My dear grandson!"
At a familiar call, Zhang Ren suddenly opened his eyes and sat up abruptly. Due to the sudden movement, he forgot where he was and slammed into the back of the seat in front of him with a thud before bouncing back down.
A pungent, irritating sensation shot directly from his nose, instantly waking Zhang Ren up.
"Xiao Zhang, are you alright?" A strong male voice came from beside Zhang Ren.
Coming to his senses, Zhang Ren rubbed his nose with a wry smile and said, "It's nothing, Master Shi."
At this moment, on a tour bus, Zhang Ren rubbed his sore nose and spoke to a burly elderly man with a full head of short silver hair next to him.
A week has passed since the last vigil. What exactly happened after Zhang Ren fainted that day? Zhang Ren asked his uncle for a long time, but the uncle just shook his head and remained silent with a pale face.
Afterwards, there were no further problems with Grandma's funeral. The cremation and burial went smoothly, and Grandma's portrait returned to normal, as if nothing had happened before.
This made Zhang Ren feel as if he had been hallucinating before he fell into a coma. However, after his grandmother was buried, his uncle gave him a bank card and a bronze sword-shaped pendant. He told him that the bank card was his grandmother's inheritance, the secret was Zhang Ren's birthday, and the pendant was one of the things his father left behind. As for the other things, his uncle didn't say anything, but Zhang Ren knew that they must have been sold off long ago.
Hanging the pendant around his neck, looking at the bank card in his hand and his uncle's hurried footsteps receding into the distance, Zhang Ren felt that the other man was hiding something from him.
After handling his grandmother's funeral arrangements, Zhang Ren took the bank card and left. However, upon returning to the city, he did not immediately look for work but instead joined a tour group to travel and adjust his mood.
Today is the last day of Zhang Ren's week-long trip. However, he has not rested well these past few days, so he fell asleep on the bus. In his dream, he vaguely heard his grandmother's voice again, which startled him awake. However, the movement was too big and he bumped into the back of the seat in front of him.
"Based on my experience, Zhang Xiaoge had such a strong reaction because he was having a nightmare."
Just as Zhang Ren was rubbing his sore nose and explaining to the old man next to him, a short young man wearing glasses in the seat in front of him said with a smile.
Zhang Ren smiled at the young man, whose name was Li Li. From their previous conversation, he learned that this guy seemed to be an online novelist. Zhang Ren had inquired about the name of his novel, but the guy refused, probably thinking it would be another flop. However, the guy had a good attitude; even if he flopped, he was still in the mood to travel.
However, in Li Li's words, this is called going out to collect folk songs.
As the three were talking, the tour guide's voice rang out from the bus, "Dear tourists, we are now at Broken Blade Mountain. Legend has it that the tomb of the ever-victorious general is located on this mountain."
Listening to the tour guide's voice, Zhang Ren turned his head and looked out the window. At this time, the trees outside were lush and there were no traces of man-made buildings. It was hard to imagine that there would be a general's tomb on this mountain.
Just as Zhang Ren was thinking about these things, Li Li in front of him said, "Speaking of this ever-victorious general, in addition to his strong ability to handle battles, according to unofficial historical records, this general's wealth was comparable to that of a country."
His words piqued the interest of Zhang Ren and Master Shi. Under their curiosity, Li Li transformed into a popular science expert and explained the life of this ever-victorious general to them.
...
On the other side of the mountain, in a secluded place, several men dressed in mountaineering clothes and wearing masks gathered together. One of them was half-squatting on the ground, forcefully inserting a Luoyang shovel into the ground, then pulling it out, and fiddling with the soil brought out by the shovel to determine something.
"This should be it, this should be the tomb of the ever-victorious general. Everyone, get your weapons ready and let's begin!"
"Third Brother, I've heard this place has been very strange lately, with strange noises often heard at night. Are we really going to rob this tomb?"
"Stop talking nonsense. If we don't steal it, what will we eat? Hurry up and prepare the tools. We'll go down into the tomb later when the boss and the others arrive."
After saying this, the masked men responded and began to prepare.
Zhang Ren, who was enjoying the scenery along the way, suddenly realized that the vehicle they were in seemed to be traveling in the wrong direction. Looking at the increasingly desolate but lush environment around them, he looked around the carriage with a puzzled expression.
At this point, many tourists were resting with their eyes closed, as everyone was quite tired after a long day. However, a few tourists still looked puzzled.
"Looks like we're in trouble." Master Shi's deep voice sounded in his ear, and Zhang Ren turned his head to look at him in confusion.
Then, following Master Shi's subtle gesture, Zhang Ren glanced at the passengers inside the car.
Sure enough, a closer look revealed a problem: those people didn't seem like normal passengers at all. They kept turning their heads to scan their surroundings, looking just like lookouts in a movie.
"Damn, I just went out to collect folk songs and I ran into robbers. My luck is just too good."
Li Li, who was in the front row, heard Zhang Ren and his companion whispering. He turned around and cursed under his breath. However, the whispering of the three of them had obviously attracted the attention of the people monitoring them.
Seeing the stares of the others, Li Li muttered a curse under his breath, then shouted, "Driver! Tour guide! I need to pee, I need to go to the toilet."
Before Master Shi could stop him, Li Li's words rang out in the carriage, waking up many passengers who were resting with their eyes closed. Many of them agreed that they needed to go to the toilet.
Amidst the menacing glares of several men, Li Li smiled smugly at Zhang Ren, as if to say, "See, my method works!"
Perhaps due to their superior numbers, the tour guide, who had been monitoring the situation inside the vehicle, stood up to reassure everyone, telling them that they would soon reach the rest area ahead and asking them to be patient. However, having already realized that the tour guide was also part of the group, Li Li was not about to give up and immediately shouted that he couldn't hold back any longer.
At this point, many passengers realized that something was wrong inside the bus and began to protest. Seeing that the order inside the bus was about to break down, the tour guide and his gang hardened their hearts, pulled out knives, and glared menacingly at the passengers inside the bus.
"You little brat, you're making a scene. Come here right now!" the tour guide yelled at Li Li menacingly. Then, as Li Li turned pale with fear, the two of them stepped off the second floor of the bus.
"That kid's impulsive!" Uncle Shi shook his head and sighed. As a former soldier, he knew the danger best. Li Li's idea of using public opinion to make the robbers stop was a joke in his eyes. Now that the robbers were no longer hiding and had revealed their true colors, what could they do?
The initially panicked passengers, under the threats and shouts of the robbers, became like frightened birds, huddled in their seats like quails, trembling with fear.As the sun set, the group of passengers, held hostage by the robbers, disembarked from the bus and, as instructed, entered the jungle. Their cell phones had already been confiscated by the robbers, making it impossible for them to send messages to the outside world.
After getting off the bus, Zhang Ren looked around, but unfortunately he didn't see Li Li. He hoped that the guy was lucky and would be alright!
After walking for a long time, night fell. Under the slightly purple moonlight, the group of travelers were led in a disheveled state deep into the jungle.
Apart from the occasional soft sobbing of a few female passengers, the surroundings were completely silent, not even the chirping of insects. This puzzled Zhang Ren greatly, considering it was the height of summer, the season when snakes, insects, and rodents were rampant. The complete silence was extremely strange.
After walking for a long time, the group finally stopped. Zhang Ren, at the back of the group, looked up with difficulty to see what was ahead, but unfortunately it was too dark and he couldn't see anything.
