Off to the side stood a chubby boy, about eight or nine years old. He held a massive lollipop, licking it as he asked a question brimming with curiosity.
Seeing this little fatty appear out of thin air, Jiang Ming instantly went on high alert. Where did this brat come from?
Almost subconsciously, Jiang Ming prepared to slash this thing with his blade.
However, at the final precipice, he forcibly suppressed the urge. He had recalled Rule Set One, Rule One:
You are the only person at home. If you see anyone else appear, do not respond. Return to the bedroom immediately and lock the door.
If his blade truly descended, wouldn't that prove he could see the boy?
Wouldn't that be considered an alternative form of response?
At this thought, Jiang Ming instantly reeled in his killing intent. Feigning complete blindness to the chubby boy, he strode toward the bedroom as naturally as possible.
Seeing Jiang Ming ignore him, the little fatty took a step forward in profound dissatisfaction.
“Hey, I am talking to you.”
Looking at the chubby boy obstructing his inevitable path, Jiang Ming frowned imperceptibly.
If he bypassed the boy now, it could be construed as a physical response.
A response to the boy's act of barricading the way.
Thus, Jiang Ming continued to pretend the boy did not exist. Steeling himself, he marched straight forward.
Swish!
To Jiang Ming's surprise, his body passed through the chubby boy without encountering a single shred of resistance.
It was as if this little fatty lacked a corporeal form altogether.
This was rather peculiar. According to that diary, these sudden manifestations claiming this was their home should possess physical bodies.
After all, the original owner, Xiao Jiang, had been beaten up by Xiao Ming several times.
“Waaah!”
Right then, a bout of bawling erupted from behind him. The wails were tragic and brimming with emotion, truly enough to break the hearts and draw the tears of any listener.
“Dad, there is a bad man! He knocked me over and even smashed my lollipop…”
Yet, Jiang Ming possessed a heart of stone. He paid the crying zero heed, not even accelerating his pace by a fraction.
The next moment, a gruff male voice echoed from behind, laced with anxiety and absolute fury:
“Who the hell are you?”
“Not only are you waving a kitchen cleaver around in my house, but you also made my child cry. Get over here and apologise!”
Jiang Ming naturally ignored him. Very quickly, the man caught up in a few large strides. He stepped in front of Jiang Ming and spread his arms wide to block the way.
“You must give me an explanation today; otherwise, I will never let you leave!”
Seeing Jiang Ming remain entirely indifferent, the man grew frantic. He raised his hand and directly slapped toward Jiang Ming's face.
Unsurprisingly, the man's palm phased right through Jiang Ming's face, failing to inflict even a sliver of damage.
Instead, it was the man who wailed, clutching his arm in agony.
“Ouch, that really hurts.”
“Second Uncle, Third Uncle, Seventh Aunt, Eighth Aunt, come out quickly! Someone not only made our Xiao Ming cry but also assaulted me!” This chapter was taken from novelping dot com without permission.
The words had barely fallen when a clamour immediately rose from behind:
“Who possesses such audacity to run into our home and assault people?”
“Third Uncle, he still holds a blade. Why don't we just let it go?”
“A blade? What does a blade count for? This person barged into our house and attacked our people. How can we possibly let this slide!”
“Let us see what the Grand Patriarch decides.”
“If you ask me…”
Listening to the chaotic cacophony of discussions behind him, there had to be at least a dozen people. It made Jiang Ming involuntarily wonder: could that tiny, palm-sized space behind him truly accommodate so many individuals?
Furthermore, according to what was written in the diary, Xiao Jiang had clearly been home alone, and only one child of his exact age had manifested in the house.
Why did it turn into an entire sprawling clan when it came to his turn?
…
Very quickly, the mob from behind caught up to Jiang Ming.
Over a dozen of them encircled him. There were the old and the young, varying in size and weight, and they successively launched attacks to test him.
A youth with tattooed arms threw a direct punch at Jiang Ming. Jiang Ming remained unmoved, his gaze not flickering in the slightest.
Even if this was real, so what? At worst, he would just take a punch.
Therefore, Jiang Ming completely ignored him. A cry of pain from the tattooed youth immediately echoed behind him.
There was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl with a high ponytail and a white button-up shirt, looking incredibly youthful and inexperienced.
