MTL - The Rebirth of the Ghosts Return - Chapter 20 Zhou Xiaolong's gauntlet

Kai’s life was small—coffee-stained mornings, cracked recipes, and a system in his head that tweaked toasters and dough like it was nothing. Then the sky shattered. Aliens—Skraiths, jagged and brutal—invaded, tearing his city apart with green-glowing weapons and relentless claws. Superhumans rose to fight back, fire and lightning blazing through the chaos, but Kai’s world crumbled with them.Hiding in his apartment, Kai stumbles on blood—human and alien, smeared on his wall after a superhuman battle. His system, once just a tinker’s tool, awakens, offering him a choice: mimic their powers, temporary and wild, through the blood itself. Desperate, he takes it—stealing pyrokinesis, then electrokinesis, then kinetic energy, each power burning through him, fading fast. But it’s not enough. Armed with a humming Skraith weapon and a body tougher from alien blood, Kai joins a ragtag crew of enhanced fighters—Liv, Rylan, Jace, and Tucker—scraping to survive in a warzone where every shadow hides death.As Skraiths swarm and the city burns, Kai’s system pushes him deeper, analyzing, integrating, crafting minor enhancements—durability, strength, sparks of power that could make him a target or a savior. Government factions, rogue scientists, and the aliens themselves start sniffing around, drawn to his strange tech and blood-stolen abilities. By the time Kai crafts his first super-powered enhancement—an artificial strength boost—he’s no longer just a tinkerer. He’s on the edge of something bigger, something dangerous, where blood and sparks could forge a hero—or break him entirely.In a world unraveling, Kai’s fight for survival becomes a desperate race to master his system, outrun the Skraiths, and confront the truth: the power he’s chasing might destroy him—or remake the world.

【Matrix Survival Game】

All players have the same initial resources.

Each person can explore ten rooms per day, and there may be dangers and supplies in the rooms.

Do your best to survive.

…

After reading all the introductions, Li Zheng heard a voice in his ear: The daily treasure chest is being drawn, and the quality is random…

Congratulations, you have drawn a silver treasure chest and obtained a silver-quality blueprint “Normal Edition Detector”, along with several supplies.

Congratulations, you have drawn a bronze treasure chest and obtained a bronze-quality blueprint “Air Purifier”, with some supplies.

Congratulations, you have drawn the white treasure chest and obtained the platinum quality blueprint “Ion Cutting Blade”, “Intermediate Gene Culture Solution Recipe”, “TJP Type Shield Blueprint”, and a lot of materials.

…

Congratulations, you have drawn the super god-level treasure chest, and the reward……

Li Zheng looked at the brilliant treasure chest in front of him and rubbed his hands together excitedly.

- Description from novelbuddy

Even though he lived in America, Tang Cu had been deemed the “godly author” since his debut 8 years ago on a famous Chinese online novel website. However, many people did not know he had a severe social anxiety disorder which caused him to be considered “cold.” After being invited to do an interview for the company’s 10 year anniversary celebration in China, he finally gathered his courage to meet with his #1 fan, Pian Yu.

Pian Yu had been following Tang Cu’s novels for his entire career and, after noticing the lack of romance in Tang Cu’s popular novels, they wrote fanfiction for his novels to include the ‘romance’ Tang Cu left out.

However, Pian Yu turned out to be a male college student named Lu LianGuang.

- Description from Novelupdates