Chapter 93 Zombie Shadow Guard (1)
In the magnificent palace, Tao Xing raised his hand for the tenth time.
A small, white arm. This is a...child's hand.
He was wearing a bright yellow gown embroidered with dragon patterns, with a pearl curtain swaying on his crown. His Highness and his ministers bowed their heads, and the wide dragon throne made his figure even smaller.
This kid fell to death while practicing horse riding and archery last night. He came in and before he could recover from the shock, a bunch of people were helping him change clothes, wash up, and go to court.
He had beaten 080 a hundred times in his mind: "Have you found the reason?"
080 cried, "I found it. It was supposed to be a post-apocalyptic world, but the program went wrong and caused you, the host, to fall down halfway and land in this ancient world. And... the timeline was also wrong. The original owner is still a child now."
"Is the target of the mission in this world?"
The system's voice became quieter: "Not here."
"What should we do then?"
"There's nothing I can do." 080 was trembling with fear. "The fact that you were able to get in here means that this place meets your requirements for quick travel. The original owner has the same name and appearance as you, the host. You have replaced the original owner and cannot leave easily."
"Isn't it possible to escape death?"
080 didn't dare to say anything.
"say!"
The system was startled and stammered, "Because there are no missions in this world, the rules of the world are not open to the outside world. Although you have entered, you do not have the authority to change the fate of the characters."
"What does this mean?"
"It means... Host, you have to follow the original owner's predetermined fate and live until he dies before you can leave."
“…”
"Also..." 080's voice got smaller and smaller, "You can't change the original owner's character. The original owner succeeded to the throne at a young age. He was stern, cruel and resolute. He had no other hobbies in life except handling state affairs. He worked diligently, got up early and went to bed late, and worked all year round..."
With every word it spoke, Tao Xing's face grew darker.
080 said, "But you are an emperor after all. You own the whole world. You don't have to worry about having no money to spend."
"Haha." Tao Xing rolled her eyes, "Do I have time to spend it?"
080 hid in his consciousness.
Tao Xing said unhappily, "According to predetermined fate, when will the original owner die?"
080 Check the information: "At the age of 28, he led the army in person and died on the battlefield."
"I'm only six years old now, and I still have to wait for more than 20 years!" Tao Xing gritted his teeth.
At this time, the morning sun was rising, and in the majestic hall, all the ministers shouted in unison: "Long live His Majesty."
Don't say long live, Tao Xing looked forward, raised his hand, and spoke in a childish voice: "My dear ministers, please stand up."
Governing the country, people's livelihood, disputes in the world, poetry, books, rituals and music, archery and horseback riding... these are the daily routine of a king.
Without changing his personality, he was decisive in killing and resolute in dealing with things. He didn't like to be close to people, and... he never smiled.
The Tao Dynasty was once powerful under its governance.
The sun rises and the moon sets.
The young child grew up into a man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. With a flick of his dragon robe and a slight movement of the pearl curtain, he looked down at the ministers in front of the dragon throne.
This year, Tao Xing finally turned twenty-eight.
When discussing the invasion of foreign enemies, he raised his hand, and his wide sleeves brushed across the dragon throne: "I will lead the army in person!"
The battlefield was filled with smoke and arrows rained down. 080 said that the Tao Dynasty was victorious in this battle, but the emperor died in the battle and would be succeeded by his nephew. The change of dynasty was already destined.
Tao Xing rotated the hilt of the sword and blocked an arrow with a "clang" sound. The red sword tassel brushed past his eyes, and he was stunned for no reason.
"Host, host, when the next arrow comes, you will..."
Without even raising his head, Tao Xing grabbed the arrow and threw it away. The arrow pierced deeply into the ground. He was still staring at the sword tassel.
080 was stunned: "Host, according to the original plot, that arrow was going to kill you, how did you catch it?"
"Oh, I forgot." Tao Xing looked up, "Wouldn't it be the same if we waited for another arrow?"
