"Ah!"
The icy sensation of liquid enveloping her head suddenly receded like a tide, and Ning Xuan jolted awake from her dream.
She found herself in a dim, underground space, surrounded by utter silence. She was completely alone.
Raising her prosthetic arm, a faint light began to emanate from it, casting a dim glow in the darkness.
She was in a hidden tunnel.
While on her mission to destroy the altars, she had accidentally stumbled upon traces of the zombie horde led by Chen Xing. They were moving underground on a massive scale.
There was no need to guess their target—it was undoubtedly Ning Yu.
So, she had been tracking the horde for a long time, ready to warn Ning Yu at any moment.
But after just half an hour of rest, she had unexpectedly fallen into a dream—something rare for her since becoming a cyborg. She no longer had a strong need for sleep, let alone dreams.
Yet, every time she did dream, it was always the same strange scene: a dark red-lit laboratory filled with countless replicas of her own head.
She shook her head, pushing the chaotic thoughts aside. Half an hour had passed, and she needed to resume tracking Chen Xing and the zombie horde.
As she stood up, the pocket watch she carried slipped from her body and fell to the ground.
Ning Xuan picked it up casually and opened it. Inside was a childhood photo of her and Ning Yu.
"I should take a new photo with my sister and put it in here," she thought, feeling a faint sense of anticipation.
But just as she was about to close the watch, she noticed something strange.
"Huh? Why has my watch stopped?"
The ticking sound, which was usually faint, had completely ceased. In the silence of the underground, the absence of the sound was glaringly obvious.
"That's weird. I just wound it up recently."
Without giving it further thought, she tucked the watch back into her pocket.
As she approached the hidden tunnel exit, ready to leave, her entire body tensed up.
A strong sense of danger surged through her.
"Clang!"
In an instant, her hands transformed into metallic blades, their faint blue glow illuminating her silver hair and the walls of the tunnel.
At the end of the tunnel, two Gluttons emerged, blocking her path.
Damn it, she'd been discovered!
Ning Xuan cursed inwardly, realizing she had been careless. Resting in such a place and even falling into a dream was a mistake.
Staying here any longer would likely trap her. The space was too confined for her to fight effectively, so she had to make a quick escape.
Without hesitation, the mechanical wings on her back began to extend, and her prosthetic devices ignited with bright flames.
The two Gluttons crawled into the tunnel from either side, only to be met with Ning Xuan charging at them at full speed. The impact sent them flying backward.
As they tumbled through the air, they flailed their claws, trying to attack Ning Xuan, but she swiftly pinned them against the tunnel walls with her blades.
Two long streaks of blood were left on the walls as she dragged them along.
By the time she reached the end of the tunnel, the two Gluttons were already disoriented. With two clean strikes, Ning Xuan decapitated them.
She didn't linger. The Gluttons would begin regenerating soon.
She burst out of the tunnel and into a more open area below, where a previously destroyed altar lay.
"Found you."
The area around the altar was now swarming with zombies and mutated zombies.
At their center stood Leviathan, his grayish-white hair cropped short, one eye covered by an eyepatch, and the other gleaming with a mocking light as he looked at Ning Xuan.
"It was you who's been causing trouble for Lady Pride. How dare you betray the master?"
He pulled out his Love-Hate Scythe from his back, its eye locking onto Ning Xuan, making her skin crawl.
"Don't act so righteous. Aren't you doing the same?"
Ning Xuan retorted coldly, but before her words could fully settle, Leviathan was already closing in with his scythe.
The zombies around them scattered, sealing off all possible exits, as if preparing to trap her like a rat in a cage.
"Clang! Clang!"
Sparks flew as her metallic blades clashed with Leviathan's scythe. However, Leviathan's strength seemed far superior, forcing her to retreat step by step.
"What's wrong, Miss Ning Xuan? Show me your true power!"
Leviathan sneered, his movements growing faster and more aggressive.
"Or... is this all you've got?"
Suddenly, a second Leviathan materialized beside him—a summoned clone.
With the clone joining the fight, Ning Xuan's situation worsened. Her mechanical wings glowed brighter, and her speed increased, but she seemed unwilling to engage in a prolonged battle.
Dodging the attacks from both Leviathan and his clone, she began summoning swirling black energy around her.
"Your life is mine!"
A third Leviathan clone suddenly appeared behind Ning Xuan, and all three closed in on her, cutting off any escape route.
But his attack missed entirely. A sudden black hole enveloped Ning Xuan's body as she activated a spatial jump.
Her priority wasn't to fight Chen Xing's forces to the death. She needed to destroy more altars and contact Ning Yu as soon as possible to inform her of Chen Xing's movements.
"Zzz... Zzz..."
The sound of space tearing echoed as Ning Xuan landed next to an unfamiliar altar—one that hadn't yet been corrupted by Chen Xing.
She pulled out the communication device Lacy had given her, intending to contact Ning Yu. By now, Ning Yu should have met with Lacy, so the device would be useful.
"Oh? You're here?"
A cold female voice echoed through the air, causing Ning Xuan's eyes to widen in shock.
Before she could even activate the device, she slowly turned her head.
On a blood-red throne, a gray-haired girl with a crown floated in the air. Her pale fingers rested gently on her cheek, her fingertip touching a teardrop-shaped mark.
She looked at Ning Xuan with an expression that seemed to say, "What a coincidence."
"Chen Xing!"
Ning Xuan realized her luck had run out. She had just teleported here, still in a weakened state, and now she was face-to-face with the mastermind herself.
"Tell me, why are you destroying the altars?"
"I know you're trying to kill my sister."
As soon as Chen Xing finished speaking, Ning Xuan fired back without hesitation.
"It seems you still don't understand your current situation. How dare you address me so casually, you mongrel!"
Chen Xing suddenly stood up, towering over Ning Xuan, who was still slumped on the ground. Her eyes radiated danger as she raised her hand.
In an instant, glowing barriers surrounded Ning Xuan, sealing her off completely.
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
