The Path Of A Cannon Fodder 1 Prologue

Bai AnLing frustratedly shoved his wheelchair away from the wooden desktop in his bedroom, while slamming down his phone on top of it. On the screen, you could still read the latest message his girlfriend, or now more accurately, his ex-girlfriend wrote to him.

{Jia Song: listen, I think we should break up. I wanted to believe you are able of feeling love towards me, but now I feel that I was fooling myself, you don't know what love is. I wish you a great life, and that someday, you'll be able to love someone.}

"How can she say that I don't know what love is?!"

As he was fuming over what could possibly be the issue and what he possibly did wrong, Bai AnLing grabbed his smartphone wanting to send a reply to Jia Song's text, but in the end, he didn't know what to write and gave up. Bai AnLing put his phone down back at the desk and sighed. He looked at his unmoving legs, feeling regret.

"Is it because we couldn't have s.e.x?-"

One year ago, Bai AnLing had an unfortunate accident leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Being a difficult person to get along with, and also with no living relatives, he had almost no one to visit him in the hospital as he was recovering from his injuries. Only Jia Song, a 20 years old and a bit tomboyish medical student, would visit him and talk with him from time to time, ignoring his bad att.i.tude altogether. She sometimes came on her free days as well, trying to cheer the 22 years old man up by telling him jokes or complaining about random things. Thanks to her Bai AnLing's mood and condition improved greatly, so after he was released from the hospital they started dating.

"-or maybe it is because of my current weak appearance?"

Ever since the accident, Bai AnLing's body has lost a considerable amount of muscle. If before the accident he had the body of an athlete, now he had the body of a stay at home geek. He became skinny with a white skin from the lack of sunlight and a tender and round face. His big black eyes that were framed by black eyegla.s.ses also added to the weak image he presented.

"If not for that stupid accident, I'd still be handsome and strong. Songsong would never have dumped me if I still looked like that..."

Bai AnLing once again sighed in regret when a deep and raspy voice was heard behind his back, making him freeze in fear.

"I think you are perfect just the way you are right now."

With his instincts kicking in Bai AnLing tried to quickly turn his wheelchair and escape to the door, running away from the voice. The results of his hurried actions though, were only making himself go off balance and fall together with his wheelchair.

*Thump*

During his fall Bai AnLing shut his eyes closed, so he was clueless as to how he got to the position he was in when he opened them again. He was laying on the floor with a masked man towering on top of him and caging him between his arms, a crazy look in his eyes.

"Who are you? How did you get in my apartment?"

Instead of answering, the masked man started caressing his face in a gentle yet l.u.s.tful way, horrifying Bai AnLing down to his soul.

"Don't touch me! Let me go!"

He tried to push the man's hands away from himself and crawl away, but to no avail, he wasn't strong enough. The man caught Bai AnLing's hands with his own before tying them up with a rope to a leg of the wooden desktop, making sure he wasn't able to move anymore.

"You are as pretty as always my love..."

The l.u.s.t in the man's voice was very obvious, scaring Bai AnLing so much, he started crying.

"Please let me go! I'll do anything! I swear! Just let me go..."

Big streams of tears were running down his face as he was begging for mercy, but the man did not respond to his pleads at all. Instead, he started unb.u.t.toning Bai AnLing's shirt with growing eagerness.

*knock*knock*

Suddenly, a knock was heard on the door, and the deep and husky voice of a man was heard behind it.

"Bai AnLing? It's Dai ZhiHao, are you ok? I heard a loud thud coming from your apartment. Did you fall from the wheelchair?"

Dai ZhiHao was his neighbor from the apartment right underneath his. Since their age gap was only one year apart and they had some similar interests, they became good friends soon after Bai AnLing moved in the building.

"Zhi! He-!"

Before Bai AnLing managed to call for help, his mouth was blocked with the stalker's hand.

"Shus! Keep quiet so he'll go away."

The masked man whispered in his ear, making Bai AnLing shiver with disgust.

"An? Are you there? I'm coming in."

It seems that Dai ZhiHao felt something was wrong, so he unlocked the door with the key Bai AnLing gave him in case he ever gets locked out of his apartment or fall from his wheelchair. Hearing the lock turning, the masked man looked at Bai AnLing with fury in his eyes.

"Honey... Why does this man have a key to your house and calls you by your first name?!"