"Will it be the same?" 080 felt something was wrong. The rules of the world did not change, and the fate of the characters could not be changed. So the opportunity for death should not change at all. However, the host had already dodged it, so he had no choice but to wait. He asked curiously, "What were you thinking about just now?"
"I remember that my sword tassel fell off yesterday, but it was put back on today."
"That's normal, you are the emperor, someone will do everything for you."
"There's a bead missing from it."
"Just for this?" 080 sighed, "It's fine if it's less. The entire treasury belongs to you. Why would you be so greedy for just one bead?"
"Yes." Tao Xing said slowly, "If it's less, it's less."
However, when he saw it just now, his heart trembled inexplicably, as if something was moving away from him.
"Host, hurry, the arrow is coming again..." 080 said urgently, "Don't miss it this time."
Tao Xing took a few steps forward, facing the direction of the arrow, and stretched out his hands.
The tip of the arrow pierced his chest violently.
The soldier shooting arrows on the opposite side looked at his hands in disbelief: "???"
The eyes fell into darkness and he heard the sound of "whooshing" coming from all directions. He had finally stabbed the emperor, and the enemy would not stop easily. He was determined to kill him.
Countless arrows fell on his body, piercing every inch of flesh and blood. The pain came like a landslide, and the sound in his ears gradually disappeared.
Tao Xing breathed a sigh of relief: He's finally gone.
In the void, white mist is vague.
Tao Xing pushed away the smoke and said, "You said the next world is the end of the world, right? Let's start it. Let's go. We have been wasting time for so long."
080 hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Host, there is something I don't know whether I should tell you."
"speak."
The system said: "Program monitoring, because you stayed in the world just now for a little longer, the rules of that world have been changed, the world has evolved, and then, the mission target has appeared."
"What!"
"But since this was originally caused by a program error, the bureau said you don't need to worry about it. It won't affect the main storyline of the mission. Just go to the next world directly." 080 said, "I don't need to tell you, but... I still want you to know."
Tao Xing's expression changed slightly, and he looked back in the chaos: "He showed up, how could I just ignore him?"
"That……"
“I want to go back!”
080 quickly flipped through the program: "I have already left. The only way to go back is to use the Death Escape Return Technique. This technique costs 60 million. Let me check your account..."
Before he could finish his words, the system inexplicably sensed a dangerous aura, and looked up, seeing the host's eyes as sharp as a knife.
"You made a mistake, and you still want me to pay?" Tao Xing said gritting his teeth.
"Host, don't be angry, don't be angry." 080 was frightened by the aura and felt that he would be beaten in the next second. He quickly went to the approval office. The response from the bureau was also fast. He quickly read out the approval result, "I give you the Death Escape and Return Technique. Not only that, I give it to you twice. You still have one chance to die in the small world."
"Humph." Tao Xing snorted coldly, "Start the road back."
The clouds dispersed and the chaos disappeared.
Tao Xing rubbed his dizzy head and opened his eyes, only to see the hustle and bustle of traffic and tall buildings passing by him one by one. He lowered his eyebrows and saw that he was sitting in a luxury car. On his expensive suit, the diamond cufflinks were obviously worth a fortune.
He is a rich man.
But something is wrong.
"080, this is a modern world." He frowned, "Mistaken again?"
"That's right, host." 080 said, "This is a derivative world of that ancient world, belonging to the same timeline. This world is a thousand years after that world, and he is here."
After the system finished speaking, it added: "In order to make up for this mistake, the bureau will disclose the identities of the original owner and the target of the mission in advance. The original owner is the heir of the famous business empire Dow Group. He just succeeded to the position of president a month ago. He is aloof and serious, and acts vigorously. The host..."
080 paused and said in a negotiating tone: "Although the world rules have been relaxed, the original owner appears in TV interviews every day, and is surrounded by a large number of subordinates, cooperative clients, etc. You may still have to maintain the original owner's image in front of others, otherwise it will be easily seen."
