Chapter 1: Rebirth

The air in the hotel room hung thick and unnervingly silent. A disembodied soul drifted – Su Xiaomu. Below him lay the body of a completely naked youth, a dagger buried deep in his chest. Crimson blood soaked the sheets. The boy’s eyes were wide open, frozen in an expression of profound shock and unresolved grievance. Even in death, his little brother stood proudly.

Su Xiaomu racked his brain, utterly baffled. He was just an ordinary college student! His one and only attempt at rebellion – trying to shed his embarrassing virgin status – had ended with him being murdered by a beautiful woman…

He’d tried, repeatedly, to re-enter his own body. But each attempt met an invisible force, shoving his spirit back out like an unwelcome guest.

“Fuck!” Su Xiaomu spat the curse, watching in detached horror as hotel staff discovered the gruesome scene. They scrambled, panicked, rushing to call the authorities, not even bothering to cover the corpse’s nakedness. What a pathetic, humiliating way to die. If anyone he knew saw this… the shame would be absolute, inside and out.

“Ugh…!” Suddenly, an excruciating pain, like his soul was being ripped apart, lanced through him. Darkness swallowed his consciousness before he could even scream.

Su Xiaomu awoke to the insistent gurgling of his own stomach. His eyes felt like sandpaper as he forced them open. He rubbed his cheek against the surface beneath him – rough, grating painfully against his skin.

“Ah…!” He cried out, the memory flooding back. He was dead! His soul had been torn apart by some unknown force… Yet here he was, hunger gnawing at him like a physical presence, as pervasive as the air itself.

He pressed a hand to his belly. Flat. His head swam dizzily, but he could still feel pain. Was he… alive?!

Su Xiaomu pushed himself upright. The light was dim, but his eyes gradually adjusted. His gaze snagged on something gleaming dully nearby. Gold? He reached out, fingers brushing the cool metal. He picked up a small nugget, brought it to his teeth, and bit down hard. The unmistakable softness confirmed it. Pure gold! A grin split his gaunt face.

“Did the heavens grant me a rebirth?! Just to live the high life?!” Su Xiaomu’s eyes shone with avarice. But the relentless growling of his stomach sapped any strength he might have mustered for triumphant laughter.

As his vision adapted to the gloom, he saw only the gold. Piles of it. He must be in a vault. His gaze swept the space, landing on a narrow staircase. Faint light seeped down from above.

Excitement surged. With this much gold, he’d be set for life! A life of luxury, indulgence…

“Huh?” As he tried to muster the strength to stand, his hand landed on something soft. He picked it up. A bun. Round, now hopelessly flattened beneath him.

He stared at the dusty lump for a moment. Starvation overruled disgust. He took a bite. “Pah! Pah! Pah!” Grit filled his mouth. He spat frantically, but the desperate ache in his gut won out. Choking down revulsion, he forced himself to eat the filthy bun.

The gnawing hunger lessened slightly, replaced by a fragile thread of energy. Su Xiaomu staggered to his feet, swaying, and stumbled towards the staircase.

Click… The door at the top opened easily. Blinding light seared his retinas. He threw up a hand, shielding his eyes, unused to such brightness after the vault’s darkness.

Slowly, blinking away tears, he lowered his hand. The staircase continued upwards. He climbed, weak legs protesting. After a few minutes, he encountered another door – glass, revolving. He pushed through, emerging into what looked like a living room.

It wasn’t large. Furniture stood in place, but everything was buried under a thick, undisturbed layer of dust. The air tasted stale, abandoned.

Behind him, the revolving door clicked shut. From this side, it blended seamlessly into the white wall, nearly invisible.

Three other doors led off the room. Su Xiaomu headed straight for the refrigerator. Please let there be food… Water… He yanked it open. Empty. Stark, unplugged emptiness.

“What the hell is going on?” he muttered, the initial euphoria of rebirth and gold fading, replaced by a creeping sense of dread. He moved to the window, peered out, and froze, eyes widening in utter disbelief.