Stronger with Crimson Modifier

Inside the dimly lit room.

Tiny arcs of blue and white electricity danced across Zhao Ying’s body, like countless little snakes slithering over her skin.

The arcs lasted for three or four seconds, letting out a faint CRACKLE before vanishing.

However, the residual electricity still made her muscles twitch involuntarily. Her fingers trembled slightly, as if every nerve had been brutally lashed by the current.

Zhao Ying lay on her back on the bed, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Her breathing was rapid and unsteady.

Half a minute passed before Zhao Ying finally recovered from the paralyzing shock.

Her gaze was unfocused, her lips were slightly pale, and a low groan escaped her throat.

She raised a hand and rubbed her temples, trying to clear her head.

"What... what in the world is happening?"

she mumbled to herself, her voice hoarse.

Zhao Ying shook her head, forcing herself to focus.

She began to carefully examine her body, searching for any abnormalities.

However, aside from the soreness in her muscles and a faint stinging sensation on her skin, she found nothing.

She then rolled out of bed and got on the floor, using the faint light to check underneath for any potentially exposed wires or faulty devices.

But the space under the bed was empty, save for a few clumps of dust and a long-dead spider.

"DING! Punishment complete.

The mission will now continue: Thirty sit-ups.

The host is required to begin within ten seconds!"

That cold, mechanical voice, devoid of all emotion, echoed in her mind once more.

The moment she heard it, Zhao Ying’s body shuddered instinctively, and her heart clenched tight.

To her, the voice sounded like the whispers of a Devil from Hell.

This time, she didn’t dare hesitate for even a second. She quickly lay back down on the bed, clasped her hands behind her head, and began doing sit-ups.

Her physical condition was poor, and a problem with her legs usually prevented her from doing strenuous exercise.

After just two or three sit-ups, her abdomen began to ache, and her breathing grew ragged.

The only good news was that as soon as she completed the first sit-up,

the cold countdown had already stopped.

It seemed its only purpose was to make her start the task.

As for the time limit to complete it, there didn’t seem to be one.

But even knowing this,

she didn’t dare to stop.

Her gaze fell upon her retina,

where a line of Crimson text had appeared.

[Mission: Sit-ups (4/30)]

With every sit-up she completed, the Crimson text on her retina would update.

If her form wasn’t good enough, the count wouldn’t increase.

Each change in the number was a reminder that this was all real—not a hallucination or a dream.

Zhao Ying gritted her teeth. Sweat from her forehead slid down her cheeks and dripped onto the bedsheets, leaving dark spots.

Her breathing grew heavier, and her abdominal muscles burned as if they were on fire.

Yet, she didn’t dare to stop, terrified the electric shocks would return.

A terrifying thought kept flashing through her mind.

’If I fail the mission, will the punishment be even worse? Could... could it kill me?’

Time ticked by, second by second. Zhao Ying’s movements grew slower, and each sit-up felt like it took all the strength she had.

Her arms began to shake, and her breathing became heavy and labored.

Finally, after nearly five minutes, she completed the thirtieth sit-up.

The moment she lay back down, the Crimson text on her retina vanished.

Just as she was about to let out a long sigh of relief,

the cold, mechanical voice sounded again:

[DING! Host’s initial mission detected as complete! Physique +1!]

Before the voice had even finished, a warm current suddenly enveloped Zhao Ying’s body.

The warmth surged from her heart and spread rapidly through her entire body, as if new energy was being injected into every blood vessel and every muscle.

She felt the fatigue and soreness from moments ago vanish instantly. Her body felt light and powerful, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Her hearing also became exceptionally sharp.

In her room, which was usually well soundproofed, she could now clearly hear her parents whispering next door and could even make out what they were saying.

In another room, her older brother, Zhao Yao, was chatting with a classmate, his voice as clear as if he were right beside her.

Zhao Ying’s gaze swept across the room. The dim light was no longer an obstacle to her vision.

She could clearly see the mottled cracks on the walls, the miscellaneous items scattered on the floor, and even the old clock in the corner that had long since stopped ticking.

Every detail was crystal clear.

’This is utterly impossible.’

With that thought, she rose and went to the side of her bed.

Her gaze drifted outside.

It was dark outside, and a fine rain was falling silently.

Only the giant neon lights in the distance were still flashing.

Lifting her head, she could see a continuous black city, a layer above the thin clouds.

It shimmered with a cold, metallic sheen.

The undersides of these cities were covered in a tangled web of pipes and flickering lights, like an inverted steel forest that exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Occasionally, brightly lit flying vehicles streaked past like fireflies.

And beneath this floating city,

was a gigantic crystal.

It hung from the bottom of the floating city like a captive star.

Its surface was covered in complex patterns.

At this moment, the crystal was dim, emitting no light at all.

This was the Upper City’s "ass-light."

Also known as the sun of the Lower City District.

There is no sunlight in the Lower City.

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