From Londoner To Lord - Chapter 34:33. Tall Tales

Japan – National News BroadcastThe polished news anchor sat upright, her gaze sharp as she adjusted the stack of papers before her. The newsroom behind her hummed with quiet urgency, the weight of the moment settling over the broadcast.“Authorities are baffled by a sudden and unexplained surge in sleep-related deaths across Japan,” she began, her voice steady yet tense. “More and more citizens are passing away in their sleep without any prior health concerns. Experts are working tirelessly to determine the cause, but no clear explanation has emerged. Authorities urge the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual symptoms before bedtime.”A graphic appeared, displaying the spike in fatalities over the past month. Behind her, unsettling photographs flickered across the screen—blurred images of individuals found in their beds, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.The anchor’s tone shifted. “Health officials recommend citizens avoid excessive fatigue and maintain healthy sleep habits. More updates will follow as investigations continue.”---United States – Paranormal PodcastIn a dimly lit podcast studio, the host leaned forward, his eyes wide with curiosity. Across from him, a rugged man in a worn flannel shirt, gripping a faded photograph in one hand and a beer can in the other, leaned back in his chair.“So, you're telling me you saw this creature firsthand?” the host asked, clearly intrigued.The man scoffed, shaking his head. “Damn right, I did. Ugly thing had wings bigger than my body—slow but sneaky. Thought it could steal my pigs again, but I was ready this time—camera in one hand, shotgun in the other.”He slammed the table for emphasis, then shoved the blurry image toward the host. The photograph depicted a small, red-skinned humanoid figure with large, bat-like wings, its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.“Spit, the thing didn’t know what hit it when I fired!” the man chuckled, his voice full of excitement.The host held up the picture to the live chat. “Alright, what do you think? Mothman? Demon? Or is our friend here just seeing things?”The chat exploded with theories—some skeptical, others eager for the investigation to continue.---China – Liangyuan Street MarketSurveillance footage from a bustling night market in China captured a chilling scene. A woman in a red qipao walked gracefully through the crowd, her figure striking in the soft glow of lanterns.Suddenly, she paused. Her body flickered—like a glitch in a video—before vanishing completely, as though she had never existed.The footage zoomed in, replaying in slow motion. In the final frame before she disappeared, her face distorted unnaturally, her eyes hollow and empty.The screen cut abruptly to black.

Du Jiuyuan lay in a grave of love for three years. Finally, her heart was as dead as ashes, she gave up on finding love and decided to go down a career path of a strong woman. But what was going on with her ex-husband? He used to be someone whom she would only see once every four to five months. Why was he appearing in front of her now and then? When she talked to others about collaboration, he would coax her from behind. “Yuan Yuan, this person is unreliable. Let me invest in her for you, okay?”

When she got into conflict with others, he would support her from behind. “Yuan Yuan, don’t be afraid. Your husband is Ji Jinchen. Don’t worry about her.” Du Jiuyuan was speechless. “…” Please take note that it was her ex-husband who divorced her. One day, when a male colleague sent her home after a meal, she was seen by Ji Jinchen. The man blocked her at the foot of the wall and questioned her in a low voice. “Don’t be with others, otherwise… I will lose my mind.

Later, Du Jiuyuan rose to the top of her career and attracted countless suitors. One such suitor gave her a bouquet of roses and the next day, her office became a sea of flowers. Some suitors gave her desserts that could only be bought after queuing up. The day after that, her office would be flooded with desserts. Some suitors gave her a pet… Du Jiuyuan went crazy. “Ji Jinchen, if you dare to give me a house full of pets, I will fight it out with you!”

Ji Jinchen said, “Jiuyuan, forgive me for being stupid and not seeing your grievances, but you have to believe that from the moment I married you, I never thought of getting a divorce. Du Jiuyuan: I thought that the man I loved for seven years was a stone that couldn’t be covered up, but then I realized what kind of fiery heart was hidden in this stone.”

He, since childhood, had followed the Foreigner to practice the Defying Heaven Art, entering the most secretive special forces and becoming a fearsome assassin that made others tremble at the mere mention of his name. After a single failure, he took early retirement, but he ended up as the personal bodyguard for a rich heiress, a school beauty. Accidentally provoking some mysterious Cultivators, he gradually unveiled a hidden world of Cultivation beyond the mortal realm...

A next-generation virtual online game, a hardcore gamer, a glitch that shouldn’t have existed… By sheer coincidence, Meng Jingtian ended up being the sole player god in a game. Thus, while ordinary players worked themselves to death running missions for NPCs to win their favor, NPCs prostrated before him! While ordinary players almost vomited blood grinding for gear so that they could solo bosses, the king of divine beasts kneeled before him, willing to offer its life and worship him. And while players went to suicidal lengths to trigger random events and lucky encounters, transcendent beings came to find him so that they could offer their precious treasures as tribute.