"I understand. What about him? What is his identity?" Tao Xing asked.
"You will be told this when you meet him."
“…”
Tao Xing rolled his eyes again, turned his gaze away from the bustling streets, looked at the person in the passenger seat in front of him, and called out to him, "Hi."
The other party was startled and turned back in astonishment: "Mr. Tao... Mr. Tao?"
This was a young man who looked very bookish. Tao Xing looked at the work badge hanging around his neck and asked, "Xu Ming, how long have you been the president's special assistant?"
Xu Ming calmed down and said, "I've been with Director Tao for three years, and with you for one month."
"It's been quite a while, why are you still so startled?"
Xu Ming quickly said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Tao, I thought you were still asleep."
"How long have I slept?"
Xu Ming quickly checked the time: "Half an hour, it's still early for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. If you are tired, Mr. Tao, do you want to sleep for a while? I will call you when we are there."
Tao Xing rubbed his head: "I don't know what happened today, I feel a little dizzy."
"You drank too much last night at a social gathering." Xu Ming said, "Why don't you take a rest?"
"No thanks." He had almost finished all the words he wanted to ask. "I'm not feeling well. I may have a lot of things for you to do later."
"Yes." Xu Ming turned around and hurriedly turned on the computer.
So the original owner died from drinking too much?
Tao Xing sighed and looked at the buildings by the window like fleeting shadows. As the car drove onto the Qushui Corridor Bridge, he saw several rows of houses with blue bricks and gray tiles.
He was in a trance for a moment and almost thought he had returned to ancient times. After a moment, he came to his senses and saw that this was an antique building. Dow Group was founded in this small city in the south of the Yangtze River, and its headquarters has always been here and has never moved.
It was the end of spring, petals were falling and flowers were flying all over the city.
The in-car news was broadcasting automatically. Neither the driver nor the special assistant turned it off and even turned up the volume a little. I guess this was the habit of the original owner. As a president who was so busy with all kinds of things, he had to squeeze in time to listen to the news.
[It is reported that yesterday, a group of tomb robbers accidentally discovered an underground imperial tomb in the suburbs of Licheng. The relevant departments immediately arrived at the scene. According to the investigation, this imperial tomb is the tomb of Emperor Xing of the Tao Dynasty a thousand years ago. Emperor Xing reigned for 22 years, governed the country well, and made outstanding achievements. He was a wise ruler who was deeply loved by the people at that time. This discovery is another exciting news for the archaeological community.]
"Hmm?" Tao Xing raised his eyes. "My tomb?"
[Unfortunately, the mausoleum had been severely damaged after thousands of years of wind and rain, and tomb robbers abused illegal equipment, which aggravated the damage, causing the originally intact tomb chamber to collapse and Emperor Ying’s coffin to be smashed.
With awe for history, we opened the coffin and after research we were able to confirm that this tomb was the tomb of Emperor Xing’s clothes and hats. There were no bones in the coffin, only the crown and clothing fragments.
"Huh?" Tao Xing was slightly surprised, "Why don't I have any remains?"
"Host, you were beaten into a sieve at that time. It should be difficult to restore your body." 080 said.
I heard the report continue: [At the entrance of the tomb, in front of the emperor's coffin, there is another burial coffin. Although it is well preserved, the coffin lid has been opened and the inside is empty. However, experts on the scene have detected traces of human bones in the coffin. It is initially inferred that the bones in the coffin may have been buried in the ruins due to illegal operations by tomb robbers, but the possibility of being stolen cannot be ruled out. The staff are searching for it, and the identity of the person has yet to be confirmed.]
Tao Xing's eyes fell on the speaker, but she didn't hear anything further. The news had already passed.
We passed through antique streets and alleys and saw many shopping malls. The car stopped in front of a convention and exhibition center near the suburbs. Many people were already waiting at the door.
Tao Xing got out of the car and someone came up to him immediately: "Mr. Tao, you are here. Today our Taoshi Project Industrial Park is officially opened. Your coming to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony in person really makes this place shine."
