1: Chapter 1: You're put on the role of a ruthless bandit, and you take on henchmen?

The autumn wind in Hengdian carried a hint of desolation, swirling up a few withered yellow leaves and slapping them hard against Qin Feng’s faded white windbreaker.

Qin Feng stood outside the glass revolving doors of Jianghai Bank, his right hand shoved in his pocket, tightly clutching a crumpled casting notice. The rough texture against his fingertips reminded him that this was his only hope for next month's rent.

"Five thousand yuan... As long as I finish this scene, the rent will be covered, and I can even afford to add an egg to my meals."

Qin Feng took a deep breath. The cool air filled his lungs but couldn't suppress the bitterness in his heart. Having crossed over to this parallel world three years ago, he had nothing but his relatively handsome face. In this era of entertainment-to-death, without background or capital, no matter how good his acting was, he could only scrape by playing corpses and extras in various film crews.

This time, he had finally managed to land a spot on a legal education reality show called simulated crime. The director had specifically asked for an "honest-looking" extra to play a clumsy thief committing his first robbery, serving as a foil to the wisdom and bravery of the police.

"Honest-looking... Heh." Qin Feng curled his lips in self-mockery, just as he was about to push the door open and begin his performance as a "clumsy thief."

Just then, a cold, mechanical voice exploded in his mind without warning.

[Ding! God-level Villain System successfully activated.]

[Detected that the host is performing a role-playing task. The Starter Gift Pack has been automatically distributed.]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining: God-level Bandit Aura (Trial Version · 24 Hours).]

[Skill Description: Every look in your eyes seems to emerge from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood; every breath you take can freeze the air. Within the range of your aura, all living beings will feel the absolute pressure of a top-tier predator.]

Before Qin Feng could complain about the chuunibyou-style introduction, an indescribable heat surged through his body. It was a strange feeling, as if every cell in his body had been activated. His back, which had been slightly hunched due to long-term malnutrition, unconsciously straightened.

His eyes, originally clear and bright, were now partially veiled by his eyelids. When he looked up again, his pupils seemed to hide two bottomless ancient wells—dark, cold, and viewing all things as mere grass.

He pulled out the Joker mask with a comical smiley face that the production crew had prepared. It was originally just a cheap plastic prop worth a few yuan, but in his hand, it felt like an invitation from the God of Death.

"Acting, huh... Then let's make it a big performance."

Qin Feng whispered to himself, then slowly pulled the mask over his face.

His movements were slow and deliberate, as elegant as if he were adjusting the bowtie of a tuxedo.

...

Inside the bank lobby, it was peak hours.

The pinging of the ticket machine, the guidance of the lobby manager, and the chatter of customers mixed together, full of the mundane atmosphere of daily life.

In the corners, several hidden cameras were blinking with red lights, transmitting the footage in real-time to a live broadcast room across the entire internet.

The live broadcast room currently had very little traffic; the comments were sparse and filled with disdain.

"This show is getting more and more boring. The 'little fresh meat' they find are all so delicate. Playing a robber? It looks like they're playing house."

"I heard this time it's some career extra. He'll probably get weak in the knees as soon as he walks through the door."

"I bet fifty cents this kid can't even say his lines properly. If he lasts more than three minutes, I'll do a handstand and wash my hair live!"

Just as the comments were filled with pessimism, the bank's main door was pushed open.

There was no earth-shattering bang, just the faint sound of a glass door turning.

"Creak—"

The sound wasn't loud, but it eerily drowned out the noise in the lobby, like sharp metal scraping against glass. It made people's eardrums ache and their hearts tighten for no reason.

Qin Feng walked in.

He was wearing a cheap black windbreaker and half-finger tactical gloves, with that comical Joker mask on his face.

The originally bustling lobby seemed to have its mute button pressed the moment he stepped inside.

An invisible chill radiated frantically from him as the center. It wasn't the cold air from the air conditioner, but a shiver originating from the depths of the soul, like a herd of grazing gazelles suddenly catching the scent of a lion.

Old Wang, the security guard at the door, was a veteran who had been retired for many years. He usually loved to brag about his heroic deeds catching thieves back in the day. Seeing someone enter with a mask, Old Wang instinctively gripped his baton, wanting to step forward and shout: "What are you doing? Take off that mask..."

Before he could finish, Qin Feng tilted his head slightly.

Beneath the mask, those eyes, deep as an abyss, glanced indifferently at Old Wang through the pitch-black eye holes.

It was just a single glance.

Old Wang felt as if his throat had been locked onto by a bloodthirsty beast. In that instant, the blood throughout his body flowed backward, and a chill rushed from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

That was... the gaze of someone who had killed, and killed many!

There was absolutely no mistake! He had never seen a gaze so pure in its disregard for life, as if looking at a corpse, even on the battlefield!

"Clang!"

The baton in Old Wang's hand slipped and hit the marble floor with a crisp sound. His legs, which he was so proud of, now felt as heavy as lead. Then they gave way, and he collapsed directly onto the floor, his throat making a wheezing sound like a bellows as cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

This sudden turn of events caused the air in the lobby to completely freeze.

