Limitless Interpretations – Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Supporting Role – Undercover Spy

This page, at the very least, contained information imperative to his present situation.

Actors. Scripts. It seems like this ‘Acting Resume’ represented the narratives Yan Wang participated in, along with the roles he has played. It was similar to a record of files.

The higher the Actor Level, the higher their pay and the better their roles are.

In the current narrative, since he was just a low-level extra…

Yan Wang didn’t even have any scripted lines.

However, in another section, Yan Wang realised a startling matter. This entire system was, in fact, an automated Publishing Network! It catalogued experiences and transformed them into novels in the real world, shared for all to see!

Yan Wang might not be an actor in this story, but he was the protagonist in his own novel! 

Therefore, to get the novel signed and make the plot exciting, he definitely had to explore the story thoroughly and enhance his own status within it.

If his novel performed well and garnered many readers IRL… it would be of great assistance to him and help elevate his Actor Level accordingly.

Conversely, if the novel flopped, it would signify poor characterization on his end, resulting in a bad grade for his acting skill assessment. That in turn would deduct points, drop his rank, and soon…

His existence would be erased entirely.

For example, his current ‘F-’ rank.

If this rank went any lower, then eradication was practically ensured.

Besides that, there was another crucial point: it wasn’t a single-player game. For beginners, only the first narrative would be a solo run, done primarily for these newbies, so that they might familiarise themselves with the setting and rules of the system.

But everything after that would be co-op. Yan Wang estimated that, at that point, disregarding some basic, mandatory tasks…

Fierce competition between fellow ‘Actors’ was inevitable.

The narrative world doesn’t seem so different from the real world. ‘Fiction’, in the end, was simply a distortion of reality as it is. Wealth. Fame. Fortune. Everyone wanted to grow, reach for the skies, and obtain endless benefits. However, significant roles were likely limited.

Finite slots would naturally be contested and fought over.  

As for other Actors, whether the system also turns their experiences into published novels or not, Yan Wang truly did not know.

In the Task Bar, completing tasks would Reward Points, or ‘tips’. A sort of extra income.

Tasks were issued randomly based on an Actor’s current identity and situation; the higher an Actor’s Level, the harder the task, and so naturally, the more substantial the return.

Some tasks could be abandoned with no penalty, though one might end up encountering the consequences of the abandonment through the story itself.

But there were some tasks that must be done as well. Story Quests. The consequences of a Story Quest failure were extremely severe, and might even include death — such deaths are not enacted by the system, but by a character in the story.

For example, Yan Wang received a task to expose an undercover agent. Assuming that he doesn’t have sufficient evidence. If he were to run straight to the Boss and expose them anyway, then the most probable outcome would be that the Boss simply shoots him dead for being a suspected spy.

Yan Wang took a moment to compose himself.

Right now, he’d been given two tasks: the first was to follow someone named Brother Tian to collect protection fees, due tonight, worth 5 Reward Points. 

The second was to bring Brother Tian a pack of cigarettes on the way there, 2 Reward Points.

Brother Tian was his current boss, a common street thug, and as well as the one who brought Yan Wang into this line of work. Yan Wang had followed him since the start.

If he didn’t buy him cigarettes today, and Brother Tian coincidentally forgets, then it’d be fine. However, if he does remember, then Brother Tian would undoubtedly bear a grudge against Yan Wang, and might even punish him.

A light punishment involved a few slaps; a heavy one involved a beating.

Yang Wang’s development in this world, once written into novel format, if successfully signed, could be subscribed to, tipped, or even published in full.

Any income obtained from this would then be converted into Reward Points. The lower an Actor’s Level is, the higher the System’s commission. His ‘F-’ rank meant the system was taking a maximum commission of 40%. Yikes, even black companies weren’t this cruel. 

Commission charges were only reduced when an Actor’s Level went up by a major rank. 

F rank to E, 5% deduction. E to D… so on and so forth.

At the highest level, ‘S’ (Superstar), the system only took 10% in commissions.

