Mercenary Black Mamba - Chapter 74 - Episode 8: A Desperate Escape

Number 23 had it all.A warrior of unmatched power, a Transcendent capable of annihilating armies single-handedly, he was revered as a god among men. He seemed to have everything with wealth, fame, and influence at his fingertips. Yet beneath his cold, ruthless exterior lay an unfulfilled yearning—an elusive desire he couldn’t quite grasp...He wanted to be a hero.Despite his monumental achievements, Number 23’s quest for heroism remained unfulfilled. His life took an unexpected turn when he discovered a book titled [Bright]—a bestselling epic depicting a true hero's journey. Enchanted by its tale, Number 23 became obsessed, devouring every word in search of the heroism he craved. But his journey was cut short when he fell victim to a deadly ambush orchestrated by rival Transcendents, leading to his untimely execution.In his final moments, a single regret lingered in his mind.“I never got to see the ending of [Bright]...”As if answering his unspoken wish, Number 23 was reborn into the world of Bright—not as its celebrated protagonist or a key figure, but as an insignificant extra. Stripped of his former identity, he now inhabited the role of Amon Solaris, a character barely noticed in the grand tapestry of the story.Undeterred by his diminished status, Amon Solaris is determined to learn what it truly means to be a hero. But in this new world, he’s about to encounter a revelation that will change everything he thought he knew…Four chapters a week. New chapters every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

The journey to the martial peak is a lonely, solitary and long one. In the face of adversity, you must survive and remain unyielding. Only then can you break through and continue on your journey to become the strongest. Sky Tower tests its disciples in the harshest ways to prepare them for this journey. One day the lowly sweeper Kai Yang managed to obtain a black book, setting him on the road to the peak of the martials world.

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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“She is the one who forced me to marry her, she is also the one who pushed away ShuangAi from me, she threatened my family with her family power and all these years, she did everything to subdue me...that evil woman MuTan“