A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands - Chapter 42Book 1: : Honest City Life

Kai’s life was small—coffee-stained mornings, cracked recipes, and a system in his head that tweaked toasters and dough like it was nothing. Then the sky shattered. Aliens—Skraiths, jagged and brutal—invaded, tearing his city apart with green-glowing weapons and relentless claws. Superhumans rose to fight back, fire and lightning blazing through the chaos, but Kai’s world crumbled with them.Hiding in his apartment, Kai stumbles on blood—human and alien, smeared on his wall after a superhuman battle. His system, once just a tinker’s tool, awakens, offering him a choice: mimic their powers, temporary and wild, through the blood itself. Desperate, he takes it—stealing pyrokinesis, then electrokinesis, then kinetic energy, each power burning through him, fading fast. But it’s not enough. Armed with a humming Skraith weapon and a body tougher from alien blood, Kai joins a ragtag crew of enhanced fighters—Liv, Rylan, Jace, and Tucker—scraping to survive in a warzone where every shadow hides death.As Skraiths swarm and the city burns, Kai’s system pushes him deeper, analyzing, integrating, crafting minor enhancements—durability, strength, sparks of power that could make him a target or a savior. Government factions, rogue scientists, and the aliens themselves start sniffing around, drawn to his strange tech and blood-stolen abilities. By the time Kai crafts his first super-powered enhancement—an artificial strength boost—he’s no longer just a tinkerer. He’s on the edge of something bigger, something dangerous, where blood and sparks could forge a hero—or break him entirely.In a world unraveling, Kai’s fight for survival becomes a desperate race to master his system, outrun the Skraiths, and confront the truth: the power he’s chasing might destroy him—or remake the world.

Shuu is a member of the literary club that can’t write. One day, he gets a mysterious message on his phone from a girl called Eina, and from that impulsive contact, they begin to exchange messages. They talk of things like their shared interest in novels and grow close. However, when they try and meet, they discover a shocking truth. Eina lives… not in the present, but five years in the past! How will their love develop, parted by five years of nights…!?

Liu Man transmigrated from thousands of years ago to the modern world. Before she transmigrated, she was completely broke. After she transmigrated, she was still worried about her wealth. And so, for her to survive, she decided to start earning money by becoming a cyber star: trading and selling products, recording daily activities with her kittens, and showing off bits of her skills. One day she realized, that unconsciously, she had become one of the most famous celebrities.

Bai Yanliang, male, 23 years old, unmarried.Condition improving, good personality shaping, has met the discharge criteria.Today, discharged.