A Capitalist in an Infinite-Flow World

I’m truly sorry. A lot has been going on in my real life lately, and I haven’t been doing well either, so I need some time to get myself together. I’ve applied to unlock this novel. My deepest apologies!

An entire building as an inheritance!

Gu Lin, a penniless, stingy, money-loving mental patient, stared with shining eyes, practically drooling.

[You are the landlord of this building. Strange things have been happening here lately: midnight horrors have driven many tenants to move out. You’re so anxious you’ve practically developed mouth sores. Today, your property has finally welcomed a new tenant...]

Gu Lin counted the number of tenants who had moved out, his expression growing increasingly ferocious. Were these really move-outs? They were carving out pieces of his heart!

No one was allowed to touch his building!

Now a proud landlord, Gu Lin swiftly shoved down the head with long, disheveled hair rising slowly behind him. Then he stamped on the blood-red eyeball beneath his foot and cheerfully showed the tenants around.

“Look at the natural light, look at the location. I’m not bragging, there’s no better place around here.”

The task-takers wore bitter expressions. The Death Apartment was infamous, and they all thought they were as good as dead. But what choice did they have? They couldn’t defy the task. They could only droop their brows and hang their heads.

“We’ll rent it. We’ll rent it right now.”

Gu Lin happily pocketed the money. “You’re guaranteed to be satisfied with my place.”

At midnight, the bathroom door creaked open. The faucet dripped, the air filled with the smell of blood, and a faint, eerie call could be heard...

The task-takers’ eyes widened in terror, their teeth chattering in utter despair. Then they saw their landlord kick the door open, yank the hair out of the washbasin, and shove it into the toilet. He plunged so furiously that the plunger was almost a blur. His face livid, he roared,

“Quit causing trouble! Quit causing trouble! Quit causing trouble! Turning on the faucet at random, disturbing the tenants in the middle of the night! Have you paid the water bill? Did you file a request in advance? Are you responsible for driving the tenants away? You’re paying me back! Pay! Pay!!!”

Note:

1. Gu Lin sounds like the word for stingy.

2. Ji Xianggui, with the fourth tone on Xiang.

The next story I want to write is tentatively titled: “Has the Little Zombie Been Found Out Today?”

Ji Nong is a lonely little zombie.

He is pale and stiff, and loses a few little parts every day.

Then one day, he picks up an old man. The old man is a notorious villain, and to repay him, he vows to pass on all his lifelong wicked tricks.

Including, but not limited to, stealing, picking locks, robbery, kidnapping...

He is determined to turn Ji Nong into a truly awful little monster.

Homebody, pure and foolish, brainless and gullible, penniless Ji Nong treats this as a precious treasure. Overcome with gratitude, he studies his new lessons hard, determined not to disappoint his teacher.

The old man is deeply pleased and waves a hand, setting up a few tasks.

Task One: [Steal the protagonist shou’s wallet]

Task Two: [Join others in making things difficult for the protagonist gong]

Ji Nong: [spiral-eyed.jpg]

Ji Nong is upset. “I-I don’t understand.”

But Ji Nong is a good kid. He leaves his hometown with his chest puffed out and his head held high, setting off on his journey to become an evil zombie with utmost seriousness.

Step one: approach with spectacular nonchalance. Step two: aim for the wallet. Step three... The battered protagonist shou sits on a railing, gazing at the stars. “Are you here to talk me out of it?”

Ji Nong: “Huh?”

The protagonist shou has had such a miserable time that Ji Nong’s eyes well up with tears. He hurriedly and clumsily stuffs over the crumpled change he has saved for ages, stammering out a threat: “H-Here! Don’t you dare die!”

Task One ends in abject failure. Determined to redeem himself with Task Two, Ji Nong overdoes it and accidentally joins a real kidnapping gang.

In the van, the kidnappers eagerly discuss how to torture the protagonist gong.

Ji Nong clutches his arm, which might fall off, and grows more and more dizzy as he listens. His brain is overloaded...

...He’s getting phantom pain!

He’s a zombie with standards. He’s not going to run with a bunch of freaks! He knocks them out with a few punches, then limps away with the protagonist gong on his back.

The protagonist gong wakes up amid the jolting and sees the unfamiliar back of someone’s head, along with a mumble that sounds both aggrieved and resolute:

“Kidnapping is an art... Y-You’re breaking the rules of the trade!”

The tasks are all over the place, and Ji Nong hasn’t won a single one. To make matters worse, they track him back to his hideout.

They look at the bridge where he lives, his patched-up clothes, and his shabby surroundings.

“You were never a bad guy!”

“Your teacher brainwashed you!”

“We’re taking you home.”

Ji Nong is furious. He takes a few steps back and bares his sharp teeth at everyone. “You’re talking nonsense! My teacher is the best!”

“I’m super evil! I’m the teacher’s finest creation, personally trained by him!”

Core Idea: Self-confidence is the best medicine.