He was dead.
So why the hell could he still feel pain?
That… was not a scientific question.
Xiao Yang couldn't figure it out. So he froze.
Froze completely off guard.
How did he die again?
Tried to save someone… and ended up saving himself into the grave.
Only now he realized—he wasn't fully dead.
The pounding ache on his head sent stabbing pain through his eyes.
He instinctively tried to open his eyes, then instantly shut them.
Damn. That hurt like hell.
His mind was slowly coming back online. His body was regaining strength.
Eventually, the sense of total exhaustion began to fade.
Grinding through the pain, Xiao Yang forced his eyes open.
He saw… a ceiling, wallpaper, a chandelier?
His back hurt. Whatever he was lying on was hard as hell.
Judging from the cold, smooth surface under his palms, probably polished marble.
Wait a sec—
A jolt of alarm.
His arms were numb. Wrists ached.
He was tied up.
What's more, his left eye felt sticky when he blinked.
His vision was blurred… tinged red.
A warm, wet sensation was trickling down his face, reaching the corner of his lips.
He instinctively stuck out his tongue to taste it—
His expression changed instantly.
Combined with the pain on his forehead—
Injury. Blood?
Confused. Bewildered. Shocked.
A mix of expressions flickered across his face.
Suddenly—
An avalanche of unfamiliar memories came crashing in.
No time to resist—
They flooded his brain.
Xiao Yang. 22 years old. From Longguo's capital.
Grandfather—police officer.
Father—police officer.
Mother—also a police officer...
He'd… transmigrated?! Xiao Yang's eyes went wide.
The memories were clear. He had indeed crossed over.
Or maybe… he was this person all along?
Another world?
A parallel version of himself?
Same name. Same face. Same body.
Xiao Yang was certain—
He hadn't touched any antiques.
No old grandpa ever rubbed his head while laughing.
So how the hell did he end up transmigrating?
Dogshit luck?
The memories revealed his current location—
A Western restaurant in a luxury hotel.
And the reason he was here…
A blind date?
22 and already being forced into blind dates?
His "predecessor" was way too deep into society.
Turns out, the former Xiao Yang had been blackmailed by his mom—
No date, no living allowance.
So he came. And then… all hell broke loose.
The girl hadn't even shown up yet.
Instead—
A group of armed thugs stormed in.
Now, let's talk about this "previous" Xiao Yang.
Born into a family of cops. Naturally, he entered police academy.
Graduated and was prepping for the official exams to become an officer.
A young man full of justice, dreams of serving the people like his family.
So what did he do when he saw the thugs?
He shouted, "I'm a cop!"
And tried to stop them.
Result?
A metal bat straight to the skull.
Game over.
…What a noble idiot.
Hot-blooded fool who thought justice made him immortal.
He really had no idea how deep the "shit" ran.
Xiao Yang wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.
He silently muttered, "Rest easy, bro. I'll take care of your wife and kid."
Wait—
He was single?
Never mind, then.
Now that the memories had settled, Xiao Yang looked around again—
Only for his pupils to shrink in horror.
What he saw chilled his spine and froze his blood.
Around him—
More than a dozen people, all with their hands and feet bound by zip ties.
Panic and fear spread like wildfire across their faces.
They looked like a flock of trembling sheep awaiting slaughter.
And then—he saw it.
Bombs?
Well, he wasn't sure they were bombs.
But on the chests of several people, he saw round objects strapped tightly.
They looked like… fireworks?
Specifically—shell fireworks.
The kind that shoot into the sky and burst into dazzling colors.
Why did Xiao Yang think they might be bombs?
Simple—
The shells were covered in steel balls and metal shards.
Three words came to mind:
Shrapnel bombs. Steel ball grenades. Cluster explosives.
In his past life, Xiao Yang was a bit of a military buff.
He'd once read a forum post from someone claiming to be a retired special forces soldier.
The guy wrote that elite soldiers could improvise weapons using everyday objects—
Including fireworks packed with steel balls and nails.
Shell fireworks have explosive force.
Blast radius: 20 to 50 meters.
Now add steel shards and ball bearings…
Yeah. Real scary.
And these weren't lit with fuses.
They had… remote triggers.
Xiao Yang's eyes darted around.
Two masked men—one at the entrance, one by the window.
Each held a weapon in one hand and a remote detonator in the other.
One had a machete.
The other, a baseball bat.
Just as Xiao Yang feared—
The remotes looked like… children's RC car controllers.
Even worse—
He noticed something terrifying.
Their thumbs were pressing down on the trigger buttons.
Why hadn't the bombs gone off?
Most people wouldn't understand why a pressed-down trigger didn't explode the bomb.
But some bombs use what's called a dead man's switch.
Which means—
They detonate when the button is released.
It's a terror tactic.
Hold the trigger down.
If you're killed, your muscles go limp…
Button pops up—
Boom.
So even if a sniper had a clean shot—
They wouldn't dare take it.
Unless they could physically grab the guy's hand and keep the button pressed—
But who'd be dumb enough to let you get that close?
This was hell difficulty mode from the very beginning.
Xiao Yang's heart sank to the abyss.
Then—
[Ding! Biological Ability Replicator activated successfully!]
A cold, emotionless voice echoed in his mind.
Xiao Yang: (⊙_⊙)
His expression said it all—like he'd just seen a ghost under broad daylight.
What… the hell… is this now?