JACKAL AMONG SNAKES - Chapter 12: Strike Up the Band

He doesn’t have a name, a face, or a place in the story—except to guide others to their “happy endings.” For thousands of loops, he’s endured heartbreak, despair, and the crushing reset of the world every time something goes wrong. He’s memorized every line, every trigger, every rule: no deaths, no interference, no breaking the script.But Loop 1,204 feels different. The world isn’t punishing him for stepping off the path. Suddenly, he can change things—rewrite relationships, alter destinies, maybe even reclaim his own existence. But with freedom comes uncertainty, and the looming threat of the loop snapping shut once more.Can he finally break the cycle and find his own ending, or will the world reset around him one last, merciless time?

Why, seems like I’ve become a haunted portrait.

Born into darkness, Lucius is marked by an infernal curse—the Mark of the Abyss. This unholy sigil endows him with powers that defy mortal comprehension, yet seals his fate: servitude, rejection, and a grim demise.Embark on a journey with Lucius as he unravels the hidden truth behind the Marks, battles to carve out a destiny of his own, and strikes back against the cruel fate imposed upon him.In a world that shuns him for his cursed existence, Lucius will forge unlikely alliances to challenge those who scorn him. He is driven by a relentless desire to claim a place for himself and his loved ones, no matter the cost.Prepared to plunge into the darkest depths of depravity, Lucius is poised on the brink of a harrowing journey. The ultimate enigma remains: what awaits him in the abyss of his ambitions?

Nan Yu was brought by the Nan Family back from the countryside to pretend as the fake heiress, being forced to marry the paralyzed and tyrannical young master of Huo Family on behalf of the real heiress.Before the marriage, she was just a fake heiress who had been abused since childhood, despised by everyone, and had nowhere to call home.After the marriage, she became the heiress who was coveted by many, lavished with love, and had countless brilliant hidden identities.Such a perfect person, the only pity was having a disabled husband.Everyone advised her to kick him out and find someone better.But a few days later, they saw the man who had been in a wheelchair stand up and become the rich and powerful ruler of the Huo Family.He then pinned Nan Yu in a corner, held her by the waist, and with a hint of red in his eyes, and said, “Sweetie, I heard that you want to divorce me?”Remembering his wildness in bed, Nan Yu shook her head violently, “No! Those are all rumors. You are the only one I want to spend my life with!”