Evolution begins with an ant colony - Chapter 44: Some steam before the battle

A mediocre, low-born beggar, he relied on only his firm and indomitable spirit to desperately cultivate but still could not exceed the masses. Then by fortune’s favor, he awakened a long-extinct ancient martial soul. Since that day, he soared like a comet on the path of cultivation. From his humble beginnings as an outsider in the Ling Clan, his name, Ling Xiao, would ring throughout the world.

Ming Liuyi transmigrated into a novel she had read, and to make matters worse, she was placed into the body of the novel’s antagonist who shares the same name. The original Ming Liuyi, bullied into marrying a cripple, decided to abuse the rich male lead, Yao Zizhou, until he went into a vegetative state. Ming Liuyi knew she had three months of safety before Yao Zizhou woke up and took his revenge. But for some reason, she was drawn to him, and when she touched him, her spiritual energy began to stir.

No one suspected that Yao Zizhou would actually still be perfectly aware of his surroundings, though he couldn’t move. He continued his days in great confusion when his arranged wife from hell was suddenly replaced with a sweet, nice girl, who actually cared for him dutifully and spoke to him with gentle words. It aroused his curiosity, but right before he could wake and see her, she fled. Yao Zizhou huffed in annoyance. There was no way he would let her escape his clutches.

A 21st-century tech manager, accidentally thrust into the body of Emperor Commodus—yes, the infamous villain played by Joaquin Phoenix—has one goal: not to die like him.Armed with his wits and a hyper-intelligent AI on a solar-powered laptop, he must navigate the treacherous politics of ancient Rome. Everyone, including his own sister, expects the arrogant, decadent tyrant. Instead, they find a calculating reformer. But as he tries to avert the fall of the empire, he discovers that being a “good” emperor might be even more dangerous than being the monster everyone is waiting for.

[TRIGGER WARNING: Mature Content + Dark Themes]EXCERPT:“Axel, no. We… can’t do this!” I jolted back when he pulled up my skirt.As if to retaliate, he grabbed my wrist and yanked my body to his. “We can do whatever I say we can do, María José.”“I’m your brother’s reject. Do you even hear yourself right now? He didn’t want me, Axel. What does that make me to you?”“I don’t care about Álvaro’s foolishness. It's his loss for losing a woman like you.”“Okay, I must confess. I'm not worried about him either. It's Rosa… you're getting engaged to my sister in a month!”“Let me remind you, María José—I don’t give a fuck about that, either.”No matter how hard I jerked, he wasn’t letting me go. And part of me—so, so foolishly—didn’t want him to.______Having spent her life avoiding the spotlight, María Jośe never imagined she’d be the one to bring shame to her esteemed De la Vega family. With beauty as captivating as a field of lilies, she is the prized daughter of an ambitious father who cares more for his reputation than his children’s happiness.When Álvaro Montenegro, the arrogant heir to the Alpha title, sets his sights on her as his chosen Luna, María Jośe is desperate for a way out.But everything changes when the Moon Goddess answers her prayer in the most unexpected way: María Jośe discovers she is an Omega—wolfless and the lowest rank in the pack. Once held in awe, she is now shunned; a source of shame to her father and a target for ridicule in the pack.As her life turns upside down , María Jośe's hatred for the pack grows. The only solace she finds is in her growing, forbidden bond with Axel Montenegro—Álvaro’s older brother, who has turned his back on the pack to live as Beta.These two developed a love-hate friendship born from their shared disdain for the pack’s cruelty, which slowly evolves into a passionate, secret romance.But when Álvaro discovers Axel’s interest in María Jośe, jealousy ignites within him and he suddenly wants María Jośe as his own.Love, vengeance, and betrayal all brewed into a whirlwind of drama, desires, and deadly comebacks. Will María Jośe rise from the ashes of her former life, or will she be consumed by the power struggles of the pack she despises? Will she give in to the oldest brother who is scared of commitment or the younger one who fiercely seeks redemption?