"Hah... hah..." A tall, muscular man in a tank top suddenly sat up in bed, drenched in sweat, gasping for air with a dazed look in his eyes.
Who am I? Where is this? Am I really me?
These questions kept flashing through his mind, as if, in a fog, this man was pondering the deepest philosophical truths of the world.
"I'm Leon, that's right. I should have died from a lightning strike while jumping off a cliff... but why am I still alive? And who is this Yang Yi?" Gradually, his eyes regained clarity and sharpness.
The memories flooding into his mind moments ago nearly caused Leon, whose soul had crossed over, to suffer a mental explosion! For a time, he almost lost himself.
But after enduring this terrifying period of fusion, Leon gradually came to understand his predecessor's past and grasped the gist of this world.
Yes, he had indeed crossed over. That lightning strike had sent his soul into a different dimensional space. After an unknown amount of time, it burst out again and merged with this man.
That's right—merged. The other soul hadn't dissipated but had fully fused with Leon, even making him briefly think he was this man who had merely received Leon's memories. But in the struggle between the two soul imprints, the more resolute Leon prevailed, while his predecessor was shattered and blended into Leon's soul.
Of course, Leon couldn't exactly call it rebirth, because this world was nothing like the Earth he had once known!
After going through Yang Yi's memories, Leon found many differences.
For instance, this planet was called Blue Star instead of Earth. Although China's history still included the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the way dynasties changed was different. In the last two hundred years, China still had a humiliating history of territorial loss and slow revival, but the corresponding historical figures were nowhere to be found.
Similarly, those familiar songs, movies, and so on had vanished without a trace. The trajectory of history was similar, but the content was vastly different.
"This is a world that feels familiar yet completely alien! Interesting, interesting!" That was Leon's assessment.
After sitting cross-legged on the bed for a long time in silence, Leon finally accepted the fact. He stood up gently, barefoot, and walked into the cramped bathroom.
There was a mirror inside.
Reflected in the mirror was a rugged face—handsome, upon closer inspection!
It wasn't the kind of Korean-style handsomeness or the kind that made girls scream at the sight of Andy Lau or Nicholas Tse. Instead, it resembled Chang Chen: a square face, dark skin, but with sharp brows and bright eyes, a straight nose, and a stern expression that exuded a chilling, oppressive aura!
Was it related to Leon being a killer in his past life? Not at all! Leon, after all, could perfectly conceal his killing intent when disguised—he could play the role of a portly high-ranking official or a shy, inexperienced student!
This face, without Leon doing anything, already carried an unyielding toughness that was hard to accept. It might have been popular in the 1960s or 1970s, but in this era of pretty boys, girls would probably keep their distance!
Yet Leon couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat, his eyes reddening.
As a cold-blooded killer in his past life, he rarely got emotional!
But at this moment, Leon couldn't contain his excitement. Trembling, he raised his hands and touched his own face.
Whether he was handsome or not didn't matter. What mattered was that he finally had the face he had always dreamed of—his own—no longer scarred and unable to go out without a human-skin mask!
This emotion came and went quickly. Leon soon regained control, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. Though the hint of a smile seemed inexplicably cold, he was in a good mood.
After going through Yang Yi's memories, Leon knew that this man's life wasn't particularly dramatic—it was even a bit stifling—but it was the ordinary life Leon had always longed for in his past life.
Yang Yi was a retired soldier from a rural background, with a foundation in martial arts from childhood. No wonder his body was so robust. This pleased Leon, because even if it wasn't as good as his past life, with this foundation, getting back into shape would be easy!
Moreover, Leon subtly sensed that this body had high martial arts talent. Combined with the internal cultivation techniques from his past life, his future potential might even surpass his previous self.
Of course, in this relatively peaceful world, Leon didn't need to fight and kill like before. Martial arts would likely serve only as self-defense.
But that's getting off track. Back to Yang Yi's past...
His predecessor had enlisted at sixteen and served for over a decade, reaching a respectable rank. But because he stood up for justice and clashed with the son of a high-ranking general, the stubborn Yang Yi beat the guy up badly.
With Yang Yi's skills and no restraint, that spoiled brat stood no chance. He ended up with several broken ribs, coughing up blood, and being rushed to the hospital.
The incident caused a huge uproar. After power struggles among various factions, Yang Yi couldn't keep his uniform and was forced into retirement. In a way, it was a punishment that barely preserved his dignity—an expulsion from the military!
Yang Yi was also a hothead. At the time, some superiors who valued him tried to help him out. If he had successfully transferred to a civilian role, he could have returned to his hometown as a section-level cadre, or even aspired to be a deputy police chief.
But Yang Yi was as stubborn as an ox. After being forced into retirement, he refused to talk to anyone, packed his bags, walked over ten kilometers alone, left the military camp, and never looked back.
No need to dwell on the past. After retiring, Yang Yi took on many jobs: private driver, nightclub security, bodyguard... But because his character was too upright and he couldn't tolerate any wrongdoing, he offended many people and ended up worse off.
Now, he had even sunk to being an ordinary hotel security guard, living a life of day-and-night confusion and bullying.
"That's pretty rough..." Leon rubbed his chin and sighed, shaking his head.
He felt that his predecessor was indeed a good person, but too inflexible, easily suffering in silence.
If it were him...
Leon's lips curled slightly, revealing a cold smile.
Those who had offended him would probably have been feeding the wolves in some desolate wilderness long ago!
"Alright, always thinking about fighting and killing—have some ambition!" Leon snapped back to reality, slapping his head to remind himself that his life and identity were different now.
Having finally gotten a normal identity, Leon didn't want to go back to a life on the run.
Maybe it was time to change how he referred to himself?
Leon... no, it should be Yang Yi, gradually accepted his new identity. He gently clenched his fist—with its large knuckles and long fingers—looked at himself in the mirror, and thought to himself, "I'm sorry, and thank you. From now on, let me fulfill your unfinished wishes for you!"
...
"Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!" In the cramped, enclosed tenement building of the urban village, the knocking sounded like drumbeats, jolting Yang Yi, still immersed in adapting to his new identity, into alertness.
Instinctively, his eyes sharpened, his lips pressed together, his left hand spread like an eagle's claw, and his right hand habitually reached behind him for a knife.
Killing intent instantly filled the small space.
But just for a moment...
"Daddy, open up!" A soft, cheerful voice came through the door. "Xixi is here to see you!"
The childish voice instantly dispelled Yang Yi's killing intent. Though his left hand hadn't yet relaxed, the tenderness that couldn't be hidden in his eyes added a touch of moving humanity to this tough-looking man.