Fate Is Just Like This, If You Don't Like It, Don't Play!

"I freaking knew superpowers were all bullshit—aaaaaah!!!!!!"

Fang Ran cursed at the top of his lungs. He knew it wouldn't go that smoothly. He'd had that vague, hazy premonition that things definitely wouldn't go smoothly, that something would definitely go wrong.

Screw your Magic Wand!

Even if the belt had straightened out.

It was still a freaking belt!

And tell me, why had a belt straightened out? Why would a belt straighten out? What the hell was the use of a straightened belt?

Shouldn't it have turned completely into a Magic Wand in a situation like this?

You freaking weren't playing by the rules!

Fang Ran roared inwardly, then, with absolutely no backbone, let out words he had never imagined he would shout in real life!

"Heeelp!! Meee!! Aaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Under the night sky, on some street in the city, a young man clutched a "straightened" belt and sprinted ahead of a Zombie.

And five minutes earlier, elsewhere, the real participants in this "accident"...

At the edge of the rooftop of the city's tallest building, a figure stood there just like a movie superhero, utterly unafraid of the hundreds of meters below.

That figure was the man who had ruthlessly stolen an old lady's heart. Ahem.

The absurdly cool, ridiculously handsome man Fang Ran had seen at the station.

"Heh, there are fewer people this time... but I suppose that makes sense."

He chuckled to himself, then suddenly turned and smiled.

"Wouldn't you two lovely ladies agree?"

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound of heeled boots striking the ground drew nearer. Two talismans suddenly appeared and burst into flames, and two figures stepped out from the fire.

Their wavy long hair fluttered in the night wind, and their black trench coat hems revealed their identities.

That was, not counting the Flying Swords floating beside them.

"For a mere D-rank Night Battle, why did you come?"

Ye Sheng looked at him with a complicated expression as she asked. Another streak of sword qi condensed at her side, while the woman beside her formed a strange gesture with her fingers. The atmosphere seemed ready to explode at any moment.

"Normally, I wouldn't have come. But the reward this time is a little special."

The Sunglasses Youth smiled sinisterly, then said meaningfully.

"Special enough that you all came in person, didn't you?"

"Sheng-jie, we..."

The beautiful woman beside Ye Sheng spoke in a low voice, gesturing with her eyes toward another direction.

In that direction, all sorts of strange people were wandering about. There was a boy who looked like a high school student, wearing enormous headphones.

A Middle-aged Gentleman leaning on a diamond-studded cane like a European aristocrat from the last century.

A girl with electricity flashing around her hands, and a young man casually breathing fire.

All kinds of bizarre people seemed to be converging on the tallest building.

Ye Sheng glanced at the Sunglasses Youth, turned, and left. Lowering her voice, she said firmly.

"No matter what happens in this Night Battle, we have to win. No matter what appears later, we must secure the kill!"

The two women did not take the elevator. They walked straight to the edge of the building and jumped.

Two streaks of sword light instantly appeared beneath their feet. As Ye Sheng flew downward, she gave the Sunglasses Youth and the woman beside him one last look.

"As for the others who showed up this time, we'll settle the score with them afterward."

After the two women left, the Sunglasses Youth remained where he was and closed his eyes.

"Ten."

He began counting down inwardly. At the same time, every participant surrounding the building began their own countdown.

At the entrance of the building, the youth wearing enormous headphones looked at his watch, confirmed the time precisely, and slowly said.

"Nine."

In the back alley, the girl with electricity coiling around her hands curled her lips into a cheerful smile.

"Eight."

Click. The pocket watch opened, and the Middle-aged Gentleman smiled gently and steadily.

"Seven."

In an office on one floor of the building, an unruly young man's hand suddenly burst into flames. He raised his right hand high, seemingly admiring the fire.

"Three."

In the air around the building, two graceful figures standing on sword light floated in circles. Ye Sheng gazed at the brightly lit building in the night and murmured softly.

"Two."

No one said one. In the final second, the system's announcement rang in every participant's ears!!

Ding! Preparation time has ended

Ding! D-rank Night Battle scenario activated

Ding! All participants, 11/11, have arrived at the designated location

Ding! D-rank Night Battle scenario, D-27 deployed

Ding! Night Battle.

A string of system notifications rang out one after another, the final one echoing in every participant's ears!

.Begin.

In an instant, every figure surrounding the building sprang into action!!!

"Help... help me... help me, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna dieee..."

At that moment, Fang Ran was on a street, eyes vacant and face numb, calling out in a flat monotone like someone who had given up on treatment.

He could barely run anymore. Really, he could barely run anymore. He no longer even had the strength to curse, complain, or spout nonsense in his head. If not for the belief that stopping meant getting his butt bitten by a Zombie holding him up right now—

He would have stopped running long ago.

Why?

Why was he being chased by a Zombie?

All of a sudden, Fang Ran fell into deep thought.

He contemplated his life, the meaning of still being alive, where he had come from, where he was going, who he was, why he was himself, and why he wasn't someone else.

Then, using mathematical induction, economics and management knowledge, Java programming skills, and fresh soy sauce, he put everything into a rice cooker and processed it through forty-nine steps.

Before arriving at the ultimate philosophical question of his life, which was—

Why the hell was he being chased through three whole streets by a Zombie in some creepy place right now?!

This was freaking not normal!

Sure, he'd had a bit of bad luck today. He'd come back during the hottest part of the day, tried to take the subway without his wallet, probably forgotten his keys too, failed the CET-4 three times, never had a girlfriend, was a virgin, had recently been confessed to by a male friend, lost money three times in the first half of the year, missed his stop six times, and been rejected seven times.

Damn, that was suddenly kind of depressing.

But none of that was!! IMPORTANT!!

(A serious face loudly denying reality and working up enthusiasm for life.)

Even if he was unlucky, he should have been back at his place by now, drinking a glass of cooled boiled water and resting!

Why was he being chased by a Zombie through eight freaking streets?!

What? You said it was three streets, not eight?

That wasn't important.

What was important was that he was being chased by a Zombie!

"Aaaaah~~~ Help me!!!"

His butt nearly got bitten, and Fang Ran found another burst of motivation. He ran forward for his life, while also letting out another powerful cry for help!

"Hey! There's a building ahead! It should be pretty complicated inside. If I hide in there, I should be able to shake off that bastard behind me."

Fang Ran's eyes suddenly lit up. He sped up again and ran toward the tallest building.

As long as he made it inside the building, just as Fang Ran thought excitedly—

BOOM!!!!!!!

The building collapsed with an earthshaking roar, as if every support pillar had been blown apart by explosives. The tallest building crumpled in an instant!

Could you imagine the apocalyptic sight of a skyscraper collapsing right in front of you?

Facing the skyscraper crashing down toward him and the Zombie, Fang Ran felt as though the sky itself had fallen.

And what greeted all of this was Fang Ran's unyielding roar, his voice refusing to give up as he bellowed.

"I have a goddamn thing to say right now!!"