Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Beep beep beep—"

"Error. Error."

The text in his mind stuttered silently, pausing briefly before rapidly displaying the same line of words over and over.

Meng Shijiu's hazy consciousness was bombarded with densely packed red characters, calm yet unnerving:

"Requesting correction."

"Requesting correction."

"Requesting correction."

……

……

"Beep— Correction failed."

The gunfire in his ears had faded away at some point, replaced by another sound both familiar and strange, growing closer and closer.

The rhythmic lapping grew louder each time, like wildfire devouring dry grass, searing across the entire wasteland.

His disheveled silver hair was damp, glinting with a cold light under the sun, spread beneath his body, winding and twisting, scattered across the pale golden sand.

His hand, resting on the fine sand, was slender and pale, like a rare piece of art, like porcelain or jade, seemingly born to dance across piano keys rather than flutter like a butterfly's wings as it did now, its knuckles dusted with sand like mud on a white lotus root.

...It was the waves.

Meng Shijiu concluded, his forced, scattered consciousness slowly coalescing. Amid the headache, he gradually regained clarity.

The sunlight kissed his fine-featured face, and amidst the playful dance of golden specks, he slowly opened a pair of aquamarine eyes.

—Not the deep, heavy, wolf-like dark green or ink-green, but a clear, bright blue-green, like a lake.

A rare, light color.

Light colors should suggest sanctity, purity, and harmlessness—like glass marbles, mineral water, moonlight, snow, crystal, and all other beautiful associations. But the intense cyan in Meng Shijiu's eyes only radiated an inorganic coldness.

The cleaner it was, the more indifferent it felt.

Like the shadow cast by a predator on a barren snowfield.

Chilling under the bleak sunlight.

Meng Shijiu sat up, awkwardly raising his head. His soft white shirt fluttered in the wind, and his slender neck bore a cold pallor from long absence from the sun.

His lustrous long hair streamed in the coastal breeze, flowing like a silver river.

Like a seabird on a ship, motionless as it watches the sea for prey, he gazed quietly at the sunlight.

The apocalypse had no sunlight like this.

Where was he?

The system, which had remained silent but persistently ignored, abandoned its attempt to continue typing in Meng Shijiu's mind and spoke in a cold, mechanical voice.

See: "Hello, host Meng Shijiu. I am your exclusive primary-functional intelligent auxiliary system, See."

See: "Welcome to the new world."

The long-haired youth, staring directly at the sun, had physiological tears forced from the corners of his eyes under the blinding light. The corners of his eyes gradually took on a faint pink hue like cherry blossoms. Tears moistened his long, dark lashes, glistening like gemstones under the refracted light—yet his cold pupils remained utterly unperturbed.

As an auxiliary system, See's sole task was to help the host complete the worldline of this plane. In principle, See had no obligation to comfort the host.

The youth's exceptional face was as clear as a mirror in See's electronic vision, a faint listlessness in his brows like a thin veil of mist.

Chaotic data seemed tossed into a washing machine, churning in a high-speed spin. Yet the orderly program continued methodically. But—

See: "Are you alright?"

See reasoned that effective comfort would facilitate the task.

Without suspicion, disregard, probing, or madness—unusually smoothly, unlike See's past experiences—Meng Shijiu accepted See's existence quite naturally.

Meng Shijiu responded in his mind: "Host?"

On the deserted beach, Meng Shijiu withdrew his gaze, his aquamarine eyes falling on a small crab that had emerged from the sand beside his leg.

The little crab was still unsteady on its feet. Meng Shijiu extended his hand and placed it nearby.

The little crab waited quietly for a moment, then cautiously began crawling toward Meng Shijiu's palm.

The crab, about half the size of a palm, quickly climbed onto his hand.

A prickling itch spread all over, stirring a familiar irritation.

Meng Shijiu: "This is my own body."

Host? Meng Shijiu smiled slightly, neither affirming nor denying the term.

He wasn't inhabiting anyone else's body.

See replied unhurriedly: "This was an accident. The World Consciousness encountered a glitch during transmission, bringing both your consciousness and your physical body here."

See: "Your body underwent changes after merging with this world. I just attempted repairs, but the repair request failed. You have now become an Alpha."

Meng Shijiu: "What is an Alpha?"

See: "It's a gender designation. This is a small world based on an ABO setting. You'll understand once I transmit the relevant memories to you."

See: "Once the worldline is repaired and you leave this plane, your body will revert. The Main System can also fulfill one wish for you."

Meng Shijiu ignored it after that.

As if the coldness in his eyes had been an illusion, the thin ice floating over the jade-green shattered into pieces, swallowed by the water's surface.

Meng Shijiu set down the little crab he had been playing with for a while and lazily lay back down, enjoying the sunbathing he hadn't experienced in a long time.

"These days, they classify gender by blood type?" Meng Shijiu murmured.

His voice was distinctive, like the gentle pluck of a clear string or jade pieces falling onto a plate. Even laced with mockery, it was like clear spring water flowing over a dry riverbed—gentle and clean: "Little kidnapper, where have you brought me?"

