After Becoming a Cannon Fodder, I Fell into a Love-Hate Relationship with the Heroine (GL) - Chapter 1

Cold rain poured down on Huo Xi as she slowly regained consciousness in the middle of a desolate field.

Her mind was a mess, but she vaguely remembered having a fever a few days ago. Trying to save money, she had visited a small street-side clinic for a quick checkup.

It wasn’t until she lay on the examination table that she realized it was an illegal clinic.

By the time Huo Xi became aware of the situation, she had already passed out.

Now, as she woke again, she lowered her head and looked over her body. Thankfully, everything seemed intact.

A harsh, mechanical voice suddenly rang out beside her.
“Congratulations, Host No. 233. You have successfully bound with the Horror System.”

Huo Xi looked around, but there was no one in sight.

In the distance, she saw rows of tall, rectangular shapes—an entire field of them. It looked like a graveyard.

“If the host wishes to return to the human world, please complete the mission and collect 100,000 Fear Points.”

What was that voice?

Huo Xi doubted her own ears. Then, a digital window suddenly appeared before her eyes.

Text scrolled rapidly inside the frame, explaining that she was already dead. She was now a spirit and had transmigrated into the world of Horror Detective Agency, the very novel she had been reading recently.

Back then, Huo Xi had only skimmed the beginning. She disliked the heroine’s arrogant personality and found the investigations dull and predictable. She quickly lost interest and tossed the book aside. She had even complained about the author.

She never expected fate to turn the tables like this.

Now, she deeply regretted it. If she had known this would happen, she would have read the entire book.

Her new task was to raise the fear level of the story world by creating a frightening atmosphere, which would push the plot forward and earn her enough points to leave.

“I’m dead?” Huo Xi could still feel herself breathing, and her limbs moved freely.

She boldly guessed that maybe the illegal clinic had done something to her body.

The mechanical voice returned.
“Host, although this is a fictional world, please proceed with caution to avoid a second death.”

Even as a spirit, Huo Xi could still be harmed by special weapons. If she died again, there would be no coming back.

The screen faded away, and the strange voice disappeared.

Huo Xi scoffed. This felt like some childish prank. Transmigrating into a book? She had only seen things like that in novels and movies.

She decided to head toward a populated area and look for help.

After walking through a narrow alley, she saw the warm glow of a streetlamp up ahead.

The busy street beyond was filled with traffic and people.

“Excuse me! Can you call the police? I think I’ve been tricked!” Huo Xi waved down a passerby.

The man was looking at his phone and didn’t even glance at her. He walked straight through her as if she weren’t there.

He shivered.
“Why is there a cold wind in the middle of summer?”

Fear Points +0.1. To accumulate points faster, please accept the main mission.

“He didn’t see me…” Huo Xi looked at her hands. Under the streetlight, they appeared transparent.

Panic began to rise in her chest. Could she really be dead?

Her heart trembled, and a chill crept down her back.

She asked several more passersby, but each encounter ended the same way.

Fear Points +0.2, +0.1

So, no one could see her at all.

If that was the case, and she really was dead with no way to change it, maybe she should just do whatever she wanted.

She used to live a nine-to-five life. Now she was dead, and yet still had to complete missions?

Huo Xi rolled her eyes and walked into a nearby convenience store. She carefully approached the shopkeeper and waved a hand in front of him.

The owner was relaxed, watching a drama on his phone while lounging comfortably in his chair.

Huo Xi went to the snack aisle and grabbed two large bags of chips.

Just as she was picking up more, a sudden “Welcome” greeting startled her so badly that she dropped the chips on the floor.

Already feeling guilty like a thief, she froze.

Lu Yue walked into the store wearing a cap and a face mask. She heard the sound and glanced toward the shelves, but saw no one.
“Boss, are you alone in the store?”

“Yes, business slows down at night,” the owner replied lazily.

Lu Yue took a few steps forward. Seeing the chips scattered on the ground, she looked around suspiciously and bent down to pick them up.

Even though Huo Xi knew Lu Yue couldn’t see her, she didn’t dare make a sound. She stood frozen in place. The more nervous and frightened she felt, the harder it became to move.

They were standing near the freezer section. The unexplained presence of the chips made Lu Yue uneasy.

She quietly slipped a hand into her bag, and a flicker of cold sharpness appeared in her eyes.

She moved quickly, slashing through the air with a hidden blade, but hit nothing.

Straightening up, Lu Yue brushed her long hair back and returned to her calm, innocent appearance.
“Maybe I’m just imagining things,” she said softly.

Huo Xi had backed into a corner, crouching and shaking in fear. She was completely stunned by what had just happened.

So there really was danger here. Real, fatal danger.

Main Mission ‘Moonlit Melody’ has begun.

A target marker appeared in front of her, a yellow arrow pointing directly at the woman who had just attacked the air.

“I’m supposed to follow her?” Huo Xi was still shaken.

She will be a key figure in the main mission. Good luck, Host.

“Alright,” Huo Xi said through gritted teeth. “I accept. I accept.”

Even with invisibility, she could still die. If that was the case, she might as well gamble on completing the mission and going home.

Lu Yue bought a pack of cigarettes at the register and walked out to her car.

She started the engine and looked around. Something felt off, but she couldn’t tell what it was.

Under the moonlight, a black car slowly pulled up beside the curb. Lu Yue retrieved a notebook from the passenger seat.

She removed her disguise, letting her long hair fall freely from her cap.

After locking the car, she stepped onto the stairs and walked into a nearby building.

Only when Lu Yue had put some distance between them did Huo Xi dare to crawl out from the vehicle.

As soon as the door opened, the car’s security alarm began to blare.

The quiet street suddenly became full of noise.

