Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In America, Zhang Lisheng had built up a large economic power. Its influence had gradually become broad and far-reaching with the help of the National Farmers Union. Not only that, but he had also formed a complete plan for its future development.
However, he had nothing at all in China. If he returned to China, he would have to be ready to cope with the threat from the so-called ‘purebloods’. If he wanted to live a peaceful life, the red regime had to support him like how ‘Consultant Zheng’, whom he had seen in South Africa, before was. When he placed both of these in comparison with one another, it was obvious where he should go.
For this reason, the young man who had long thought about the pros and cons merely replied calmly to his senior sister’s temptation. “I’ll eventually go back to China, but only after I’ve achieved extraordinary achievements. Before that…”
“Ha! Like those ‘patriotic scientists’ who will only go back to China to show off when they are old after they have made extraordinary achievements and have already become famous in the US. In that case, you might as well not go back! But then, compared to being self-righteous and not having any gratitude…”
Of course, the meaning implied by Zhang Lisheng’s “extraordinary achievements” was different from Guo Caiying’s understanding. However, he did not refute against the girl’s furious brandishing of fists and merely remarked casually. “Senior sister, you’re drunk! Be careful of being caught by the police for acting unruly like this.”
“Police? Where is the police?”
“They will be here very soon.” In fear that something out of his plan would happen if he continued to delay any longer, a bloodcurdling look flashed across the young man’s eyes as he gazed at the ‘Thunderclap’ neon sign hanging on the wall outside of the nightclub. With his thought, he began to command his Corpse Puppet to explode.
Right now, in the nightclub manager’s room, Fierce Dog was gradually getting furious as he cut off the cigarette holder of a thick cigar before lifting a windproof lighter to light it. He looked at Iron Chain who was standing by the door and said in a blank expression, “Iron Chain, I don’t know whether you’ve gone mad or you’ve become muted. However, I know that if you continue to stand at the door without saying a word, you’ll die. Listen, buddy! I can forgive Gas for turning into an idiot ’cause his state of mind is originally… Hey! Hey! Oh my God! W-What’s wrong with you…”
As Fierce Dog’s tone changed into that of a panicked roar, Iron Chain’s body swelled rapidly. After a few seconds, his skin stretched and thinned, revealing the tumbling thick fluid of blue and red color inside.
“Iron Chain! You! The f*ck! You! What f*cking monster have you turned into…?” When other people in the room saw a sudden change in their companion’s body, they took out their weapons in surprise and aimed at him. However, before they had even fired their weapons, the Corpse Puppet had already burst through its uniform and expanded to its limit. All of a sudden, it exploded not long after.
After the sound of something bursting resonated in the air, a gust of blue and red whirlwind burst through Iron Chain’s skin, surging across the Thunderclap Nightclub’s huge manager room.
Nobody in the room could escape from the gust. After the faces that had been swept by the rain and fog showed a fleeting, horrified expression, their skin and bones melted into a sticky thick mud and collapsed on the ground, like a wax torch placed in the furnace.
At the same time when Fierce Dog and his cigar turned into a pile of meat, Guo Caiying had her hands on her waist as she looked at Zhang Lisheng with a tilted head, as she continued to ask over and over again. “Junior Brother! What are you saying? Are you trying to scare me? Look at that strange beard of yours you have right now! Are you trying to act like an adult and mix into the Thunderclap? Did you think the bouncers are blind and won’t check your ID? Go and find a store in the corner that doesn’t provide alcoholic drinks…”
Zhang Lisheng did not know that the effect of the Corpse Puppet’s explosion would be this powerful and special, so he did not raise much commotion. He knew its power was extraordinary. Sighing, he explained with an unchanged expression. “Senior sister, I’m not trying to scare you, nor am I trying to grow a beard to mix into Thunderclap. You’re too drunk and you should go back to the dormitory to rest.”
“Caiying, this must be that Junior Brother Zhang Lisheng you often mentioned recently, right?” The few Chinese international students not far away saw that Guo Caiying seemed to be in a fight with Zhang Lisheng, so they quickly gathered around. One of the tall and handsome polite-looking young men wearing frameless glasses asked with a smile.
“Yes, he is Zhang Lisheng. Luo Bingya, drop the good person facade! You and Old Wang are the same! You two always pose as a good man of good character who has a dream, but you two are actually selfish and vile people…”
“Alright, alright! I’m a vile person! Old Wang and I are both vile people! We’re sorry! We’re sorry that we let you and Chuhe down. I’ll let you continue to scold me when we return to the university. We’re in the public so think of what the consequences would be if somebody takes a video of you acting like that and uploads it online.”
“Hurmph… Hurmph!” Just a few sentences from the tall young man was enough to calm Guo Caiying down. After snorting for a while, she stopped talking. A few Chinese girls pulled her to the side.
