Hello there, I hope you're having a wonderful day!
I'm just passing here to thank you all. I have seen that we made this book have 41 power stones already.
This might not be mcuh to some or not mean much in some grand scheme, however, I don't care. You guys have shown you support to this book and have commnented you're enjoying it, and to me, this is really a great thing.
I'm not a saint and don't like to use fancy or flowery words, but I really started this novel just for fun and I honestly wasn't expecting this much of feedback and support so soon.
Once again, thank you guys!
Also, I'll give a warning about this chapter:
I don't want to sound arrogant nor overconfident, so I'll be brief.
This chapter is going to really kickstart the "real" novel.
Until now I have been laying down the layout to go for the next phase.
Also, don't worry, the "eavesdrop" genre will starting showing itself from now on and in a different manner from what you have seen before.
My warning for you all is really simple:
This chapter will either be subpar or will be something really or completely unique.
When you reach the end of the chapter, please comment which one you find this chapter to be.
This chapter has a word count of 3.684 words, so it will be a bit longer.
Having said this, have a enjoyable read!
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"Hai~!" Hong Li-Wei jumped on Hai as soon as she saw him.
Hai on other hand looked at her and stood still.
Hong Li-Wei landed on his chest and immediately started to hug him.
"I missed you." She said while opening her eyes and looking provocatively at him.
"And I miss the time where I'm not with you." Hai turned back to the holo-TV and lowered the volume a bit.
She pouted and hit Hai's shoulder.
"You meanie."
Hai smiled a little hearing this.
At this moment, Elena came back from the kitchen and put two cups of tea on the glass table near them.
"Thanks, hon." Hai picked his cup and blew a bit before taking a sip.
Hong Li-Wei meanwhile raised her eyebrow when she noticed how he called Elena.
"So you finally did it, huh?" She muttered while picking her own cup.
Elena nodded at her young master's thanks and went behind him.
"Yes, but my sexual life aside, let's get to business, shall we?"
Hong Li-Wei nodded and put her tea cup down.
Hai might do many things, but she knows that he doesn't play around with business.
Hai willed a bit of his mana and suddenly a stack of papers appeared in his hands.
Hong Li-Wei looked at this and she was once again impressed. As magic is something widely known but not many can't use, magical tool became a thing and their price sometimes can be astronomical even if they aren't worth that.
The reason she is impressed is because storage artifacts, more commonly rings, earrings, necklace and some others are common things and a must have for everyone from the upper-class and those working in the underworld for longer than 1 year, and this is where Hai becomes more mysterious, nobody has ever seen him using any magic tool except for elevators and those that are present in the everyday and mundane life.
However, the way he brough out a stack of papers is exactly the same as when someone take out something from their storage artifact.
"Here." He passed the stack of papers to her.
Hong Li-Wei accepted it in her hands and started to look at it.
She immediately understood what it was.
A contract.
And not any contract, but a magical one.
"What I'm giving you is a magical contract that will bind all parties in it with magic and assure that nobody, even me, breaks it. In case they break a rule, clause or even the whole thing, they are going to be heavily punished and it can result in death depending of the case." She nodded when she heard it.
"As to why I'm giving you this, well, I trust you or rather, want to trust you and make you trust me. I have a really crazy project, crazier than anything you have ever seen or heard of, and I want you and your team in it if possible. You have been working for me for years now and have shown your amazing skills, team, character and potential you have. This is why I'm giving you this. You can take a look to understand what the contract will entrail and discuss it with your team. Also, I apologize in advance however, you won't be able to know a word about that crazy plan while you and your team haven't signed the contract." Hai said with a more relaxed expression but still containing the necessary seriousness in it, just like someone who is facing a good friend when they are making a serious deal with them.
Hong Li-Wei looked at the contract and complex emotions flashed in her eyes. Opening her mouth, she asked what has been on her mind lately.
"Are you going to destroy the China Federation?" She asked with a concerned voice.
Hai raised an eyebrow and an amused smile appeared on his face.
"If I say I will, you will doubt me and question my reasons; if I say I won't, you're going to doubt me and think I'm lying or there is something more; if I stay silent, you will think that I'll or have something that is not exactly it but close. So, what answer do you want? The one you will doubt, the one you will doubt again or my silence?" Hai questioned and took a sip of his tea.
Hong Li-Wei looked at Hai and simply shook her head. She knew he was right. She knew him enough to know he never does something without a reason and even the most nonsensical of his actions might have a deeper purpose. And she knows that he also knows her well enough to understand if he answers, she will misunderstand him.
