Chapter Title: Blood and Soul

The fierce, bone-crunching punches created an intense visual impact that made Shen Hao's blood boil with excitement.

Unknowingly, it was already midnight.

As the two of them exited through the back door, they suddenly saw dozens of gang members wearing vests, their bodies covered in tattoos.

Upon seeing this, Sawangsusi's expression changed dramatically. He grabbed Shen Hao's arm and shouted, "Run!"

Shen Hao was still confused when he saw a group of men in black charging toward them.

While running, Sawangsusi quickly explained, "I know those two gangs—they're Bangkok's underworld groups: the Poison Wolf Gang and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club.

The Poison Wolf Gang mainly deals in drug trafficking and human trafficking, abducting young girls for prostitution. Their target customers are tourists visiting Siam.

Since they saw us witnessing their deal, they'll definitely kill us to silence us."

As soon as he finished speaking—BANG! BANG! BANG!—bullets struck the nearby walls, sending sparks flying.

Shen Hao's heart pounded wildly with fear.

The gangsters were gaining on them. As they reached an intersection, Sawangsusi urgently said, "We should split up!"

This was exactly what Shen Hao wanted, so he nodded without hesitation and ran in the opposite direction.

Turning a corner, Shen Hao quickly hid inside his space.

This space acted like a transfer station.

When entering the space from the real world, time in the real world continued, but time in the alternate world would freeze.

Conversely, entering the space from the alternate world would freeze time there, while the real world continued as usual.

Moreover, while hiding in the space, Shen Hao could sense if anyone was within a one-meter radius around him.

The gang members searched for a long time but couldn't find Shen Hao, so they went after Sawangsusi instead.

After waiting cautiously for about an hour, Shen Hao finally stepped out.

The surroundings were eerily quiet—no one was around.

He checked his phone and saw a message from Sawangsusi, asking if he was safe and advising him not to return to the hotel but to head straight to the airport. Sawangsusi said he had already gone home.

During the day, Sawangsusi had taken Shen Hao to his home, and luckily, Shen Hao had marked the location. Using this, he found his way to Sawangsusi's house.

Turning on his phone's flashlight, Shen Hao cautiously moved forward. In the dim light, he vaguely saw someone lying in the corner of the room.

Immediately, Shen Hao drew his handgun, staying alert as he cautiously approached.

When he got closer, he realized—it was Sawangsusi.

At this moment, Sawangsusi was lying on the floor, his chest soaked in blood.

Instinctively, Shen Hao reached out to check his breathing—there was none.

Surrounded by darkness, Shen Hao felt his hair stand on end, a chill running down his spine, and his stomach churned with nausea.

It was the first time he had touched a dead body. The unsettling feeling nearly made him throw up.

Forcing himself to stay calm despite the discomfort, Shen Hao took a deep breath.

After all, Sawangsusi had died because of him. Leaving the body here didn't seem right.

Shen Hao was also worried that if Sawangsusi's body fell into the hands of the Siamese police, it might lead to trouble.

This was the first time he had encountered something like this, and Shen Hao was overwhelmed with panic.

He feared that his illegal activities in Siam, like purchasing firearms, would be exposed.

No, he thought. I can't just leave Sawangsusi's body here. I have to hide it somewhere safe. The safest place would be the space. I can even throw it into the alternate world later.

With that in mind, Shen Hao attempted to store Sawangsusi's body in the space.

When he saw the body disappear from the floor and reappear within the space, Shen Hao finally let out a sigh of relief. It worked.

Not wasting any more time, he jumped onto Sawangsusi's motorcycle and sped off.

While driving, he turned on his GPS and set the destination to the airport. He didn't dare go back to the hotel.

Sawangsusi's sudden death had caught Shen Hao completely off guard, leaving him anxious and unsettled.

After all, this incident was connected to him, and being in a foreign country made Shen Hao feel even more unsafe.

Now's not the time to be reckless.

The gangs were definitely searching for him. Although their investigation would take some time, the best course of action was to escape as quickly as possible.

Without hesitation, Shen Hao booked a plane ticket to leave that very night.

Since there were no available flights from Bangkok to mainland cities at night, Shen Hao purchased a ticket to Hong Kong instead.

A few hours later, when the plane landed in Hong Kong, Shen Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With Sawangsusi missing, the Siamese police would need time to find clues—at least until they discovered the body.

After checking into a hotel, Shen Hao finally had the chance to examine Sawangsusi's body.

As his consciousness entered the space, Shen Hao was stunned.

"What the hell?! Where's the body?"

A sudden chill crept over him, as if cold air surged from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

His entire body felt icy, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

Did… did I see a ghost?

Just as Shen Hao was about to panic, he noticed something strange—

the space was filled with a faint, white mist.

Before he could react, the mist surged toward him, flooding straight into his head.

His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

About an hour later, Shen Hao slowly woke up.

The confusion in his heart began to clear.

He finally understood why Sawangsusi's body had disappeared—

the space had absorbed and digested the corpse.

The white mist was the essence left behind after digestion, containing fragments of Sawangsusi's soul and memories.

After absorbing the mist, Shen Hao experienced Sawangsusi's life like watching a movie, with memories flashing rapidly through his mind.

Of course, it wasn't everything—only key moments, like highlights of a film. Trivial details, like childhood memories, were absent.