Huo Xi quickly closed the car door, trying to make everything look exactly as it had before.

A gust of cold wind blew past. Lu Yue turned around but did not notice anything unusual. She locked the door again.

In front of them stood a large building with thick vines covering the old brick walls. The structure towered over her, silent and intimidating.

The moonlight cast a faint glow across the surface, creating a bone-chilling atmosphere.

Huo Xi had been so focused on the scenery that by the time she snapped out of it, her target, Lu Yue, had already disappeared.

She could faintly hear the sound of footsteps echoing through the hallway inside the building.

The front door was not completely shut. Huo Xi squeezed through the small gap and slipped inside.

At the end of the hallway, under the dim glow of a white light, she caught a glimpse of a shadow moving up to the second floor.

Without thinking, Huo Xi followed quickly. She passed several empty classrooms. The place looked like an abandoned school.

Lu Yue entered an office. Just as she was about to close the door, Huo Xi reached out and blocked it with her hand.

The heavy wooden door slammed onto her fingers, then bounced back slightly.

Huo Xi clutched her hand and bit her lip, holding back the pain and trying not to make a sound.

Lu Yue turned on a desk lamp and glanced toward the hallway with a cold expression.

“Who is it?”

Had she been found out?

In that tense moment, Huo Xi spotted a small stone on the ground. She kicked it toward the door, and it lodged itself in the gap just in time.

Lu Yue pushed the door again and noticed the stone. She kicked it aside and gave a soft laugh before locking the door.

Huo Xi used the moment to slip inside the room.

It had once been a teachers’ office, but now it looked different. Several desks had been removed and replaced with a simple bed.

On the remaining desk sat a small green plant. Even in this gloomy room, it looked unusually healthy and full of life.

So where was the mission?

Huo Xi had followed her this far, but aside from this quiet school building, there was nothing that stood out.

She was not sure if her voice could be heard, so she did not dare to call the system.

Suddenly, the sharp ring of a phone broke the silence. The unexpected sound eased Lu Yue’s suspicion.

Huo Xi could not hear what was being said on the other end. She could only see that Lu Yue’s expression had become serious.

“Alright. I’m at the usual place. You can come find me.”

The call ended after those few short words.

In the small room, Lu Yue flipped through a file of documents while Huo Xi watched from the corner.

Huo Xi took a deep breath and slowly exhaled toward Lu Yue’s face.

Nothing happened. Lu Yue simply felt a slight chill and opened the window to let in some air.

If this were anyone else, Huo Xi would have earned some Fear Points by now.

But this woman was different. She showed no sign of fear. It was as if she could not sense Huo Xi’s presence at all.

Lu Yue kept reading the messy documents on the desk, completely focused.

With nothing else to do, Huo Xi grew curious about what she was reading.

She moved closer behind Lu Yue. A small red box appeared in her vision, highlighting a specific spot.

Wherever her gaze moved, the box followed and stayed fixed on a single folder.

Inside were several paper documents.

Huo Xi reached out to take it. Just as her hand touched the folder, Lu Yue’s hand landed on top of hers.

Everything froze.

Huo Xi stayed completely still. She could feel the warmth of Lu Yue’s hand and carefully glanced up at her.

Their eyes met.

For a moment, it felt like Lu Yue could actually see her. It was hard to tell.

They stared at each other in silence. Huo Xi slowly tried to pull her hand away.

“Have you been following me this whole time?” Lu Yue asked suddenly, grabbing her wrist and not letting go.

This woman could really see her.

Huo Xi’s first instinct was to run. This was the same person who had nearly killed her earlier. Now that she had been seen, she could be in even more danger.

“Sorry, I must have walked into the wrong place. I didn’t mean to disturb you.” Huo Xi smiled nervously, hoping to distract her.

“You are not made of resentment,” Lu Yue said calmly. She tightened her grip on Huo Xi with one hand and began searching her bag with the other.

She was probably going to pull out a weapon. Huo Xi immediately panicked.

But instead of a knife, Lu Yue pulled out a bracelet. Without a word, she slipped it onto Huo Xi’s wrist.

The bracelet gave off a soft blue glow and slowly tightened until it fit snugly around her wrist.

Bathed in the moonlight, Lu Yue smiled.
“Got you.”

She let go of Huo Xi, who bolted toward the door, stumbling and crashing into it.

“Who cares about some mission? I need to stay alive first,” Huo Xi muttered as she ran toward the exit.

Congratulations, Host. You have established a connection with the story’s female lead. You have earned 30 Fear Points.

Huo Xi ignored the system’s voice and rushed out.

But just as she reached the street outside, the world twisted around her, and she found herself back in the office.

She tried again and ended up at the same starting point.

Lu Yue sat calmly in her chair, holding a cup in her hands.
“It’s useless. You can’t escape.”

Huo Xi stopped and took a moment to calm herself down. She stayed far away, keeping a safe distance.

The room was quiet again. The killing intent she had felt earlier had faded.

“You… what exactly are you…” Huo Xi finally spoke, her voice hesitant and trembling.

Before she could finish, Lu Yue interrupted her.

Lu Yue picked up a small glowing crystal cube from the desk. It looked just like the bracelet on Huo Xi’s wrist, glowing with the same soft blue light.

“Aren’t you curious why all this is happening?” Lu Yue asked.

In truth, Huo Xi was not curious. Not even a little.

She had seen stranger things already. A bit of teleportation was nothing to her now.

But she remembered what the system had told her. She needed to move the story forward.

She quietly scanned the room without answering.

Lu Yue tilted her head back, then stood up from her chair and walked up to her.

She raised Huo Xi’s wrist and brought the glowing bracelet closer to her eyes.
“Now that you’re wearing this, you belong to me. Don’t even think about running away.”