Zombie Life Begins in Hongxi Village

Lin Yi leaned back, crossed her legs, and glanced at Charlie Cao's slick, powdered face.

"Mr. Cha is a high-achieving student who returned from abroad. Why doesn't he go to the provincial capital to find a job, instead of coming to this poor, remote place of mine to be the town mayor?"

Charlie Cao's smile froze for a moment, then he coughed and pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses:

"General, my surname is Cao, not Cha. That's how foreigners address me; the surname comes after the given name."

As for why he went to the Hanging Coffin Town to become the town mayor?

Does the commander-in-chief want to hear the truth or a lie?

"What about the truth? And what about the lies?" Lin Yi said calmly, her eyes slightly narrowed.

Charlie Cao straightened his suit collar, trying to regain some confidence, and began to speak fluently:

"The lie is that the Hanging Coffin Town is my hometown, the place where I was born and raised."

Having studied abroad for over a decade, I have witnessed firsthand the rapid development of the West through comprehensive scientific planning, and I have always kept my homeland and its people in my heart.

My purpose in returning here is to use advanced Western concepts to transform my hometown and improve the lives of my fellow villagers.

"As for the truth," a greedy glint suddenly flashed in Charlie Cao's eyes, and he took a half-step forward, lowering his voice:

"Although the town of Hanging Coffins doesn't have much wealth, it has a large number of ancient hanging coffin tombs. They are very old. As long as they are properly developed and excavated, hehe—"

"You want to rob a tomb?" Lin Yi interrupted him.

Charlie Cao's face stiffened, and he coughed twice before saying seriously, "It's not tomb raiding, it's archaeology. Archaeology in Great Britain is a rigorous science—"

As he spoke, he took out two gold bars from his briefcase, presented them to Lin Yi with both hands, and lowered his voice.

"I have brought some British specialties for you, Commander, hoping to borrow a troop of soldiers from you. There will be a reward for your efforts."

Lin Yi took the gold bar, weighed it in her hand, and a cryptic smile appeared on her lips.

Charlie Cao thought he had a chance, and his smile had just begun to spread when Lin Yi's expression suddenly darkened.

"Men, seize this tomb raider who intends to rob a tomb!"

Two guards rushed in at the sound of the alarm, grabbed Charlie Cao's arms on either side, and dragged him out.

The briefcase slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Judging from the sound, there were quite a few gold bars and silver dollars inside.

Uncle Shou bent down, picked it up, dusted it off, and placed it on the table next to Lin Yi.

Charlie Cao only realized what was happening when he was dragged to the doorway, and he shouted with his neck stiff:

"General, you can't do this! You took my gold bars!"

"You bastard!" Lin Yi picked up the two gold bars and tapped them in his hand, his tone righteous and stern. "These are the stolen goods you bribed me with. They shall be confiscated according to the law."

When Charlie Cao realized that his gentle approach wasn't working, he became desperate and raised his voice several notches higher:

"Wait! I know Chairman Peng of the Provincial Capital Maintenance Committee, and I'm a classmate of Colonel Nakamura! You can't arrest me!"

His tone already carried a hint of threat.

The two guards paused, both looking at Lin Yi.

The puppet regime was established by the Japanese. Although they did not recognize it, the decision still had to be made by the Marshal.

Lin Yi's face turned completely cold.

He stood up from his chair, walked step by step to Charlie Cao, and slapped the letter of appointment in his face.

"Why do you think I arrested you? Whether you rob tombs or not is none of my business."

But you shouldn't bring your puppet government's appointment letter to my territory.

His voice wasn't loud, but his tone was as cold as a knife in the dead of winter: "Aren't you trying to make me a traitor? I only recognize the one from Qujiang in the provincial government."

Charlie Cao's mouth was still moving, as if he wanted to say something.

Lin Yi had already turned and walked back, waving her hand and leaving behind a sentence:

"Take him away. This bastard is suspected of bribery, tomb raiding, and treason. The circumstances are serious enough that he doesn't need a trial; execute him immediately."

"Yes!" The two guards dragged Charlie Cao out.

"General, spare me! I won't do it again! I promise I'll love my country from now on! I—"

Charlie Cao's pleas for mercy were shrill and loud.

The guard, Wang Daniu, found him too noisy, so he swung his rifle butt and smacked him in the mouth, sending a row of teeth flying.

Charlie Cao's screams turned into indistinct whimpers, blood and foam dripping down his chin, and it was impossible to hear what he was shouting anymore.

