The Desolate Era (Web Novel) - Book 25, Chapter 5 - The Underground Hallway

Kai’s life was small—coffee-stained mornings, cracked recipes, and a system in his head that tweaked toasters and dough like it was nothing. Then the sky shattered. Aliens—Skraiths, jagged and brutal—invaded, tearing his city apart with green-glowing weapons and relentless claws. Superhumans rose to fight back, fire and lightning blazing through the chaos, but Kai’s world crumbled with them.Hiding in his apartment, Kai stumbles on blood—human and alien, smeared on his wall after a superhuman battle. His system, once just a tinker’s tool, awakens, offering him a choice: mimic their powers, temporary and wild, through the blood itself. Desperate, he takes it—stealing pyrokinesis, then electrokinesis, then kinetic energy, each power burning through him, fading fast. But it’s not enough. Armed with a humming Skraith weapon and a body tougher from alien blood, Kai joins a ragtag crew of enhanced fighters—Liv, Rylan, Jace, and Tucker—scraping to survive in a warzone where every shadow hides death.As Skraiths swarm and the city burns, Kai’s system pushes him deeper, analyzing, integrating, crafting minor enhancements—durability, strength, sparks of power that could make him a target or a savior. Government factions, rogue scientists, and the aliens themselves start sniffing around, drawn to his strange tech and blood-stolen abilities. By the time Kai crafts his first super-powered enhancement—an artificial strength boost—he’s no longer just a tinkerer. He’s on the edge of something bigger, something dangerous, where blood and sparks could forge a hero—or break him entirely.In a world unraveling, Kai’s fight for survival becomes a desperate race to master his system, outrun the Skraiths, and confront the truth: the power he’s chasing might destroy him—or remake the world.

President Forrest raised Zinnia Lawrence, catering to her every need. Zinnia believed that was love. It took two years of marriage for her to realize she was merely his best-kept pet, while she saw him as her entire world.His first love returned, and Zinnia resolutely asked for a divorce. He scoffed, “Can a cat trained from young leave its master? You can't run.”Zinnia ran away and never looked back, receiving proposals daily on her path to beauty.Jenson Forrest went crazy.“Mrs. Forrest! Be good, look at me once more.” He cornered her, his dark eyes filled with intense affection.She smiled gently, “People and dogs are on different paths. Step aside, don't block my romances.”The man held her waist, eyes reddening at the corners, “For the next 365 days, I've reserved the proposal spot. Zinnia, marry me again!”

Ashen was a man from earth.His job?Nothing he just helped lonely women who didn't get enough love from their Husbands with his huge dragon of love.He didn't left any prey who he had his eyes on, whether it be Mom or daughter, all would be caught in his lustful hands.But after getting in an accident, he is reincarnated into a useless Prince's Body in a cultivation world.[Ding! Welcome Host I am the Villainous System]Ashen: “Villainous System? What is that?”[Ding! This world has innumerable protagonists but only few villains, therefore, to maintain the balance you have been brought into this world and I am here to help you in your journey]A sinister smile hanged on Ashen's lips as he muttered: “Doesn't that mean I can do all that I want”[Ding! No host, you are the useless prince now, You need to become powerful to do that]Ashen's smile retracted for a few second before appearing again: “Oh, I am a Prince? Then shouldn't I have a harem?”

An era where every person in the world can see ghosts.Only I cannot see ghosts.