Finally, he found the cave. It was daytime now, sunlight illuminating the area around the cave, which wasn’t particularly hidden—the outline of its entrance was clearly visible.
Lin Ran’s heart leaped with joy, thinking Luo Yao might be inside, so he walked straight in.
At a glance, there was no one inside. The cave was dim, with only the faint light from the entrance barely illuminating part of it.
Lin Ran grew anxious. "Did I come all this way just to miss Luo Yao?"
[Little Black: "These things depend on fate. If you don’t see her, you don’t see her. Let’s just go back."]
Little Black spoke carelessly, not wanting to waste any more time here.
Lin Ran exited the cave, unaware that two pairs of eyes were silently watching him.
They were eyes filled with wariness and curiosity, like phantoms lurking in the darkness, hidden behind the grass and trees.
Just as Lin Ran reached a certain spot, his foot suddenly jerked tight, and he was instantly hoisted into the air.
"Ah—what the hell?!"
Lin Ran let out a startled cry, thrown into panic by the sudden turn of events. Hanging upside down, blood rushed to his head, making him dizzy. Little Black, meanwhile, tumbled inside the backpack, eyes darting around—it, too, was flustered by the unexpected situation.
[Little Black: "Why is it that every time I go out with you, we end up in danger? Are you cursed or something?"]
[Lin Ran: "It’s not like I planned this."] Lin Ran replied helplessly, stuck in an awkward predicament, unsure what awaited him next.
For a moment, he thought the trap might have been set by Luo Yao, and a flicker of hope stirred in his heart.
But then, from the shadows emerged two boys who looked about ten years old—twins with nearly identical appearances.
They wore tattered clothes, their faces smudged with dirt, but their eyes were sharp, like those of young wolves.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" one of the boys demanded, his voice still childlike but his tone stern.
"I’m just a villager from nearby. I got lost," Lin Ran said, realizing neither of them was Luo Yao. He didn’t dare say more, afraid of causing trouble for her.
He tried to keep his voice calm, though his mind raced for a way out of this mess.
The other boy frowned. "Liar. There’s no one around here."
His eyes burned with suspicion, as if he’d already seen through Lin Ran’s lie.
Lin Ran retorted, "Then do you count as people? If you don’t, then neither do I. But if you do, then sorry—I’m just lost."
He tried to confuse the boys with his roundabout logic. The brothers seemed to short-circuit for a moment, their little brains struggling to process his words. It was as if two tiny figures were wrestling inside their heads, leaving them momentarily bewildered.
"Hey, hey, hey—can you at least put me down before we keep talking?"
Lin Ran’s head was throbbing from the blood rush. All he wanted was to get out of this upside-down position.
The boy shook his head. "No. Strangers who come here never leave alive."
His gaze turned fierce, as if he’d already sentenced Lin Ran to death.
Lin Ran gasped. "Damn, how can words so cold come from a body at 37 degrees?"
He hadn’t expected these two boys to be so ruthless.
Then the other boy spoke up. "Stop wasting time with him. Let’s just kill him. He might be a spy from the other side. A guy this big should last us a few days."
His calm tone sent chills down Lin Ran’s spine. The casual cruelty in his words made him sound like a demon.
Last a few days?
Lin Ran shuddered. This kid looked innocent, but his words were even more horrifying than the first one’s.
Heh. The world always had unexpected surprises waiting for him—though this one was downright terrifying.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Listen, little guys, I’m a scholar—my meat’s sour! If you want something tasty, my backpack’s got food!"
Lin Ran desperately tried to divert their attention. The last thing he wanted was to end up as these two little demons’ dinner.
The boys noticed the backpack and approached, curiosity flickering in their eyes as they wondered what treats it might hold.
[Little Black: "You did this on purpose, didn’t you?"]
[Lin Ran: "I had no choice. Gotta think of something."]
[Little Black: "Then think fast! They’re coming!" Little Black grew frantic, not wanting to be discovered.]
[Lin Ran: "The only idea I have is for you to come up with one."]
Lin Ran tossed the problem back to Little Black.
[Little Black: "You mother— damn it, fine. Let’s just go back."]
Little Black cursed under its breath, ready to abandon the mission and escape this dangerous place. Lin Ran panicked.
"No!"
The boys blinked in confusion. "No what?"
They didn’t understand why he’d suddenly become so agitated.
Lin Ran’s eyes darted as he scrambled for an explanation. "I’ll tell you a secret—I’m actually... Ultraman."
He hoped the legendary hero’s name would intimidate them.
[Little Black: "You’re hopeless. What kind of garbage excuse is that?"]
Little Black scoffed at the ridiculous idea.
But the twins exchanged glances, then scowled in unison. "We hate anything Japanese."
Their eyes burned with anger, their hatred for Ultraman—a Japanese icon—undeniable.
Lin Ran paled and quickly backtracked.
"Wait, wait! I wasn’t finished! I’m Ultraman’s arch-nemesis—China’s Sun Wukong!"
He prayed this new identity would change their minds.
The boys looked at each other again. Since arriving in this forest, they hadn’t seen any cartoons.
Sun Wukong was one of the few animated characters they remembered.
But life here had been brutal—a constant struggle for survival that had nearly erased those childhood memories.
"You’re really Sun Wukong? Is Sun Wukong enemies with Ultraman?" They eyed him skeptically, a glimmer of curiosity breaking through.
Lin Ran’s eyes lit up. "Yes, yes, exactly! I am Sun Wukong. Hanging me up like this doesn’t hurt me at all—I’m just giving you a chance to redeem yourselves."
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.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
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'!"
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."