"Big brother, this is the location that Lao San sent me before, but where are Lao San and the others?"
At this moment, a middle-aged man standing at the front of the group spoke to a figure next to him who was completely wrapped in a cloak.
The cloaked figure remained silent, staring at the dark cave entrance beneath his feet, lost in thought.
But just then, a roar came from the dark cave entrance, so loud that it made the people at the entrance sway.
Hearing a sound that was clearly not human, the middle-aged man turned pale and trembled as he said, "Could that sound be from that thing? Is it the third brother and the others?!"
Just as the middle-aged man was filled with fear, a voice came from under the cloak: "Let's confirm it and we'll know. Let these tourists go down and take a look."
"Yes, brother!" The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before nodding in response.
"Let me go! I'm not going down! There are monsters down there!" Amidst the screams of a fat man, he was thrown down, and with a few more screams, the fat man disappeared into the cave entrance.
After a long while, voices could be heard coming from inside the cave, and a voice came from under the cloak again: "Continue."
As night fell and time passed, one passenger after another was thrown into the pit by the robbers. Apart from a few passengers who resisted fiercely and were killed on the spot, most of the passengers were thrown into the pit by the robbers.
At this point, Zhang Ren, being at the very back of the group, became one of the last survivors, though this situation was only temporary.
After pulling half of a mangled, gnawed arm out of the hole, everyone on the ground paled.
"Uncle Master, it seems we're in grave danger," Zhang Ren said jokingly to Uncle Master.
Seeing Zhang Ren still joking even now, Master Shi was taken aback, then smiled and said, "We can't give up until the very last moment."
At the same time, he admired Zhang Ren's good character. If he hadn't known in advance that his position had been discovered by the outside world, even he, a veteran who had spent half his life in the military, would not have been able to compare with this young man in front of him.
But judging by the time, the people from outside should have arrived long ago, so why haven't they arrived yet?
"continue."
The cold words echoed in the night. By then, only a few tourists remained. With a piercing scream, another tourist was thrown off.
The next person was Zhang Ren.
Zhang Ren shook his head with a wry smile. His planned trip to relax had turned into choosing a cemetery site. Well, that's really a perfect solution.
"Next!"
The cloaked man's cold voice drifted through the night wind. Upon hearing this, Zhang Ren let out a sigh of relief. If he could, he really didn't want things to turn out this way.
Just as Zhang Ren was about to use his last resort, a large figure stepped forward and stood in front of him.
"Master Shi, you!" Before Zhang Ren could finish speaking, Master Shi turned around with a hearty smile, stopping Zhang Ren from saying anything more.
The robbers did not stop them in this situation. For them, it didn't matter who went first or last, but they still watched the two of them with amusement.
A robber, wielding a long sword, led Master Shi to the entrance of the tomb's entrance. At this moment, the roars from inside the tomb grew increasingly urgent, seemingly urging the people above to throw people down quickly.
"Li Li, I never expected that the person behind this was you."
Standing in front of the pit, Master Shi, with his hands bound by ropes, sighed and said something. Upon hearing this, Zhang Ren looked surprised and turned to look at the cloaked man.
Upon hearing Master Shi's words, the cloaked man, who had been standing quietly in place, moved, turned around to look at Master Shi, and slowly removed the cloak covering his face to reveal his true appearance.
Under the cover of night, Li Li's youthful appearance was revealed.
"I'm curious, how did you know it was me, Master Shi?" Li Li asked softly.
Master Shi did not continue speaking, and Li Li, seeing that Master Shi did not want to answer his question, also did not say anything. For him, whether his identity was exposed or not was not important at all, since everyone present would die after today anyway.
"Throw it down."
As soon as Li Li finished speaking, one of the robbers tried to push Master Shi down. At that moment, an unexpected event occurred. A dark shadow darted out from the ground in the dark tunnel and flew straight towards Master Shi and the robber.
A scream, accompanied by the sound of chewing, brought the robber's shrill cries to an abrupt halt. Master Shi, being a former soldier, instinctively dodged the fatal blow by rolling on his back.
However, he was not entirely unharmed; a bloody wound appeared on his right arm.
A strong stench of blood filled the air, and a roar that didn't sound like a human's pierced the air. At that moment, Zhang Ren could finally see what was coming up from underground.
Under the cover of night, an incredibly burly zombie swiftly reaped lives. In just a dozen seconds, the remaining tourists were killed, and the robbers had also suffered casualties.
At this moment, Zhang Ren noticed that Li Li had somehow gotten up and was standing on a tree trunk in the distance, quietly watching the zombie carnage, and shaking his head with a look of disappointment.
It seems that what is happening now is all within Li Li's prediction, but obviously his subordinates are unaware of it.
Since Grandpa Gang had taken his place, Zhang Ren was now very close to the pit. Although he had subconsciously tried to dodge to the outside, he was now very close to the zombie.
Seeing the zombie in tattered ancient armor rushing towards him, Zhang Ren was startled, but he didn't panic. Due to the violent struggle to break free of the ropes binding his wrists, Zhang Ren's hands were now covered with bruises and bloodstains, but now was not the time to think about these things. He needed to seize the time to escape.
However, how could an ordinary person like him possibly outrun a zombie? The zombie charged towards the sky at incredible speed. At the critical moment, Zhang Ren dodged the zombie's fatal blow with a roll. However, when he saw the bluish-black claws that were already inches away, Zhang Ren was terrified.
"My life is over."
Surprisingly, Zhang Ren, who had closed his eyes and awaited death, was unharmed. Just as he closed his eyes, the sword-shaped pendant on his chest rose from his robes, emitting a blue light that instantly repelled the zombie's attack.
Furthermore, the longsword grew larger at a speed visible to the naked eye, and in the blink of an eye, it became a golden, normal-sized longsword.
The zombie had already arrived beside him, and a putrid, stench assaulted his nostrils, causing Zhang Ren's expression to change and his chest to churn as he nearly vomited.
Despite his physical discomfort, Zhang Ren threw his longsword. This sudden change caught the attacking zombie off guard, and with a shrill scream, the sword pierced the zombie's chest.
Accompanied by the zombie's shrill screams, its entire body burst into flames, and it quickly turned into a cloud of black ash that fell to the ground.
"How are you, Master Shi?!"
A golden spot of light seemed to fly from the zombie toward Zhang Ren, then sank into his body and disappeared. The people around did not seem to notice the spot of light. Although Zhang Ren saw a spot of light enter his body and disappear, he did not feel anything unusual. At this moment, Master Shi lay on the ground motionless, seemingly dead.
Ignoring the golden light entering his body, Zhang Ren helped Master Shi up. At this moment, Master Shi's face was covered with a bluish-black color, and his expression became increasingly ferocious.
This situation is very similar to the zombie transformations in movies and TV shows. Zhang Ren never expected that he would be able to see this situation in reality.
Seemingly brought back to his senses by Zhang Ren, Master Shi managed a weak smile, but under the corrosive influence of the corpse energy, the smile was exceptionally terrifying.
"Xiao Zhang, I think I'm not going to make it. Kill me quickly."
Master Shi seemed to know something about his own changes, and spoke to Zhang Ren.
Looking at the suffering Master Shi in front of him, Zhang Ren realized that what the other party said was true, and smiled bitterly to himself.
"Uncle Master, you won't die, don't worry!" Zhang Ren said seriously. Then, his spirits lifted, as if his whole body had been drained. The same thing happened again; the intense headache started again.
