Desperate Start

Great Li Dynasty, Qingzhou Prefecture, Black Water City.

The night was so dark that one couldn't see their hand in front of their face. A cold wind, carrying a fishy stench, crept in through the cracks of the broken window, whistling like a mournful cry.

Black Tiger Gang, outer courtyard barracks.

The room was cramped and dim, a suffocating mix of sweat, foot odor, and moldy straw that made one want to vomit. Dozens of men lay sprawled on the communal sleeping platform, their snores rumbling like thunder, sounding like a herd of pigs awaiting slaughter.

"Cough... cough cough cough!"

A heart-wrenching cough shattered the deathly silence, sounding as if the speaker was about to cough up their internal organs.

In a corner, a youth as thin as a skeleton sat up abruptly, his hands clamped tightly over his mouth, his entire body shaking with the cough.

After a long while, the coughing finally subsided.

The youth opened his palm, catching the pale moonlight filtering through the window. He saw a glaring patch of red on his hand.

A large pool of dark red blood, mixed with bits of flesh.

"It feels like I'm coughing up my lungs..."

Yan Kui stared blankly at the blood in his hand, but a fierce glint, utterly incongruous with his sickly frame, flashed in his eyes.

He had transmigrated.

From a modern-day kickboxing champion to this godforsaken place called the Great Li Dynasty.

The original host was also named Yan Kui, a low-level thug in Black Water City's top gang, the "Black Tiger Gang."

In simple terms, he was cannon fodder.

This world was overrun by demons and monsters, human lives were as cheap as grass, and it was incredibly difficult for ordinary people to survive. To make a living, the original host had sold himself to the Black Tiger Gang. However, his talent was too poor, he couldn't get enough to eat, and his cultivation went awry, damaging his lungs and leaving him with this fatal tuberculosis.

In this era of scarce medicine, tuberculosis was essentially a death sentence.

Even more unlucky, this evening, a manager in the gang nicknamed "Li Bapi" had announced news:

In three days, ten people from the outer courtyard would be chosen to go to the "Old Lin Family Manor" west of the city to scout the situation.

Yan Kui's name was prominently on the list.

"Old Lin Family Manor..."

Yan Kui mumbled the name, a self-mocking smile twisting his pale face.

That was a notoriously haunted place in Black Water City.

Half a month ago, the entire Lin family had died overnight, their deaths gruesome. Their blood had been completely drained, leaving only withered corpses.

The authorities had sent a squad of constables to investigate, but the next morning, the entire group was found kneeling neatly at the yamen entrance, their heads completely gone.

Since then, the Old Lin Family Manor had become a forbidden zone that no one dared approach.

Every midnight, eerie opera singing could be heard from the manor, and a night watchman had even personally seen a woman in red hanging herself from the wall.

The Black Tiger Gang's decision to send them to "scout" was a high-sounding excuse for "training." In reality, it was sending them to their deaths, paving the way for the higher-ups and testing the strength of the unclean things within.

Those chosen were all, without exception, individuals like the original host – those without backing, without skills, and sickly, useless individuals whose deaths would go unnoticed.

"Three days."

Yan Kui clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his flesh.

"Late-stage tuberculosis, plus a suicide mission. This is too rough a start."

He didn't want to die.

In his past life, he was a ruthless fighter in the ring, believing in "my fate is mine to control," and "as long as I'm not dead, I'll get back up and fight."

This will to survive and his unwillingness to accept his fate made his almost-cold heart pound again.

"Cough cough..."

His emotions flared, and his injuries flared up again. A sweetness flooded Yan Kui's throat, and another mouthful of blood surged up.

He forcibly swallowed it, his mouth filled with the taste of blood.

"I need to find a way to survive."

Yan Kui took a deep breath, trying to steady his breathing.

Don't even think about it. While the Black Tiger Gang was only a second-rate gang, they were still the local overlords in Black Water City. The outer courtyard disciples had signed indentured servitude contracts with the gang. If they dared to run, according to gang rules, their tendons would be severed, and they would be thrown into the "Ten Thousand Snake Cave" to be fed to the snakes.

Besides, with his current physical condition, he'd be gasping for breath after walking a few steps. He'd probably be caught by patrols or snatched by wild dogs before he even reached the city gates.

Begging for mercy?

Li Bapi's greedy and insatiable face flashed in Yan Kui's mind. That guy only cared about money. The meager savings the original host had accumulated had long been scraped clean by him under various pretexts.

"Am I really just waiting to die?"

A fierce glint flashed in Yan Kui's eyes.

Since death was inevitable anyway, why not take a few people down with him before he died! Li Bapi, and that intermediary who tricked the original host into joining the gang...

Just then, his mind suddenly buzzed.

If you like this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

[Ding--]

[Detected strong host emotional fluctuations, soul fusion complete.]

[Crimson Modifier, initializing...]

This cold, electronic voice was more beautiful to Yan Kui than heavenly music.

Before he could snap out of it, a semi-transparent, pale red screen floated before his eyes.

Only he could see it.

Yan Kui's pupils constricted, his heart racing.

A system!

The standard equipment for a transmigrator, his golden finger had finally arrived!

He suppressed the excitement in his heart, staring intently at the screen before him.

───────────

[Crimson Modifier]

Host: Yan Kui

Status: Near Death (Late-stage Consumption, Organ Failure)

Martial Arts:

Raging Bull Fist: Beginner

Origin Power: 0

───────────

The interface was pitifully simple, just a few lines of text.

Especially the "Near Death" status, it was glaring, like a countdown timer.

"Origin Power..."

Yan Kui keenly caught this keyword.

But his Origin Power was currently 0.

"How do I get Origin Power?"

Yan Kui muttered to himself.

No one answered him; this modifier seemed to be just a rigid tool.

He tried to concentrate, staring at the "Origin Power" line.

A small line of text popped up:

[Origin Power Acquisition: Kill to take life; Consume high-energy items.]

"Killing... consuming energy..."

A red glint flashed in Yan Kui's eyes.

In this chaotic world, human lives were the cheapest commodity, and there was no shortage of fighting and killing.

This wasn't tailor-made for him!

"Meaning, the more I kill, the stronger I get, and the more I can survive!"

A wildness and ferocity erupted from Yan Kui's very core.

He glanced at the gang members sleeping like logs on the communal bed.

No, killing now would attract too much attention. With his sickly body, even a sneak attack might not be enough to take down these burly men who did manual labor.

He needed to find a weaker target.

A chicken? A duck? Or...

Just then, a rustling sound came from under the bed.

Yan Kui's eyes sharpened, and he slowly lowered his head.

In the moonlight, he saw a plump rat emerge from a hole in the wall. Its size was almost that of a house cat.

The rat's gray fur was patchy, revealing skin covered in disgusting pustules. Its small, bean-sized eyes gleamed red, and its sharp teeth were long and yellow.

It was a Corpse Rat!

These rats specialized in gnawing on corpses in mass graves. They were fierce and carried corpse poison. A normal person bitten by one, if not treated promptly, would develop festering wounds, possibly requiring amputation.

At this moment, the Corpse Rat twitched its nose, smelling the scent of blood from Yan Kui's recent cough. It greedily crawled towards his bed.

It saw Yan Kui as food that was about to expire.

"You want to eat me?"

A sinister grin spread across Yan Kui's lips.

"Perfect, let's start with you!"

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.