A Soldier's Life - Chapter 21: Obstruction in the Road

Meet Alex Knight, a hardworking young man burdened by crushing debt and a bleak future. When his new boss turns his life into a waking nightmare, Alex finds himself trapped in a job he can't escape, his future held hostage by the whims of a tyrant.Just when he believes he has one anchor left—his girlfriend's love—a devastating betrayal leaves him utterly broken.But then the world changes. The system descends, dragging everyone into a chaotic new reality. Alex becomes the first to sync with it, earning a mysterious title:[Apocalypse Baby][You have awakened the skill: Exploding Touch][Anything you touch turns into a bomb.]Armed with a deadly gift, Alex rises from the ashes of his former life to become an unstoppable force in an urban fantasy world where power rules and vengeance drives him forward.

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.

Yu Xinyan was a tragedy in her previous life. She grew up well, studied well, and should have a bright future, but was used by her adoptive parents to pay off her debts.

It’s okay to marry a second-married man, but she was also used by a scumbag to become a hen that doesn’t lay eggs, and she was blinded, cursed, and bullied by her stepson and stepdaughter for most of her life.

In the end, Yu Jie suffered from an incurable disease, and she didn’t wait for her husband’s greetings, but was kicked out of the house.

It happened that fate tricked people, and accidentally learned the real reason for her infertility. She wanted to be strong for a lifetime, but her life became a joke.

After rebirth, whoever loves this nanny wife should be whoever she wants.

Just as he was thinking about how to change the situation, he found a small space by chance and smiled at the golden finger given by God.

Cleanly kicked the so-called dedicated man, turned around and married the boss in the factory, who had a hard time getting a wife, and lived a sweet little life without shame or embarrassment, who knows who is happy.

- Description from novelbuddy

A suffering MC novel—the main character must be forced to suffer, be oppressed until they’re hovering between life and death, dying and living here and there. They can have a golden finger, but before getting it they must pay the price. They can also have beautiful women, but all are snake and scorpion beauties, able to look at but not eat.

“Curse” is just that type of suffering MC novel. The main character Xi Wei, after being forced to experience numerous sufferings, had, at last, become the most powerful, at the same time linking together with the world’s qi and fate. After he was oppressed too miserably, he committed suicide and buried the entire world with him.

Zeno transmigrated, in the end arriving at “Curse”.

Zeno was adopted by the MC, finally becoming the number one person/wife.

Zeno: Help, I don’t want to be destined to be raised by this perverse person!

All living things (wipe away tears): You must rescue this world, ah.

Xi Wei: Come over here.

- Description from Novelupdates