The man's figure was shaking in rage as the door finally opened, revealing the scene inside.

"What the-?"

In the entrance stood a dumbfounded yet handsome young man, with short brown hair and sharp golden eyes. He was wearing a police uniform, which fitted his well built body and tanned skin perfectly.

'He must have just returned from his rounds....'

Bai AnLing thought to himself. Dai ZhiHao was a police officer in the local police station, his dream was to become a police detective and solve crimes. Dai ZhiHao always joked that he did this job in order to protect Bai AnLing from any harm, so watching the scene that unfolded in front of his eyes at that moment made Dai ZhiHao feel anger.

'How dare this man attack Bai AnLing under my watch?!'

Enraged at this thought, Dai ZhiHao swiftly pulled his gun out of it's case and pointed it at the masked man, stating his authority as a police officer to the a.s.sailant.

"Freeze! Police! Step away from Bai AnLing and show me your hands!"

Hearing Dai ZhiHao's demands and seeing his gun, made the masked man rage grow to a new level, bordering insanity. Instead of surrendering quietly as he was told to do, the man began laughing crazily.

"If I can't have him, no one can!!!!"

A knife suddenly appeared in the masked man's hand. Understanding the man's intentions immediately, Dai ZhiHao tensed.

"You don't have to do this, just let me go! Please!"

Bai AnLing begged the man after seeing the sharp blade in his hand, to let him go, but the man was in his madness and couldn't hear his words. Sending one last crazy and obsessed look at Bai AnLing's half-exposed body, the man's knife swiftly cut Bai AnLing's throat.

"AN!!! NOOO!!!!"

Seeing Bai AnLing throat cut in front of his eyes, Dai ZhiHao pulled the trigger of his gun and shot the masked vermin in his shoulder. The masked man screamed in agony as he fell off Bai AnLing's body, holding his injury. All of this happened in just a few seconds, leaving Bai AnLing's fading consciousness in a blur. All he felt was his body growing cold and an overwhelming tiredness, urging him to close his eyes and fall asleep.

'So this is how I'm going to die....'

Bai AnLing could hear rushed footsteps approaching him as Dai ZhiHao desperately tried to stop the bleeding in his neck with his hands, only removing one hand to use his police radio and call for backup. Bai AnLing's eyes closed as he gave-in to his tiredness and slipped into the darkness.

"-------?-------?!-----!!!!"

He could vaguely hear Dai ZhiHao say something, but he couldn't understand what it was. Something wet fell on to his face, making him even more confused.

'What is this?...'

'.... I can't think clearly..'

As he realized this was his end Bai AnLing was filled with sadness, having many regrets about the life he was leaving behind.

'I still have to many thing I hadn't done..... Why must I die now?...'

Bai AnLing used to be a pro kick-boxer said to be a promising star with a bright future, but the accident took away this future from him. Luckily, Bai AnLing was also a genius with a high IQ, so after the accident he decided to major in criminology. He was about to finish his degree next week and even got a job offer to work for the FBI after he completed his studies, joining the behavioral a.n.a.lysis unit as he inspired to do. His death took that dream away from him as well.

'I guess I won't be able to fulfill any dream of mine in this life...'

A synthetic sound was suddenly buzzing around in his head, making Bai AnLing's head hurt.

'Must I die with such a headache?...'

The buzzing sound grew louder, like a radio out of tune, before disappearing completely and being replaced with a synthetic voice.

[How about you sign a contract with me instead of dying?]

If not for his very hazy mind, Bai AnLing would have never even considered answering the voice, but he was too tired now to care for the details.

'Who is this? The devil?'

Bai AnLing heard stories about how the devil make deals with people in exchange with their souls when he was a kid, this situation reminded him of these stories.

[It doesn't matter for now. Right now you have to decide if you want to sign the contract or not before you die. You need to hurry up.]

'I must be losing it...'

[You are not 'losing it'.I have heard your wish to not die without accomplishing anything in this life, so I am suggesting a way out by transferring to other worlds to complete missions.]

'Why should I trust you?'

[I can keep you alive, for starters. Besides, what do you have to lose?]

'I see... That sounds reasonable.'

[You still need to give the verbal permission or you will die. You will be die in 3....2....-]

'I'll sign.'

[...1. Good... You will now be transported to the first world.]

[....]

[.... Transfer complete.]

[Enjoy your new life Bai AnLing.]