Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 366: Ch : No Escape

In the neon of blue and purple, under the thick steel sky, at the forefront of this surge of data, lies the world post-tech revolution.It’s also the dividing line between reality and illusion.Steel and flesh, past and future.In this place, the world outside and inside coexist. Everything in front of us feels like a wall of time within reach.The darkness is slowly creeping in.But hey, my friend, you gotta know, we can’t just counter darkness with softness.Gotta use fire.

One day, the stuntman found that acquaintances and unfamiliar people were looking for him through various channels. Even someone from a certain department of the country came—

Team Leader of an abilities group: Comrade Jian Hua, on behalf of the nation, I want to tell you about a newly discovered world secret.

Protagonist: What?

Team Leader of an abilities group: In fact, our world is a book.

Protagonist: WTF?

Team Leader of an abilities group: And you will be the last villain of the seven volume novel series.

Protagonist: …

See title for the protagonist’s mood.

Book Character A: You and I are good childhood friends. Shouldn’t I be the white moonlight in your heart?

Protagonist: …

Book Character B: I treated you kindly, so shouldn’t you trust me completely?

Protagonist: …

Book Character C: I’m so considerate while busy. As good friends, shouldn’t we be rolling around on first base?

Protagonist: …

See title for the protagonist’s mood.

- Description from Novelupdates

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.

“Shameless Xia Ping, not only did you steal my martial arts manual and medicinal pills, you even took my fiancée! We’re not finished!”

“He’s the embarrassment of the Martial Way and a parasite of the human race. A complete scumbag.”

“There’s nothing that he won’t do. Not only would he not help an old person cross the road, he would even steal the lollipop of a three year old.”

“He causes problems everywhere. All of the geniuses of those big families have been beaten up by him before. Now, he’s no longer tolerated by either humans or gods!”

Countless martial arts experts of Yanhuang Star hated Xia Ping down to the very bone. They were just itching to completely crush him into pieces.

As for Xia Ping? Facing the hatred of so many people, he just calmly pulled up the interface of the “Grand Hatred System” and looked at all the wonderful things there. He rubbed his chin, “I’ve already saved up so many Hatred Points. What should I exchange for now? Saint-grade medicinal pills? Or perhaps that Primordial Pill? The peerless martial art skill, Tathagata Palm also seems pretty good too. But then there’s that divine weapon, the Cosmic Cauldron. It really is too difficult to choose!”

- Description from novelupdates