Chapter 1: A Ruthless Man Stands Tall – Kill First, Talk Later
[System initializing… Matching with host…]. [Matching successful. Host detected as an ‘ordinary citizen’. An extra newbie gift pack is provided!]. [Friendly reminder: The current world is not the original world familiar to the host, but a parallel dimension experiencing the resurgence of terror!]. [Matching complete. Synchronization with host reached 100%!]. [Ding! System activated. The host can spend points to draw prizes, with rewards generated randomly. Good luck, host!].
The voice in his mind made Zhang Chen fully realize one thing. He had transmigrated.
“What the hell…” Zhang Chen was momentarily unsure whether he should be excited. Or if he should just curse out loud.
He glanced at the butler standing respectfully in front of him. Zhang Chen twitched his lips but held back the urge to swear.
“Who did you just mention?”
The butler replied, “Young Master, the person Miss Lin is looking for is named Ye Fan.”
“Ye Fan? Ye as in tree leaf? Fan as in mortal?” Zhang Chen pressed further, though he already knew the answer.
As expected, the butler confirmed it.
“Ye Fan, Lin Xi…”
The butler had no idea that the Zhang Chen standing before him was no longer the one he once knew. The legitimate heir of the Zhang family in Jiangdong.
The butler handed Zhang Chen a tablet. “Young Master, this contains all the information on Ye Fan.”
Taking the tablet, Zhang Chen saw a comprehensive dossier on Ye Fan. Photos, videos—everything was there, leaving no gaps.
“He’s quite good-looking, huh?” Zhang Chen muttered.
The butler immediately responded, “But still no match for you, Young Master.”
This wasn’t flattery. Zhang Chen had just seen himself in the mirror.
Handsome!
Dashing!
When it came to looks, presence, and physique, Ye Fan was indeed outstanding. But compared to him, there was still a gap.
The only difference was that Ye Fan had a sunny, radiant appearance. Whereas Zhang Chen in the mirror looked… A bit sinister?
“Damn, can I just say—no wonder I’m the villain?” Zhang Chen muttered internally.
“Young Master, shall I have this boy dealt with directly?”
Seeing Zhang Chen remain silent, the butler quickly made a well-meaning suggestion.
He sneered. “Even if he’s just a fake boyfriend Miss Lin found to anger you, Young Master, the fact that he dares to be involved with your fiancée is a death wish!”
As the saying goes, ‘Like master, like servant’. The words rang true.
Zhang Chen was momentarily taken aback. The butler’s thinking was a bit ruthless. But undeniably, it was aligned with his interests.
“For now, don’t take action. This guy is tricky.”
Zhang Chen’s words confused the butler. “Tricky?”
“Just keep an eye on him, but don’t act rashly.”
After giving his instructions, Zhang Chen dismissed the butler. He needed to sort out his thoughts alone.
Not long ago, He had just been an ordinary university student, worried about his thesis and job hunting.
Then in the next second, He transmigrated. Without any warning.
Of course, his new identity was incredible! The legitimate heir of the Zhang family in Jiangdong Province, a top-tier rich second-generation born with a silver spoon. He could have anything he wanted with just a word.
Rumor had it, he even had a fair-skinned, long-legged, stunningly beautiful, and well-matched fiancée.
By all accounts, he was a winner in life.
But!
“As a villain, I’m supposed to die in just three chapters!”
Zhang Chen twitched his lips.
Other people transmigrate and become the protagonist, the chosen one blessed by fate. But when it was his turn, Great! He was immediately cast as the villain.
And not even the final boss, who survives until the end. Just a disposable side villain who wouldn’t make it past three chapters.
“Following the plot, I’ll be dead soon.”
Zhang Chen rubbed his forehead. He knew exactly what was going to happen in this world.
Because he had confirmed it.
He had transmigrated into a manga.
And the author of this manga… It was none other than himself.
How’s that for a twist?
As for his current identity, there was no need to say more. He was powerful in every way.
Yet, he still wouldn’t survive three chapters.
The reason was simple. Zhang Chen was destined to be killed.
And the one who would kill him was none other than Ye Fan—the very guy whose profile he had just seen on the tablet.
“That name… He is the child of fate.”
Zhang Chen suddenly regretted giving Ye Fan such an overpowered name when writing the story.
A name like Ye Fan? Did it even need explaining?
“Luckily, I retained my own name!”
Zhang Chen was somewhat relieved. Even though names were just metaphysical beliefs, if something as unrealistic as transmigration could happen, was metaphysics far-fetched?
The original Zhang family heir didn’t have his name. But since Zhang Chen had taken over his body, the name became his.
“At least in terms of names, I’m not losing out to Ye Fan.”
Zhang Chen picked up the tablet again and reviewed Ye Fan’s information.
After going through it multiple times, He was certain.
“This guy is exactly as I wrote him—lusting after other people’s fiancées, getting endless lucky encounters, relying on his ancestral artifact to cheat his way through, and every villain just brainlessly delivering themselves to him. Even the female leads fall into his lap like fools.”
Zhang Chen knew he shouldn’t complain—it was his own story, after all.
But now that he was living in it, It felt terrible.
As for his own character? He was as dumb as they came.
Not just low intelligence—completely brain-dead.
“According to the timeline, the first chapter hasn’t even begun yet.”
As the original author, Zhang Chen had the entire plot memorized.
This was his biggest advantage.
And!
He had a system!
“Right! The system!”
Zhang Chen’s eyes lit up. Since he had transmigrated into a villain doomed to die in three chapters,
There was only one thing to do—
Survive.
Better yet—kill the protagonist, Ye Fan!
“This world isn’t just a typical urban power fantasy—it’s a horror-infested realm teeming with demons and ghosts.”
His family might be wealthy, but could money bribe ghosts?
Dream on!
Ye Fan had an ancestral artifact that let him navigate this supernatural world.
But Zhang Chen had no such treasure. His character was doomed to die at the start because Ye Fan had set him up, using a borrowed knife to have him killed by a demon.
A gruesome death!
[Host: Zhang Chen] [Identity: Heir of the Zhang Family in Jiangdong Province]. [Strength: 5 (Average for a normal human: 10)]. [Agility: 6 (Average: 10)]. [Constitution: 8 (Average: 10)] [Yang Energy: 100/100].
Looking at his stats, Zhang Chen smirked.
“No wonder I die at the start—so weak!”