The King of Curses

Chapter 3 The King of the Republic

Having lived his life again, he has the opportunity to change his own destiny, but how to change it is still a question worth pondering.

First of all, there are those “ancestor”-level curse masters who will stand at the top of the world in the future. Without exception, they all possess special life-control skills, which are innate talents that cannot be taken away by external forces.

No one knows the exact awakening time of these people, but if someone really tries to attack them in advance, it is not surprising that they are killed even if their awakening abilities are stimulated in advance. After all, the so-called "ancestors" are those who break their own destiny and can be said to be the protagonists of the times.

Therefore, Cen Dongsheng never thought about drastically changing the future - he valued his present more. Even though he had lost his life ban, he still had the opportunity to touch the highest level (special grade) curse, it just took time and waiting.

But before that, you must first strengthen your own strength, and then find companions with potential... No, to be honest, it should be called "holding a thigh that is thick enough."

Clinging to someone's leg is also an art, and it also requires some subtleties.

Cen Dongsheng's identity in the future destined him to be unable to come into contact with the world of high-level forbidden masters, and he would not know the private personalities of the big shots; but the influence of the "ancestors" was too great, they were originally the rulers of various forces and regions, "a man's name is the shadow of a tree", he always had some understanding of the behavior of this group of people.

Some people say that the future belongs to the world of forbidden masters and is an era of "madmen and ambitious people", and this is by no means an exaggeration.

Although it is not known whether people who suddenly gain powerful strength from the sky are more likely to become paranoid, or whether paranoid people are more likely to become stronger, the personalities of the strong people are indeed very strange. Some of them even hold beliefs that run counter to the mainstream moral values ​​of the past.

I heard that a person's fate often reflects his or her personality. The more extreme the personality, the more powerful the curse can be. This is also one aspect of the "worst era" -

At least Cen Dongsheng always felt that he was too ordinary, as the saying goes, "character determines destiny."

He is certainly far from being a selfless saint; but even after experiencing brutal struggles, he still cannot be as ruthless as some of his colleagues, like a ruthless machine or a cold-blooded killer.

He likes to eradicate all evil, but he can never ignore human nature.

"The reason why I'm not strong enough is probably because my brain is not sick enough"... Cen Dongsheng would occasionally have such thoughts.

All in all, not everyone among the highest-level curse-masters is suitable to be a boss, let alone a companion to them.

And among this group of lunatics and paranoids, what kind of person is his former boss, An Zhizhen?
Anyone who comments on her will think she is a cold-blooded woman.

She once sacrificed the lives of thousands of people to launch a special curse with harsh conditions; faced with the invasion of evil gods, she did not hesitate to abandon the affected areas, and finally used large-scale thermal weapons and large-scale curses to wipe out all the ghosts and monsters in the occupied areas, including the survivors;
She used virtual network technology and special spells to establish a system called the "Utopia" to monitor everyone on the land. Wherever the system covers, there is a strict hierarchy, and the rights enjoyed by each resident are strictly divided into superiors and subordinates.

The resources confiscated through the "ideal country" and the right to allocate them are all concentrated in her hands, making her a complete dictator.

This is her, this is her in Cen Dongsheng's eyes...

——It’s so “gentle”.

Good and bad are always relative, and there are countless people who hate the king of the ideal country, but the reality is that no one can deny that the Tiannan region has the most stable social order among the regions.

Its social hierarchy is indeed strict, but rewards and punishments are clear, and as long as you make a contribution, you can be promoted, and everyone has the opportunity to move up.

As a ruler, An Zhizhen does not have the bad habit of wantonly killing people. In terms of personal character, she can be said to be clean and self-disciplined. Not to mention that she does evil things to satisfy her own selfish desires, she does not even have any rumors of lovers or relatives. She is a lonely king sitting on the throne alone.

And, although there are still all kinds of dark rumors under the foundation of the "ideal country", whether true or false, ordinary citizens have indeed found shelter in this chaotic world, a cold, inhumane, but solid and reliable shelter.

It may also be because Cen Dongsheng was most familiar with her, but when considering the question of "who to find first", he did think of An Zhizhen first.

Then, just two months ago, Cen Dongsheng moved into Xiaokang Building and officially met An Zhizhen of this era.

Today, his mood is...

"I was surprised. Yeah, really surprised."

Cen Dongsheng thought.