Tao Xing nodded and walked into the hall with everyone else.
This convention and exhibition center is the face of the industrial park. It has five floors, with a shopping mall on the upper floor and an exhibition hall on the lower floor. It is luxuriously decorated and exudes an air of extravagance. Flower baskets are placed inside and outside the exhibition hall. It officially opened today and was packed with people, making it extremely lively and bustling.
The five-story-high electronic screen on the center's outer wall broadcast the grand scene in the hall in real time. Tao Xing was surrounded in the middle, the focus of everyone's attention.
Although he was completely unprepared, this kind of event has etiquette and host guidelines, so he would not make any mistakes. When the host said "Welcome Mr. Tao", he went on stage. When the ceremony began, he took the scissors handed to him and cut the red silk.
Then, it was his turn to speak. It was not difficult. Thank you, it’s an honor, and we all worked together...
But the signal here was not very good. Before he could finish his words, there was a sharp "buzzing" sound from the microphone, and everyone couldn't help but cover their ears.
Tao Xing clapped the microphone.
With a "bang", the glass on the top floor exploded, followed by several screams.
Shards of glass fell with a crash, and there was a panic among the crowd. Screams and cries merged into one. Then, there were continuous "bang bang" sounds coming from upstairs, and railings, chandeliers, and various decorations fell down.
Tao Xing's brows shone, and he jumped down from the stage, kicked away the chandelier that was about to hit the ground, and grabbed the security guards: "Emergency evacuation."
Alarms continued to sound inside and outside the hall, and people rushed out in panic.
Outside the hall, a strange figure slowly approached. He was wearing heavy armor, with a long sword hanging from his waist. The armor was rusty and his helmet completely covered his face, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed. His eyeballs were red as if stained with blood.
He raised his red eyes, looked at the electronic screen, and murmured: "Master..."
There was another loud bang, and the whole building shook.
The electronic screen crackled and the power went out and went black.
The man lowered his head and walked forward along the screen.
People looked at the figure in amazement, and had no time to investigate as they fled for their lives. A kind-hearted person shouted, "It's exploded inside, don't go in."
If the man didn't hear it, he would walk straight into the hall.
Glass and bricks kept falling down, and many people shouted: "Boss Tao, please come out quickly."
Tao Xing blocked a fallen railing and pushed the trapped person forward: "Go quickly."
Those people ran out in panic. Just as they stepped out of the door, there was a "crash" and the huge lamp in the central hall fell down, blocking the exit.
The people inside were isolated from the gate, and their screams and shouts were drowned out by the huge noise. Tao Xing looked up and saw that there should be no one inside.
He is the only one.
Amid the chaos, one could hear someone walking towards them on the debris.
Tao Xing threw away the railing in his hand and looked back.
The falling bricks and tiles splashed dust like a thin mist, the broken glass pieces burst out neon halos, the flower basket was knocked over, and countless petals floated up.
Amid the misty ruins and petals, Tao Xing saw the pair of red eyes.
The noise seemed to subside and the world suddenly became quiet.
The man dragged the heavy and tattered armor, walked up to him step by step, leaned forward and kowtowed: "Master."
Tao Xing's pupils shrank, and he slowly stretched out his hand, with his fingertips falling on the mask.
The man did not move, did not resist his actions.
Tao Xing slowly took off the mask, and dust fell off.
An extremely handsome face, extremely pale, bloodless lips, and two fangs that were completely unlike those of humans, protruding from the corners of the mouth.
080 said: "Host, in this world, he is a zombie."
There was a whistle outside the door, and with a loud bang, the rubble blocking the door was blown away, and soon, a large number of search and rescue personnel rushed in: "Is there anyone else?"
Tao Xing put on his mask, pulled the zombie up into his arms, took off his coat and put it over his head.
The search and rescue personnel just happened to see them: "Boss Tao, get out quickly, this is... Anyway, get out quickly."
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