Master Pei's Wife is a Devil Concubine - Chapter 13

The royal bastard of House Vasquer, Argrave, changed after his stay studying magic at the Tower of the Gray Owl.

The sickly man's awkward posture and cruel behavior have been replaced with a neat dignity and acerbic wit.

Though once listless, he now strives towards his goals with a life-or-death tenacity.

Most come away thinking he seems to know too many details about too much. Few can claim to know his motives or his goals.

Yet behind that confident appearance, the primary contributor for an open-world RPG's wiki battles existential dread and things far beyond his ken as he struggles to adapt to a grim, gothic fantasy world mirroring his favorite game.

The prospect of fighting against a world-ending calamity loses all of its appeal when it transitions from entertainment to reality.

Argrave is spurred towards unwanted heroism to preserve his life as he struggles desperately to keep this sinking ship afloat.

Themes: Black Market Trading, Global Crime Networks, Boundaries of Human Nature and Morality, The Struggle Between Truth and SurvivalStory Background:In a modern metropolis, the surface level of prosperity conceals the darkness and corruption lurking beneath. Ethan, a highly skilled detective, spends his life navigating the shadowy corners of the city, uncovering the hidden secrets buried beneath the mundane facade of everyday life. When he is drawn into what initially seems like a simple suicide case, he becomes entangled in a conspiracy involving the global black market, power struggles, and transnational crime.Main Characters:Ethan (Protagonist): A seasoned, calm, and intuitive detective who excels at finding the truth in complex cases. On the surface, he is a quiet, solitary man who prefers to avoid social interaction, but deep down, he is haunted by unresolved cases from his past. Faced with dark forces, he is both determined and full of doubt.Lila (Female Protagonist/Key Ally): Ethan's investigative partner, an intelligent and resourceful intelligence officer with a mysterious background. Her past is also shrouded in secrecy, and she seems to have an undisclosed connection to the “Black Angels” organization. She provides crucial assistance in Ethan's investigation, but her motives remain unclear, casting suspicion on her true intentions.Victor Saville (Antagonist/Main Adversary): A charismatic yet dangerous businessman, who appears to be a successful entrepreneur but is, in fact, one of the central figures of the global crime syndicate “The Black Angels.” Cold-hearted, clever, and ruthless, he controls a global black market network, overseeing arms trafficking, human trafficking, and drug smuggling. He is not only a key figure in Langley's death but also the biggest obstacle in Ethan's investigation.The Mysterious Woman (Key Character): An elusive woman who repeatedly appears during Ethan's investigation, warning him not to delve deeper into Saville and the “Black Angels” organization. Her identity is unclear, but it is evident that she holds vital secrets about Saville and his network. Her appearances leave Ethan bewildered—whether she is an enemy or his only ally remains uncertain.

At the Tristain Magic Academy, her classmates call bumbling witch-in-training Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere “Louise the Zero.” During an important coming-of-age ritual, when each student must summon their own witch’s familiar, Louise confirms her classmates’ opinion by accidentally conjuring up a normal teenage boy from Japan. Whether the two of them like it or not, the laws of magic bind them as master and servant forever! A hilarious novel with romance interwined.

The day a mysterious darkness enshrouded the world. It was theorized that the earth’s magnetic field had been changed, the data that corresponded to it also changed. The previous academic knowledge had been overturned, and numerous things had to be re-explored.

The science that humanity was familiar with had been disrupted, including the genes of human beings. One of the largest disasters brought by the change was that 80% of humanity transformed into zombies. After years of struggling, a few lucky survivors would evolve and awaken a power inside themselves. Chu Han was never that lucky.

While holding on against the first wave, humans weren’t the only ones getting stronger. Soon, stage 1 zombies evolved into stage 2 then 3 and so on. 10 years after the mysterious meltdown, the world of man belonged to the zombies. Humanity was nearing the of the end of the eschatology.

One day, Chu Han consciousness came back ten years before the end of the world came. He was awakened by a loud noise in a dormitory in Minqiu University. With only 1 day to prepare before the meltdown begins, he slowly begins to realised that he had undergone a rebirth. A power was awaking inside of him now despite never appearing in the hellish future. It calls itself the meltdown system.

Despite losing the monstrous strength gained through years of harsh training, this system claims to trade kills for talents. This is a story of a collapsing world, a meltdown system, and Chu Han being on stage as he travels to save those he could not save before.

- Description from Novelupdates