"Xiao Zhang, you have a secret." Li Li's voice suddenly rang out from behind Zhang Ren.
Li Li had witnessed Zhang Ren's transformation throughout the entire process. Although he hadn't found what he was looking for in the tomb, Zhang Ren had successfully piqued his interest.
Zhang Ren turned his head to look behind him, and found that Li Li had appeared behind him at some point, his dark eyes radiating a faint divine light.
"Let me see what secrets you hold."
Under Zhang Ren's watchful gaze, Li Li reached out and grabbed his head. Zhang Ren had no chance to resist and was immediately grabbed by the head.
"Stealing Time!"
With a soft breath from Li Li, a ball of light flashed from his hand, and Zhang Ren became drowsy under the glow.
In his daze, Zhang Ren seemed to return to the carefree days of his childhood when he lived with his father. He didn't know when his father disappeared, and he was placed in a welfare home. His relatives and friends avoided him like the plague until he was later taken back to a small mountain village.
Li Li looked at Zhang Ren's memory and found nothing unusual, but the change in the longsword in Zhang Ren's hand was real.
There must be something special about it. Li Li was very curious about the golden longsword pendant on Zhang Ren's chest.
"My dear grandson!" A loving voice echoed in Zhang Ren's mind.
Li Li, who was originally examining Zhang Ren's memories, changed his expression drastically upon hearing this voice. He then spat out a mouthful of blood mist, staring in horror at the figure in Zhang Ren's memories, his face rapidly losing color.
And the life force within him was disappearing at an eerie speed.
"Steal life force!!!" He roared, quickly shook off Zhang Ren, and then used his secret technique on Master Shi on the other side.
Then, Master Shi's life force quickly disappeared, and his rate of turning into a zombie increased dramatically. The strangeness in Li Li, who had received Master Shi's life force, was also suppressed. Finally, after leaving Zhang Ren far away, Li Li returned to normal. His life force was lost to disaster, and his face turned pale, and his breath became weak as he appeared in the forest.
Under Li Li's secret technique, Master Shi also underwent some kind of change. It seemed that the disappearance of life force in his body allowed him to quickly become a zombie. You should know that becoming a zombie is not so easy; the right time, place, and people are all indispensable.
At this moment, Zhang Ren's headache intensified, as if his brains were about to be ripped out, and a stream of hot blood flowed from his nostrils. Bloodstains dripped onto the ground, and a faint smell of blood filled the air.
Before losing consciousness, Zhang Ren seemed to see lights and hear the sound of a helicopter, but that was all he heard before he passed out.
"The locator's transmission location is just ahead, hurry up!"
Accompanied by the sound of helicopters, a group of soldiers in camouflage appeared in the jungle.
Li Li's figure had long since disappeared into the jungle. Looking at Zhang Ren lying quietly on the ground, a tall figure with a blue face, fangs, and bluish-black claws silently stared at Zhang Ren for a moment in the darkness. The faint scent of blood in the air seemed to be enveloped by a mysterious force and completely absorbed into the figure's mouth. A terrifying roar echoed through the pitch-black night. Then, the completely zombified Master Shi turned and jumped down into the tunnel. With a ripple of earth, the pit disappeared, leaving only Zhang Ren lying quietly on the ground.With great effort, Zhang Ren opened his eyes and was greeted by a white ceiling. The faint, pungent smell of disinfectant lingered in the air. He sat up weakly and leaned against the hospital bed, looking at his blue and white hospital gown and surveying his surroundings.
This is a double ward. The room is simply furnished, with nothing but two beds. The monitoring equipment on the bedside table is running smoothly, occasionally beeping.
"Is this a hospital?" Zhang Ren shook his dizzy head, puzzled. He began to recall what had happened before. In his memory, besides Master Shi lying on the ground, his life hanging in the balance, all that remained was Li Li's terrified expression.
He recalled the loud noise he heard from the helicopter rotors before he lost consciousness.
"It seems we've been saved. I wonder how Master Shi is doing."
As Zhang Ren was recalling these events, the door to the ward opened.
A thin, dark-skinned old man walked into the ward. He was also wearing a blue and white hospital gown. When he saw Zhang Ren, he paused for a moment, then said, "Young man, you're awake?"
"Um, sir, what's your surname? Where am I?" Zhang Ren nodded to the old man and asked.
"Hey, the old man's surname is Bu, this is Shanghai People's Hospital."
Shanghai? I didn't expect him to be sent here. It's quite a distance from his scenic spot.
Zhang Ren noticed that Grandpa Bu, who worked in the ward, had been staring at him ever since he came in, which puzzled Zhang Ren. Seeing Grandpa Bu scratching his head, Zhang Ren asked, "Grandpa Bu, what's wrong? You're really giving me the creeps by looking at me like that!"
Upon hearing Zhang Ren's words, Grandpa Bu, dressed in a blue and white hospital gown, blushed slightly, seemingly embarrassed, and thought to himself, "Is it that obvious? It shouldn't be!"
"Young man, what's your name? Since you've asked, I'll just tell you. Do you want your fortune told?"
Hearing what Grandpa Bu said, Zhang Ren was stunned. He didn't expect the other party to ask such a question. Although it was strange, he was also a little curious.
"Young man, your name is Zhang Ren. Well, you can tell fortunes. I never knew you could do that."
Hearing Zhang Ren's answer, the old man's face lit up with joy, and he immediately said, "Okay, let this old man take a look at you."
As requested by Grandpa Bu, Zhang Ren extended his left hand.
"Yes, men should use their left hand and women their right hand. Just extend your left hand."
Hearing this, Zhang Ren wanted to laugh; this old man was quite interesting.
"Sir, is this a family heirloom?"
"Hobby! Hobby!"
Grandpa Bu lifted Zhang Ren's hand and looked at his palm while answering.
"Xiao Zhang, look at this line, it's the career line, hmm! Hmm? Actually, you don't really need to look at the career line!"
Grandpa Bu looked at Zhang Ren's face, then at his palm, and finally, while picking his teeth, said something that left Zhang Ren speechless.
"Haha, let me, grandpa, take a look at your love line. Isn't that what all you young people like these days?"
A while later.
"Hey! Xiao Zhang, you don't necessarily have to have love in life. Think about other things. These days, isn't bromance quite popular among you young people?"
Upon hearing what the other person said, Zhang Ren was so angry he almost lost his temper. He felt he had encountered a swindler. This old man in front of him was definitely a fraud. How could a fortune teller say such things?
Grandpa Bu also felt that what he said was somewhat absurd, so he coughed again, picked up Zhang Ren's left hand, and examined it again.
"Grandpa will show you your lifeline. Nothing is better than longevity."
After a while, Zhang Ren felt that his fellow patient in the ward was probably a fraud, or at least not a legitimate fortune teller.
A long time passed, and Grandpa Bu remained silent, only looking down at Zhang Ren's palm, muttering to himself, "This shouldn't be! Strange, what kind of palm is this? It doesn't look like the palm of a living person at all! Strange! So strange!"
Zhang Ren felt a little uneasy being scrutinized by the other party. At this moment, Grandpa Bu put down Zhang Ren's hand, sighed, and shook his head regretfully. "This kid has a good face, but it's a pity he won't live much longer. Alas, what a pity!"
"Hey! It's nothing, Xiao Zhang. He's probably just not fully recovered from his illness. It's alright. Your palm lines are good. Just be kinder to yourself in the future!"
