This is just a box where I drop idea for fan-fiction and if someone want to make a novel with a idea from my box he can I'm not going to do something. This box is just for when idea come

"Mother, I will take a look and then return." Qiao Mu joyously rushed past Wei Ziqin. 
Wei Ziqin turned around, a smile on her face. How long has it been since she saw her daughter this happy? Only now did she resemble an energetic child. 
As soon as Qiao Mu bounded out of her home, she saw 10-20 carriages stopped outside and a lot of workers unloading boxes one by one from the carriage, temporarily piling them up next to the entrance. 
One of the youths in tight-fitting black clothes received Qiao Mu and respectfully bowed. "Little Lord, should we move all the boxes in?" 
"Yes. Move it to beside the woodshed." Qiao Mu glanced at the youth and waved her hand. 
The villagers were attracted by the large commotion at Qiao Mu's home, and they were circled around the carriages, admiring the snugly shut boxes. 
"Qiaoqiao, did you spend all the gold from the Heavenly Dao Sect after buying this much?" Their neighbor, a middle-aged woman, looked at the items in front of Qiao Mu's home with curiosity on her face. Moving this many boxes in, wouldn't it fill that tiny amount of space in the courtyard to the brim? 
Qiao Mu nodded and pulled Qiao Hu outside to help to direct the boxes' transportation. As for her, she followed the youth in black through her home's door and had them move all of the boxes to the space next to the woodshed.
The number of boxes somewhat exceeded Qiao Mu's estimation, so she blinked, looking toward the youth in black with confusion in her eyes.
"There are 3000 iron arrows in here, each of them is forged from fine-quality iron. There are 30 boxes and each box contains 100 arrows." The youth in black opened one of the boxes next to Qiao Mu and showed her the sparkling jet-black iron arrows in the box. 
Then, he took a small silver box plated with gold and handed it to Qiao Mu. "Little Lord, store this safely. There are 10 crow-gold arrows in here. After you claim an arrow with a drop of blood, you can summon it back every time after you shoot it. This item is hard to come by, so you must safe-keep it well." 
Qiao Mu's eyes twinkled as she looked at the youth. "What?" The 900 taels of gold that she gave were not enough to buy a fraction of a crow-gold arrow, let alone one whole arrow.
Regardless of how ignorant and inexperienced she was, she would have still heard of crow gold. This was a superior-grade material that was specifically used for forging mystic weapons and was very spiritual. An entire magnetite mine mountain might not produce even one tiny nugget of crow gold.
This was a material that had a price but no supply. Yet, that rich crown prince could produce 10 crow-gold arrows in a whoosh! Why did she feel like she had cozied up to someone powerful?
The youth in black smiled. "Little Lord, don't worry, these don't cost any money."
Qiao Mu pettishly rolled her eyes, inwardly stating, "If you dare to ask for money, I will immediately kick you into the distance!"
The youth in black suddenly felt like his comprehension skills were very fine-tuned. He could actually glean a trace of viciousness from the little girl's eyes. Heh. He hastily closed the box and carried another box to hand to Miss Qiao Mu. "This is a crow repeating crossbow, it is a level 12 mystic weapon forged from crow gold. His Highness said that like the ferule he gifted to Little Lord, he had suppressed its level to around level three, so Little Lord can use it immediately." 
Qiao Mu turned over the 30 normal repeating crossbows and put it away safely with the crow repeating crossbow. Then, she turned around to look at the boxes of clothes being carried inside. 
According to what they agreed upon, a certain crown prince had helped her purchase 20 years worth of clothing.
Qiao Mu rubbed her nose. Cough, cough. Twenty years seemed to be a bit of a stretch. She really did have the intention of making things difficult for him back then. 


A genius talisman practitioner is reborn as a seven-year-old girl! However, her innocent appearance belies her vicious personality. 
In the remote countryside, the Crown Prince runs into her, beating up her enemy. She is indifferent, but it’s love at first sight for the Crown Prince!
“Not good, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Her Highness the Crown Prince Consort used an immobilization talisman on His Majesty the Emperor, and His Majesty is currently eating dirt in the main hall.”
“Isn’t that normal? Who told that dog emperor to provoke my wife? I say it’s a job well done! Pour a bucket of ice water on him to cool him down!”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, it’s really not good this time! The great Crown Prince Consort threw out three explosion talismans and destroyed Noble Consort Zheng and her house!”
A certain crown prince laughed madly. “Job well done! She’s truly my wife; she’s as awesome as always!”
“Crown Prince, Crown Prince, it’s seriously bad this time! A beautiful man appeared in the great Crown Prince Consort’s room!” You got cuckolded again!
The crown prince harshly picked up the handsome man half laying on her bed. “Who are you?” 
A certain consort replied with a stoic face. “I drew a deity-inviting talisman and summoned a venerable immortal of love.”
“Get lost as soon as you finish fighting!”
“Oh, sorry, it's easier to invite the devil in than to send him away!” I’m not leaving!
Embark on this adventure of a little stoic who just wants to grow stronger and protect her family but unwittingly ends up with a merry company of troublemakers. A riveting cocktail of cultivation, zombies, and sci-fic!


