Chapter 1 Knocking on the Door
In the early morning, a ray of sunlight shone through the gap in the curtains, and Han Shuo opened his eyes from the bed, looking at the ceiling.
Han Shuo looked somewhat confused, probably because he had just woken up and his mind was still a little foggy.
After pausing for a moment, I picked up my phone and checked the time.
November 3, 2044.
Han Shuo didn't stay in bed for long before getting up and getting dressed.
I went into the bathroom, quickly washed up, and then picked up a water glass from the living room table and took a few sips.
As always, following his usual routine, Han Shuo picked up an unsharpened Tang sword from the side, put on his shoes, and went out the door.
...
Perhaps because it was just dawn, there weren't many people in the neighborhood yet. With winter approaching, the morning temperature was a bit chilly.
"Phew~".
After simply warming his hands with his breath, Han Shuo prepared to start exercising as usual.
The residential area where Han Shuo lives is adjacent to a green river.
And this is the place he comes to every morning.
Han Shuo first ran around the river a few times, gradually increasing his speed. After this simple warm-up, he no longer felt cold.
He stopped and casually tossed his jacket aside. It was clear that Han Shuo was only wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt underneath.
Han Shuo is 1.75 meters tall, which isn't particularly tall. He can be described as rather thin.
However, his exposed arms reveal the immense strength hidden within his muscles. This is the result of years of training!
"Swish—!" He drew his Tang sword from its sheath. Unconsciously, Han Shuo's eyes sharpened considerably.
One cut, two cuts, three cuts...
Without further ado, let's begin the training.
The knife in Han Shuo's hand seemed to dance like a dragon, its movements dazzling and unrestrained.
Even someone who knows nothing about knives could tell from this that the person was an exceptionally skilled knife user.
...
Han Shuo just turned 30 this year. Everyone says that one should be established by the age of 30, but he himself never thinks so.
As of today, Han Shuo has been staying at home for a full five months. Six months ago, his company laid off employees, and as one of the most ordinary employees, Han Shuo naturally became one of those laid off.
Later, he didn't offer any further explanation. For Han Shuo, money and work were things he never really valued.
After working on and off for so many years, Han Shuo felt somewhat mentally exhausted. He didn't have much material need, and taking this opportunity, Han Shuo decided to take a good rest for a while.
This rest has lasted until now.
...
"That's enough!" Han Shuo muttered to himself. Before he knew it, he had been exercising for an hour.
Han Shuo spun the Tang sword in his hand once, then with a gentle push, flicked it into the air. Without looking up, he turned away.
In that instant, the Tang sword in mid-air landed precisely in the scabbard at Han Shuo's waist.
"Clap clap clap clap!"
"good!"
...
A burst of applause and shouts came from the shore. These were from passersby who had been attracted by Han Shuo's sword dance, including many residents of the neighborhood.
This scene has been happening every day since Han Shuo moved in.
Having long been accustomed to such sights, Han Shuo nodded slightly to the passersby on the shore, put on his coat, and got up to walk home.
...
He arrived home at just eight in the morning. He was drenched in sweat from exercising all day. Han Shuo first took a shower, then took some bread from the refrigerator and ate it by himself.
After breakfast, Han Shuo took out his phone and decided to check the balance in his bank card.
"Account balance at [Bank Name] is currently 25,934 yuan."
"Hmm... I still have over 20,000 yuan left. I just paid the rent a while ago, so it should last me a while." Looking at the balance in his card, Han Shuo wasn't in a big hurry. For him, apart from daily food and drink and some cigarette money, he didn't have many other expenses.
...
This kind of life continued for two more days.
However, on the third day, by sheer coincidence, Han Shuo suddenly discovered that he was ill.
November 6, 2044.
As usual, Han Shuo felt dizzy and weak when he woke up in the morning. He struggled to get up and found a thermometer to test his temperature.
"Beep—! 39.6 degrees."
"Good heavens, he has a fever!" Han Shuo was speechless. Over the years, due to his regular exercise, he rarely got sick. He never expected that he would actually have a fever today.
Ultimately, Han Shuo could only attribute it to the changing seasons.
With no appetite whatsoever, Han Shuo returned to bed and continued to sleep.
Han Shuo's fever this time was relatively serious. He was bedridden for five days.
Because of his illness, Han Shuo hasn't left the house for the past few days. He's been in a daze, eating only one meal a day to simply replenish his bodily functions. He spends most of the rest of his time sleeping.
Little did anyone know that during the five days Han Shuo was cut off from the outside world, a catastrophe rapidly swept across the globe!
...
November 12, 2044.
"Thump~~, thump~~~, thump!"
The knocking sound reached Han Shuo's ears, waking him up.
After five days of rest, Han Shuo's high fever had subsided considerably, but he was still somewhat weak.
"Who is it?" Han Shuo wondered to himself.
Normally, no one would knock on the door. Han Shuo was used to peace and quiet and being alone.
Therefore, even his few good friends wouldn't come to Han Shuo's house to visit him.
"Thump!"
The knocking continued.
Helpless, Han Shuo got out of bed, staggered out of the room, and prepared to open the door.
"Thump! Thump!"
The knocking continued unabated, with no discernible pattern.
Han Shuo was too lazy to ask any questions; his weak body made him look tired.
Soon, Han Shuo walked to the door, put his hand on the doorknob, and just as he was about to push down and open the door, a slow panting sound entered his ears.
Accompanied by panting sounds, there seemed to be a foul, fishy smell in the air.
"strangeness?"
It was this unintentional pause that made Han Shuo suspicious, and he stopped what he was doing.
"Knock!!" The knocking sounded again.
The fishy smell in the air sobered Han Shuo up considerably.
Instead of opening the door immediately, Han Shuo pushed aside the door flap and peered through the peephole to see who was outside.
The person outside the door had their head down, so their face couldn't be seen. They were dressed in dirty clothes, with stains of red and yellow that seemed to have gotten from somewhere...
You can tell from the loose hair that this is a woman.
"A madman?" Han Shuo then made that judgment.
Han Shuo thought carefully for a moment, and realized he didn't recognize the woman's attire. Assuming the woman outside was crazy, Han Shuo decided not to open the door to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Quietly wait for the other person to leave.
After waiting for two minutes, the noise outside the door subsided.
"They're finally gone." Han Shuo sighed; the continuous knocking was getting on his nerves.
Without thinking further, Han Shuo prepared to adjust the peephole shutter and return to his room to rest. Inadvertently, his eyes glanced through the peephole again.
That one glance caused Han Shuo's pupils to dilate instantly. Goosebumps instantly rose all over his body!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com