Reborn in 2022: My Empire of Death Soldiers

Liu Minghui strolled slowly along the riverbank when his phone buzzed. He swiped it open: a notice from his credit card company. Fifteen days overdue, with the principal and interest totaling 12,300 yuan.

He dismissed it.

There were three more unread messages below. He couldn't be bothered to check them.

The river breeze hit his face, carrying the fishy smell of the water. He looked down at his hands: thick fingers, two white scars across the backs. Souvenirs from his time in the army. His palms were covered in calluses, worn in after three months hauling bricks at a construction site following his discharge. Later, delivering food, he'd worn another callus into the web between his right thumb and forefinger.

These hands had been at it for thirty-two years.

He'd done every kind of work. He had nothing to show for it.

His phone buzzed again. A social media notification: wedding photos. A grid of nine. The groom wasn't him.

Liu Minghui stared at them for two seconds, turned his phone over, and stuffed it into his pocket.

He'd opened a shop. It failed. He'd run a street stall. That went nowhere. He'd worked as a waiter, delivered food, and driven people around. His military discharge pay was long gone, and he still owed over a hundred thousand yuan. He'd dated several women, all of them lovely, and had wanted to build a home with each one. None of it worked out.

He couldn't blame them for being practical. He was the one who hadn't made something of himself.

There was a bench by the river, but he didn't sit down. He kept walking.

A wild duck plunged beneath the surface and vanished.

He thought, If only people could dive beneath the water and start over, too.

The early chapters set up the story. If you find them too slow, you can start from Chapter 40 without affecting your enjoyment.