Strike the First Blow

by Tai Baiyang

  Chapter 164: It’s you!

  Zhang Mu could feel clearly that the security was getting tighter after they walked through a few more streets. The number of guards on both sides gradually increased, and the sense of discipline they had was flawless. Even if it was Zhang Mu that walked past them, all of them continued to stand there with their heads high and chest out, since it was Li Hu that was leading them the way. They looked straight ahead instead of following the movement of Zhang Mu and the others with their eyes.

  All of them are soldiers!

  It looked like this city was the same as taken over by the military. However, this was also good. With the military took charge of the city, then the peace and order would be much more stable.

  Just that in most cases, soldiers who mutated into the walking dead were terrifying during the beginning of Paradise Era. Those soldiers who lost their guns wouldn’t have the strength to fight back against the walking dead. As a result, a regular troop would suffer enormous damage. However, it seemed that the soldiers here had overcome the beginning of the new era.

  The problem now, lies in this new leader. What happened exactly?

  Embracing this question, Zhang Mu finally arrived at the core of the entire city. It was a newly established camp, but it was simple and crude, even shabbier than the residential area outside. Almost all of the people here were working in an orderly manner, not wearing the military uniform as they had changed into their usual clothes. From this, he concluded that the soldiers and the ordinary evolvers had scattered into various departments.

  This decision required a lot of courage. If the leader solely used the soldiers, then the execution and adaption rate would be higher. Now that he had included the civilians, it had pulled down the overall level. However, he had a crucial advantage, and that was to control the entire base completely.

  This leader had a huge ambition. Perhaps at this time, his intention not in this small Shan Xi city already. The people that were working, mainly consist of well built young adult, even those round and plump man sitting around to lead the civilian could be not seen at all.

  Li Hu explained to Zhang Mu after he saw the bewildered look on his face, “We had to rebuild a new one since the former camp was ruin. It was constructed according to the instructor's opinion. Anyway, we don’t mind it. If it's simple, then it’s simple.”

  Zhang Mu nodded his head to show his approval. Under the forced oppression of the military and that instructor, the management of the base would be working in the right direction.

  Of course, for this situation to work in the long run, this leader had to maintain his oppression and the spirit of the entire base must be optimistic, not dropping in the slightest.

  Zhang Mu sighed with emotion. He did not know how long would this situation continue as only this method could be employ in a military camp. Despite that, it was scary to see that this leader of Shan Xi city could make all of them, not just the soldier evolver, but the whole base to act accordingly to his will.

  Although Zhang Mu was not optimistic that the situation in the base would last for a long time, there was always some hope for it. He was getting more and more curious about the man hiding in this camp.

  “Brother Li, can we meet your leader for a while? I would like to know what kind of person is he, that could transform such a huge city till this state.”

  This time, Li Hu immediately agreed to Zhang Mu’s request.

  At that moment, there was a young man who walked past them in a hurry. Initially, that man was reading a document looking down while moving quickly. But now, he was grabbed by Li Hu. When he saw Li Hu, a trace of disbelief appeared on his face as he asked, “Old Li, aren’t you supposed to be on duty today? Why did you come back in advance? Boss Feng let you off so easily?”

  Li Hu laughed, “Didn’t I brought two people here with me? Boss Feng arranged this for me. Can you help me to talk to the boss that there are two new first-ranked evolvers from the outside, that wanted to see him? Also, ask the boss to assign a post for them while you’re at it.”

  At this moment, that young man sized up Zhang Mu and the rest, including the Obsidian Beetle behind Li Hu, with great interest and asked, “What type of ability do these first-ranked evolvers have? Old Li, you should know the rules. Although the boss is in the camp currently, I won’t report any normal first-ranked evolvers to him.”

  He looked suspiciously at Zhang Mu, who had a harmless smile on his face, and Yuan Rui, who was smaller and was hiding back Zhang Mu’s back. He did not feel threatened by both of them.

