Chapter 001: Su Jingxing
Yu Kingdom.
Changyang Prefecture, Qinghe City.
...
"Xiao Su, Xiao Su, wake up, time to get to work."
Half-asleep, Su Jingxing rubbed his eyes and sat up, glancing at the broad-faced young man by his bed. He responded instinctively, "Is it time already?"
"Yeah, fifteen minutes until shift change. Hurry up and wash up," the broad-faced youth replied.
As he spoke, a mischievous grin crept onto his face. He teased, "By the way, who’s 'Wanrong'? You were calling out her name in your sleep. She must be quite a beauty, huh?"
"...You must have misheard," Su Jingxing yawned, getting out of bed. "I’ll go wash up. You can keep dreaming about pretty girls."
"Haha, shy now?" The broad-faced young man looked very pleased with himself, continuing to tease from the side. "There’s nothing to be shy about. Trust me, I’ve been there. At your age, it’s only natural for your heart to be stirred by pretty girls. Perfectly normal, no need to be embarrassed, haha..."
Su Jingxing ignored him.
He dressed by himself and headed into the bathroom.
As he turned on the tap, he let out a long, quiet sigh.
If only it really was a pretty girl!
Unfortunately, that "Wanrong"...
No, that's not right—it was "Wan Rong"!
Wan Rong was not only not a girl, but also his enemy.
More precisely, his predecessor's enemy!
Yes, Su Jingxing had transmigrated.
His soul traveled from Earth to this planet called "Earthstar," inhabiting the body of a recently deceased young man, also named Su Jingxing.
Earthstar was different from Earth. While there was technology, martial prowess reigned supreme.
Powerful martial artists could split mountains, part rivers, destroy cities, and even annihilate nations with their own strength.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with his predecessor.
The previous Su Jingxing was an orphan, raised in a welfare institution. Three months ago, upon reaching the age of fifteen—the age to leave the orphanage—he survived by taking on manual labor.
All to afford a tiny room of his own.
Frugal and hardworking, his predecessor pushed himself to the limit.
The result of such exhaustion was that one day, after finishing his work, he collapsed in the street from fatigue.
Fortunately, Mr. Wang, who ran a small roadside shop, rescued him in time.
Mr. Wang was a kind man; after learning of Su Jingxing’s plight, he used his connections to get him a job at the crematorium—a place few were willing to work—as a corpse collector, hauling bodies all day.
Though the job meant dealing with the dead, it came with room, board, and a thousand Dayu coins a month. His predecessor was quite content.
Three days ago, after collecting his first month’s wages, he happily bought a load of treats to give to Mr. Wang.
He hadn’t expected, upon arriving at Mr. Wang’s shop, to find it under new ownership.
When he inquired about Mr. Wang’s whereabouts, he was told the man had died.
Not only Mr. Wang, but his wife and daughter as well.
Their killer was a martial artist named Wan Rong!
His predecessor was stunned.
After returning to the crematorium, he remained in a daze.
Then, while carrying a body up the steps, he slipped, struck his head on the ground, and died on the spot—his body then occupied by the transmigrated Su Jingxing.
Though the man died, his obsession lingered.
Kill Wan Rong, avenge Mr. Wang!
That was the last wish of the previous soul.
Repay a drop of kindness with a spring in return.
Mr. Wang’s kindness was enough to justify vengeance.
But what did that have to do with Su Jingxing?
Wan Rong was a martial artist; what could an ordinary person like him do for revenge?
Helpless and without options, Su Jingxing could only take one step at a time.
He was still not fully accustomed to this new world.
While his predecessor had been satisfied with collecting corpses, Su Jingxing loathed the work.
On Earthstar, crematoriums played a crucial role, operating around the clock, with shifts running twenty-four hours a day.
For example, right now, when Su Jingxing got up, it was still dark outside; it was three in the morning, and he had to haul corpses to the mortuary—a chilling thought.
But he had no choice.
Regulations at the crematorium were strict. Su Jingxing had already feigned a headache and stayed in his dormitory for two days; any longer and he’d surely be dismissed.
If he lost this job now, he’d be forced to wander the streets.
After much deliberation, he gritted his teeth and went to work.
At least he had the broad-faced youth to accompany him while moving the bodies.
The broad-faced youth, named Kong Dabao, was both his roommate and work partner.
There were three corpse collection teams at the West Suburb Crematorium, each with six members, divided into pairs.
Su Jingxing and Kong Dabao made up Group Two of Team One.
...
The nations of Earthstar encouraged childbirth; people could marry at eighteen.
As a result, every region was densely populated.
And the more people, the more conflicts—and correspondingly, the more deaths.
Gang violence, murders for profit, accidental deaths, illness...
All sorts of causes brought corpses to the crematorium every day.
Business was so brisk that even at three in the morning, the crematorium was ablaze with lights.
For convenience, and because the air was specially treated, the dormitory and cafeteria for staff were both less than a hundred meters from the main facility.
A few minutes’ walk brought Su Jingxing and Kong Dabao to their workplace.
They first changed into work uniforms in the locker room, then handed over duties with the previous shift, and after a bit of preparation, entered the mortuary.
Kong Dabao led the way, Su Jingxing following a step behind, approaching a corpse as he recalled the routine from his memories...
[Corpse detected. Collect?]
What?
Su Jingxing froze.
Out of nowhere, such a message appeared in his mind. What was going on?
Could it be...
"What's wrong, Xiao Su?"
Kong Dabao, seeing Su Jingxing motionless, asked in confusion.
"Oh, nothing," Su Jingxing snapped back to himself, suppressing his suspicions.
Together, they bagged the corpse.
If a body sent to the crematorium had family, a farewell ceremony would be arranged before cremation.
If not, it went straight into the furnace.
The body on the cart that Su Jingxing and Kong Dabao were pushing now was the unclaimed type.
These were the easiest—they could be wheeled directly to the cremation hall.
A round of work passed without anything unusual happening—just physically demanding labor.
After all, dead bodies were heavy.
Previously, Su Jingxing would have felt relieved, finding the job less frightening than expected—at least suitable for temporary shelter.
Now, however, he felt not fear, but curiosity and excitement.
[Corpse detected. Collect?]
This message that popped into his mind lingered as long as the corpse was near, vanishing only when it was hauled away to the furnace room and out of range.
Why was this happening?
Piecing things together, Su Jingxing could make a guess.
But he needed to test it.
The method was simple: keep moving corpses!
Sure enough—
[Corpse detected. Collect?]
[Corpse detected. Collect?]
...
Every time Su Jingxing approached a body, the prompt appeared in his mind.
When he moved away, it disappeared.
This confirmed it: like other transmigrators, he had his own golden finger—a cheat!
And this cheat was connected to corpses.
"Collect"—but collect what?
Su Jingxing didn’t know, but he couldn’t help being excited.
With Kong Dabao around, he held back from reacting.
If something dramatic happened during the collection process, how would he explain it? It would only invite trouble.
So, Su Jingxing waited patiently.
He waited until dawn broke and Kong Dabao went to the restroom. Alone at last, Su Jingxing hurried into the mortuary and picked a random corpse.
[Corpse detected. Collect?]
"Yes!"