The Great Merchant in the Cataclysm

Chapter 1: Stealing

-Luo Yang City-

An unkempt young man was curled up under the shade of the bridge. He gazed dully at his filthy hands, his thoughts unknown.

Many people passed by him. Most just took a glance at him before ignoring him and continuing on their way.

A middle-aged woman thought that the young man was too poor, so she threw a few coins at him. However, no gratitude was expressed. She complained a bit about the rudeness of the young man then turned around to leave.

As if the crisp sound of the coins had woken him up, the young man’s eyes began to recover and gradually brightened.

The young man blinked at the continuous streams of people in surprise. He seemed to not believe what was in front of his eyes.

“This… place… ten years ago? Interesting. That ‘thing’ they had thought to be useless… but it actually had this function! Hehe, I really want to let those fools see this and look at their expressions.”

The young man seemed very optimistic. He didn’t look unperturbed after having realised that he had leapt through time, instead he was laughing like a crazy man. The passers-by rolled their eyes and shook their heads as they sped up their pace. They were not willing to stay even one second longer around the young man.

After a while, the young man’s laughter died down as he began to regain his calm. His eyes turned frighteningly still as if he had changed into a completely different person.

He quietly peered at the digital clock on the opposite wall, whispering, “18:29. There’s still an hour and thirty-seven minutes before that ‘thing’ happens.”

The youth man quickly did a few calculations in his head. All of a sudden, his eyes became ruthless and tyrannical as he whispered to himself in a chilling tone, “That ‘thing’ should be a BUG of ‘Paradise’. Otherwise, it can’t undermine the rules.”

My power wasn’t enough to touch the world’s truth. This time, I, Zhang Mu, will try my best to find out what pitiful presence is hiding behind the rules!

Zhang Mu’s face was ferocious at this moment, but he knew that there wasn’t much time left. Now wasn’t the right time for resentment.

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Ignoring the surprised gazes the others casted on him, Zhang Mu got on his feet and looked around.

He was 1.83 meters tall. His face was slightly gaunt and there were also a few scars on his arms and legs. From his appearance, he looked like a delinquent.

However, his body was straight and his piercing eyes gave him an entirely new look. Standing inside the zombie-like crowd, he looked more like an alien than a human.

His powerful calculative ability could help him plot the safest plans. This was his most powerful ability that allowed him to survive as an ordinary person in the future.

In a few minutes, a simple schedule was formed in Zhang Mu’s mind after dozens of calculations.

Gunpowder weapons would be useless metal scraps the moment the new era arrived. By that time, only well-made cold weapons would help him survive.

Of course, knives weren’t one of his options and a fire axe was also a bad choice. As for where he could obtain well-made cold weapons… Zhang Mu recalled the location of a famous hand-forged sword shop. Coincidentally, its location was not far away from where he currently was.

The first step of his plan was to find a good weapon to help him survive.

Even in the future, he had no guts nor power to confront danger unarmed. At present, choices were scarce. A handmade sword was the best weapon he could obtain.

However, even in the modern world, the costly price of a hand-forged sword was already unaffordable to many people.

Although Zhang Mu knew that the business was poor, it being in a remote location and the goods being very cheap, they were still hand-forged swords, not some wholesale fruit knives. The cost was still very high.

How could he get the money?

He couldn’t even afford decent clothes.

Oh, right!

Zhang Mu patted his forehead. A strange smile formed on his lips.

Ten years ago, which also meant now, he had just left the Thieves Sect and drifted along aimlessly. In other words, he was a thief. There was a simple method for him to quickly obtain money.

However, the Thieves Sect wasn’t your ordinary thieves’ guild. It had centuries of history and strict rules.

The disciples of the Thieves Sect could only steal from officials, local ruffians, unscrupulous villains, and dishonest traders. They could never steal from students, women, children, old men, and poor men.

However, Zhang Mu didn’t have a chance to steal from those rich and cruel people. Most of the people he saw everyday were ordinary people and most of them had their own troubles. It was not easy to find suitable targets.

It was also the main reason Zhang Mu lost his interest in theft. After his master’s death, Zhang Mu had left the Thieves Sect to make a living. Just after a month, he was already in such dismal conditions.

Zhang Mu leaned against a column, scanning the crowd on the platform bridge as he searched for his prey.

Around the same time, a fat and bald man slowly ambled onto the platform bridge. He wore an ill-fitted oversized coat, a pair of expensive sunglasses, and a dazzling gold necklace. In a word, his every characteristic showed that he was an upstart.

All right, I choose him, Zhang Mu whispered in his heart.

After returning to ten years ago, Zhang Mu felt that he had also become luckier. Although it’s wrong to judge a person from his or her appearance, sorry dude! I really need your money!

The street was filled with old people or poor people, only the fat bald man looked like a rich man.

I really need money. If I have the opportunity, I will return it to you.

Zhang Mu apologised in his heart, then walked into the stream of people. He lowered his head, slowly approaching the fat man.

Seeing that a shabby and smelly beggar was nearing them, the people around Zhang Mu subconsciously kept a distance from him.

Coincidentally, it was off time from work now. The platform bridge was really crammed. The people near Zhang Mu tried to avoid him, but the crowd jostled them back, causing them to push Zhang Mu out of the crowd.

Zhang Mu looked like an innocent person that was feebly pushed out by the crowd. However, he secretly moved closer and closer to his target as he neared the gap.

Finally, they were close enough. Zhang Mu would soon pass by his prey.

His body subtly bumped against the crowd, and the crowd gave an immediate response, pushing him back towards the fat and bald man like a spring.

“Who? Don’t crowd!”

“Yes, the space is so narrow. Stop pushing!”

The people around Zhang Mu complained. Zhang Mu pretended that he was fighting against the crowd, placing both his hands on the bald man’s coat without exerting any strength.

Other people did not think as much of him. Some people had even directly hit the bald man.

As Zhang Mu had expected, the bald man slightly frowned. He raised his right hand to push back a scrawny man.

As the bald man raised his right arm and glanced towards his right side, Zhang Mu started moving. His right hand slid into the bald man’s coat like a nimble fish. His fingertip lightly pressed against the inner pocket of the coat, as he picked out the wallet.

He picked up the wallet with his index finger and middle finger, then drew back his hand.

Everything was completed in a flash without the realisation of anyone.

“I haven’t done this in a long time. It’s really hard.” Zhang Mu muttered.

Although he had exaggerated, he did feel somewhat dissatisfied. He knew that when he stole the wallet, his movements were a little stiff.

Although it was his body, he had just returned from ten years in the future. He was unfamiliar with this youthful body.

Zhang Mu walked forward with a straight face. The texture of the crocodile leather in his hand gave him a kind of weird feeling in his heart.

His ten years of business experience told him that the wallet was made of the best abdominal skin of an estuarine crocodile. Furthermore, the wallet was bulging.

“Yo! The fat man was really rich! This should be enough. It will save me from looking for another target.”

Zhang Mu walked along the crowd with satisfaction. He deliberately adjusted his direction, moving further and further away. When his figure completely vanished from the platform bridge, the bald man slowly turned his head and looked towards the direction Zhang Xiang had left. A grin was hanging on his face as he was smiling from ear to ear.

“Incredible. That was the old Thieves Sect’s stealing technique. If it wasn’t because that kid’s moves were a little stiff, I wouldn’t have even noticed. The last time I witnessed this stealing technique was ten years ago. I thought it was completely lost.

Crap, is my appearance really like a scumbag? Nah, forget it. For your master’s sake, I’ll lend you my money this time, but kid, I’ve remembered you!”