Shen Wuye did not move.
The ceiling caught Shen, and he was watching it from different angles.
His breath was shallow. His body felt… intact.
Shen's eyes shifted downward. A woman was sitting astride his legs.
She was seated as if it were the most comfortable position in the world—her weight balanced, posture relaxed, palms resting lightly on Shen's thighs. The fabric of her dress was thin, pale, and unfamiliar, draping over her figure in smooth layers that shifted subtly with every breath she took.
She was close. Close enough that Shen could see individual strands of her hair; her hair is long and dark, falling forward over her shoulders. Close enough to notice that her eyes were not entirely black, but carried a faint, luminous depth, like starlight buried beneath calm water.
She was looking at Shen with interest.
"Why do you keep closing and opening your eyes?" she said again, tilting her head slightly.
Shen swallowed. His throat felt dry.
"W…Who are you?" he asked.
Shen observed an unknown tremor in his voice.
The woman's lips curved upward. It was something between amusement and evaluation.
"Straight to the question," she said. "You don't immediately attempt to push me away."
Her gaze flicked downward briefly, slow and deliberate, before returning to his face.
"You're calmer than I expected," she said.
Shen stiffened. That glance had not been accidental.
"Get off me," he said, forcing steadiness into his tone. "Where am I?"
She did not move. Instead, she leaned forward slightly to Shen. Shen can smell her sweet scent.
Shen was well aware of the warmth radiating from her body, the way the mattress sank subtly under their combined weight.
"You ask a lot of questions," she said lightly. "For someone who recently died."
The word hit him harder than any impact.
"D…died?" Shen repeated.
"Yes," she replied. "Very decisively, too. Your heart has stopped. Your nervous system has collapsed. Your body has reached a point where it can't recover."
She spoke with clinical clarity, as though describing a completed calculation.
Shen's fingers curled into the bed sheets.
He remembered the car accident. Zhao's face was distorted with fear. The weightless moment before everything went dark.
"So this is… death? I miss my friend," he asked.
The woman laughed. It is almost pleasant.
"Why are you laughing?" Shen asked.
"You are dead," she said calmly. "But you now exist in another world."
She straightened again, sitting upright on his legs, her spine straight, chin slightly raised.
"And this is not death," she continued. "This is a transition to another world."
Shen exhaled slowly. His mind was racing, but years of suppressing exhaustion and stress had given him a strange advantage—he did not immediately sag. Instead, he observed everything.
The bed beneath him was wide, layered with fabrics. The air was clean, carrying a faint, unfamiliar fragrance—something deeper.
The room was large. In the normal world, it was not less than a city apartment or hospital.
And then there was her.
A woman who spoke of his death as a confirmed fact, but said he had not died yet, sitting on him as though it were a casual choice.
"Are you… human?" Shen asked.
She blinked once.
Then laughed again, this time a little more openly.
"Oh, that's a dangerous question," she said. "It depends on how you understand."
She leaned forward again, this time resting her hands on Shen's chest.
Shen's body tensed reflexively. Her palms were warm. An unfamiliar feeling began to arise within him.
"You see," she said softly, her voice lowering just a fraction, "in your world it's called something, yeah, I remember it's called biology. If so, I'm not human."
Her eyes traced his face, then dipped lower, slow and unapologetic.
"And from a functional perspective…" She paused.
She continued, "you are surprisingly well-equipped."
Shen's face heated instantly.
"What?" he snapped. "What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"
She hummed, clearly entertained by his reaction.
"So it does still respond, I can feel it," she said thoughtfully.
Shen tried to sit up. He realized that his body was responding slowly, as if it was getting used to itself. The effort caused the sheets to move, and the woman's balance adjusted effortlessly with him, her knees pressing more firmly into the mattress on either side of his legs.
"You should remain still for now," she said calmly. "Your physical form has been restored. Sudden exertion may cause instability."
"Get off me," Shen repeated the same thing, but more sharply this time.
She considered him for a moment.
Then, with an exaggeration, she leaned closer to his face and looked.
Close enough that he could feel her breath.
For the first time, Shen felt something different in his body. He can't even explain what's happening with her.
"Is that truly what you want?" she asked quietly. "Because your body is giving me a very different answer."
Shen's mind short-circuited for half a second.
What the hell, what does she really think she's asking? He thought to himself.