Everyone looked at the figure at the door in horror. He wasn't particularly burly, even a bit lean, but standing there, he was like a towering black mountain, pressing down on everyone until they couldn't breathe.

Qin Feng ignored the collapsed security guard and didn't even spare a second glance at the hundreds of people in the lobby.

He walked toward the center of the lobby with unhurried steps.

The sound of his leather shoes on the marble floor had a strange rhythm—"tap, tap, tap"—each step feeling like it was treading on everyone's heartstrings.

He stopped, habitually rubbing the knuckle of his index finger with his thumb, and then took a deep breath, filling his lungs with this tense and oppressive air.

Then, he spoke.

There was no hysterical roaring, nor any pretentious intimidation.

His voice was low and raspy, with a metallic magnetic quality, yet it was so cold it lacked a shred of warmth, like a whisper floating up from the depths of hell:

"A robbery."

Two words.

Concise and to the point.

Yet it was like a clap of thunder exploding in the deathly silent lobby.

...

In the live broadcast room, the dense mockery in the comments section experienced a three-second vacuum.

Immediately after, the comments erupted like a bursting dam, nearly crashing the server.

"Holy crap??"

"Is this a freaking drill???"

"I was so scared I threw my phone just now through the screen! That gaze is too terrifying!"

"This aura... how is this an actor? This is literally a Bandit Aura in human form! Investigate! He must be investigated! If this guy doesn't have several lives on his hands, I'll eat my keyboard!"

"Did that security guard just wet himself from fear? That was a real fall!"

"My mom asked why I'm watching the stream on my knees. It's because this guy is just too incredible!"

...

Not just the audience, but the people on-site were even more traumatized.

Behind the bank counter at Window 2, Su Tang was holding a cup of half-finished pearl milk tea. As an intern who had recently graduated, she had planned to just slack off while participating in the drill today.

The moment Qin Feng pushed the door open, she was also intimidated by that terrifying aura.

But amidst the fear, as a veteran face-con, her train of thought miraculously veered off course.

Even through the bulletproof glass, even with him wearing a mask, the coldness, dominance, and composure exuded by that man made him look exactly like a villainous big boss straight out of a manga!

Especially that "A robbery" just now; his voice was so charming that it made her ears go soft.

"Wuwuwu... Although I'm scared, his posture is so upright, his fingers holding the gun (prop) are so slender, and even his jawline under the mask is so perfect..."

Su Tang instinctively bit down on her milk tea straw. Her small round face flushed with a layer of red due to nervousness and a strange excitement, and her small feet hidden under the counter even curled up uncontrollably.

Is this the legendary... precursor to Stockholm Syndrome?

...

Meanwhile, on a bench in the corner of the lobby.

A middle-aged man wearing a peaked cap pulled low, with a faint scar on his left cheek, was trembling all over.

His name was Gui Jianchou. He was a real A-level wanted criminal with blood on his hands and cases on his back—a true desperate outlaw. Today, he had come to scout the location, hoping to get some travel money to flee, but he hadn't expected to run into this.

When he first saw Qin Feng enter, he didn't think much of it. He even reached for the dagger at his waist, planning to take advantage of the chaos to rob the robber and teach this arrogant kid a lesson.

But now, his hand was frozen at his waist. His fingers touched the cold handle of the dagger, yet he couldn't pull it out no matter what.

When experts make a move, you know immediately if they've got it.

Laymen watch for the excitement; experts look for the technique.

In Gui Jianchou's eyes, those few movements Qin Feng made just now were terrifying when thought about!

Using the back of his hand to push the door to prevent leaving fingerprints; scanning the four corners the moment he entered to instantly locate the surveillance cameras; constantly micro-adjusting his center of gravity while walking to be ready to strike or evade bullets at any moment!

Especially that gaze...

Gui Jianchou peeked through the gap of his cap and happened to meet Qin Feng’s casual sweep of the room.

In that instant, Gui Jianchou felt like a field mouse being stared down by an eagle; his very soul was shivering. That indifference, that coldness—it definitely wasn't acted!

This was one of his own! No, this was a top-tier boss many levels above him! The kind of super bandit who would be ranked on the international Dark Web!

"This isn't a drill at all... This is freaking running into the grandmaster!"

Gui Jianchou swallowed hard. The cold sweat on his forehead flowed into his mouth along the scar, tasting incredibly salty. He silently let go of the dagger, pulled his cap even lower, and even wished he could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.

In the center of the lobby, Qin Feng looked at the silent crowd and muttered to himself.

"Why is there no reaction? Is my voice too low? This aura from the system doesn't seem that great. Why did that security guard sit on the floor? Is he trying to scam me?"

Qin Feng felt a bit helpless. For the sake of that five-thousand-yuan appearance fee, he decided to be a bit more professional.

He turned his head, the smiley face on the mask facing Su Tang, who hadn't snapped out of it yet. He raised the prop gun and lightly tapped on the bulletproof glass.

"Knock, knock."

"Fill it with money. Be quick."

He added another sentence, his tone as casual as if he were buying vegetables at a market: "I'm in a hurry."

It was the truth.

He was in a hurry to go home and pay the rent.

But he didn't know that to everyone else, this sentence meant:

—One more second, and someone dies.