Seeing that Guo Caiying had become quiet now, Luo Bingya heaved a long sigh of relief and said to Zhang Lisheng apologetically, “Junior brother, sorry about today. Caiying is always like this. She would always lecture us every time when she’s drunk, especially these few days with Chuhe’s not-so-well situation. You know about that matter as well. We’re not involved in it, so it’s hard for us to comment on who is right or wrong either. Still… haaa… let’s drop it. I’ve long heard your name from Caiying before. You’re overflowing with talent and are the youngest graduate student in Stanford’s Biology Faculty in the past ten years. Not only that, your supervisor, Professor Steven, is also famous in the academic world. It’s quite unfortunate that I’ve never met you before. Now that we finally have our chance, our first meeting turned out to be in such a situation. It’s really… really… It looks like I won’t get a chance to chat more with you anymore…”
“That’s right, senior brother. Just send senior sister Guo back to the dormitory. I think she won’t be able to walk anymore after a while.”
“She’s always like this! I kept advising her not to drink anymore, but she actually drank, even more, knowing that I’m beside her.” Luo Bingya sighed and nodded. “Alright then, Junior Brother, I’ll leave first. I’ll talk to you later. See you again.”
After bidding his farewell, the tall young man stopped two taxis and left with his drunk companions.
Before Guo Caiying left, she did not even forget to yell at Zhang Lisheng. “Zhang Lisheng, you’re not allowed to sneak into the nightclub to drink! There are many bad women there…” However, her voice soon became faint as the car sped away, eventually disappearing without a sight.
After finally getting rid of unexpected troubles, Zhang Lisheng had finally become alone again. He rode on his bicycle and turned into an alley not far away.
The alley was dark and the ground was full of collected water due to some leaking pipes. After riding for a while, he leaned his bike against a wall at a deserted place and began to expand his body to almost two meters tall. He took off his loose two-sided jacket and wore it inside out. Pulling his clothes that had tightened, he quickly walked out of the dark alley and continued to rush straight into the Thunderclap nightclub.
“Hey, buddy! This is not a place where you can act as you like.” When two sturdy black bouncers saw a brawny man whose face was faintly covered with horrifying spots, they poised to strike at him and gave a warning. Soon, he slammed them without a moment’s notice. The bouncers felt as though a speeding train ran through them. They were then sent flying onto the nightclub’s heavy wooden door, smashing it open right away.
After that, with the upbeat music abruptly stopping and the people inside getting into a commotion, Zhang Lisheng walked into Thunderclap.
The nightclub was large in size, and the lights were dimly lit. Hundreds of young men and women were swaying their bodies along with the fast-paced song in the crowded dance floor.
There was a huge bar in the middle of the dance floor. Seven to eight blonde girls in a hot low-waist denim skirt and a handsome young man showing off his bare muscled chest acted as the bartender. They were shaking their bodies to the music while serving the guests with alcoholic beverages.
In the noisy and joyful environment, Zhang Lisheng set his eyes on the stairwell and swayed his body into the crowd, squeezing his way in the dance floor. With every few steps he took, he shrank his body a couple of centimeters. By the time he got near the stairwell, his height had already become less than 160 centimeters.
The business Fierce Dog was doing was a sideline service, so of course, it would be his most fierce men who were guarding the door to his ‘nest’.
Unfortunately, in the face of Zhang Lisheng who had already gained the transformation power, an ordinary person would be as fragile as a piece of paper no matter how strong they were.
The guards were wearing sunglasses as they stood to guard the soundproof door. When the lights flickered, the young man agilely sent out both his palms on the ribs of the two cold-looking guards and thrust his arms straight to their hearts.
After kicking away the two pebbles that had blocked the road, Zhang Lisheng pushed the door open, before carrying them into the stairwell and throwing them on the ground. Then, he quickly made his way up to the second floor.
After glancing around at the long corridor, he finally came to a stop in front of the biggest mahogany door and abruptly pushed it open.
Behind the door was a vacated spacious office. However, the instant he walked in, a gush of the heavy and damp smell of blood rushed into Zhang Lisheng’s nose.
“This is…” After being dumbstruck for a moment, he saw the clothes wrapped in the piles of meat overflowing the red mat. He also noticed the dense stench spot marks of blue and red on the wall. Gradually, a delightful expression appeared on the young man’s face. “Oh, I see! A simple combination of charcoal, nitrate, and sulfur can become violent gunpowder, but the ’01 mixed reagent’ made of mercury and bluestone powder adding on the characteristics of the fresh ‘corpse’ would not turn out to be violent but… but… Sometimes, it’s really hard for common sense to explain a supernatural thing such as witchcraft. However, when it’s mixed with science, it makes it even more strange and incomprehensible, but the effect is very satisfying.”
As Zhang Lisheng muttered to himself, he turned and walked out of the office. After leaving the nightclub, he went on with his life as if nothing had happened and turned the coat over again to put it on. Then, he rode his bike out of the valley and headed straight to Stanford campus along the road.
On the way, with the moonlight shrouding with clouds floating in the sky, he took out his recorder and mumbled into it. “B01 living experiment, the second stage. After the material exploded, assimilation was achieved and the effect was remarkable…”
The calm voice slowly resonated through the dark road and blended into the gloomy night.