The next noon, in the railway station of Blackhot City, the military train that was going to leave had already blown its first whistle, which indicated urgency and that the train was about to set off. 
"Is everyone ready?" Lieutenant Colonel Reinhardt asked, looking out the carriage for the last time. By then, the last soldiers of Iron-Blood Camp had jumped onto the train from the platform. 
"Everybody is in!" Major Guderian cleaned his glasses. "Everybody and all the equipment is on the train! Besides one wounded soldier, everybody of Iron-Blood Camp is already in."
"Fine, set off!" Lieutenant Colonel Reinhardt ordered. At the same time, he thought back to Zhang Tie's young face and felt slightly regretful inside.
After blowing the third whistle, the military train started to move slowly.
"What a pity!" 
Major Guderian took off his golden-frame glasses and slowly cleaned them with a piece of cloth. In the Iron-Blood Camp as a whole, only major Guderian and Lieutenant Colonel Reinhardt knew that Gregory family had given Zhang Tie a vial of advanced recovery medicament once he left the hospital. If Zhang Tie had used that vial of medicament, he should have been able to follow in the steps of the Iron-Blood Camp. However, Zhang Tie was not here; therefore, major Guderian let out a sigh.
The carriage was filled with military officers of the Iron-Blood Camp. For Guderian's slight sigh, nobody made any response, instead, they all kept quiet.
"Nothing to feel regretful about. This might be karma between people as was said by marshal Lin Changjiang!" Reinhardt stated, hitting the point.
...
The train sped up. Right then, people in the carriage of military officers seemed to hear increasingly louder voices shouting 'come on' from carriages that carried common soldiers behind them.
Lieutenant Colonel Reinhardt and many military officers were curious, and they looked out the windows once again. Everybody saw an SUV rushing out of the tunnel near the platform. Soon, that SUV caught up with a carriage between the middle part and the end of the train. The soldiers of Iron-Blood Camp in the carriage had opened the door and were shouting loudly to encourage the black-haired guy who was standing on the seat behind the driver. 
With a large military pack on his back, he was holding a huge sword. With the encouragements, that man first threw in his luggage into the carriage before following it with his terrifying sword, letting some soldiers hold it for a moment. Finally, he jumped out of the SUV like a fierce tiger and rolled into the train's carriage. Hit by this flesh-bomb, several soldiers screamed miserably...
Hearing the screams, all the soldiers who were encouraging him from the other carriages burst out laughing loudly.
At the last minute, Zhang Tie had arrived...
...
Five minutes later, somewhat embarrassed, Zhang Tie appeared in the military officers' carriage where Lieutenant Colonel Reinhardt was in. 
"Boss, Zhang Tie, second lieutenant, platoon leader of Third Platoon, Fifth Company has recovered, I'm requesting to return to my troop!" Standing in front of Reinhardt, Zhang Tie gave a military salute to the boss of the Iron-Blood Camp.
"Agreed!" Reinhardt revealed a wisp of a smile at the corner of his mouth. Looking at this young man before him, he suddenly felt very happy. "Have you recovered?"
"Yea!" Zhang Tie patted his chest. "It's already been a couple of days, but due to something, I've came back a few days later!" 
"What thing?" Being a bit serious, Chief of Staff Guderian asked. 
"Chief of Staff... uhm... you know that I've just had the circumcision... I've held back for over ten years and my girlfriends could not wait any more. But it was not convenient to do that in the camp..."
Zhang Tie became a bit bashful.
"Badass!" After swearing at Zhang Tie, Major Guderian couldn't stop himself from laughing. Of course he knew how Zhang Tie had gotten his nickname 'Second Lieutenant Mummy'.
At the same time, all the other military officers in the carriage burst out laughing as well...
Zhang Tie then took a seat. As he saw Blackhot City grow smaller, many thoughts flashed across his mind.
...
At this time, at home, Alice was holding the delicate gift box packed in blue package paper, which was brought by Pandora and Beverly at Zhang Tie's request. She was looking at the two of them with a curious expression. 
"What's inside?" she asked Pandora.
"Just open it!" Pandora smiled, encouraging her.
Alice then opened the outer blue gift box. Like all the other girls, the moment she saw the logos of Mrs. Diss and Milan as well as the flower, she also exclaimed.
When these items were put together, every girl would like it. 
Alice then opened the two boxes inside, the bigger box contained a set of beautiful blue underclothes while the smaller box contained an expensive ring with a huge sapphire on it. 
During the past week, Alice was in a low mood. However, filled with such a great pleasure, she immediately burst into a smile which was as fresh as a flower.
"Was it Zhang Tie who requested you to bring it here?" 
Alice's eyes were fixed on the two items in her hands, she loved them so much. 
"Who else except him?"
"Why didn't he come here himself?" Face blushed, Alice put the set of blue underclothes close to herself and found it well-matching. "That badass, lady-killer, who only knows how to make girls happy..."
"He didn't know how to face you; therefore he asked us to send it to you..." Pandora calmly said.
"Where's he?" 
Alice's movements became slightly stiff.
"Went to Kalur. He should be on the military train by now. The Iron-Blood Camp, which he's in, was dispatched to join the war between the Norman Empire and Sun Dynasty in Kalur as the vanguard of No. 39 Division..." Beverly said dejectedly.
Alice's face immediately turned pale.
"Did he say something for me before he left?" Alice's voice trembled slightly. 
"He had carved what he wanted to say on your ring!" Thinking of the words on that finger ring with a ruby on it that Zhang Tie had gifted her, Beverly started to drop off tears. So many people had sworn her as a bitch, male or female; however, only Zhang Tie knew she was as pure as ruby. With a good  man like Zhang Tie, Beverly had been satisfied, no matter whether she could stay with Zhang Tie in the future. 
"Wish you'll be happier than a sea——Zhang Tie"
Taking the ring, Alice finally saw such a line of words on its back. She thought she could see Zhang Tie's smile again...
That was a man who truly treated her well, a man who would be enraged at the sight of her being chased by a group of wild wolves, a man who would use his own body to shield her from a bolt at the most dangerous moment! When she dropped off tears before that man for the first time, that man controlled his greed at the most critical moment and silently put on his pants for her, leaving her her most precious thing. 
Alice had not imagined that it might be her last meeting with Zhang Tie. When he was going to leave, he had people send this ring full of bliss to her along with a set of suitable underclothes chosen by him. 
Alice then burst into tears, loudly, before rushing out of her home and running towards the railway station. She wanted to to have a look at that man for the last time, however, she failed to catch up with that military train in the end...
...
At this moment, in another place of Blackhot City, Barley, Hista, Doug, Bagdad, and Leit had taken out what Zhang Tie had left for them.
That was a leather case containing 600 gold coins and Zhang Tie's letter to them.
The letter read as follows:
'Brothers, I will set off for Kalur. You're my brothers. So are those brothers of the Iron-Blood Camp. They were ready to sacrifice themselves for me, so I can only sacrifice myself for them. I don't want to make this like a will. But sometimes, I have to tell you the truth. Because I'm not god, there's also a chance for me to not come back. Additionally, the casualty rate of the Iron-Blood Camp of No. 39 Division is the highest in the Iron-Horn Army.
'If I give each of you 100 gold coins just like that, I know none of you will take it just like Sharwin. Because our friendship is worth more than this amount. Here, I want you to take them all. The reason is very simple. If I cannot come back, I just want to try my best to do something for my brothers. Why? Because the holy war between human beings and the demons will soon come. 
'I was told this by the most reliable person when he left Blackhot City. I trust him. Maybe in the next few years, the situation of the entire Blackson Human Clan Corridor will see a great change. Since Blackhot City won't be safe then, you should plan to leave here as soon as possible. If I had the ability, I would've done more for you, but please forgive me, I can only do this. This money will be my compensation for the amount of coins that I've plundered from you at the beginning.
'Previously, I had a lot of words to say, but I don't know how to say it all, so that's it!
'If I survive and come back to find that none of you received my good intentions, I will be very angry. I swear to beat the sh*t out of any who does that.
'Hista, you bastard should better not take this money for women. You should think more about how to escape together with your women.
'Doug, you don't look like that person who excels at making money or spending money. If you have trouble, don't forget to negotiate with Barley that bastard. He will not let you suffer a loss.
Bagdad, when I left the Iron-Thorns Fighting Club, I told manager Hance that if you would like to go there, they should arrange a very proper location for you, which is definitely better than being a serviceman in the fighting club where you are working at. 
'Sharwin, no matter what happens in the future, don't face it alone, remember that you've got so many good brothers.
'Barley, I know you cute Fatty are the most righteous one. I'm very happy to be brothers with you. 
'Well, that's all. Finally, I want to say, I've already done the circumcision and am not a virgin any more. You'd better not be curious about the process since if you knew, you'd be very jealous of me. I don't want to wound your confidence as men and make you feel reluctant to raise up your head when you see me next time, ha... ha...
'Yours sincerely!'
Reading Zhang Tie's letter, the group was on the verge of tears, but by the end, they all burst out laughing.
"Zhang Tie, this bastard!" 
When Doug wanted to cry, he couldn't stand but laugh, leaving a green snot bubble out on his nostril. Without thinking too much, he directly twitched it off and smear it onto the clothes of a person beside him. He even cleaned his hand on that person's clothes...
Not until they finished reading did Hista realize that Doug seemed to have rubbed on his clothes twice just now. 'What does that mean?' Feeling something not right, he lowered his head, and then immediately jumped up!
"Ah, Doug, you bastard! What disgusting thing have you smeared on my clothes? I'll kill you, ah..."
...
In the distance, the military train that contained all the soldiers and equipment of the Iron-Blood Camp was driving towards the far off south. Looking at the disappearing outline of Blackhot City in the horizon, Zhang Tie mumbled inside, "See you, Blackhot City!"


After the Catastrophe, every rule in the world was rewritten.
In the Age of Black Iron, steel, iron, steam engines and fighting force became the crux in which human beings depended on to survive.
A commoner boy by the name Zhang Tie was selected by the gods of fortune and was gifted a small tree which could constantly produce various marvelous fruits. At the same time, Zhang Tie was thrown into the flames of war, a three-hundred-year war between humans and demons on the vacant continent. Using crystals to tap into the potentials of the human body, one must cultivate to become stronger.
The thrilling legends of mysterious clans, secrets of Oriental fantasies, numerous treasures and legacies in the underground world — All in the Castle of Black Iron!
Written by Drunk Tiger, this novel is a prime example of fantasy steampunk. Let us journey through the world of limitless possibilities and inventions together!
------
**Warning: This novel contains mature content**


"This is a mechanical lift," Xi mumbled trying to compose himself, now with less blood dripping off his clothes.


Dust filled the room, a rectangular lift made of iron, fitted enough for four to six people. On top of it, was a wooden plank hugged by dust and some parts are crumbled by time. Sides were hooked by rusted chains going up. Besides the lift was, a box, waist leveled, at the top of the box was button made of iron. 


Exhausted and hungry, the four, now with a normal Coco, stepped inside the lift. Xi pressed the iron button, but with no avail, the lift didn't worked. Xi pressed for the second time, the third, and forth, the lift still didn't worked. 


"Of course, no one have used it for years," Ned with his Butterfly sheathed, messy hair, tattered clothes and green liquid - blood of goblins, sprayed some from his clothes, exited the lift, "we should have expected it not to work."


Toni, with Coco embracing him, moved to check the box, and see if she could find a way for the lift to work. Her pale smooth skin breaths out of her tight leather clothes - which was now mutilated of holes and scratches from the dead goblins. Seeing the mechanical box, her head tilted, she was confused, for it was beyond her knowledge to fix the lift. She smiled, blinked, and frowned. 


Seeing Toni's mixed up face, Xi standing on one leg trying to support his injury, slowly moved towards Toni. "Let me see." Xi said.


"Uhmm...can you fix it?" Toni stuttered, her dark hair swayed when she moved to give way to Xi. 


Chest popping out, standing nice and tall, like no injuries at all, Xi answered Toni with proud. "Of course," now with the box in front of him, Xi bent to check the box. "My family are merchants, and out of my six brothers, I'm the only one who managed to learn mechanics." Xi added. Now feeling proud of himself, for his studies about mechanics, which his parents forced him to learn, was now rewarded.


With the assurance from Xi, they sighed with relief. But not for long.


The room they were in, was, once again, exploded. Luckily the iron wall was tough enough to block the explosion from going inside. Debris and smoke blocked their view. But once it dispersed, they saw the Hybrid standing tall. Fuming with anger and eyes filled of rage. The stone shined once again.


"He don't know when to quit," cried Xi, leaning on the box. Debris settled on his hair.


"Xi! I'll buy some time, try to fix the lift!" Gritting his teeth, Ned unsheathed The Butterfly. His hunter's clothes jogged together with his sword. "Vanish," Ned muttered 


[Vanish skill activated.]


[Ned that's your last.]


I know. Ned said, in his thoughts.


Surprised and confused, Toni saw Ned suddenly vanished. Again. She doesn't have any clues on how Ned did, or casts his skills without any Mana. But with the Hybrid, steaming hot, she reserved the thoughts. She gave Coco to Xi and draw her Kiki'Dorra twin dagger and dashed to help Ned. 


The Hybrid saw Ned vanished again, with his battle instincts, and numbers of spells, he roared. The stone on his left hand, shined once again. This time, it was not a Fireball, not a firesword, but a Field of Fire surrounding the Hybrid. with his limited vision, the Hybrid made sure that Ned couldn't let pass him. 


[Vanish skill dismissed.]


Ned who couldn't move closer to the Hybrid, because of the field of fire, did nothing with the Vanish skill. He tsked out of frustration. 


The three, Ned, Toni, and the Hybrid battled in the middle of the chamber. Shadows danced against the torche's light. Air whistled with blade cutting empty space. Even without the Hybrid's blade, he was still a formidable opponent. Using his bare fists, the Hybrid rammed in every direction. He doesn't seem to ran out of Mana and stamina, he's a Hybrid afterall. 


Even with the two of them, all they did was to defend against the Hybrid's fists. 


"Ned! It's done!" Veins popping out his neck, Xi shouted. Some blood exited his wound, "hurry!"


