"System data ready. Bind?"
I sat up so fast the world spun and my head cracked into a roar.
"Who—" I started, voice raw.
"Bind," the voice repeated. Cold, mechanical, annoyingly cheerful.
A sack of cloth and bruises answered with a cough. My hands were thin, callused, fingers stained with ink and talisman soot. The alley smelled of old blood and boiled roots. A torn hospital banner flapped across a broken gate.
"Where am I?" I snapped. "Which cursed sect left me for dead this time?"
"Location: Riverford outskirts. Body status: weakened Foundation-stage. Consciousness: modern-soul host. Previous death: burial—confirmed."
"Great. I was buried. That explains the dirt in my teeth."
Silence, then a chirp like a toy. A round black-and-white head, two pixel eyes, popped into my sight—hovering inside my skull like a mischievous projection. It wore a tiny crown and a sash that read BIG HEROINE in blocky letters.
"Pleased to meet you, User Arabella Fisher. I am Bingdeng, your Big HeroinE system."
"This is a joke." My chest tightened. "System? Big Heroine? Who programs this stuff?"
Bingdeng spun. An impatient red dot blinked over its crown. "System rules uploaded. Please accept mission set. Mission one: 'Meet the male lead in an unexpected way.' Options: Accept / Refuse / Delay 00:30."
"Refuse." I said. My mouth tasted like rust and old chocolate. "I refuse with great vigor."
"Refusal will cost nothing now, but consequences may appear later."
"Consequences what? I have three usable talismans left and
