Taoist priest goes to America

Old White opened his mouth and spat the remaining hand onto the ground. Then he pulled his arms out from the bald black man's chest.

Li An looked at Lao Bai, who was covered in blood, with a sense of helplessness.

"Is it because of the blood talisman? How can it be so fierce..." Li An was speechless. He could have saved two more bodies, but it ruined them like this.

Li An opened the system, and the system screen assessed the bald black man's corpse as: [Mutilated corpse, unsuitable for transport].

"Tsk..." Li An curled his lip, but it was fine, at least he got what they had, and he also gained something.

Ang Lee crouched down and began searching the two black men for their "spoils of war".

Ang Lee first picked up the handguns the Black men had dropped on the ground—two 9mm Glock pistols. He then rummaged through the bald Black man's pockets and took out his wallet.

Ang Lee weighed the wallet in his hand. It was very light, mostly containing loose change: five-cent or one-dollar coins, ten-dollar bills, and only two hundred-dollar bills, totaling two hundred and eighty-seven dollars.

The rest were just a jumble of odds and ends, a fully loaded magazine, an iPhone 13, a roll of cigarettes, and a pack of hemp leaves.

Ang Lee tossed the hemp leaves aside. No wonder this guy mocked Old White for inhaling stimulants; it turns out he doesn't actually inhale them himself, he just "hates grass."

The black man with the gold chain had more items on him: a wallet with a full $750 in cash, two magazines, an iPhone 13, a windproof lighter, and several loan shark IOUs.

Ang Lee's gaze fell on the thick gold chain around the black man's neck, and he pulled it off.

Although it's gold, the weight is wrong; it feels light and flimsy in your hand.

It was originally made of copper, but it was plated with gold.

Ang Lee curled his lip and threw the chain away, saying he didn't want the fake one.

Of course, the most important thing was what Ang Lee found in a zippered pocket on his chest. Ang Lee reached out and touched that familiar box.

Marlboro, a hard, red box with a smoking cessation poster printed on it, and more than half a box left. An American brand of Marlboro. Ang Lee brought his nose close and took a deep sniff.

The familiar smell brought a lump to his throat. Nearly six years had passed, and he hadn't seen anything like this tobacco in the fantasy world. The occasional tobacco he found was pungent and astringent, nothing like this at all.

Going back to Earth is so damn good.

Just as Ang Lee was about to give it a try, suddenly, the gold-chained black man who was still lying on the ground convulsing began to struggle violently.

His lips turned purple, his pupils dilated, and then white foam dribbled from the corners of his mouth as he vomited violently, expelling vomit mixed with blood.

"?" Li An asked, puzzled. "These symptoms are... acute poisoning? How did this guy suddenly get poisoned?"

Ang Lee stuffed the Marlboro cigarettes into his pocket and began examining the black man with the gold chain who was poisoned.

His left arm, which was bitten, was particularly badly injured. The wound was constantly swelling and turning black, and the bluish-black toxins were spreading all over his body from the wound, causing the entire left side of his body to begin to ulcerate.

Just then, the system panel popped up:

[Ding! First attempt at corpse transport complete]

[Current host's number of corpse servants: 1]

[Congratulations, host, on successfully transporting a corpse. This is your first corpse servant.]

[Settling the first-time corpse-transportation reward...]

[Reward Acquisition Instructions: Each time the host performs a corpse-driving maneuver, they will receive one skill reward, from which they can choose one to permanently bind.]

[The reward effect is closely related to the corpse's identity, experiences, and cause of death. Once selected, it cannot be changed, so please think carefully before making your choice.]

You can choose from the following three rewards.

[Reward 1: Toxin Injection]

[Rank: White (Common)]

[Effect (Active): Can inject stored toxins into the body through scratching or biting (in large doses), causing a poisoning effect.]

[Note: The severity of poisoning depends on the concentration, toxicity, and dosage of the toxin in the user's body.]

Looking at the white-level reward, Li An realized that the horrific state of the black man earlier must have been the effect of this skill.

He had already witnessed its power; it was incredibly fast-acting and impossible to defend against. It was indeed a good reward.

However… Li An looked at the second reward. He didn't have any toxins to inject into others; "Old White" had accumulated various chemical toxins in his body from long-term injections of enhancers, which was why it was so powerful. Besides, large doses would require biting people. For Li An, this was somewhat of a double-edged sword.

[Reward 2: Drug Resistance]

Grade: Green (Excellent)

[Effect (Passive): The host gains a "Toxin Resistance" constitution, increasing tolerance to common chemical toxins by 400%.]

[Tolerance to opioids (morphine, fentanyl, etc.) increased by 700%.]

[Note: The host's response to painkillers and anesthetics is reduced. If surgery is required, please inform your doctor in advance to increase the dosage.]

Common toxicity resistance...especially resistance to opioids, that's good.

Ang Lee stroked his chin. It was very practical and effective. Food safety was not guaranteed in this place, and this resistance provided an extra layer of protection.

Ang Lee looked at the last, third reward, wondering if there were any more good things.

[Reward 3: Transparent Building]

[Grade: Gray (Inferior)]

[Effect (Active): The host can determine the approximate internal structure of a building simply by observing it from the outside, without needing to enter. They can effortlessly determine the number of floors, the location of entrances and exits, and the position of load-bearing walls.]

[Note: Since the corpse servant was a construction worker in life, using this reward will cause the host to develop occupational diseases associated with construction work, such as lumbar muscle strain and hearing loss.]

Ang Lee was speechless. Well, the first "toxin injection" was only so-so, but this third one was even more potent, and it even had a negative effect. It was useful as it may be, but the price was too high.

"I choose the second one."

[Host has selected: Drug resistance]

[Rewards being sent out...]

As soon as he finished speaking, a gentle golden light appeared from his chest, enveloping Li An like a light veil.

Ang Lee felt a warm sensation throughout his body, a tingling, warm current flowing through his entire body, especially his liver, which is responsible for detoxification, as if it had been taken out and soaked in a hot spring.

After a few dozen seconds, the golden light dissipated. Li An, feeling refreshed, shook his hair, took out a Marlboro cigarette, opened the pack, and pulled one out, intending to light one to celebrate.

Just as he was using the windproof lighter he found on the black man with the gold chain to light the fire, he suddenly realized something.

Will this forced resistance reward prevent him from experiencing Marlboro?

Ang Lee took a sip, then slowly exhaled a smoke ring into the night sky.

Smoke rings dispersed in the cold night wind.

Okay, that tastes really good. It seems to be the ability to first ingest toxins and then transform them into harmless substances.

"Phew—I won't get lung cancer anymore, that's great."

Ang Lee slowly savored his Marlboro cigarettes, gazing at the distant urban financial district. As dusk settled, the city lights shone brilliantly, transforming the entire area into a flowing, pale golden river of light.

it's beautiful.

Unfortunately, not far from this affluent area, two black men tried to shoot him, ruining the American scene and seemingly serving as a special reminder to Ang Lee.

"They've come with ill intentions."

Ang Lee exhaled another puff of smoke. Such a beautiful place, yet so much trouble.

He took the cigarette out of his mouth and watched the red glow of the cigarette butt flicker in the wind.

"It's a pity, though."

Ang Lee rolled his cigarette butt on a cement block and patted Old Bai, who was standing motionless, on the shoulder.

"I am the one who came here."