Bo Xi lifted her hand and waved."Bye!"
Her friend's laughter followed her down the street as she turned the corner and headed home. The sky was already dark, the streetlights glowing in soft halos that reflected off the wet pavement. It was past eight, and the road was quiet, too quiet for a city that usually never slept.
She walked carefully, her steps steady and measured.
The distance between her workplace and her small apartment wasn't far, but it wasn't close either. After leaving the army, she had taken a job at a boxing club, working as an instructor. It kept her grounded. The scent of sweat, leather, and iron reminded her that she was still alive, still useful, still strong.
Even after discharge, she never lost her habits. She stayed alert, memorized routes, kept her shoulders relaxed and her eyes sharp. Learning new skills had always been her hobby, first weapons, then hand-to-hand combat, later mechanics and first aid. She was an action-oriented person: blunt, direct, sometimes awkward, but her heart had always been in the right place.
She was thinking about what to cook for dinner when a sudden scream tore through the night.
It was close.
Her body reacted before her mind did.
A girl burst out of a narrow alley, her face pale with terror, her hair tangled and her breathing ragged. When she spotted Bo Xi, her eyes lit up with desperate hope. Without hesitation, she sprinted toward her.
Shit.
Bo Xi barely had time to think before the girl slammed into her and ducked behind her back, clutching her jacket with shaking hands.
A moment later, a large man stepped out of the alley.
The dim streetlight caught the cold gleam of a knife in his hand. He froze when he saw Bo Xi, then his lips stretched into a crooked, mocking grin. He was tall, broad, and his stance betrayed training. He wasn't just a thug.
The girl whimpered behind Bo Xi.
Bo Xi pulled out her phone and quickly dialed the police, keeping her gaze fixed on him."I've already called the police," she said firmly. "Drop the knife."
For a split second, she thought he might hesitate.
Instead, he laughed—a harsh, crazed sound—and charged straight at her.
Bo Xi shifted into a defensive stance, weight grounded, muscles coiled. Her heart pounded, but her mind was calm. She had faced worse.
The blade flashed toward her. She moved to catch his wrist—
And then everything went wrong.
The girl, panicking, shoved Bo Xi with all her strength and ran.
The sudden force threw Bo Xi off balance. Her grip missed by inches.
Pain exploded through her stomach.
The man had stabbed her.
Before she could react, he yanked the knife free and stabbed her again. Blood soaked her clothes, warm and terrifyingly fast.
"Bitch," he spat.
Her legs gave out. She dropped to her knees, the world tilting, her ears ringing. The man glanced at her once more before running after the girl.
Bo Xi tried to move.
She couldn't.
Her body felt distant, numb, unresponsive. Darkness crept into her vision.
I've survived worse… she thought faintly. So why…?
Her lips trembled."Am I… dead?"
"Yes," a voice replied from the darkness. "You are."
The world dissolved into black.
"I am the Creator, the creator of the world you originally belonged to," the voice continued calmly. "I created a new world, but it wasn't perfect. A small error sent your soul drifting… and it entered an abandoned infant."
Bo Xi felt as if she were floating.
"I'm still learning and removing bugs," the voice went on casually. "Now I'm sending you back to your original world, with three small gifts."
She tried to speak, but no sound came.
"First: one hundred blocks of soap, and a book teaching you how to make more. I know you like staying clean.Second: three large chests of money, five thousand silver taels in each.Third: a portable space. You can't upgrade it, but it's useful."
The voice paused, as if amused.
"Oh—and it's a reverse world. Enjoy. I'm busy. Bye."
A snapping sound echoed.
Bo Xi felt herself being pulled through a tunnel of light and wind.
She woke with a pounding headache.
Memories flooded her mind, her true life, her fabricated one, the streets, the blood, the voice.
She was alive again.
This world was different. In this world, gender roles were reversed. Women were strong; men were fragile. Lifespans reached two hundred years. Power belonged to women, and the expectations of society reflected that.
She was no longer in the city.
She stood in a quiet, green space.
A small wooden hut rested near the edge of a field. The field, about an acre, was filled with rich soil, where plants grew twice as fast as normal. Nearby, a stone well shimmered faintly. She instinctively knew its water could heal minor wounds and slowly strengthen the body.
She sat on the grass for a long time, breathing, grounding herself.
Then she stood.
She would continue.
She would take the military examination.
Checking the pouch at her side, she found one hundred silver taels, one hundred copper taels, a few sets of clothes, and a carriage waiting nearby.
With steady resolve, Bo Xi took the reins and headed toward the city.