Merged Soul: Reincarnated in a Dark World - Chapter 24: Visual torture

“Block him.”“He's technically still my boss.”“Then block him with dignity.”The call ended again.And then started again.I let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob, then finally answered with the enthusiasm of a snail crawling through salt.“Yes, Mr. Walton?”“Have you changed your mind yet?”I collapsed onto the towel and gazed at the sky as though it might consume me entirely if I pleaded sweetly enough.“Do you ever take a break?” I asked, shielding my eyes with one hand.“You're avoiding the question.”“Because it's a dumb question.”He exhaled, the sound sharp and irritated even over phone. “It's not a dumb question. It's a business offer.”“It's a weird offer-one that I already said no to.”There was a brief pause, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw through the speaker.“You are acting unreasonably.”“ Unreasonable?” I sat up. “I'm not the one drafting fake girlfriend contracts like it's a normal Tuesday.”“Isabella-”“Certainly not, Mr. Walton.” I mimicked his tone perfectly. “I told you I'm not doing it. You need to find someone else to play pretend with.”SYNOPSISIsabella Miller thought saying no to her boss’s fake dating offer was the end of the story.But Adrien Walton doesn’t take no—especially not when he’s convinced she’s a gold digger.Suddenly, her student loans are piling up, her father’s vet clinic is on the brink of eviction and her brother is about to be kicked out of college. Coincidence? She thinks not.Adrien Walton is calm, calculating—and he's just pulled every string to corner Isabella into the perfect position.Now she’s stuck choosing between pride and survival.So she agrees to his offer: be his fake girlfriend.No feelings attached. No drama. Just business.Or so she thought.“Conference Room B. Fifteen minutes,” he said, passing by without a glance.The folder he pushed across the table landed with a thud.I opened it. The contract. All of it.---Enemies to lovers? Check.Slow burn? Hmmnyea.Banter so sharp it might file your nails? Yes.Delicious workplace tension? Of course.Tension that could melt steel?Absolutely.Smut?? Wanna find out?Welcome to corporate romance warfare. There’s no escaping this contract.

Time had run out. Azrael hadn't been chosen by the system, leaving him Forsaken with no hope for a prosperous life.But he wasn’t going to let it end like this. Even if it meant trading his life for a single chance, he would take it. It was either a life of greatness, one where he would reach the very top… or a short one, dying here, unmourned and forgotten by a cursed world that never cared he existed.“An early end in pursuit of greatness sounds better than a slightly longer one filled with stagnation and regret.”In the end, all the things he had done hadn’t been for naught. The sacrifices up until now had been worth it.[Inborn Trait activated][System devoured][Inborn Trait is fusing with the system][Devouring System has been granted]To his surprise, however, his system proved to be far more extraordinary than the others, granting him a unique path that only he could follow.With that realization, one thing became certain: no matter what monster or human stood in his way, he would reach the very top of the hierarchy, regardless of the cost.

[You Have Been Chosen.]When the apocalypse started, everything fell apart. I lost my job before they pushed me out into the street. Facing the undead, I became desperate and ran like a coward.Until I heard a voice...At first I couldn't believe the voice, thinking I might be insane and finally lost it... But as I was about to die, I saw a strange game-like panel appear in real life![The Throne System has activated.]This strange system let me gain points by killing zombies and the ability to recruit people as subjects who wouldn't betray me like my previous co-workers.My first subject?Mu Qinglan.The ruthless Ice Queen CEO I once called “Boss.”Cold, untouchable... and now infected.As her bloodthirsty jaws closed around my neck, I barely saved her with the system’s makeshift cure.[Recruitment Available.][Subject: Mu Qinglan (S-Tier)][Press to Confirm.]A glowing button floated before me.I hesitated.Then, slowly, I reached out.[Recruitment Complete.]▼ Mu Qinglan's attributes are now visible.+ 100 Experience.+ Leadership: Level 1+ Random Skill from Mu Qinglan[Rank Up!]▼ Rank: Loser → Partner+ Attributes Increased | Subject Cap: 2Every subject I command strengthens me.Every kill feeds my dominion.In this world of death and chaos...I will build an empire of S-Tier Beauties and ascend as the Apocalypse King.

While reading a novel, Fu Erdie thought more than once that if she arrived in an apocalyptic world, she could only wait for death.

The cars could not be driven, roads could not be recognized, they could not even cook food.

There was also physical strength involved…there was no need for her to encounter a zombie because with just a sudden drop of temperature, she could get a cold and fever and die from it.

As a useless person of the new century, she sincerely hoped that the whole world would be prosperous and free of disease and calamity. At the same time, she could just draw at home and earn living expenses while muddling through.

As a result, God played a joke on her.

After a shower of rain, the world changed. There were zombies and dead plants everywhere.

She looked down from a window on the 10th floor and saw the crowd panicking. The cars rammed and blocked the road, and the small noodle shop she often went to was now stained with blood… Everything pulled back Fu Erdie from her fantasy.

The world had truly changed.

Fu Erdie decided to go out to find her relatives, and she would bet on whether she would become a zombie or an alien. She gathered her courage and opened the door, then stepped back and closed it. The zombie neighbors in the corridor were horrible! It is impossible to fight zombies, you can only wait to die in a wretched manner. And any chance, there was a lot of stored food at home that she could eat for a month.

But her ending was probably one of the two choices she had in her mind, to die now or die in a month. And she chose to lay down and continue her everyday normal life. She would just wait to meet the upcoming water and electricity cuts.

On the first day, everything was the same. The next day, everything was the same. The next day after, everything was still the same. The next…

A month later, it was time to pay the utility bill. The internet got disconnected and she did not pay the bill. The rest of the building was pitch black.

But her room was still bright.

The flush toilet could be used as usual. The natural gas could be used for her luxurious bathing. The small kumquats, small peppers, and shallots planted and grown on the balcony even thrived at a rate that did not conform to the laws of nature.

Fu Erdie suddenly found out that she had not mutated, but her own house had mutated?!

- Description from Novelupdates