Chapter 2: So This Is What Datafication Means!

Chen Yun ran. In his panic, he fled to the entrance of a restaurant at the corner of the street and burst through the door.

“Damn it, this is humiliating! To think that I, once a proud white-collar worker at Skycat International, would one day be forced to streak through the streets! Novels always say these systems are full of pitfalls—I never believed it, but it turns out it’s true!”

He slammed the door shut behind him and collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. Moments ago, he’d been chased by dozens of people. If he hadn’t been fast enough, he was certain he’d be sipping tea in a psychiatric ward by now.

“Who are you? What do you want?” It wasn’t mealtime, and the owner and chef of “Delicious Dishes” Restaurant were lounging in the dining hall, watching TV out of boredom. Suddenly, a nearly naked young man in nothing but tight shorts came dashing in, startling them both. The owner grabbed a bottle of “Drink Me Now” beer and pointed it at Chen Yun, his voice trembling with anger.

Chen Yun, still out of breath, was further startled by the sight of the furious, chubby restaurant owner. Spotting the beer bottle, he quickly said, “I mean no harm! Let’s talk things through—there’s no need for violence!”

“No violence, just words?” The owner’s eyes lit up unexpectedly at this. He hadn’t anticipated such wisdom from a streaker. Some of his anger subsided, and he set the beer down. “What happened to you? Were you mugged?”

Mugged? Chen Yun was just worrying about how to explain himself, and this idea struck him as brilliant.

“Boss, you’re sharp indeed. My parents were beaten to death by a village bully two days ago, and he seized our land. No one in the village dared cross him. To survive, I had no choice but to flee to the county to find work.

“But as soon as I left the station, I was set upon by a gang of robbers. They took my money, my luggage—every stitch of clothing I had. If I hadn’t run fast enough, I wouldn’t even have these shorts left.

“My parents are gone, my home is gone, I have nothing left. Please, boss, take me in. I’ll do any work, I ask only for a bite to eat. I beg you!” With the skill of an Oscar-winning actor, Chen Yun slumped to the floor, tears streaming down his face, looking utterly pitiful—not only the owner, but even the chef beside him had tears in his eyes.

What a pitiful child—parents murdered by a bully, land stolen, driven from home for the sake of survival, only to have even his clothes robbed from him upon arrival in the county. They always said the county’s public security was poor, and now he’d seen it for himself.

“Boss, this child is truly pitiful. Why don’t you take him in? Isn’t the kitchen short a helper right now?” The chef looked at the owner and suggested.

Hearing this, Chen Yun was secretly delighted—his acting was convincing indeed. He doubled his efforts, sniffling and sobbing, “Boss, I’ll do any work, no matter how hard or tiring. I just want a meal—I haven’t eaten in two days.”

The owner glanced at the chef, then at Chen Yun, and sighed, “Poor child. Just stay and work here. I won’t cheat you. You’ll get three meals a day, plenty to eat, and I’ll pay you eight hundred copper coins a month.” The owner paused and added sternly, “But you must work hard. If you’re lazy or try to shirk, I won’t keep you, no matter how pitiful you are—understand?”

“Thank you, boss! I’ll work hard!” Chen Yun was overjoyed—he’d finally found a place to settle in this world!

“Good. From now on you’ll follow Old Hu. Do whatever he tells you. Old Hu, go find him some clothes and fix him something to eat,” the owner said with a smile. “It’s almost noon—I won’t have you working on an empty stomach.”

“Thank you, boss! You’re a good man!” Chen Yun’s stomach wasn’t truly empty, but he forced himself to play along for the sake of his story.

Old Hu’s Room.

“My own clothes are too big and baggy for you. Put these on for now. By the way, what’s your name?” Old Hu handed him a set of brand-new clothes he’d bought for his eighteen-year-old son.

Chen Yun gratefully accepted them. “Master Hu, my name is Chen Yun. ‘Chen’ as in ‘old,’ and ‘Yun’ as in ‘to cultivate.’ You can just call me Xiao Chen.”

“Alright, Xiao Chen it is. I won’t say much else—you stick with me, work hard, and learn well. I’m getting old, and this work is getting harder for me. Once I’ve taught you everything, I’ll retire back home,” Old Hu said with a cheerful grin.

“Master Hu, you don’t look old at all! You could easily go on for another twenty years.” Chen Yun was truly moved—he hadn’t expected such kindness from someone he’d just met. It seemed he’d stumbled into a good place by accident.

“No, I’m done for. I can handle it when it’s slow, but when things get busy, my shoulder aches terribly. After a rush, I can’t sleep from the pain. The boss treats me well, so I’ve never mentioned it, and neither should you. When I can’t hold on any longer, I’ll tell him myself.”

“Yes, Master.” Chen Yun was touched, and silently, his way of addressing the chef shifted from “Master Hu” to simply “Master.”

“Ah!” Hearing Chen Yun call him “Master,” Old Hu was pleased. He was just an ordinary cook, never expecting to take on a disciple, and the thought made him happy. Suddenly, he remembered something and clapped his hands. “Look at me—I forgot you haven’t eaten in two days. I have a box of instant noodles here. Eat a few packs to fill up, and after the lunch rush, I’ll cook you a proper meal to welcome you.” He dragged a box of “Eat Me Now” instant noodles from the corner and opened it. “Wait here; I’ll get you some hot water.”

Chen Yun nodded gratefully, his gaze landing on the “Eat Me Now” instant noodles on the table. Suddenly, he froze.

Above the box, a line of text appeared:

“Eat Me Now” Instant Noodles. Level 1 White Consumable. Restores 10 health points upon use.

What the—? What was this?! Chen Yun jumped in alarm and rubbed his eyes, staring again at the box.

No text. Strange—was he seeing things? Shaking his head, he picked up the clothes. As he did, a similar line of text appeared above them:

“Wear Me Now” Outerwear: White Equipment. Defense +2. Durability 50/50. Bonus effect: Cleanliness +1.

“Holy—!” Chen Yun yelped, throwing the clothes aside in fright.

What on earth was happening?

He sat on the bench and thought for a while, finally recalling the introduction to the Grand Player System: it was a system that could turn the player and everything they saw and interacted with into data!

So this was what the system meant by “datafication”!

That meant that from now on, everything—and everyone—he saw or touched would be datafied, their attributes presented just like in a game: people, monsters, equipment, items, all with their own stats and descriptions!

This system was outrageous, turning reality itself into a game—just whose handiwork was this?

“Xiao Chen, here’s the hot water. Eat first, then come find me in the kitchen. I’ll teach you the basics of cooking when I have a spare moment. Your first goal is to become a competent apprentice chef,” Old Hu said as he set down the kettle and left for the kitchen.

“NPC Junior Chef Hu Dan Niu has issued you a secondary profession transfer quest. Will player Chen Yun transfer secondary profession to Chef? Yes/No?”

Chen Yun was amused—Master Hu had been designated an NPC by the system, and his requirements had become a transfer quest!

What was there to hesitate about?

“Yes!”

“Player Chen Yun has accepted the secondary profession transfer quest from NPC Level 2 Chef Hu Dan Niu. Player Chen Yun must prepare ten cooked dishes within ten minutes.”

What the—? Ten dishes in ten minutes? Did they think cooking was as easy as making instant noodles?

Wait—instant noodles…

Looking at the box, inspiration struck. Would making ten bowls of instant noodles count toward the quest? The task didn’t specify that the dishes had to be different, after all.

With that, Chen Yun opened ten bowls, poured in the hot water.

Three minutes later—

“Player Chen Yun has completed the secondary profession transfer quest. Current secondary profession: Apprentice Chef.”