Samsara Online - Chapter 23 A strange feeling of closeness

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.

At the beginning, he acquired a piece of land worth billions, but Su Ming used it to cultivate crops!Row after row of cucumbers, plant after plant of chili peppers, shoot after shoot of bamboo shoots… …Everyone couldn’t understand: “Having a billion-dollar land and using it for farming? Su Ming, what’s wrong with you?”Yet, Su Ming just smiled mysteriously.Do you really think, naively, that the cucumbers I grow are just ordinary cucumbers?The joy I find in farming is something you can never imagine!

Born and raised in a remote village, Sheila entered the Royal Academy dressed as a man to become the knight of her dreams. However, what awaited her there were only characteristic and beautiful aristocrats. She was able to overcome the prejudice and harassment against commoners, and her natural thickheadedness and good-natured attitude allowed her to gradually gain a place in the school.“What? Only nobles have magical powers? But everyone in our village could use spirit magic.”If the spirit arts that shook the country to its very foundations and her gender were discovered, she’ll be instantly kicked out! Sheila’s tightrope-walking dormitory life began!

Waking up from a hangover, Wang Hao finds himself reborn in an alternate world. To his delight, he realizes that he has a system to help him in this new world. However, his system turns out to be a highly unconventional one. Instead of serving justice and winning the respect of other people, Wang Hao has to do all kinds of bad things in order to make use of the system. So, Wang Hao embarks on the journey to being cursed for good…