"Toni you go first, I'll hold him!" Ned blocked the Hybrid's fists with his sword. The fists and the sword clanged. "I'll catch up," he smiled. 


"But."


"I'll be fine, just go."


"Uhn, you better be," Toni moved back directly towards the lift. There, she found Coco, carried by limping Xi on the lift ready to move.


Ned was surprised to battle a monster with a level of grade D on its peak. All his training rewarded him at last. This is tougher even with the Warg and Butriki leaders combined. Ned thought. Leaping back and forth, to evade the Hybrid's fist. The stone shined and Ned smiled, "I've been waiting," he muttered.


Sphere started to form, a fire then shot out of the Hybrid's fist. It hummed going towards Ned. But Ned was unmoving, he smiled, raised his Butterfly and the tip pointed towards the Fireball. 


When The Butterfly's tip and the Fireball collided. The Hybrid was surprised, he couldn't believe what he saw, the Fireball was absorbed by the sword, down to its last fume. 


With the Fireball absorbed and sword raised, Ned lunged towards the Hybrid. "Fireball!" Ned shouted.


Startled, and not fast enough to evade, the Hybrid took the Fireball head on. The explosion was bigger and stronger than the Hybrid's Fireball. He was thrown meters away from Ned. 


With this, he dashed towards the lift where Toni, Coco and Xi are waiting. He moved inside and pushed the button. The mechnical lift creaked, dust scattered then it shook. The lift ascended, for an inch, and stopped. 


"What now?!" Xi cried. 


"You said it's fixed," Ned asked.


"Yes!" It was "wait...wait...could it be," Xi jumped off the lift, pryed open the box  and there, he found that the energy source ran out of , well, energy. "Shit!" He cursed. He had been cursing a lot lately. Xi took out the energy source, blue to green stone, that emits a very faint light and was handed to Ned. 


"Look," Ned examined, rasing the stone high up for everyone to see. "It looks familiar," he added.


"Uhn, now that you mentioned it, it looks like…" Toni gazed towards the Hybrid, laying on the ground, body emiting smoke. 


"The Hybrid," the three resounded at the same time. 


Meow?, With Coco.


Not far from them, the Hybrid moved, broken armor, sorched skin, and eyes popping out of anger. Henran towards the group of humans. 


Meow!


"Are you sure?" 


Meow!


Ned bent and bit his finger to feed Coco with blood. 


Coco turned to tiger, and strode towards the incoming Hybrid. 


Ned, Toni, and Coco, with Xi and a bow faught the Hybrid. With one goal in mind. The stone he had been using to cast a spell. 


Arrows flew, dagger slashed, sword clanged and thunder roared. They fought the first toughest monster the group ever had, maybe their last. 



They fought until one of them was caught by the Hybrid. Eyes dilated, Toni was holding here breath under the grip of the monster. Stone was on his left and Toni was on his right. "No!" Waving his sword Ned cried. "Let her go!"


Ned stampede towards the Hybrid, with the Butterfly ready, he slashed the arms. 


Strong and cunning, the Hybrid uses Toni as a shield. Ned stopped his attack midway. Think, think, Ned shuffled his brain. 


Meow?


"No we can't attack him, he'll just use Toni as a shield." Ned answered the frustrated Coco. 


"That's it!" Ned stabbed his hand with his sword and blood flowed continuously. He then leaped between Toni and the Hybrid, raised his hand and brushed the blood in the Hybrid's mouth.


He sneered. The Hybrid let out a low growl mocking Ned of what he did. "Are you out of your mind human?" That's what the Hybrid would say, if he could. 


The Hybrid was about to crash Toni's head. When he suddenly felt his blood boiling, muscles stiffed, breathing uncontrollable, and his Mana went berserked. His muscles threaded like waves. He let go of Toni, and the stone. He kneeled, saliva flowed out his mouth. And he rolled on the ground. Holding his head, sometimes, his body, back to his head again. His armor clanged on the ground. He was evolving. 


Ned saw that the Hybrid was momentarily stunned, he helped Toni up, picked up the stone and ran towards Xi. "Xi!" Ned raised his hands and throw the stone straight to Xi.


Xi caught the stone and placed it in the box. With enough energy, the lift shook for a moment then ascended. "Hurry!" Xi cried. 


With distance too far, Ned lifted Toni and placed her on Coco's back. He jumped and rode Coco as well. 


Coco jumped on the lift that was now ascending. Just in time when Coco reversed back to normal. 


With the Hybrid wailing and roaring in distance, the group ascended towards the exit. The structure was almost eight storey high. So it took them double the time to reach the top. 


The lift stopped in a room - a room that could fit eight people at once. Full of papers left to dust, storage full of mining tools. Pickaxes, lamps, scrolls, old rusted chest, iron tables on top was a schematic of some sort. The source of light was a flickering stone attached on the walls. At the end of the room, was a human skeleton leaning on the wall. On the skeletons right, was a wall, with no decorations, just plain old wall. An engraved writings could be seen at the edge of the plain wall. "Array," Xi mumbled. 


"How'd you know?" Ned asked. Ned was surprised that Xi knew about arrays.


"The writings," Xi limped towards the plain wall, and slid his fingers on the writings. "They are old Array encantations, they are so old it wasn't even used today."


There are languages I don't even know, system that I didn't find familiar, this world. Needs to be explored. And I will not sit here trapped in this room. Ned was determined to explore his current world. To think that my subjugation will turn to exploraron. Ned was thrilled. "What does it says?" ICE, can you read it?


[Negative. The language written was either ancient or localized.]


"I don't know much," Xi answered with confusion, "out of hundreds I can only read one or two?" Xi kept on sliding his fingers on the wall.


"What does it say?" This time, it was Toni who asked.


"Passage and Exit." Xi answered. "It could mean that this is a Passage Array." 


Passage Array, Ned thought. "Then how do we activate it?"


"Something this old, are a complex combinations of Runes, maybe four to six different runes. Powered by a Mana stones, no maybe one Mana stone powered this. The combinations must be inside a Holding Claim. Camouflaged to look like, maybe a book, or a chest, look form something that stores!" Xi cried with excitement.


Not long after, they found a book hidden besides the human skeleton. The inside of the book was hollow, at the edges was four Rune stones and in the middle was a stone almost looking the same as the Hybrid used to cast the spells. Mana stone. So it was Mana stone afterall. Ned examined the runes and the stone. The two runes seems familiar to Ned. "These two," pointing at the two runes, one at the upper right and the other at the bottom right edge of the book. "They look familiar, I saw may Master used these runes once," pointing at the upper right , "that's a barrier rune and this one is illusion rune."


"Illusion and barrier runes," Xi thought that it's strange to have barrier and illusion runes together. Unless, "strange, unless the people here are hiding something that they don't want to be discovered."


"Uhn," Toni agreed.


This kid, he's actually smart. Ned thought looking at Xi with wonder. "Then how do we activate it?"


"The Mana stone's energy is depleted," Xi answered.


"Uhmm…this?" Toni pulled the Mana stone from the lift and showed it to the group. 


"Of course," said Ned.


The moment they replaced the old mana stone with the new one, the plain wall started to emit a light. That suddenly looked like the teleportation magic used by the Royal Mage back at the town square. 


The three went into the the Passage Array. And landed in an empty and dark cave, at the end they saw light, with trees, grasses, and some low grade creatures feeding on grasses. 


"We're back, at last!" Xi cried out of excitement. 


Not long after, the cave that they exited trembled. Creatures flew out, frightened. They saw that the Hybrid was way bigger, scarier and madder.


"Lord!" Toni cried out of fear. 











 

"I was supposed to be sent to earth. But I ended up in a completely different world. A world where magic exists. And here I thought I`m a Hollow - born without magic. That was until my system activated and guided me to embrace my past, deal with my present and prepare for my future."

"With the memory of my past, information from earth, and a bizarre world I`m in, my system will do everything to ensure my survival and venture the unknown. But first, I must deal with my past to move on, leave the island, and explore the world and become a Legend!"

"But how can I, if my Master is all weak and alone?"

"May the Maker have mercy upon my enemy, Because I won`t" - Ned, Becoming Legend.

