[Revival!]
Chu Xiuyan opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the pristine white ceiling of a hospital room, not the dilapidated roof of a rural house.
The scent of disinfectant filled the air, and the modern surroundings made him feel slightly disoriented in time and space.
Soon, he came to fully and rubbed his temples, muttering, [Three days are up, and System, you didn’t even remind me.]
System: [Because you were out running until three in the morning, I didn’t want to work overtime, so I set up automatic teleportation.]
Chu Xiuyan: [? You seem to be revealing some new setting that I don’t know about again.]
He sat on the bed, spacing out for a moment.
This wasn’t the body from the Blood Crystal World, yet he still felt some muscle soreness.
After thinking it over, he didn’t dwell on it, simply assuming that since he had gotten used to the super-strong body in the Blood Crystal World, this weaker original body felt a bit uncomfortable by comparison.
The time was now ten in the morning.
The stranger sharing the next bed was still asleep, so Chu Xiuyan pulled out his phone to read some comics… and comments.
He opened a flashy cover, bookmarked over a thousand times, and found a flood of positive reviews in the comments—though a few of them struck him as strange.
[Came from the forum, lolololol]
Below this comment were dozens of +1 replies.
[Forum?]
Chu Xiuyan asked System: [What forum?]
System pretended not to hear.
Chu Xiuyan searched for a bit and quickly found related content on an Original Manga Forum.
The forum was mostly rankings of popular original comics and recommendations for new ones.
The hottest recent post was:
[Guess what he’s saying? (Hot)]
The original post was a screenshot from a comic.
The background was a vast spread of red and black. Blood-red crystalline formations branched out like tree limbs, resembling congealed blood and covering large empty spaces, evoking a hellish scene.
At the center was a black-haired boy with red eyes, his entire body covered in grotesque blood-colored crystals.
He reached out a hand as if inviting someone, his eyes curved with a smile, blood splattered across his cheek, making that brilliant grin even more eerie and sinister.
The malevolent, dark aura seemed to break dimensional barriers and surged toward the viewer through the screen.
The speech bubble next to him was blacked out, clearly censoring the words.
Below the screenshot was the caption: [Guess what “I” am saying? (laugh)]
This post had been made at midnight last night, only half an hour after the release of the [Zai Fan] manga.
By now, the comment count had already reached double digits.
1l: [Taking the first comment.]
2l: [Welcome to my hell? (thinking)]
3l: [Grab my hand or I’ll kill you (orz been playing too many otome games lately hehe)]
5l: [So handsome! Which manga is this? Is it new? Link!]
10l: [Me or xxx, who do you choose? Wrong answer means death.]
15l: [Damn it! Why are the top comments all so dark and twisted? Don’t be fooled by the vibe—the character in the pool must be saying something gentle and healing like “I finally found you, come with me.”]
16l: [6.]
17l: [So nobody knows what manga this is yet?]
18l: [Black hair, red eyes! Perfectly hits my type! Let me crawl, crawl, crawl to find it (frantically searching) Where is it, where’s my new waifu!?]
Chu Xiuyan scrolled expressionlessly until he found the 30th comment—the author’s reply.
30l (Author): [Official answer revealed—the super cool and sinister-looking handsome guy is saying, “Make a contract with me, become—”]
Chu Xiuyan turned off his phone screen without finishing the post, his face heavy. [System, was this you?]
System, realizing it was impossible to hide anymore, calmly explained: [After all, it’s a new pen name with no fanbase. This is the fastest way to gain a lot of popularity… The Original Manga Forum has many daily active users.]
Chu Xiuyan fell silent, then hesitantly asked: [Was it really that awkward back then?]
System: […Don’t you know the atmosphere you created then was really eerie?]
Chu Xiuyan closed his eyes, calmly lying back down on the bed and covering his head with the blanket, pretending to be a mindless corpse.
System sighed: [Get up, check how often you update.]
Chu Xiuyan played dead but answered honestly: [Twice a week, I think Tuesday is update day, so next is Friday. Since it takes three days for a round trip, if there’s nothing much, I might as well take a break.]
System: [Okay, I’ll handle Friday’s update.]
Chu Xiuyan burrowed under the covers for a while, then stretched out his hand, feeling for his phone and bringing it into the blanket, letting out a mischievous laugh.
System: [What are you doing?]
Chu Xiuyan: [My coriander burger! Yay!]
He still remembered the cumin, spicy black pepper, and coriander-flavored fried chicken that had been confiscated by the police.
After two idle days in the hospital, Chu Xiuyan felt like he was going moldy. Fortunately, Friday finally came.
System sent out the latest chapter of the manga.
A few minutes later, new comments appeared.
