DEM Chapter 1: The System Arrived, But It Wants Me to Wreak Havoc on the World

"Do you know about the napkin theory?"

"On a round table, if someone picks up the napkin on their right, everyone else will follow and pick up the napkin on their right. If they pick up the one on their left, others will do the same."

"And now, I’ve just picked up that very first 'napkin'!"

In the school cafeteria, Su Yuan gracefully pulled out a napkin to wipe his mouth, letting out a soft sigh.

Sitting across from him, Chu Lanxi tilted his head and said with a strange tone, "Why are you suddenly acting so cocky? Did you finally awaken or something?"

"Awaken? I’ve never been asleep, alright?" Su Yuan replied with a proud tone, his gaze sharp and commanding.

Chu Lanxi fell silent for a moment. His peach-blossom eyes, which seemed to hold deep affection even when looking at a dog, suddenly curved into a cold smile. "Since President Su is so impressive, how about you cover the cafeteria meals from now on? I won’t bother you anymore either. How could I dare ask a big shot like you to do my homework?"

This was his ultimate move, one that would normally make Su Yuan surrender immediately. To Chu Lanxi’s surprise, however, Su Yuan merely gave a dismissive smirk.

"A true man stands tall between heaven and earth. How could I linger beneath others forever?"

Chu Lanxi found this odd. Could this guy actually have awakened?

And the truth was exactly as Chu Lanxi suspected.

At that moment, a virtual progress bar appeared before Su Yuan’s eyes, displaying a bold line of text:

[System Loading]

The instant he saw those words, Su Yuan’s eyes welled up with tears. After years of being a transmigrator, he finally had a system!

Reflecting on his first eighteen years, his life could only be described as arduous.

Starting as an orphan, enduring ten years of grueling study, even getting into a top city high school required him to earn tuition and living expenses by doing others’ homework and taking odd jobs, never catching a break.

But now, everything had changed!

The system had arrived! The heavens had opened! Su Yuan had finally made it!

[System Loading Complete]

As the progress bar hit one hundred percent, a crisp mechanical voice rang in Su Yuan’s mind.

[Ding-dong! Congratulations, Host, for binding to the Wreak Havoc System. As long as the Host continuously completes Villain Tasks, you can become a generation’s Demon Lord!]

[Newbie Villain Task Issued]

[Task: Seize Others’ Opportunities (Incomplete)]

[As a villain, killing and plundering should be as natural as eating and drinking. Please seize others’ opportunities for your own use!]

[Task Progress: 0/10]

[Task Reward: Brahma Pure Demon Heart]

Su Yuan: "..."

What the heck? He looked again.

No mistake, it really was the Wreak Havoc System! Who in the world stuck this system on him? As a lawful transmigrator, scraping by with hard work and unable to afford even a decent spiritual root, he finally got a system, only for it to demand he commit crimes from the get-go?

Killing and plundering? Stealing opportunities?

In his entire life, he hadn’t stolen a single penny. The most immoral thing he’d ever done was spotting a hundred bucks on the ground, quickly stepping on it, and stalling the owner for three days and three nights.

And now this system shows up out of nowhere!

Who was trying to ruin him?

Meanwhile, Chu Lanxi, who had witnessed Su Yuan’s expressions shift from excitement to aloofness, then loneliness, shock, and finally despair, could only describe it as spectacular.

Who would’ve thought his classmate, so young, was already a seasoned actor?

Thud!

Su Yuan suddenly slumped onto the table, grabbing Chu Lanxi’s hand and pleading, "Dad, I was just joking earlier. Don’t take it to heart. Besides, I’m living so well, how could ordinary students compare to me?"

"That’s more like it."

Chu Lanxi’s lips curled slightly. He picked up his tray and left his seat, adding as he walked away, "Today’s homework is on you too. I’ve got plans tonight, so don’t wait up."

"Take care, foster father."

"Thirty years east, thirty years west, just you wait!"

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, I said I’ll write your homework for life."

Su Yuan snapped to attention, standing straight until Chu Lanxi’s figure completely vanished from sight. Then, staring at the annoying system panel, he let out a long sigh.

"This damn system is screwing me over. If you’re gonna come, don’t give me a demonic cultivation system of all things!"

"With omnipresent divine surveillance networks everywhere, demonic cultivators have no way to survive. Break the law, and you’re guaranteed to get caught!"

After quickly finishing the food on his tray, Su Yuan left the cafeteria, exited the campus, and headed toward the nearby subway.

In the sky, flying swords and spirit boats occasionally zipped between towering skyscrapers.

There was even someone riding an immortal crane.

Look at that, the crane was trailing a faint yellow auspicious cloud.

Wait, that wasn’t an auspicious cloud, the crane was pooping mid-air!

Thankfully, the next second, a city cleaner riding a flying sword shot into the sky, skillfully catching the mess in a bag before chasing down the crane’s owner for a fine.

Su Yuan was long used to such sights.

He was a transmigrator. One day, after getting off work back on Earth, he saved someone and got hit by a stroke of cosmic luck, landing in this highly advanced cultivation civilization.

From what he’d learned, this world, called Blue Star, was almost identical to Earth three hundred years ago, with no cultivators to speak of.

But on the eve of the Industrial Revolution, Blue Star experienced a spiritual energy resurgence. Ancient cultivation legacies surfaced, setting the world on a path completely different from Earth’s.

