The city was drowning in cold drizzle, its neon lights flickering like dying embers against the night. Somewhere behind the glass towers and empty streets, betrayal waited in the dark — and Li Tian was about to meet it face to face.
The cold metal of the knife pressed deeper into Li Tian's chest. He could still feel his best friend's trembling hand pushing it in — and see his girlfriend's tearless eyes staring down at him like he was a stranger.
"Why…?" he gasped, tasting blood on his tongue. The city lights outside the abandoned warehouse blurred and danced like distant ghosts.
His friend, Chen Wei, leaned closer, voice shaking. "It's nothing personal, Tian. You were just in the way."
The girl — Mei Lin — crossed her arms. "Don't look at me like that. You were too naive. You thought loyalty meant something."
Li Tian tried to speak, but the darkness pulled him under before the words could form.
Darkness. Silence. Then—
… Connecting to Villain System…
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in the void.
Li Tian's eyes snapped open. The smell of incense and old books flooded his senses. He wasn't on the warehouse floor — he was lying on a lavish bed surrounded by silk drapes.
His hands — pale, slender, unfamiliar — clenched the bedsheets. He sat up, and the ornate room swam into focus: carved wooden walls, flickering oil lamps, and an ancient mirror reflecting a face he didn't know.
Sharp eyebrows, cold black eyes, long dark hair — the face of a young noble.
Welcome, Host. Congratulations — the Villain System has selected you.
Li Tian froze. "Villain… System?"
[Affirmative. You are now the new host: Li Tian, Young Master of the disgraced Li Clan. Betrayed by your clan elders and hated by your sect, you have one purpose: become the ultimate villain. Complete villainous missions. Dominate the world. Fail, and you die. Simple, yes?]
Li Tian's mind raced. A new body. A new world. A System… forcing him to play the villain?
"Why me?" he whispered.
[Because you died pathetically in your old world. You were too soft. Too loyal. Too weak. This is your chance to be reborn as who you were meant to be — ruthless.]
Li Tian touched his chest — no stab wound, only a faint warmth where his heart beat strong.
He looked at the mirror again — at the cold eyes staring back. Slowly, a thin smile tugged at his lips.
"Ruthless, huh? If that's what it takes."
The System's voice purred like a cat.
[Good. The first mission will arrive at dawn. Rest well, Young Villain.]
Li Tian leaned back against the pillows. Betrayed once — never again. If the world wanted a villain, he'd play the part.
But deep inside, he made a silent vow: I'll make the world kneel — and I'll never be the fool again.
Outside his window, thunder rolled across the mountains. Somewhere far off, the wheels of fate turned, and a forgotten villain woke up to change the world.