To Shen Hao's surprise, Sawangsusi, who had been working as a tour guide, was fluent in both Chinese and English.

In just one hour, Shen Hao had mastered two new languages—Thai and English.

But that wasn't all.

He also discovered that Sawangsusi had excellent marksmanship.

As it turned out, Sawangsusi was a retired soldier from Siam's most elite military unit—the 21st Armored Cavalry Battalion.

Although he had been just an ordinary soldier, his shooting skills were far superior to Shen Hao's.

At a distance of ten meters, Sawangsusi could consistently hit the bullseye—something Shen Hao couldn't even dream of doing before.

"No wonder," Shen Hao thought. "Siam has mandatory military service, even for ladyboys."

With Sawangsusi's memories now his own, Shen Hao felt confident enough to venture into the alternate world.

At least now, he wouldn't have to worry about learning how to shoot.

But Shen Hao hadn't forgotten—

he still had a score to settle.

After absorbing Sawang Susi's memories, Shen Hao realized that the mysterious space wasn't just a hiding spot—it could actually devour corpses and allow him to inherit the memories and abilities of the deceased.

The white mist he had absorbed earlier was the essence left behind after the space digested Sawang Susi's body. This mist contained fragments of the person's soul and memories.

Upon fully absorbing it, Shen Hao experienced Sawang Susi's life like watching a fast-forwarded movie—though only the key events and important skills were clear, not every trivial detail.

Through this process, Shen Hao gained unexpected benefits:

He mastered Thai and English fluently because Sawang Susi had been a tour guide proficient in both languages.

He acquired shooting skills since Sawang Susi was a former soldier from Thailand's elite 21st Armored Cavalry Battalion.

Although not a sharpshooter, his marksmanship was far better than Shen Hao's beginner level.

Realizing the potential of this ability, Shen Hao's heart raced with excitement. This wasn't just a survival tool—it was a way to become stronger, faster.

He could theoretically inherit any skill, from any profession, just by absorbing the essence of the right person.

"This ability… it's insane," Shen Hao thought, his mind spinning with possibilities.

It was like "looting in a battle royale game," but instead of gear, he was collecting people's experiences, talents, and even combat techniques.

The moment Shen Hao stepped back into

the alternate world, he immediately

spotted the two robbers.

They were just as he'd left them-frozen in place, mid-action, their expressions twisted with aggression.

But as time resumed, the robbers noticed

Shen Hao's sudden reappearance.

For a brief moment, they were stunned

"What the hell?!"

In the blink of an eye, Shen Hao's clothes had changed, and even his injuries were gone.

"Is this guy... a ghost?" they thought,

bewildered.

Seizing the moment of their hesitation

Shen Hao's adrenaline surged.

With quick reflexes, he tossed the bag of quicklime into the air, creating a blinding white cloud as he stepped back.

It was payback time.

Without a second thought, Shen Hao drew

his pistol and fired rapidly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

At a distance of thirty meters, he wasn't

confident in his aim. But at just two meters

away, he had a 100% kill rate.

He had already prepared for the worst—if

the gun didn't work, he'd retreat

immediately.

But his aim was true.

The gunfire echoed through the air, and the

robbers didn't even have time to react.

Hot, searing pain bloomed across their chests, arms, and legs as bullets tore through them.

Blood gushed from their wounds, staining

the ground beneath them.

Their eyes widened in shock, disbelief

etched into their faces.

"How could this scrawny guy have such deadly hidden weapons? It's like he's a martial arts master!"

With trembling bodies, both men collapsed

to the ground, blood pooling around them.

To them, Shen Hao had been nothing more than a weak, insignificant insect--an easy target.

They never expected him to turn the tables

so ruthlessly.

As they took their final breaths, their wide,

unblinking eyes were filled with confusion:

"Why did he pretend to be powerless

before? How did his clothes change? What

happened to his wounds?"

But Shen Hao wasn't going to answer any

of their questions.

After absorbing the white mist from the two bandits, Shen Hao's body couldn't handle the sudden surge of memories and abilities.

His head felt like it was splitting apart, sharp pains piercing through his skull.

Blood trickled from his nose, a clear sign that his mind was under extreme stress.

It wasn't just the knowledge and combat skills—the sheer volume of new information was overwhelming. The human brain wasn't designed to process so much at once.

"I can't keep doing this without preparing my body," Shen Hao realized.

His spirit had grown stronger, but his physical strength remained weak, creating a dangerous imbalance.

Taking deep breaths to calm himself, he started planning his next steps:

Improve physical fitness: He needed to train his body to handle the effects of absorbing more memories.

Gather better equipment: While his current weapons worked, upgrading his gear would give him an edge.

Explore the space's limits: Could it absorb animals? Objects? Or even grant supernatural abilities over time?

Thanks to the memories he absorbed, Shen Hao now had a better understanding of the world he was in:

This wasn't just some random alternate universe—it was part of a vast empire called the Dayang Dynasty, with ancient cities and dangerous factions lurking in the shadows.

"If I want to survive here, I need more than just a gun. I need power."

Shen Hao knew one thing for sure—he wasn't just fighting for revenge anymore.

This was about control, dominance, and unlocking the full potential of the mysterious space within him.

The journey to becoming unstoppable had only just begun.