The ones arguing were their eerie mother and a man they hadn’t seen before—presumably the father.
"You’re always working overtime! What kind of overtime is this?" the eerie mother demanded, her voice tinged with hysteria.
The father’s face twisted. "You don’t even work, so why do you care? Just take care of the house!"
"Hah, wasn’t it you who stopped me from working?"
"I don’t have time for this!" The father turned and walked toward his bedroom at the end of the hall.
But the next moment, the eerie mother dragged out a suitcase from behind the sofa. "You stopped me from working because of her, didn’t you?"
"What nonsense are you—" The eerie father turned back, only to see her slowly unzip the suitcase. A pale, lifeless hand tumbled out.
"You—!" The father’s face paled as he rushed forward, shoving her aside and frantically yanking the suitcase open. Inside, a naked woman lay curled up, motionless.
"You’re insane!" he roared.
"Hahahaha! Yes, I am! And it’s all thanks to you!" The eerie mother laughed maniacally.
The father lunged at her, his hands closing around her throat. Her laughter choked off as she struggled violently, while the ghostly little brother watched blankly.
"Get it now?" Fang Zhiyi asked.
Cheng Xiang sighed. "Yeah, family tragedy."
"You don’t get it at all. The normal solution is to stop them from killing each other, or else..." Fang Zhiyi pushed the door open and pointed at the suitcase as if demonstrating. Sure enough, after the eerie mother stabbed the father twice and was gravely wounded in return, the suitcase moved. The woman inside crawled out in a grotesquely twisted manner, her head lolling limply on her broken neck, her eyes filled with hatred as she glared at the ghostly little brother.
"Originally, this family only had three members. We were just added to make up numbers. If we do nothing and let the tragedy replay completely, we’ll have to face a house full of vengeful spirits. But if we gain the eerie mother’s favor beforehand and step in to help, she’ll protect us from the mistress in the suitcase."
"Oh!" Cheng Xiang’s eyes widened in realization.
"Not that I care, though." With that, Fang Zhiyi rolled up his sleeves and strode into the living room, positioning himself between the ghostly child and the unfolding horror.
"Kid, watch closely. I’ll show you the real invincible human windmill!"
What happened next left Cheng Xiang, the ghostly brother, and the live-stream audience utterly stunned. Fang Zhiyi grabbed the female ghost by the hair and began swinging her around like a ragdoll. With each brutal impact, her guttural "gurgles" turned into shrieks of agony.
Even the eerie parents, who had been ready to slaughter Fang Zhiyi and Cheng Xiang, froze in shock.
When the scalp finally tore off from the sheer force, the entire live-stream audience collectively recoiled with a disgusted "Eww—"
Fang Zhiyi tossed the clump of hair aside in distaste, then turned to face the father, who was pressed against the wall, and the mother, who had retreated to the corner of the sofa.
"Any objections?"
Both eerie heads shook like rattles.
What followed was a thorough family counseling session led by Fang Zhiyi, covering topics like work-life balance and the destructive consequences of infidelity—with the eerie father taking a few extra hits for emphasis.
Under Fang Zhiyi’s prompting, the eerie mother eagerly brought up the idea of divorce.
The live-stream chat erupted.
"Fang Zhiyi is a god! He actually made ghosts listen to reason!"
"Cheaters deserve to die."
"Doesn’t this feel weird? We always thought ghosts were just monsters, but they have the same problems as us."
"Yeah, like the ghost kid still has to go to school."
"And the eerie mother still has to catch her husband cheating."
"Honestly, Fang’s employees have it worse—constantly working overtime."
"Well, ghosts don’t get tired."
Meanwhile, government officials were deep in thought. Under the threat of the mist, their focus had always been on clearing levels and reclaiming cities lost to the fog. But now, witnessing Fang Zhiyi’s absolute dominance, they noticed something they’d overlooked before.
A young analyst murmured, "What if the eerie world is just a reflection of our own?"
Thanks to the eerie protection, many players who had paid the "protection fee" safely returned to reality.
Watching Cheng Xiang fade away, Fang Zhiyi patted himself down and cursed—no luck.
The live-stream hadn’t ended yet, but the screen flickered erratically as if glitching.
The audience watched Fang Zhiyi drag the eerie father and the mistress out of the apartment and head straight for the convenience store outside the neighborhood. The stream finally cut off after he entered.
"Holy crap, Fang wasn’t lying—he really can’t leave!"
"Does it even matter? Did you see how he handled those ghosts?"
"I’m actually looking forward to the next game."
"Same. I used to dread it, but now I can’t wait."
Representatives from multiple nations rushed to Xia Kingdom, eager for two things: intel on Fang Zhiyi—why was he so overpowered, and why could he stay in the eerie world indefinitely?—and negotiations for the next round of "protection fees."
They knew Fang Zhiyi would demand a fortune next time, so striking a deal with Xia Kingdom’s officials beforehand was the smart move.
And they were right.
Because this time, the game’s objective was to work at the convenience store.
When a crowd of players materialized in front of him mid-lecture, Fang Zhiyi froze.
"Fang!" Cheng Xiang jogged over excitedly.
Fang Zhiyi frowned. "Back so soon?"
Cheng Xiang shook his head. "No idea. The next game started after just fifteen days."
Each player held a manual. Fang Zhiyi snatched Cheng Xiang’s copy and skimmed it.
Wasn’t this the employee handbook he’d drafted days ago? How did they get it?
Flipping it open, a line of unsettling red text glared back:
"Employee Handbook (Shop Assistant)"
"Standard operating hours: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM."
"Time clock only functions at 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM. Punching in/out at other times is prohibited."
"Provide friendly service. Do not provoke customers."
"Red-packaged beverages do not exist. If a customer brings one to checkout, notify the Store Manager immediately."
"If knocking sounds come from the freezer, affix an 'Out of Order' sticker (available in the Store Manager’s office)."
"Do not work more than six consecutive hours. Severe consequences will follow."
"The meat in employee meals is safe to consume."
"Your probation period is fifteen days. Performance evaluations will be conducted by the Store Manager afterward."
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
] [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!"
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
