Chapter 1: The "Daughter" in the Comments Section and an Unexpected Incident
On Friday night, the city lights flickered, and the office building lights went out one by one. Shang Jiuya rubbed her aching neck, saved and archived the last report, and finally shut down her computer.
It was another month-end with her working late into the night. As an accountant, she was used to the rhythm of closing the books at the beginning of the month: piles of vouchers, long queues of expense reports, and the numbers in the system never seemed to balance. All day long, she was dealing with Excel spreadsheets, the tax filing platform, and colleagues from various departments pressing for reimbursements. The keyboard clattered incessantly, the calculator got hot from being pressed, and she only managed to finish the backlog of work when it was completely dark outside.
She dragged her stiff body out of the company. The early autumn evening breeze was chilly, penetrating her thin business suit, and she subconsciously hugged her arms tighter.
The subway car was packed with equally weary-looking people heading home. Shang Jiuya leaned against the corner by the door, soothing music playing in her headphones, but it couldn't wash away her exhaustion.
Two years into her job, working from 9 am to 9 pm. The white-collar life she dreamed of in college has long since degenerated into countless days of battling numbers. Her routine has been simplified to three lines: commuting to the subway, her office cubicle, and her rented small apartment. Even her breathing carries the scent of performance metrics.
Back in her apartment, she kicked off her high heels and tossed her chain bag onto the sofa. She sank into the slightly sagging fabric sofa, as if all her strength had been drained away.
"Finally... it's the weekend." She let out a long sigh.
Hunger was burning in her stomach, but she was too lazy to cook or order takeout. In the end, she just took out the remaining half bag of toast and the last dragon fruit from the refrigerator and hastily finished her dinner.
She reached for her phone and habitually tapped the colorful icon of her novel app—one of her few escape windows. "The Glory of the Underworld"—the only female-oriented revenge novel she'd been obsessed with lately—tells the story of Rong Jiang, who, after death, enters the underworld, refuses reincarnation, and struggles to climb to the top in the dog-eat-dog world of the dead.
She clicked into her favorites and immediately wailed, "Why hasn't it been updated yet!" The main story was already finished, but the promised side stories were nowhere to be seen. The latest chapter only contained the announcement, "I have some things to take care of in the real world recently. Those who like it can wait a little longer."
A sense of loss gnawed at Shang Jiuya's heart like a kitten scratching at it. Although there were no extra chapters, she could still reread the main story. Anyway, tomorrow was Saturday, so she didn't have to get up early.
"Let's watch it again from the beginning, my dear Rong Jiang..." she murmured, adjusting her posture as her fingertips slid across the screen.
She swiftly sank into that gloomy, blood-red, and eerie underworld. The story begins with Rong Jiang arriving in the underworld, where she refuses to reincarnate and is pursued by ghost messengers, forced to the banks of the River of Oblivion.
"The River of Oblivion is as dark as ink, churning with countless eddies. Phosphorescent lights float on its surface, the lingering glow of vengeful spirits who will never be reborn. Rong Jiang stands on the steep riverbank, behind her are the grinning ghostly guards, and before her lies the silent river that devours countless souls."
Shang Jiuya's heart tightened slightly. Even knowing what would happen next, she couldn't help but hold her breath.
"Jump down! Or come back with us and be cast into the animal realm!" the ghost leader's voice was shrill.
Rong Jiang glanced back, fear flashing in her eyes, but even more so, a resentment born of being driven to the brink. Her life had already been filled with misery; did she not even have the right to choose after death? Her revenge was yet to be exacted; how could she possibly be reincarnated?!
no way!
Without further hesitation, she leaped!
“Ugh…” Shang Jiuya held her breath.
"The icy river water enveloped her, a chill that pierced her very soul. The moment Rong Jiang's soul touched the water, it turned bluish-purple and she lost consciousness."
But that's not the worst part.
Almost instantly upon falling into the water, the stagnant river suddenly boiled, and countless dark shadows swarmed in from the riverbed and from all directions. They had no complete form, only swirling wisps of black mist, occasionally coalescing into grotesque human faces or extending withered, hooked claws.
Shang Jiuya unconsciously tightened her grip on her phone.
"Rong Jiang let out a shrill scream. A remnant soul bit her arm and tore off a fragment of its soul body. There was no blood, only black energy emanating from the wound—that was the origin of her soul, the foundation of her existence."
More remnant souls swarmed forward, thirsting for millennia, frantically devouring her flesh and blood, consuming her soul power. She struggled in the river, trying to drive away the evil spirits, but they were too many. Her resistance was weak, her vision blurred, and all she could hear were the greedy hissing and chewing sounds, and her own increasingly feeble groans of pain.
"Waaaaah, my daughter...it's so tragic..." Shang Jiuya's nose stung with tears. Even though she knew Rong Jiang would benefit from the misfortune, she still felt an overwhelming pang of heartache. That kind of lonely and desperate pain, at certain moments, even resonated with her own state of mind.
A powerful surge of empathy and a "mommy fan" mentality instantly erupted within her. She opened the comments section and passionately left a message:
"My daughter Rong Jiang! Mommy loves you! Waaaaah, why did that damned ghost messenger force my daughter to jump into the River of Oblivion again? It's full of the remnants of vengeful ghosts! My darling, rise up quickly! Show them what's what! Charge! Charge! Charge! I'll give you a reward to buy resources! (Although the main story is finished, the side stories need to be added too!)"
After giving the tip, she browsed the other comments. Some people were analyzing the characters, some were urging for more updates, and some were forming a "fan club." She smiled and liked the post, feeling as if the fatigue of the week had been somewhat healed.
It was late at night, and her throat was so dry it hurt. She then realized she hadn't even had a drink of water after work, so she lazily got up to go to the kitchen to get some.
The apartment was small, and the kitchen was just a makeshift counter in the corner. A phone was plugged into a power strip not far from the sink to charge, the data cable almost reaching the faucet.
She filled the glass with water, tilted her head back, and gulped it down. The coolness slightly relieved her fatigue. As she turned around, her elbow accidentally bumped into the glass.
"Ouch!" Half a glass of water was precisely spilled onto the charging phone plug, data cable interface, and the power strip below.
A slight crackling sound suddenly rang out, and a burst of blinding blue sparks erupted from the power strip. A strong current surged along the data cable to the phone, causing the screen to emit an abnormal white light, with fine blue arcs dancing on its surface.
"Ah!" Shang Jiuya was quite frightened and subconsciously reached out to unplug the power cord.
But it was too late.
A strong numbing sensation came from the metal casing of the phone, quickly spreading along the nerves in my arm throughout my body. My heart stopped, and I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't see any part of the apartment building, only the eerie blue light bursting forth, and a sharp buzzing in my ears. It felt like being thrown into a high-speed centrifuge, or stuffed into a flickering time tunnel; dizziness and weightlessness overwhelmed every vestige of consciousness.
The last lingering regrets flashed by in a bizarre and fantastical way:
"Oh no... my little Fifteen..." This is a brand new phone!
"Rong Jiang... Extra story..."
Finally, endless darkness swallowed everything, and all senses were annihilated.
The apartment returned to silence.
Only the puddle of water on the floor faintly reflected the neon lights that never sleep outside the window.
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