"Am I being followed?"
That was Xu Xi's first thought.
But the idea was quickly dismissed.
Xu Xi and the "Hero" were strangers—their only encounter had been brief, on the day the undead invaded the village.
They could hardly be called acquaintances, let alone rivals.
Besides, Xu Xi’s path had been winding and erratic, veering toward wherever the undead were thickest, sometimes even doubling back. There was no fixed route.
Tracking someone like that would be pointless.
So, it must have been a coincidence.
...
[As usual, you clear the undead encountered on your journey, harvesting their soul flames for your own use.]
[Just as you prepare to leave, you unexpectedly notice the Hero’s arrival—he seems to be heading the same way.]
[No, more accurately…]
[You’ve arrived where the Hero is.]
[The rain pours down in heavy sheets. Through the storm, you see the Hero, clad in steel armor, striding unfazed through the lashing downpour toward an ancient ruin.]
The rain fell violently, like a cascading waterfall.
Each drop struck the muddy ground, splattering into countless brownish sprays.
The relentless downpour only deepened the waterlogged earth, turning it into a treacherous mire.
Thud—
A steel boot stomped into a puddle, sinking deep into the muck before wrenching free with sheer brute force, pressing onward without pause.
Despite the mud seeping into the crevices of the armor, the figure marched forward—unbothered, as if impervious to discomfort or obstruction.
From a distance, Xu Xi watched as the metal-clad figure entered the ruins—a collapsed, vine-choked relic of what was once a grand estate, now reduced to a crumbling, abandoned husk.
The "Hero" seemed to treat it as a shelter, sitting beneath the overhang at the entrance, sheltering from the storm.
"Quite the picture," Xu Xi mused.
From his vantage, the sky darkened further, the tempest howling as it lashed the land with torrential rain.
The world was a violent, roaring expanse—nothing but the fury of the storm.
The "Hero," their armor scarred with rust and battle marks, sat motionless at the ruin’s entrance, silently watching the deluge. There was an air of quiet mastery to it, as if the storm itself bowed to their presence.
Xu Xi knew the Hero wasn’t particularly strong.
Yet, he couldn’t help but reassess his opinion of them.
CRACK—!!
Suddenly, thunder split the sky.
The deafening boom echoed far and wide, momentarily silencing the wind and rain.
Xu Xi remained unfazed—he’d witnessed grander spectacles, heard more terrifying roars. His expression didn’t change.
But the Hero…
Did they just flinch?
Xu Xi chuckled, dismissing it as a trick of the eye.
The Hero was no ordinary being—a warrior who cleaved through undead hordes with a blade wouldn’t fear something as trivial as thunder.
CRASH—!!
Another peal of thunder, even louder than the last.
This time, Xu Xi saw it clearly.
The "Hero" sheltering in the ruins had indeed shuddered.
And as the storm worsened, the sky plunging into deeper darkness, the Hero slowly inched backward, trembling visibly.
Xu Xi: "…Huh?"
"Wait, what’s happening?"
The same "Hero" who had defended countless villages, clad in impenetrable armor, wielding a deadly sword against legions of undead…
Was afraid of thunder and the dark?
Even knowing the armored figure wasn’t a true hero in the traditional sense, Xu Xi fell into silent bewilderment.
"This is… unexpectedly absurd," Xu Xi sighed, his mood more complicated than when he’d first tried teaching magic to the Witch.
...
[You’ve witnessed another side of the Hero.]
[A side few have seen—one that would leave villagers gaping in disbelief.]
[They flinch at the roar of thunder. They curl up when darkness falls. There’s no courage here, no fearlessness—only fragility when left alone.]
[Only after the storm passes does the Hero emerge from the ruins again.]
[Head lifted…]
[Gazing at the sky…]
[The world is still gloomy, but the thunder has faded. The Hero seems to exhale in relief before gripping their sword and marching onward.]
[They walk far, farther still.]
[Silently, you observe the Hero’s movements, confirming they aren’t following you. In the days that follow, the Hero clears out more undead, protecting villages from threats.]
[Some weep with gratitude, offering gifts in thanks.]
[Others scorn them, blaming the Hero for attracting the undead, refusing to let them near.]
[The Hero doesn’t linger for any reaction. Their steps are heavy but resolute, until they reach the foot of a nearby hill.]
The sky is dim, veiled in haze.
A breeze, tinged with the scent of damp earth, stirs broken leaves and withered grass.
The leaves spiral upward, brushing against the Hero’s dented, rusted armor before vanishing into the endless sky.
The Hero pays no mind.
Instead, they cradle a handful of freshly picked pale flowers.
Step by step, they climb until they reach the summit, where they finally stop.
The hilltop is barren, save for two weathered tombstones, their inscriptions long faded by time.
Gently, the Hero separates the flowers into two bundles.
In the silence, they place one before each grave.
"Father. Mother."
"I’ve come to see you again."
With that, the Hero removes their steel helmet.
Xu Xi sees it then—a face half-ruined.
One side still bears human flesh, soft and fair.
The other is a skeletal horror, bleached white, devoid of life.
The jaw moves as they speak, bone grinding against bone, eerie and unnatural.
"…Undead transformation?" Xu Xi murmurs, stunned.
The divide between life and death was absolute.
A living soul carried all emotions, all memories.
The dead, even if they retained past recollections, were new beings—echoes, not continuations.
This was an impossibility.
The strongest might defy such laws, but this "Hero" was far from that level.
How had they managed it?
As Xu Xi pondered, the Hero moves again.
Slowly, they crouch between the two graves, their armored body curling into itself.
Their shoulders press against the tombstones on either side, as if seeking comfort in the contact.
And then—
A smile.
Half beautiful, half grotesque.
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
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!" "......"
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
