The Rise of Phoenixes - Chapter 38

Themes: Black Market Trading, Global Crime Networks, Boundaries of Human Nature and Morality, The Struggle Between Truth and SurvivalStory Background:In a modern metropolis, the surface level of prosperity conceals the darkness and corruption lurking beneath. Ethan, a highly skilled detective, spends his life navigating the shadowy corners of the city, uncovering the hidden secrets buried beneath the mundane facade of everyday life. When he is drawn into what initially seems like a simple suicide case, he becomes entangled in a conspiracy involving the global black market, power struggles, and transnational crime.Main Characters:Ethan (Protagonist): A seasoned, calm, and intuitive detective who excels at finding the truth in complex cases. On the surface, he is a quiet, solitary man who prefers to avoid social interaction, but deep down, he is haunted by unresolved cases from his past. Faced with dark forces, he is both determined and full of doubt.Lila (Female Protagonist/Key Ally): Ethan's investigative partner, an intelligent and resourceful intelligence officer with a mysterious background. Her past is also shrouded in secrecy, and she seems to have an undisclosed connection to the “Black Angels” organization. She provides crucial assistance in Ethan's investigation, but her motives remain unclear, casting suspicion on her true intentions.Victor Saville (Antagonist/Main Adversary): A charismatic yet dangerous businessman, who appears to be a successful entrepreneur but is, in fact, one of the central figures of the global crime syndicate “The Black Angels.” Cold-hearted, clever, and ruthless, he controls a global black market network, overseeing arms trafficking, human trafficking, and drug smuggling. He is not only a key figure in Langley's death but also the biggest obstacle in Ethan's investigation.The Mysterious Woman (Key Character): An elusive woman who repeatedly appears during Ethan's investigation, warning him not to delve deeper into Saville and the “Black Angels” organization. Her identity is unclear, but it is evident that she holds vital secrets about Saville and his network. Her appearances leave Ethan bewildered—whether she is an enemy or his only ally remains uncertain.

Qiao Nian lived in the Qiao family’s house for 18 years before her biological parents found her. Suddenly, all the wealthy families in the city knew that the Qiao family had a fake daughter!A true daughter of an affluent family would be talented, gentle, and kind.A fake daughter would not be able to pick up any skills and accomplish nothing.Everyone wanted to see how miserable she would become when she went back to her ravine after being kicked out of a rich family!Qiao Nian also thought that her biological parents were poor teachers from Luohe County.Who knew that her brother drove a Phaeton that was worth three hundred thousand yuan!Her biological father was also a professor who taught at Tsinghua University!The big boss of the family of scums became a bootlicker and bowed in front of her grandpa…Qiao Nian was dumbfounded.Erm… this wasn’t the same as saying yes!After being freed from the family of scums, Qiao Nian was able to be herself.She was the top student in the college entrance examination, a live broadcast star and the heir of an invaluable cultural heritage… Her identities were revealed and when she started to appear on the hot searches in the city, the family of scums turned green.The anti-fans mocked: What’s the point of trying to fake an image? Aren’t you just sticking to my brother everyday?Qiao Nian responded: I’m sorry but I already have a match.Top Brother: @Qiao Nian. Let me introduce her to everyone. This is my sister.Wealthy Grandpa: My dear granddaughter, why are you working so hard? If you want a bicycle, grandpa will buy it for you!The rich and powerful in Beijing spread a rumor that Master Wang was hiding a wife in his luxurious house. No matter how much people tried to persuade him, he never took her out to meet anyone. If he were asked, he would say the same sentence. “My wife is from the countryside and she is shy.”That was until one day when someone saw the noble and cold Master Wang holding a girl’s slender waist while hiding in a corner of a wall and muttering with red eyes. “Baby, when will you give me a title?”[Fake daughter who is from a truly wealthy family] + [Two big bosses]

He Yuan had accidentally caused his own death. He had no idea he was even dead until he suddenly woke up on the hard floor of an empty room.

As he tried to get his bearings right, a strange guy suddenly popped out of thin air and he was offered a job.

The job offer granted him eternal life with the alternative being reincarnation. Most would hastily choose to be reincarnated so they can start a new life but not He Yuan.

He was skeptical, why would anyone want reincarnation? Once you reincarnated 'you' cease to exist. He didn't care about what people said about starting afresh, gaining new memories and all that.

All he knew was that once a person reincarnated, they get thrown into a different environment, different family, meet new people and in short became a different person entirely.

What scared He Yuan the most was losing his own thoughts and hence, awareness of his current self and so, he chose to accept the job.

What did the job entail? He carried out tasks given to him by people who were called 'leasers.' They were called this because they leased out their bodies to 'taskers' for a period of time to help set their crooked lives straight.

What the leasers didn't know was that the taskers got into realms and helped them so they( taskers) could focus on their own main tasks which was world/realm balance.

These realms had 'special ones' who siphoned the luck out of it. Luck was the binding force of these realms so without it, the realms would begin to break apart and deteriorate into unlivable hells.

So in essence, leasers gave put their bodies and 'payment' in the form of soul energy, taskers helped out the leasers while balancing the realms and the realms become stable once more.

Pretty straightforward right? Yes.

But can someone tell He Yuan why these world was so full of hypocrites, Mary sue and Gary stu characters who thought it was excusable to do horrible things just because they were in love?

He Yuan grit his teeth. If you want to be in love, then be in love, was there any need to use others as stepping stones?!

He rolled up his sleeves and bounced forward. Just you wait as I teach you all a valuable lesson!

Battle Emperor Fu Sheng is the most popular player in the game, The New Age. Everyone believes that only he will become the champion in the final battle! His real name—Lin Jie. The reason for his participation in the battle is to win the Capsule of Revitalization for his injured mother and sister. With the Broken Blade, a Heritage weapon, in hand, he finally makes it to the final battle! Only then does he realize that his best friend had betrayed him! After his devastating defeat, Lin Jie is shocked to realize that he had time-travelled all the way back to a few years ago when the beta version of The New Age was just about to launch!