A Rather Unlucky Start

"Aah!"

Splash!

With a scream that would have put every tenor in the world to shame, Zhang Yao plunged heavily into the sea.

"Gurgle, gurgle..." After swallowing several mouthfuls of seawater, Zhang Yao finally struggled to the surface. "Fuck! Why did that portal open more than ten meters up in the air? Good thing there was an ocean underneath, or I'd have died before I even got started! Wait, this must be that bitch's doing! Well played, you bitch. One day, I'll settle the score with you!" He gulped down fresh air as he bobbed on the surface, his resentment toward his Guide deepening.

Actually, Zhang Yao had misunderstood this part. The portal really was random, and even the Guide couldn't control it! His arrival more than ten meters above the water had been pure luck. In other words, where the portal sent you depended entirely on your karma. If your karma was good, you landed safely on solid ground. If it was bad, you could only pray that you wouldn't wind up over a volcanic crater or in the middle of a pack of magical beasts.

Splash! Splash!

While Zhang Yao was still cursing inwardly, two splashes jolted him out of his thoughts.

"What are these?"

Zhang Yao's eyes widened as he stared at the two floating objects before him. Their clothes were different, but judging by their faces and builds, they were indeed human. However, their motionless chests and the seawater turning red around them made it clear that both were lifeless corpses.

Splash! Splash!

While Zhang Yao was still reeling from the sudden appearance of the corpses, several more splashes rang out. This time, however, two living people fell into the water along with the bodies!

"Brother, help!" One of them had just surfaced when he spotted Zhang Yao nearby. Overjoyed, he shouted to him, then swam toward him for dear life.

By the time Zhang Yao recovered from the shock of the corpses splashing down one after another, the man who had called for help had already reached his side. Although the man was a complete mess, Zhang Yao had to admit that if he changed his clothes and dried his blond hair, his handsome face, touched with the weariness of experience, would make him an irresistibly charming middle-aged man.

"Brother, stop spacing out! That navy man behind me is about to catch up! Do something, quick!" Seeing that Zhang Yao was still looking him over, the handsome middle-aged man grew frantic and hurriedly shouted at him.

"What?" Zhang Yao still hadn't caught up with everything that had happened, and his head remained muddled.

"What do you mean, 'what'? That navy man is catching up!" The handsome middle-aged man grew even more anxious at the blank look on Zhang Yao's face. Glancing back at the pursuer almost upon him, he was seized with fear, and his already pale face turned even whiter. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said to Zhang Yao:

"Brother, we'll have to leave it to fate! If even one of us escapes, that's something!"

With that, the handsome man swam off in another direction, leaving Zhang Yao floating there in a daze.

While Zhang Yao was still trying to figure out what the handsome middle-aged man had meant, a figure suddenly sprang out of the water and lunged at him. Although Zhang Yao still had little idea what was going on, the vicious, bloodthirsty expression on the newcomer's face told him that the man meant him no good. He immediately swam sideways, trying to evade the lunge.

On land, Zhang Yao would have had no trouble dodging it, but he was in the water now. Despite swimming sideways with all his might, the water's resistance slowed him down, and the man caught him around the waist.

→

After grabbing Zhang Yao around the waist, the man dragged him down toward the seabed.

Caught completely off guard, Zhang Yao swallowed two more mouthfuls of seawater in his panic. Choking on it, however, brought him back to his senses. He immediately twisted around, seized the man's head with both hands, and tried to push him away while repeatedly kicking at his chest and abdomen.

Despite Zhang Yao's relentless attacks, the man seemed utterly determined. No matter how Zhang Yao pushed or struck him, he clung to his waist without letting go and kept dragging him toward the seabed.

Fuck! Come on, man, we've got no quarrel! Do you really have to go this far? Zhang Yao could swim, but only just. He was certainly no expert.

Especially now, when he had to hold his breath while constantly attacking the other man, the air in his lungs soon began to run short. Before long, his chest felt tight and his head was buzzing. Zhang Yao knew he was running out of oxygen. If he didn't surface for a breath soon, he would suffocate. He wanted to reach the surface, but the man gripping his waist refused to let go and kept hauling him downward with desperate determination.

Zhang Yao kept kicking and striking the man, hoping he would release his waist. But his opponent was like a turtle that refused to let go once it had bitten down.

The two continued sinking as they struggled.

As his limbs gradually weakened and his vision went dark, Zhang Yao knew he was finished. He was going to drown at the bottom of the sea! Who would've thought that I, Zhang Yao, would die so young? If a statue of me looking like this appeared among those statues in the hall, I'd really "stand out," wouldn't I?

Mom, Dad, Grandpa... Will you miss me when I'm gone?

Oh, and that bitch. She'll be thrilled that I died such a pathetic death!

Zhang Yao's mind grew hazy, countless scenes flashing before his eyes like a dream. Just as he was about to lose consciousness completely, the true qi in his dantian suddenly stirred.

The true qi began revolving slowly within his dantian, and countless bubbles emerged from the pores of his skin. As those bubbles appeared, Zhang Yao's fading mind gradually cleared.

Comprehension: Fetal Breath Technique. Constitution +2, spirit +2, true qi +30.

Fetal Breath Technique (cannot be upgraded): Stops breathing through the mouth and nose, using true qi to breathe through the pores. Effect: Can replace breathing through the mouth and nose.

Killed an elite navy soldier. Gained 100 experience.

Character level increased. Character reached level 1. All attributes +1.

Hearing those dreamlike words in his ears, Zhang Yao came fully to his senses and silently said, Character attributes.

Zhang Yao: Level 1, 0/200.

Attributes: Strength 8, agility 8, constitution 12, spirit 9.

Health (red bar): 130 (health = constitution × 10; increases by 10 with each level gained).

True qi (blue bar): 80 (does not increase with level gains).

Skills: Fetal Breath Technique (self-comprehended).

Items: None.

Talent: Nine Netherworlds (first layer).

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