"You..."
Su Qi suddenly stood up, taking three steps in two to reach Su Lin's side, placing the back of his hand on Su Lin's forehead, muttering to himself:
"No fever... Could it be hunger fainting?"
Su Lin smiled bitterly, "Second uncle, is it that serious?"
Su Qi took two steps back, staring at him, his eyes filled with suspicion.
"I even suspect now that you've been possessed by a ghost, or someone's taken over your body."
Su Lin's breathing momentarily halted, then he returned to normal.
Su Yingying walked to Su Lin's feet, looked up at him with her little head and asked naively,
"Is little cousin going outside to fight monsters? Has little cousin been possessed by Ultraman?"
Even kids were saying this.
Su Lin was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
He scratched his head, sighed and said, "I just figured things out... No other crazy stuff."
He really couldn't be bothered to act like his previous self, which everyone disliked, and he could tell from his family's gaze how unwelcome he was.
Now that Su Lin had taken over his life, he didn't expect everyone to change their opinion of him, but at the very least, he couldn't be like the previous persona, so despised and loathsome.
Otherwise, in such a dangerous world, who would he go to for help?
As for overdoing things? Su Lin was barely sustaining himself right now, he couldn't care too much, besides no one would really believe in soul occupation.
Just then, the old man clapped the table loudly and praised:
"Good! It's great to figure things out! You should understand things!"
He suddenly stood up, staring fiercely at Su Lin, and said with gratification:
"It's great you're willing to be self-reliant!
"Even though your father has moved out, we're still one family.
"In a moment, your second uncle will take you out to practice, and when you're decent, try joining the village's Hunting Group."
"This..." Su Lin naturally had no objections, but he looked toward his second uncle.
Su Qi patted his shoulder, although he didn't speak, his eyes also showed satisfaction.
Evidently, he agreed with his father's words.
After all, Su Lin was the only remaining heir of the Su Family.
Su Qi sighed again, patting Su Lin's arm.
In his heart he only hoped his nephew really changed.
Even if he was really possessed by something, it didn't matter — as long as he was still part of the Su Family.
If Su Lin knew this was his second uncle's thought, he would certainly respond delightfully, "It's a deal then!"
Quickly, Su Qi equipped himself with gear and outfitted Su Lin too.
The two of them then headed out.
The cool Zhao Yaxin held her small daughter, her plump hips seating back, pressing out a round of abundant beauty.
She thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke:
"Old man, could it be that little uncle sold the house his parents left him and plans to rely on us as a tenant?"
Su Can, who was just now full of gratification, turned pale immediately, his brows furrowed, and his voice was filled with suspicion: "Can't be?"
Zhao Yaxin lowered her eyelids:
"They all say habits are hard to change. I don't want to dwell on little uncle's past, but can he really have a sudden epiphany and change for good?"
Upon hearing this, Su Can's old face, once spirited and resilient as an old warrior, turned blue and white, with a hint of shame in his eyes.
A scandal once occurred in the Su Family that was too embarrassing to mention.
That was the second year after Su Qi's only son, Su Yong, Zhao Yaxin's late husband, and Su Yingying's father passed away, Su Lin's previous self said something shocking:
In these times, women are precious resources. Since his cousin passed, why not let the younger brother marry his sister-in-law, to prevent others from coveting her.
On hearing this, Zhao Yaxin splashed a pot of tea over his previous self and never showed him a good face again.
Such a ridiculous and lazy person, could he really change for good, thinking to fend for himself?
Su Can, the old man, suddenly became alert, stood up, and said solemnly:
"I'll go to his house! I'll ask Tongxi and the nearby neighbors to see if there's such a thing!"
In these apocalyptic rules of the world, being able to acquire rule protection and owning a safe house as a landlord was something to be envied.
Apart from familial bloodline, being a tenant subjected to rules was inherently inferior and akin to slavery!
Su Can was afraid his useless grandson would commit the foolish act of "selling the ancestors' land"!
...
Su Yingying watched her great-grandfather rush out, blinked her big eyes, and softly asked her mother,
"Mama, has little cousin done something bad again?"
Zhao Yaxin tidied her daughter's dry, split hair, a hint of helplessness in her beautiful eyes, shaking her head, "Not sure. Hopefully not."
"But I think little cousin has turned good, he won't do bad things anymore."
"Oh? Why?"
"Because he wanted to pat my head just now. Before, he would only glare at me and tell me to stay away."
Listening to her daughter's innocent words, Zhao Yaxin lightly frowned, a thoughtful expression on her face.
...
Meanwhile, things weren't going so well for Su Lin.
Outside the village lay a wasteland after skyscrapers were leveled.
Wild vegetation grew rampant, entwining with the ruins, cracked roads, and abandoned vehicles...
"Huff— Huff—"
Not far from the village entrance, the thirty-pound thick Leather Armor on Su Lin made his lungs feel like they were on fire, his throat dry, panting with smoke.
Su Qi, carrying a Great Sword on his back, frowned, looking at Su Lin, said solemnly:
"Your body is wasted! You must train more from now on! Otherwise, forget moving supplies, a Mutant Beast could cost you your life!"
Su Lin put on a bitter face, pressing a hand to his chest, replied laboriously, "Got it."
Su Qi continued, "Keep hold of your pistol, but unless absolutely necessary, don't fire it indiscriminately. Bullets are expensive."
Su Lin gripped the gun at his waist, also feeling a hefty weight.
"Got it." he sighed helplessly.
How annoying! Why does he have to work so hard? Su Lin hated physical training the most.
But crossing over into this world, not training was not an option.
Sigh... (╯︵╰)
Su Lin only hoped to draw an attribute that could enhance his physique in the future.
There should be right? If it's a Hextech attribute, something like "Max Vitality" or "Giant Titan" that adds health points...
Su Lin complained inwardly, following his second uncle, stepping out of the village, each step leaving a sweaty footprint behind.
This so-called rules apocalypse world seemed to have a rule system, or a deity, or something of the like, steering the world towards its end.
At the same time, this "heavenly way" would also provide some survival rules to the survivors.
For instance: Su Lin's level-one village had the poorest resources available for scavenging in the wild, but it was also relatively safest.
Above that are Town Level, County Level, City Level, and Metropolis Level areas.
The higher the level, the richer the resources refreshed by rules in the wild, the more dangerous the monsters that appear.
From the predecessor's memory, it's said that in City Level regions, dragons and other creatures might attack.
The metropolis power, which cost countless people their blood, sweat, and tears to build, allegedly vanished overnight, so frightening!
Thinking of this, Su Lin was immensely grateful that though the predecessor was lazy and reputed poorly, at least his life wasn't too hard... despite his parents having been killed not long ago.
Thinking of it this way, it didn't seem that easy either...
Su Lin gritted his teeth, marching forward with his heavy Leather Armor, distracting himself by reviewing his predecessor's memories.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to catch something flash under an abandoned car.
"Second uncle!" Su Lin paused, then shouted, "There seems to be something under that car?"
Su Qi walked over upon hearing, bent down and pulled a bag of cluttered garbage from under the car, examined it:
"A bag of handicrafts that can be decomposed into resin. Not bad, low-grade material."
The two continued walking.
Shortly after, Su Lin pointed at a spot again.
Following his instructions, Su Qi checked and pulled out another bag of decomposable garbage.
After several rounds of this...
Su Qi turned, looking at Su Lin with a strange expression:
"Your sight... Even though these are all garbage that only decomposes into low-grade materials, the quantity is quite ample, and could fetch a decent price. ... That's odd."