Even though An Zhizhen's reputation was relatively good among the "ancestors", he still had never expected that she used to have such a personality.

A woman who loves to laugh and is cheerful, kind and caring, can be described as gentle and amiable once you get to know her well - no quotation marks needed, she is gentle in the true sense of the word.

He didn't have high hopes for his communication skills. He grew up in an orphanage, so it was good enough that he didn't become withdrawn and introverted. It was really difficult for him to become a social expert. Cen Dongsheng was a child who only knew how to study since he was a child.

In the next eight years, Cen Dongsheng made no progress in this regard. It was hard enough just to struggle to survive, so how could he have any thoughts about other things?

The reason why he felt that he had a chance to get close to her was purely because An Zhizhen was a rational person. When she had not yet awakened her life ban, he, as a prophet, could provide certain guidance and intelligence without revealing the truth, and he believed that she would understand the value of it.

This was a risky game. He knew very well what the effect of An Zhizhen's life ban was. If he angered the other party, he might completely lose his personal freedom. But he thought it was worth taking the risk to try.

In any case, there was only an exchange of interests involved, and Cen Dongsheng had never imagined that the two might have an emotional entanglement.

However, it was precisely this kind of him and she, two people with very different statuses and no connection in their previous lives, who somehow established a very close relationship. Not only could they call each other "sister and brother", but now even visiting each other's homes seemed very natural.

It seemed a little different from what he expected...

But, uh, it can be considered a phased achievement, right?
"Okay, let's watch it tonight."

An Zhizhen finally looked away. She put down the book in her hand, her expression still showing reluctance.

"Winter life?"

She noticed that the young man was in a daze again, so she moved a little closer.

The woman raised her delicate hand, placed it on his forehead, and asked with a worried look on her face:
"Dongsheng, what's wrong with you? You were in a daze for several times... Could it be that the weather is too hot and you have heatstroke?"

The cold and soft touch of his palm made Cen Dongsheng shudder. By the time he reacted, Sister Zhizhen's beautiful face had come too close to him, and his nose could smell the elegant fragrance from her.

"..."

He had to be honest with himself.

The experiences of the future completely changed and shaped his current way of thinking.

Therefore, Cen Dongsheng never thought that one day he would be able to get so close to a famous "ancestor". Rather than being a beautiful dream, it is better to say that it is an absurd and shocking dream.

Although everyone can clearly see a stunning beauty in the promotional posters and TV programs that can be seen everywhere in the Tiannan region, her personal appearance is probably the least important component that makes up the image of "An Zhizhen".

After all, no matter what she looks like, it does not affect her personal power and status as well as the public's impression of her. The name "An Zhizhen" is known to everyone, and even her followers mostly have a heart of respect and admiration, rather than a romantic relationship.

but……

At least at this moment, Sister Zhizhen's closeness made Cen Dongsheng feel as if he was still that ignorant college student.

Yes, even though he was a reborn person, at least half of his occasional blushing and heartbeats were not fake, probably because he was not that old before his rebirth... This made him sigh that men's instincts were really scary.

Cen Dongsheng put his hand to his mouth and pretended to cough.

"I...I'm fine. I was just thinking about work tonight."

"Work? Have you found a new part-time job?" "Yes, a shopping mall that just opened a few stops away. I work there as a security guard on night patrol."

"It's really hard."

"Haha, there is no other way without hard work. If you want to survive in this fiercely competitive society, you must take action as soon as possible."

Cen Dongsheng said. He said this from the bottom of his heart, and the "cruelness" he mentioned was also genuine cruelty.

"You're already thinking about this at your age... Yeah, after all, you grew up alone since you were a child."

An Zhizhen knew that he came from an orphanage, so she looked at him with gentle and compassionate eyes, as if she had misunderstood him.

"Then I won't keep you any longer. You're out there alone, so take care of yourself."

"it is good."

*
Cen Dongsheng said goodbye to Sister Zhizhen and returned to his room.

He glanced at the sky outside the window. After watching a movie, the hot summer heat gradually dissipated, the sun was no longer scorching, and clusters of clouds were floating towards dusk.

Cen Dongsheng sat down cross-legged and began to meditate.

After such a long time, he almost forgot what kind of entertainment he used to like. For him, being able to rest for a while between battles and rushing around was enough.

At the appointed time, he opened his eyes, stretched his body, took his phone and keys, and prepared to go out. When he reached the door, he turned back and took out a few bills and put them in his pocket.

