Gene Lock—Activated!
Every cell in Lu Ce’s body felt like it was on fire. His heart roared like an internal combustion engine.
The feeling of transformation was undeniable—his body was undergoing a change unlike anything before.
And with it—came power.
The metal shattered.
The high-grade alloy handcuffs, strong enough to restrain a full-grown bull, exploded apart in an instant.
Steam rose from Lu Ce’s arm as if it were boiling.
The doctor’s wide, disbelieving eyes reflected the cold gleam of the shattered metal.
Both of their bodies sprang into action like wild leopards.
Lu Ce flipped her onto the bed.
Disarmed.
Counterattack.
All in one smooth motion.
It was as if he had practiced it a thousand times before.
The playful glint in his eyes was gone.
Now that he was free, he had nothing more to say.
His eyes burned with the sharp, ruthless glint of a predator.
He gripped the knife.
And with full force—he stabbed straight for the woman’s exposed chest.
Right where her heart was.
At that moment—
The audience watching the “live stream,” who had been laughing at what they thought was some sick fetish show, suddenly realized something was wrong.
【Wait… is this… actually serious?】
【Did something go wrong with the script? Also, how the hell did he break those cuffs?!】
【This is still just an act, right? What now—switching to a dominant male storyline?】
But in that room, the two people at the center of it all knew the truth.
This wasn’t a game.
The doctor’s eyes widened in terror.
Her hands clamped down on Lu Ce’s wrist, desperately stopping the knife from plunging further.
Her mind couldn’t comprehend how this man had broken free.
“A carbon-based lifeform… eighteen years old… flesh-grade energy rating: low-tier… This is impossible! What did you do?!”
Her sharp, shrill voice echoed through the room.
Veins bulged on her forehead—she was struggling like a caged beast.
But Lu Ce’s expression remained ice-cold.
His one remaining leg pressed firmly against her stomach, giving him leverage.
His grip on the knife tightened.
Slowly—but surely—the blade sank downward.
The razor-sharp tip sliced through her smooth, porcelain skin.
The same curves that would have driven countless men mad with desire—held zero appeal for him now.
He was a machine.
And he was here to kill.
“Wait, wait! This is just a game!”
The doctor panicked.
Her twisted arrogance vanished—replaced by desperation.
She forced a smile and pleaded.
“This is the Chosen’s Paradise. You were selected. This is just an initial trial!”
“You passed! You did great! You’re going to get so many rewards!”
“I know you must have so many questions. Let me go, and I’ll tell you everything!”
“You want something? Name it! I’ll give you anything. Even myself. You can do whatever you want with me…”
Her tone shifted multiple times.
From begging to flattery—to temptation.
But Lu Ce’s expression didn’t change.
His focus was on one thing.
The knife in his hand.
The half-naked woman beneath him meant nothing.
Her pitiful voice meant nothing.
His grip tightened—his right hand became both hands.
Lu Ce knew—if he could snap steel cuffs, yet she could still resist him—then she was no ordinary human either.
This was a kill-or-be-killed situation.
There was no need for words.
Blood spilled.
Life drained away.
“You… you can’t kill me… I’m—”
CRACK!
The knife pierced through her sternum.
It sank deep—straight into her heart.
Her final words died on her lips.
Only then—only after she had stopped breathing—did Lu Ce finally speak.
“I grew up an orphan.”
“Surviving this long hasn’t been easy.”
“And if there’s one thing I’ve learned in all these years…”
“It’s that you never hand over your chance to survive.”
As soon as the words left his mouth—
The sharp edge in his eyes vanished.
His body collapsed.
Completely drained.
He fell back into the warm corpse beneath him.
“…Damn. Should’ve waited till she was completely dead before giving my victory speech, huh?”
He let out a weak laugh.
But looking at his **right leg—now completely gone—**he found it a little hard to keep laughing.
The survival instinct that had kept him sharp was fading.
Now, the real questions flooded in.
What game? What trial? Why was his leg suddenly gone?
He clenched his fist.
The Gene Lock’s unlocked power gave him some confidence.
His gaze shifted to the floating livestream screen.
Maybe there were some answers there.
The screen, which had fallen silent in shock just moments ago, was now flooded with messages.
【Game? What game? Wait—does this mean we were ‘selected’ too? This screen appeared out of nowhere.】
【Mine popped up on my computer, and I can’t turn it off.】
【Holy sh*t! I’m remembering your name, Mr. Reverse Kill!】
【I’m calling the cops.】
Lu Ce skimmed through the fragmented information.
But before he could dig deeper—
The entire room shook.
The screen blinked out.
The shockwave rattled his bones.
His instincts kicked in, but his body refused to move.
It was like he was floating in space.
Before his eyes—
A tunnel of cascading data.
And in his ears—
A mechanical voice.
Lines of text appeared, one after another.
【Initial game complete. Welcome to the global large-scale game—Chosen’s Paradise!】
【Initial selected players: 14,569,812.】
【Initial participants: 1,652,348.】
【Completed players: 926,357. Note: The initial stage does not result in real death, but non-completers will lose eligibility.】
【Perfect completion players: 3,549!】
【Your initial completion rating: SSS-tier. Perfect Completion! Current perfect completion streak: 1.】
【Calculating rewards…】
“…Holy sh*t.”
Lu Ce stared, dumbfounded.
Now, he truly understood what “the world has changed” meant.
【Special Event Triggered: Killed Initial Divine Role Guide—Achievement Unlocked: Godslayer.】
【Special Event Triggered: Obtained A-003 Sealed Artifact—Sensory Manipulator. Item deemed too dangerous; replacement of equivalent tier added to inventory.】
【Initial Reward Points: 3,000.】
【Initial Reward Items: 3x Intermediate Healing Potions (Added to Inventory).】
【Your current world ranking: 1/726,357.】
【Rankings update after each game. Keep up perfect performances for special surprises!】
“…Did I just become world number one?”
Lu Ce stared at the “1/726,357” on the screen, completely dazed.