Standing Next To You - Chapter 544: Under the Street Lamp

In a world where strength reigns supreme and only the strong are revered, conflict and injuries are commonplace.

Modern-day corporate worker Chi Yuan opens her eyes to find herself transported to the fictional Primal Age.She inherits a mess left by her original father's past actions, filled with hatred.In front of her are five Beast Husbands, forcibly bonded by a wandering beast father, who are on the verge of turning dark for revenge.Facing these Beast Husbands, who are ready to tear her apart, Chi Yuan only feels a chill on her neck.Well, as long as her mindset is good, everywhere is Bali.Planning her escape through the night, she first takes a gentle approach to soothe the five Beast Husbands who are about to darken.Then, she seeks out the beast father with unrivaled combat abilities, hoping to sever ties with the blood of the antagonists!With her powerful golden finger, Chi Yuan walks into the comfort zone she's always dreamed of.Yet, the five Beast Husband big shots surround her, looking at her as if she were a heartless betrayer.Chi Yuan is dumbfounded...Paranoid and gloomy White Snake: “Just because I was kind to that little Ba Snake, you're jealous and want to break the bond, right?”Stunningly beautiful Merfolk: “I'll do anything for you, as long as you don't break the bond.”Commanding Lion: “You've boarded my pirate ship, you can't get off.”Sharp-tongued Celestial Crane: “So, sister has found better Beast Husbands than us?”Possessive, damp Fox: “You can only be mine, otherwise...”Chi Yuan: Weren't they supposed to hate her and want her dead? How did they end up in a competitive battleground for her affection?

I wrote a book once.It was an unhinged fantasy born from my high-school brain, driven by loneliness and too many hormones.It was a world of beastmen, wild freedom, and the kind of romantic attention I could never get in real life. I poured every impossible desire into it: adventure, danger, and yes… a 'lot' of handsome partners.Before I knew it, I had a thousand chapters of pure escapism and pure thrill.Then on a college camping trip, I fell off a cliff.I expected to wake up in a hospital room but nope. I woke up on a soft field of grass, with air too fresh to belong anywhere on Earth.And then something moved behind me.Sticking out of my tailbone was... A tail.My tail?Yellow and black stripes and very, very real.I touched it. Completely real.My ears? Also gone—well, moved. They were now perched on top of my head like a confused jungle cat. And the outfit? Quite revealing, made of animal hide which matched my tail.What was going on?At first, I thought it was a prank. Or a dream. Or maybe karma is finally cashing in. But the more foreign memories evaded my mind, the clearer my situation became.This wasn't cosplay and it wasn't Earth, either.And—surprise—it wasn't even the world from my own book. Welp.I had been transported into a completely different Beastman world as a beast girl called Arinya.Sounds fun, right?Well… it would be, if I weren't apparently the ugliest duckling in the entire freaking savannah! Rejected by every potential mate I stumbled across and sneered at like a freaking eyesore.This was not how I planned my fantasy to come to reality.Trust me—if this is my fantasy come true, then someone needs to fire the author.But then again, after entering this world, I'm suddenly... Attractive.I mean, there's no change to my face and the freckles are still there, but for some reason, handsome beastmen begin to flock around me, because I smell... Pleasant.What's that all about?

Far in the eastern corner of the world lies a city covered in chaos, Aetherpolis. A city that is far more different than any other, a ruin where law and order are mere fantasies. This place isn’t governed by the government nor military powers. This city….. belongs to the gangs.And at the top of the food chain stand those with terrifying strength. The Awakened Users.These are individuals who have unlocked their Drive Core, a latent force within every human that responds not just to strength or talent, but to pain, trauma, and intense emotions. Only by facing these can the Drive Core bloom.Into this brutal world steps Ren Asakura, a quiet teenage swordsman with his Tempest Drive. On a quest to find his lost brother, he joins the well known gang ZEAL, determined to dismantle the corrupt and violent gangs that rule Aetherpolis.But every turf war brings him closer to a chilling realization, the true enemy has yet to reveal themselves, and the battle for the soul of the city is only just beginning.In a world where power is earned through suffering and only the ruthless survive…You either DRIVE forward or you BREAK.