Listening to the old man's words, Zhang Ren stared at him speechlessly. These words didn't sound like good news at all; they sounded more like someone giving their last instructions.
Then, the old man frowned, muttered something to himself, and returned to his bed. He lay down and kept muttering something, leaving Zhang Ren completely confused.
"Okay, Uncle Bu, I understand. By the way, what illness brought you to the hospital?" Zhang Ren nodded, not caring much and taking it as a way of showing concern for the elderly's hobbies.
"Hey, it's just a minor illness, nothing more than overworking my brain. These days, doctors make a huge fuss over nothing, insisting I have a stroke! Aren't they quacks?"
Upon hearing Zhang Ren's question, Grandpa Bu angrily sat up and complained to him about the hospital doctor's diagnosis.
"Special Room One, Dr. Bu, get ready for a brain CT scan."
Just as Zhang Ren and the other man were chatting, a young female nurse called out from outside the ward. After hearing the voice, Grandpa Bu muttered a reply and walked out.
Just a short while after Grandpa Bu left, Zhang Ren heard a familiar voice coming from the hospital corridor.
"Brother, I'm Zhang Ren's childhood friend. Can't I go in and check on him? Didn't you tell me to come and get him? How is Xiao Zhang now? Is he dying?"
In the corridor, a chubby man covered in designer brands, sweating profusely and looking miserable, was yelling at the officer on duty outside the corridor.
There were two officers on duty at the time. The old commander's fate and whereabouts were unknown. The superiors were on duty again. The two officers took this task very seriously, so they were very cautious about the identity of the person who came to visit Zhang Ren.
After repeatedly confirming the visitor's identity and consulting with their superiors, the two officers finally allowed them to pass.
After watching the fat man walk towards Zhang Ren's ward, one of the younger soldiers asked in confusion, "Squad leader, is it okay to let the target contact the outside world like this? What about the old commander's whereabouts?!"
In response to the young officer's doubts, the officer in charge of the platoon, the fat man who was sitting upright and looking straight ahead, pushed open the door to the ward and said softly, "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. Have you forgotten our discipline?"
Then, turning to look at the other person's puzzled expression, the squad leader sighed and whispered to the young officer, "This matter seems to involve some mysterious events, which is not something you or I can be curious about."
Upon hearing the squad leader's words, the young officer's expression changed, his pupils contracted, and he seemed to have realized something. He then nodded heavily and remained silent, but the paleness on his face would not fade quickly.
With the emergence of bizarre and mysterious events around the world, the military knows far more about them than ordinary people, and many units have participated in handling these events.
The young officer shuddered at the thought of the neighboring company's mysterious disappearance due to their involvement in handling a mysterious incident. He shook his head, trying to banish the thought from his mind. The two officers then fell silent and quietly stood guard outside the ward corridor.
Inside the ward, Zhang Ren heard some noise outside in the corridor, as if someone was crying. The sounds outside seemed familiar, but the conversation was brief, and he couldn't make out what they were talking about.
Thinking about all this, the ward door was pushed open, and a rather large figure walked in from outside. Fortunately, the hospital ward door was quite spacious, and a fat body squeezed in through the doorway.
Before the person was even seen, a mournful and sorrowful cry reached Zhang Ren's ears. Although Zhang Ren had not yet seen the person clearly, he knew who it was after hearing the voice.
"Old Zhang! You died a terrible death. I'm late, but don't worry, I'll definitely burn the 20GB I downloaded yesterday for you."
Hearing the fat man's voice, Zhang Ren's lips twitched, and he sighed inwardly, "What a terrible friend I've made! Is this something I should be talking about?"
"Hey Fatty Jin, I'm not dead yet, what are you howling about?" Zhang Ren scolded irritably.
Upon hearing Zhang Ren's voice, the opponent was first stunned, then let out a howl and pounced on Zhang Ren.
"You. You. You get the hell away from me."
Seeing the fat man rushing towards him, and remembering what Grandpa Bu had said when he told his fortune, Zhang Ren's panicked voice rang out from the ward.
A few minutes later, the sounds in the ward ceased, and several wads of used tissues were scattered haphazardly on the shiny floor tiles.
Zhang Ren pulled out a few tissues and vigorously wiped the snot off his body, looking at his friend across from him with disgust.
"Hey, Goldie, what brings you here?"
Tuhao Jin, whose full name is Jin Qiji, is Zhang Ren's childhood friend and best friend. The two grew up in a mountain village. However, compared to Zhang Ren, whose father disappeared and was raised by his grandmother, the fat guy in front of him has luck that is somewhat enviable.
Jin's father, who was originally an ordinary mountain dweller, went out to work a few years ago. In the following years, he changed every year and transformed into a famous entrepreneur in just a few years.
The company has numerous subsidiaries, including those in finance, services, and manufacturing. It was also recently rumored that Zhang Ren contacted Tuhaojin and that his father was planning to enter the real estate market.
"You're the one who says that! They even called me. My brother hadn't even finished playing the game yet when he rushed over."
"But what did you save my contact name with? Why did the first thing they asked me was if I was your son?"
Listening to Fatty Jin's complaints, Zhang Ren felt a warmth in his heart. After learning what had happened, he learned that the military had first contacted his uncles, but they all declined, citing inconvenience. Finally, they unexpectedly got in touch with Fatty Jin.
However, upon hearing the fat man's question, Zhang Ren grinned awkwardly, thinking that he would change the nickname for his fat son in his phone's contact list later, since even a real son might not be this filial.
After confirming that Zhang Ren was alright, Jin was relieved. The two chatted about their recent lives, and upon hearing the news of Zhang Ren's grandmother's passing, the usually carefree Jin fell silent for a long time, deeply saddened.
His grandparents passed away early, and he and his grandparents were basically raised by Grandma Zhang Ren. He deeply respected and loved the elderly Jin Pangzi.
When asked about the blame for the gold-plated item, Zhang Ren could only explain it away by saying that it happened suddenly, since even he only found out about it after he got home.
"Here! This is for your safety. Your father got it for you using his own savings."
Upon receiving the item tossed to him by the wealthy man, Zhang Ren took a closer look and realized it was a palm-sized jade amulet. However, after hearing the price, his hand trembled and he nearly dropped it.
"This thing costs 200,000?"
Zhang Ren stared in disbelief at the jade pendant in front of him. He simply couldn't believe that this thing was so expensive.
"What do you know? This is something your father went through a lot of trouble to get; it can protect you and ward off evil spirits."
After chatting for a while, and seeing that Zhang Ren was alright, he took the initiative to leave. In his words, he hadn't finished the dungeon for the day, and it would be too late if he stayed too long.
Listening to the other person's words, Zhang Ren laughed and told him to get lost. He had also played the game that the rich guy mentioned, but he hadn't logged in for a while because of job hunting after graduation. Hearing the other person mention it made him miss it a little.
The man in the gold suit left in a hurry, and before leaving, he transferred 100,000 yuan to Zhang Ren's hospital account for hospitalization fees.
Watching the obese figure disappear, Zhang Ren smiled, a warmth filling his heart. At least there was still such a close friend in this world, allowing him to still feel warmth.
Looking at the jade pendant in his hand, Zhang Ren had to admit that the 200,000 jade pendant did feel quite nice; a slight chill seemed to emanate from his palm.
However, Zhang Ren suddenly remembered the sword-shaped pendant left by his father that Li Li had taken from him. Thinking of the pendant's extraordinary nature, Zhang Ren felt as if he had lost more than just 200,000, which caused him great pain.After a series of questionings by the military during the day, Zhang Ren ended his busy day.
