The Great Merchant in the Cataclysm - Chapter 1

Translator: WuWangEditor: LightbubbleChapter 1: StealingIn Luo Yang City.

An unkempt young man curled up his body in the shade of the bridge and inanely gazed at his dirty hands. No one knew what he was thinking about.Many people had passed by him. Most just took a glance at him, then ignored him and kept moving.A middled-aged woman thought that the young man was too poor, so she threw a few coins at him. However, she didn’t receive any gratitudes. She complained a few words for the young man’s rudeness, then turned around to leave.Maybe the coin’s crisp sound had woken him up, the young man’s eyes began to recover and gradually brightened up.The young man looked up 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 it to be useless… but it actually had this function! Hehe, I really want to let those fools know this and see their expressions.”The young man looked very optimistic. He didn’t look very surprised after having realized that he had leapt through time, but instead laughed like a crazy man. The passers-by rolled their eyes, shook their heads and speed up their paces. They were not even willing to stay one second longer around the young man.After a while, the young man stopped laughing and gradually calmed down. His eyes turned terribly somber, as if he had changed to a completely different person.He quietly looked at the digital clock on the opposite wall, then whispered, “18:29. So, there is still an hour and thirty-seven minutes before that ‘thing’ happens.”The youth man quickly computed in his heart. Suddenly, his eyes became ruthless and tyrannical, then whispered to himself in a cold 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 a 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. It wasn’t the right time for resentment.Regardless of other people’s surprised sights, Zhang Mu suddenly got up 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 really 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 like an alien more than a human.His powerful computing power could help him make one safe alternative after another. This was his most powerful ability that helped him survive as an ordinary person in the future.In a few minutes, a simple schedule been formed in Zhang Mu’s mind after having calculated it dozens of times.Gunpowder weapons would become wastes the very moment the new era comes. By that time, only well-made cold weapons would help him survive.Of course, knife wasn’t one of his options, and 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 handmade sword shop and coincidently, its location wasn’t 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 didn’t have the guts and power to confront danger unarmed. Now, he didn’t have too many choices. A handmade sword was the best weapon he could obtain now.However, even in the modern world, the expensive price of a handmade sword was already prohibitive to many people.Although Zhang Mu knew that due to poor management and remote position, the goods in the handmade sword shop were very cheap, however, they were handmade swords, not some wholesale fruit knives. The cost was still very high.How could I get the money?He didn’t even have a decent clothes now.Oh, right！Zhang Mu patted his forehead. A strange smile made an appearance on the corner of his mouth.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 get money quickly.However, Thieves Sect wasn’t a normal thieves guild. It had hundreds of years of history, and had strict rules.The disciples of 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 every day were ordinary people and most of the them had their own troubles. It was really not easy to find a suitable targets.It was also the main reason that made Zhang Mu lose his interest in stealing. After his master’s death, Zhang Mu had left Thieves Sect to make a living and only after a month, he was already in such poor conditions.Zhang Mu leant against a column, constantly scanning the crowd on the platform bridge, searching for his prey.At this time, a fat and bald man slowly walked on the platform bridge from the other end. He wore an ill-fitting and oversized coat, a pair of expensive sunglasses, and a string of dazzling gold necklace. In a word, his every characteristic showed that he was a upstart.All right, I will choose him, Zhang Mu whispered in his heart.After returning to ten years ago, Zhang Mu felt that he has also become luckier. Although it was wrong to judge a person from his/her appearance, but dude, I’m really sorry! I need your money!The street is filled with old people and poor people, Only the fat and bald man look like a rich man.I really need money. If I have the opportunity, I will return them to you.Zhang Mu apologized in his heart, then walked into the stream of people. He lowered his head, slowly walking to the fat man.Seeing that aa shabby, smelly beggar was nearing them, the people around Zhang Mu subconsciously tried to keep a distance from him.Coincidently, it was off work time now. The platform bridge was really crowded. The people near Zhang Mu tried to avoid them, but the crowd pushed them back, making them closer to Zhang Mu and push him out.Zhang Mu looked like an innocent person that was feebly pushed out by the crowd. However, he secretly moved, getting closer and closer to his target.Finally, they were close. Zhang Mu would soon pass by his prey.His body quietly pushed the crowd, and the crowd immediately gave him a response, bouncing 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 immediately complained. He pretended that he was resisting the crowd, putting both his hands on the bald man’s coat, but didn’t put forth any strength,Other people didn’t have as many scruples like him. Some people had even directly hit the bald man.As Zhang My had expected, the bald man slightly frowned. He raised his right hand to push back a thin man.As the bald man raised his right arm and then glanced towards his right side, Zhang Mu started moving. His right hand slid into the bald man’s coat like a nimble fish. After that, his fingertip lightly pressed against the inner pocket of the coat, picking out the wallet.He pressed the bottom of the wallet, picking it up with his index finger and middle finger. He picked up the wallet and drew back his hand.Everything was finished in a flash of lightning without anyone realizing it.“I haven’t done this for a long time. It’s really hard,” Zhang Mu whispered.Although his action was exaggerated enough, he still felt somewhat dissatisfied. He knew that when he stole the wallet, his movements were a little stiff.Although it was still his body, but he just returned from ten years in the futur. He was still not familiar with his youthful body.Zhang Mu walked forward with a straight face. The texture of the crocodile leather he felt gave him a kind of weird feeling in his heart.He had ten years of business experience. He immediately realized that the wallet was made of the best abdominal skin of estuarine crocodile. Besides, the wallet was so bulging.“Yo! The fat man is really rich! That should be enough. It will save me from looking for another target”Zhang Muxin walked along the crowd with satisfaction. He deliberately adjusted his direction, walking farther and farther. When his figure completely disappeared from the platform bridge, the bald man slowly turned his head and looked toward the direction Zhang Xiang went. His mouth was grinning from ear to ear.“Incredible. That was old Thieves Sect’s stealing technique. If it wasn’t because this kid’s moves were still a little stiff, I wouldn’t even realize it. The last time I saw this stealing technique was ten years ago. I had thought that 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 have remembered you!”