Su Hua left.
Members of the Shadow Organization appeared and tossed a sum of money to Kristy. "This is your payment for completing the mission."
Kristy clutched the money in her hands, her eyes filled with excitement.
"Great... This is great! My sister's illness... now there's hope!"
However, the money in Kristy's hands was quickly noticed by a group of dark-skinned individuals. They swarmed her, snatching away every last bill she had just tucked into her pocket.
"My money! The money to save my sister!"
Kristy sat alone in her seat, breaking down into uncontrollable sobs.
---
In the medical room of the Shadow Organization, Lin Xuan lay quietly on the hospital bed, his eyes closed as if asleep.
"Professor," a female assistant beside him asked curiously, "Is he starting to regain his memories now?"
Derkson glanced at his watch. "It's about time."
Noticing Lin Xuan's furrowed brows, he smiled. "No—it seems he’s already begun recovering them."
"You're amazing, Professor," the assistant couldn’t help but praise.
Derkson replied, "Let’s go rest now. These dreams of his won’t be over so quickly—it’ll take months."
"Yes."
The assistant followed Derkson out, leaving Lin Xuan alone in the medical room.
---
On the bed, scenes from Lin Xuan’s lost memories played in his mind.
Years ago, he had been surrounded by a group of people in a bar, forced to drink heavily. Back then, he wasn’t much of a drinker and quickly got drunk. Worse, the alcohol seemed laced with something—soon, he collapsed onto the bar floor.
He vaguely remembered being dragged out of the bar.
Before his eyes shut completely, he caught a glimpse of Lin Li standing before him, wearing a triumphant smirk.
Lin Li leaned close and whispered, "Lin Xuan, you never should have returned to the Lin Family. Wasn’t life at the orphanage good enough? Did you really have to come back and compete with me for Mom, Dad, Sister, and the family fortune?"
"Since you’re so stubborn, don’t blame me. From now on, I’ll make sure you never step foot in the Lin Family again."
"Hahaha! Lin Xuan, enjoy what’s coming next."
Enjoy a life as a slave—trapped forever.
Lin Li’s laughter rang with cruel satisfaction.
Lin Xuan wanted to get up and punch him, but his body was powerless. He couldn’t even muster the strength to open his eyes.
Soon, he blacked out completely.
When he woke up, he found himself on a ship, surrounded by boys around his age—some even younger.
Lin Xuan realized Lin Li had sold him off.
He couldn’t just wait to die!
Determined to escape, Lin Xuan focused on rubbing the ropes binding his wrists against a sharp corner of a table.
Finally—
The ropes snapped and fell to the ground. He was free.
But before he could celebrate, another bound boy pointed at him and shouted, "His ropes came off! He’s trying to escape!"
The commotion drew the attention of their captors.
A muscular, menacing man strode toward him.
Panicked, Lin Xuan ran.
He was chased to the stern of the ship—nowhere left to retreat.
"Heh, kid, let me make this clear: there’s no escape."
The broad-shouldered man grinned. "Don’t worry, we won’t kill you. We’re just selling you off as slaves. You’ll spend your whole life serving others, living in darkness."
"Lucky for you, you’ve got a pretty face. Your life will be better than the others—as long as..." The man smirked maliciously. "...you please those wealthy women. Keep them happy, and they’ll spoil you. At least until they grow tired of you."
The man eyed Lin Xuan with satisfaction.
This kid was young and handsome—he’d fetch a high price.
Lin Xuan’s blood ran cold.
So this was their plan.
"Kid," the man said, "come here quietly. If you behave, I won’t punish you for trying to run."
He needed that face unharmed to get a good deal.
Lin Xuan clenched his fists. "I’m not going with you!"
"Still resisting?" The man laughed. "Look around—where can you even go?"
Lin Xuan scanned his surroundings, despair creeping in again.
It was true.
Nothing but endless ocean in every direction.
Nowhere to run.
As the man advanced, Lin Xuan stepped back—until his foot hit the ship’s edge.
He lost his balance and fell backward.
"Damn it!"
The man lunged, grabbing only a torn piece of Lin Xuan’s sleeve.
"Rip—"
The fabric tore away.
Clutching the scrap, the man could only watch as Lin Xuan plunged into the sea.
He quickly threw a rope into the water, yelling, "Grab the rope!"
Lin Xuan’s lips curled into a bitter smile.
At the Lin Family, his parents and sister had never cared for him. In this world, no one would miss him.
Better to die here than endure a life of humiliation.
When Lin Xuan made no move to grab the rope, the man assumed he hadn’t heard.
"Grab the rope!" he shouted again.
Still, Lin Xuan didn’t react.
He didn’t even struggle—just spread his arms and shut his eyes tightly.
Finally, the man understood.
This kid had given up.
"Crazy... You’re insane! Throwing away a chance to live!"
The man scowled.
Diving in after him was too risky. Lin Xuan might drag him down in a death grip.
No way was he dying for this brat.
Fine. Let fate decide.
What a waste, though—that face could’ve made him millions.
The man turned and walked away.
The ship sailed on, leaving Lin Xuan behind.
Lin Xuan’s body relaxed, floating on the surface instead of sinking.
Twenty minutes later, he drifted into unconsciousness.
A piece of driftwood buoyed him up.
When Lin Xuan woke again, he found himself washed ashore on a deserted island—a beach surrounded by wild grass, trees, and a mountain. No signs of human life.
---
(A/N: Hey lovelies, just a quick note—my writer’s block isn’t intentional. Feels like every stopping point is a struggle lately (⊙︿⊙). Gotta dash now, exams in two weeks!
Special thanks to Yuan Fang is Nine for the explosive support!
And to Li Ze who loves braised potatoes, Mountain Breeze, Ao Zi, and others for the gifts! ♡)
] [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!"
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
