Swallowed Star - Chapter 1352 - Nine Smoke Marsh

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.

Transported to a rural family in 1973, where eating required food stamps, dressing needed cloth tickets, stepping out asked for a letter of introduction, doing business was considered speculative profiteering, and securing a job demanded an urban household registration. She, a young girl from the countryside, faced an indifferent mother, a troublesome younger brother, and an elder sister who often had poor ideas. Life had become insufferable.Memories from her past life are mostly forgotten, yet the myriad of objects in her magical storage ring baffles her greatly.

WARN:

SLIGHT ROMANCE!! NO HAREM!! FAMILY GENRE!!

Filled with political intrigue, warfare, adventure, friendship, and betrayal.

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Synopsis:

I transmigrated into a novel that I read years ago as the second Prince of the Chrono Empire and was fated to be killed by my half-brother, the First Prince at the age of 12.

So, What's my role in this novel?

Am I the villain?

Am I an insignificant extra?

Am I the protagonist? Nah, definitely not.

But, why bother?

Following the novel's plot isn't my style and I won't let it dictates my life.

Regardless of my role, I am the main character of my own life.

Deemed hopeless by her family and that she was better off married when her fourth novel continued to be a flop, aspiring author Xiang Wan begins to doubt herself. While feeling conflicted about continuing her dream as an author, things take an unexpected turn when a dazzling guy appears before her and takes her to the police station.