Chapter 1:Transmigration into a Cannon Fodder's Doom
The last thing Qu Tang remembered was the blinding glare of stage lights, the deafening roar of a hundred thousand fans, and the terrifying, mechanical screech of a falling stage rig. The pain was instantaneous, and then… nothingness.
Consciousness returned slowly, weighed down by a splitting headache and a profound sense of wrongness. The air smelled not of sweat, pyrotechnics, and adrenaline, but of something sterile, faintly metallic, and… fur?
Her eyes fluttered open. Instead of a hospital ceiling or the pearly gates of heaven, she was met with a breathtaking, domed vista of a star-dusted nebula, projected holographically onto the high ceiling. She was lying on a vast, impossibly soft bed that could easily fit ten people. The architecture was sleek, minimalist, and spoke of immense wealth and advanced technology far beyond her time.
Where am I?
Before she could even sit up, a torrent of alien memories, sharp and painful, flooded her mind. They weren't hers. They were the memories of another "Qu Tang"—a young woman from a barren, fourth-class planet, a lowly beastman with a Nightingale bloodline. Her soothing power was rated a pitiful D-grade, and her physical strength was an even worse E-grade. She was an orphan with no backing, sold into a political marriage to five of the most powerful and feared Beast Husbands in the entire Federation: a Black Panther, a Golden Lion, a White Tiger, a Dire Wolf, and a Giant Python.
These men were warriors of legendary prowess, but constant battle had left their mental seas—the core of a beastman's psyche—in tatters, filled with paranoia, aggression, and pain. The original Qu Tang, naive and desperate for love, had tried to get close to them, only to be met with cold contempt, harsh words, and sometimes, when her presence accidentally grated on their raw nerves, physical recoil.
Driven mad by their rejection and her own impotence, the original owner had spiraled into insanity. She had thrown tantrums, screamed, and in her latest and most disastrous act, had tried to attack the Panther Patriarch, Lu Jue, during one of his unstable episodes, nearly pushing his mental sea into irreversible collapse.
The memory ended with a powerful force throwing her across the room. Her head had struck the sharp corner of a crystalline table.
And then… she, the 21st-century Qu Tang, had arrived.
Cold dread, sharper than any stage fright she had ever known, pierced her heart. This wasn't just any new world. This was the exact plot of the interstellar beast novel she had been reading on her phone before her concert! And she had transmigrated into the body of the cannon fodder ex-wife right before her brutal execution!
In the novel, after this attack, the husbands would have her imprisoned. The original female lead, Bai Youyou, an S-grade soothing white rabbit beastman, would "accidentally" visit her. Using her pure energy, she would subtly agitate Qu Tang's already fragile mind, pushing her to complete madness. The deranged Qu Tang would then make a final, desperate attempt on Bai Youyou's life, giving the husbands the perfect excuse to execute her as a threat to their true fated mate.
Tears of panic welled in her eyes, but she fiercely wiped them away. Crying was what the original owner would do. She was Qu Tang, a queen who had fought her way up from nothing to dominate the global music scene. She would not die like this, a despised footnote in someone else's love story!
She had to get out. Now.
Just as the thought solidified, the massive doors to the bedroom hissed open. A figure stood silhouetted against the bright hallway light. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and moved with a lethal, predatory grace that made the air itself feel heavy. As he stepped into the dim light of the room, his features became clear: sharp, coldly handsome, with eyes that glowed with a faint emerald phosphorescence—the eyes of a panther. This was Lu Jue, the patriarch of the household, the one she had attacked.
His gaze fell upon her, awake and conscious on the bed. There was no concern in his eyes, only a deep, icy weariness and simmering rage.
"You're awake," his voice was a low rumble, devoid of any warmth. "It seems your thick skull is your most durable asset."
Qu Tang's heart hammered against her ribs. This was it. Her first test. She pushed herself up, ignoring the throbbing in her temple, and met his gaze. She saw the flicker of surprise in his eyes—the original Qu Tang would already be cowering or screaming.
"Lu Jue," she said, her voice hoarse from disuse but surprisingly steady. She clutched the memory of her past self's confidence like a lifeline. "We need to talk."
His brow furrowed slightly, the annoyance clear. "I have no interest in your hysterics. Consider yourself confined to these quarters until I decide what to do with you. Another outburst like the last one, and even the political alliance that forced this farce of a marriage won't be able to protect you."
This was her chance. She took a deep breath, channeling every ounce of her diva's poise. "There's no need for threats or confinement. I have a proposal that will solve this problem for all of us."
He crossed his arms, his silence a command to continue, but his expression was deeply skeptical.
"I want a divorce."
The words hung in the air, simple and absolute. For a long moment, Lu Jue was completely still. The quiet was more unnerving than any outburst. The glow in his eyes intensified, and she could almost see the paranoid calculations racing behind them. Why would the woman who clawed and screamed to stay suddenly demand to leave? Was it a trick? A new scheme?
"Explain," he finally bit out, his voice dangerously soft.
"What is there to explain?" Qu Tang replied, forcing her hands to stay still in her lap. "This marriage is a failure. My presence aggravates your mental seas. You and your… husbands… despise me. Keeping me here benefits no one. I am a burden and a trigger. Let me go. Grant me a divorce, and I will disappear from your lives forever. You can find a proper soothing mate who can truly help you, not a D-grade failure like me."
She used the original owner's self-deprecating words, hoping it would make her seem more believable.
Lu Jue studied her, his predatory gaze scanning every micro-expression on her face. He was looking for the lie, the hidden agenda. But the woman before him, though pale and injured, had a strange calmness in her eyes he had never seen before. There was no madness, no desperation, only a resolute, weary determination.
"Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked, his suspicion evident.
"Nearly dying has a way of clarifying one's priorities," she said dryly, touching the bandage on her temple. "I don't want to live hated, and I certainly don't want to die here. A clean break is the only solution."
He was silent for another long minute. She could see the war within him—the desire to be rid of her warring with his innate paranoia. Finally, the former won.
"Very well," he said, his tone still cold and distrustful. "The divorce will be processed. You will receive the minimum settlement as stipulated by the prenuptial agreement for an initiated separation. It is not much. You will be off this planet by tomorrow cycle. Is that clear?"
A wave of dizzying relief washed over her. She had done it. She had avoided the first step towards her death.
"Perfectly clear."
With one last, lingering look of suspicion, Lu Jue turned and left, the doors sealing shut behind him with a final, ominous hiss.
Qu Tang collapsed back onto the pillows, her body trembling with adrenaline. She was free. She was divorced. And she was utterly, completely broke and alone in an interstellar beast world.
But she was alive. And for a queen who knew how to perform, a new stage, no matter how small, was all she needed.