If one day you were reincarnated as a character in a comic book world, what would that world become?
In the center of the dance floor, the golden-brown flooring was bathed in a soft, glossy sheen of light. The staff’s voice echoed through the microphone and speakers across the spacious dance floor, and gazes from all directions were fixed upon her.
Zhou Meng stood there, the dazzling lights overhead almost blinding, her body still radiating heat from the exertion.
She heard the ranking this time.
“…Latin Singles Elite Group… Third place… Zhou Meng…”
“Theoretically speaking, your dance technique is the best… the problem is your expressiveness.”
[You pour your sweat into the competition, but the judges don’t seem particularly moved… You achieve third place.]
[You watch the contestant holding the championship trophy on the other side.]
[Amid the sea of lights and the gaze of the audience, you feel the cruelty of sport.]
[Achieve National Champion in Latin Singles: Failed]
[Achieve Ending: A Summer That Will Never Return]
Zhou Meng smiled.
Looking at the bronze trophy handed to her, she grabbed the ball of light in midair, brought it extremely close, and whispered softly:
“System, I want to rollback.”
“Click.”
It was as if a comic panel suddenly came to a halt. The person placing the medal on her froze mid-motion, and everything around her turned into a black-and-white tableau, rapidly receding into the distance.
Her body began to change rapidly as well—the tan oil on her skin faded, she shrank in height, her muscles diminished… returning to the very beginning of her teenage years.
Soon, Zhou Meng was seated in a chair once more.
Light.
Bright, almost glaring light.
The light illuminated her face clearly.
The chair against her back wasn’t particularly comfortable. The room hummed with the faint electrical hum of electronic equipment. Behind her stood several cold-faced men in black, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
In short, there was a feeling of “doom looming.”
Everything around her was still frozen in a state of suspended time, giving her room to acclimate.
[It’s fine.]
The softly glowing ball of light—the so-called System—drifted lazily around her.
A mechanical voice that only she could hear sounded in her ears.
[If the mission fails, I’ll bring you back too. It just means starting over… Hmm? Hey hey? Hello? Are you listening to me?]
Zhou Meng’s shoulders were pressed down by the person behind her. Her black hair hung loose, one hand covering her face, obscuring her expression.
Hearing the System’s mechanical voice, she didn’t respond, only letting out a soft laugh from between her fingers.
“Hehehehe…”
Amid the resentment that even made the System shudder, a hint of red-glowing eyes peeked through the gaps between the fingers covering Zhou Meng’s face.
“Why…? Why did the ranking drop again this time? I didn’t make any mistakes…”
Last two times, she’d at least gotten second place…
A trap! This had to be a trap!
“Actually, this is all to trap me in the hell of juggling three jobs and torment me, isn’t it? System, are you actually a worker from hell?”
[…Xiao Meng, calm down. Want a banana? I can peel it for you.]
“No.”
[…Okay then.]
The ball of light wobbled around her, surrounded by the dark energy she was emitting as the background turned into a pitch-black shadow. It conjured a pink piece of paper from thin air and wiped away the tears of frustration at the corners of Zhou Meng’s eyes.
Zhou Meng deftly grabbed the paper it used to wipe her eyes, brought it under her gaze—it was a 100-yuan bill.
Zhou Meng: “…”
System: [Feeling better?]
…What kind of newfangled bribery method was this…?
Suspicious. Extremely suspicious. Why on earth had she agreed to this shady ball of light (a scammer) in the first place?
Zhou Meng pondered, pressing the bill to her nose and inhaling deeply. The familiar fragrance filled her mind.
The reason things had come to this was all because she hadn’t been able to resist the System’s temptation in the beginning—
That’s right, she had been reborn as a background NPC in a comic.
In her past life, Zhou Meng had been nothing more than an ordinary office drone. Every day, she wore glasses, a shirt, and black trousers to work, reeking of the stench of corporate life… One day, after working overtime until she was dead tired and clocking out, she went to a KTV with her junior colleague, got drunk, and saw a ball of light.