"No need. That was my fault. *SIGH* About the contract, I will have a look at it and will share the news with my team, don't expect me to give you're a positive answer however, if the contract states anything too absurd or above our paygrade, I won't hesitate to refuse it." She stated with serious eyes and looked directly in Hai's.
He on other hand was calm and let his seriousness vanish.
"If you did accept even with it, I would have questioned your intelligence. Now, are you going to lazy around here or do you have a mission?" He asked while Elena came forwards and filled his cup again with tea, Hai looked at her with a thankful side-glance and looked back at Hong Li-Wei.
*SIGH*
Sighing, she slumped in the couch.
"I have a job to do. In truth, I shouldn't even have meet you today because I was supposed to be on my way already. I will just be late fo-" She stopped mid-sentence and caught an object that Hai threw at her.
"It's a Golden Dragon's keys. It's outside in the parking lot, you can use it. Now, I'll be going to not hold you anymore, thank you for your time even though you're busy and if anything happens aside from your boredom, you can call me." Hai gulped down the rest of his tea and stood up.
Elena went to the kitchen and came back quickly, then they both bid their farewells to Hong Li-Wei and left.
*SIGH*
Sighing, Hong Li-Wei got up and started to make her way towards a door that will take her to the parking lot. Along the way, she couldn't help but mutter to herself.
"I hope you don't disappoint me, Hai. Because I'm starting to like you more than what a friend should. I don't want to be disappointed again, not with you."
Hong Li-Wei is an orphan from the slums, the areas near cities but that are outside the protective walls, so they have to fend against the monsters for themselves.
She being a smart kid managed to have her way and go inside the city.
This is when she started to work in the underworld, since nobody would hire someone from the slums for a job, no matter how mundane or simple it was.
When she was more stable and had a good amount of money in her account, she meet a guy.
She slowly got to know him and she started to fall in love with him.
Fortunately, the guy also seemed to share her feelings and both of them became a couple.
All was going well in her life until her team fell into a trap.
Her team accepted a mission that led them into a warehouse to steal some drug shipment that had arrived from Europe.
It was supposed to belong to a slight bigger gang, no bid deal.
It was supposed to be an easy job.
But it was a trap.
The cargo belonged to a company, a big one.
They got entangled with this company and even after successfully fleeing the place, they were hunted down by this company.
In the end, it was just her and two members that survived. The other 15 members were all hunted down in the streets or at their homes.
When she was in shambles and depressed with all of this, she thought that maybe a change of air could clear her head.
So, she went to her boyfriend.
After all, he always said that if she ever needed anything, she could come to him. It was his promise to her.
A promise he couldn't fulfill when she needed.
And this is where everything fell down.
The guy was cheating on her for about 1 year.
His words were that she was always away for work, didn't want to have sex when they meet and always kept her distance with him like a prude.
He eventually got tired of it and went after someone who could "understand" him.
Hong Li-Wei was devasted.
She lost her team.
She lost her boyfriend.
And she lost her trust in people who promise things.
Since then, she never fell in love again. Her fear of experiencing that pain again didn't let her.
After her boyfriend cheated on her, she looked back at their moments and what she saw was just a horny guy saying sweet words and trying to get in her pants.
No real emotion was present in any of their memories.
And then, she understood.
She was played.
When she understood it, she felt that she didn't want to experience this again. She didn't want to be played anymore, but she didn't want to become a player.
The result was her playful, flirtatious and teasing personality.
She unconsciously started to become a more "seductive" person that would induce people in liking her without her doing anything substantial and or out her "own" volution.
She unconsciously became a "tease" type.
And this is why she likes Hai.
Hai is the only person so far who saw through her and didn't judge her.
She knows that even though he loves Elena, he also has an interest in her.
However, that's just it, an interest. He doesn't do anything because he knows that she never really means her teases, so he doesn't get ahead of himself and think that she fell in love with him, even though she constantly goes beyond what only friends were supposed to do.
In truth, Hong Li-Wei wished she could have meet Hai instead of her ex.
Her life would be much better if it did.
Sadly, there are no what if's in this world.
No for her, at least.
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(1 week after – Unknown location)
Hai is standing above a cliff while looking at the clear sky.
A few days ago, Hong Li-Wei called him saying that she and her team accepted his contract and that they wished to hear about their part and what danger his plan could entail. He didn't deny their request and marked a meeting with them where he explained what they are going to do, who they are going against, who they are going or can possibly offend, and some other things.
His plan can now theoretically start.
However, Hai wants to try something different before.