See was merely a highly intelligent program without emotional settings; it wouldn't experience data fluctuations due to his taunts.

It waited quietly for its host to accept—past data indicated that individuals transported here usually required some time to adjust before communication could proceed.

Meng Shijiu: "My body was transported here, so what about the body I was originally supposed to inhabit?"

See: "It never existed. You can think of this as just a world from a book, where everything is merely data, and you are a basic correction sequence integrated into the database, forming a new world as per its programming."

The brilliant sunlight fell upon him, having nothing to do with the cold data.

Meng Shijiu: "What is your purpose?"

See: "I hope you can help me complete the fragmented world line."

Meng Shijiu: "Why me?"

See: "This was the main system's choice."

Meaning, it didn't know either.

Meng Shijiu: "What if I refuse?"

See: "I will terminate you."

See: "Because your body was also transported here, termination will result in your death. Then a new host will enter."

The sunlight felt so real. The damp ends of his hair slowly dried, becoming fluffy, and Meng Shijiu gently gathered them in his hand.

Meng Shijiu nodded: "That works for me. May I choose my own place of death?"

The strange conversation went on.

Meng Shijiu yawned: "In the sea, then."

His face, delicate like powdery snow, took on a moonlit hue. His pure, jade-green eyes, unusually bright and full of life, gazed at the azure sea.

It had been so long since he had seen a sea this beautiful.

"Then please kill me in half an hour."

See, typically an instant responder, was silent for a few seconds before responding in a cold, mechanical voice.

See: "Okay."

—

Chris's private beach.

"How many times have I warned you? Clear it! I said clear the area!" The deliberately lowered voice still couldn't conceal the rising anger. The tall Alpha grabbed the Beta's shirt collar, growling into his ear, "Are you deaf?!"

"Do you think I'm blind to such a large person?!"

"If this deal is ruined here, you can start packing and get out!"

The Beta manager could only bow and scrape in apology, his mind racing frantically as spit flew through the air.

He didn't understand. He and his team had swept the area three times. What the hell, why did a figure suddenly appear by the shore? Could it be a mermaid?

His mind wandering, his peripheral vision caught the Alpha in the distance, still unaware.

Not noticing his subordinate's distraction, Mr. Tang angrily shoved him aside: "You'd better pray Young Master Ning doesn't notice!"

After saying this, he straightened his suit, forced a stiff smile, then turned back to the Beta manager, his face cold again: "Follow me."

The two approached the Alpha standing further down the shore.

The top-tier Alpha with gray hair and black eyes possessed strikingly handsome features. His angular, sculpted face was completely impassive.

When he looked toward Mr. Tang, the sea breeze stirred the silver-gray strands at his forehead. His eyes, like misty ink, glinted with a frosty light.

It seemed nothing could be hidden from his gaze, everything laid bare with perfect clarity.

A cold sweat broke out on Mr. Tang's back.

The tall Alpha's slate-blue linen shirt bore a faint, shimmering silver iris pattern. He had casually rolled his sleeves to his elbows, revealing well-defined wrists.

Though his clothes were understated, the Alpha couldn't conceal his cold, sharp, and mysteriously powerful aura.

Mr. Tang had pulled a lot of strings to get this deal. He heard Jue Ning was interested in purchasing a small tract of coastline and had gone through several middlemen to get in front of him. Once the deal was sealed, he could plug the holes in his other ventures—a hugely profitable deal.

But he hadn't expected Jue Ning to come personally.

The top-tier Alpha commanded awe without anger. His gaze fell upon him, dark and heavy like a mountain pressing down.

Jue Ning glanced at the two indifferently: "What's the matter?"

Mr. Tang stopped at a distance, forcing a smile and laughing it off: "Just minor issues, not worth troubling you with. What would you like to see today? I can show..."

Before he could finish, a tall bodyguard behind Jue Ning stepped forward, blocking Mr. Tang.

On the chest of the black-suited bodyguard's jacket, the ancient family crest was not prominent.

A vicious giant serpent entwined with thorns, every detail clearly visible. The snake's black scales emitted a faint glow under the sunlight.

Mr. Tang's words died in his throat.

The hitherto silent bodyguard spoke for Jue Ning: "Young Master Ning would like to walk alone."

The cold gray strands of hair swayed slightly at the Alpha's forehead. His ink-black eyes shifted away casually.

Mr. Tang retreated, mumbling to himself.

After a few steps, he looked back.

The Alpha's tall, straight figure had already vanished, leaving only a few bodyguards standing in place.

Mr. Tang's heart instantly lurched. He lowered his head to check his terminal.

On the real-time thermal scanning monitor, the "Foreign Object Count" column still flashed red: 1.

...

Since his mother passed away, Jue Ning had rarely found time for a stroll by the sea.

On the Lottelance continent, where power and class distinctions were clear, nobles were commonplace, but elite families were few.

The Jue family was one of them, controlling 45% of the global trade in rare artworks and owning multiple technology industry chains like Mist Harbor Laboratory, yet they were the first family to pledge allegiance to the Pope last century.

