The Tyrant and His Enchantress

When the army charged in again, Wen Yunzhu was ripping apart brocade worth a thousand gold coins per bolt.

She couldn't understand what was so enjoyable about that grating ripping sound.

But something in her mind controlled her hands and feet, and a strange voice warned her: Stick to your villainous consort role!

All right, Wen Yunzhu sighed and nervously took her place at her post for one last time.

In half a quarter of an hour, Qin Tan would come looking for her, and they'd both be burned to death.

Although she'd already been burned to death over a hundred times, just thinking about it still gave Wen Yunzhu a shiver.

A weight settled on her shoulder, and Wen Yunzhu was drawn into a warm embrace. Qin Tan had arrived, his long sword still dripping with blood.

"Are we leaving?"

Wen Yunzhu couldn't understand what difference it made if they were going to be burned to death anyway. What was the difference between outside and the secret passage?

Maybe there was a difference after all. She wouldn't end up as a pile of charcoal.

She knew it. Even in death, Qin Tan, that tyrant, still loved her face.

"Do you love me?" Qin Tan held her tight, as if he meant to press her into his very bones and blood.

Wen Yunzhu rolled her eyes. That tyrant Qin Tan was really good at playing his part.

Wen Yunzhu nodded. "I do."

Qin Tan had asked a hundred times, and she'd answered a hundred times.

Qin Tan kissed her forehead and walked out with his sword in hand. Even a tyrant had to fight to the very end.

The door to the secret passage slowly closed. Darkness fell around her. Wen Yunzhu wasn't afraid at all. She knew Qin Tan would soon come back to keep her company.

*

In the game The World Under Heaven, the tyrant Qin Tan is licentious and immoral, dotes exclusively on his villainous consort, squanders money on grand construction projects, and neglects state affairs, leaving the people in misery.

In the end, the tyrant and his consort are burned to death in the observatory he built at a cost of ten thousand gold coins, to everyone's great satisfaction.

Reader's guide:

Time loops repeatedly, game NPCs gain self-awareness, and players enter the game.

Theme: Love is a superpower