Is this what a zombie is?

42. Is this how you treat a beggar?

With the deal finalized, a smile finally appeared on Uncle Chen's old face.

It doesn't seem fake, after all, his wish is about to be fulfilled.

"It's a deal, you pay first."

The smile on Uncle Chen's face froze for a moment.

"Young man, don't be so impatient. Once it's done, the money will naturally be in your account."

I don't trust you.

Jiang Chen made no attempt to hide his distrust.

"I want to see the money first, right now."

He stretched out one hand and spread it out in front of Uncle Chen.

"Otherwise, our cooperation will be null and void. At worst, I'll just waste some more time and go find it myself."

This mercenary and greedy demeanor made Uncle Chen sneer inwardly.

He had initially been somewhat wary of Jiang Chen, believing that the young man was cunning and difficult to control.

But now it seems that after dying once, even the strongest will can be worn down and corrupted by the desire for money and survival.

Once you have a weakness, you can control it.

"Okay, but the amount is too large. It's unrealistic to transfer it all out in a short time. I can pay a deposit first."

Uncle Chen pretended to be magnanimous and agreed.

"However, bank transfers take time, especially late at night."

"I know this basic common sense, but let me make this clear from the start: don't try to play tricks like delaying the arrival of funds or withdrawing them afterward."

Jiang Chen warned in a cold voice.

"You should know that I have a good friend who has a lot of money but no other skills. He also has connections in the banking industry, so you'd better not try anything funny."

These words completely dispelled Chen Bo's last remaining doubts.

They've even brought up their background; it seems they've really been pushed to the limit and blinded by greed.

"Okay, you wait."

He nodded, turned and left the office to arrange the transfer.

As the office door closed, the greed on Jiang Chen's face faded, replaced by a helpless sigh as he rubbed his forehead and muttered a low, angry shout.

"Master Cat, I need an explanation from you."

In the shadows of the vent, a pair of emerald green eyes quietly lit up.

"Explanation? What explanation do I need to give you?"

Cat Master's voice was as languid as ever, but carried a hint of barely perceptible guilt.

"Of the three Resurrection Incense sticks, the one I possess is incomplete, while the one from the prison is complete."

"Why did you keep such important information from me?"

"When did I hide anything from you? Did you even ask me?"

Cat Master retorted confidently.

"Besides, you can't blame this on me. You need to look for the reasons within yourself and ask yourself."

Cat Master's tone became playful.

"Didn't you write clearly in the letter you left for yourself?"

"No way, no way, someone actually left a letter for themselves and then played the riddle game, tricking their future self?"

"..."

Jiang Chen was speechless after hearing these words, and felt extremely frustrated.

That makes me realize I was wrong, but thinking about it carefully, it seems I really was.

He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the urge to curse that was about to burst forth.

He's actually criticizing himself.

"Stop talking nonsense and tell me, what exactly is this 'Resurrection Incense'?"

Seeing that Jiang Chen was no longer pursuing the matter, Cat Master also dropped his smug look and his tone became deep and mysterious.

"What I can tell you is that the piece you have was originally broken into three pieces, while the one below the prison is complete."

"Could you tell me something I don't know?"

"The other one should be in an island nation now."

"should?"

"Whether it's still around or not, I don't know, because I've never been there."

Jiang Chen pinched the bridge of his nose; he had a headache.

"Okay, let's put the third one aside for now. I want to know if I find the complete one, will I be able to be completely resurrected and become a real living person again?"

This is his biggest concern.

Cat Master remained silent for a few seconds.

"...I'm not sure, after all, you've been dead for a while now, and you've been causing trouble all this time. Your current condition is far beyond what is normal."

"What effect will the complete Resurrection Incense have on you? Will it completely resurrect you, or will it trigger even more bizarre mutations? Nobody can say for sure."

This ambiguous answer, which was as good as saying nothing at all, left Jiang Chen quite frustrated.

The hope of resurrection is within reach, but unknown risks hang like a sword over our heads.

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and realized he had no time to dwell on it; there was an emergency to deal with.

"You heard it all, Uncle Chen wants me to kill Lawyer Luo as a pledge of loyalty."

Jiang Chen quickly got to the point.

"Is Attorney Luo capable of putting on this act, or are you capable of fooling him?"

Lawyer Luo probably doesn't have that ability, but since Master Cat signaled Jiang Chen to agree, he must be confident he can fool him. It's just unknown just how strong Master Cat's abilities are.

"Don't worry, I'll go and inform him right away."

Cat yawned, and his figure silently disappeared into the darkness.

The following day.

A phone vibrated, and a text message from the bank confirming the arrival of funds arrived as expected.

Jiang Chen picked up his phone and glanced at it. The long string of zeros on the screen was enough to drive any ordinary person crazy.

But his brows furrowed tightly. When Uncle Chen reappeared in the office, Jiang Chen unceremoniously shoved his phone screen in front of him.

"Old man, are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?"

"Shouldn't the unit after that be US dollars?"

Uncle Chen's eye twitched; he was furious at Jiang Chen's shameless and outrageous behavior of making such a huge demand.

He chuckled softly.

"Young man, do you think our business is easy to run?"

"A business that makes a fortune, isn't that easy to do?" Jiang Chen retorted sarcastically.

"Of course it's not easy to do."

Uncle Chen's tone turned cold.

"Spending money on everything, from bribing superiors to subordinates, in every aspect—which one doesn't require money?"

"This is the limit I can give you. With this money, you could buy a hundred lives, let alone one."

"Don't be too greedy, otherwise, we'll have to part ways."

Jiang Chen stared at Uncle Chen, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

Finally, he pursed his lips and pretended to be reluctant.

"Fine, I'll let it go this time for the sake of the money."

"To avoid any unforeseen complications, let's do it tonight."

"Fine, you're the employer, you pay the money, you call the shots."

This tug-of-war, fueled by the stench of money, has allowed the fragile alliance between the two to maintain a semblance of peace for the time being.

……

"I want to clear out Section D, as well as several surrounding prison sections."

Jiang Chen found the warden and spoke directly to him.

"I've located the sorcerer. We'll make our move tonight. To avoid any collateral damage, we must evacuate all unrelated personnel."

The warden looked troubled.

"Master, this...this is a bit difficult."

"Prison beds are always in short supply. With such a large-scale clearing, there's nowhere for the prisoners to go."

Jiang Chen's gaze turned cold.

"Then just clear out sector D. That's my bottom line."

"If anything goes wrong, you will bear the consequences."