Meng Xiaoxun transmigrated into the Chinese-style cyberpunk game A Fleeting Life. Before he could get used to the gloomy sky screen and the light pollution everywhere, a golden dragon came flying through the air, crossing a mechanical bridge...
"The thirty-ninth apotheosis plan has been restarted. The rankings will be updated annually. All residents of Evernight City must form teams of two within half a day and register their team information at the Skyward Pillar. Those who fail to register before the deadline will be deemed to have forfeited and will lose eligibility for the next selection of ranked divine positions!"
The next moment, a teammate was foisted on Meng Xiaoxun.
A beauty in red with white hair, graceful in build, held a mechanical guide dog by the leash. Meng Xiaoxun froze, then instinctively waved a hand in front of his future teammate's eyes.
The beauty smiled faintly and caught his wrist. "Just as you thought, I can't see."
Meng Xiaoxun: "..." Oh no, was his teammate going to be a liability?
-
At the Skyward Pillar.
[World Without Immortals, Mechanic, Meng Xiaoxun]
[Evernight City, courtesan of the Lingyi Pavilion, Jing Buyi.]
[Team 4023 successfully registered. Please name your team.]
Meng Xiaoxun fell into deep thought over Jing Buyi's identity. Jing Buyi simply said, "Dreamwake. We came here to wake the Chaos Bringer from a great dream."
-
No one had any expectations for Team Dreamwake.
Every stage of the apotheosis plan had always been a near-certain death sentence. Even the natives who had replaced their bodies through mechanical ascension couldn't withstand the countless dangers built into the trials.
Yet when footage of Team Dreamwake's victories was shown, Evernight City erupted.
The towering statue in the elevated covered walkway bowed its head to Dreamwake. They solved every intricate mechanism and puzzle, and the bewitching, alluring mermaid swore allegiance...
The citizens realized that the god who would take the top spot was being born.
Meanwhile, Meng Xiaoxun...
He raised the lever in his hand. "Give me a long enough lever arm, and I can bend a giant statue's spine."
He brought out a heavy computer. "Give me enough computing power, and there's no puzzle I can't solve."
He pulled out medicine for soothing the throat. "Give the mermaid her singing voice back, and there's no one she can't talk to."
He looked firmly at the crowd. "If we all had the same resources, every one of us... could win!"
The people were inspired, but a shrewd onlooker asked, "May I ask what that useless Jing Buyi did?"
Meng Xiaoxun: "..." Oh no. If you dare call my god-tier teammate useless, you're probably doomed.
Jing Buyi turned toward the voice, or seemed to, and smiled chillingly. "Actually, I don't want to do anything."
He stroked his blind eyes and murmured, "But if it takes a god to make this world even a little fairer, then I suppose I'll just have to create one."
-
[Reading guide]
1. Outwardly useless beauty, secretly powerful big shot, blind courtesan pursuer x pure-hearted, talkative, physically frail mechanic love interest with maxed-out intelligence.
2. My take on Chinese-style cyberpunk, with tons of original worldbuilding. A dystopia, primarily plot-focused.
3. One-on-one pairing, happy ending, both are sexually inexperienced (yes, don't doubt it, the pursuer has a reason for being a courtesan).
Blurb screenshotted on 2023/06/18.
Theme: Before anything else, I am a human being.