"I almost forgot that we still have to use real money these days."

The "part-time job" mentioned by Sister Zhizhen was not an excuse, he really was going to work the night shift as a security guard.

Of course, it’s not for money - for him, money just needs to be enough to live on, any more is a complete waste.

This summer, he will seize the time to go to many places...

Before going out, Cen Dongsheng took out a piece of paper from his pocket, read it carefully, and after making sure that he had memorized the contents by heart, he lit it with a lighter.

After his rebirth, he immediately summarized the valuable intelligence and information into a chronological record according to the time of occurrence, recited them repeatedly, and then destroyed them.

In this way, he continued to deepen his memory until all the information was firmly imprinted in his brain.

This knowledge that transcends time is undoubtedly "priceless treasure".

However, the problem still exists - he is only a second-class curse master after all, and the information he can access is limited. Even if he remembers some things, he often does not know the inside truth. This part can only be understood by his own experience.

Also, apart from those major events that shocked the whole country, the supernatural places he could remember were mainly concentrated in the Tiannan region.

There happened to be several in Jinjiang City. So during this period, the main reason why Cen Dongsheng was looking for part-time jobs was to check out the places.

"Yangmingshan Zoo... I've been working part-time as a keeper for two weeks since June. I've confirmed that the 'Human Face Transformation' hasn't happened yet, so I naturally can't get the curse there. It looks like I can only postpone it. I'll find an excuse to resign tomorrow."

He got on his bike, slowly rode out of the community, and headed towards his part-time job.

The first wave has just begun. As he expected, most places have not yet become haunted, and the hidden objects inside will not appear either. The so-called "scouting" is really just to familiarize yourself with the environment in advance.

So, he didn't hold out much hope this time either.

……

After stopping at a roadside food stall to fill his stomach, Cen Dongsheng continued riding.

The evening breeze blowing through the trees on the forest road blew on the young man's face, warm and gentle. As the night spread, the street lights on both sides of the road began to light up, and the dim light illuminated the faces of passers-by.

Bicycle bells jingle, tires rustle over a layer of soft fallen leaves; passing houses with bright lights shining through their windows, food stalls emitting tempting aromas, and shops full of dazzling goods...

He shuttled between cars and pedestrians, passed through the streets and alleys, and enjoyed the long-lost fireworks of the world.

The twinkling city lights were like lighthouses floating on the night ocean. Cen Dongsheng squinted his eyes slightly at the oncoming light and wind, and for a moment he was in a trance:

It is such a peaceful scene, so nostalgic.

I wonder how long this can last...?
"arrive."

Cen Dongsheng stepped on the brake and put away his chaotic thoughts.

He looked up at the commercial building standing near the intersection.

A square building with an unremarkable shape, with more than fifteen floors, a parking lot, and more than one entrance and exit on each floor.

Only the bottom three floors of the building were lit, with the rest of the building submerged in darkness; the west wall was covered by scaffolding and plastic sheeting with investment promotion advertisements on the outside, and it seemed that it had not been fully completed yet.

The scheduled interview location was just ahead. He hadn't taken a few steps when he saw two people standing there.

One was about fifty years old, with a beer belly, wearing a white shirt and smoking; the other was about thirty-five years old, wearing a security uniform, and seemed to be the former's subordinate.

Both of them had solemn expressions, and the night breeze carried their whispered discussions into Cen Dongsheng's ears:

"Xiao Qin, have you recruited anyone for the night shift?"

"Not yet. The last one only worked for three days and then ran away. He said he saw a ghost in the toilet." The man in security uniform answered with a wry smile.

"Seeing a ghost again?"

"Yes, I heard that a female ghost was seen in the glass mirror."

"Wasn't it a male ghost with a broken leg last time? How can there be so many wandering ghosts in this newly built building? Are these young people making it up?"

"Well, I don't know...but that person didn't even ask for money. I guess he was really scared."

"Even if I add a thousand dollars, it won't work?"

"No, Uncle Li, the longest time they've worked here is no more than two weeks... If this continues, everyone looking for a part-time job nearby will hear about the ghost story, and they will have their own circles, so the agencies will start to be reluctant to push people to us."

As he listened, Cen Dongsheng stopped and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously.

Haunted? It's good to be haunted! He is just afraid of not being haunted.

This time, maybe there will be some fun...

(End of this chapter)