C2 The Current Situation

The scene shifted rapidly.

Gold Tooth watched his underling get knocked back and instinctively swallowed hard. His gut told him that the ancient cube with a body before him was way out of his league.

"Damn ancient relics are always freaky. Don't you come any closer! Come at me again, and I swear I'll fight you to the end!" Gold Tooth backed away, trying to mask his fear as he shouted.

Yang Zhiming first reassured the frightened girl with a calming glance before fixing his gaze on Gold Tooth. He wondered, What is Gold Tooth rambling about? It seems modern humans hold ancient artifacts in high regard. Maybe I can use that to my advantage...

With a cold laugh, he declared, "You dare to make trouble now that this Immortal has awakened? Scram!"

"Bullshit Immortal, think you're tougher than my gun?" Gold Tooth smirked, pulling out his pistol. It wasn't as primitive as those from a thousand years ago; the silver-white gun had a futuristic look.

A gun? Yang Zhiming tensed up, internally cursing a blue streak. Are guns legal now? And this one looks so advanced; can I even withstand it?

While Yang Zhiming hesitated, Gold Tooth, with a malicious grin, pulled the trigger. "Die!" he sneered.

A fiery streak erupted from the silver-white pistol, and with a loud bang, the bullet struck Yang Zhiming's metallic chest, leaving him completely unscathed.

Stunned, Yang Zhiming glanced down at his chest. Not a trace of the bullet's impact!

He was ecstatic. His new body was incredibly strong. Could he now be invincible in the human world?

"You really have a death wish," Yang Zhiming sneered as he counterattacked. In a flash, he seized Gold Tooth's wrist and with a crisp snap, broke it!

Gold Tooth screamed in agony as the silver-white handgun astonishingly fused into Yang Zhiming's body.

This...

Yang Zhiming stared at himself, amazed. He could feel his body hardening even more.

Could his body now absorb metal to enhance its strength?

Gold Tooth, clutching his broken wrist and wailing, looked on as if he had seen a ghost.

"Run, run for it!" Gold Tooth and his lackeys scrambled away in a panic, only to be stopped by a commanding voice.

Yang Zhiming turned around, a silver-white handgun now in his grasp. "Not so fast. This is a stick-up. Leave the cash box behind."

He wasn't foolish. Having just arrived in this world, he knew that securing capital was the first step toward becoming the wealthiest man around. The cash Gold Tooth had brought seemed like an excellent start.

No sooner had he spoken than Gold Tooth reluctantly set the box down, his face twisted in anguish. As he left, he couldn't resist a parting threat, "Lin, you'll regret this. If I don't get my money back, I swear I'll wreck this dump!"

Meanwhile, the drunken man on the floor was still mumbling, "No money to give, but my life's yours to take."

Once Gold Tooth and his gang had departed, the ramshackle house was enveloped in silence. Yang Zhiming gazed at the weeping girl on the floor and sighed. He knew all too well the feeling of despair from his past life.

His father had racked up a mountain of gambling debts, leading to a life of chaos, ultimately culminating in a brutal death.

A wave of emotion washed over Yang Zhiming as he steeled himself with silent encouragement. It was clear to him now that gambling was the least reliable way to make money; the house always wins.

"Since fate has granted me a second chance, I'm going to live well, earn an honest living, and become the wealthiest man alive!" Yang Zhiming resolved.

He then crouched beside the girl, gently patting her shoulder to comfort her. "There, there, no more tears. I've sent the bad guy packing. What's your name?"

Hearing his words, the girl looked up, managing a smile through her tears. "Immortal, I'm Lin Ke'er."

Yang Zhiming returned the smile and nodded. "That's a beautiful name. Could you help me with something?"

Lin Ke'er composed herself and nodded emphatically.

Yang Zhiming went on, "I've been asleep for a year and have forgotten so much. Could you fill me in on the current state of the world?"

Truth be told, Yang Zhiming was still bewildered. He was aware that he was on Mars and that a millennium had passed. He had no clue how far human civilization had progressed. Perhaps he was already an anachronism, out of touch and unable to make a living.

Keeping pace with the times is essential.

Lin Ke'er carefully assisted her inebriated father to his room, a gesture that earned a silent nod of approval from Yang Zhiming. He observed that the young woman was dutiful and caring, making her a wise choice for an ally in this world.

Afterward, Lin Ke'er began to acquaint Yang Zhiming with their world. Five hundred years earlier, Earth had been struck by a massive meteorite. Fortunately, by then, Mars had been fully colonized, providing a refuge for humanity. Yet, the catastrophic event left the majority of human civilization's achievements behind on Earth.

Consequently, despite living a millennium later, the current human population had regressed in terms of food and clothing, even falling behind their ancestors from a thousand years prior. With the exception of space exploration technology, advancements in everyday life had deteriorated; humans were essentially in a period of recovery.

Moreover, due to unresolved temperature issues on Mars, people resorted to wearing specialized thermal clothing to go about their daily routines, with the only reprieve being the normal temperatures found within their homes.

Most artifacts from five hundred years ago remained on Earth, and the few that were brought to Mars were primarily utilized for scientific research aimed at technological improvement. This explained the immense value attributed to Yang Zhiming's dice.

With this newfound knowledge, Yang Zhiming quickly grasped the scarcity and value of items from a millennium past, sparking an idea for generating wealth.

In his past life, he had been an ordinary man, trying his hand at various trades to make ends meet. Making money by leveraging everyday needs seemed like an easy task.

Given that revealing his true identity might invite unwanted complications, Yang Zhiming realized that the most trustworthy person he could rely on was Lin Ke'er.

With this in mind, he began to formulate a straightforward plan.

— Content from 【Migu Reading】