Hecheng City Criminal Investigation Division.
A man wearing a fishing hat, his face covered in a thick beard, stared down at the three corpses laid out on the table. He simply extended his hand and lightly swept it a few inches above the bodies.
After a moment, he opened his eyes, his expression puzzled. Scratching the back of his neck, he shrugged helplessly.
"Case closed. Just file it as natural causes."
The officer standing nearby frowned.
"There's no way this looks like natural death."
Fishing Hat Man shook his head. "I didn't sense anything unusual. There are plenty of ways to control venomous snakes—like the Five Poisons Sect or the Witch Gu practitioners active in the Yunnan-Guizhou region—but they usually leave traces. Just wrap this up normally. I’ll report the rest. It’s out of your hands now."
The officer took a step forward.
"How can you say it's out of our hands? People are dead."
"People die. And these three were scumbags who deserved it. What’s the big deal? Besides, if the killer really is who we suspect, you regular cops wouldn’t stand a chance. You’d need something like the SDU."
"That’s a Hong Kong unit," the officer pointed out.
"I just like Stephen Chow movies. Look, for your own safety, drop the case. Leave it to us—Yanhuang Awakening. We prefer to recruit righteous individuals like this one."
Fishing Hat Man was clearly a chatterbox—responding to every sentence with a paragraph.
The officer pressed further.
"Righteous?! So you won’t punish the vigilante? They trampled over the law! These three should’ve faced trial!"
Fishing Hat Man turned to face him.
"Officer Li, I know you respect the law. But you should also know it’s flawed. How many loopholes have criminals exploited?
"Let me tell you this—a skilled person with a sense of justice is far less dangerous than three hardened criminals. He didn’t harm innocent civilians. That means there’s room for negotiation."
Officer Li couldn’t help but ask, "And if he does hurt ordinary people?"
The man flicked the brim of his hat. "Then he’ll end up just like these three."
With that, he waved a hand and walked off without another word.
Officer Li watched Fishing Hat Man’s retreating figure, then glanced back at the three corpses. Finally, he sighed.
In the blink of an eye, Fishing Hat Man arrived at the mountainside where the bodies had been discovered.
Days had passed since then, and rain had washed over the area. Normally, any traces would’ve been erased.
Yet, the man merely raised his hand. After a few seconds, as if sensing something, he strode deeper into the mountains.
Soon, he reached the actual spot where the three criminals had died.
Closing his eyes, he seemed to be absorbing the surroundings.
After a long while, he slowly opened them and pulled out his phone to make a call.
"Yeah, it’s me. I’m in Hecheng. Profile suggests a beast-controlling expert—or someone who couldn’t be bothered to act personally. Check if anyone from the Five Poisons Sect or Witch Gu tribe has been active in eastern Guangdong lately."
A pleasant female voice replied, "Got it. Any clues about their mindset?"
"Probably a principled type. After killing those three with venomous snakes, he had animals carry the bodies down the mountain to be found. Wanted the case closed without revealing himself."
"Understood. Keep investigating. Stay in touch."
Hanging up, Fishing Hat Man flicked his hat again, his expression resigned.
"How the hell am I supposed to track this down? Do I really have to comb through the entire mountain?"
—System: I told you already, this world is the Nine Heavens Realm—
February 22, 2013.
The Lantern Festival hadn’t arrived yet, but school was about to start.
Today was just the opening ceremony—no real classes yet. Just collecting textbooks, cleaning the classroom, and rearranging seats.
They’d switched seats multiple times last semester, but no one wanted the front row, so Lin Mo never bothered moving.
Now, he sat listening to classmates chatter about their winter break—trips with family, new foods, things they’d seen.
Except Jiang Yunlu wasn’t here.
Lin Mo had gotten her message earlier: her family was traveling abroad, but flight delays and cancellations due to weather had stranded them for days.
She’d asked their homeroom teacher, Chen Xiaoya, for a leave of absence, hoping to return by tomorrow.
If not for the trip, Jiang Yunlu would’ve tried meeting up with Lin Mo the moment he got back.
Meanwhile, many in class lamented how short winter break felt—like it barely started before ending.
Hearing this, Xue Zigui chimed in.
"According to the Education Bureau, high school winter breaks typically last three weeks, while summer breaks are seven to eight."
"That’s still short."
"It’s actually quite long."
"Who are you speaking for?"
"You know who."
On the other side, Fang Jun was bragging about how Lin Mo had boosted his rank to Diamond in League of Legends, and now he could hold his own without dropping.
"But damn, Old Mo climbed so fast—got me from Gold IV in just one afternoon..."
Before Fang Jun could keep gushing, Lin Mo cut in.
"Enough. Even if you keep praising me, I’m not taking orders. Too exhausting."
Truthfully, it wasn’t tiring—Lin Mo just didn’t want to waste time.
After more idle chatter, Chen Xiaoya arrived.
She took the podium and launched into the usual spiel. Lin Mo couldn’t recite it word for word, but he knew most of it was fluff.
The main point? "Get your heads back in the game."
Next came collecting homework.
Anyone who hadn’t finished was sent outside to complete it.
Luckily, Class 8 had a good academic atmosphere—no slackers.
That didn’t stop Chen Xiaoya from announcing a quiz right after the ceremony.
High school was all about intensity.
Before the assembly even started, teachers were already reviewing winter break assignments.
Halfway through, the bell rang, forcing everyone to head to the opening ceremony.
The ceremony was as dull as expected—speech after speech. Lin Mo, an honors student, had been asked to speak but declined.
Instead, the top-ranked sophomore took the stage.
Listening to the smooth delivery, Lin Jiajun muttered, "Sounds like he memorized the whole script. Zero emotion."
"Gotta hand it to the top student—memory’s insane. Flawless delivery," Lin Mo remarked.
As the class’s P.E. monitor, he stood at the front and could clearly see the speech tucked in the guy’s pocket. No idea if he wrote it himself, but he’d definitely added his own flair.
Once finished, the sophomore proudly strode off the stage.
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?"
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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?"
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
