~"When the Star of Lonely Calamity descends, it brings ruin to kin and death to all around. Only a noble one can save such a fate, and only through good deeds and virtue can the curse be eased."~
"My name's Hao Yunlai. I was born into a large, thriving family. We got rich by making fake medicine, and soon, our family became one of the wealthiest in the region. Strong connections, thick backing, outrageous profits, and government protection—we crushed countless lives beneath our feet. The family's glory was built on a mountain of corpses. So many people bled, wept, and cursed us, but all that hatred only made our business grow stronger, spreading even farther.
All of that changed when I was born.
My mother died giving birth to me. A month later, my thirteen-year-old second brother choked to death on a rice dumpling he stole from the kitchen. When they found him, both hands were gripping his throat so tight he couldn't breathe.
When I turned one, my sixteen-year-old eldest brother died after playing League of Legends for seven hours straight. He was so focused that he held his piss until it killed him.
During New Year's, when we went home to honor our ancestors, my six-year-old third sister fell into the toilet pit and drowned.
On Qingming Festival, my grandfather got crushed to death by a cow that was supposed to be used as an offering.
In just six years, everyone in our massive family was dead. They tried everything. Some tried to fight fate, others turned to charity, desperate to lift the curse. But once they found out I was the Star of Lonely Calamity—the one destined to bring death to all my kin—they tried to kill me too. It only made things worse. Some donated all their wealth to do good, but all that did was let them die with their bodies intact.
My fate grew harder and harder. Over time, any place I went, anyone I met, any creature I touched… tragedy followed. It kept getting worse. Eventually, even getting close to me meant death. I became a walking plague god. But all I ever wanted was to live like a normal person.
When I was eight, I met someone—a noble one. He taught me a lot, taught me how to do good, how to build virtue, and how to live like a normal human again.
He said he'd sealed my cursed fate by binding it to the souls of my entire family, the ones suffering in the eighteenth level of hell. That way, the curse could be temporarily suppressed, and I could live as a normal man for a while. But if I ever faced real danger, the curse would explode with terrifying force, possibly consuming me along with everything else.
That's the price of being normal for a while.
So I usually only release one of them at a time. The earlier the relative died, the stronger their curse. Like earlier, when it got that dangerous, I had to release my second brother. He strangled me with his own hands, blaming me for sending him to hell. Each time he's worse than before. Next time, he might actually kill me.
Unless it's a last resort, I'll never release my mother. Because when that happens, it means I'll be dying together with my enemies.
If it really comes to that, I'll be happy. If dying that way can help others, it'll be worth it. The noble one said I won't live past thirty anyway, that my family's sins are too heavy. All I can do is try to make up for them. But if I hurt innocent people again, I'll only die faster.
After all, heaven's justice may be slow, but it always comes around.
After twenty years of learning, I've started to control it. I can stop the curse from hurting a few people—two or three at most. That's why I never use my ability when we have a big team. If I did, I'd probably wipe them all out. Otherwise, I could've brought everyone in here and destroyed everything in our way. Funny thing is, they still think I'm just an ordinary guy. But honestly, being protected by them… feels kinda nice.
Lately though, I've been feeling weaker, like an old man reaching the end of his life. I'm tired all the time, always wanting to sleep. Maybe one day I'll just fall asleep and never wake up.
But before I go to hell to pay for my sins, I want to help my teammates as much as I can. For that, I'll give everything I've got.
Oh, and those fifty-contribution-point eggs? They're really good. I hope I can meet that chicken and her owner again in my next life. They're both great."
Hao Yunlai swam faster and faster, charging ahead without hesitation, completely ignoring the terrifying creatures around them.
The place where Jing Shu and the others were might as well have been the deadliest pit on Earth. All kinds of venomous creatures lurked in the water, yet none of them attacked. One by one, they started dying in the strangest, most bizarre ways.
You could say Hao Yunlai's curse caused it, but each death looked too coincidental. Then again, could there really be that many coincidences in the world?
Tragic. Absolutely tragic.
Yang Yang held Jing Shu's hand, keeping a safe distance. She didn't dare get too close, afraid the plague-like misfortune clinging to Hao Yunlai would spread to her. The effect was too terrifying. Everywhere he went, bodies piled up. How could anyone not be afraid? If they ever reached Austin City with him in this state, who knew how many would die once he unleashed this "plague god" mode?
No wonder Yang Yang had said he wouldn't have chosen this route unless he was sure. Turns out, he really did have a plan. He'd just unlocked the seal of Satan himself.
Their journey was short this time. The three of them soon reached the end of the underwater world. Whatever awaited them there should've been something incredible—but thanks to Hao Yunlai's curse, everyone who'd been waiting there was already dead.
Jing Shu finally understood just how horrifying his curse was.
When Hao Yunlai went berserk, he was like a demon king—cold, ruthless, killing without hesitation. Yet all he'd done was look in someone's direction.
The three of them made it safely out of the underwater passage and into the rich man's real mansion.
Jing Shu ripped off her diving suit, gasping for air. She swore she'd never wear one again.
Hao Yunlai collapsed to the floor, drained. He couldn't even open his eyes. Looked like his ability had a time limit, maybe around five minutes. Enough for emergencies, but not for long fights. And once used, it left him completely wiped out.
Jing Shu rubbed her chin, mentally scoring his ability. An A-rating felt a bit low, honestly.
Yang Yang pulled out a map. "We'll split up from here. You take Hao Yunlai that way, I'll go this way toward the tech building. The rich guy's formula's probably there. Whoever finds it first, send a message in the group chat."
Jing Shu cleared her throat. "You take Hao Yunlai. It's safer that way." Truthfully, she just wanted to explore alone—so she could quietly stash any treasure she found into her Cube Space.
"No way," Yang Yang grinned. "He's too heavy. And besides, once we're inside, this is my territory. Don't forget last year in America, when I stole all that stuff right under their noses."