The Void Mother's sharp appendage thrust toward Xia Lun from behind.
Xia Lun didn’t dare let his guard down. Adjusting his stance midair, he deflected the strike with his palm, sparks flying from the impact.
A metallic sensation jolted through his arm before he used the momentum to swiftly retreat. Meanwhile, the girl stumbled forward, nearly losing her balance.
So hard… That was Xia Lun’s overwhelming impression.
If those things pierced his body, it would undoubtedly be excruciating.
"You despicable coward… ambushing me like this!"
The Void Mother’s face twisted in anger as her spider-like appendages lifted her off the ground, propelling her toward Xia Lun in a furious assault.
Xia Lun took a deep breath, his fists weaving a seamless web of shadows in front of him, effortlessly neutralizing every strike.
Despite the ferocity of her attacks, Xia Lun noticed something.
This opponent of his… had no combat experience whatsoever. Every move was straightforward, relying solely on brute speed and strength—completely devoid of technique. In truth, she wasn’t difficult to handle.
Xia Lun deliberately left an opening, and the girl immediately took the bait, her gleaming appendage lunging forward… only for Xia Lun to seize it mid-motion. With a sharp tug, he yanked her off balance, sending her tumbling straight into his arms.
In the next instant, his fingers closed around her slender throat.
Her remaining appendages twitched threateningly, but Xia Lun’s icy glare and the slightest tightening of his grip forced them to shrivel back, curling into a pitiful lump behind her.
"Waaah—P-please don’t kill me!" The girl let out a shrill scream before tears—literal tiny pearls—began rolling down her cheeks.
She’s… crying?
If this were the outside world, Xia Lun had no doubt she’d be classified as a calamity-level monster. Yet here she was, wailing like a child in his grasp.
Now that he had a clear look at the Void Mother, her appearance struck him.
Petite frame, delicate features, silken white hair—she looked no older than thirteen or fourteen, like a smaller version of Aina.
What’s her connection to Aina?
The surrounding swarm of insects surged forward, but Xia Lun gave his hostage a light shake, and they reluctantly retreated.
Aina arrived at his side just then. She seemed to have masked her presence somehow, as the insects paid her no mind.
The moment Aina laid eyes on the Void Mother, a flicker of surprise crossed her face—first anger, then calm.
"What’s the deal with this kid?" Xia Lun asked Aina.
"Having second thoughts? Why not finish her off?" Aina’s tone was unreadable.
"If she didn’t look so much like you, I would’ve already."
"Eek! D-don’t kill me!" The Void Mother squeaked, shrinking back. When she noticed Aina, her expression turned blank with confusion.
Aina sighed. "This thing is the Void Mother—a biological weapon created by the World Goddess. It possesses terrifying reproductive abilities… and these insects are the Goddess’s reserve army…"
Xia Lun frowned slightly. "Why would the Goddess conceal such a powerful force…?"
"Tch. Isn’t it obvious? To invade other worlds when the time comes," Aina scoffed.
"Aina, I know you and the Goddess have your differences, but—"
"No, Xia Lun, you don’t know," Aina’s voice suddenly sharpened. "Don’t glorify her. She has a mind, desires—she’s no different from any mortal. Remember, humanity was modeled after her."
Xia Lun stared at Aina, taken aback. Every mention of the Goddess seemed to trigger her like this… It made her feel distant.
Aina quickly composed herself, flustered. "Sorry… Xia Lun, I didn’t mean to—I just…"
Xia Lun pulled her into a gentle embrace, soothingly rubbing her back.
"It’s alright. I know you have your reasons," he murmured. "Tell me when you’re ready."
Nestled against him, Aina gave a small nod.
"Honestly, it’s just speculation. I’ve never liked the Goddess… These insects might also exist to defend against external threats—like the eldritch gods beyond our world."
Xia Lun kissed her forehead, then brushed his lips against hers.
"Um…"
Still dangling from Xia Lun’s grip by the throat, the Void Mother hung limply, resigned. "Are you two done? Can you let go now?"
Xia Lun ignored her plea.
"But why does she look so much like you?" He glanced between his wife and the captive girl.
Aina shrugged. "Because the Goddess hates me. What’s hard to understand? She molded her tool in my image so she could boss it around however she pleased."
Xia Lun tightened his arm around Aina’s shoulders.
"Plus… I stole the Hero from her, even bore your child," Aina added, a hint of pride in her voice. "She must’ve been furious… To her, I’m probably no better than this promiscuous, overbreeding insect."
"Don’t slander me!" the Void Mother screeched, pointing accusingly. "Who’s promiscuous?! I’m not some lowly human who needs mating to reproduce! My children split directly from my body!"
As if to demonstrate, her fingertip suddenly ballooned, and a glistening white egg plopped out, dripping with mucus.
"See?!" Still dangling, she crossed her arms triumphantly, as if forgetting her predicament entirely.
Xia Lun: "…"
This one’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Then again, with abilities like hers, if she were any smarter… the Goddess would’ve had a harder time controlling her.
The Void Mother wasn’t weak. In her prime, Xia Lun doubted he could’ve defeated her.
And her true power—spatial manipulation—hadn’t even been utilized… likely because she lacked the brains to wield it properly.
"Should we keep her?" Xia Lun asked Aina.
If the Goddess had raised her here, she probably hadn’t caused any harm outside.
"It’s your call, Xia Lun," Aina said sweetly, clinging to his arm.
"Keep me! I’ll obey!" The Void Mother nodded frantically. "Other than the Goddess, I’ll listen only to you!"
"The Goddess is dead," Aina stated flatly.
"Eh? Ah! No wonder she hasn’t visited in so long…" The Void Mother blinked. "Then from now on, I’ll only listen to you!"
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
For the sake of his unrequited love, his ex-girlfriend abandoned him at the altar, indirectly causing the death of his parents. Just when he thought his life was plunged into darkness, a clueless yet beautiful girl unexpectedly took him in. Looking back, he realized how many hidden gems had always been by his side. A childhood friend who had secretly loved him for over a decade, a stunning but socially clueless school beauty, a mischievous and playful girl who lived for chaos... His ex, filled with regret, pleaded: "I was wrong—can we go back to how things were?" Before he could respond, the girl stepped in front of Ye Shuang and coldly declared, "If you didn’t cherish him, then he’s mine now." Also known as: "After Losing My Job, I Was Picked Up by a Hidden Gem," "The School Beauty I Raised," and "Oh No, I’m Surrounded by Rich Girls."
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