  Li Hu patted on his shoulder and said, “Of course I know the rules. These two are evolvers with the tamer ability. That gigantic bug behind the lady is her pet, while this brother has a mutated wolfdog as his pet. Its strength should be the same as Thunder, so you can go and report to the boss. There is no mistake. Although we have many first-ranked evolvers in our base, I heard that there is a big event recently, and needed more people, right? They definitely make the cut.”

  “A mutated wolfdog that had a similar strength with Thunder? Then that’s good enough.” That young man instantly paid more attention to Zhang Mu. He naturally knew the level of Li Hu’s Thunder. Since Li Hu said so, even if there was any gap between them, there should not be much difference.

  He casually looked at Zhang Mu and asked, “What are your names? I will register for you before I report to the leader.”

  Li Hu smacked his head as he suddenly realized something and shouted, “That’s right! I’m so silly. Once we chatted, I have forgotten to ask about your names. Little brother, until now I still haven’t gotten your name yet, and this lady too.”

  Zhang Mu chuckled, “It doesn’t matter. It’s not too late for me to say it now, right? My name is Zhang Mu, and this is my friend, Yuan Rui.”

  “Zhang Mu and Yuan Rui, right? Alright, I have noted it down. Please wait for a while. Let me send out the statistics file for today and report to the boss while I’m at it. Old Li, you bring them to the big tent that is for the reception and wait for a while.”

  After that young man finished his words, he dashed out immediately. It seems like the file on his hand was very urgent. Without waiting for Li Hu’s reply, he left straight away. Meanwhile, Li Hu could only stand there and watch him disappear. Li Hu apologized, “Brother Zhang, this friend of mine is always that impatient with no courtesy. Please don’t mind him.”

  Zhang Mu waved his hand and said, “He is also in a hurry to work. Besides, he agreed to help us to notify your leader.”

  After that, Li Hu brought them both to a huge tent and sat down. As for the Obsidian Beetle, Zhang Mu ordered it to turn small, and it flew to rest on Yuan Rui’s shoulder. Li Hu was shocked when he saw that the Obsidian Beetle could change its size. However, this was related to the evolver’s secret, so he did not mention it. He merely took a few more glances at the Obsidian Beetle.

  At this moment, a crisp sound of a boot stepping on the ground could be heard outside the tent. Looks like the leader was here.

  There was a second-ranked aura!

  This leader of Shan Xi city had advanced to the second rank!

  However, while Zhang Mu was still stunned about this fact, another unexpected thing happened.

  When that hand lifted Zhang Mu’s curtain, Zhang Mu was stunned in place as he saw the face of the newcomer.

  It’s him!

  Chapter 165: Zhang Mu’s fault

  “How come it's you?”

  Both of them questioned each other in unison. Meanwhile, Yuan Rui, and Li Hu were stunned looking at them. How did these two people get to know each other?

  When Li Hu was assuming that Zhang Mu might recognize his leader because of his military family background, a voice sounded beside his ear, “Li Hu, take this lady out first. I got something to chat with this brother.”

  Obedience was the first duty of a soldier. Therefore, Li Hu did his job without hesitation. In the meantime, Yuan Rui also walked out slowly since Zhang Mu ha
d signaled for her to do so.

  Right now, the tent was empty except for Zhang Mu and the guy in front of him.

  This man, was the fat bald-man that he stole the three thousand dollars before the opening of the Paradise Era.

  How could it be him?

  Because of this person’s wallet, which held the three thousand dollars, it allowed Zhang Mu to buy his first melee weapon and supplies. With that extravagant outfit and strange wallet, the memory was still fresh in Zhang Mu's mind when he recalled the matter.

  Now this fat bald-man, did not have the tycoon presence when he first met him. Without the sunglasses, his eyes looked sharp, and he was charismatic. Although the appearance was the same, he seemed to change into another person.

  But judging from his physique, how could he be a veteran’s instructor and managed to convince everyone in the city?

  The moment Zhang Mu recalled his memory, the bald man interrupted his thoughts.

  “Long time no see, a boy from the Thieves Sect.”