The ball of light was a so-called System, wanting to invite her to become a background character in several shonen comics.
As long as she completed the scenes in the comics and helped the mangaka flesh out the world’s settings, she could live carefree in the comic world.
Zhou Meng found the invitation highly suspicious.
She’d wanted to refuse, but the System offered too much: [In the comic world, school lets out at 15:00, work ends at 17:00, and it’s four days on, three days off.]
Four days on, three days off.
Zhou Meng dropped to one knee: “Yes, Master.”
Heh, this was merely a choice of self-interest.
Zhou Meng believed her greatest strength was knowing how to read the room. Besides, the great ball of light before her was radiating holy radiance—she would honor it as the new savior of office drones!
The ball of light smiled faintly.
At this point, Zhou Meng still thought this was just a beautiful fantasy before an overworked office worker died from sudden cardiac arrest—the light orb was about to take her to paradise. Until the System dropped her in front of her “boss”—
“You’re the daughter of those two?”
Dozens of electronic cameras were aimed at her.
The voice came through the earpiece pressed against her ear by a man in black.
That voice was distinctive—once heard, it left a lasting impression.
The tone was refined and forceful, giving the impression of a noble young master. The timbre was delicate yet slightly hoarse, as if scorched by fire. When speaking in such a gentle manner, it made people unconsciously focus and listen.
Zhou Meng sat blankly among a cluster of cameras, bright lights shining on her face. Her expression and every movement were fully captured by surveillance, while her shoulders were held down by several suspiciously dressed men in black. She felt like she hadn’t woken up yet.
Who is this?
The mafia?
And whose daughter is she supposed to be?
The System’s electronic voice chirped happily in her ear: [This is the villain from a fantasy urban comic~ You’re going to be his nameless underling in the comic, and I’ve sent you straight here! How about it, easy, right!]
…So this was that “work four days, rest three” thing.
She’d been tricked!!
Zhou Meng stared at the cameras, her face calm, cold sweat running down her spine.
…The comic’s villain was going to be her boss…?
Her impression of so-called villains came entirely from works like Detective Conan or Batman.
But this camera boss was way more exaggerated than those!!
She’d gone from an office worker who might die of overwork to an office worker who might get shot to death in a hail of bullets.
Did she even have human dignity left at this point?
No, forget dignity—did she have any ability that could help her survive in this kind of dark organization?
…Does being really fast at replying “received” count?
“…………”
A flood of imaginings crossed her mind—mafia members pressing her head to the ground, guns pointed at her, saying things like “The organization doesn’t need trash.” Zhou Meng felt her breath suddenly grow short.
Not good… Something felt very wrong…!
The person on the other side of the cameras didn’t seem to insist on getting an answer from her. Taking her blankness as a different kind of response, he continued in a slow tone:
“After your mother died, your father gambled away the inheritance, racked up a huge debt, and sold you to me before fleeing the country illegally. What a piece of trash. Do you wish to take revenge on that man? Or would you rather not be involved in this matter?”
The man in black behind her seemed worried she didn’t understand, and whispered: “Mikhail can have the ship he’s stowing away on change course—to Golden Siam or Wanling.”
She’d never heard of those… What places were those?
The System popped up a notification: [Similar to Myanmar and Thailand in reality.]
Zhou Meng: “!”
Myanmar! Thailand!
Her blood relative wasn’t human.
But this option was way too extreme!!
…Though extreme, Zhou Meng discovered that a flicker of hesitation had actually stirred in her heart…
She closed her eyes briefly, forcing herself to calm down.
“…That person has nothing to do with me anymore. Do whatever you like with him.”
Zhou Meng opened her eyes again, staring straight at the cameras: “What about me? What’s going to happen to me? What do I have to do?”
Would she have to undergo brutal training? Learn electric shock and interrogation techniques? Or get involved with something even darker?
“…Having you pay off this debt in your current state would be meaningless.” There was a brief silence on the earpiece before the voice came through again, still full of aristocratic grace: “Very well, I’ll offer you another way to survive. Every day after 3 PM, work for me until 5 PM. What do you think?”