Extra earnings within the narrative world and actor payouts were the only two kinds of points that were not subjected to commission fees, and were directly issued.

Apart from that, whether it’s abilities, items, divine weapons, or rare treasures obtained in the narrative world, they all could not be brought back to the real world, for obvious reasons.

Skills or items would be confiscated.

Even Martial Arts secret techniques, regardless if you memorised them, or directly cultivated them into your internal strength, would all be forgotten or dissolved upon leaving.

However, when the narrative ends and an Actor reaches settlement time, a list of everything they once owned will appear. Actors would have the ‘authority’ to purchase them once more, owning them permanently this time.

Afterwards, if these purchases clear the background check of the following world, they could then be brought into the next narrative if the buyer wishes so.

The moment Yan Wang finished analysing the information, the thin Actor’s booklet in front of him spontaneously combusted, rapidly burning to ashes.

At the same time, a sharp pain stabbed into his chest: [The plot has begun; if required, please silently call for the system in your head.] The mechanical, monotone voice sounded solemn.

[Note:

• All interactions with the System will be edited inside the novel.

• Purchased items, skills, rare treasures, and divine weapons will be described in other ways.]

Streams of unfamiliar scenes then flooded his mind – memories from [Thug Yan Wang]

‘System!’

While digesting these memories, ‘Yan Wang’ tentatively tried doing as instructed, staring in a daze as the same semi-transparent, virtual screen from before suddenly appeared in front of him. Everything from the previous scriptbook remained listed here.

Additionally, there was now a [Mall] module present.

Clicking on it revealed rows upon rows of darkened spaces; no need to ponder, the problem was obvious enough. His balance. 

Yan Wang couldn’t help but stare helplessly at the upper right corner of the [Mall], where a prominent ‘0’ stood out like a sore thumb.

[Your accumulated wealth has been converted into Reward Points.]

“…Wealth? Ah, my manuscript fees? My savings?” Yan Wang’s eyes widened as he saw the number in the top right corner change from a despairing 0 to a meagre 203.

Astonished, Yan Wang then remembered that his total savings should be somewhere around two hundred thousand yuan, and when combined with his royalty fees, perhaps slightly more than that. 90% of this money was from selling his old home.

As for the income from writing novels… it’s barely enough to make ends meet.

It seemed that 1 reward point was equivalent to a thousand yuan.

He clicked the [Mall] again, browsing it to check for any combat or strength abilities.

Although purchasing something now meant he wouldn’t be left with even a single hair on his person… this place wasn’t just some childish Mary Sue drama, but a world where gangsters roamed freely and dominated society.

Without some self-defence capabilities, how could he stand his ground? For a home-dweller like him, even surviving might be difficult. Not to mention, a mere [extra] like him could easily meet his end by being fatally stabbed during a random gang fight.

In this narrative world, his death would barely be worth a few words of description.

There were no Martial Arts Techniques or mighty weapons available in the [Mall]. Only a few items like clothing, machetes, and spring knives were available, most likely due to his status as a low-level gangster.

If he reached a higher rank, such as Gang Leader or Deputy Leader, he might be able to buy firearms or better protective gear.

But the first line of items quickly caught his eye. An icon for gift packs?

— — —

[Novice Gift Pack: Contains a normal-quality weapon (random type) along with a beginner Physical Enhancement Potion. 

• Price: 9 Reward Points.]

[Advanced Novice Gift Pack: Contains a medium-quality weapon (random/machete), Combat Experience Book, and a medium-level Physical Enhancement Potion. 

• Price: 99 Reward Points.]

[Superb Novice Gift Pack: Contains a high-quality weapon (choice), Veteran Battle Experience Book, and a high-level Physical Enhancement Potion. 

• Price: 199 Reward Points.]

[Note: Only one gift pack can be chosen. Cannot be repurchased.]

“Is this a perk?”

Yan Wang muttered to himself, naturally choosing the last, and most expensive option.