This kind of liquid was specially requested by Li Lei because he was worried that she might be kidnapped.
It was very effective when it came to handcuffs, anti-theft windows, knives, and even guns. Xia Ling kicked off her high heels and climbed up the toilet with her hands and feet, ignoring the dirty floor. She carefully dripped the liquid on the iron window. This was the first time she actually used this liquid, and she silently prayed in her heart for it to work. Sure enough, in a flash, a large piece of the iron window was eroded, creating an exit that a person could barely pass through.
She was very happy. Just as she was about to crawl out of the window, she thought of a question. Could this liquid corrode human skin?
Although she did not use much of the liquid and there was not much of it left after it corroded the iron window, she did not dare to risk touching the residue. She really did not want to be disfigured! She tried to recall what Li Lei said at the start. Yes! In the case of a small amount of liquid residue, she could wrap her face and exposed skin with thick clothing and rush out at the fastest speed!
But…
Looking at what she was wearing, she wanted to cry.
Luo Luo's text message was to blame! It told her to dress well. She really wore very beautiful but also very skimpy clothes! She wore a black dress with flashing gold embellishments. It barely covered her thighs, and besides that, there was no additional fabric. In her current situation, she would be looking for death if she crawled out of that small window stained with corrosive liquid like that.
The sirens had stopped. The police could be heard knocking outside the box. "Open the door! Impromptu check!"
At once, a frenzy ensued in the box. Those who were knocking the toilet door couldn't care less about her anymore, but she did not dare to open the door. "Calm down, calm down, calm down…" She repeated. In the corner of her eye, she spotted the water tank of the toilet bowl. Without losing a second, she took off the lid, took out the water tank, and soaked her dress with the water. After that, she poured a large amount of the water on the corroded iron windows.
After some time, the corrosive liquid was diluted to a large extent.
The police had already rushed into the box and shouted, "Don't move! Everyone, kneel down! Hands behind your head!"
Seeing that danger was around the corner, Xia Ling forced herself not to listen to those voices and focus on the matter at hand. She poured a lot of water on her body to minimize the damage of the corrosive liquid accidentally coming into contact with her skin. After that, she placed her wet dress on the iron window. There was a soft bang and smoke rose from many areas. It was obvious that there was some corrosion.
Fortunately, however, it was not serious and there were no holes.
Xia Ling encouraged herself and put her tree climbing skills that she learned in the orphanage and the self-defense skills she learned as an artiste to the test. She picked up her high heels and bag and agilely climbed out of the window.
The window was more than a meter above the ground. She threw her high heels and bag down first. Then, she jumped down and finally threw the small dress down from the window. She initially wanted to wear the dress because it would be better than wearing black underwear. Unfortunately, life was at odds with her. Although the dress was not completely corroded, there were already a few large holes on the side and it looked like it was going to be torn apart soon. Xia Ling was speechless…
"Chief, look! There's a toilet here!" Suddenly, a policeman called from inside.
Xia Ling felt that she couldn't stay under the wall any longer. She quickly picked up her high heels and pieces of cloth and ran away barefoot in black underwear. She felt that in both lifetimes, she had never been in a more miserable state. If she ran into a reporter at this time, it was guaranteed that she would make the headlines the next day.
Her hair was messy and her body was drenched in water, but she managed to sneak in the greenery not far away after some time. She saw a tree and climbed up with some difficulty.
She then looked in the direction of the club.
There was already a policeman inspecting the back window of the toilet.
She silently exclaimed in worry. At this rate, as long as they followed the water trail, they would eventually catch her sooner or later. She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Li Lei's number. Luckily, she was out of the signal blocker's range and easily got through to him.
"Li Lei!" She cut to the chase and said, "I've been set up by someone. The police are at the club to catch the drug users. I escaped by the back window and am on a tree now. They're about to look for me now!"
"Can you continue fleeing in another direction?" Li Lei also did not waste any time. While talking, he gestured to his subordinates in his conference room, indicating for them to look for the coordinates of the caller.
"I can't escape." Xia Ling was so devastated that she was about to cry. "I'm not even wearing any clothes. I can't go out without clothes!"
Li Lei was speechless. "Just wait on the tree and don't move. I will think of a plan."
After saying that, he hung up the phone. Looking at Xia Ling's current coordinates, he dialed another number. "Hello. I'm looking for Police Superintendent Cui…"
Outside the club.
In the night, several police officers with flashlights inched closer and closer.
"Looking at the traces, it should be this area," said one of the policemen. "The other party is probably a petite woman. She can't escape far. You must search carefully and not let a drug addict off!"
"Yes!" Several policemen agreed and dispersed.
Xia Ling hid in the tree. She was only wearing underwear and was still drenched. When the cold wind blew at her, she shuddered. She was scared and anxious. What if the police discovered her? Now, she could only hope that Li Lei thought of a plan to save her.
However, Li Lei was thousands of miles away. Could he do it?
After waiting in trepidation for a while, two policemen arrived at her tree. 
"Did we see a ghost? Why can't we find her?" One policeman said.
Another said, "You have to be patient. It's so dark. She's probably hiding somewhere. The lipstick and powder left in the toilet were all high-quality products. This woman is probably someone famous. If we catch her, it will be a big success."
"Hey, is it raining?" Suddenly, one policeman asked.
"No, it's not." Another one said.
"Why is there water, then?" The first policeman touched the back of his neck and looked up at the tree.
Xia Ling quickly snuck into the dense foliage. Suddenly, there was a hot sensation on her skin as if she were bitten by a bug, but she couldn't care less.
The other policeman picked up the flashlight and swept it around the tree.
Xia Ling curled tighter into a ball. She prayed in her heart. Please God, bless me so that I won't be caught by the police…


She died in her prime as the Queen of Song.

After being reincarnated, she becomes a simple trainee. 

Losing her former glory? It doesn't matter—no one can compete with her voice as a beautiful singer.

Mocked by her lowly birth? It doesn't matter—her true identity is enough to make the whole world tremble. 

She owes huge debts? It doesn't matter... 

A powerful boss once whispered to her, "Your debt will disappear if you become my woman." 

But the proud her would reply, "I'm sorry. I would sell my art, but not myself." 
———————————————— 
This is the story of the Queen of Song, return to the peak... and an overbearing chairman.

You might have read the comic, but here's the novel that it was adapted from!

