A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands - Chapter 43Book 2: : The Green Road

Nobody knew at the beginning of “Heaven” that the game itself would be awakened and gain complete self awareness to forid paying for game credits. After 10 years of development, Heaven's game credit has become the only currency interchangeable between reality and virtual reality. Inside the room, a player raises a pistol and points it at his very own head. Previously, he led a comfortable life as the son of a rich couple. But now, he was in a state of misery and destitution because of Heaven. He travels 10 years back in time and returns to the point in time when Heaven was to begin in a week's time. Being reborn, what was Chu You going to decide this time... P. S. The storyline is toxic and the protagonist is hardly sane. He is consumed by vengeance and acts wantonly. For entertainment solely. Read at your own risk.

I closed my eyes and let out a long, shuddering breath. The needle slipped through my numb fingers and clattered onto the rough pavement. Nothingness swirled around me, bringing the first peace I'd felt in my short, miserable life. No one would miss me, and if any did...? Well, there was always someone else to beat or rape. They'd move on quickly.But then...gods? Since when did nothingness have so many gods?Chosen by the goddess of Fate, I'm thrust into a world of magic and wonder alongside nine other heroes. A world where the gods reign supreme, and evil is vanquished before it can spread its blight.Can such a place truly exist? Could life really be worth living?I've heard that the brightest lights cast the longest shadows, but my life has been nothing but darkness. Perhaps this new world will be the chance I need to find the light, to see the other side.

Fourteen years old Su Bei almost died when she had a high fever, got transmigrated into another world and finally knew a shocking truth–it turned out that the world she was originally in was just a novel and her whole family were villains.

The woman who gave birth to them was the cannon fodder in the novel. She and Su Xiaobao were written like this in the extra chapter. One was a little bastard who tried to bully the male lead’s daughter and eventually got thrown into prison and the other one became an escort, who after having failed to seduce the male lead, was killed by an evil director. They also have a dad whom they never met and was the biggest villain in the book.

Back to her original world, the first thing Su Bei did was to take Su Xiaobao and find their father.

Su Bei: Su Xiaobao, quick, call him.

Su Xiaobao: Call him what?

Su Bei: Call dad.

Su Xiaobao: I don’t want to, do it yourself.

Su Bei: Dad!

Looking at these two dirty children in front of him, Mr. Qin’s eyes showed disgust.

Japan – National News BroadcastThe polished news anchor sat upright, her gaze sharp as she adjusted the stack of papers before her. The newsroom behind her hummed with quiet urgency, the weight of the moment settling over the broadcast.“Authorities are baffled by a sudden and unexplained surge in sleep-related deaths across Japan,” she began, her voice steady yet tense. “More and more citizens are passing away in their sleep without any prior health concerns. Experts are working tirelessly to determine the cause, but no clear explanation has emerged. Authorities urge the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual symptoms before bedtime.”A graphic appeared, displaying the spike in fatalities over the past month. Behind her, unsettling photographs flickered across the screen—blurred images of individuals found in their beds, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.The anchor’s tone shifted. “Health officials recommend citizens avoid excessive fatigue and maintain healthy sleep habits. More updates will follow as investigations continue.”---United States – Paranormal PodcastIn a dimly lit podcast studio, the host leaned forward, his eyes wide with curiosity. Across from him, a rugged man in a worn flannel shirt, gripping a faded photograph in one hand and a beer can in the other, leaned back in his chair.“So, you're telling me you saw this creature firsthand?” the host asked, clearly intrigued.The man scoffed, shaking his head. “Damn right, I did. Ugly thing had wings bigger than my body—slow but sneaky. Thought it could steal my pigs again, but I was ready this time—camera in one hand, shotgun in the other.”He slammed the table for emphasis, then shoved the blurry image toward the host. The photograph depicted a small, red-skinned humanoid figure with large, bat-like wings, its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.“Spit, the thing didn’t know what hit it when I fired!” the man chuckled, his voice full of excitement.The host held up the picture to the live chat. “Alright, what do you think? Mothman? Demon? Or is our friend here just seeing things?”The chat exploded with theories—some skeptical, others eager for the investigation to continue.---China – Liangyuan Street MarketSurveillance footage from a bustling night market in China captured a chilling scene. A woman in a red qipao walked gracefully through the crowd, her figure striking in the soft glow of lanterns.Suddenly, she paused. Her body flickered—like a glitch in a video—before vanishing completely, as though she had never existed.The footage zoomed in, replaying in slow motion. In the final frame before she disappeared, her face distorted unnaturally, her eyes hollow and empty.The screen cut abruptly to black.