  The man in front of him broke the silence first and looked at Zhang Mu with a faint smile on his face.

  How did he know his identity?

  If he did not mention it, Zhang Mu might have forgotten this identity in the corner of his mind. The conscious from his past life always occupied a dominant position, so the memory in regards to the Thieves Sect was relatively shallow. The skills he learned for a decade ago was not useful at all because it was too weak in this Cataclysm. If he used this trick against those high-ranked evolvers, basically he would be getting himself killed as their senses were very sharp.

  Furthermore, ever since he became the era sub-merchant, even though he did not completely sever the connection between the human race, but he also did not make much contact with them. Moreover, he did not want to use this skill when he was young too. Eventually, he slowly forgot this in the corner of his mind.

  Zhang Mu’s expression turned serious as he stared into the eyes of the bald leader. He was not overwhelmed by his imposing presence as he asked with vigilance, “So you remembered my appearance? Although I did steal your wallet, how did you know I’m from the Thieves Sect?”

  If he knew that someone had tampered it with his estuarine crocodile skin wallet, why did he still let him take away? Moreover, he did not look bothered about it.

  The bald leader laughed, “Because, your master also stole from me before. But I have to say that your skill was a little rusty in some areas. Not as natural like your master.”

  So he was someone that knew his master. No wonder when he discovered his small act, he did not stop or make a sound about it.

  As if to confuse Zhang Mu, that bald leader smiled and said, “After that, I went to have a drink with your master. When I found out about the rules set in your stupid guild, I was furious. Your master was like this and now you. What? Do I look like those rich and cruel people? There were so many people there, yet you only stole from me.”

  Once the bald leader mentioned this, the imposing image he had, was gone in an instant. He patted on Zhang Mu’s shoulder roughly.

  Since the presence he released was a first-ranked evolver, Zhang Mu could only grit his teeth in pain and said, “With the way you’re dressed, who should I look for instead? A big aviator sunglasses, gold necklace, and an arrogant and despotic look, who would think you were a good person at first glance?”

  That leader touched his shiny head and replied, “That time my image was a requirement for my mission.”

  So at that time, he was dressed for a mission? Zhang Mu could not believe that he did not saw any issue at that time. As expected, he was not a simple figure. Zhang Mu guessed that this bald leader might be one of those people that walked out of the special division in the country. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be qualified to help those veterans, and became their instructor, or even perform such a mission.

  “I already know your name. Zhang Mu, right? Well, let me introduce myself.” The expression of the bald leader instantly turned solemn. A deep and dense voice produced from his throat as he said, “I’m Long Qi. Previously a veteran, special force instructor. Now, I’m the head of Shan Xi city’s base.”

  Long Qi should not be his real name and was merely his code name. Zhang Mu had heard about it once before. The number of people ranked after the ‘Long’ character were all strong and powerful, all the way from Long Yi to Long Liu. All of them were famous. Previously, Zhang Mu thought they were a family. Now, it seems that all of them came out of the military. However, Zhang Mu never heard of Long Qi before.

  What about the Ice Queen? Where was the Ice Queen now? Furthermore, how did this Long Qi that he met at Luoyang city would appear at Shan Xi city, became their leader and even advanced to the second rank?

  Of course, Zhang Mu couldn’t ask too much for now. He could only probe at Long Qi with a smile, “Didn’t we separated at the bridge? How did you get to Shan Xi city and became the leader?”

  “That was because of you.” Long Qi replied absently. “Because of me?” Zhang Mu was even more confused this time. The only interaction between them was the stolen wallet.

  Long Qi saw the speculation in Zhang Mu’s eye as he answered him, “I wanted to relax after completing my task. However, you had stolen my money, and I couldn’t bring any bank card that had my personal information at that time. In the end, I had to drive away in my car and went back home. Leaving Luoyang city and of course, my destination is Shan Xi city. As for the matter later, it was much more complicated. Anyway, by some strange chances, I have gathered all the troops here and the scattered base together, and cleared all the dangerous creature that would harm the human race inside the city. The rest is what you can see now.”

