Jiang City, late at night.
Yu Yao sat in front of her computer, listening to the sound of thunder and rain outside.
Quietly, she used the mouse to guide the character on the screen through every corner of the map, her expression calm yet lonely.
She was disabled. At twenty-two, she lost both her legs while saving someone. After that, due to her weakened physical condition following the injury and the pain that plagued her every moment, she no longer had the chance to leave home and go out to see the world.
For the past four years, only games and books had kept her company.
At this moment, she was logged into an online game called Defying Fate.
Because of its unique settings, complex combo systems, and exceptionally exquisite graphics, this online game caused a sensation when it first launched and was wildly popular for a time.
But no matter how beautiful the visuals or how special the settings were, they couldn’t withstand the overly complicated skill combos and controls.
Because the barrier to entry was too high, the game faded just as quickly as it had risen.
Yu Yao was one of the few veteran players who had persisted for over three years.
After finally becoming the number one player on the entire server, she was informed that Defying Fate had suffered severe losses, and the company had decided to shut it down at 00:00 on September 25.
And now, the time was September 24, 23:59.
In one more minute, the game that had accompanied Yu Yao for more than three years would bid her farewell forever.
Yu Yao let out a sigh and sent a goodbye message in the world chat channel, which had long since fallen silent.
Goodbye, old friend.
Even though you’re leaving, my road still has to go on.
I hope I can… keep getting better and better.
Before the sigh in her heart could fade, a dazzling bolt of lightning suddenly fell from the sky, instantly illuminating heaven and earth.
Yu Yao’s eyes, which she hadn’t had time to close, were caught off guard by the blinding white light.
A thunderous boom followed immediately after, and the ground trembled for an instant.
The standalone villa where Yu Yao lived also collapsed amid the lightning, turning into ruins.
At the same moment, two brilliant orbs of light entwined with each other and shot up into the inky-black night sky.
If someone had glanced at the time then, they would have seen the clock slowly flip over to 00:00.
……
When Yu Yao regained consciousness, she was confused for a brief moment.
Because she couldn’t feel her heavy body at all, nor the pain that had tormented her every second of every day.
This sense of lightness made her feel as though her soul had taken flight.
Wait—no!
Wasn’t she actually flying?!
And not just that—she was flying as a soul with no physical form!
This was… soul separation?
Before she could figure out what was happening, Yu Yao suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head.
Wait a second—she was just a soul. Where did a head come from?
Confused, she searched around, using her nonexistent “eyes” to observe her surroundings. In the pitch-black space, as dark as spilled ink, there was only her and another glowing orb, both shining faintly.
And the reason she felt pain was that the other orb of light was actually trying to devour her!
A flash of hostility crossed Yu Yao’s heart.
She was an orphan who had grown up struggling her way through an orphanage. The bitterness and hardship of that life were things few could truly understand.
From childhood to adulthood, aside from the headmistress who was like a mother to her, everyone else wanted to step on her.
But she had grown up covered in thorns.
If anyone dared to bully her, she would pay them back several times over. If someone tried to take advantage of her, they’d be ready to lose a layer of skin.
Relying on that ruthlessness and courage, she had managed—before even graduating from university—to start her own business using years of part-time work savings and a keen grasp of opportunity, earning over a million a year.
Perhaps her cold, sharp nature displeased the heavens, because even fate seemed intent on bullying her.
At twenty-two, just after graduating from college, she went on a trip to the southern province and ended up encountering a kidnapping case.
The kidnapped girl had stayed at the same guesthouse as her. Just the day before, the girl had sweetly called her “big sister” and even stuffed a piece of candy into her hand.
Yu Yao was naturally suspicious and would never eat anything given by a stranger, but that girl’s smile had stayed in her memory.
When the girl was kidnapped, Yu Yao was the only witness.
She was also the one who rushed out to delay the kidnappers, buying time until the police arrived.
She did have some fighting skills, but she was no match for the ruthless kidnappers. Her spine was broken, her internal organs injured. Not only could she never stand again, she also had to endure constant pain day after day.
The kidnapped girl’s parents were decent people. To thank her, they gave her a large sum of compensation.
They also covered all her medical expenses and future living costs, and even hired professional caregivers to look after her.
Though she lacked nothing in food and clothing, without a healthy body her world shrank completely to that luxurious house.
But she did not resign herself to fate.
Writing, studying, voice acting, translation, stock trading.
Though she was disabled, her assets were not inferior to those of many ordinary wealthy people.
Even without the ongoing support payments, she could still support herself very well.
In those tense and bleak days, games were her only outlet for relaxation.
But who could have imagined that because of a game, she would not only be struck by lightning, but after becoming a soul, would still be swallowed by another orb of light?
As hostility surged within her, she didn’t know where the strength came from, but she suddenly “opened her mouth” and swallowed the orb that was trying to devour her in one bite.
Sensing the other party’s struggle, she suppressed it with all her might, pouring in every ounce of strength, slowly forcing it to merge into herself.
As the two entangled, she could feel her own “energy” rapidly dissipating—but the other party definitely wasn’t having an easy time either!
That was enough!
If I’m not having a good time, don’t even think about having one yourself!
Driven by that sheer stubborn will, just before her consciousness collapsed, she finally devoured the other completely. She grew even more radiant, illuminating the ink-black darkness like daylight.