[One chapter? One chapter?!! (screaming) (hoarse voice) (frantic squirming) (crawling chrysalis)]
[Author! So short——ah!!!]
[Aaaah, where’s the rush of five chapters dropped in one go two days ago!?]
Chu Xiuyan chuckled, “The guy in charge of posting the manga had a stomachache and was stuck in the bathroom.”
System: […Go away.]
The sixth chapter opened with a convoy rushing overnight toward the settlement.
The forest in the picture was dark and eerie.
Crows perched on branches, their crimson eyes fixed on the convoy along the path.
The scene shifted to reveal a pair of jet-black eyes snapping open.
The black-haired boy looked somewhat dazed.
The middle-aged man opposite him in the vehicle began explaining the situation and their destination.
“…Name?”
The boy’s expression was blank as he hesitated, “Yun Yan… I guess. The sunset’s fiery clouds that evening were beautiful.”
A flashback scene followed: the black-haired boy covered in blood crystals stood tall atop a ruined building, gazing at the dying sun.
The vast orange-red clouds swirled like raging flames, forming a sea of fire—warm and dazzling.
[Aaaah so beautiful, Yun Zai!]
[The lost boy wanders confused. Though he stands here, he seems isolated from the world. Watching the sunset, the main character feels so lonely…]
[Crying hard, tears running down the corners of the mouth (this scene is just too perfect hahahaha)]
[Stray dog! I want to pick up a stray dog like Yun Zai too—]
Chu Xiuyan broke the mood: [Oh! I remember here. I thought the dungeon appearance was too bad, so I wanted to jump off the rooftop as a faith leap for the entrance… but you kicked me back, System. Tch.]
[But come to think of it, System, you shifted the timing of the plot.]
System countered: [Otherwise? In the first five chapters, at least you looked like a bright, cheerful guy who liked to talk sass but was cruel and sadistic in battle. If Chapter Six started with you discussing magical girls with Zhang Chun, what would readers think? They’d just think you’re an idiot!]
Chu Xiuyan: [How can you say that! Look here, readers are even asking why the magical girl disappeared!]
System glanced at the barrage. Good grief, there was indeed a comment asking about the “Magic Girl” at the end of Chapter Five.
That reader: [Ah, I thought this would continue the previous scene, kind of a shame.]
System: [?]
Chu Xiuyan laughed wildly: [Hahahahaha!]
The following manga content was close to what really happened: vines appeared, the inhuman Hei Ya died, and…
[My amazing gift—] Chu Xiuyan was excited.
The battle in the manga continued the style of Chapter Five: crisp and satisfying, with the atmosphere maxed out.
The black-haired boy’s fight under the moon with the Blood Crystal Vines and inhuman Hei Ya lasted only a few panels, yet it set the comment section on fire.
“Why don’t you make a sound?”
The black-haired boy’s eyes were blood red, a smile on his face.
From the gray mist behind him, a giant hand tightly gripped Hei Ya’s neck and slowly lifted him into the air.
In the panel, the upper-left showed the dying Hei Ya, with a terrified gaze.
The lower-right showed the smiling black-haired boy.
Though the perspective was from below looking up, it carried a strong sense of malice and mockery.
The contrast between the two created an intense visual impact.
“Are you afraid of me? That’s a good look. Give me more, more, please…”
The black-haired boy’s smile was radiant, but contrasting with his expression, the giant hand in the gray mist gripped Hei Ya tighter and tighter…
Bang!
[So handsome, so handsome, aaaaaahhhh]
[He’s here! The sadistic handsome guy!!]
[Pixelate! Pixelate god!!]
[Always worried this manga will get banned, A Zai, hold back a bit, aaaaahhh]
[Wait, that last scene, in that tiny panel, it looks like A Zai is pulling something out, with little “heave-ho” sounds. The little silhouette is so cute 2333]
Chu Xiuyan: […]
He couldn’t believe it and was furious: [The radish-pulling scene only got a tiny panel!? Its size doesn’t even compare to a fingernail!]
System: [Can you not traumatize the readers’ hearts at midnight? That scene was so horrifying it could’ve shifted this manga from shonen to horror!!]
Chu Xiuyan shook his head frantically: [Noooo ahhhh—]
System ignored him.
Pouting, Chu Xiuyan nagged System for a while but got no response, so he continued reading the manga.
The sixth chapter’s plot was nearing the end.
After the failed radish-pulling scene, the setting changed.
Night slowly faded, and sunlight rose on the horizon.
On a strange hillside stood a gray-haired inhuman, gazing into the distance where the convoy was driving away.
Leaves rustled.
A gentle breeze brushed the ground, stirring some fallen leaves and weeds, then suddenly, a fierce wind rose, causing the surrounding trees to sway and topple.
