When Lin Tian got home, he took a shower, calming his mind. He had been somewhat gloomy about turning into a zombie, but after beating up five small-time thugs earlier, his mood had also improved. It seemed like being a zombie wasn't so bad after all.
He pulled the ancient-looking animal hide out of his pocket and spread it out under the moonlight shining through the window, studying it carefully. The human figures and movements depicted on the hide were very clear, and five thousand years had left no marks on it. Lin Tian was certain that the female zombie was the missing corpse from the ancient tomb.
There were twelve movements in total on the hide, resembling those ancient rock paintings discovered by archaeologists. Lin Tian mimicked the drawings, moving his arms and legs. Even though the pictured movements were awkward, and ordinary people couldn't possibly perform them, his zombie body easily managed them.
After practicing a few times, Lin Tian could move as smoothly as clouds and water, finishing in one go. At the end, he sat cross-legged, hands raised. As soon as he completed the movement, he observed the moonlight around him closely. The moonlight, as if responsive, swarmed towards him and was absorbed in the blink of an eye.
"Ah, that feels good…" Lin Tian sighed, his eyes turning blue and his zombie fangs protruding. However, at this moment, he had no desire to suck blood but felt an inner calm instead.
Lin Tian stopped absorbing the moonlight only when the moon moved and there was no longer moonlight in the house. With a thought, his eyes and teeth returned to normal. He picked up the animal hide, his mind wandering to the dazed female zombie; her image deeply etched in his memory.
"Qingyao, I wonder if I'll ever meet you again," Lin Tian murmured to himself softly.
Then, seeing the shabby condition of his own house, Lin Tian let out a self-mocking laugh. He was just a poor kid, where would he get such unrealistic fantasies? Qi Jing had left him for that very reason. The most valuable thing in the house was the old laptop, second-hand from the junk market, and even the internet was piggybacked from the neighbors' Wi-Fi.
In the past, Lin Tian's elderly grandfather insisted on sending him to school, and Lin Tian did not disappoint, getting into the best high school in Xikou City. However, this spent all the family's savings. Unfortunately, after his grandfather passed away, Lin Tian dropped out of school, failing to live up to the old man's expectations.
"Life must go on, but now everything has changed," Lin Tian was an optimistic person and quickly shook off his sorrowful mood, and went to bed.
The next morning.
"Ding-a-ling…" A crisp ringtone woke Lin Tian, who fumbled for his phone in a daze. It wasn't the alarm but a call from a colleague. He worked as a security guard at Xinyi Mall in the city center during the day and as a waiter at a bar at night. But now, it was from his colleague at the mall. He pressed the answer button.
"Hey, Xiao Tian, haven't you gotten up yet? You're about to be late. Take it easy, Qi Jing; you missed the work start time. Alright, gotta go, the boss is almost here."
Beep beep beep...
The other side had hung up, but the content of the call snapped Lin Tian fully awake.
Work? There had been so many events last night; he had forgotten he still had his job to attend to.
Lin Tian quickly got out of bed, but as soon as he walked to the window he felt a series of stinging pains. The sunlight shone on him, burning his exposed skin like fire.
Damn, how could he forget that, Lin Tian hurriedly retreated, looking at his hands. Luckily, there was no damage. He couldn't go out like this, so he found a hooded track suit to put on along with sports shoes and gloves, covering himself up entirely.
Lin Tian grabbed an umbrella and rushed out the door; he couldn't afford to lose his job just yet, or he wouldn't be able to pay his rent. His attire drew stares from every passerby, making them wonder if he had some kind of ailment. Lin Tian didn't care about saving a few bucks and hailed a taxi straight to the city center.
"Xiao Tian, over here." As soon as Lin Tian entered the security room, a colleague waved him over, "You rascal, the higher-ups from headquarters came down for an inspection just now. Lucky for you, I was quick to say you were in the restroom; otherwise, your pay would have been docked."
Xinyi Mall was a subsidiary of Xiao Group, and it was not unusual for senior leaders from headquarters to come down for inspections. Lin Tian thanked him with a smile. He and his colleague, "Hu Zi," got along well and had each other's backs in different situations.
"Don't brush it off. Han Elder from the group came down this time. He's an elder who has followed the Xiao Family since they started with a small supermarket, his status..." Hu Zi, worried Lin Tian might get into trouble, kindly reminded him.