Lin Li was right. Such careless thrusting would definitely lead to trouble…
Just when Stephen was putting all his attention on turning the iron wire in his hands, there was suddenly an eccentric magical wave that radiated from the metal box. The magical wave was as unusual as one could possibly imagine it to be. There were no signs to tell the source of the magical wave. It was as if the magical wave had appeared out of nowhere.
Furthermore, that magical wave changed very quickly. At the beginning, it was nothing but a trace of magic. Immediately after, it was amplified and changed into a surging tide of magic. It was like a huge wave, and was rushing towards Stephen at top speed! 
"F*ck!" Stephen exclaimed. Being a high-ranking Archmage who had good and accurate control over the flow of mana, Stephen could sense the danger when the magical wave rushed towards him. 
However, danger came too quickly. A high-ranking Archmage like Stephen could not keep up with the changes happening at the speed of light. It was faster than the speed at which mana usually flowed at. At that instant, Stephen only managed to cast a Water Shield before getting engulfed by numerous beams of light…
Lin Li witnessed everything very clearly. The beams of light were actually numerous magic arrows. Among the offensive spells, the impact of magic arrows was not the weakest, but it was one of the weaker spells. It couldn't be helped. This was a very simple and shabby spell that did not require any elemental sequencing. One just had to let the magic out for the spell to take effect.
This was the only spell a mage apprentice could instantaneously cast. However, it was not frequently employed by them as it was really weak.
That was no exaggeration. There was a mage who did the calculations very long ago. If one were to use a magic arrow against a Four-element Shield, it would require him to cast it 100 times for cracks to appear in the shield. As for shields that were stronger than the Four-element Shield… It would be almost impossible. 
However, there were millions of magic arrows that shot out. Collectively, they looked like a meteor shower. Quantitative change led to qualitative change. That overwhelming volley of magic arrows broke Stephen's Water Shield instantaneously! 
That was a fatal crisis. No Archmage could survive in such a situation. Unless he had his own Magical Domain after he reached the Legendary-realm, he would not be able to make use of the laws of magic to alter the direction of the mana within the magic arrows.
However, everything would have an exception…
Although Stephen was not in the Legendary-realm, he survived the attack of the million magic arrows miraculously…
Stephen plucked out his necklace at the instant when the magic arrows broke the Water Shield.
Lin Li could not believe how that action allowed Stephen to create several layers of Elemental Shields instantaneously. He counted seven layers of the shield, and saw that the shields stacked on top of each other, creating an impregnable magic wall. Lin Li assumed that the wall would also be able to resist a Legendary-level powerhouse for quite a while.
It was this magic wall that saved Stephen…
However, even if the Elemental Shield had seven layers, it did not have the ability to protect Stephen entirely. In fact, Stephen looked totally different when that meteor shower ended. 
He looked as if he was just trampled by 100 elephants. There were big and small wounds that looked especially terrifying in critical regions. If some had hit a little more to the side, Stephen's small life would have ended.
Stephen breathed heavily and struggled to drink a bottle of Recovery Potion. He looked more resolved after that, but the bloodstains on his face and tattered long black robe made him really wretched.
"This… What happened?" Hutton exclaimed worriedly after seeing Stephen's miserable state.
"Geresco did not say anything when he passed the box to me. Other than wanting me to wait for you guys here to retrieve the things, I'm not aware of other matters," Tutankhamun said as he waved his hands indifferently. 
"Are you saying that you don't know?" Stephen snapped in rage. "This box has been with you for 1300 years. How could you not know anything?"
Stephen's rage was justified. He'd nearly died from those magic arrows that rained on him. If it were not for his quick reflexes to cast seven layers of the Elemental Shield, he would not have been able to stand there alive anymore.
"You should ask Geresco…" Tutankhamun still sounded unaffected. However, Lin Li knew that if Stephen still continued to make a fuss, he would be in trouble. Tutankhamun was a descendant of the Dragon of Destruction. Being one of the invincible black dragons of the world, how could his honor be challenged by a mere Archmage?
To be honest, Lin Li would not mind if Tutankhamun intended to punish Stephen…
But, now is not the time…
There was no time to waste now. The mana depletion would only last for a maximum of five minutes. If they were to miss the chance, there would only be another unlucky fella…
"I shall try it, then…" Lin Li said as he stood from the table.
"You?" Stephen questioned disdainfully.
First-hand experience gave Stephen the clearest understanding of how impactful the magic force within the metal box was. That blanket of magic arrows had the ability to pierce through the Four-element Shields. Despite employing the Dark Blade's strongest magical equipment, the Element Sigh Necklace, it could only act as a temporary defense mechanism. Only a Legendary-level individual could balance the force of the attack.
As for that President Felic… He still needs another century to do that…
"Yeah," Lin Li replied, and did not care about Stephen's disdainful gaze. He took his time to search his pocket.
Shortly after, Lin Li fished out a dark metal rod. 
Lin Li had not used this rod that had been coated with deep mithril ever since he defeated Cromwell in the battle in Jarrosus. Magical enchantment required a huge amount of magical crystals, and Lin Li only took interest in magical enchantment at least at Master-level. He would need to use dozens of level-15 magical crystals and drain half of his energy for the enchantment. Furthermore, there was no need for Lin Li to employ any enchantment spells now. Andoine once advised him against heavy reliance on magical equipment. He was afraid that the illusion of strength would lead Lin Li astray, and he'd lose the opportunities to improve.
However, Lin Li did not intend to use mere magical enchantment this time…
The dull gold rod was not least eye-catching. It only emitted faint magical waves in Lin Li's hands like a low-level magic scroll or some lousy magical equipment. At this time, not only Stephen, even Hutton who knew the abilities of President Felic started to become confused…
Hutton could recognize the gold rod as specialized equipment used by magical enchanters. However, he could not fathom the intention behind President Felic bringing it out. Did he think the magic arrows weren't powerful enough? Did he want to make the magic arrows more deadly with magical enchantment? 
"I still thought you would have a good idea…" Stephen commented. He could not suppress his sense of disdain for Lin Li. "I say, President Felic, are you intending to use that metal rod to open the box?"
"Hush…" Lin Li whispered, not affected by the meager insult. He did not even lift his eyelids when he turned to look at Stephen. "Mage Stephen, don't you want to change into a new set of clothes? Or do you think it is nicer to expose your whole buttocks to the world?" Lin Li asked sincerely.
"…" Stephen's expression changed. He touched his behind subconsciously and realized his skin had gotten exposed from the attack. Although it was only a palm-sized hole in his robe, and nothing as exaggerated as what Lin Li said, this had become his most embarrassing moment in his entire life which he had been living in utmost comfort and luxury. 
As the young leader of the Dark Blade, and the top Archmage in the Breezy Plains, it was an extreme insult to be pointed out for his exposed bottom in public. Stephen's palish face turned green, and his veins surfaced on his tightly clenched fist. If not for Tutankhamun and Hutton, he would have launched an attack. 
Lin Li did not even look at Stephen. He held on to that mithril-coated gold rod and placed it on the metal box gently.
What followed was a brilliant glow of light…
The air in the wooden house became stale. It was as though Stephen, Hutton, and Tutankhamun—two humans and one black dragon—were trapped by a mysterious force. They could not help but rub their eyes.
The metal box was gone…!
"F*ck…" Hutton cussed as he held his head.
"This can't be! This can't be!" Stephen shrieked. It sounded as though he was being strangled. "This is an illusion. Illusion!"
Tutankhamun was the calmest among the three. After casting a quick glance at the space where the metal crate disappeared, he put his gaze on the gold rod. 
Although the gold rod still had the same dullness, there was an additional foggy layer of halo around the tip of the rod. If one had not looked at it carefully, he would have thought that it was just a reflection of the light earlier on.
However, Tutankhamun was no average man. Having lived for countless years, that black dragon had in-depth knowledge about magic as compared to most mages in Anril. How could he not know that the halo was left behind by Geresco's metal crate? 
That was the essence of magic…
Only an enchanter's gold rod could extract the purest source of mana.
However, even Tutankhamun would not have thought that a young mage would open the box with such a technique.
In fact, Geresco actually wrote down the way to open the box when he passed the metal crate to him. It was Tutankhamun who decided to use the box to test the three young mages. Stephen's failure was within his expectations. How could a metal crate that was made from elemental metal be opened by a normal lock-picking technique? 
The elemental iron was also known as a living magical metal. It had very incredible mana that grew with time. As though it had an ability to meditate, the iron could grow in strength every second. There were also elemental iron mineral veins that had been around for a thousand years that were as powerful as an Archmage.
However, that was not the most eccentric part of elemental iron. The reason that made elemental iron known as magical metal was its innate ability to cast spells. The presence of external factors could trigger the iron to cast spells independently, and the way it cast them would be determined by the way it had been forged. During the Dark Age, there were many High Elven Smithing Masters that could forge many weapons with different magical attributes just by using a piece of elemental iron.
Initially, the method that Geresco left behind was to destroy the Magic Suppression spell that was cast on the metal crate. Then, one had to solve three quizzes that required entry-level Inscription knowledge to unlock the metal box to retrieve the Book of Eternity.
Unfortunately, Geresco could not have expected somebody to use such a violent method to open the crate after 1300 years.
The use of a gold rod to directly disassociate the elemental iron was a very unreasonable technique. However, Tutankhamun had to admit that it was a very effective way. 
Of course, one had to be a Master-level enchanter and own a powerful gold rod to be able to succeed. Otherwise, such a forceful method would only trigger the elemental iron and get himself submerged in raining magic arrows… 
"Hold on…" Tutankhamun commented. He suddenly realized that the young man placed his gold rod during the time of depletion of the elemental iron. This meant that he would never have been harmed even if he'd failed to disassociate the elements. Hence, Stephen had merely become cannon fodder by taking lead so enthusiastically!
Damn, this fella is sly…


Lin Li accidentally enters another world while playing with his smurf mage account just after he maxes out all kinds of crafting skills, bringing with him various top-grade materials. Although his character is practically powerless, what he gains in return is unprecedented magical talent! Can he survive by himself after being thrown into another world?

The route to the campsite was not very hard at all. It was a straight road ahead alongside the building, then one had to walk around the Yeonkyo Garden and cross the small bridge. The only problem was…
'It's friggin' far!'
The yard was just too large. Mr. Cho had high stamina built up, so it was not too bad for him to head to Yeonkyo Garden without using the Light Foot Art.
"So, that's the Yeonkyo Garden…"
He was now inside of the Yeonkyo Garden. There was a man who seemed to be an assistant to a teacher, and some students were looking after the garden.
"We will be using new tools starting today. Use these tools to weed."
There were hoes and water bowls on the ground. The Unwanted Guest became shocked as he noticed these tools.
'T-that's!'
He was not mistaken. The blade of the hoe had a distinct color. It was the color of a metal that had a sign of Steel, Cold Iron and Flame Iron mixed in together.
'W-wait. So the weapons that were transferred were...hoes?'
The Unwanted Guest immediately felt like he was getting a headache. It seemed that his plan had a slight miscalculation.
'Ji Chulmook, you old fool! You created a hoe with such expensive metals?'
His plan needed to be revised.
'I should melt those and reform it into a weapon. I'll need a blacksmith for that, but who can do such a thing… there's not much in mind. Dammit!'
It was then...
"HEY! YOU!"
Unwanted Guest turned his head at the voice. It was a young man with black clothes who called out to him. The Unwanted Guest realized that this man was also one of the staff because he was wearing the same clothes, sighing in relief. There was no way the staff, who were merely ordinary people, can detect his identity.
"What is it?"
"Is this your area? Why are you pestering here?"
'Is it a turf thing?'
There was no need to quarrel about pointless stuff. He was going to leave the Academy within three days.
"I'm sorry! I was looking for the campsite but got lost…"
"Campsite is that way."
"Thank you. I'll be on my way then…"
Unwanted Guest immediately ran for the campsite and the black-clothed staff, Shim Gu, quietly looked at the man darting off.
'That guy…'
Shim Gu grinned.
'I should have my eye on him.'



Eventually, it became late at night. The Unwanted Guest decided that it was okay to make a move. As such, he hid until the sun fell down and immediately came to Yeonkyo Garden. The garden was dead silent.
He walked over the gardens where Thousand Year Roses and Hundred White Flowers were planted, using a special Light Foot Art that left no footprint.
'These flowers are different from regular flowers… I'm sure I've seen them somewhere…'
But it didn't matter as his target was the tools inside the storage. As such, he was not able to recognize the plants that were worth a fortune he was walking past.
Soon, he was in the storage room. He already remembered the location so it was easy to find. The storage building was about 20 feet wide. To him, it seemed a bit large for mere storage.
'Shall I begin then?'
The Unwanted Guest stretched his fingers and took out a small metal pin from his socks. And with that pin, he began unlocking the padlock. Unfortunately for him, it was not as easy as he originally thought.
'Hmm… whoever made this lock knew what he was doing.'
The Unwanted Guest became eager to unlock it. He discarded the second option of destroying the lock and tried his best to unlock it. Soon, he was able to unlock the lock. It gave him a huge sense of satisfaction and achievement.
'Hahaha! No lock stays locked against the Unwanted Guest!'
He then carefully opened the entrance and walked into the storage. At that moment, the floor he laid his foot opened up, dropping him below.
"Aaaaargh- UGH!"
It almost felt like his eyeballs would pop from the terrible pain coming from his buttocks.
"Nnngh!!"
The Unwanted Guest looked around. There were night shining stones stuck on top of the pit, allowing him to see what had happened to him.
"W-what the hell is this?"
There were countless thin and sharp needles stuck on his buttocks. The Unwanted Guest blamed himself for this.
'I was not vigilant! I should've expected no less!"
He couldn't just sit down here and give up. He brought up his internal energy. The Unwanted Guest was a master stage warrior. His internal energy was what helped him earn the title of Great Thief in the first place.
The Unwanted Guest used his energy to jump out of the pit then pulled out his medicine and sealed his blood circulation to stop it from bleeding. Needles were so thin that wounds weren't that much. It only gave him sharp pains and stings as he walked.
'To think I fell into such stupid traps!'
He had to return here since his break-in was sabotaged, but he did not give up.
'Should I take out those light stones at least?'
In front of his eyes were five doors to the room. The Unwanted Guest stood in front of the door again. He was able to stay alert thanks to the first trap. The door opened as he quickly pulled out a dagger from his pocket and threw it in.
Nothing happened. He then carefully walked in and retrieved the dagger back into his pocket.
"Oh?"
The room had various seeds stored in different boxes. All these boxes had labels that read what it was.
Thousand Year Rose
Hundred White Flower
It was all seeds of renowned spiritual plants. It was a fortune. His mouth grew wide from the shock of seeing such valuable seeds. He then reached out to boxes with his hand, and it was that moment...
"OUCH! It's hot!"
The box was way too hot. It was too hot that it gave him a burn on his hand.
"W-what the hell?! Why is the box so hot?"
He couldn't believe what was happening. It was merely a box, so he couldn't understand what was going on. Unwanted Guest carefully placed his hand on the box again.
"OUCH!"