Soft footsteps sounded.
The gray-haired inhuman looked up and met the gaze of a red-haired ability user who suddenly appeared on the treetop.
The manga’s camera shifted up and down.
The gray-haired inhuman under the tree wore a grave expression: “Wild Dog…”
The red-haired ability user on the branch looked down arrogantly, his smile unrestrained: “Hey, Undying One.”
[New character! Looks huge!]
[Wait, wasn’t Fanyi dead? Undying One… Hiss, I remember in the inhuman settlement someone said his identity was mysterious… Hiss, that’s terrifying on deeper thought.]
[Red hair! Seems unclear where he stands, but he has long hair—nice!]
“Who is this redhead? Didn’t I already kill Fanyi?”
Chu Xiuyan’s eyes widened.
Just as he flipped the page, expecting the scene he hadn’t yet experienced to continue, the camera suddenly switched back to the convoy.
The black-haired boy cheerfully appeared in the frame, dragging a black-green vine with a headless corpse trailing behind.
“Uncle, I brought a gift back!”
Zhang Chun, facing east and seemingly staring at something, saw the black-haired boy appear behind him.
His previously serious expression instantly faltered.
“What the hell is that thing? Throw it away—”
Chu Xiuyan fell silent, then shook System wildly: [Aaaaah, I’m losing it! You didn’t even tell me who that person is!!]
He then muttered to himself: [But judging from this scene, the uncle seems to have already noticed that redhead.]
[The panel shows a lot of wind details, wind, and a high-altitude perspective…]
He thought of the Soil Element Ability’s surveillance power and the Water-based Superpower’s limited long-range vision and suddenly understood.
[That redhead must be wind element. He’s the one spying on me from the mountains up high!?]
System: [I cannot reveal any related information.]
Chu Xiuyan pondered: [So that’s him.]
After a moment’s thought, he opened the forum again and searched for [Zai Fan] related posts, then found a newly posted analysis.
[Background and Character Factions of the Blood Crystal World]
The main post began with a screenshot titled [Dark Demon King-type Boy Inviting You to Become a Magical Girl.jpg].
Chu Xiuyan: “???”
Fortunately, the first floor contained a proper analysis.
[So far, it’s known that the manga’s plot takes place in a post-apocalyptic era. Cities have been destroyed, and survivors have built many bases. Like most post-apocalyptic works, [Zai Fan] also features mutations, mutant beasts, humans awakening as espers, and those failing awakening becoming monsters—though unlike others, the mutated monsters call themselves “Evolved Kind.”]
[Despite being bloodthirsty and ferocious, they remain conscious, rational, and socially organized, believing their evolutionary path is the correct one.]
[Speaking of evolutionary paths, blood crystals are key. The manga doesn’t explain their origin, only briefly mentioning that they come from mutated creatures’ corpses and underground mines. Blood crystals both trigger awakening and cause mutation into monsters. Clearly, the extensively depicted blood crystals aren’t mere background—they likely relate to the world’s disaster.]
[Regarding human factions, there are only six chapters, so not much is clear. It’s guessed there’s an inhuman faction. Inhuman Fanyi mentions the Northwest, likely the main area for inhumans. The human faction hasn’t shown any large bases yet; very few espers have appeared.]
[But the new character in Chapter Six, a redhead likely wind element, is called “Wild Dog” by Fanyi. Their brief confrontation, with that term, likely isn’t just an insult but may be an identity or organization name similar to Fanyi’s “Undying One.”]
[That’s a brief analysis based on six chapters. Please be gentle with criticism, everyone.]
Chu Xiuyan gaped: “Wow, so impressive!”
He refreshed, hoping to find more analysis.
The first reply appeared.
2l: [Taking the first comment. Pic.jpg (Black-haired boy shouting “I’m here!” dragging vines and corpse happily.jpg) Post locked!]
3l: [LOL, this is hilarious! They even made reaction images this fast??]
4l: [Looking at this picture makes me laugh again. The serious, steady uncle turns completely gray-faced after seeing this; he’s really scared of ghosts. I was scared in the middle of the night, but seeing the uncle even more scared made me instantly burst out laughing hahaha…]
6l: [Help, dying of laughter. The protagonist’s taste is so weird and terrifying but somehow still cute hahahaha]
10l: [Hey, this is an analysis post. Let’s not derail. We should chat elsewhere.]
13l: [The manga’s official team is no good. Six chapters in, and they still haven’t set up a dedicated 《Zai Fan》 forum. We have to chat in the Original Manga Forum. Tsk tsk tsk, bad author.]
Chu Xiuyan leaned back in shock: [System, you’re no good???]
System: [Shut up.]