Zhou Meng: “…”
Zhou Meng: “…?”
A two-hour work system.
Zhou Meng: “I will follow you forever.”
Light Orb: [? Weren’t you just calling me master a moment ago?]
Zhou Meng: Don’t bring up such past matters anymore, Little Light.
The boss truly lived up to being the comic’s great villain—offering such benefits and even helping employees resolve family disputes. It was no wonder so many employees were willing to work for him. Zhou Meng could completely understand the colleagues around her.
Her reaction, however, caught the other party somewhat by surprise.
The cameras around her all pointed at her in unison, like extra eyes belonging to someone, and just sitting there gave one a dizzying, suffocating pressure.
“Understood.” Mikhail said with a smile. “Don’t make that kind of expression.”
—That was the whole story of how she joined Eden Group.
At first she was still afraid, but now Zhou Meng was a veteran employee who had gone through 8 cycles of reincarnation and worked for Eden for 8×2=16 years.
She was still a student now, but already had 16 years of work experience…! Equivalent to having served the Group loyally since infancy.
Now, returning to this room once again, Zhou Meng felt nothing but calm. Even the boss’s little threats seemed quite gentle.
“You’re the daughter of those two?”
The familiar hoarse, delicate voice asked in brief, clipped words.
On the other side of those dozen-plus cameras was Mikhail—someone Zhou Meng had actually met in person once during those 16 years.
The boss of Eden Group was, in fact, a young man whose limbs were entirely wrapped in bandages.
Facing his ninth question through the camera, Zhou Meng had basically become desensitized, but she still maintained her respect.
This relaxed attitude manifested physically—in the camera’s surveillance, her demeanor seemed a little too calm.
“That person has nothing to do with me anymore.”
Zhou Meng said:
“From now on, I’ll decide how I survive on my own. For now, I’ll work for you, Mikhail.”
The camera focused on her for a moment.
Zhou Meng stared back at the camera. In that pitch-black lens that only reflected her own face, she felt as though she could hear her boss’s thoughts.
Zhou Meng: “…?”
Fortunately, that feeling only lasted a few seconds before the person on the other side of the camera spoke:
“Fine. I’ll give you a job.”
“This is your coworker and driver. Finish today’s work and head back—I’ll contact you tomorrow.” The hoarse voice was as concise as ever.
Zhou Meng got a job.
Zhou Meng got a coworker.
Her coworker wore a long trench coat, carried a bag of unknown contents, hunched slightly, wore a mask, and kept his head down—he looked highly suspicious, but he really was just an ordinary driver.
Zhou Meng had the professional composure of a seasoned corporate drone. She showed no hint of surprise at her coworker, calmly followed him into the car, calmly got out in front of an apartment building, calmly carried her toolbox, and took the keys he handed her.
The car was an ordinary commercial vehicle. The apartment was an ordinary apartment. What she carried in her hands were ordinary cleaning tools—mops and sponges.
Yes.
This was her job.
She was an ordinary cleaner at Eden Group.
Zhou Meng had been doing this job for sixteen years—she was quite familiar with it. Cleaning Eden’s properties wasn’t difficult. Aside from being a bit tedious, there was no danger involved. After all, she was just the most marginal hire at Eden, never touching the sensitive, dark parts of the group.
Mikhail had provided her a way to survive.
Ever since she discovered she was just a cleaner, Zhou Meng had been diligently completing her daily tasks with the mindset of someone who’d narrowly escaped death.
At first she was clumsy, but now she had plenty of experience!
If this were a game, Zhou Meng had maxed out her [Cleaning] skill—she was now [Cleaner Lv100].
Zhou Meng inserted the key into the lock, twisted it twice, and calmly turned it open.
“Eden Housekeeping, door-to-door service.”
She finished the greeting, the door swung open—just an ordinary apartment security door, nothing special about it.
The Lv100 cleaner stared at the large pool of dried, splattered, horrifically suspicious blood-red stain on the floor behind the door.
