Chapter One: The Undercover Agent and "The Lonely Warrior"

The blazing summer sun scorched the city of Modu. Clad in a yellow delivery uniform, Su Bai weaved through the endless stream of traffic like a streak of lightning—he had only five minutes left before his delivery would be marked late.

It had been ten years since Su Bai crossed into this world, growing up in an orphanage with Yang Mengke. Relying on the experience from his past life, he’d managed to earn some money over the years, and life for the two of them had gradually improved. But a sudden catastrophe plunged them into an icy abyss.

Yang Mengke loved to sing and dreamed of becoming a singer. Su Bai’s greatest wish in this life was for her happiness, so he poured all his savings into supporting her pursuit. He knew the entertainment world was a perilous mire, but he never imagined its depths were so treacherous.

One scheme destroyed every investment, turning his hopes to dust. Then, a devastating fire stole Yang Mengke’s delicate beauty, leaving her body increasingly frail and burdening them with crushing debt.

Though he was a transmigrator, Su Bai was still an ordinary man. Faced with such calamities, he felt utterly powerless. Even paying Yang Mengke’s mounting hospital bills weighed heavily on him.

That very morning, the hospital had notified him: unless he paid fifty thousand yuan by tomorrow, she would not receive further treatment. Yang Mengke was barely hanging on, her burns so severe that her life now depended on the medication dripping into her veins. Without it, complications from her injuries would rapidly worsen, putting her at the very edge of death.

Whenever Su Bai recalled the emptiness in Yang Mengke’s eyes—the ethereal light once there now extinguished—his heart ached unbearably. He knew, no matter how desperately he worked as a delivery rider, it would never be enough. He had already borrowed every cent he could.

“Xiao Ke, I’m so sorry… I’ve failed you,” he whispered, tears silently tracing down his cheeks, his eyes filled with despair.

Suddenly, a voice echoed within his mind:

[Delivery Singer System binding initiated!]
[Beginner Gift: Granting host master-level singing skills, and the song “The Lonely Brave,” but only to be sung for customers who order delivery.]
[Detected: Host’s little sister’s health is deteriorating. Complete the first task—perform “The Lonely Brave”—and receive a vial of medicine to halt her decline!]
[Mission: After singing for the customer, receive an SS rating or higher to complete the task!]

At the sound of the system’s voice, Su Bai’s fists clenched with excitement. Where moments ago there was lifelessness, hope now flickered in his eyes.

Xiao Ke could be saved.

Ten years had passed, but at last, the system—every transmigrator’s standard companion—had arrived. Though late, it wasn’t too late.

“Xiao Ke, we’re saved! We’re really saved!” he cried, choking back tears. “I knew it. I knew fate would not abandon us!”

Su Bai understood: if there was a first task, then there would be others to follow. If medicine could halt her decline now, surely the next mission would bring improvement. The best hospital in Modu could only slow her illness, but now—with the system’s help—everything was possible.

Customers. Yes. He had to find his customer right away.

---

At Pier Three, Su Bai parked his electric scooter and, following the directions from a phone call, raced madly toward the interior of the dock.

“Sir, I’m so sorry, there was traffic. I’m late. I apologize, truly!” he repeated, but the recipient said nothing.

The man took the delivery.

“It’s fine. You can go,” came a hoarse, almost grating voice.

Su Bai started. With a voice like that, he was still drinking strong liquor?

The order was a bottle of Hengshui Laobaigan and a packet of peanuts.

He looked up and saw urgency and resolve in the man’s eyes—a familiar presence about him.

A soldier.

It was instinct, the kind that only those who have served can recognize. In his past life, Su Bai had served eight years, and he trusted his gut.

Liu Lei unscrewed the bottle with practiced hands, and, turning away, tipped back a deep draught. Quick and discreet as the motion was, Su Bai noticed a small device slip into the man’s mouth along with the liquor.

An ordinary person might not have understood, but Su Bai knew—he’d seen such things before. It was a micro-locator.

A soldier… a locator… the dock…

There had to be a story here.

“Mr. Liu, wait—” Su Bai called.

Liu Lei glanced back, puzzled, seeing that the delivery boy had not left.

“Why are you still here?”

“It seems you’re burdened with heavy concerns. Your heart is not at peace.”

At those words, Liu Lei halted, his steps arrested. His eyes grew razor-sharp and every muscle tensed, ready for action.

Liu Lei was an undercover agent infiltrating the XX Fraud Syndicate. At first, he had comrades with him, but now, every one of them was dead—only he remained. If he could follow the group’s ship today, he might find their base and rescue countless captives from Daxia. If he failed, those countrymen would never see freedom again.

Yet now, a delivery man had seen through him.

“What makes you say that?” Liu Lei demanded.

Su Bai finally understood the significance of the system’s task—to sing “The Lonely Brave” for this customer.

Time was short, he knew, so he went straight to the point.

“Though you hide it well, there’s a soldier’s bearing in your bones. And you just swallowed a micro-device. Your urgency to leave—all of it tells me one thing: you’re about to embark on a covert mission, aren’t you?”

At that, Liu Lei lunged forward, a knife flashing to rest cold against Su Bai’s neck.

“Tell me who you are! Who sent you? What’s your connection to the XX Fraud Syndicate? You have three sentences to explain, or you’re dead.”

Despite the pain at his throat and the knowledge that his life hung by a thread, Su Bai remained calm.

“There’s anxiety in your eyes. Your heart is not at peace. In your current state—if you truly are undercover—you won’t last a day. Don’t doubt me. In some ways, we are alike.”

The word “undercover” shook Liu Lei to his core. He was about to silence Su Bai when the delivery boy’s final words stilled his hand.

“Then tell me—what should I do?”

Hearing Liu Lei’s tone, Su Bai knew he was halfway to success.

“Let me sing you a song—‘The Lonely Brave.’ Perhaps, when you have heard it, your heart will find another path.”

A song?