It is just one of those crazy ideas that comes to everyone and they reject it in the next moment because they know it's stupid to even try.
Hai also knows it.
It's stupid.
It can completely screw him.
It can even get him to be erased completely and definitively.
However, if it works…
Forget about fearing being sent back in time, he will gain a big target on his back but a humungous advantage with it.
And this advantage can be his ace in the hole.
"System."
[Yes host?]
*INHALE*
*EXHALE*
"I'm going to do a really insane thing."
[…]
"Show my status."
[Yes host.]
[Name: Hai
Age: 20 (physically)
Tittles: Young Master; Business Tycoon; Underworld's Bigshot; Villain (minor)
Alignment: Chaotic-Neutral
Magical affinities: Ice / Metal
Magic rank: 3rd River.
Skills: Martial Arts (EX) / Magic Theory (A+) / Mana Flow (S+) / Business Management (S+) / Acting (SSS+) / Weapons (AAA) / Thick Skin (God-level)]
Hai looked at his tittle "Villain (minor)".
Then, he willed his mana and took out a couple of identical books.
All of them had the same cover, thickness and everything in it was the same.
They were copies.
"System."
[Yes host?]
"You once said that I could go back to Earth, right?"
[Yes, what about it?]
The system was confused as to where Hai wanted to go with this question.
"Can you open some portals to Earth? Without suction force and that won't shred what or who goes through them?"
If the system wasn't confused before, it was now.
[Yes host, I can do it. However, it will count as you using you ticket back to Earth, so you will have no way of going back there.]
Hai nodded.
"That is fine."
Some people might want to go back to Earth if they reincarnated in another world, however Hai already died there. What is someone who was supposed to be dead in that world is going to do there? There is no real reason to go back.
He might have his friends, sure. However, what about this live? Elena, everyone in the mansion, Hong Li-Wei and her team?
Are they all just fictional characters without sentience? Without emotions and thoughts?
No.
They aren't.
Hai always pondered if everyone were simple mindless beings being dictated by the world's will.
He always questioned if anyone in this novel was alive aside from him.
And the answer?
It was ironically a question.
What is different from my old world?
Sure, he knows he is in a world of a novel, however, so what?
Didn't Earth had tons of movies and books based in real places or even in the world itself? Does it mean that everyone in Earth was fake?
Was Hai, the only true living human back on Earth and all the other people were robots or an agglomeration of codes?
Hai realized that what we know as fiction is only fiction while you don't know it exist for sure.
What if everything, every world, every character inside a novel, book or movie, exists but just in a really far away dimension, galaxy, universe or reality?
When Hai reached his conclusion, he laughed.
How stupid could he be?
If he is living this reality, then isn't it real?
After this, he stopped taking everything in this world except for the plot as predetermined and fake things.
"It's fine system. My home is now here." Hai muttered and opened his eyes.
His neon blue eyes shone with determination and will.
[…]
[Where does host want the portals to go to?]
"Cities, not above roads nor far away from urban areas, also not in a dangerous area. And if you can open them where there are people who like to read, then even better."
[Done.]
Suddenly, small orange portals appeared before Hai.
He watched them for a minute and then looked towards the sky.
'We will see if I'm still a pawn.'
Then, he picked the books and started to slowly and carefully put them inside the portals without touching or being too close to them.
*SWOOSH*
One book entered and the portal closed.
*SWOOSH*
Another one.
*SWOOSH*
*SWOOSH*
*SWOOSH*
*SWOOSH*
*SWOOSH*
*SWOOSH*
*SWOOSH*
*SWOOSH*
*SWOOSH*
*SWOOSH*
Soon, there was only one book in his hands.
Hai looked at the last portal, then at his book.
His eyes glowed and he threw the book inside the portal.
*SWOOSH*
And the last portal closed.
[…]
"…"
"Hey system."
Hai picked a cigarette and lit it. Then, he used a bit of magic to let his hand become a bit wet and tied his hair.
[Yes host?]
"Have you ever heard of Murphy's law?" He asked a completely off-topic question.
[The one who says that if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong?]
"Yes."
[What about it?]
The system was still trying to understand what he was doing. It already didn't understand why he threw books inside the portals, but now it didn't understand why he asked this.
"Then, have you heard about the 'Theory of Relativity'?"
[Host, what did you do?]
The system started to get a bad feeling all of sudden.
"This theory explains that some things are relative, they might change depending on what and/ or how you measure them. Now, look at it this way: relativity is perspective. The perspective differs from being to being." Hai ignored the system.
