The Apostle’s Awakening

“So, do you have any plans, Sister?”

“I’m going out to the hospital later to get a check-up.”

“Isn’t challenging yourself to go out in public right away a bit too difficult?”

“I’d love to!”

My brother, Ling Chen, and I chatted casually as we washed the dishes.

I had just eaten his beef noodles, so as compensation, I simply cooked him a bowl of plain noodles.

Although there was nothing to add, making it just a simple bowl of clear noodles, he still ate it happily. He even said:

“This is my first time eating something you cooked, Sister! I’m so happy!”

His overly cheerful expression instantly swept away the gloom in my heart.

Honestly, I need to establish an enemy to motivate myself to turn back into a man. How can I possibly hate someone as bright as you?

Should I make a white-bearded old man or an archangel my enemy?

What a joke!

Weaklings only bully those who are weaker. I am precisely that kind of trash.

However, Ling Chen’s robust muscles made me pause in contemplation.

This isn’t good!

Could it be that I am the lowest-ranking member of this family?

My parents, at a glance, were clearly extraordinary. And this brother of mine, seemingly delicate, was in fact a muscular powerhouse.

Having transformed into a woman, I had become even more fair-skinned and tender, essentially a mere vase. I was already weak enough as a shut-in, and now my combat power probably couldn’t even reach 5!

No, I can’t accept this. I am a man of true strength—strong in appearance but weak deep down!

I will not yield.

I tentatively asked, “Ling Chen, what do you think I should do if I want to build some muscle?”

He replied matter-of-factly, “What else can you do? Of course, you work out! But, Sister, you haven’t forgotten that you can’t gain weight temporarily, have you? If your body fat percentage drops too low from working out, you’ll become a pure muscle woman, probably looking like a model from an anatomical muscle chart.”

Forget it, I shouldn’t have asked.

That image would be even more bizarre.

Yet, he had a point. If I had the resolve to hit the gym, would I still be a shut-in?

I would definitely be a social butterfly surrounded by girls!

“Sister, with your terrible personality, anything you say is just empty talk.”

“How did you hear my thoughts again?”

“Because you were thinking too loudly!”

“How do you know that?”

Ling Chen dried the dishes, placed them back in the cabinet, and then stood on his tiptoes to tap my forehead.

“Look for yourself, Sister. We’re currently in a soul-linked state. If you don’t control your mental activity properly, I can hear your thoughts very clearly.”

A translucent white floating window, similar to a game UI attribute panel, appeared before my eyes. Several lines of text were written on it, which I squinted to read aloud:

“Apostle Comprehensive Management System (Apocalypse Religion User BETA Version).”

“…”

What the hell?

Has God started playing with systems now?

Wait, my mind is a mess. This isn’t another world, is it?

I’m not a Dragon-Slayer Protagonist, am I?

Why would such a surreal system appear in reality?

With these questions, I continued reading.

“User Information:

Name: Ling Jiu (Jiu)

Gender: Male ♂ (Female ♀)

Identity: Apprentice Apostle

Experience: 0

Current Abilities: None

Combat Power: 4 (Evaluation: Trash with combat power not even reaching 5)

Status: Angel’s Blessing (Effect Unknown), Feminization (Effect Unknown), Soul Link (Effect Unknown).”

“’Trash with combat power not even reaching 5’ is a bit too blunt for an evaluation.”

I repeatedly scrutinized the system panel, but beyond the information listed, there was nothing else.

It’s too strange!

Why is this system so rudimentary?

Where’s the system spirit?

Where are the quests?

Where are the cheats?

At the very least, give me a lottery system, alright?

Can this even be called a system?

“Sister, don’t overthink it. Where would you find cheats readily available for you to use?”

“By the way, how do I close this window?”

“Just silently wish for it to close.”

However, possessing the soul of a programmer, I silently wished: ‘Developer Mode.’

The content of the rudimentary window changed; my command had actually worked. Countless golden codes flashed before my eyes, though I couldn’t understand the language within the window at all. The only things I could comprehend were a few sentences:

“DEBUGGING is too difficult, but very challenging. If anyone sees this message, consider this a heads-up. This system is incomplete. For complaints, go find Von Neumann; he was responsible for the structural design.—–By Dennis Ritchie.”

