"Come in."
The door of a spacious apartment in a residential complex slowly swung open as the mechanical female voice sounded.
An Shiyu's footsteps were light and unhurried. After turning on the light, she walked over to the sofa and sat down.
She slowly extended her hand, her fingertips barely detecting any pulse.
An Shiyu: "..."
From the shadows nearby, someone stood with their arms crossed. "What did you do today?"
"Before dying, I did something naughty with an old man."
"Eh, I don’t believe you," the other person lazily replied.
An Shiyu didn’t bother explaining further. She lay back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. At this point, she had no energy left to say more. The relentless fatigue in her body made her want to close her eyes and sleep at every moment.
But even An Shiyu herself didn’t know whether, once her eyes shut,
they would ever open again...
The sofa dipped slightly as someone sat beside her, and then she felt a slight prickling sensation in her palm. The girl opened her eyes slightly to find a blister pack of pills in her hand.
Inside the silver packaging, a single pill sat quietly in place.
"There’s good news and bad news."
An Shiyu didn’t look up. She stared at the pill in her hand, a few strands of hair falling over her forehead. "What’s the good news?"
"The good news... the medicine has been developed. It’s the one in your hand," the other person said slowly.
"And the bad news?"
"It’s a prototype."
An Shiyu remained calm, as if this outcome didn’t surprise her at all. She had long grown accustomed to not hoping for anything, so disappointment never came.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel a faint pang of loss deep down.
Ah, well. Used to it.
"Can I take it?" she asked.
"Seems to have a slight effect. It can temporarily restore you... but you can only take it once. As for how long it lasts..." The other person shrugged.
"Once." An Shiyu pinched the pill between her fingers, as if playing with it.
"That’s enough... for the last time."
The other person looked at An Shiyu. "Are you really not reconsidering?"
"At this point, do you even need to ask?" The girl slowly stood up and walked toward her room.
Her steps paused for a moment, and she added, as if joking,
"Oh, and when I die, don’t show up at my funeral. You’ll scare the guests."
"..."
"Idiot..."
...
The next day, Yinshan Academy.
"Alright, mark time—march!"
"One-two-one, one-two-one."
"There’ll be a military boxing demonstration later. If anyone’s interested, you can sign up to learn."
The final day of military training proceeded as usual. Ye Shuang directed the students but noticed that An Shiyu hadn’t come today.
Not only that—she hadn’t shown up at the infirmary either.
"..." Ye Shuang couldn’t help but wonder. Even when he messaged her, there was no response, just like the last time she had disappeared for a month without a trace.
"Alright, take a break for now."
When rest time came, Ye Shuang sat on the steps and took a casual sip of mineral water.
His gaze drifted toward Bai Yuyou and noticed that the two girls seemed about to approach him. But the next second, he spotted a figure sneaking closer, looking like she wanted to come near but didn’t dare.
"Hmm?" Ye Shuang found the girl somewhat familiar, which surprised him.
Meanwhile, over by Bai Yuyou—
The two girls had been about to go chat with Ye Shuang, but Bai Yuyou seemed to notice something. She glanced sideways and saw a petite girl approaching, hesitating as if afraid to get closer.
"Ah, it’s that girl from yesterday," Tang Keke said, following Bai Yuyou’s gaze to Tao Xiaotao.
Realizing she’d been spotted, Tao Xiaotao finally walked over, nervously wringing her hands as if unsure what to say.
"What’s wrong?" Bai Yuyou asked.
"I-I... I didn’t mean anything, I just..." Tao Xiaotao stammered, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"Stuttering is okay... Take your time and it’ll get better," Bai Yuyou said, as if understanding perfectly.
Tao Xiaotao froze for a moment.
Perhaps because of Bai Yuyou’s interruption, she relaxed slightly. "Um, the bag I had yesterday... I think I left it here."
"Did... did you see it?"
"Oh?" Tang Keke suddenly remembered. "You mean that green bag? The one with all the bottles and stuff?"
"Yes, yes!"
"Don’t worry, we threw it in the trash for you," Tang Keke said cheerfully. "Since you forgot it, we figured we’d toss it."
Tao Xiaotao’s voice rose slightly. "The trash?!"
"Yeah, wasn’t it supposed to go there anyway?" Tang Keke said. "It was just garbage."
Tao Xiaotao: "..."
"Yeah... it was supposed to go in the trash," she muttered dejectedly, turning away. "Just like me."
The background around Tao Xiaotao seemed to fade into grayscale as she crouched down, hugging her knees, completely devoid of hope.
Tang Keke and Bai Yuyou exchanged glances, confused by her reaction.
Bai Yuyou then asked, "Were the bottles important to you?"
"Yeah."
Tao Xiaotao stood up listlessly, shuffling back to her spot like a zombie.
"Did... did I do something wrong? Was there something personal in there?" Tang Keke watched her lifeless retreating figure and murmured, "Should I go dig the bag out?!"
"The bag... was taken by the cleaning lady," Bai Yuyou said. "She looked really happy."
"Ah..."
Time passed quickly, and soon it was lunch break.
Ye Shuang was about to take Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke to the cafeteria—
"Let’s eat." Bai Yuyou was about to follow when she noticed someone heading in the opposite direction.
It was Tao Xiaotao.
Tiny, like a little kitten.
"What’s up, Yuyou?"
"That girl..."
Tang Keke also noticed Tao Xiaotao leaving and tilted her head. "Isn’t she going to the cafeteria? If she’s eating off-campus, it’s pretty far. She should take the shuttle or ride a bike."
Bai Yuyou whispered, "I want to follow her."
"Huh?" Tang Keke seemed to understand. After exchanging a glance, the two girls immediately sneaked off, leaving Ye Shuang with just a quick,
"Brother, can you grab us some food? We’ll be right back!"
Ye Shuang watched the two girls skulking around and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"What are these two up to, tailing a classmate?"
Just then, his phone rang.
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
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.
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."
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!
