The original host and John Foster himself looked somewhat similar. In fact, John Foster couldn’t even remember what he looked like when he was young. However, seeing this face in the mirror, John Foster still felt a trace of familiarity—not from the memories of this body, but from memories that belonged to John Foster himself.

It really is... fate.

Although he didn’t know why he had obtained this healthy body, and even though John Foster didn’t agree with the original host’s actions, since he had inherited this body and gained the original host’s memories, John Foster would also take on part of the responsibility.

Staring into the eyes in the mirror, John Foster said seriously:

The life you didn’t want, I’ll take it.

Your revenge, I’ll get it for you!

Your debts, I’ll repay them for you!

Your dream was to become a world-renowned composer? As it happens, so is mine.

Actually, John Foster’s ambitions were great, but this was, after all, a new and unfamiliar world to him. No matter how ambitious he was, he had to build on reality and his own abilities. The wishes he couldn’t fulfill before the apocalypse—maybe he could realize them here.

Anyone can talk big, but before adapting to the environment and figuring out his own abilities, saying more would be pointless.

Pushing the cabinet back into the wall, John Foster walked to the window and opened it.

It was already close to noon, and the weather outside was sunny. The curtains had long been drawn open, but the room was still dim, because this was the Black Street—a place similar to a slum.

Chapter 2 Black Street

The so-called Black Street only came about after technology advanced and buildings grew taller and denser. In these areas packed with high-rises, sunlight was largely blocked, so some of the narrow streets at the base of these buildings were dim for most of the day. That’s why people called them “Black Street.”

The place where John Foster now lived, and the surrounding area, was filled with standardized buildings over a hundred stories tall. There were narrow “gaps” between the buildings, and beneath those gaps was what people called the “Black Street.” So, those who lived on Black Street were also called “people living in the cracks”—another term for those at the bottom of society.

Conditions on Black Street were poor. Besides the lack of sunlight, the environment was chaotic.

After signing with a company, the original host moved out of the school dorms. It was more convenient for composing without others disturbing him, and it was more private. But with limited funds, he could only rent this container-style room on Black Street. The original host had planned to move out after earning some money from his hard work, but unfortunately... before he could hand over his work to the company, it was stolen by a trusted friend.

The original host had four childhood friends: Brian Clark, Brian Clark’s fiancée Grace Warren, David Foster, and the original host’s ex-girlfriend Helen Hicks.

The five of them grew up together, living in the same building as children. Sadly, when they were in middle school, the building their families lived in exploded in an accident. Fewer than one percent survived, and only those who were staying at school at the time made it out alive.

The government’s compensation for that accident was generous, and the welfare policies were good. The compensation was enough for them to finish college without worrying about food or clothing. The five of them were classmates from elementary through middle school, and all came to Qian City for university. Although they attended different schools, they kept in touch, but their relationship wasn’t as close as it had been when they were kids.

After the apocalypse, a global alliance was formed, unifying everything with no national boundaries.

The alliance had twelve continents, divided into eight major continents and four special continents.

John Foster was now in one of the eight major continents—Yanzhou’s political and financial center, also the seat of the continental government: Qian City.

The original owner of this body was the best student among the five, getting into Yanzhou’s top music school—Qian Music Academy.

Since the new century, nearly half of the hundred most influential composers in Yanzhou had come from the composition department of Yanzhou Music Academy. Many of them were also highly influential globally. It was a school many dreamed of attending.

Most students graduating from the composition department were signed by entertainment companies before they even graduated. The original host was the same—six months before graduation, he was noticed by Silver Wing Media, one of the three major entertainment companies in Yanzhou, and signed a six-month internship contract.

During these six months, the first three months were spent at Silver Wing Media, learning and running errands for the seniors, attending company-arranged training classes. The last three months were set aside by Silver Wing Media for them to prepare for the Newcomer Music Competition. Their performance in these three months would directly determine whether they could stay at Silver Wing Media as official employees, and would also affect their future development. Silver Wing Media would allocate resources based on their “results” in the competition.

However, the work the original host painstakingly created for the competition was stolen by his childhood friend David Foster.

David Foster, who shared the same surname as the original host and was a distant relative, had always been a good brother and partner to him. But at the most critical moment, he stabbed the original host in the back, causing him to be unable to bear the blow and pressure, and ultimately commit suicide.

Stopping the search through memories, John Foster noticed that it was gradually getting livelier outside, with voices all around. This room was on the second floor, and directly below was a slightly larger shop. The noise of opening up and moving things drifted up from downstairs. Across the street, someone in the opposite building had also opened their window to look outside.