Chapter One: Born as a Fox, Transmigrated into a Novel as a Little Beast

“Big brother, this little fox is a rare red fox—the pelt alone must be worth a good sum.”

The man’s words drifted into her ears as Ji Ci slowly opened her eyes. Before her was a swath of grassland, and she realized someone was gripping the back of her neck.

She tried to clench her hand, but the sensation was off—something was missing. Looking down, her pupils widened in shock.

“What on earth—I’ve turned into a dog!”

Her high-pitched squeals rang out as she kicked frantically in the hunter’s arms.

“It’s still alive, big brother! This little fox isn’t hurt—why don’t we sell it to the city folk? They love these rare creatures.”

“Good idea. We’ll head to the city in a bit—word is General Dongfang Jibai just crushed the rebellion of the Northern Di, and the emperor is so pleased he’s preparing to bestow a marriage. The city must be lively now.”

With that, the man tossed Ji Ci into a basket and covered her with a cloth, plunging her world into darkness.

The jolt rattled her skull, and suddenly a rush of memories flooded her mind, nearly splitting her head apart. She reached up with her paw but could only touch her pointed muzzle.

She had once been a powerhouse in the post-apocalyptic world, blessed with a system and healing abilities. In a final battle with the Zombie King, the explosion of its core had taken her life as well.

Now, she had transmigrated—or more accurately, entered a novel! The very book her comrade had recommended just days ago: “The Male Lead Is a Villain.”

The protagonist, Dongfang Jibai, was a general of the Great Zhou Dynasty, risking his life for the nation only to be suspected by the royal family and framed for treason. His entire clan—one hundred and sixty-eight souls—were executed.

Because the princess took a fancy to him, Dongfang Jibai was kept as one of Princess Xue Yingxue’s advisors, though in truth, he was little more than her pet.

Princess Xue Yingxue maintained connections with the sons of many ministers, hoping to leverage these men to push the emperor into naming her heir apparent, aiming to become the first empress regnant. Dongfang Jibai was her sharpest weapon.

Step by step, Dongfang Jibai fell into darkness, ultimately overthrowing the dynasty by colluding with the Qin, plunging the land into chaos and misery.

Ji Ci had always pitied the male lead—so full of passion, yet destroyed by the royal family, left neither man nor ghost.

She let out a heavy sigh. So she’d transmigrated into a book—fine, she could accept that, but… couldn’t she at least be human?

Was this karma for killing zombies in her past life, to come back as a beast?

She wriggled, inching her way out of the basket, ears pricked to the hunters’ conversation. When she sensed their guard was down, she kicked off with her hind legs, bursting from under the cloth and dashing toward the woods.

“It’s escaping! The little thing dares to run—just wait till I catch it, I’ll skin it alive!”

The two men gave chase with bows and arrows, arrows whistling past her as she ran. Still adjusting to her new body, Ji Ci wasn’t very fast, but four legs were better than two, and she managed to stay ahead.

“I can’t die here, can I? Why isn’t my space working?” she fumed internally, her legs pumping furiously as she shot out of sight.

Suddenly, she was airborne.

“It vanished!” one hunter cried.

“I’m not blind,” grumbled his companion.

They crept toward where she’d disappeared. One man slipped, quickly steadied by the other. “Careful, brother.”

“She must have fallen in—what rotten luck, after all that work.”

They hesitated at the edge of a bottomless pit, unwilling to descend.

At the bottom, Ji Ci lay sprawled and dizzy, but alive.

“System! System!” she called out.

No response. She cursed, “Where are you when I need you most?”

Dragging herself to a pool at the cavern floor, she bent down to lap at the water.

[Zzz—system activated.]

Her eyes lit up. “System, you’re back!”

[Master, I finally found you!]

Relief flooded her—her system space was packed with supplies from the apocalypse; she could survive fifty years in there without worry.

Her tail wagged in excitement—she didn’t even know why her tail moved. With a thought, she entered the space, only to stand frozen in shock.

Her mountains of gold and silver were gone, leaving only a worthless spiritual spring, nothing more than common property in the apocalypse.

She’d been robbed! All at once, her spirit seemed to drain away, her little fox body collapsing in despair.

“I’m ruined! My fortune!”

She rolled miserably on the ground.

[Master, I sold everything to bring you back to life—stop howling already.]

“Compensate me! And look at my state! I’m a fox! Can you be a little more reliable?”

She protested angrily.

[You should count yourself lucky—all you are is a fox. Your teammate came back as a dog, you know.]

“Is our whole team animals now?” Ji Ci asked cautiously.

[Not exactly. Only you and A Qing are beasts.]

Her indignation flared. She’d killed more zombies than anyone—why did she have to be an animal?

[Master, those who worked themselves to death in their past lives as beasts of burden can only return as animals. That’s the rule!]

“You’ve got to be—!”

Ji Ci erupted in curses.

[Ding~ Want to become human again? Just complete small tasks to earn points!]

[First task: Within 24 hours, find Dongfang Jibai and stay by his side. Reward: 5 points. Failure penalty: three minutes of electric shock. Countdown: 23:59:59. Transformation progress: 0/1000.]

Upon receiving the mission, Ji Ci let loose another round of complaints. She didn’t even know which mountain she was on—how was she supposed to find the male lead?

Dragging her tiny body, she soaked herself in the spiritual spring, which quickly healed her wounds and filled her with strength.

Leaving the space, she searched for an exit along the underground stream. After what felt like ages, she finally spotted a faint glow—a cave opening.

Her eyes sparkled, and she scampered over. In her haste, she forgot how small her body was and was swept out by the waterfall at the cave’s mouth.

“I’m doomed!” she yelped, paws flailing in midair, desperately trying to grab a vine.

She missed, plunging into the water below with a modest splash.

If this were a diving contest, she’d barely score a five.

In the pool, a bare-chested man slowly opened his eyes, lifting his gaze skyward. “What just fell?”

Ji Ci floundered in the water, swallowing a few mouthfuls before finally figuring out how to dog-paddle.

“Could this day get any worse?” she grumbled inwardly.

The man’s eyes sharpened as he glanced around, a frown creasing his brow.

That was a woman’s voice—but there was no woman in sight! Who was spying on him while he bathed?