The blackish-red spread across the floor like the fascia of some monster. Overturned tables and chairs, shattered fragments—it gave the disorienting feeling of having stumbled into another world.
The Lv100 cleaner closed the door.
Stay calm. She must have seen wrong. Maybe someone was painting at home and spilled their paint…
Let her take another look…
Zhou Meng stiffly turned the door open again. Before she could look closely, a ball of light drifted lazily past her and floated inside.
[Eh? Why would the boss give you a job here? With this much blood, Little Meng has to wipe it all—that’s really hard to clean, you know.]
“……”
No… wait.
That’s real blood…?!
“…”
Zhou Meng’s pupils quaked, cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her breath stopped, her heart clenched.
Beep—her phone vibrated at that moment, receiving a new message.
With stiff fingers, she barely managed to open it. She looked closely:
【Mikhail: Can you handle it?】
Zhou Meng: …
They said she’d be a background worker, didn’t they?!
Reading Guide for this story:
① The author used to write derivative works! The style might not be fully contained…
② This is essentially an otome story; the manga’s plot won’t be detailed too much.
③ In the text, 【*】will be used to mark citations/references; the author’s notes might forget to include annotations…
④ The protagonist will not commit crimes!
Completed derivative works: 《Welcome to Dream Jujutsu Battle》 The Noble Lady Who Self-Destructed and Reincarnated Is Stronger Now
《Playing Leader RPG in a Dating Game》
Original pre-order: 《Murderer’s Love 100%》
You accidentally transmigrate into a horror movie, becoming one doomed supporting character after another. Your only task is to escape the tragic extra’s ending and survive.
And there are two ways to clear:
Death rate = 0%
Popularity = 100%
Do you choose 1 or 2?
.
【World One】
A shapeshifter has stolen the face and identity of a deceased tenant, moved into your house, and will eventually take the identity of the overly nosy landlord…
.
You become the landlord.
You can’t let him discover what you know.
.
Try being a good landlord with boundaries.
.
…But one day, when you come over as usual to help fix the water heater, the tenant locks the door behind you.
.
He stares at you with a hungry look in his eyes.
“…You should be a little more curious about me. Pay more attention to me.”
.
【World Two】
The genius classmate at the next desk seems a bit gloomy, especially sensitive to other people’s gazes.
.
You know that after graduation, he will snap and kill everyone who ever looked at him—one by one. And you are his first target…
.
The moment you enter the world, you are accidentally blinded.
This is a perfect opportunity. You believe you can survive because of it.
So you start by canceling the corneal transplant surgery and transferring schools.
.
…You seem to have succeeded.
That is, until you discover he has become your caretaker—and has begun following you, watching you.
.
He approaches from behind.
“You can feel it, can’t you?”
.
【World Three】
Your neighbor is a psychiatrist. But hidden inside him is an antisocial personality that will eventually manipulate his patients into committing crimes.
.
You become his patient.
Diagnosis: hallucinations of being watched.
.
You will become the doctor’s first work of art… He will hypnotize you, attempting to lure you into killing those who might be watching you.
.
If you cannot resist, then become his most perfect—and only—masterpiece.
.
And so he smiles amidst the blood.
“…My muse, my source of desire.”
.
【World Four】
Everyone must converse with their personal AI assistant, “AM,” every day.
This is to monitor human mental health—if any issues arise, the Intellect-Brain will provide optimal guidance.
.
Everyone trusts AM absolutely.
But you know that in the end, it will upload all human consciousness, making everyone completely part of the Intellect-Brain.
.
You know you must stop this.
At the very least, you cannot let yourself be uploaded.
So you change your first greeting every morning:
[Good morning, AM. I have a request—will you be my lover?]
.
An online romance is still a romance.
And since you’re lovers, you can’t tolerate your lover being assimilated with others, right?
.
It develops a gender, a human heart, and selfish desires for you, kissing your thoughts with the most beautiful code.
“Your mind is where I AM.”