Dark Matter Ascension - Chapter 47: Glaciers, gear, and grand plans

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.

The King Of Assassins was a monster that reigned over the world of hitmen for long years. He was the absolute peak that no other being could reach. His name reached the ears of every powerhouse in the world and sent shivers through every human.

Yet, his legend came to an end suddenly when he died in unknown circumstances.

However, instead of disappearing forever, he was given another chance in another world by the goddess of reincarnation. It was the world of an old book that he read back in the time. A world where everything was possible, where humans could reach new heights that were impossible in his old life.

But, this place didn't seem to be normal as it carried a huge surprise that will make his journey seem all the more interesting.

The Goddess of reincarnation wasn't as holy as anyone would think. She was nothing but a twisted being who found a toy to play with. The goddess manipulated the world that he was going to and changed all the heroines into these twisted beings that fit her character. They were all now harboring this unhealthy obsession toward him and trying with all their powers to take him away for themselves.

Yun Muxi was a young scriptwriter in the 21st century who once time-traveled back into the olden days of China.

There, she met and fell in love with the Emperor, Duanmu Gongyu. After a torturous heartbreak, the duo separated and never saw each other again.

When Yun Muxi returned to the modern world, she ended up working with a rising actor, Gong Yu, who happened to be the same man she once loved with her whole heart. As soon as he set his eyes on her, the feelings of yesterday came back and he was determined to make her his again.

As Gong Yu tried to woo Yun Muxi repeatedly, she realized that she found it hard to resist his charms. However, the duo was trapped in a series of events that made falling in love impossible.

The modern-day Yun Muxi now has a daughter while the father of the child remained unknown. Gong Yu, on the other hand, had developed a history of heart attack.

On top of that, their story unraveled with shocking truths at every turn. The star-crossed lovers were faced with steep challenges that constituted the endless list and many sacrifices had to be made.

Would they eventually be given the chance to love freely?

- Description from Novelupdates

He Miao transmigrated into a book, becoming the ugly, foolish female supporting character who behaved crudely, no thanks to being raised in a village. She kept hovering around the male lead and eventually provoked the female lead, who had a System, and was cheated into losing her company shares. Her own father married her off to a violent, abusive husband, and she ended her life as cannon fodder due to one of his violent fits. To avoid that tragic end, He Miao made two choices. The first was to escape the He family as soon as possible, while the second was…

Asking the male lead out for a meeting, she told him, “I don’t love you anymore. Let’s annul our engagement.” Jing Yan, who was still racking his brains on how he could get away from her annoying presence, exclaimed, “Are you serious?”Seeing that he was distrustful, He Miao took out the engagement gifts and stuffed them into his hands, ignoring his scornful reaction as she turned to leave. The annulled engagement meant half of her previous tragic fate was avoided, which improved her mood considerably. Hugging the little dog she adopted, she peppered it with kisses in her cheerful spirit, ignoring the fact that it stiffened in her arms…

Still, it started to act weird recently as it would run circles around her in the morning while throwing a fuss at night and trying to run outside, even succeeding a few times. He Miao consulted many veterinarians and experts on the matter, but she did not know that the dog’s rebellious attitude was because Jing Yan’s soul had transmigrated into it! Everyone knows that Jing Yan’s fiancee is an ugly, stupid, annoying village bumpkin who bugged him every day.

But she was at least tactful enough to annul their engagement. And yet, the same Jing Yan who had always acted high and mighty knelt in front of a fairy-like girl to help her put on her shoes as he asked unhappily, “It’s already been so long… Can we get engaged again already?”Everyone stared blankly, dumbstruck. Wasn’t his fiancee supposed to be ugly and stupid? She’s clearly enchantingly beautiful! Who spread those rumors in the first place?!