The other party had a large number of people, including several high-ranking military officers and many others in various uniforms. They observed Zhang Ren as he recalled and answered questions, and then wrote and drew in their notebooks, suggesting they were experts in various fields.
Finally, the military ended the interrogation and lifted the surveillance on Zhang Ren. At this point, they realized that Zhang Ren's survival was probably an accident. Even if it wasn't an accident, it showed that Zhang Ren had no intention of harming anyone. Furthermore, they learned about the zombies from Zhang Ren, which made the senior officer in charge look grave, because mysterious events were beyond their ability to investigate.
As night fell, after a day of interrogation, Zhang Ren found himself unable to sleep. Lying in his hospital bed, listening to the beeping of the monitoring equipment in the ward, Zhang Ren reflected on his recent ordeal.
What's wrong with this world?
The slightly purplish moonlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, creating an exceptionally beautiful scene.
Creak, creak.
Zhang Ren, who was deep in thought, was jolted back to reality by the sudden commotion; hitting him too much would make him overthink.
A series of strange noises broke out in the originally quiet ward, and the sound came from the direction of Grandpa Bu in the next bed.
Sitting up, Zhang Ren looked at Grandpa Bu on the opposite hospital bed. Grandpa Bu, lying on his side with his back to Zhang Ren in the pale purple moonlight, was shaking rhythmically.
What is this old man doing? Zhang Ren, who was about to ask, stood up and was about to take a few steps when he suddenly noticed that the old woman's clothes and pants were a bit messy, which seemed to resemble some of the actions in his mind.
This discovery froze Zhang Ren in place, like a machine that had lost power, and he thought to himself, "Is this Uncle Bu so trendy? Can his body handle this?"
Just as Zhang Ren was thinking about these things, the old man Bu in the next bed suddenly stiffened and then stopped moving.
"So fast?"
Zhang Ren stared in disbelief at the scene before him.
After waiting a while, he soon noticed something was wrong. Why hadn't Grandpa Bu made a sound for so long? This didn't make sense.
After waiting a while longer, Zhang Ren, driven by curiosity, got up and went over again.
It wouldn't have mattered if he hadn't looked, but once he did, Zhang Ren was immediately horrified.
"Beep beep beep!" The urgent ringtone sounded.
The call button pressed on the hospital bed rang briefly before being answered by the on-duty nurse.
"Doctor, Grandpa Bu in ward 1 is dying, please come quickly to save him."
They hurriedly notified the on-duty doctor. After Zhang Ren turned off the alarm, the medical staff acted quickly, and several medical personnel arrived within a few minutes.
"Xiao Zhang! Luckily you found him in time, otherwise Grandpa Bu would have been in danger."
The on-duty doctor patted Zhang Ren on the shoulder earnestly and then hurriedly left.
Hearing the doctor's explanation, Zhang Ren realized that Grandpa Bu had suffered a stroke, and he was overjoyed.
Then, I mentally berated myself for thinking about what I was doing all day, and went back to deleting the study materials from my computer.
This ordeal made it even harder for Zhang Ren to fall asleep. His phone was out of battery and he didn't have a charger, so Zhang Ren could only lie on the bed again, boredly counting sheep, hoping to fall asleep soon.
If I had known this would happen, I should have asked the gold-plated guy to bring a charger during the day. I don't know how much time passed before Zhang Ren drifted off to sleep.
Inside the observation room.
"How is the patient?" the attending physician inquired.
After a series of emergency treatments, Mr. Bu is out of danger, but for safety reasons, he will remain under observation in the observation room for a period of time.
"Director Liao, the patient's condition is stable, there shouldn't be any problems."
"Okay, that's good. Let's observe the patient a little longer and then send them back to their ward! There's another surgery in the observation room soon! Everyone, get some rest, work is about to begin!"
"Yes, Director."
The hospital has been seeing a surge in patients lately, so much so that even Director Liao, who has worked there for over a decade, was surprised.
Looking out the window at the ambulances and private cars constantly coming and going under the purple moonlight, and at the army stationed at the hospital, Director Liao sighed wearily.
I don't know when the military started stationing troops at hospitals; it must have been a long time ago! The world has really changed.
Zhang Ren fell asleep to the rhythmic beeps of the monitoring equipment.
The series of events over the past few days, coupled with the death of his grandmother, have left Zhang Ren exhausted. Although he had rested and recovered considerably while he was unconscious, his spirits have not yet returned.
Zhang Ren slept very soundly, and even when Grandpa Bu was brought back by medical staff in the middle of the night, he did not wake up.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but Zhang Ren vaguely felt a chill on his face.
In a daze, Zhang Ren scratched his cheek; his palms were also a little cold.
Opening his eyes, Zhang Ren was startled to find a dark figure sitting at the head of his bed, which immediately cleared his mind.
"Who?" she cried out, jumping up in surprise, but upon seeing the other person, she realized it was a false alarm.
"Uncle Bu, when did you get back? Why are you sitting here? How are you feeling?" Zhang Ren asked.
Grandpa Bu didn't answer directly. Instead, he stared straight at Zhang Ren, his face stiff in the darkness, and murmured softly, "Why are you still alive?"
The chilling words made Zhang Ren's expression change, and at that moment he also noticed something was wrong.
Zhang Ren glanced cautiously around and, upon seeing a figure lying on the next bed, his eyes narrowed, realizing something was wrong.
"No way! A paranormal event?"
Zhang Ren cursed inwardly, "How can anyone live like this if we can encounter supernatural events like this?"
Just as his expression changed drastically, he felt a chill on his neck, followed by a feeling of suffocation.
Under the intense feeling of suffocation, Zhang Ren grabbed wildly with both hands, but to no avail.
With his face flushed and his eyes bloodshot from lack of oxygen, Zhang Ren felt a sense of impending death.
"Ah!!" Zhang Ren exclaimed, jumping up from the bed and coughing violently, rubbing his neck with both hands.
"It was just a dream." He was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. Just as he was about to relax, he looked up and his heart jumped again.
"Holy crap, what's going on? Is he sleepwalking?"
Before my eyes, Grandpa Bu stiffly stood up from the bed. The various monitoring wires attached to his body came loose, and the heart monitor had long since become a straight horizontal line. At this moment, Grandpa Bu, stiff all over, swayed like a puppet, looking extremely eerie under the purple moonlight.
The old hands swayed and rose, and in the moonlight, Zhang Ren could clearly see that the fingernails on the old hands were growing in a strange way.
Although it wasn't the first time I'd witnessed a paranormal event, the scene before me was still quite shocking.
It seemed that he had just undergone the mutation; his movements were stiff, but his strength was immense. With a roar that sounded like that of a wild beast, the mutated Uncle Bu attacked Zhang Ren.
Upon seeing its current appearance, it seemed somewhat similar to the zombies seen before. However, it was not the same. Its ferocious face and stiff movements, though behaving like ordinary humans, resembled the zombies in movies and TV shows.
"Get away from me." The situation made Zhang Ren turn and run. He had no intention of fighting with the thing that had knocked the hospital bed over in one go.
But damn it, some bastard closed the door, and in the chaos, Zhang Ren didn't have time to open it.
As the zombie drew closer, Zhang Ren first crouched and dodged into the room, and while dodging, he didn't care about anything else and grabbed whatever he could find and threw it at the zombie.