After over three hundred years of turbulent development, Blue Star’s human civilization unified, and the world entered an era of peace.

In Su Yuan’s time, cultivation knowledge was widespread. High-level cultivators had left the home planet to explore the stars, and artificial spiritual roots had become commonplace, truly achieving universal cultivation.

Su Yuan was an orphan who, through his own efforts, got into a top-tier immortal cultivation high school in the city.

But with only two hundred days until the college entrance exam, his grades were merely above average, far from qualifying for a top immortal academy.

He had hoped the system would change that, but clearly, his hopes were dashed.

Now, Su Yuan was already considering learning a trade early, so he’d have job prospects after university.

He couldn’t exactly go work at a construction site, could he?

After the subway ride, Su Yuan stopped in front of an apartment building, swiped his card to enter, took the flying elevator to the twenty-eighth floor, and opened the door to one of the units.

It was an apartment with over eighty square meters, two bedrooms, and a living room, far too expensive for an orphan like Su Yuan to afford alone. He was sharing it.

His roommate? None other than Chu Lanxi, his "foster son" and good classmate.

Tomorrow was the Spiritual Energy Resurgence Memorial Day, a statutory holiday with three days off, so Su Yuan wasn’t in a rush to do his "son’s" homework. He flopped onto the couch, pulled out his phone, and started browsing job groups for work.

He’d given up on the system. Only part-time jobs could sustain his life.

Soon, Su Yuan found a gig as a restaurant server. After negotiating a price with the manager, he pulled out his and Chu Lanxi’s homework from his storage bag and got to work.

By the time he finished, it was midnight.

Experts recommended that Qi Refining cultivators sleep four hours a day. As a fifth-layer Qi Refining cultivator, Su Yuan planned to scroll short videos for an hour before bed.

Just then, his phone pinged.

Chu Lanxi: Son, Dad’s got a delivery coming soon. Pick it up for me. I’ll be home in ten minutes.

Su Yuan clicked his tongue.

At that moment, a whooshing sound came from outside.

Turning his head, Su Yuan saw a delivery guy in a yellow robe and helmet zooming in on a flying sword.

Just before crashing into Su Yuan’s window, the sword tilted sharply, stopping at the last second.

"Hello, Kangaroo Delivery at your service. Here’s your ordered spiritual fruit."

Su Yuan opened the window and took the delivery.

"Have a pleasant meal and life. Please leave a five-star review."

The delivery guy flashed a bright, toothy grin.

Su Yuan was about to respond when another whooshing sound approached. Looking over, he saw a middle-aged man in a security uniform, riding a flying pitchfork, charging aggressively!

"No deliveries allowed inside! Where do you think you’re going?"

The security uncle roared, his pitchfork turning into a sharp red streak, shooting straight at the delivery guy!

Unfazed, the delivery guy formed a sword gesture, summoning a hundred cyan sword qi to swirl around him, meeting the incoming pitchfork!

Amid the clanging of sword qi and pitchfork, the delivery guy zipped away at lightning speed, laughing loudly, "Old Wang, your fork’s too slow and weak! You should retire already!"

"Hmph!"

The security uncle snorted, pointing from afar. Two missiles shot out from the pitchfork’s tip, rocketing toward the stunned delivery guy.

With two loud booms, the missiles hit, transforming into spiritual energy nets that tightly bound the delivery guy.

"Didn’t see that coming, did you? Our property management just got a batch of new gear!"

The uncle waved, recalling his pitchfork, grabbed the disheveled delivery guy, and saluted Su Yuan solemnly, "Protecting residents’ safety is our duty!"

With that, he flew off with the delivery guy.

Su Yuan: "..."

Was that a high-level cultivator duel? Why did it feel so off?

As a seasoned local, Su Yuan was only mildly surprised. He shut the window, pretending nothing happened.

Looking at the heavy delivery bag and the price on the receipt, Su Yuan’s mouth twitched.

Chu Lanxi sure knew how to live it up, partying all night and ordering fancy fruit. Why was the gap between people so huge?

He casually opened the bag, glancing at the bright red boxed fruit slices, about to toss it on the table when a ding-dong sounded in his ear.

[Villain Task: Seize Others’ Opportunities (In Progress)]

Su Yuan: "???"

What the heck?!

Ten minutes later, Chu Lanxi walked in, dressed in a black leather jacket, all legs below the neck, exuding cool-guy vibes.He reached for the delivery bag on the table by the door, only to find it empty.

"Strange, where’s my dragon fruit?"

Muttering, Chu Lanxi flicked on the light, scanned the living room, and heard rustling from Su Yuan’s room.

He crept to Su Yuan’s half-open bedroom door and pushed it open. Su Yuan was hunched over his desk, back to the door, doing something.

A faint fruity aroma wafted over.

Chu Lanxi raised an eyebrow, strode over, grabbed Su Yuan by the back of his neck, and stared at the scarlet fruit juice on Su Yuan’s lips. Narrowing his eyes, he barked, "Where’s my dragon fruit, Su Yuan? Did you see it?"

"Nope, nope."

Su Yuan’s eyes darted away.

Chu Lanxi pointed straight at the box of fruit slices hidden in Su Yuan’s drawer. "Then what’s that you’re eating?"

"B-Banana."

Su Yuan kept playing dumb, struggling to swallow the last bite of dragon fruit.

[Villain Task: Seize Others’ Opportunities (In Progress)]

[Task Progress: 1/10]

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