Lin Jiu's vision was bathed in crimson as a piercing alarm exploded in his mind:
[WARNING! Detection of an ultra-dangerous entity approaching!!!]
[Divine Choice System forcibly activated—]
[Option 1: Kneel and beg for mercy (Reward: Shadow Resistance +10%)]
[Option 2: Counter-kill the entity (Reward: Fragment of the Soul-Devouring Demon Art)]
[Option 3: Livestream a distress call (Convert viewership into Revival Tokens)]
Thud!
In an instant.
Lin Jiu’s heart convulsed, the unfamiliar crimson interface and the choices before him snapping him to full alertness.
"Hey... wait a second..."
Lin Jiu swallowed hard, panic seeping through his veins.
He scrambled off the bed, staring at the options on the screen in disbelief.
This had to be a joke, right?
"What ‘ultra-dangerous entity’?!"
"What the hell is going on?!"
"System, are you glitching?!"
His face paled. This couldn’t be real.
Just yesterday, he was choosing between bringing a rich girl pearl milk tea or bubble tea.
And now you’re telling me I’m under attack by some monstrous threat?
Huh?
Are you serious?
[Host must choose immediately! Otherwise, the system will enforce a random selection!]
Damn it, this stupid system was always like this.
If you hesitated even a little, it’d pick for you in the most chaotic way possible.
Lin Jiu closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
Wait.
If I were truly doomed, the system wouldn’t give me three options, right?
Which means...
His eyes flew open, gleaming with realization.
Has my destined protagonist’s ascension arc finally arrived?!
He stared at his hands, gulping.
Could it be... that I’ll awaken powers like those martial artists?
Right.
Just look at the options.
Option 1: Kneel and beg—no way, I’m the protagonist, I’d never grovel.
Option 3: Livestream for Revival Tokens? Pfft, have you even read stories? Protagonists like me are unkillable!
So...
"Only Option 2 is left."
Lin Jiu licked his lips, about to tap the second choice when—
Bzzzt—!
Suddenly.
The screen emitted a shrill static noise, followed by a flood of squirming black glyphs crawling over the interface.
Lin Jiu froze, about to demand an explanation when—
[Big... brother...]
[Come play... with us...]
Without warning.
The pitch-black corridor of the abandoned building echoed with the laughter of children.
Lin Jiu’s breath hitched. He turned stiffly toward the sound—
And saw a sight that made his scalp crawl.
There, emerging from the darkness, were twelve ragdolls.
Their grotesque grins stretched ear to ear, their button eyes—oversized and black—glinting with a cold, lifeless sheen, as if fixated on him.
Their mouths gaped unnaturally wide, lined with jagged black teeth, trails of dried crimson liquid oozing from the corners. With every hop, the fluid dripped onto the dusty floor with a nauseating plink.
Their limbs were grotesquely elongated, joints creaking like rusted hinges, their movements jerky and disjointed.
"What... what the hell are these things?!"
Lin Jiu’s heart hammered against his ribs, his legs locked in place as if nailed to the ground.
Sweat stung his eyes, blurring his vision, but he dared not blink—terrified the dolls would lurch forward the moment he did.
[Big brother, play with us...]
Their voices wove through the hollow building, a chorus of whispers that slithered into his mind, gnawing at his sanity.
Their hopping grew frenzied, closing the distance in seconds.
"System! Do something!"
Lin Jiu screamed inwardly. I’m the protagonist!
I can’t die here!
Then.
[Found you~]
A mocking voice dripped from above.
Lin Jiu looked up.
A hulking monstrosity hung inverted from the ceiling beams, its massive form shadowed by a swirling green specter clutching the Ten Thousand Demon Banner.
In the next heartbeat—
Whoosh!
The banner’s fog unfurled into tendrils of inky hair, cocooning Lin Jiu in a suffocating embrace.
As the darkness swallowed him whole, his final thought was sheer disbelief.
This... can’t be happening...
System... system...
[System terminated.......]
Lin Jiu: ???
...
Meanwhile.
Golden City, Financial District.
Boom!
As the Blood Fiend’s massive blade cleaved through the bank vault, the entire financial center shuddered like a torn wound, blood gushing from severed steel beams and staining the glass facades crimson.
On the edge of his blade, coagulated blood formed into a nine-headed serpent, each maw gaping wide, venom dripping from fangs that sizzled as they corroded the ground.
The wealthiest family in Gold City—
Young Master Wang cowered inside a safety deposit box, fingers trembling as he swiped frantically across his phone screen.
His [Ultimate Tycoon System] was blaring warnings, his balance hemorrhaging nine-digit sums every second, as if some unseen force was devouring his fortune.
Just moments ago, he’d been busy wooing a starlet.
Then—out of nowhere—she collapsed, and he found himself under attack.
Forced to flee, he’d taken refuge in what was touted as Gold City’s most secure financial stronghold.
But—
CRASH!
When the monster tore through the bank walls and pried open his hiding place—
This—
This was clearly no sanctuary.
“I’ll transfer it all! Take every penny!” Young Master Wang’s voice cracked with terror as he stared up at the Blood Fiend.
Yet—
“Kill you, and your wealth still belongs to our King.”
The Blood Fiend cracked his neck.
The nine-headed serpent on his blade roared in unison.
The words barely faded—
Before the crimson serpent lunged.
THUD.
Young Master Wang slumped to the floor, his phone screen dead.
The system’s final alert echoed in his ears:
[WARNING! Hostile superior system detected—]
...
High above the city—
Qin Luo treated the night sky as his chessboard.
His long fingers placed black pieces—each one a coalescence of shadow and the stolen fortunes of so-called “Chosen Ones.”
Across the celestial board, swarms of black pieces encircled the white.
“Heh…”
A faint smirk curled Qin Luo’s lips.
Chosen Ones… enjoy your night.
Beside him, a pair of scissors floated—
SNIP. SNIP.
One by one, the threads of destiny tied to those favored by fate were severed.
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
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!" "......"
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
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?"