We can hold them off for as long as we can. This commotion will surely alert those outside, and then we'll be saved.
As expected, the loud noise from the special ward alerted the troops stationed at the hospital, who quickly rushed to the ward.
It seems that the zombified Grandpa Bu has become increasingly agile over time.
This made it difficult for Zhang Ren to hide in the cramped room.
With nowhere else to throw, in a panic, Zhang Ren threw away the amulet that the fat man had given him earlier that day.
The once ferocious Grandpa Bu was struck by a palm-sized protective jade pendant, and a burst of white light appeared. After a roar, his body fell straight to the ground.
A clinking sound followed, along with the sound of a jade pendant falling to the ground.
That 200,000 was really worth it. Only now did Zhang Ren realize that the fat man's 200,000 was indeed well spent. If it weren't for this jade pendant, he would have been in grave danger today.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Zhang Ren sat on the ground. As the zombie fell, a white light rose from the zombie and flew towards him. Before he could react, it struck his head and disappeared.
This has happened before, but the previous one seemed to be gold, while this one is white.
At this moment, the soldiers downstairs also arrived. Upon seeing the situation inside the room, the officer in charge frowned immediately.Character Profile
Name: Zhang Ren
Age: 23
Paranormal Experiences:
Incident 1: On August 12th, I took a ride-hailing car that was suspected of being paranormal. Based on my own account and online chat logs, I have confirmed that the ride-hailing car was a paranormal event and have created a related paranormal file: Midnight Ride-Hailing Car.
Incident 2: On August 13, the victim's grandmother passed away. During the vigil, a black cat jumped out and killed a corpse. According to other relatives, no injuries were found. The grandmother's body has already been cremated. It is currently uncertain whether this is a paranormal event and will be observed later.
Event 3: On August 20th, a member of a group tour was abducted by a mysterious force and witnessed the tomb raiding at a general's tomb. According to the abductee's account, they encountered zombies. An on-site investigation found no trace of paranormal activity, but all but one of the 42 members of the Red Sun tour group perished. This is tentatively classified as a paranormal event, involving a zombie army in an ancient tomb.
Incident 4: On August 22nd, at Shanghai People's Hospital, Dr. Bu, who shared a ward with the person involved, turned into a corpse. The person involved survived and unexpectedly eliminated the living corpse. Based on the person involved's account and surveillance footage, it was determined to be a paranormal event. (Note: The jade pendant he used to eliminate the living corpse was a jade pendant made by a master craftsman in Changchun to ward off evil and calm the mind.)
"Doctor, please take a good look at me! There's definitely something in my head."
Inside the hospital consultation room, a middle-aged chief physician in a white coat looked at Zhang Ren with sympathy as he gesticulated wildly and vividly recounted his story.
At this moment, Zhang Ren held the washed brain CT film in one hand and pointed to his head with the other, explaining his current situation to the doctor in front of him.
Zhang Ren hasn't slept a wink since last night; anyone would find it hard to accept such an experience.
And whenever he closes his eyes, he can feel the two golden-white dots in his mind, as clearly as two bubbles.
The incident of Grandpa Bu turning into a corpse last night did not cause panic, and the doctors on duty at the hospital were unaware of what had happened.
The authorities acted swiftly, clearing Zhang Ren's ward and placing him in another ward. They also copied and deleted the footage from the surveillance room, as the military had been stationed at the hospital for some time and the hospital's surveillance room had already been taken over by the authorities.
After searching for Zhang Ren, they let him rest.
He thought the authorities would conduct a large-scale investigation, but he was clearly wrong. They simply explained some matters to Zhang Ren and signed a confidentiality agreement, which stipulated that he should not disclose these matters to others or post them online to avoid causing unnecessary panic.
Zhang Ren was aware of all this, so he nodded and signed. He didn't expect to be notified by the authorities early this morning that he could go home.
Zhang Ren had a sudden realization when the authorities lifted the surveillance on him so easily: the supernatural situation in the world must be quite serious now.
The fact that the military has a permanent presence in hospitals shows that the paranormal events can no longer be concealed.
However, Zhang Ren did not leave immediately. He completed the discharge procedures himself. He originally thought that since Tuhaojin had paid so much for his hospitalization, he would get a lot back. But unexpectedly, the hospital actually attributed the losses caused in the ward last night to him.
The hospital fees were not only insufficient, but far short. Fortunately, the authorities intervened and the hospital finally dropped the matter.
Zhang Ren looked at the long bill in his hand, feeling like crying but having no tears.
However, the bright spots in his mind kept Zhang Ren restless. With no other option, Zhang Ren booked an appointment with a brain specialist and waited in line for a long time, intending to have his head checked properly.
"Xiao Zhang, your brain is very healthy. The phenomenon of seeing light bubbles in your head, as you mentioned, is probably due to the excessive stress you've been under lately."
The doctor explained earnestly, but when he saw Zhang Ren still looking at him with suspicion, the doctor became somewhat displeased.
"If you're really worried, why don't you go see a psychiatrist? Or an ophthalmologist?"
Hearing the doctor's words, Zhang Ren was speechless. Did the other person think there was something wrong with his eyes or that he really had a brain bubble?
Finally, Zhang Ren had no choice but to get up and leave.
Two hours later, Zhang Ren stood on the street, looking at the hospital across the street, and prepared to leave.
Standing at the bus stop, Zhang Ren carried a bag of traditional Chinese medicine. Still feeling uneasy, he went to see several more doctors, all of whom said there was nothing wrong with him. Finally, at Zhang Ren's insistence, the TCM department prescribed some Chinese medicine for him.
The experienced traditional Chinese medicine doctors at the hospital have seen too many cases like Zhang Ren's. They are all people who are paranoid and always think they are sick and want to take some medicine.
For this kind of patient, we should go along with it and prescribe some calming and brain-nourishing medicine. This not only solves the patient's paranoia but also generates revenue, so why not?
As noon approached, Zhang Ren, carrying the traditional Chinese medicine, looked at the bustling crowd around him, and his tense mind calmed down considerably.
His city of Fengcheng is not too far from this city; it only takes a few bus rides to get there.
Taking a taxi would be faster, but Zhang Ren has been a bit wary of taxis lately, so it's better to just take the bus home.
As evening fell, Zhang Ren, exhausted from a day of traveling on buses, returned to his rented room.
The rental apartment is located in an old neighborhood with a relatively high population density. Although the building is quite old, the location is decent, being relatively close to the city center.
Walking into the dark and damp staircase, because it was an old neighborhood and the buildings were just old-style houses, Zhang Ren's rented apartment did not have an elevator.
The stair railings were covered in rust, and the walls were covered in graffiti, stains, and small advertisements.
Open the old iron gate, its paint already peeling off.
With a bang, after closing the door, Zhang Ren casually tossed aside the medicine bag and backpack in his hand and collapsed onto the sofa.
Zhang Ren's rented apartment was only 50 square meters, but it was small yet fully equipped.
Lying on the sofa, Zhang Ren was physically exhausted, but mentally unable to fall asleep.
After lying down for a while, he decided to go out for a bit, firstly to buy some food, and secondly because he didn't have a clay pot for brewing medicinal herbs.
Zhang Ren remembered that the supermarket downstairs was having an anniversary sale and had just bought some other things.
Grandma has passed away, and there's no one left in his hometown for him to care about. He'll probably be living in this rented room for a long time from now on!