After 50 years of being in the position of Hwacheon Clan Leader, Kang-hyuk, widely renowned as 'The Dragon' retires.

Nearing his eight year of retirement, at the age of ninety-eight, he experiences the spiritual phenomenon of 'reverse-ageing', causing his body to return to a state of youthfulness.

With his new found youth and vigour, he sets out to fulfill his deceased brother's last wish to be a teacher.
From martial legend of Moorim to an Invincible teacher, Kang-hyuk's foray into academic life as a horticulture teacher begins!

Set in the mystical land of Moorim, with plenty of action, comedy and cultivation!

The Zhong Clan had an unusual position in the northwestern region, so Yan Liqiang wasn't arrogant about it either. After receiving the news from home, he immediately left the archery academy and returned to the Yan Fortress. As soon as Steward Zhou saw Yan Liqiang was back, he directly led him into the drawing room.
When the maidservants saw Yan Liqiang, all of them stood at the side and bowed to him. Yan Liqiang nodded to them, then talked to Steward Zhou while walking through the corridors of his residence. "Oh right, where is my father? Is he entertaining the guests from the Zhong Clan?"
"Yes, the Old Master is entertaining the guests in the drawing room. He is well-aware of the Zhong Clan's prestige and is mindful of his manners. In fact, the Old Master was still working in the blacksmith workshop just now. After the Zhong Clan sent their greeting card, he changed into a fresh set of clothes before going to meet them. He instructed me to wait for you here, and bring you to the drawing room as soon as you are back!" Steward Zhou had to speed up to almost a jog to barely keep up with Yan Liqiang's pace.
Yan Liqiang chuckled, for he knew that his father wasn't good at conversations and rarely entertained guests. Yan Dechang might be able to chat with his acquaintances, but he was most likely struggling with the people from the Zhong Clan now. At this very moment, he was probably wishing very badly for his son to be back as quick as possible.
When Yan Liqiang arrived outside the drawing room, he heard a man's hearty laughter coming from the inside. "Old Master Yan, you're too modest! Throughout Gan Province, who hasn't heard of your blacksmithing skills? I even have two kukri knives among the exquisite products made by the Yan Blades in my collections at Pingxi City…"
Just by listening, Yan Liqiang could tell that the man was enlivening the atmosphere. Since his father was a blacksmith, the man was probably trying to engage him in a conversation through topics about blacksmithing to avoid an awkward silence.
As soon as the man's voice ceased, Yan Liqiang had gone past a flower vase and stepped into the drawing room.
Four people were sitting in the room. Yan Dechang was in the main seat. Without any introduction, Yan Liqiang immediately recognized the person sitting beside his father was the second-in-command of the Zhong Clan, Zhong Hongzhang. Beside him was a beautiful lady who looked like she had come straight out of a painting, and in the next seat was a chubby, smiling man. He was probably the one who was making the conversation earlier.
Yan Liqiang felt that the lady's face was oddly familiar at first glance. Upon a closer look, he suddenly remembered that she was the one whom he saw in the carriage back at Pingxi City's wharf. On that day, he caught a thief called Yang Si the Water Snake, who stole something from her carriage. That was how he met the lady.
Zhong Ruolan apparently recognized Yan Liqiang too. A strange glow flashed across her eyes. She didn't expect the young man she met at Pingxi City's wharf to be Yan Liqiang.
Their gazes briefly met before they pretended as though nothing had happened.
As soon as Yan Liqiang entered, the four people in the drawing room stood up almost at the same time.
Yan Dechang seemed extremely relieved at the sight of Yan Liqiang, and introduced the people around him to his son. "Great timing, Liqiang. We have guests from the Zhong Clan today! This is Zhong Clan's second-in-command, Zhong Hongzhang, and his niece Zhong Ruolan. This is Manager He from Pingxi Prefecture's Datong Monetary House…"
"It's an honor to meet all of you…" Yan Liqiang smiled as he cupped his fist at the three guests. "We didn't expect to be graced by your presence today, so please forgive us if we are ill-prepared for this reception!"
"Haha, you're too courteous, Young Lord Yan. We should be the ones who are honored to meet you. Please excuse us for our sudden visit!" Zhong Hongzhang smiled in response and cupped his fist at Yan Liqiang.
"Ahem, since Liqiang is here, I'll excuse myself now. Keep Lord Zhong entertained as I… I… need to check on the workshop…!" Yan Dechang looked as though a heavy burden was lifted from his shoulders when he saw Yan Liqiang greeting the three guests from the Zhong Clan. He immediately found an opportunity to escape.
After Yan Dechang took his leave, Yan Liqiang and his three guests looked at each other and smiled before returning to their respective seats.
After they exchanged some pleasantries and before Zhong Hongzhang could even delve into the main agenda, Yan Liqiang already knew the thoughts that were running through the latter's mind through the Psychic Serpent effortlessly, and had completely figured out the intention of Zhong Clan's visit.
Yan Liqiang was extremely surprised by the fact that the Zhong Clan would place their bets on him just after witnessing his duel at the Heavenly Lake. The ultimate goal of their visit this time was none other than forming an alliance through marriage, and the bride would be the lady named Zhong Ruolan. It went without saying that forming a connection through marriage was a matter that required skill and strategy. For an influential clan like the Zhong Clan, they couldn't possibly force their women on someone. Therefore, they had come with the purpose of discussing business with Yan Liqiang this time. Zhong Ruolan would stay behind in Pingxi City as the focal person of this matter. She would look for opportunities to spend time with Yan Liqiang and eventually achieve their purpose.
For the sake of looking for a worthy bride, the Zhong Clan had assessed every unmarried girl of suitable age back home over the past few months. The Zhong Clan owned many properties, businesses and had many members, so they had a more complex structure. Zhong Ruolan was from the branch house of the Zhong Clan rather than the main house, yet she was sort of related to the clan head, so she was in a slightly special position...
After speaking a little bit more with Yan Liqiang or more like, showering praises at each other, Zhong Hongzhang reached into his robes and took out a box. He placed it in front of Yan Liqiang, then spoke with a serious face.
"On behalf of the Zhong Clan, we would like to extend our gratitude to Young Lord Yan for giving us some face over the incident with the Transportation Office. Truth be told, the Zhong Clan wasn't informed of Jiang Tianhua and the Transportation Office's actions beforehand. After knowing about it, we didn't approve of their actions either and agreed that Jiang Tianhua had indeed overstepped his boundaries. However, the Zhong Clan runs many businesses and we rely on the support from the imperial court and local bureaucracies on many things. We had no choice but to smooth things over due to the dealings we have with the Transportation Office. Let's hope we can make peace and forget about this incident. Please accept this as a token of appreciation from the Zhong Clan to you, Young Lord Yan…"
Yan Liqiang already knew the content of the box, but he pretended to be surprised and curious. "Lord Zhong, what is inside this box?"
A smile broke across Zhong Hongzhang's face as he stroked his beard. "This is a contract for the Mount Kang Iron Mine of Gan Province's Kangcheng Prefecture. It is a huge mine that is rich in minerals and can produce more than ten million jin of iron every year. The crude iron that your workshop at home and the manufacturing bureau purchase are mostly produced by the Kangcheng Iron Mine. Since Young Lord Yan has talent in the path of mechanics and the investigation of things, this iron mine would be a fitting gift for you. Please do not refuse our goodwill…"
Damn, as expected of the most influential clan in the northwestern region. They were really generous enough to throw away a huge iron mine as the first gift.
Yan Liqiang licked his lips as he stared at the box on the table, secretly impressed by the Zhong Clan's boldness...


The most precious things in the world are priceless. Ordinary men tend to turn a blind eye to this fact. Apart from the treasured air, sunlight, and familial love, there is still one more thing that’s extremely valuable. It’s right beside you and can be easily obtained. But... I wonder whether you can see it?

There are only two stone houses where Gao Yuan lives, with some outside work and a bedroom inside.

The rafters of the Bali House were covered with hay, and there was a stowed sleeping bag and a backpack on the hay.

Gao Yuan opened the backpack and pulled out a small plastic bag.

"For you."

Luo Luo Xingyu took the plastic bag, and then she shouted in surprise: "Where's the toothbrush!"

"What nonsense, of course I reserve it, brush and brush your teeth, save toothpaste, this tube of toothpaste will take at least five days,"

Luo Xingyu, who held her toothbrush in both hands, won the prize, and then Gao Yuan took out a small soap and put it in Luo Xingyu's hand.

"It's all for you."

Toothbrush soaps are all disposable sanitary products for hotels, but this time definitely belongs to baby.

Luo Luo Xingyu almost jumped up with joy, but then she suddenly realized something, and said loudly, "Are there any shampoos? You must be right!"

当然 There is of course shampoo, but it cannot be given.

Gao Yuan sternly said: "I know girls love to clean, but now the temperature is only one or two degrees, and we can't burn a lot of boiling water to wash your hair, so do you want to freeze to death?"

Luo Luo Xingyu begged: "Please, I'm not afraid of cold."

