Chapter 2: Hope and Awakening

Being able to live life again should be a great joy, right?

If the end of your previous life was filled with the pain of terminal cancer, then, when you are reborn as a younger version of yourself and in a seemingly different new world, happiness must be doubled, right?

"...Is this an opportunity given by heaven to make up for the regrets of my past life?"

In Lu Ping'an's previous life, his biggest regret was dedicating himself wholeheartedly to his career while neglecting his own family.

By the time he had amassed considerable wealth, his hard-working parents had already passed away.

"This time, I will make up for it."

Looking at his parents, who were at least thirty years younger, Lu Ping'an silently vowed to himself.

"It's cancer, late-stage."

The answer given by his preventative medical check-up broke him.

He gave up, stopped working, and just waited for death.

He gave up, but someone else didn't.

"...No disease is completely hopeless, even if there's only a 1% chance... you silly boy, it's too early to give up."

With just a theoretical number for the cure rate, his parents back home sold everything - their house, their possessions, everything - without hesitation, and even began taking out loans.

Should they thank the thriving online loan system and low requirements of this era?

The elderly couple who didn't even know how to use cell phones quickly learned about online loans.

They maxed out all their online loans, borrowed all they could, and scraped together the several hundred thousand needed for the operation, as well as the even more expensive follow-up treatments.

"Our boy has been obedient since he was a child, he's our only child, he's very good at studying, and he has always been our pride... He's our treasure. We never expected him to be outstanding, but just to live a safe life. Doctor..."

The old father, a farmer who had not received much education in his life and had never asked for help before,

bowed his head, offered cigarettes, forced a smile, and begged the doctor in the hallway.

These cigarettes, costing one and a half each, were something he couldn't usually afford, but now the person across from him didn't even look at them.

The young man, standing silently behind the wall, suddenly felt pain, and his tears unknowingly flowed down...

His mother, who had always been gentle her entire life, said the harshest words she had ever spoken to her despairing child, who had already been tormented by illness and was begging his parents to stop treatment.

"You can't give up... If you die, we'll go with you!"

Facing his tearful and threatening mother, the already emaciated Lu Ping'an became even more silent.

The barriers between two lives mean nothing in the face of their familiar yet nostalgic faces, filled with heartfelt love and care.

He silently nodded his head, and accepted all reasonable or unreasonable treatment methods, hoping for the miracle the doctor spoke of.

But science seemingly had no miracles, and the verdict was ultimately "at most half a month" left to live.

Fortunately, this new world not only had science, but also the supernatural secret realms known as "pollutants."

Although most people who got involved would be doomed, there were still some lucky survivors who not only lived but also awakened strange abilities.

"The survival rate is very low, the chance of awakening an abnormal ability is even lower, and the possibility of the awakened ability just happening to cure cancer is... at least not zero."

And so, he became a Nightwalker.

Using every means possible, he dragged his sick body in search of the secret realms leading to Death.

This time, a miracle truly happened; he found the secret realm and managed to survive till the end within it.

However, the miracle was only half complete. His Life Bank ability could now only spend money, not earn it. The death penalty had only become a slow death... He had to quickly improve his abnormal abilities and find ways to earn Life-points.

"It's enough. As long as there's a chance to live, there's still hope. It's just that this monitored residence...is really annoying."

What was even more troubling was that because he had seemingly entered an exceptionally unusual secret realm, the so-called god-level secret realm, he became a ZZZ-level pollutant.

As a result, he, a survivor, was now monitored by the "relevant department", and a Deputy Captain named Xia Qin from the local Secret Keepers moved in to live with him as a surveillance measure.

In Xia Qin's view, this monitoring was just a formality.

"...I have my own life, and I can't waste it on you forever. Become a Secret Keeper; only by becoming a professional Secret Keeper can you be considered a partner instead of a threat, and only then can you gain freedom... Before that, I'll use my guarantee to repay the favor you did for me in the Secret Realm."

In a few years, Lu Ping'an, who had been "polluted", would either be finished or become her colleague, and would naturally undergo changes.

Only Lu Ping'an himself knew that being cautious was not at all excessive, and perhaps even not enough.

The decisions made by the relevant departments were not wrong, and pollution could only be covered up by higher-level pollution.

From the perspective of ordinary people, killing him outright might be the best choice.

In fact, even though the report mentioned the lowest threat level Z (near god-level) and the highest threat level reaching ZZZ (god-level), they still underestimated the "specialness" of Lu Ping'an.

In the secret realm, he had obtained more than just the rule-level abnormal ability that hid most of its true nature.

He also held in his hands the key that could easily destroy a city.

"Open it, my secret realm..."

A silver key, the key to his soul-bound secret realm, was a component of his god-level ability.

"...Open the door for your master, Hidden World Courtyard. Hi, how are you, my Divine Prisoner."

The next moment, the world twisted, and scenery from a different world appeared before him.

The circular ancient arena seemed to be in a state of disrepair, with worn-out wall decorations and inscriptions, and parasitic plants climbing the walls of the walkways. The stone seats were all rotting away.