Chapter 2: Examining the Corpse to Acquire Attributes

"Acquire 1 point of strength, acquire 1 tael of silver, acquire 1 day of lifespan."

Suddenly.

A prompt sounded, accompanied by a digital panel appearing before Zhu Zheng’s eyes.

“What is this?”

Zhu Zheng was momentarily stunned.

Yet, deep inside, an indescribable excitement surged.

"Damn it."

"My golden finger, my golden finger has appeared."

"So it’s not about slaughtering chickens, self-discipline, or farming."

"It turns out I have to touch the corpses."

"This golden finger is so obscure."

"No wonder I haven’t activated it in all these years. If I weren’t assigned to logistics, I wouldn’t have touched corpses and just brought bad luck on myself."

At this moment,

Zhu Zheng’s heart was pounding wildly.

All these years of persistence were not in vain.

He truly had a golden finger.

He had simply been using the wrong activation method all along.

Touch corpses!

This was Zhu Zheng’s golden finger!

With this realization,

Zhu Zheng calmed his racing heart and then approached another corpse, reaching out to touch it.

Then,

Another prompt appeared: "Acquire 1 point of strength, acquire 1 tael of silver, acquire 5 days of lifespan."

Moreover,

With each acquisition,

Zhu Zheng could distinctly feel his strength increasing, though he did not test it outright; it was a strange sensation coursing through his body.

"Getting rich."

"This is my trump card to establish myself and rise above others."

"Having lived over twenty years, I actually have a golden finger."

"The golden finger is to touch corpses and collect attributes."

"Who would have thought?"

"If I hadn’t been reassigned to logistics, how could I have activated this panel?"

Zhu Zheng thought with overwhelming excitement.

After so many years of trying, he had finally succeeded—the previous methods were all wrong.

At this moment,

Zhu Zheng’s goal was crystal clear.

Immediately,

He swiftly moved among the corpses, reaching out to touch them.

Each touch triggered a prompt:

"Acquire 1 point of stamina, acquire 1 tael of silver, acquire 1 day of lifespan."

"Acquire 1 point of intelligence, acquire 1 tael of silver, acquire 1 day of lifespan."

"Acquire 1 point of agility, acquire 1 point of silver, acquire 5 days of lifespan."

...

As Zhu Zheng quickened his pace, more and more attribute points were collected and absorbed into his body.

Watching Zhu Zheng move among the corpses,

His subordinates looked on in confusion.

"Brother Zheng, what are you doing?" Luo Hua asked, puzzled.

He saw Zhu Zheng moving back and forth as if touching the corpses, which aroused his suspicion.

"Checking if there are any survivors."

"You all start moving them first."

"Once the carts are full, take them outside the city to bury."

Zhu Zheng replied seriously without looking back.

At this moment,

Zhu Zheng was fully savoring the sweet taste of success; he had to seize this chance to use his golden finger to grow stronger.

There were at least five or six hundred corpses in front of the mansion, if not a thousand.

Most were imperial guards sent by the court.

They were tasked with arresting Prince Yan, Zhu Di.

But now, they had all been killed.

"Acquire 1 point of strength, acquire 5 taels of silver, acquire 5 days of lifespan."

"Acquire 1 point of strength, acquire 1 tael of silver, acquire 3 days of lifespan."

"Touching the corpse of a Hundred-Unit Officer, acquire 10 points of strength, 50 taels of silver, 10 days of lifespan."

"Host has collected over 100 people, reward: one ordinary treasure chest."

...

The panel’s prompt continued without pause.

But each notification brought a wave of satisfaction through Zhu Zheng’s entire being.

Every attribute point collected was successfully integrated into his body.

After a round of touching,

Zhu Zheng could clearly feel his strength growing.

Moreover,

After the panel opened, there was also a storage space showing several hundred taels of silver.

All obtained from touching corpses.

"A treasure chest? What is this?"

Seeing the prompt awarding an ordinary treasure chest, Zhu Zheng pondered silently.

However,

There was no time to think further.

Touching corpses was the way; increasing his attributes was the key.

Unsurprisingly,

Zhu Zheng became addicted to the feeling, fully aware he was growing stronger.

As for the strange looks from others, Zhu Zheng did not care at all.

Soon,

Many constables cleared the corpses while Zhu Zheng hurriedly touched bodies to collect attributes.

Time passed.

Nearly every one of the five or six hundred bodies in front of the mansion had been touched by Zhu Zheng.

"Attribute panel?"

After confirming he had missed none, Zhu Zheng silently recited.

The next moment,

A digital panel appeared before Zhu Zheng’s eyes.

Host: Zhu Zheng

Age: 24 years

Strength: 298 points [one point equals one jin of force]

Agility: 265 points [twice the speed of an ordinary person]

Spirit: 234 points [the higher the spirit, the clearer the mind]

Stamina: 253 points [the higher the value, the stronger the body and faster the recovery]

Lifespan: 82 years plus 728 days

Treasure chests: 5 ordinary chests

Storage space: 2 cubic meters

"My strength is nearly 300 jin now."

"If I keep touching corpses and collecting attributes, won’t I become a mighty general feared by thousands in this era?"

"If my strength reaches over a thousand, one punch could pierce a person, right?"

"And lifespan—those 728 days were just acquired? I’ve gained almost two years of life just like that?"

"This means if I keep collecting, I might become immortal?"

"The Ming Dynasty isn’t that far from the modern age."

Staring at the attribute panel before him, Zhu Zheng was utterly stunned.

It was like a sudden fortune falling from the sky—no, even greater.

Because this would pave an infinitely bright path ahead for Zhu Zheng.

To establish himself, to stand out.

To bring a better life to his family and even a future of imperial ambitions!

Years of persistence had finally paid off.

His golden finger was truly powerful!

"All attributes breaking 200 points, reward: one ordinary treasure chest," the panel prompted again.

“Brother Zheng.”

At that moment,

A voice called out.

It was this that brought the deliriously happy Zhu Zheng back to his senses.

"What’s up?"

Zhu Zheng looked at the newcomer and asked.

"What's wrong with you today? You seem distracted."

"If you’re really tired, the brothers will cover for you. There are so many of us; we’ll clear everything by dawn," Luo Hua asked with concern.

"Haha, I’m fine."

"Let’s finish cleaning."

"The sooner we’re done, the sooner we can go home and sleep," Zhu Zheng said with a smile, brimming with joy.

Then he walked directly to the pile of corpses, grabbing one with a single hand.

A corpse weighing over a hundred jin was effortlessly lifted by Zhu Zheng with one hand.

"My strength really has increased."

Zhu Zheng thought excitedly.

Then with his left hand, he lifted another one.

Easily carrying two corpses, he walked toward the ox cart and gently placed them on it.

Nearby,

Several constables under Zhu Zheng’s command were stunned and stared in disbelief.

“Brother Zheng, why have you never shown such strength before?”

“Yeah.”

“Brother Zheng’s strength is incredible now.”

“Amazing.”

...

Smiling silently at their astonishment,

Zhu Zheng continued placing corpses onto the cart.

The sooner it’s done, the sooner he can go home.

After tonight’s battle,

Prince Yan, Zhu Di, had already begun his rebellion.

Zhu Zheng needed to return home to settle his wife and children properly.

Time passed quickly.

With less than an hour to dawn,

All the corpses in front of the mansion had been cleared.

"All constables, assemble!"

In front of the mansion,

The general under Prince Yan who had gathered the constables shouted loudly.

Under his command,

More than five hundred constables gathered together.

Yet, nearly every one of them was filled with anxiety.

...