"Then, from a perspective: Between me and the world. If I used of Murphy's law and tried to create a "law" in this world or universe, between me and the world, which one would be on the side that went wrong?"
[You obviously. The world rules its own laws and won't let the host create one.]
"Then, what if I created?"
[What?]
"The paradox of Murphy's law. You said it would go wrong to me, but if I created the law, then wouldn't have it gone wrong to the world? 'If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong'. Following this logic, there would be no way to go wrong for both sides in this case, since it would annul the result and hence would go against the Third Newton's law: every action has a reaction."
[H-Host…. W-What did you do?]
The system started to understand where he was going and it didn't like it!
If even a minuscule thing goes wrong, then he will be erased for good this time!
"Hey system."
[H-Host, maybe if you go back in tim-]
Hai didn't let the system finish.
"What is a protagonist?"
"I have observed Ye Chen and saw that a protagonist is someone that is really lucky, strong and capable in some area."
[What does it have to with this situation?]
The system started to get even more nervous.
"One day, I suddenly remembered a saying back in my world: 'We are the protagonist of our own story'. This made me think: 'Is Ye Chen the only protagonist existing in this world?'. Since then, I started to spread my connections beyond China Federation and started to search for people similar to Ye Chen. Do you know what I found?"
[N-No…]
"They do exist."
"There are more protagonists in this world besides Ye Chen."
[…]
"Now, now, now. It begs the question: When Ye Chen dies, the world resets. Then, if any of those supposed protagonists dies, does the world also reset?"
[…]
"After some years of observing, I found out that whenever one of them dies, suddenly, the other ones start to experience increasingly harder situations. Things like: easy missions suddenly have hidden powers meddling with it; hidden masters get offending for you pissing on a tree that their great-granddaughter is buried on, and etc. With this, I concluded that every protagonist needs to die in order for the world reset."
*BOOOOOOM*
A loud thunderclap suddenly resounded across the whole world.
The sky blackened.
The ground cracked in several places.
The sea got turbulent.
Monsters ran and hid in their nests.
People started to scream and run.
The rich ran to their bunkers.
The poor, to their homes.
Everyone and everything fell into chaos.
[H-Host what did you do!?!?]
The system shouted.
"Hey system."
"Do you know what is the butterfly effect?"
*BOOOOOOM*
"It's when someone or something that wasn't supposed to be somewhere or do a certain action at a determined time, does this said action. Normally, the action is nothing much, just a minor thing that wouldn't affect anyone's life. But, the flap of a butterfly's wings causes a tornado in the opposite side of the world."
*BOOOOOOOM*
[H-HOST!!! YOU ARE CRAZY!!!]
"Hey system."
"What is a novel?"
[HOST, NOW IS NOT THE TIME!!!]
"To me, a novel was a simple book where fantasies gained life. Now, to me, a novel is my world and home of my loved ones."
[HOST!!!]
"Hey system."
"What would happen, if the novel where Hai is the protagonist were to arrive on Earth and become a 'real' novel, just like Ye Chen's?"
[!!!]
The system suddenly understood what he did.
Suddenly, a red aura covered Hai's whole body.
But, out of nowhere, a golden aura surged and started to mix with his red aura.
Both auras clashed, as if rejecting each other.
Hai narrowed his eyes and that was it.
Both auras stopped clashing and mixed.
Hai's previously red aura, now is a bright crimson red with a golden center, almost as if a sun.
"Status."
Hai called his status' panel and immediately smirked.
[Tittles: Young Master; Business Tycoon; Underworld's Bigshot; ???]
His villain tittle had vanished.
And in place, question marks appeared.
Hai called the description of this tittle.
[???: Someone who isn't a protagonist or a villain; isn't an extra nor a side-character. But a writer and a reader of his own story.]
The description was short but it contained everything that Hai needed to know.
[H-H-H-H-ost….]
"I just hope that people don't think that my novel is a bad one. Though, I won't have a way to know even if they did."
Hai willed his magic and another book appeared in his hands, this one seemed more luxurious.
It was the original version of the books he threw into the portals.
The book had written in its cover: "This Young Master Have Had Enough" by Kyle_Kingsmaker.
Hai chuckled at his totally not obvious tittle.
"Well, I needed a pseudonym. Can't write a novel where my character's name is the same as my author's one."
Hai eyes suddenly started to glow and his smile turned more vicious.
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"Hey system."
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[Y-Yes host?]
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"Let's rock."
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A/N: So, what did you guys think? Was it good or subpar?
Also, please comment what you thougt about the reason as to why Hong Li-Wei has that personality.
Thank you once again and thanks for reading!