The Redwood Saga - Chapter 26 - 22: Rise With The Storm

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.

Kiro is a slave branded with a deadly collar, forced to work in brutal mines under the ruthless Kargal Empire. Each year, slaves are hunted for sport in the deadly Hunting Games—a fight to the death on a savage alien moon. This year, Kiro is chosen to play. Sent into a wilderness filled with monsters and traps, survival seems impossible. But something ancient watches from the shadows—and it has plans for him.

Lee Junghoo died in a car accident. He braved each and every hardships in Jaiden’s body in hopes that he would survive once he cleared the game of the gods but just when the Empire’s strongest family was about to fall and killed by the monsters…

Based on these words, it seemed like he still had another chance.

1 Stop the destruction of the continent.

2 Survive until the age of 35.

He was given these two main quests. He had tried to finish the first one during the beta test. However, he realized that there was no solution to this problem. So this time, he was going to pick the second.

And the first step for him to achieve this was to leave this crazy family of his.

“Maybe the answer is running away from home?”

# SCANDALOUS GIRLFRIENDZhou Yun was just a newly debuted actress, but because she happened to stay in the same hotel as the top male celebrity, Song Chi, she became “Song Chi's underground girlfriend” that the entire nation had their eyes on. She was now trending on the internet.“She's taking advantage of my big brother's popularity!”“My big brother would never fall for a woman like her!”“Zhou Yun, you should get out of showbiz!”…There were curses all around. Facing such an undeserving calamity, Zhou Yun had a hard time saying anything.At this moment, a stranger suddenly sent her a friend request.He asked, “I heard that you're my girlfriend?”“Who are you?” Zhou Yun asked.He replied, “Song Chi.”