“This isn’t designing a game system. Which buddy changed the UI to a game UI? Though I think it’s a good idea.—-By Ralph Baer.”

“System spirit? Don’t keep asking me this question. Go ask those angels if God accepts AI into heaven first.”—-Turing

“Seconded!”—-Marvin Minsky.

Huh?

What the hell?

I could confidently say my worldview had been utterly shattered.

Why would this system contain messages from deceased pioneers?

This world had become fantastical.

Unconsciously, I recalled Dio, the savior of villains.

So, resisting fate is such a grand endeavor. Since supernatural beings like God truly exist in this world, then perhaps fate has long been predetermined.

But…

The hymn of humanity is the hymn of courage!

Fate, you wish to control me? Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda!

“Human abilities are limited. I learned one thing from my short life: the more you scheme, the more you realize that human abilities are limited. Unless you transcend humanity.”

Ling Chen, seeing me suddenly acting erratically, stared blankly. “Sister?”

As if entering a realm of my own, my heart surged with emotion as I struck a JoJo pose:

“I’m no longer a materialist, Ling Chen!”

“…”

“…”

The air grew cold.

“Sister is only comforting herself with memes. I understand.”

“Don’t pity me!”

I sighed. The sheer volume of information today was overwhelming; I could no longer suppress my runaway thoughts.

I needed to first understand exactly what was going on.

“Do you have any idea about this system? And what does ‘Apprentice Apostle’ mean?”

Ling Chen hesitated repeatedly, wanting to speak but holding back, until he finally couldn’t resist telling me:

“Sister, take off your clothes and take a photo of your back.”

I began to re-examine this boy, no older than fourteen. He must be in puberty by now, right? Look at how undisguised his desires were!

“You’re not harboring any strange thoughts, are you?”

“I knew it! I’m not like you, Sister, whose brain has been corrupted by vice.”

“Is that how you talk about your own sister? Saying my brain is corrupted by vice makes people think of bad things!”

“Sister, don’t you think you really should cleanse your thoughts?”

In the end, I went to the bathroom, turned my back to the mirror, and took a photo with my phone’s front camera.

And then…

“Ling Chen! What is that thing on my back!”

“Sister, your clothes!”

Having forgotten I had taken off my clothes, I quickly rushed back to the bathroom, fumbling to put them on. Then I showed him the photo of the cross-shaped mark on my back, which looked like a burn.

“That’s a stigmata,” Ling Chen explained.

“A stigmata? Those deceptive religious hoaxes?”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to call it a religious hoax, given your current situation, Sister. Simply put, you are a chosen one of God, and this is your mark as an apostle.”

Frantically, I ruffled my now longer golden hair. And surprisingly, the smooth texture of my hair felt unexpectedly good!

“Argh, it’s so complicated, what is all this nonsense! Am I supposed to go preach now? Like those disciples in the Bible?”

“No need. Explaining apostles right now would be too troublesome. You’ll figure out what this is all about later, Sister.”

“But, how did you know I had a stigmata on my back? You weren’t, by any chance, last night…”

My suspicious and wary gaze made him feel wronged. “Of course not! I am a creation of God, and in a sense, I inherited Their attribute of omniscience and omnipotence.”

My eyes lit up. “Then do you know the winning numbers for tomorrow’s Double Color Ball lottery? Or the direction of the stock market!”

“Omniscience and omnipotence aren’t meant to be used that way. I can immediately know the answers related to a question, but I cannot predict the future.”

“How can that still be called omniscience and omnipotence?”

Ling Chen shrugged. “The past is the memory of the present, and the future is the expectation of the present, so time only exists in the present. I don’t know if the God who created me can truly be omniscient and omnipotent, but from a purely physical perspective, the existence of a Laplace’s Demon, knowing everything, has long been disproven. Who knows if the omniscience and omnipotence you imagine truly exist?”

“You sound like a philosopher writing an essay. Just cut it out. Anyway, are you questioning the God who created you?”

He wore an expression that screamed, “I didn’t, I’m not, don’t spout nonsense.”

This distrustful personality… indeed, he is my brother.