Withering [Infinite]

***The fourth arc is complete*** Updates whenever inspiration strikes. One-third of the way through wrapping things up. "When the floodwaters rise, the Lord sits enthroned." - Psalm 29:10 Clockwork turns. Darkness gathers and fades away. Death and life rise and fall, light and shadow surge like the tides, and evil stirs. "Welcome to the beta version of Programmed Death V1.0." "Please begin your game." - [Congratulations! You have qualified for the global live-game beta. Tap for details...] Jian Chishen casually swiped the notification away and selected "Delete all spam messages." He didn't give the trivial matter another thought. Not until a week later, when he started having the same strange, empty dream over and over. On the third night, he found himself in the middle of a deserted-island survival challenge. Jian Chishen, with the tip of a tiger's nose just one centimeter away: ??? - Deserted-island survival / Hospital horrors / Vengeful spirits at school / Lost cruise ship / Ghost wedding in a mountain village / Hellbound voyage / Fairy tales in an ancient castle / Seven deadly sins / Twilight of the gods When you discover that everything has been deliberately arranged, and that every inexplicable event is closely connected to reality, what will you do? Get ready. The game has begun. --- Romance Scene --- The Polar Rankings are connected worldwide and updated in real time. In everyone's eyes, "J," ranked first, was like the moon over a frigid pool, or snow on a distant mountain that never melted. Everyone thought he'd hold onto first place until he escaped the game or brought it crashing down. But then... "Wait, wait, am I seeing things? Why has first place changed to a different letter?!" "Isn't this the pitiful little newcomer you were talking about?" "Isn't S J's sworn enemy?" "This is going to be good..." No one knew that behind their open hostility, in the silent depths of night, his sworn enemy knelt on one knee and gave Jian Chishen the most heartfelt confession. - When you stand before me, my racing heart becomes more than a simple bodily reaction or a few thin words on a page. - I want passionate kisses, a generous love, and romance that never fades. - I would offer you every bit of tenderness I have. - Long ago, that person once asked Jian Chishen what love meant to him. Jian Chishen remembered his answer: "It means being evenly matched, choosing each other, and loving without reservation." Long afterward, Jian Chishen buried his pale hand in that person's tousled black hair. His eyes turned red and watery as he suddenly said: "It means you and me." "Hm?" You are the fresh snow held close to my heart, the bright moon in the clouds, the beam of light I glimpse in the deepest darkness, the lingering warmth in the ashes. You are the one I want to spend my life with. A cool beauty × a refined scoundrel [Please note] 1. Two powerful leads, highly intelligent and skilled fighters. A freewheeling, make-it-up-as-you-go style. 2. This is my first attempt at practicing prose and pacing. I'll do my best to make it good. Thank you for enjoying it. 3. The story "Natural Selection" will be revised after completion. You can start reading from the second story. 4. Apologies in advance for any bugs. I'll try to update regularly during serialization, but the schedule is unstable. I can only promise not to abandon the story or end it badly. Coming soon: The Whole World Is Waiting for Me to Rebel. Please add it to your reading list! Check out my other works in the author's profile. A deranged emperor top × a sickly beauty bottom Before he could see the strange words, Shen Weizhou thought of himself as: A sickly constitution, likely to die young; equally talented in both civil and military arts, with outstanding natural gifts; Handsome and easygoing; accustomed to comfort and unconcerned with convention. Then one day, he suddenly became able to see the definitions other people assigned to him, flashing through the air: A useless pretty face, a malicious cannon-fodder character, greedy and spiteful, false to the core, A plot device whose only redeeming feature was his face, Fortunately, written out after just a few episodes. "When does the protagonist show up?" "Right now. The protagonist is heading straight for this black-hearted lotus!" "Aaaaaah, my little sunshine is so handsome! His big moment is here!!!" "I'm ready for this beautiful romance!" "Um, wait, why do I feel..." "...that this cannon fodder's reaction is a little off?" Shen Weizhou glanced down at the strange words, weighing several uncertain possibilities. Then he lifted his long lashes, removed his veiled hat, and looked toward the so-called protagonist. The situation was too dangerous. He acted on instinct. One man, one sword, one red robe. Clad in brilliant red, breathtakingly beautiful and elegant, the beauty was like jade, his sword like a rainbow. --- Perhaps an overlooked romance scene --- Everyone knew there was a beauty in the royal palace. The beauty, dressed in dazzling red, was gentle and frail, often furrowing his brow and coughing until his eyes grew red. Everyone had seen the tyrant clamp a hand around the beauty's slender pale wrist and drag him back to his chambers. They all sighed that the beauty was doomed to an early death, but they didn't know... The ruthless king, whose mood shifted without warning around everyone else, spoke softly only to him, and blushed only when he was near. His temper was terrible, but if Shen Weizhou wanted to kill or set fires, he would hand him the knife, then say, "Don't hurt yourself." "What if I want to rebel?" "Fine." Qin Sui lowered his eyes and rested his chin in the crook of the other's neck, trying to rein in his murderous aura. "As long as you're by my side." - With the sun and moon as witness, heaven and earth as matchmaker, and mountains and rivers as betrothal gifts, I want us to have clear consciences, never regret the years we share, and make our names live on in history. Weibo: @YueyuAria Friends' novels: After Marrying the Evil God by Fubai Qu This Alpha Is So Sweet by Qingyue Jiaojiao