Mystery and ruthlessness were the distinctive hallmarks of this family.

Two years ago, the patriarch died. This newly ascended young heir possessed an unexpectedly fierce, seasoned, and decisive nature that the wary nobles hadn't anticipated. He paved his path to fame and coronation with blood—

Jue Ning.

In a single night, the proud and haughty nobles had seared his name into their memories.

The gray-silver-haired Alpha possessed a pair of black eyes like gaping abysses, overlapping with the cruel, indifferent serpent from his family's emblem—resembling an icy vortex in the night, forever unseen and unapproachable.

Yet, the fingers hanging at his side were slender and well-proportioned, like finely polished jade, save for a single, irreparable, savage scar on his index finger, resembling a bizarre ring.

—Given an Alpha's powerful regenerative abilities, it was hard to imagine what kind of injury could leave such a mark.

Jue Ning unconsciously ran his fingers over the scar. The waves surged toward him again and again, only to stop far short at the shore.

The coldly handsome Alpha gazed for a long time at the empty sea, like a lighthouse standing eternally on the waters.

—Until a faint, icy scent silently reached his nostrils.

Cold as snow, so subtle it seemed almost an illusion.

Pheromones?

Jue Ning frowned slightly, feeling a faint, restless stirring within him stirred by the elusive scent—

An Alpha?

His alert gaze swept discreetly over the sea. When the serpent stared, the air seemed to fracture into fragments. Like a sniper calculating the optimal angle, Jue Ning lifted his eyes and fixed his gaze on a particular spot.

Not far away, on the beach shielded by tall stone walls, sunlight fell on a quiet figure. In Jue Ning's line of sight, he caught just a glimpse of an unusual silver glint.

A top-tier Alpha's vision and sense of smell were several times keener than an ordinary Alpha's.

Jue Ning stepped closer.

His sleek black military boots moved gracefully across the fine sand, like the steady beat of a metronome.

The coldly handsome, jade-featured Alpha emerged from behind the stone wall. Accompanied by the increasingly heavy sound of waves, Jue Ning made out the face of the Alpha with the icy pheromones.

His entire upper body was drenched in sweat, the thin fabric clinging to his skin like a cicada's thin, translucent wing, resembling a mythical siren or a deep-sea enchantress.

In truth, aside from Meng Shijiu's dazzling silver hair, his features were dignified, exceptionally handsome, and aloof—like gentle snow falling under a winter sun, or a pine or bamboo shrouded in mist deep within the mountains.

But the jade-faced Alpha had his eyes closed, as if enduring some agony, his entire body trembling slightly, his snow-like skin flushed with an abnormal flush.

Jue Ning's icy gaze swept over the semi-conscious Meng Shijiu inch by inch, like a scanning machine. The tall Alpha approached, stopping only when he was a fist's distance away from the enchantingly beautiful Alpha, who resembled a sea demon.

Jue Ning leaned down, narrowing his eyes to scrutinize the oblivious Alpha, casting a shadow over him.

Silver strands of hair clung to the slender skin of his neck, strikingly beautiful, like meticulously polished jade.

Just as a strand of silver hair slipped from the unconscious Alpha's side, Jue Ning reached out and grasped that cascade of starlight.

Jue Ning felt as though he were holding a handful of spring water, or a handful of pristine snow.

A dark, inscrutable interest flickered in his profound eyes. Jue Ning's long fingers tightened around the beautiful, siren-like Alpha's hair, pulling without mercy, almost brutally.

Suddenly.

—The siren opened his beautiful, languid jade-green eyes and glanced at him with unsettling calm.

It was like a sky full of stars emerging through a blizzard in the boundless night, the aurora casting reflections on an icy lake, like the iridescent glow of peacock feathers, cunning as a cat, casting a blue-tinted dusk.

The shimmer and the chill merged into a deep jade sea.

—As if suddenly stepping into the eye of a tornado, the wind seemed to freeze. Jue Ning's heart burned and pounded incessantly in his chest, his blood boiling in swollen vessels.

The tall Alpha arched his back like a serpent, his thin lips pressed into a tight line, his pupils dilating with excitement, like a man-eating flower unfurling its petals.

A thin haze rapidly seeped from Jue Ning's body, black fog spreading like waves, violently enveloping the two.

The sea breeze could not disperse the surging scent of mandrake flowers. The mysterious floral fragrance intertwined with the cold scent emanating from Meng Shijiu, steadily coiling around the prone Alpha.

The world faded, the shore crumbled.

Jue Ning's gaze remained as calm as ever, as if he had merely encountered an interesting plaything.

His icy, piercing voice seemed to emerge from the abyss, tinged with lingering malice and an arrogant, overweening confidence.

Jue Ning: "Kitten."

Jue Ning locked onto the siren's wrist, which hung at his side.

—The moment their skin touched, the chaotic currents surging within Meng Shijiu's body abruptly ceased.

Meng Shijiu, who had been waiting to die: "?"

See, after cutting the power urgently:

"I'm sorry, the human body is a conductor. I cannot harm the target of the worldline."