The Alpha Behind The Mask - PROLOGUE

Lin Wanwan slips a jade bracelet onto her wrist—and steps between two worlds.Side A: neon lights, 5G, instant ramen, MRI machines—an age of abundance where food is fast and friendships sometimes slow.Side B: Tang-dynasty sunshine, cracked earth, locust clouds, emperors who ask villagers to skip meals so soldiers can march. A “golden age” that growls with hunger.Lin has no grand plan—only a wish:let the little bean who waits for her at the gate eat his fill,let the gray-haired elders who calls her “treasure” sleep without fear of famine.Lin Wanwan wants to bring small changes to the world she loves, so the family she cherishes can live a little better, then a little better still—because“I has finally found the place that calls my home.”

Far in the eastern corner of the world lies a city covered in chaos, Aetherpolis. A city that is far more different than any other, a ruin where law and order are mere fantasies. This place isn’t governed by the government nor military powers. This city….. belongs to the gangs.And at the top of the food chain stand those with terrifying strength. The Awakened Users.These are individuals who have unlocked their Drive Core, a latent force within every human that responds not just to strength or talent, but to pain, trauma, and intense emotions. Only by facing these can the Drive Core bloom.Into this brutal world steps Ren Asakura, a quiet teenage swordsman with his Tempest Drive. On a quest to find his lost brother, he joins the well known gang ZEAL, determined to dismantle the corrupt and violent gangs that rule Aetherpolis.But every turf war brings him closer to a chilling realization, the true enemy has yet to reveal themselves, and the battle for the soul of the city is only just beginning.In a world where power is earned through suffering and only the ruthless survive…You either DRIVE forward or you BREAK.

When Paige Sterling exited the entertainment industry, she set a small goal in front of the whole internet: to first earn fifty billion.The entire internet mocked: This woman must be crazy with poverty.Three months later, when everyone online thought Paige Sterling was down and out, she made a strong comeback by leveraging a high-intelligence robot, dominating the internet and achieving a textbook-level comeback.Haters: This must be fake, right? The person I hate can't be that awesome!Until Paige Sterling earned fifty billion after fifty billion, until she created one scientific miracle after another, until the youngest of the business circle's three giants, Mr. Hawthorne, publicly showed their marriage certificate, did the haters realize: Your dad will always be your dad.No one knew that Mr. Hawthorne, who appeared cold and distant in public, was actually a wife-loving maniac who quietly and skillfully showed off his affection.One day, Mr. Hawthorne posted a complaint: My wife has been in the lab for three hours and hasn't kissed me yet. What should I do? Waiting online urgently.Netizens: Get lost! Stop flaunting your love!

After dying from a gunshot, Reo meets the goddess Ophelia who offers him a rare chance. Instead of being reincarnated with no memory of his past, he can come back to a new world with the offer of receiving a legacy as well.Reo gets to choose from six legacy cards, each offering different powers. One card is blank—a risky option with slim chances of getting a good legacy from it. Ignoring the goddess’s warning, Reo picks the blank card and to both their surprise, he gets the SSS Rank Dark Dragon Legacy, a type of legacy so rare that only one human in Ophelia's world has ever had it.Reo is Reborn as Silva, he’s quickly labeled a failure by his noble family because he lacked magical ability at the moment , due to his legacy not yet awakened. His father, embarrassed and harsh, orders his death, but his mother begs for his life, sending him away to be raised by another family in a far-off town.Silva awakens his Dark Dragon Legacy, growing at a rate that was beyond normal, as he tried to understand the task the goddess had in mind for him, while still enjoying his new life.He also made out some time to pay his father back