The Legendary Investigator, But He's the Hongwu Emperor

"I am Zhu Chongba, a transmigrator. I just left Huangjue Temple and had my first meal in this life—not bad, pretty tasty. Now, I plan to head straight to Haozhou, marry Ma Dajiao, and walk the path to ultimate success—showing my fellow transmigrators how to start with nothing but a bowl and end with an empire." But something about this late Yuan dynasty feels terribly wrong. As Zhu Yuanzhang pens these words, he sighs, burns the yellowed paper by candlelight, and glances at the doorway—where a fleshy, thousand-armed, hundred-eyed Buddha writhes on a lotus pedestal, worshipped by the White Lotus cult. "This Little King of Ming... is one hell of a creepy bastard." From the merfolk Chen Youliang worships—the deep-sea abomination Dagon—to the black clouds of monstrous progeny coiled above the Great Wall; from the one-eyed stone man in the Yellow River to the baleful star traversing the heavens; and the Five Virtues of "Heavenly Mandate" that seem to manipulate the very cycle of dynasties—the world is steeped in cosmic horror. Fortunately, he has a simulator. "Deep Blue! Add points!" But the response is always: "Sorry! Your chosen character has died! Investigator, exit the simulation and start over! Damn it!"