I woke up as the Villainous Empress - Chapter 321: I will protect myself.

“I suddenly discovered that this world is dangerous today.” Bai Zhi looked grave as he typed out a line of text on his computer.

“When I went out today, I came across some poor guy getting bitten by another person. Luckily, a few brave guys rushed out to bring the criminal to justice, but when the person who was bitten struggled to stand up, he was immediately beaten to the ground by one of those who had supposedly saved him—and then, they called the police! I’ve watched more than enough modern movies to know what happened. The zombie was taken out before the virus could spread.”

“Last time, you told us about a few guys saving humanity from an alien invasion… This time, it’s a zombie outbreak?”

There was an exasperated response from the chat box.

“So how was that dangerous?”

“There are also several girls who are fighting tooth and nail for a piece of me! It’s totally Hell in here, don’t you think it’s dangerous!?”

“???”

Among the gods of the heavens, there was a famous laughing stock known throughout the three realms.Legend has it that eight hundred years ago, there was an ancient country within the Central Plains called Xian Le nation.The ancient nation of Xian Le had vast territory, abundant resources and content citizens. The country had four treasures: delicate beauties aplenty, thriving arts & literature, treasures of gold and jewels and last but not least, their renown Royal Highness the Crown Prince.This person, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince....you could say.... was a strange man.The Emperor and Empress considered him to be the apple of their eyes. They doted on him immensely and would often proudly proclaim: “In the future, my son will surely become a wise monarch, leaving a reputable impression for generations to come .”Yet, in the regards of what came with royalty, of riches, power and honor, the Crown Prince had no interest.What he was interested in, quoting the very words he often said to himself, was——“I want to save the common folks!”The young prince cultivated in earnest. During this time, two short stories became widely circulated. .The first story occurred when he was seventeen years old.That year, the nation of Xian Le held a magnificent Offering to the Gods parade.Although this tradition had already been abandoned for numerous centuries, through surviving ancient texts and verbal stories, one could imagine the grandeur of the event..Offering to the Gods day, Martial God Main Street.Both sides of the Main Street were overflowing with a sea of people. The aristocrats were seated on top of high buildings as they exchanged friendly chatter; while the imperial guards cleared the way with their impressive armours clinking. Young girls danced gracefully as their snow-white hands scattered flower petals like rain, filling the sky as far as the eye could see. It made people question whether the dancing maidens were more beautiful or the flowers themselves. Melodious notes sounded from within golden carriages and floated throughout the whole Imperial City. Behind honorable guards, sixteen white horses with golden bridles walked side-by-side as they pulled forward a magnificent platform.Located on top of the tall, magnificent platform was the focus of everyone’s attention, there stood the martial artist to perform a show to please the Gods.During the festive heavenly parade, the martial artist would adorn a golden mask, don splendid garments and wield a sword in one hand. He would perform the role of the first military deity in a millennium to have subdued demonic beasts——Martial God Heavenly Emperor Jun Wu.Being selected as the martial artist to perform such a show could be considered equivalent as to receiving the utmost honour, and thus the selection criteria was extremely strict. This year, the one who was chosen was none other than His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The entire nation was convinced that he would surely be able to become the most marvellous martial artist to perform such a performance since the beginning of time.However, on that day, something unexpected occurred.During that time, the martial god on the magnificent stage was just about to land a killing blow on a demon.This was the most exciting scene, and thus the people on both sides of the Main Street were fired up with passion. The people on the city walls were also becoming more rowdy as they started outdoing each other in sticking their heads out to see, both struggling and shoving.Right at this moment, a young child fell from the top of the city gate tower.

He died. Not by fate, not by accident, but as collateral in a hunt between beings beyond mortal comprehension.And yet… death was only the beginning.Chosen by a mysterious entity known only as Echo, a sarcastic soul from Earth is offered a chance at a second life. Gifted with ten draws from a divine treasury, he obtains powerful treasures, a rare bloodline, and a mysterious system known as the Limitless System.But what begins as a straightforward reincarnation takes a twisted turn when two dragon inheritances—Thunder and Fire—collide within him.Reborn not as a man, nor as a beast, but as an unknown species—a fusion of human and two True Dragon Inheritences—he awakens in a scorched battlefield beside a dragon egg, unaware that his birth was witnessed by fate itself.After surviving the near-fatal clash of legacies within him, he emerges anew… no longer Zaroth, but Primus Xal’Zaryon Drakonis, a name that shakes the very fabric of mana around him.With his soul, body, and bloodline perfectly harmonized between human and dragon, Primus sets out into an unfamiliar world ruled by ancient clans, dangerous beasts, and kingdoms teetering on the edge of Eternal War.But power always draws attention—and with the secrets of his origin, the Limitless System at his side, and a destiny marked by a Primordial-level Mark of Fate, enemies will rise from shadows unknown.

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.