She smiled shyly, then brandished a pair of scissors and viciously snipped toward Jiang Ming's crotch.
Jiang Ming's expression remained placid. He was still unmoved. Even if this was real, so what?
The root of worldly desires was but an external appendage; losing it was no great tragedy!
Jiang Ming bypassed the girl, and her body dissipated like the wind.
The next moment, a middle-aged man with a protruding beer belly appeared before his eyes.
His face was greasy and unshaven, his lips turned outward, and a triple chin folded beneath his jaw. Acne riddled his entire visage, making him look absolutely repulsive.
At this moment, his eyes rippled with deep affection, and he leaned in to plant a passionate kiss on Jiang Ming!
Jiang Ming, at this very moment…
Remained utterly unmoved!
Even if this was real, so what?!
Flesh and blood were mere mortal vessels. A hundred years later, it would all return to dust and ashes; such things should not be valued so highly.
Jiang Ming's willpower was unyieldingly tenacious!
…
Just like that, Jiang Ming bypassed person after person. Finally, he traversed the crowd and spotted the bedroom ahead.
Jiang Ming secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, yet his facade remained perfectly intact. Maintaining his usual composure, he marched forward.
Suddenly, a spatial ripple fluctuated in front of the bedroom. An old man stood squarely in the path, blocking the door, while all the previous individuals gathered on either side of him.
The old man had grizzled hair and a face full of deep wrinkles, appearing impossibly ancient. Bizarrely, he wore a pair of sunglasses and had several thick gold chains draped over his body. In his hand, he wielded a massive broadsword. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Seeing Jiang Ming approach, the old man hoisted the heavy blade in his hand and viciously cleaved it downward toward Jiang Ming's skull!
Jiang Ming's expression did not shift, completely unperturbed. Even if this was real, this broadsword would merely cleave him in twain.
A human lifespan of a century was nothing more than a drop in the ocean. The matters of life and death held no true significance.
Therefore, Jiang Ming still did not dodge…
Like hell he wouldn't!
Jiang Ming's willpower was unyieldingly tenacious, but his desire to survive was even stronger!
Simply put: Jiang Ming was terrified of dying. Utterly terrified!
He dared to gamble on all those other things, but on this, Jiang Ming genuinely did not dare. Because if he lost this bet, he would be dead!
If he had survived so many desperate straits within these Rule-Based Anomalies only to perish here, it would be an absolute joke.
Furthermore, Jiang Ming's intense survival instincts screamed at him: this blade strike was real!
Thus, without a shred of hesitation, in the very instant the broadsword descended, Jiang Ming swung his blade upward in a blinding flash. The kitchen cleaver, capable of slicing through iron as if it were mud, cleanly sheared the broadsword in half!
Clang!
Following this slash, every single person stared fixedly at Jiang Ming, their eyes brimming with greed and eerie malevolence.
After a fleeting silence, a massive uproar erupted:
“You, you can see us!”
“Hahaha, he responded to us.”
“Dad, look, I wasn't lying to you.”
“…”
The crowd burst into maniacal laughter and lunged greedily toward Jiang Ming.
Hmph!
Jiang Ming sneered coldly and took a slight step backward.
“I originally thought less trouble was better than more. I didn't want to break the rules, but since you are all courting death, you can't blame me.”
The next moment.
Snap! Snap!
Boom! Boom!
Accompanied by the snap of his fingers, two colossal vending machines manifested out of thin air, crushing directly toward the mob!
The crowd clearly had not anticipated such a catastrophic turn of events. In their panic, they tripped over each other's feet, violently shoving and pushing. Wails of agony filled the air before they were ruthlessly pulverised beneath the vending machines.
However, the opposition boasted overwhelming numbers. The vending machines could not possibly crush them all, and quite a few people simply fell to the floor due to the shoving match moments prior.
Seizing this golden opportunity, Jiang Ming nimbly vaulted onto the vending machines and bolted toward the bedroom.
But very quickly, Jiang Ming silently backed up. Among the visages protruding from the side of the vending machine, he had spotted a disgustingly greasy face.
After delivering several vicious stomps and spitting in its face, Jiang Ming finally dashed into the bedroom and slammed the door shut with a resounding thud!