Chapter 1: The Forgotten Savior

In the early morning, the indoor fan was squeaking as it spun.

Just like always, Chu Yuanying relied on determination to escape from the ongoing nightmare of falling into an abyss. He ignored the pain that felt like a tsunami crashing onto his soul, and with an unchanged expression, he got out of bed, turned off the fan, and completed his regular routine of washing up, getting dressed, and cooking.

(Translated by Gravity Tales 😆)

Chu Yuanying put the green bean soup and shaved ice, which were stored in porcelain bowls, covered with plastic wrap and placed them in the refrigerator. Skillfully using a marker, he wrote reminders on sticky notes and stuck them on the still-warm milk carton on the dining table.

He once had a past that was epic and magnificent, but it was successfully buried in the mundane daily life of seventeen years of mundane chores.

Savior?

To the world that had undergone revisions, this wasn’t even counted as a laughable fantasy.

Now, he was simply an ordinary member among the countless beings. In this society that operated like a giant machine, he was a negligible gear, even on the verge of being cast aside.

"Little Shu, I’m leaving."

After Chu Yuanying finished speaking, he put on his shoes and took the garbage bag. Getting used to his daughter’s silence, he didn’t look at the closed door and prepared to leave the apartment.

For many years, this was the way he and his daughter had interacted.

Or you could say, this was the result of deliberate indulgence.

But as the door opened, a cold, questioning tone that froze the atmosphere stopped him in his tracks.

"Are you going to work today?"

Chu Yuanying turned his head. Perhaps because of the distance created by their way of interacting, in his eyes, his daughter seemed a little unfamiliar to him.

——She had the brain of a top student, delicate and gentle facial features; jet black, silky long hair; a height that allowed her to meet his eyes just by tilting her head slightly. But in her eyes, he only saw incomprehension, disappointment, and even disgust.

Children are like this. In the time that felt like the blink of an eye for adults, they grew up fast like willow branches, losing their innocence and naivety. Their once softness was now wrapped in a porcupine’s shell, making it hard to discern their true intentions.

Chu Yuanying explained, "Today the boss said we need to have a meeting, so I should arrive at the company early."

Chu Wang Shu looked at his expressionless face, feeling a sudden pain in her heart. She suppressed the bitterness, pursed her lips, and then suddenly found it somewhat amusing. Her expression turned even colder as she softly said, "Even if today is the anniversary of my mother’s passing?"

Chu Yuanying was surprised and checked the date. He suddenly realized that his daughter was wearing a very serious outfit, which was too formal for young people. He instantly understood the reason behind the her mood.

Just as he was about to explain, Chu Wang Shu entered the room. In no time, she walked over to him, pulled her suitcase and coldly asked him to move aside, as if she was running away from home.

"Move aside, if you won’t go, then I will."

"Then you mustn’t bring your suitcase with you either."

"After I paid my respects, I went directly back to school."

Chu Yuanying choked, feeling somewhat helpless.

"Go back to school? You’ve already been admitted with a scholarship, why would you go back?"

"Mind your own business."

Chu Wang Shu left these words, then dragged her luggage coldly past her father. The bright sunlight outside was a bit dazzling. She paused for a moment along the way, as if saying something, then walked away without looking back.

Chu Yuanying stood still, silently watching her fading figure.

He heard what his daughter said.

——Liar.

Truly... an undeniable evaluation.

Chu Yuanying let out a deep uncle-like sigh, walking into the scorching sun, looking towards the distant mirage-like towering white walls on the horizon. He murmured sadly to himself:

"That is the grave that needs to be mourned."

——The Wall of Sighs (note: If this is the reference to the unbreakable wall that only a ray of sunshine can pierce in Greek myth, then it should be The Wailing Wall).

No one knew its origins.

This magnificent reflection, like a creation of the gods, appeared suddenly in history as a blank page. It spread across the Donghong Federation, the Holy Union, various city-states, and even the desert and the sea, becoming a majestic wonder admired by all beings on the entire planet.

Chu Yuanying stopped looking up at the sky, lowered his gaze, and calmly merged into the crowd. He squeezed into the crowded light rail, like a sardine in a can. As he glanced at the transparent wall, he saw a faded, unfamiliar, and ordinary version of himself. He couldn’t help but tug at the corners of his mouth, and wearily closed his eyes.

The roaring of the deep sea, the sound of cracking glaciers spread in his soul.

Chu Yuanying coughed several times and wiped away the blood with a tissue. He passively endured the pain. Compared to the magnificent wall standing in the sky, his life was already like a flickering candle in the wind.

Almost time.

As long as another half year passes, when Little Shu turns eighteen, I can finally leave with peace of mind.

Calming himself down, he got off the light rail.

Chu Yuanying made an effort to adjust his state and entered the company building.

However, not long after, from his coworkers’ pitying gaze, he noticed something was wrong.

Soon… "Your performance has not met the standard for three consecutive times."

"According to company regulations, you have been dismissed."

The company leader coldly dropped this sentence, announcing the cruel reality of middle-aged unemployment.

Ten minutes later.

Holding one thousand RMB settled by the finance department, Chu Yuanying stood on the street moonily, embracing a pile of miscellaneous items, and belatedly began to think about how to cover his future expenses.

The cost of living in Sea City was very high. Just the rent alone was six to seven thousand RMB per month. Plus utilities, internet fees, phone bills, meals, and his daughter’s monthly living expenses, it seemed he would almost certainly end up on the streets in just a couple of months.

Chu Yuanying was not unaware of the need to save money, but because of his household registration issues, his daughter could only attend a private high school in Sea City. However, the top-notch private high schools there had excellent facilities, but also required high tuition fees. This has led to Chu Yuanying having savings that only amounted to four digits until now.

The most important thing was that as a dying person, he bought a personal accident insurance more than half a year ago to save for his daughter’s college tuition. He planned to commit fraud to the insurance company for a large amount of money depending on the date of his death.

Moreover, in order to maximize the benefits, the insurance amount he bought was quite high, and it was unrealistic to pay it off all at once, so he chose to pay monthly, which happened to be enough to pay it off in one year.

Now, he was still three months away from completing the payment of the insurance.

The closer Chu Yuanying got to his death, the worse his condition became. His previous employer had fired him because of this. It was nearly impossible to find another job with a similar salary.

It can be said that this sudden unemployment had disrupted all of his original plans. His anxiety spread like wild grass.

What should he do?

This question lingered in his mind, and he still didn’t have an answer when he walked back home.

Chu Yuanying sighed wearily. He used the key to open the front door and, once he stepped inside, he unintentionally caught sight of a flyer hanging on the railing of the balcony. It seemed like a guiding star of destiny. He picked it up and saw that it was a recruitment advertisement for a variety talent show.

No education requirement; includes food and accommodation.

Monthly salary of twelve thousand; job location is in Sea City.

There were a lot of salary and benefits listed, but in comparison, the recruitment requirements were very simple: being female, having an excellent appearance, and having no bad records.

At this moment, Chu Yuanying thought of many things. As the savior of the old times, he once had extraordinary powers, but 99% of them had been crippled. Until now, all that was left was a prank-like superpower.

Because it was a peaceful era and had no practical use in life, he almost forgot that he still possessed this power.

But faced with the pressures of life, when this flyer came into view, corresponding memories surfaced in his mind.

——Transformation (Unknown level superpower).

To be precise, it’s transforming into a magical girl.

"If, I mean if."

"If I were a girl, finding a job should be much easier than being a middle-aged uncle, right?"