Zhang Ren picked up his fully charged phone, pressed the power button, locked the door, and walked towards the supermarket.
Because of the store's anniversary sale, the supermarket was crowded, and many items on the shelves were snatched up before they could be restocked.
After purchasing some daily necessities, Zhang Ren finally found the location of the casserole in a corner of the living area.
"Hello, the total is 345 yuan." Zhang Ren grinned as he paid the bill. He hadn't bought much stuff and it already cost so much; it seemed finding a job was becoming increasingly urgent.
After paying the bill, Zhang Ren had just stepped out of the supermarket when his phone rang.
"Hello, is this Mr. Zhang Ren?" A sweet female voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Yes, that's me. And who are you?" Zhang Ren replied politely.
"Hello Mr. Zhang Ren, we are from the Human Resources Department of Wangchuan Group. You submitted your resume to our company a few days ago, and we are now informing you that you need to come to the company for an interview tomorrow. Do you have time?"
Upon hearing the contents of the phone call, Zhang Ren beamed with joy and immediately replied, "Yes, yes!"
After confirming the location, time, and other details with the other party, Zhang Ren hung up the phone.Back home, Zhang Ren was beaming with joy. He hadn't had much luck lately, but now he finally had some good news.
Zhang Ren already knew the location of the other party's company from the phone call. Zhang Ren happened to know the location of the company; it was one of the most prosperous areas in the city.
However, since he was going to meet someone tomorrow, he needed to prepare, so he rummaged through his belongings and found a suit he had bought before.
The clothes didn't fit very well; they were a bit too big. Zhang Ren looked rather thin in them, and they were also a little wrinkled because they had been stored at the bottom of the box for a long time.
However, these were all minor matters. It wasn't until late at night that Zhang Ren finally finished preparing for tomorrow's interview.
After taking a shower, he decided to rest. After all, the series of events he had experienced in the past few days had left him looking rather unwell; his complexion, while not terrible, was certainly not good either.
Lying in bed, I was physically exhausted, but mentally I was very excited.
"Ah!" After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Ren sat up in bed with a cry of surprise.
I'm so tired but I just can't fall asleep. And the stray dog downstairs in my neighborhood is so annoying, it keeps barking.
It is said that when people are extremely sleep-deprived, they become very irritable, and Zhang Ren now understands this firsthand.
Left with no other option, Zhang Ren got up and turned on the light. He then searched for something in the corner of the room.
Fifteen minutes later, the range hood in the kitchen started humming.
"Three bowls of water are boiled down to one bowl of water."
Looking at the doctor's instructions on the prescription, Zhang Ren began to brew the Chinese medicine. He had no choice but to get up again to brew the medicine because he wanted to be lazy, but he had to do it for his interview the next day.
An hour later, the range hood was still running. Fortunately, most of the tenants living here were working people, and few people were home at this hour. At least Zhang Ren's neighbors hadn't returned yet.
The kitchen was filled with the strong aroma of Chinese herbal medicine. Zhang Ren stared at the black liquid poured into the basin and fell into deep thought.
During the process of decocting the medicine, he was afraid that the pot would boil dry, so he added a few more bowls of water. Looking at the full pot of medicine, he wondered if it would have any effect.
Sitting on the sofa, Zhang Ren could still feel the two bubble-like light spots in his mind. Part of the reason he suffered from insomnia was actually because of this.
"I wonder what the purpose of this light spot is?"
Just as Zhang Ren was thinking about this, a strange thing happened. His hand holding the medicine bowl emitted a faint white light, covering the liquid in his hand.
Under Zhang Ren's astonished gaze, the soup in his hand began to undergo a magical transformation. The originally black, swaying liquid became clear under the white light, and the medicinal fragrance in the room became stronger.
"What's going on?" Zhang Ren stared in disbelief at the fluorescent potion in his hand. At that moment, he also noticed that the white light in his mind had disappeared.
"What's this? My cheat code has arrived?"
Although Zhang Ren already knew about the Awakened Ones and was somewhat envious, looking at the drastically changed potion in front of him, he felt that his cheat ability was a bit crooked.
Drinking medicine? What if it causes problems, given that the effects of the medicine are still unknown? At this moment, Zhang Ren tried his best to control his saliva, but his eyes were fixed on the medicine in front of him.
For some reason, Zhang Ren kept looking at the medicine on the table and had a strong urge to drink it, but his rational mind kept reminding him not to. He knew that if he drank it without knowing its effects, he would be doomed if something bad happened.
Ten minutes later, after getting dressed, Zhang Ren sneaked downstairs.
He was also carrying a small bottle, about the size of his palm, which was the bottle from the large calcium milk he used to drink, but he had cleaned it and filled it with mutation potion.
"Come here, sweetie, I'll give you something delicious."
Near a trash can, Zhang Ren, looking like a strange uncle, was talking to a small stray dog with a big smile on his face.
Seeing the dog baring its teeth across from him, Zhang Ren's smile remained unchanged, and he kindly tossed over a piece of ham.
A few minutes later, Zhang Ren saw that the dog in front of him had lowered its guard, so he coated the remaining ham with the mysterious liquid and threw it over.
Watching the dog wolf down its food, Zhang Ren's maternal smile grew even brighter.
Just after the dog finished eating the sausage that Zhang Ren threw over, which was covered in the mysterious liquid, it suddenly looked up and stared intently at the baby bottle in Zhang Ren's hand, its eyes filled with longing and greed.
"It's delicious, isn't it? What are you doing! Damn it! Don't come any closer, you dead dog."
Zhang Ren, who was observing the dog to see any changes, suddenly realized that the dog was staring intently at him. Damn it, this was the first time he had ever seen greed in a dog.
Upon seeing the dog rushing towards him, Zhang Ren cursed and turned to run, his speed no slower than when he got out of the ride-hailing driver's car.
"Woof woof!" The barking of the dog echoed wildly in the neighborhood. Half an hour had passed, and the dead dog downstairs was still barking, as if it never got tired.
Luckily, he ran fast and was almost bitten by the dog. However, Zhang Ren had been observing the stray dog for the past half hour and had not noticed any bad changes, which reassured him a lot.
After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the medicine, Zhang Ren picked up the bowl on the table and gulped it down.
As soon as he drank it, Zhang Ren felt a change. A refreshing fragrance wafted from his body, then turned into a cool sensation that rushed straight to his mind. This change felt extremely comfortable.
After drinking the medicine, Zhang Ren felt much better, and his eyes seemed to have a light in them. Even in the dark of night, he could clearly see the leaves of trees in the distance.
Looking at the prescription's effects: calming the mind and nourishing the brain, Zhang Ren's gaze fell once again on the remaining medicine.
He then drank another bowl, feeling the coolness in his mind, and Zhang Ren let out a comfortable groan.
The dog outside the window is still barking tirelessly, seemingly without end; this line should be sung.
"You damn dog, if you keep barking I'll kill you!" A furious roar rang out in the neighborhood, finally spurring on an unbearable resident.
It was already past midnight and the stray dog was still barking. How could these working people stand it? They had to go to work tomorrow. How could they work if they didn't get enough rest?
Woof woof woof!
"You damn dog, just you wait, I'm coming down right now." The angry male voice rang out again.
A few minutes later, a fat, burly man stormed out of the building entrance, holding a rolling pin in his hand.
"Ouch, you dead dog, let go! Damn it, Brother Dog! Dog Master, I was wrong."
Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.
