Chapter 75 Unlucky Notebook (Second Update)

The high-speed train sped smoothly across the plains, racing at hundreds of kilometers per hour, making it nearly impossible to catch a clear glimpse of the scenery outside the window.

Zhang Chu put on his headphones and closed his eyes to sleep. Tomorrow would be a tough battle; his opponents were top students from various provinces, not amateurs by any means.

To turn the others into mere background characters, he would have to put in real effort.

An hour and a half passed in a flash. Still lost in dreams, Zhang Chu was awakened by the passenger beside him. He reluctantly opened his eyes—just a few more minutes and the train would arrive. The passengers were all buzzing with excitement.

“I think I still have an upgrade package worth a million reputation points unused. Now’s a good time to see if there’s anything useful.”

Zhang Chu immediately accessed the Savior System. Reputation points were accumulating rapidly, now totaling 1,140,000. Exposure through various channels had brought him considerable attention.

“Would the host like to claim the upgrade package?”

“Go ahead, open it for me!”

On the system interface, a golden treasure chest leapt into view, radiating dazzling light as if some rare treasure were about to emerge.

Sadly, Zhang Chu was the only one privy to this spectacle. “Is the system going to grant me some magical artifact?”

“Congratulations, host. You have received: two lottery draws, two external help tokens, two internal help tokens, and a 10% discount coupon for the system store!”

“….”

As expected, stingy as ever!

Zhang Chu realized he’d gotten excited for nothing. The system was as miserly as always. The discount coupon was nearly useless; what he could afford, he could still afford, and what he couldn’t, nothing changed.

Better to try his luck with the lottery draws—those had proven more helpful. The first draw had granted him beginner-level mastery of calligraphy, which was genuinely useful. The second time, he got basic antique appraisal skills, which hadn’t been of any use. This time, he hoped for something practical.

The system’s grand wheel appeared again. This time, unlike before, several mysterious items had been added to the wheel, piquing his curiosity.

“Two centimeters taller as a reward? I wonder if there’s a two-centimeter lengthening prize as well?”

Zhang Chu chuckled mischievously to himself. Perhaps the system would indeed offer such a reward someday. “Not that I need it; I’m plenty long already.”

“Let’s start the lottery.”

With that, the wheel spun, dazzling characters and images blending together, then gradually slowing to a stop.

Seeing what the pointer landed on, Zhang Chu felt like coughing blood. Beginner-level Japanese mastery? What use was that!

Would it make watching certain videos more immersive, letting him understand what the actresses were shouting? Or perhaps prevent him from being fleeced by hostesses in Japanese folk shops?

But for now, the skill seemed useless.

“When will my luck turn? I don’t want to get Arabic or Korean mastery next—that would be infuriating.”

Just then, the system offered a friendly reminder: “You have one more lottery draw. Would you like to use it?”

“Let’s gamble, use it!”

Zhang Chu refused to believe his luck was so bad. He was a proud youth, descendant of dragons, heir to socialist construction—surely he wasn’t cursed with African luck?

The wheel refreshed, displaying many tempting prizes—intermediate oil painting mastery, basic navigation guide, universal remote, memory eraser, and the truth sticky note that once cost him hundreds of thousands of reputation points!

As the system spun the wheel, Zhang Chu prayed to every deity imaginable.

“Congratulations, host. You have received a mysterious item: the Unlucky Notebook. It has been delivered to your backpack. Please check.”

Actually, the truth sticky note was a mysterious item as well. But this Unlucky Notebook made Zhang Chu genuinely excited.

If he wrote someone’s name in the notebook, that person would be plagued with bad luck—not fatal, but lingering, living in misery.

For example, someone who talked loudly on the phone in a cinema would, after a sleepless night, be woken by the sound of renovations upstairs; someone who cut in line at the ticket counter would fail every lottery for half a year; a neighbor leeching his Wi-Fi to download movies would have their motherboard flooded…

“Too bad it’s limited to three uses. A few more would be nice.”

Zhang Chu spoke greedily. If anyone offended him in the future, he could openly curse them by writing their name, letting misfortune cling to them!

However, this wouldn’t have any direct effect on "The Ultimate Challenge"—unless he used it on all his competitors, but he wasn’t that ruthless.

…

Leaving the high-speed rail station, Zhang Chu was greeted by a swarm of black-market drivers and motel owners hustling for business. He spotted someone holding up a sign not far away and couldn’t help but slap his own face in embarrassment.

A middle-aged man in black stood holding a sign that read, “Welcome, Zhang Chu, top scorer from Jiangdong Province, to the program recording.” Zhang Chu’s oversized portrait was emblazoned on the sign! Beside him stood a graceful young woman scanning the crowd.

“You must be Zhang Chu! You look just like your photo—very recognizable!” Huang Siqi said candidly. “I was worried you wouldn’t see the sign, so I printed your photo.”

Zhang Chu cringed. This liaison was really unreliable—how could she do something so embarrassing? “Alright, alright, put the sign away. That big photo looks so weird.”

Huang Siqi pointed to the parking lot. “Let’s head out. Recording officially starts tomorrow, but today I’ll take you to the station for a tour, introduce you to everyone, and explain the recording process.”

“Siqi, when will this episode air?” Zhang Chu asked, feigning innocence, clearly concerned.

“That’s hard to say—it depends on the station’s schedule. If we record on Monday, it’ll air no sooner than Friday. After all, the hype around top scorers fades quickly.”

Zhang Chu nodded with satisfaction. “That’s great, the sooner it airs, the better.”

“Have you ever been to Nandu, Zhang Chu? Tonight, just rest and prepare. After the recording, I’ll take you sightseeing.”

As they spoke, the Sudong Broadcasting and Television Building drew near—the battle was about to begin!

******************

Damn, I just realized I didn’t update the third chapter yesterday as promised. This is awkward. I’ll definitely catch up tonight.

If I’ve messed up, please punish me with your recommendation votes and tips—hit me hard, don’t hold back! If you do, I’ll be upset!