"Ok?"

Gao Yuan only said a word, Luo Xingyu didn't dare to say anything, but after a while, she begged: "Is it really impossible?"

"No! Go, brush your teeth and wash your face, you're smelly."

Luo Luo Xingyu was really smelly.

Anyway, brushing your teeth is already a very happy thing, Luo Xingyu still followed Gao Yuan happily to the stream passing through the village.

If it is summer or autumn, there will be a lot of water in the stream, but now there is only a trickle in the stream, the amount of water is very small, so small that the sand and gravel will scratch your hands.

But Gao Yuan has blocked a puddle, and there is a lot of water in the puddle, and there is a step below the puddle. You don't need to squat down when washing your face, just stand under the puddle.

I saw the place where I was washing, and Luo Xingyu couldn't help sighing: "It's nice that you transformed this place."

Gao Yuan filled the lunch box with water, threw a handful of sand into it, and plugged it into Luo Xingyu's hand, saying: "Brush your lunch box clean first, then brush your teeth with the lunch box. After brushing your teeth, both the kettle and the lunch box Fill it with water, boil it and drink it. "

"My lunch box?"

Gao Yuan looked at Luo Xingyu and said, "Give it to you. In the future, this seven or eight pot is yours. Keep it well. If you touch it, you won't have any use."

多 How precious is a set of seven or eight pots with a cooker and a kettle? Think about why nomadic people used iron pots as treasures in ancient times.

Luo Luo Xingyu's eyes were filled with grateful little stars, and he said loudly, "Brother, thank you, you are such a good person."

"Scold me, right? Is it necessary to hurry to issue me a good card? Otherwise I can borrow the mirror for you?"

Luo Luo Xingyu suddenly looked a little annoyed. She gave a high white look, wanted to clean the lunch box, and then began to wash her face vigorously.

Wash all the time, wash all the time, wash my neck well when I wash my face, wash my elbows when I wash my hands, use the soap for half a minute, and when I am distressed at the heights, Luo Xingyu finally raised his head again.

Luo Luo Xingyu said confidently, "Let me use the mirror."

Gao Yuan even looked at him.

I have to admit that camouflage or protective colors are still very useful. Just after Luo Xingyu, who had a snot with black and gray face on his face, was washed away, it turned out to be beautiful.

I ca n't see enough to describe Luo Xingyu. It should be said that it is very beautiful and super beautiful.

Looking at Gao Yuan with a look of cyanosis, Luo Xingyu finally smiled proudly and said, "Lend me the mirror."

"Well, oh, the mirror is for you, uh, it's for you."

"Send me?"

"Ask for help, it's useless anyway, you can still use it as a mirror, I said to use it as an ordinary mirror."

Luo Xingyu took the small mirror, took a picture of it up and down, left, right, and right, and raised his head towards Gao Yuan, and said, "Huh, now I know how beautiful I am, and it 's the same without powder Peerless beauty! "

"It's as skinny as a numb ..."

Luo Luo Xingyu has no vigilance against Gao Yuan now. After all, although the two have just met for less than half a day, in this apocalyptic environment, it is enough to establish her initial trust in Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan said something he shouldn't say, so he regretted it immediately.

"Is this what my brother should say?"

Luo Luo Xingyu looks a little annoyed, but her emotional intelligence is very high, and a simple sentence still slightly resolves the current embarrassment.

When lonely men and widows are alone, and when they do n't know how long they will get along in the future, some things should be avoided, and some things should be avoided.

Wu Gaoyuan twisted his head to one side and said, "Hurry up and brush your teeth and leave, be careful of the cold."

Miluo Xingyu brushed his teeth three times and used a small tube of toothpaste in half.

Then, Luo Xingyu looked at Gao Yuan again with poor eyes.

"Brother, please, please give me shampoo and let me wash my hair, okay, I'm not afraid of cold water, I'm going to die now, please brother."

I do n't know why. After Luo Xingyu cleaned his face and became fresh, the effect of coquetry began to improve.

"No, it's too cold."

"Brother, please, let me wash it, brother."

"Call Brother Yuan!"

"Brother, please, OK?"

Finally, Gao Yuan sighed, and then he said badly: "Okay, take the lunch box and the kettle, go to boil the water, wash it with hot water, there is no way to take you!"

The next thing is to boil two pots of water with a lunch box, pour it into the kettle, then fill the lunch box with water and bring it to the puddle.

Luo Luo Xingyu squatted under the puddle. Gao Yuan was responsible for pouring hot water from the kettle into the lunch box. The hot water in the lunch box was mixed with cold water and poured on Luo Xingyu's head.

Luo Luo Xingyu didn't wash his hair under such simple conditions in his life, but Luo Xingyu would only feel very happy if he could wash his hair under such simple conditions.

Like this, Luo Xingyu washed his hair for the first time in three months and used up a small bottle of shampoo.

Definitely won't take off his clothes and wash his hair, so Luo Xingyu's clothes will inevitably be wetted at the neckline. Looking at Luo Xingyu's wet hair, wearing thin and wet clothes, he was trembling in the cold wind Shivering, Gao Yuan couldn't help but said, "I shouldn't have promised you to wash your hair. I can't keep my spare clothes now, come on and give you the clothes."

The clothes were all outdoors, a black soft-shell top, a soft-shell pants, and a fleece top.

After taking out her clothes from the bag and putting it on Luo Xingyu's hands, Gao Yuan thought about it and took out a brand new pair of socks from the bag.

"These clothes are brand new. I haven't worn them once, and the socks are Merino wool socks. What is your shoe size?"

"37."

"I'm 43, you must be older. You must make it alive. Well, you change your clothes here and change all your clothes. Take them out and wash them later. I'll wait for you outside."

When Gao Yuan went out, he brought the door made of branches, and a top bar was placed beside the door, but Luo Xingyu didn't put the door on top, which made Gao Yuan very pleased.

However, out of consciousness, Gao Yuan still walked quite far away.

After ten minutes, Luo Xingyu came out.

Luo Gaoyuan is 1.82 meters tall, Luo Xingyu looks less than 1.17 meters tall, and he will definitely be tall in high-altitude clothes.

Luo Xingyu rolled up her cuffs and trousers aside, but she still looked empty when she wore it, but compared to the dirty school uniform she wore before, it was not only warmer but also more beautiful. Already.

"Thank you."

"Go and wash the old clothes by yourself, and wear them inside after drying. I have soap."

This is amazing.

Little stars popped up again in the eyes of Luo Luo Xingyu.

"Okay, robot cat."

"Ok?"

"I think now you can make anything. I think you are amazing and great."

"Then you are Nobita 呗, nothing."

Finally someone can talk, and both of them are happy.

I came to the side of the stream with a smile, still in that puddle, watching Luo Xingyu wash his clothes a few times, Gao Yuan frowned, "You won't wash clothes?"

The Luo Luo Xingyu's clean face can show blush, not frozen.

Gao Yuan sighed and said, "Think about it. You need to do your own laundry. Forget it, let me teach you."

Luo Luo Xingyu was not stupid, she just had n't washed the clothes herself, and Gao Yuan demonstrated how to wash her clothes and she understood.

In fact, Gao Yuan doesn't mind helping Luo Xingyu to wash clothes, but some girls' intimate clothes are not convenient for him to wash after all ~ www.mtlnovel.com ~ So Luo Xingyu still has to come.

Keeping Luo Xingyu washing clothes by himself, Gao Yuan went back to deal with some miscellaneous work. He moved the decomposed pork to the outside of the living room, and found a place to bury the internal organs of the wild boar to be discarded. When he handled these things, Luo Xingyu also returned with wet clothes.

When Xun hanged his clothes on a wooden pole, Luo Xingyu whispered, "Brother, brother."

"It's impossible to take a bath, don't say it."

Luo Luo Xingyu was stunned, she said in wonder: "How do you know what I want to say."

Gao Yuan turned his head aside and said, "I do n't need to be smart. I know what it means. If it's summer, of course I won't stop you, but the problem is that it's winter now, and it's only two or three degrees during the hottest day. In the evening, it can reach minus seven or eight degrees Celsius, and we don't even have a cauldron for hot water. How do you plan to take a bath? "

"I don't think I said to guard you, um, it doesn't matter if you have less hot water ..."

Gao Yuan exhaled and said, "Your body is too weak. If you have a stronger body and then take a bath, I have no opinion, but you are like this, I can guarantee that you will catch a cold after taking a bath. You know you do n't have a doctor if you are sick! "

Gao Yuan understands that girls love beauty and cleanliness, but if they risk their lives because of cleanliness, he will be very angry. As a survivalist, he thinks this is not worth it.

Luo Luo Xingyu is still clever and obedient, she regrets: "Well, I won't wash it."

"Obviously there are good things for you, come with me."

Gao Yuan Yuan is very relieved. Since Luo Xingyu is a smart and obedient child, some things are worth giving to her.

The aliens came with hostility.
Facing the invasion of aliens, human beings are weak like ants.
So this is the end, the real end.
But there is resistance when there is an invasion.
For some, this is not the end, it is war.
So this is war.
Real war!

My immediate, instinctual reaction was to tear myself free and that was a mistake. He tightened his grip, and fuck, was he ever strong. I heard myself wheezing and my brain went into overdrive. Throw a feint, it told me. Pretend to faint.

So I did. I emitted a pitiful choking sound and went limp. Thoughts flashed through my head at breakneck speed. I could try and reach back and go for his eyes with my thumbs, but chances were he'd just tighten his grip on my neck and I would really black out. Then I thought of the knife.

