The Deceitful One - Chapter 24 Scapegoat

Japan – National News BroadcastThe polished news anchor sat upright, her gaze sharp as she adjusted the stack of papers before her. The newsroom behind her hummed with quiet urgency, the weight of the moment settling over the broadcast.“Authorities are baffled by a sudden and unexplained surge in sleep-related deaths across Japan,” she began, her voice steady yet tense. “More and more citizens are passing away in their sleep without any prior health concerns. Experts are working tirelessly to determine the cause, but no clear explanation has emerged. Authorities urge the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual symptoms before bedtime.”A graphic appeared, displaying the spike in fatalities over the past month. Behind her, unsettling photographs flickered across the screen—blurred images of individuals found in their beds, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.The anchor’s tone shifted. “Health officials recommend citizens avoid excessive fatigue and maintain healthy sleep habits. More updates will follow as investigations continue.”---United States – Paranormal PodcastIn a dimly lit podcast studio, the host leaned forward, his eyes wide with curiosity. Across from him, a rugged man in a worn flannel shirt, gripping a faded photograph in one hand and a beer can in the other, leaned back in his chair.“So, you're telling me you saw this creature firsthand?” the host asked, clearly intrigued.The man scoffed, shaking his head. “Damn right, I did. Ugly thing had wings bigger than my body—slow but sneaky. Thought it could steal my pigs again, but I was ready this time—camera in one hand, shotgun in the other.”He slammed the table for emphasis, then shoved the blurry image toward the host. The photograph depicted a small, red-skinned humanoid figure with large, bat-like wings, its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.“Spit, the thing didn’t know what hit it when I fired!” the man chuckled, his voice full of excitement.The host held up the picture to the live chat. “Alright, what do you think? Mothman? Demon? Or is our friend here just seeing things?”The chat exploded with theories—some skeptical, others eager for the investigation to continue.---China – Liangyuan Street MarketSurveillance footage from a bustling night market in China captured a chilling scene. A woman in a red qipao walked gracefully through the crowd, her figure striking in the soft glow of lanterns.Suddenly, she paused. Her body flickered—like a glitch in a video—before vanishing completely, as though she had never existed.The footage zoomed in, replaying in slow motion. In the final frame before she disappeared, her face distorted unnaturally, her eyes hollow and empty.The screen cut abruptly to black.

Facing a meteor, I wished for a stable and respectable job and money to spend, only to become the lucky one physically carried away by the meteor.After drifting through chaos, I was reborn as Nezha.The good news is all my wishes came true, the bad news is the world is not right.Nezha, carrying fragments of the Creation Jade Slip and Chaos Pearl, doesn't want to follow the old path of becoming a tool for Taiyi to avert disasters, so he apprentices under Nuwa.What do you mean I killed Ao Bing? I don't know Ao Bing, you should ask someone else.What do you mean Yin Shou is tyrannical, he is just an enthusiast of cultivation.Stone Ji is a spirit born from rocks, naturally, she matches my expertise in mending the sky, so let her be my good friend (tool).Why do you say Zhao Gongming looks simple-minded? I think he looks very much like my brother-in-law.Let’s see how Nezha securely cultivates in the prehistoric world, defying fate and ascending the Great Dao.

Su Yu grew up in a single-parent family with his father. He lived a relatively simple life and was not someone with grand ambitions. He only aspired to join a research academy and get a job as a researcher, staying far away from the dangerous battlefield. His peaceful life was shattered one day when his father, a retired veteran, decided to return to the battlefield.

Worried about his father, Su Yu embarked on a journey to gain enough strength to join his father on the battlefield. What was the fastest way to gain strength? Joining a war academy. Or was that really the case? Su Yu soon learned that the path of a researcher was not as it seemed. Unlike the war academies that focused on physical cultivation, the research academies walked a different path: mental cultivation. Which path would Su Yu choose?

Join Su Yu in his adventures as he walks a unique path of cultivation and rises to the apex of cultivation.

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One day, Luo Jian woke up from his sleep and found himself in a locked chamber where the door and window were all sealed. A note with a few lines written on it was tacked to the wall: “Escape from this room within an hour, otherwise, you will die.”

There is a sequel called Reincarnation Night (轮回之夜) that takes place in the same universe but has different main characters

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