HALF: Dead nor Alive - Chapter 18

Lu Mingshu had never believed in fate.

She hadn’t believed in it when her father had remarried and caused her family to break into pieces, nor had she believed in it when she’d been thrown into a valley to perish.

She hadn’t believed in it when she didn’t have any resources to cultivate with, nor had she believed in it when she’d been condemned by everyone.

She climbed up little by little from dust, while her reign soared into the sky, which caused the world to look on in fear!

If justice doesn’t come, I’ll personally obtain it.

If fate disregards me, I‘ll open up a way to survive.

No matter what fate throws at me, I will surely become a phoenix!

“What a ruthless woman. I’m willing to risk my life and limbs for you, willing to be calculative for you – I’m even willing to be an enemy of the entire world for you. Aren’t you moved even a little?”

“That’s right, since I‘m such a ruthless woman, what exactly is it that you like about me?”

- Description from Novelupdates

[The citizens of planet #674589 has been given the opportunity to awaken.]With this abrupt message that appeared out of nowhere, the world as everyone knew it had ended.A series of apocalyptic level of natural disaster washed over the Earth, claiming numerous lives in the process.Every lifeform on earth that managed to survive the apocalyptic natural disaster was given immense power.Animals metamorphosed into terrifying beasts and various plants gained self-awareness, while the surviving humans gained powerful supernatural abilities.Leo, a young man finally left the orphanage, a place he'd called home for his entire 16 years of life. With his dreams of finally breaking free and experiencing adult life outside of the orphanage finally coming true, his world was turned upside down after receiving the message with the rest of the world.Freedom was no longer something given, it now had to be earned. This apocalyptic and ruined world was something that could take kill him in an instant.[Requirements met. First Seal Broken.][Innate skill awakened: Regeneration.]

Jaden Cross is a young man trying to survive in the shadows of Neo-Lagos, a futuristic city where the poor live in broken homes and forgotten slums. Orphaned at six and forced to grow up fast, Jaden spends his days fixing scraps and dreaming of a better world—a world he believes he’ll never see.Until one night, everything changes.A mysterious glowing orb appears in the sky and connects with Jaden’s mind, activating the Tech Architect System—a powerful, sci-fi interface that gives him access to futuristic blueprints, instant-building tools, and system quests that reward him for solving real-world problems.His first quest? Restore power to his neighborhood using solar microgrids.Soon, Jaden is building cooling shelters, clean energy systems, and AI-run apartments—one project at a time. But with each success, he draws more attention. The city’s leaders want to control him. A rival from the tech underworld wants to steal the system. And darker forces are watching from the skies, waiting for the Architect to grow.Armed with only his mind, his hands, and the Tech Architect System, Jaden must rise from the ruins of poverty and become the builder of a new future.But in a city full of secrets, will he remain its hero… or become its biggest threat?

In her previous life, her family was destroyed.In this life, she was reborn and decided to save her family, never letting history repeat itself. But with all the men in her family having already sacrificed, how can her family rise again? At this moment, he appeared and said, “Your family belongs to a prosperous lineage, and for a hundred years, there has never been any waste of talent, including among women.”Later on...The eldest sister became an invincible warrior, the second sister a formidable head of the household, and the third sister a wealthy merchant. Her family was rejuvenated.Because he had helped her countless times in her previous life, she secretly returned the favor in this one.On a snowy night, outside the city wall:“You've saved me so many times, do you like me?” he asked.“No, you are mistaken,” she replied.“Then if I've saved you so many times, can you grow to like me?” he asked again.