As usual, Lidi carefully replaced the wall tiles back to their original position, making sure the edges fit snugly with no cracks showing. Then she wiped the dirt off the iron spoon and tucked it back under her pillow.
“Lidi, give it up. We’re never getting out of here. It’s just wasted effort.” Lidi’s roommate Hemi shook her head, her voice drifting over from the bed, thick with a languid nasal tone.
Hemi rolled over, and the bed frame let out a creaky groan. “How long have you been digging now, and how long is the tunnel you’ve made? Five meters? Ten? Do you even know how far down we are from the surface? Even if you manage to dig all the way through, do you know where you’d end up?”
“But I want to get out.” Lidi said stubbornly. Her voice was soft, but it was as firm as a nail. “Father and Mother are still waiting for me... they must still be searching for me, working so hard. Don’t you want to get out too, Hemi?”
“There’s nothing bad about being here. We get food and drink every day, no work to do...” Hemi shrugged again, spreading her hands. “We just have to let them take a little blood now and then. It’s practically a god’s life.”
Hemi fell silent for a moment, her gaze drifting to the water stain on the ceiling. “Back home, there was never an end to the work. I had to wash clothes from morning till night, and my hands were always swollen and red. When my parents were in a bad mood, they’d hit me... And I overheard them talking about selling me off. If I hadn’t ended up here back then, I’d probably have been dragged off to a brothel by now. I don’t want to face those stinking men.”
“Sorry...” Lidi’s eyes dimmed slightly, realizing she had brought up something painful for Hemi. She looked at Hemi with a trace of sympathy.
“If you’re really sorry... then let me give you a kiss! Hehehe, my sweet-smelling Lidi...” Hemi pounced onto Lidi, nuzzling against her neck, and the two of them tumbled and rolled across the bed. “I’d rather be locked in here with you forever!”
Lidi shoved Hemi away, a bit disgusted.
Her roommate was fine in every other way, except for this one tendency that left her frustrated—she was always spouting nonsense at her.
“Compared to men, I definitely prefer girls.” Hemi was always preaching her “incorrect” ideas to her, trying to drag her into the same mindset. “Girls are soft and sweet-smelling, and it feels so nice to press up against each other... Besides, isn’t it the most natural thing in the world for girls to like each other? Look, your hair is like the finest silk, and your eyes are as pretty as pearls... and also...”
Her hand began to wander upward, but Lidi grabbed it firmly.
“If you keep talking like this, I’m really going to hate you, Hemi.” Lidi said, deadly serious.
“Ah, sorry, don’t be mad...” Hemi put her hands together in apology. “I’m just joking.”
To this day, Lidi still wasn’t sure whether Hemi was joking or not.
But one thing Lidi could be sure of: Hemi was definitely on her side. Up until now, she had never ratted her out, and she had never tried to use it as leverage against her.
Luckily, no one ever came to check on the rooms anyway. The handlers outside probably had a hard time imagining that anyone would try to escape using such a primitive method.
“It’s about time, isn’t it?” Hemi asked.
“Mm.” Lidi nodded.
The heavy iron door outside slowly creaked open. A middle-aged woman pushed a cart inside, a syringe in her hand. The cart had three tiers—the top two were piled with fresh, shiny red apples, and the bottom tier was lined with equally crimson blood bags.
“Alright, you two lovely girls, time for your blood draw.” The woman said in a gentle voice.
Lidi and Hemi cooperated without complaint—taking blood was nothing. Those who didn’t cooperate when they first arrived ended up in a very sorry state.
The two of them rolled up their sleeves, revealing arms covered in a dense constellation of needle marks. Those purplish-blue blotches were like some kind of eerie tattoo, recording every single day of their imprisonment.
Lidi stared at her own blood flowing down the clear tube into the bag. That dark red liquid reminded her of persimmons ripening in autumn. Hemi turned her face away, softly humming a song nobody knew.
The woman finished her work quickly. After the blood was drawn, both girls looked a bit pale.
Hemi casually went to pick out some apples.
“There’s nothing to pick. They’re all the same.” The woman said with a helpless look.
“You never know. I got a rotten one last time.” Hemi muttered, but she didn’t waste the woman’s time. She grabbed two apples and came back to Lidi’s side.
The woman pushed the cart and started to leave.
“By the way, how old are you two this year?”
“We’re both fifteen.” Hemi bit into an apple and replied.
“Is that so? Well, once you turn sixteen, you’ll get to participate in the Reproduction Ritual.” The woman said casually.
Hemi’s hand froze midair. The apple was held right in front of her mouth, and the piece she’d bitten off fell to the floor.
“What?” Hemi’s face was full of disbelief.
“You didn’t know? The Reproduction Ritual.” The woman glanced at the two girls in the room. “If you don’t become a mother—can’t give birth—before you turn twenty, you’ll be weeded out.”
The apple slipped from Hemi’s fingers and landed with a wet thud on the floor.
“When the time comes, you’ll be grouped together with a bunch of others and be arranged for the Reproduction Ritual... Don’t worry, everyone will be around your age. No old men will be mixed in.” The woman waved a hand. “The first time might be rough, but after a few rounds, you might even start to enjoy it.”
The woman pushed the cart out of the room and sealed the iron door behind her.
The room went quiet.
“AH——!”
A moment later, Hemi let out a shriek and ran her hands wildly through her messy, straw-colored hair.
“No! I’m not doing the Reproduction Ritual! They can call it whatever they want, but that’s just an orgy!!! I’m not having babies! AH——!”
“After all, we’re just kept like livestock to provide blood. Once we’re old, we’ll be disposed of.” Lidi let out a faint sigh. “They’ll definitely demand we bear children... And our kids will suffer the same fate as us. No, theirs will be worse—no education, locked in rooms forever, never learning to speak. They’d really be no different from livestock...”
“No!!!” Hemi threw her head back and screamed.
“Shut up! Keep it down!” A voice shouted from the cell next door, and Hemi immediately clammed up.
Another silence followed.
Then, as if Hemi had made up her mind about something, she looked at Lidi with fierce determination.
“What is it?” Lidi asked, noticing Hemi’s burning gaze.
“Lidi... let’s break out of here!”
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