After drinking the second bowl of medicine, Zhang Ren quickly regretted it, because he was unusually excited and couldn't sleep at all.
Zhang Ren had experienced firsthand how weak he was to be unable to absorb nourishment.
After lying in bed for an unknown amount of time, Zhang Ren finally drifted off to sleep amidst the barking of dogs.
The next morning, Zhang Ren was woken up by his alarm clock. After getting dressed, he looked at his increasingly dark circles under his eyes, locked the door, and set off. Although he felt good in spirit, he was still very tired. However, he had an interview to attend today and couldn't afford to miss it.
Sitting on the bus heading to Wangchuan Company, Zhang Ren began to make plans.
The white dot in his mind seemed to enhance the medicine and make its effects incredibly powerful, but because there was only one white dot, Zhang Ren couldn't be sure if it could enhance other items.
If you have the chance, you can give it a try. As for the golden light, Zhang Ren is not yet clear about its function. He will try it when he has the chance in the future!
Zhang Ren already had some guesses about the white light spot, but obtaining it was a problem for him. After all, he had only obtained it by accidentally killing the zombie-turned Grandpa Bu. Did he have to hunt down supernatural beings? Thinking about this, Zhang Ren couldn't help but shudder. He decided to think it over carefully.
"Attention passengers, we have arrived at Jiangbin Road Station. Passengers who have arrived at the station, please disembark from the rear door."When Zhang Ren walked into Wangchuan Company, he was completely stunned. Although he had tried his best to imagine the company to be perfect, he was still shocked by its extravagance when he entered.
"This is your interview number." Zhang Ren took a number from a pretty girl; it read 45. He thanked her and waited in the waiting room for his interview.
The pretty receptionist gave Zhang Ren a strange look at his panda-like dark circles under his eyes.
The company was very large, and when Zhang Ren entered the waiting room, he found that there were already quite a few people in the room.
"It's so hard to survive in this society these days," Zhang Ren sighed, looking at the interviewees dressed as Taoist priests and with bald heads in the waiting room.
When Zhang Ren entered the room, many people turned their attention to him. When they saw that Zhang Ren was as thin as a chick and had dark circles under his eyes from excessive indulgence, many people laughed.
"It's really strange that someone like that could be interviewed by Wangchuan Company."
"Shh, keep your voice down, don't cause trouble."
Before long, the room was quite full, with interviewees chatting in small groups.
The area around Zhang Ren was noticeably quieter. It wasn't that he didn't want to interact with others, but rather that many people, seeing his current appearance, assumed he had some kind of contagious disease and kept their distance from him.
There was still some time before the interview started. When I came in, my phone was taken away. Although I was surprised that this company was being so strict with the interview, I obediently handed it in.
Feeling a bit bored, Zhang Ren started looking around the room.
Suddenly he noticed a refined-looking middle-aged man sitting not far from him, drinking tea alone.
Looking at the slightly thin middle-aged man, Zhang Ren felt a strange attraction to him and developed a fondness for the unfamiliar man.
"Hey! Uncle, is this place empty? Can I sit down?" Zhang Ren walked up to the man and said.
Zhang Ren's arrival clearly surprised the other party, who then smiled, nodded, and invited Zhang Ren to sit down.
"Uncle, are you here for an interview too? Life is so tough these days, there are so many people applying for just one company."
After sitting down, Zhang Ren grinned and said, "Uncle, do you know what the benefits are like at this company?"
Hearing Zhang Ren's words, the other party smiled and nodded, then shook his head. As the proctor, he was waiting for the other proctors to arrive, and also taking the opportunity to assess the quality of the interviewees.
Under his influence, no one else noticed his presence, but the kid in front of him did notice him, which aroused his curiosity.
"Cough cough!" The middle-aged man coughed and rubbed his forehead. When Zhang Ren saw the other man's appearance, he, being the friendly man he was, took out a large bottle of calcium milk from his backpack. He had specially packed it up and brought it with him last night, just in case he wasn't in good condition for the interview today. It would be a good way to perk him up at the crucial moment.
"Uncle, I've got something good for you. I brewed it myself, and it's really effective for headaches."
Mr. Yin, who was about to refuse, discovered that the baby bottle was emitting a faint fragrance that seemed familiar!
"Mr. Yin, you're here. The interview has started. Everyone else is here, and we're just waiting for you."
At that moment, the girl who had just given Zhang Ren his number at the front desk ran over and respectfully spoke to the middle-aged man.
Mr. Yin nodded, then stood up, naturally picked up the bottle of calcium milk that Zhang Ren had given him from the table, smiled at Zhang Ren, and turned to leave.
Watching the other person leave, Zhang Ren was first stunned, then his face lit up with joy.
Am I lucky? That uncle was actually the interviewer! Does that mean I can go to the back?
Thinking about these things, Zhang Ren smiled contentedly.
In a great mood, he then sat there peacefully and closed his eyes to rest.
The interviews were conducted quickly, and before we knew it, one person after another had entered and left the room.
"Interviewee number 45, please enter."
A sound came from the room's speakers, announcing the next person to enter.
After hearing what the other person said, Zhang Ren opened his eyes, stood up, patted his clothes, and walked towards the examination room after confirming that everything was in order.
Looking at the resume in his hand, the interviewer looked at Zhang Ren with a helpless expression. He was just an ordinary undergraduate student with no work experience, and judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to be in good health!
After casually asking Zhang Ren a few questions, and judging from the expressions of the others, the outcome for Zhang Ren seemed quite obvious.
The interviewer glanced at Mr. Yin from the corner and his expression froze. When did Mr. Yin start liking children's dairy drinks?
Mr. Yin seemed to be enjoying himself.
The examiner felt he had inadvertently discovered some kind of code. It seemed he would have to send some to Mr. Yin in the future, but he didn't know what brand it was. He would have to sneak a peek at the trash can when the exam was over.
When Zhang Ren saw the expressions on the faces of the examiners, his heart sank. It seemed that he had no chance. He knew that with his qualifications, it was a pipe dream to get into such a company.
Fortunately, we still have a chance.
Mr. Yin, sitting in the corner, chuckled to himself as he noticed Zhang Ren's frequent stares at him. He thought to himself, "This kid's intentions are obvious." However, he was amused by the medicine's effects.
"Zhang Ren, your interview is over. Please go back and wait for further notice!"
Upon hearing the interviewer's words, Zhang Ren knew he had been rejected. The interviewer was rather tactful, telling him to wait for further notice rather than directly refusing him.
Just as Zhang Ren got up to leave, Mr. Yin's voice drifted from the corner.
"Zhang Ren, the company is short-staffed for a position. Are you interested?"
Mr. Yin's words startled everyone present, and they all turned to look at him, seemingly incredulous at his sudden outburst, considering that many of the previous interviewees had powerful backgrounds.
However, he also knew that Mr. Yin didn't care about these things.
Zhang Ren, who had initially thought there was no hope, was overjoyed upon hearing Mr. Yin's words and quickly nodded, saying, "Interested, interested! What position did you mention?"
Upon hearing Zhang Ren's question, Mr. Yin gently put down the baby bottle in his hand, then smiled warmly at Zhang Ren and said:
"Group Security Department!"
After hearing Mr. Yin's words, the interviewers present looked at each other, bewildered by Zhang Ren's sickly and emaciated physique.
Zhang Ren seemed to think he had misheard, and looked at Mr. Yin with a blank expression.
"Security Department? Isn't that just security guards?"