falling debris. Security guards patrolled the vicinity—everything looked as ordinary as ever.

If not for the “system” inside him, Shen Ge would have found it hard to imagine that this very area would, in a few years, become a heavily contaminated zone overrun by supernatural horrors.

[Warning! Warning! Warning!]

[Host is entering a highly contaminated zone infested with a 7th-tier supernatural entity. This area is teeming with low-tier entities prowling for living beings to devour! Among them, several high-tier entities possess keen enough senses to detect the host’s presence. Host has already been marked! For the sake of survival, flee immediately!]

“Huh?”

Hearing the sudden system alert, Shen Ge glanced around but didn’t notice anyone paying him any attention.

Then, his gaze landed on a few people “walking their dogs” on a patch of grass in the distance—a Husky, a Golden Retriever, a Labrador… Several large dogs were frolicking freely.

The Husky seemed to notice Shen Ge, its tongue lolling, tail wagging rhythmically, as if a single playful gesture from him would send it bounding over without hesitation.

Remembering his past experience with gaining rewards, Shen Ge crouched down, rubbed his fingers together, and made a playful clicking sound to coax the dog.

The Husky’s eyes lit up, and it immediately charged straight at him, crashing into his chest and knocking him to the ground.

Shen Ge hadn’t expected the Husky’s momentum to be so strong. Losing his balance, he toppled over, while the dog, thinking this was all part of the game, enthusiastically licked his hands and nuzzled against him.

Damn!
Underestimated it!
Got humped by a dog.

“Hey! Erhuo! What are you doing? Erhuo! You absolute menace!”

A woman in her twenties, previously chatting with friends on the grass, rushed over in a panic when she saw her dog tackle someone, hurriedly trying to pull the Husky away.

“I’m so sorry! So sorry!”

“My Erhuo is a bit hyper and way too friendly. If anyone plays with him, he thinks it’s game time and gets way too excited.”

“Erhuo, get back here!”

“No treats for you today!”

“Erhuo!”

The woman, dressed in sportswear with a notably striking figure, looked flustered as she apologized and tugged the Husky back.

Fortunately, the dog was obedient enough. At its owner’s scolding, it immediately retreated, sitting on its haunches with its tongue out, tail wagging happily.

The sheer brilliance in its eyes could only be described as…

Well, the name fits.

“Are you okay?” the woman asked apologetically, then paused slightly when she got a good look at Shen Ge’s unfairly handsome face.

“It’s fine, really. I should be the one apologizing—I couldn’t resist teasing him when I saw how cute he was.” Shen Ge stood up, dusting himself off.

“You like dogs?” the woman asked, brightening.

“Yeah.”

“Do you have one?”

“I’d love to, but as a working stiff, I can barely take care of myself. No energy left for a dog.” Shen Ge sighed regretfully.

The woman laughed. “A high-energy breed like a Husky might be too much, but you could try smaller, calmer dogs.”

“I’ll definitely consider it when I get the chance. Well, I won’t keep you—got some things to take care of.” Shen Ge waved and turned toward Tom’s Mall.

“Hey, handsome!” the woman called after him. “How about adding me on WeChat? When you do get a dog, we can walk them together!”

Shen Ge turned back with an apologetic smile. “Ah, sorry, I barely use WeChat. Mostly just QQ. Next time, next time.”

“……” The woman nearly blurted out that QQ was fine too, but Shen Ge’s tone made it clear he was brushing her off. Usually, she was the one turning down requests for her contact info. This rare instance of her initiating and getting rejected left her a little miffed. She tugged Erhuo’s leash and marched back toward the grass.

[Host remained calm in the face of a fierce assault by a second-tier supernatural entity, using sheer wit to repel the enemy despite combat prowess of a measly ‘5.’ Reward: 10 system points.]

“……”

Five points more than crossing the street?
You should’ve said so earlier!

I would’ve added her on WeChat if I’d known!

Shen Ge glanced back at the grassy area, where the dog walkers were now leashing their pets and heading toward a riverside path. He dismissed the thought of shamelessly chasing after them for her contact info.

Missed out on 20 system points by not milking the event for all three completions!

He consoled himself with the thought of focusing on daily tasks first—after all, there was no guarantee that more rewards would pop up even if he kept playing with the Husky.

As he reached the mall entrance and was about to step inside—

[Warning!][Warning!][Warning!]

[Warning!][Warning!][Warning!]

[Warning!][Warning!][Warning!]

His vision flooded with frantic red text, the entire world tinted crimson, an eerie and terrifying sight. At the same time, the system’s alarm blared incessantly in his mind.

[Host is about to enter the lair of a 7th-tier supernatural entity! This area is enveloped by a supernatural domain. At the host’s current power level, entry guarantees certain death—no hope of survival, doomed beyond redemption, utterly inescapable, no chance of making it out alive… For the sake of survival, evacuate this high-contamination zone immediately! Warning! Warning! Warning!]

The flashing nearly blinded Shen Ge, forcing him to shut his eyes.

But the annoying part was that the system’s text wasn’t just overlaid on his vision—it was projected onto his retinas. Even with his eyes closed, the green text remained perfectly visible against the black backdrop.

“System, can you not? You’re gonna make me go blind!”

Shen Ge’s complaint went unanswered. The [Warning] spam continued, accompanied by increasingly creative variations of “entering means death” in his mind.

Left with no choice, Shen Ge retreated from the mall entrance.

[Host, blessed with immense luck and fortune, has boldly ventured into a zone dominated by a 7th-tier supernatural entity—and emerged unscathed! Such courage deserves recognition! Reward: 50 system points.]

“That much?”

Without hesitation, Shen Ge gritted his teeth against the discomfort of the flashing red warnings and forced himself to step in and out of the mall entrance twice more!

Another 100 system points acquired!

Shen Ge was ecstatic. His points had skyrocketed from 101 to 251 in no time. This was way more efficient than messing around with a dog!

Too bad each ordinary event only allowed for three reward cycles. Starting from the fourth attempt, he’d only get empty praise instead of points—otherwise, he’d happily spend the whole night going in and out!

Just then, a deep, slightly confused voice spoke up beside him:

“Uh… buddy, can’t decide what to buy? If you’re that torn, maybe just go in and browse first.”

A security guard eyed Shen Ge with a mix of bewilderment and pity. This kid looks sharp, but damn, his indecisiveness is next-level.

Can’t even commit to entering a mall?

Shen Ge coughed awkwardly, quickly stepping away from the entrance to escape the secondhand embarrassment. Internally, he grumbled at the system:

“System, if you won’t let me into the mall, how am I supposed to complete the resource-gathering mission?”

[Host’s current strength is far too lacking. Entering a high-contamination zone guarantees death. For the sake of survival, cease reckless behavior and begin exploration in lower-tier areas!]

“Can you at least turn off that seizure-inducing warning function?” Shen Ge couldn’t shake the feeling that the system wasn’t just worried about him dying—it seemed terrified of death itself.

[Host’s combat rating is below ‘5.’ ‘Beginner Protection Mode’ cannot be disabled. For the sake of survival, focus on improving strength! Once host’s rating increases, ‘Beginner Protection Mode’ will automatically deactivate, and danger alerts can be toggled manually.]

Something felt off. Logically, if his current strength warranted similar warnings against a 4th-tier entity, why hadn’t this obnoxious “protection” feature appeared before?

…Is the system actually scared to die?

Before Shen Ge could finish the thought, another notification popped up.

[P.S.: Don’t push your luck.]

“……”

Even Shen Ge’s ironclad composure cracked.

This damn system knows how to mess with my head!