Then anger flared, sharp and grounding.
"Enough," he said. "Who are you? What is this place? If this is some kind of hallucination, then it's gone too far."
Her expression changed, the amusement faded, replaced by something sharper, something focused.
"Very well," she said, straightening. "We can pause the introductory calibration."
Calibration. That word did not belong in this situation.
She shifted her weight and finally moved, rising from his legs and stepping back onto the floor. Her movement was smooth, controlled, and when she stood, Shen noticed that she was barefoot.
"Let us reset," she continued. "I know you have a lot of questions. I will answer all of them."
She raised one hand. The wind blew faintly beside her.
Shen's eyes widened. Some type of symbols appeared. Something deeper, as though the space itself had been inscribed with meaning.
Those symbols were unfamiliar - curved lines, layered symbols, letters that didn't seem modern or ancient, yet they had a structured feel.
"What you are seeing is an interface representation adapted for your cognition," she said.
Shen stared.
"Like a system?" he asked slowly.
Her lips curved again.
"Correct," she said.
She turned to face him fully, posture straight, hands folding loosely in front of her.
"I am the Heavenly Resonance Cultivation System," she said.
Designation: Core Guidance and Manifestation Module. Created specially for you.
She paused, then added, "You may call me the HRC System. Whenever you need help, you can summon me for guidance."
Shen laughed once.
"I finally lost my mind," he muttered.
"That response is within expected parameters," she replied calmly.
She gestured slightly. The symbols shifted, reorganizing themselves.
"Your consciousness was retrieved at the moment of biological termination," she said. "Your existence has been transferred to a stabilized resonance vessel."
Shen looked at his hands. He flexed his fingers. Felt the sheets beneath them. The air against his skin.
"This body is mine," he said slowly.
"Yes," she replied. "With improvements."
"Improvements?" Shen asked.
She glanced at him. Then smiled again.
"Your body's durability, recovery speed, compatibility," she said. "And potential is increased."
Shen sat up this time.
The question came out heavier than he intended.
"Why me?" he asked.
The woman studied him.
For the first time since he had awakened, her expression shifted into something more neutral.
"Because you are an anomaly," she said.
Shen frowned. "I was an overworked office employee."
"And now," she replied, "you are the only male existence in this world."
The words settled heavily.
"W…What?" He was surprised.
She waved her hand again.
Those symbols spread out, forming a layered diagram - vast, abstract, impossible to fully understand at a glance.
"This is not your original world," she said. "This is a high-resonance cultivation plane. A realm where life is created through divine essence. A world where men do not exist."
Shen stared at her.
"You're saying…" he began, then stopped.
The implication was too absurd.
"Yes," she said calmly. "Your existence here violates every natural law of this world."
She stepped closer. Not invading his space this time. Simply standing within his field of vision.
"That is why the system was bound to you," she continued. "To regulate, guide, and weaponize that anomaly."
Shen's heartbeat quickened.
"Weaponize?" he repeated.
"Yeah, your natural weapon. You will understand slowly," she said.
She leaned in slightly, her voice lowering. "And eventually… dominance."
Shen looked at her, at the calm certainty in her eyes, at the impossible room around him.
If this were a dream, it would be very coherent.
"You said I can summon you," he said slowly.
"Yes," she replied.
"Like this?" he asked.
She smiled.
"Exactly like this." She replied.
Something in her gaze shifted again—subtle, but clear.
"Though," she added, "next time, you may wish to be more specific about how you summon me."
Shen frowned. "What do you mean—"
She stepped back. The symbols disappeared. The room seemed to grow quieter.
"Your initial summoning was influenced by subconscious desire," she said evenly.
Shen's mouth opened.
She tilted her head.
"Do not worry," she said. "Such responses are natural. And… useful sometimes."
Before he could respond, the air around them changed.
The woman's gaze sharpened instantly.
"Ah," she said softly. "So soon."
Shen felt it then. It is a kind of pressure. But beyond it.
"What is that?" he asked.
She turned back to him.
Her expression was no longer playful.
"Your arrival has been detected," she said. "And the world does not welcome anomalies easily. Careful."
The floor beneath them pulsed faintly. The resonance grew stronger.
"Prepare yourself, Shen Wuye," she said. "Your first trial is approaching soon."
The room blurred.
And the last thing Shen saw was the system's gaze, burning with anticipation.