Penitent - Chapter 12: Brand

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.

【Welcome to the Love Simulator】【You can freely choose to simulate with women whose appearance rating is 7 or above (on a 10-point scale) and have basic connections to your reality.】【The simulation is entirely free; please explore on your own.】【After the simulation ends, the system will evaluate the results and provide rewards.】【Current number of simulations: 4】【The number of simulations is not fixed and can be restored through special rewards or the passage of time.】Wait—why are all the simulation targets such difficult-to-handle 2D female leads?

When she woke up, she had already jumped through the dynasty of history. Qiao Wei fell silent, how could she be so unlucky? Sleeping can also cross through history? Even jumping two levels, becoming the mother of the two small buns.

Effort?Effort my ass!People born to be beasts of burden could never touch the lower limits of those chosen by the heavens no matter how hard they tried.Talent gap, background gap, appearance gap, luck gap...A single disparity could swallow all the struggles of the beasts of burden, and a combination of many made their lives unbearably tragic.Su Huai was filled with indignation over this.As a result, rebirth + system, fortune arrived suddenly.The chosen by the heavens? Kneel down, all of you.Let the dogs engage in romance; I just want to explode with rewards.