Luo Yuan

"It all began that summer at the end of the old century. The RR virus killed more than two billion people worldwide. The first case of an animal mutating after infection with the RR virus occurred in the Middle East. Unknown species invaded the Americas, and the North American allied forces announced that they were abandoning the thirteen states on the East Coast. The RR virus brought forth an entirely new intelligent species-monsters-and humanity entered the Great Nirvana Era.

Proposal No. 62, the 'Comprehensive Nuclear Strike Plan,' was implemented. Scientists had once demonstrated that launching every nuclear warhead could destroy Earth three times over, yet reality proved that Earth was not destroyed. Humanity had always clutched nuclear weapons tightly as its final trump card, believing they could wipe out everything. Yet plants had grown again in Hiroshima and Nagasaki the very next year after the atomic bombings. Nuclear weapons were nowhere near as powerful as humanity had imagined.

The surviving humans sought refuge in underground bases. If nuclear war engulfed the entire world, the most likely thing to be destroyed was human civilization itself. Relying on military strength, technology, and humanity's indomitable will, five great nations endured. They formed the Earth Alliance and established bases in twenty-three other regions as well. The most crucial factor, however, was the emergence of Warriors among humanity. Warriors could contend with monsters through their own combat strength."

Yi'an District No. 3 High School, Yangzhou City, Jiangnan Base City.

"Ring, ring, ring..." As the loud bell rang across campus, a wave of chatter erupted. Students streamed out of the classroom buildings, laughing and talking in groups of three or five as they headed toward the school gates.

Luo Yuan put down his history textbook and rolled his stiff neck. He packed his schoolbag as well, ready to head home.

Ah, looks like I really have transmigrated into the world of Swallowed Star, Luo Yuan thought.

In the early hours three days ago, Luo Yuan had still been binge-watching a show in his rented room. After waking up, he found himself in this world, a tenant in the low-rent South Bank Residential District. He lived in the same residential district as Luo Feng's family, though not in the same building. He had not gone looking for City Lord Luo just because he had nothing better to do. After all, they did not know each other and were not classmates. Their lives had never intersected.

Back at his rented apartment in the South Bank Residential District, Luo Yuan went straight into his room, locked the door, and flopped onto the bed with his arms and legs spread wide.

His identity in this world was that of an orphan who had grown up in an orphanage, utterly alone. After starting high school, he had moved out to live independently. He attended classes during the day and worked part-time jobs at night, barely scraping by. As for martial arts training, he lacked the means. Aside from a reasonably healthy body and fairly handsome looks, he had no advantages to speak of.

"Oh, heavens, how am I supposed to survive in this dangerous world?" Luo Yuan could not help asking the heavens helplessly.

He had spent these past three days thinking about his future, but after all that thought, the only alternative to martial arts training seemed to be a lifetime of mediocrity. He could not accept that. Getting up, he dug out his bankbook. The balance of 2,000 left him feeling drained. That little money would barely cover food, let alone martial arts training.

As Luo Yuan was about to put the bankbook away, he discovered a discount voucher for a one-day visit to the Limitless Martial Hall in his drawer. It was valid tomorrow, which happened to be Saturday, so he decided to take a look. Although he could not get in without money, even going to see it would be worthwhile. The Limitless Martial Hall was the greatest martial hall on Earth, founded by Hong, the strongest man in the world. He wanted to see it.

"Grrr..." The rumbling of his stomach interrupted Luo Yuan's thoughts. Life came down to everyday necessities. What was the point of thinking about things so far out of reach?

Luo Yuan stepped out of his bedroom carefully, since he was sharing the apartment with someone else. He had no choice-he was poor. Everyone who lived here was poor, and they ought to be considerate of one another.

From the original Luo Yuan's memories, he only knew that his roommates had changed several times already. His current roommate seemed to have moved in recently, and he had not met her yet. He had only heard someone unlocking and locking the door late at night. Judging by the long hairs left in the bathroom, she was probably a woman, and one who worked at night at that. That sent his imagination wandering.

Luo Yuan did not know whether his roommate was home yet, but he remained careful. He went into the kitchen, lit the gas stove, and took out yesterday's leftover rice to make egg fried rice. His cooking had been decent in both his previous life and this one. Soon, the aroma of egg fried rice filled the tiny rented apartment.

"Click."

Suddenly, he heard the front door open. Curious, Luo Yuan stepped out of the kitchen, only to see a slim, tall, attractive figure hurry into the bathroom. Then came the sound of the bathroom door being locked, while a pleasant perfume lingered in the air.

Looks like she's probably a beauty, Luo Yuan thought.

Luo Yuan sat in the living room, eating his egg fried rice while watching the news. After quite a while, the bathroom door opened, and a beautiful woman with a curvaceous figure stepped out in a light T-shirt and shorts. She looked about twenty-four or twenty-five, with striking features and no makeup. Her gaze was languid yet aloof. She looked a little like the glamorous, mature internet celebrities he had seen in his previous life, and Luo Yuan could not help swallowing.

"You're the other tenant here?" The woman before him spoke in a slightly husky, mature voice.

"That's right. Hi, I'm Luo Yuan. Yuan as in 'source.' Nice to meet you." Luo Yuan quickly composed himself and greeted her.

"Oh? How nice?" she teased, a meaningful smile tugging at her lips and amusement filling her eyes.

"Uh, all right. Sorry to bother you." Luo Yuan fell silent and went back to eating.

Seeing that Luo Yuan was no longer paying attention to her, the woman lost some interest. She looked him over a few more times before speaking.

"Little brother, I haven't eaten yet. You're enjoying that so much, you're making me absolutely famished."

"There's more in the wok. Help yourself," Luo Yuan said evenly. He had a feeling this woman would be difficult to deal with.

"My name is Xu Qian. I look forward to getting along while we're sharing this place."

All the flirtatiousness suddenly vanished from the woman's manner, and she spoke with perfect propriety. There was no trace of unnecessary emotion in her cool eyes. She simply picked up the fruit knife from the coffee table and deftly worked it around an apple. Her knife skills were anything but ordinary. Luo Yuan merely nodded. It seemed this was her true face. Society was simple; people were complicated. He had better be more careful from now on.

After dinner, Luo Yuan took a shower and lay down in bed, ready to sleep. Although he had only been in this world for three days, he no longer dared treat it like a game. This was a real world, and the people here were living beings of flesh and blood-a real world where he could lose his life at any moment.

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