"Bang!" A loud noise interrupted what Hu Zi was about to say, and Lin Tian, jolted, looked up at the security screen. The guard at the entrance had fallen, and a group of people wearing black stockings over their heads had burst in.
"No good, it's a robbery!" Lin Tian shouted and ran out. The first floor of the mall was full of gold and jewelry counters, and the robbers' target was the luxury goods in those counters.
"Ahhh..." A wave of screams filled the mall, and chaos ensued.
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"Everyone shut up and get down on the ground! If anyone doesn't comply, I'll shoot them dead right here,"
"Bang! Bang!"
After shouting his demands, the lead thug fired two more shots, and the entire first floor of the mall immediately quieted down with people either crouching with their heads in their hands or hiding in the corners of the counters.
"Number Two, smash the glass and grab the valuable stuff."
"Boss, which ones are the valuable ones?"
"Damn it, you pig-brain, can't you see the price tags?"
The scolded Number Two quickly took out a hammer and shattered the display case glass, and several henchmen helped to stuff the jewelry inside. In total, there were six thugs, only the leader had a gun, and he was holding everyone at bay with it, as all the people huddled on the ground shaking with fear, and not even the security guards dared to approach.
Just as the leader was about to smirk in triumph, he suddenly spotted a young man in a tracksuit approaching from not far away, completely disregarding him. The leader's authority was challenged, making him extremely unhappy. He pointed the gun at the young man and yelled loudly, "Damn it, you little brat, you think you can ignore my words? Think I don't have the guts to shoot you?"
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, an elegantly dressed elder walked over from a distance. This was Elder Han. The robbery of the jewels didn't concern him much, but he couldn't let the young man before him come to harm.
"Take the jewels if you want, but please don't harm the innocent. Murder and robbery are not the same, think it through," Elder Han said to the thug calmly and composedly.
"Damn, it's like I'm seeing ghosts today; everyone's not afraid to die, huh? I'll send you straight to Western Heaven," said the boss with a ferocious expression, about to pull the trigger.
The young man in the tracksuit was none other than Lin Tian. He shook his head, somewhat speechless. The elder shouldn't have come out and provoke the thugs; they were all desperados who wouldn't reason with you. He squeezed his cellphone firmly and "whooshed" it towards the boss.
"Smack"—the gun was knocked out and flew to the side. Lin Tian's strength at the moment was extraordinary; not only did the cellphone get flung away, but it also caused the thug leader's hand to swell. The thug boss clutched his hand and cried out in pain, and Lin Tian was upon him in an instant, landing a punch in the thug's stomach.
The burly body of the thug boss was sent flying and crashed into the glass display case behind him, shattering the tempered glass.
From a distance, Elder Han noticed the speed and strength of this young man, and his eyes lit up with admiration—such quickness, such formidable power.
"Damn, you dare hit my boss." The second thug managed to pick up the dropped gun, and without a second word, aimed at Lin Tian and pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
The bullet whistled towards him, and Lin Tian narrowed his eyes, seeing the trajectory of the bullet clearly. It would have been very easy for him to dodge, but with people on the ground around him, even if the bullet didn't hit them directly, the risk of a ricochet was too dangerous.
Lin Tian simply charged forward, the bullet striking his chest, penetrating the tracksuit but not able to go any further.
"Ding~"
The bullet fell to the ground, making a crisp sound. The gunman, Number Two, saw everything clearly, his mouth gaping open in shock. Elder Han also saw everything very clearly, but he was not as shocked as the thug, instead, he wore a thoughtful expression.
"Could this be the legendary Ancient Martial technique, the Golden Bell Divine Shield? What's this young man's background? Hm, young, strong, just the type of person Mrs. Xiao is looking for!" muttered Elder Han to himself.
Lin Tian touched the spot where the bullet hit and revealed a knowing smile; he had taken a bold gamble that the legends about zombies being impervious to blades and bullets were true.
"Who are you?" asked the trembling, gun-holding Number Two, his voice shaky.
"Hehe, I'm just a little security guard at the mall," Lin Tian replied as he swiftly took action, grabbing the man's hand and with a "crack," crushed the bones in it. Not waiting for the thug's scream, Lin Tian delivered a chop with the edge of his hand to the thug's neck, and Number Two collapsed unconscious with a pained expression.
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