Rise To Stardom - Chapter 123: Where Do You Wanna Start?

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.

Programmer Tao Zhiyue transmigrated into a cannon fodder in a bloody CEO article. He was the first love in the book that caused the protagonist Huo Ran to become disabled and heartbroken. In the end, he was revenged to death by the protagonist’s husband and wife, especially miserable.

Tao Zhiyue ran away without hesitation.

As a dead house, he firmly squatted at home with the computer as a companion, indulging in the wonderful sand sculpture online world, so unhappy.

Just kidding, even if the plot wants him to meet Huo, there is no chance, okay?

When browsing the forum one day, he saw such a delusional phishing post:

[Title] I was pursued by four people of the same sex, but I am a straight man, how should I politely refuse?

Tao Zhiyue, a gay man, replied with a sneer –

Then he inexplicably had met an old-fashioned netizen.

Tao Zhiyue tried to teach the straight male netizen some coquettish manipulations of rejecting other people’s love, and the effect was remarkable, and he successfully strangled the other party’s peach blossoms!

Later, the netizen, who he had an increasingly ambiguous relationship with, invited him to formally meet him, and he went to the appointment with a throbbing heart.

The tall and handsome man stretched out his hand nervously, blushing: Hello, my name is Huo Ran.

Tao Zhiyue:! ! ! ! ! !

A decisive programmer who loves life and never works overtime × Occasionally the pure love of elementary school chicks straight ball rich second generation attack, double first love.

- Description from Novelupdates

Betrayed. Ridiculed. Killed.That was my past life.I trusted the wrong people, and they buried me for it. But fate wasn’t done with me yet. When I opened my eyes again, it wasn’t in my old body—it was in a world overrun by the undead. And this time, I was one of them.A fucking zombie!But I’m not like the others. I think. I feel. I remember.What’s this voice in my head?[Welcome to the Silent Requiem System!]The system feeds me power, unlocking missions and skill buried within this body. I have one goal: rise in rank, take control, and make sure no one ever tramples me again.The humans I move with have no idea what I really am. To them, I’m just another survivor, clawing my way to the top. But in battle, I use my abilities in secret—manipulating the undead, eliminating threats, and turning every fight in my favor.But rumors are spreading. There’s talk of an undead hiding among them, unseen and unstoppable. If they find out the truth, they’ll hunt me down like a monster.And my past? It’s here too. The people who betrayed me in my last life are standing right beside me, unaware of who I am. But I remember them. They turned on me once—I won’t give them the chance to do it again.Then there’s him. The commander of the city, sharp-eyed and ruthless. He’s watching me too closely, asking too many questions. If he figures out the truth, I’ll have to make a choice: eliminate him, outplay him… or pull him into my trap before he can destroy me.Because in this world, power is the only thing that matters. And this time, I refuse to be at the bottom.***“How did you survive when everyone else died?”I guess death just didn’t want me.“Why do the zombies ignore you?”Maybe I just have a face they don’t like.“You were just a nobody yesterday—how are you suddenly so strong?”Hard work, luck… and a little bit of hex.“Why do I feel like I've seen you somewhere before?”Déjà vu’s a funny thing, isn’t it?“What are you?”Wouldn’t you like to know?

They called the Vorrakyns Dragon Riders, but their legacy has crumbled into dust. For centuries, no true Dragon has answered their call.Vacuse Vorrakyn was born into a dying legacy: once-mighty, now feared and cast to the Empire’s edge.A runt. A bastard. Yet he served his family with fierce loyalty, only to be betrayed by the father he once swore to obey. Vacuse died a pawn... a sacrifice to the forbidden magic to call a true Dragon.Discarded like worthless trash.Now, he’s back.Reborn at six, memories of betrayal burning sharp and anger raging in his veins. This time, he’s here to claim what was stolen and everything they denied him.Armed with forbidden knowledge of the Dragon Pathway and the secrets to bond with a legendary beast, Vacuse is determined to rebuild the family legacy—on his own terms.