A moment later, a crisp gunshot rang out from outside the courtyard.

Wang Daniu trotted back, snapped to attention, and shouted, "Reporting, Commander, the criminal has been killed!"

"Okay, you can go now." Lin Yi waved her hand, sat back in her chair, picked up her teacup, and drank the remaining half cup of cold tea in one gulp.

His expression hadn't fully recovered when he put down the teacup. He tapped his fingers heavily on the table twice: "Hmph, traitors all deserve to die."

Michelle rose from the armchair beside him and walked over to his side, gently patting his shoulder: "Alright, don't be angry, it's not worth it."

Lin Yi felt a warmth in his heart. The woman in front of him was tolerant and gentle, and could always soothe the anger in his heart. She was truly lovable.

He took her soft, boneless hand in his hand; the back of her hand was warm and delicate, and her fingertips were slightly cool.

He looked up at her; she wore an elegant moon-white cheongsam, her face lightly powdered, and her eyes held a calm and gentle demeanor.

"Sister Lian is so thoughtful." He turned her hand over and gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Oh." Ren Tingting sat opposite her, put her teacup on the table, and made a soft, crisp sound.

She curled her lips down, her tone clearly sour, "General, it seems the new has replaced the old. You've never been this gentle with me before."

Lin Yi laughed, released Michelle's hand, stood up and walked to Ren Tingting, bent down and lifted her from the chair into her arms.

Ren Tingting blushed at his antics and muttered something under her breath.

"You're jealous now? I wonder who was the one who insisted that I accept Sister Lian as a partner in the first place."

Ren Tingting blushed red as he held her in his arms in front of Michelin and all the servants in the room.

She reached out and pinched his waist hard: "Are you trying to kill me? There are so many people watching!"

Lin Yi knew she was shy, so she let go of her hand and glanced at the servants in the main hall with a grin: "Who saw it?"

Uncle Shou had already turned away tactfully. The two maids lowered their heads, their shoulders shaking, probably trying to suppress their laughter.

Only Michelin remained standing in place, a beautiful smile curving her lips.

Lin Yi suddenly recalled the plots of "Maoshan Academy" and "Musical Zombie," and a thought struck her. She said to Ren Tingting:

"Didn't you say you wanted to go to Guangxi to see your cousin? How about I go with you?"

Ren Tingting's eyes lit up, and she pulled him by the hand, leaning him against her.

"Great! Zhuzhu called yesterday and said that Uncle Tang is going back to his hometown on the 15th. It's the 9th now, so we can still make it to his funeral."

Lin Yi mentally calculated the time. In the original story, she returned to her hometown on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, but this was a combined world, so it was normal for the time to be different.

It only takes half a day to drive from Yun County to Xuanguan Town via the main road. Xuanguan Town is not far from the Guangxi border, and Nintendo's hometown is in the next county.

It's totally in time.

He made a quick decision: "It's settled then, we'll set off tomorrow."

He turned to look at Michelle: "I'll leave the household matters to Sister Lian these next few days."

Michelin nodded, her tone as gentle as ever:

"Don't worry, Yi, I'll take good care of this family."

Then she walked over, took Ren Tingting's hand, and gently patted the back of her hand. "Tingting, please give me a token of my appreciation."

Looking at Michelin, Lin Yi felt a surge of inexplicable satisfaction.

This woman is indeed a professional "big sister" – not in a derogatory sense, but in a sense that she can handle everything perfectly without arguing or making a fuss.

The reason that lecherous old man Long Nanguang made her his legal wife might not just be because she was beautiful, but also because of her magnanimity.

As for safety, he wasn't worried.

Outside the Marshal's Mansion, Long Ci led a company of over a hundred well-equipped guards, while inside, Qian Youcai, a genuine Maoshan Taoist priest, was in charge—although his character wasn't great, his skills were undeniable.

If two layers of protection can't stop it, then it's fate.

The night passed in the blink of an eye, and the next day, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Yi packed a few simple bags, took Ren Tingting with him, and assigned two bodyguards, Wang Daniu and Ma Dayong, to accompany him on their journey.

The Western-style sedan left behind by Charlie Cho came in handy.

Charlie Cao may be a terrible person, but he does have a nice car.

It's a Dodge in pretty good condition, much better than the old Ford that the Ren family has been driving for over ten years; at least the shock absorption is good.

Lin Yi helped Ren Tingting into the back seat, and the guard Ma Dayong carried the luggage into the trunk and then got into the passenger seat. The four of them drove towards the Hanging Coffin Town.