Half an hour earlier—
"Yu You, this hairpin really suits you."
Inside a small jewelry shop at the corner of Beishan Street, Tang Keke and Bai Yuyou were browsing through accessories. Perhaps because the stalker had been caught, the two girls now dared to venture farther from their usual spots.
"This penguin hat is so cute too." Bai Yuyou was wearing a fluffy cartoon penguin hat. When she pressed the long, claw-like strip on it, the penguin’s beak would open wide. Pressing it a few more times made it seem like the little penguin was talking.
"Come on, say cheese!" Tang Keke set her phone to selfie mode and snapped several pictures in quick succession.
After a while, the two girls stepped out of the shop, carrying small bags. The items they bought weren’t expensive—just little trinkets costing around a dozen yuan, mostly for fun.
"Hmm… I need to use the restroom." Tang Keke glanced around before turning to Bai Yuyou. "Yu You, I’m going to the bathroom. Want to come?"
"I’ll wait… outside," Bai Yuyou replied with a slight shake of her head.
"Alright."
Beishan Street was a scenic area filled with winding alleys, and the restroom was tucked deeper inside. When Tang Keke entered, she found the women’s restroom packed, with a line stretching all the way outside.
"Whoa, so many people?" Tang Keke hadn’t expected such a crowd today. She had no choice but to obediently join the queue.
After two minutes, the line hadn’t budged, and Tang Keke was starting to feel uncomfortable.
"What’s taking so long inside…?"
Some of the girls waiting grew impatient and even ventured into the men’s restroom.
Tang Keke briefly considered following suit, but her shyness stopped her—she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Then she remembered another restroom a bit farther away.
That one shouldn’t have a line.
With that thought, Tang Keke decisively abandoned the queue and turned into a narrow alley.
Walking through the deserted alley, the air felt eerily quiet.
After a short while, Tang Keke suddenly sensed a faint, lingering gaze on her back. She stopped and glanced behind her but saw nothing.
"The stalker’s already been caught… must be my imagination." She didn’t dwell on it. After all, the stalker was in custody, and it wasn’t even nighttime—how many creeps could there possibly be?
Soon, she spotted the restroom. Just as she’d guessed, this one wasn’t part of the tourist area—it was a public facility mostly used by locals.
"Ahhh, relief at last."
A short while later, Tang Keke stepped out of the restroom and quickly sent Bai Yuyou a message: "Almost done here."
"Genius move. Time to head back." Just as she was about to put her phone away, a large hand suddenly snatched it from her grasp!
Tang Keke froze, then turned to see a man in a baseball cap and mask standing behind her.
"Y-you… you…" Her mind went blank, her lips parting soundlessly—until a sharp pain at her waist made her notice the glint of a cold blade pressed against her.
Oh no.
This is it.
Where the hell did he come from?
Tang Keke felt like her life was over. This shady guy didn’t look like a good person at all. Was he the stalker who’d been harassing girls? But hadn’t he been arrested?
Did he escape?
How the hell did he manage that?
"B-big bro, let’s talk this out," Tang Keke stammered, her voice trembling. She was naturally timid, and fear had her on the verge of tears.
"Shut up, or I’ll make sure this blade goes in white and comes out red!"
"U-uh… isn’t it supposed to be ‘white in, red out’…?" Her voice trailed off as the man’s menacing glare silenced her.
Survival was the priority now. No provoking the criminal.
"Move! Into that alley!" the man in the cap barked.
Tang Keke glanced at the alley he pointed to—pitch-black and clearly not a path normal people would take.
"Big bro…"
"You wanna die? Move or not?!"
"O-okay…" Tang Keke instantly regretted not asking Bai Yuyou to come with her. She had no idea whether this guy had targeted her on impulse or had been watching her for days. Her mind was a complete mess.
This was it. She’d been caught alone.
The two stepped into the dark alley.
And this scene was perfectly captured by a drone’s camera high above—
At a café on the street corner, a short-haired girl fiddling with her drone’s remote control raised an eyebrow at the footage. "Huh?"
……
The surroundings grew darker, the ground damp and reeking of decay. With the knife still pressed against her, Tang Keke trudged forward, her face twisted in despair. She already knew what was coming.
Either robbery, assault, or organ theft. Money was the least of her worries—the latter two would be a nightmare beyond belief.
Mom, Dad…
Brother… Yu You…
Someone, please save me…
Just then, her phone rang.
The cheerful ringtone pierced the silence of the alley—
"Queen of the world, shining so bright~"
The man in the cap pulled Tang Keke’s phone from his pocket and saw the caller ID: "Brother."
"……" He tapped the reject button.
Tang Keke realized this was her chance. The moment his attention shifted to the phone, she shoved him with all her might and bolted back the way she came!
"You bitch, I’ll stab you dead!" Enraged, the man lunged after her, brandishing the knife.
"HELP!"
"THERE’S A MURDERER!"
Tang Keke screamed as she ran, knowing this was her only shot—even if she understood the potential consequences. She had to try.
Her chest burned from the frantic sprint, but she ignored the pain, pushing forward with everything she had.
But their physical strength was worlds apart. The man quickly closed the gap, grabbing her hair and slamming her to the ground!
"You’ve got a death wish!" The man’s furious glare bore into her like he wanted to skin her alive.
"I-I-I—" Before she could finish, he yanked her hair and smashed her head into the nearby wall!
A sharp pain exploded in her skull. She let out a pained cry as warmth trickled down her forehead.
"Try running now!"
The man raised his hand, ready to deliver a brutal slap—his rage making him seem like a wild beast.
Click.
At that moment, the unmistakable sound of a camera shutter cut through the tension.
The man turned his head in surprise, only to find a short-haired girl in a school uniform leaning slightly against the wall, one hand holding a camera as if she had been taking pictures.
"Who the hell are you?!" the man demanded.
"Me?" An Shiyu slowly lowered the camera.
"Just a passing Kamen Rider. Carry on, don’t mind me."
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
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."
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
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!