  Long Qi seems to feel some emotion when he bumped into Zhang Mu, a disciple from his old friend. Hence, it did not matter to him if he had said a little more information.

  Zhang Mu blank out after that. This time, it was indeed his fault that caused such a tremendous change in Shan Xi city. That could be said the most consequential butterfly effect that he found after his rebirth.

  First of all, the Ice Queen had disappeared. And then the Long Qi in front of him had sat on the position of Shan Xi city’s leader and even advanced to the second rank ahead of time. In just two months, he had recovered the entire city. All in all, everything was changed completely.

  Even though it looked like a change for the better, but this time, it was indeed his fault.

  Chapter 166: Paying Off A Debt

  “Why does your expression look so surprised?”

  Long Qi observed Zhang Mu with his eye. His keen instincts that had been trained for many years was telling him that there is something wrong with Zhang Mu. However, he could not find out where the problem was.

  Zhang Mu himself was a cautious person, so how could he fell under Long Qi’s trap and let him find more inkling? Hence, he took his time to reply, “I feel like it was such a coincidence. At first, I couldn’t bear the hunger so I had to steal your wallet at Luoyang city and now, I have met you here again. From a tycoon to a special force instructor, now you’ve changed into the number one figure in Shan Xi city. It all happened so abruptly.”

  At this time, Long Qi finally found the uncertainty he had on Zhang Mu. He squinted his eyes and carefully eyed up and down at Zhang Mu in front of him. He asked a question that Zhang Mu could not find a reason to explain to him at once, “I remembered my statistician reported to me that you were from a nearby city seeking for protection. However, I remembered you were from Luoyang city. With such a long distance from here and there, coupled with the traffic now, did you honestly came to Shan Xi city from such a far distance to seek for protection? Furthermore, the information should be blocked now, so how did you know that this is the safest place?

  Zhang Mu boy, right now, you better give me a reasonable explanation.”

  As Long Qi spoke, his voice gradually turned colder. The glance he looked at Zhang Mu was just like a scanner scanning at his surroun
ding. If he could not give him a clear explanation, Zhang Mu felt that he would be captured alive.

  Looking at this fat bald-man having a smile on his face, he was emitting the same presence as Zhang Mu.

  A murderous vibe!

  Now it was not the time to expose his secrets yet. However, he could not afford to have a dispute with him. Even though he was unsure who would win or lose, but one thing for sure was that Shan Xi city would not allow him to stay anymore. Also, he did not complete his era merchant’s task yet.

  As quick as lightning, Zhang Mu’s mind ran through a thousand reasons. Right away, he found a suitable excuse to answer Long Qi’s sharp question. His lip curled into a smile as he said, “Who would risk their life and ran over a hundred kilometers to come here? Furthermore, the communication system is worthless now. You should have tried to use the most primitive equipment to communicate, and it failed, correct? So there is no way I would know that this place was secure.”

  “Well, after that? You did not mention the main point.” Long Qi continued to interrogate Zhang Mu.

  Zhang Mu waved his hand, completely ignoring the pressure that Long Qi put on him as he replied comfortably, “The reason for me to spend so much effort to come here, was to find a person.

  See that lady outside? She lived in a small town nearby and was the only good friend of mine. Previously, I didn’t have the face to see her when I was broke, but now that the world had become like this, I was worried for her. Therefore, I came straight after her from Luoyang city.

  But I never expected that she would awaken her ability before me and tamed that gigantic bug. So there was no need for me to protect her. Finally, as you can see, we also managed to save a little boy who was alone in his home. After that, we rushed over here from a small town nearby. I felt that the provincial’s army or the police would have higher quality, so it was logical for us to come here, right?”

  Long Qi slowly thought about the words that Zhang Mu said earlier. He couldn’t see any trace of lies from Zhang Mu’s eye as the look of sincerity did not seem like it was disguised. However, he still felt that something was amiss.