I'd completely forgotten about the Finnish knife taped inside my cowboy boot: it had been there for so long. I groaned and let my head loll to the side and he relaxed his grip slightly. I bent my leg and reached into the boot and pulled out the knife. He'd felt something was up and tightened his grip, choking me. I stabbed the forearm across my neck.

I did it much too lightly, the tip barely went in but he screamed, right into my ear. I stabbed him again with more force but it was no good, I was holding the knife the wrong way around, blade up. So I turned it over in my hand for a downward stab and stabbed him right below the wrist, really hard. I felt the blade hit bone and twisted the knife, pushing hard.

He screamed like a banshee and let go of my neck and I got out of my seat and opened the door and jumped out of the cabin. I slammed the door shut and ran to the front of the truck and backed off a few paces. He was screaming and cursing and throwing himself around in there. I could have made a run for it, there was no way he would catch me going up the slope. But my bag was still in the truck's cabin, and so was the Rembrandt.

He was climbing over the seats and to the front. I glanced around and saw a handy stone, palm-sized and nearly round. I picked it up, transferring the knife to my left hand. I heard the door to the cab open.

"You little cunt!" he shouted hoarsely. "I'm going to fix you good."

Metal clanged as he climbed out and I saw he was holding a tire iron in his good, left hand. It made sense to stay on his right side, he wouldn't be using his right arm. I ran forward and around the front of the truck to stay on his right side.

He tried to chase me but he didn't have a chance, not with his weight. We ran around the truck a couple of times until he understood he was getting nowhere. He stopped and so did I and we stared at each other. We were standing by the side of the truck, hidden from the road, five-six steps apart. I threw the stone as hard as I could at his face.

It hit him in the left eye. He screamed and went down on one knee, dropping the iron and raising his hand to his face. I transferred the knife to my right hand and ran forward and stabbed him in the neck and instantly jumped back.

I jumped back because I was afraid he'd grab me. He didn't even try, but it was still a good move because I wasn't splattered by the jet of blood that spurted from his neck. I was shocked, I was sure that the blade hadn't gone in further than an inch and he had more than an inch of fat all over. I stepped back a few paces, eyes locked in a horrified stare.

He was on his knees, the tire iron on the ground beside him. His left hand was over his injured eye and his right arm was hanging limply by his side. The blood pumping out of his neck was already forming a pool around his legs. He was making unhappy puppy noises and swaying slightly from side to side and suddenly he just toppled over, his head hitting the side of the trailer with a thump as he went down. Then he was still.

I stared at him until I was completely sure he wasn't moving. Then I crept up to him, listening hard for his breathing. There was none. I gave his leg a kick and he didn't react.

I stuck my knife into the ground a few times to get the blood off the blade and found out I needed to wipe it anyway, along with my hand. I got into the cab on the driver's side and grabbed the box of tissues on the dashboard and cleaned the knife and put it away. I heard a car approaching and I froze.

It took an eternity before it drew close and then passed without slowing down. I took a look once it was past and it was an ordinary saloon - I had been afraid it might be the highway patrol. That was when I fully realized what had just happened and my legs went weak.

I had to leave that scene, and fast: that was the priority. I crawled over the seats and reached and pulled my bag out. I had the thought I'd better check the interior for anything I might have left. I listened carefully for a while and heard no car engines, so I switched on the cabin light.

The first thing I saw was that the cabin was splattered with blood. There was blood on the seats, on the dash, on the fucking ceiling. There was blood on my clothes: I looked in the driver's mirror and yes, there was blood on my face. It was so horrible I felt like throwing up. I switched the cabin light off and jumped down to the ground and forced myself to smoke a cigarette.

Halfway through, I felt my sanity beginning to return. So: I had killed someone. I did it in self-defense, but there had been no witnesses. Why hadn't I left him alone after hitting him with the stone? I could have taken my bag, and ran away.

The answer to that question came when I lit my second cigarette: I wanted to kill him. I was totally freaked out. I'd turned into an animal fighting for survival. He'd turned into an animal first, but no one would believe me. I had no injuries except for some bruising on my neck.

I tried to imagine turning myself in. What would the cops think? What would they say? Why didn't you just run away, sir, after you'd incapacitated him? You didn't want to leave your bag? What made that bag so precious? Maybe we'd better have a look inside.

That did it. There was no way I was going to turn myself in. No one was going to take away my Rembrandt.

I finished my second cigarette just as another car came by. I stood motionless until the sound of its engine faded away, then got going on my survival plan. I opened my bag and pulled out my spare jeans, a T-shirt, and a thick flannel shirt. Then I took off my blood-spattered jeans and jumper and put them into the shopping bag I used for dirty clothing. It was lucky I hadn't been wearing my jean jacket in the cab: we had been driving with the heating on. I made sure I was clean of blood before I put on the fresh clothes. I used up all the tissues on the ox on the dashboard and stuffed them back inside the box, making sure I didn't leave any around.

Another vehicle came by just as I was cramming the box with the bloodied tissues into the bag with dirty clothes. It was a truck this time, going east, and the driver took his foot off the gas as he was passing by. For a moment I was terrified that he would stop to investigate. He didn't, but in that brief moment I understood I couldn't stay on the road. Sooner or later someone would stop, and find the body.

I thought about dragging it into the vegetation, but quickly decided it was a stupid idea. It would have been a hell of a struggle, and there was no way I could wipe the cabin clean of blood, there was just too much of it inside. Whoever stopped to investigate would see it, and start looking around, and find the body in less time than it would have taken me to hide it.

I was about to zip up my bag and start walking when I remembered that there was a half-bottle of scotch inside. I took it out and opened it and had a swig. I instantly felt more relaxed, and had the thought the least I could do was wipe my fingerprints from the cab. I used a pair of dirty underpants for that and it took me almost twenty minutes, I had to take extra care not to get any blood on my fresh clothes. I also had to pause a couple of times, switching off the cabin light: for a truck going west and a van going east.

There was no way I could walk along the road, I would be seen and remembered even if no one stopped - who the fuck walks down the side of a deserted highway at three in the morning? Walking through the mountainside forest was out, too: the terrain was far too rough. I decided I would walk along the railroad tracks. No one would spot me up there from the road if I squatted down when necessary, and I would hear and feel a train approaching long before it got anywhere near me.

I climbed up the slope and the embankment and got onto the tracks and started walking. After a couple of hundred steps, my eyes got used to the darkness and I saw a creek curving out from between the trees. It ran next to the tracks, and after a short hesitation I stepped off the embankment and got out all the clothes from the plastic shopping bag and washed them thoroughly in the running water. It took a hell of a long time,  I soaked and rinsed and squeezed the water out of each piece half a dozen times. Then I dug a hole in the bank of the creek with my knife and hands and squeezed the box with the bloody tissues inside before covering it with a stone.

I was getting really hungry by then; the enormous steak and fries I'd been treated to by Stan was a distant memory. I'd eaten my last candy bar and drunk my last Coke around midnight, over an hour before all the shit came crashing down. All I had was that half-bottle of whisky, two-thirds full. I swear that whisky saved my life that night. I'd have gone to pieces without it.

I had a good swig from that bottle and got back up on the tracks and started walking west. The tracks ran roughly parallel to the road, from fifty to a hundred yards away. When a car or a truck appeared, I squatted on the tracks until they were gone. That only happened a couple of times over the next twenty minutes, and then I came to a small bridge over the creek I'd washed my clothes in earlier on. It curved away towards the mountain and then back, crossing under the tracks again and then under the road before disappearing in the trees on the other side.

I was just about to step onto that second bridge when I felt the tracks begin to tremble under my feet: a train was coming. There were a couple of good-sized bushes nearby, and I got off the tracks and slid between them, scratching my face. One bush hid me from the road, the other - from the tracks. I hunkered down and waited for the train to pass.

It took what seemed a hell of a long time. At least a couple of minutes passed before I saw the beam from the locomotive appear in the distance, to the east. The train was going west, and it slowed down even more when it came to the first bridge. It was a freight train, and when the locomotive passed my hiding place I realized there was my chance to hitch a ride. The train was moving at little more than a brisk walking pace while it went down the curved track linking the two bridges.

I left my hiding place and scrambled up the embankment. A row of cisterns was just passing by; each had, at its rear, a short staircase with a handrail. I slung my bag over my back, with the strap across my chest, and broke into a trot. When I was going as fast as I could - but still slower than the train - I jumped the moment a cistern's steps drew alongside, grabbing the handrail with both hands.

My arms were pretty nearly wrenched out of their sockets, but I managed to get one foot on the steps and held on. After a while, I pulled myself onto the cistern bed and sat down, facing the rear. The huge tank gave me some protection from the wind and I moved the bag around on my back so that it was supported by the frame of the cistern bed. I saw the second bridge pass slowly under my dangling legs; a little while later, the train began to accelerate.

I pulled the whisky out of my back pocket and had a drink. I had to be careful: my hands hurt after holding onto that handrail for dear life, and my fingers were getting numb. I put the bottle back into my pocket and lit a cigarette. When I was putting the pack away, I looked at my watch.

I could just about make out the hands on the dial; they pointed to twenty past four in the morning. I had been a killer for just over three hours.

NOTICE
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If you are reading it at a different site, it has been copied and reproduced without the author's consent. The owner of that site is a thief.

On the 10th of August, 1972, almost exactly ten months after my eighteenth birthday, I left my home and cut all ties with my family. This is the story of what happened next: to me, to people I knew, and to the world.

NOTE: All of the characters in this story are fictitious; however, many of the events described really took place. One of these, the  Montreal Museum of Fine Arts robbery in 1972, was the greatest theft of art in Canadian history.
It remains an unsolved mystery to this day, and is the first of many historical events that will involve the hero of this story.
Current update schedule: 2-5 chapters a week

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