[System + Lovecraftian apocalypse + cross-species alliance! Bound to a life-extension System from the start, even a mayfly can defy fate and change the laws of heaven!]
“Rumble!”
The moment the crimson tide swept my mother away, I stared despairingly at my transparent abdomen.
I'm Ling Xi, a mayfly who lives for a single day, with only twelve hours left to live.
[Ding! Molting Life-Extension System successfully bound! Kill natural predators to earn time crystals, then molt and evolve to extend your lifespan!]
[Newbie quest: Survive for one hour and receive one extra day of life!]
Clutching the wing scales my mother left behind, I crawled up out of the drainage ditch:
Kill grubs for crystal dust, then molt and grow thorny wing buds!
Enter the spirit-mist domain and learn “water-mirror divination” to predict when humans will dump their waste!
Even the cold-blooded blade mantis hunting me becomes my knife-wielding brother. (A little secret: he's afraid of water!)
But when I sneak into the Green Dome Laboratory, the sight before me makes my scalp tingle:
The tentacled monster in the cultivation tank has the same golden markings as my mother!
“Your royal bloodline is the perfect vessel for Experiment 003.” The lab-coated man's laughter rings through the glass.
[Warning! Lovecraftian mental intrusion detected!]
[Ultimate quest triggered: Destroy the Spore Tower and receive one year of life!]
On one side, a countdown to death; on the other, my captured mother.
On one side, information from a human intern; on the other, betrayal by an elder's mole.
As a tsunami of tentacles swallows the wetlands, I spread my golden wings. “Want to steal my bloodline? You'll have to step over my dead body first!”
“Xiao Che, the cells inside Subject 003... include my younger brother's.” Gu Yi's sobs leave me frozen in place.
