Wang Shen turned his focus over to the panicking people. They were, in turn, staring at him.

“How did you do that, Young Master?” An older gentleman called out to him.

“A flick of my fingers and a glance of my eyes,” Wang Shen replied sarcastically. He didn’t want to waste time in this situation.

“I’ll have to trouble you not to do that,” Wang Shen warned the woman who was dialing a number on the phone. If the police got involved, he would be locked up until morning in investigative work. That wouldn’t be ideal for him.

She stopped calling upon hearing his words, looking surprised. The woman’s brain was clearly short-circuiting, looking at him with wide-eyes and high eyebrows. She then looked down and dry-heaved.

Wang Shen couldn’t fault her. There were two dead bodies on the ground, one infected and one casualty. Anyone normal person would act the same in this scenario.

“These two were suspects in an on-going investigation. I am a trained operative for the MSS, Wang Shen,” Wang Shen announced. “I will call them myself after you guys evacuate from this area.”

“Also, be aware of the epidemic going on. Make sure to stay safe,” Wang Shen advised. He did his duty, said his part, and sat down. What happened to them after this no longer had karmic implications on his cultivation. He would not walk the path of a demon in this life, even if it were easier to pull off.

There was no way he would become Zheng Xuzhen.

That monster was beyond human comprehension, even in the post-apocalyptic world. Wang Shen gritted his teeth. If he could find Zheng Xuzhen again in this life, he would end him before he ever got strong.

“But how did you blow that guy’s head off, mister? It was like something out of a movie!” exclaimed one of the passengers. It was a younger boy with his mother, who quickly chastised him and blurted it out.

Wang Shen mentally groaned. In the heat of the moment, he had forgotten there would be witnesses around. People weren’t yet used to battles between zombies and cultivators.

“It was a martial art, Didi,” Wang Shen casually explained. The blood on the floor was spreading. Luckily, he sat a little further away so that his shoes wouldn’t be stained.

“Wow, you must be really strong!” The kid continued, despite his mother trying to shush him. “What martial art did you do?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Wang Shen was surprised. Typically, in this situation, the civilians would be too scared to continue the conversation. He examined the kid a little closer and narrowed his brows.

Didn’t this kid look slightly familiar?

“Brat, what is your name?” Wang Shen asked sharply, ignoring the question altogether. If he was right . . .

“He didn’t mean anything by it, Young Master,” the mom cut in. She was evidently afraid of his retaliation since her kid was overstepping in his questions. Wang Shen knew what was going on.

“No, it’s okay, let him say his name,” Wang Shen put up an open palm, stopping her. He needed to know.

“You can call me Chen Furou,” Chen Furou announced casually.

Wang Shen racked his memories for a name such as that and could come up with nothing. He tried a different line of questioning.

“I feel like we have a karmic tie, Furou-didi,” Wang Shen continued. “What is your online name?”

“Oh!” The kid seemed happy that the conversation turned to video games. “Well, I guess I go by Night’s End.”

Night’s End, Night’s End. . . Wang Shen thought in his mind as he tried to reverse engineer the picture of the kid to a picture of a person in his mind. He suddenly understood why he felt the kid was so familiar.

He was the future leader of the Morning Sect. It was one of the only sects to make it out alive after the fall of Changsha. The sect would then go on to fight the higher tier monsters as mercenaries. One of the mercenaries that he had been in contact with was named Night’s End.

Wang Shen kicked himself for not realizing it sooner. It was apparent when he looked at it now. This thin kid would become an expert in ten years' time.

“Where are you guys going now? How about you add me on your phone, kid?” Wang Shen wanted to make contacts with this powerful young master. An early connection would lead to a powerful comrade later.

“Sure! Thanks for helping us out here, Shen-dage!” Chen Furou accepted with a nod. He shook himself free of his mom and walked over to where Wang Shen was sitting. Then, the kid brought out his phone.

When he got closer, Wang Shen reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Your mom is infected,” Wang Shen whispered quickly. He kept his voice extremely low so that the rest of the people on the train couldn't hear him. “I’ll help you prevent this tragedy, so just remember that you must follow me in the future, alright?”

Wang Shen saw Chen Furou widen his eyes at this realization. He knew that the kid must have felt something wrong in the air beforehand as well. A genius would stay a genius, no matter the circumstance.

“Act normal,” Wang Shen commanded. He didn’t want this leaking out until after he had left. “I’ll write down my contact info on your phone. And don’t worry, your mom probably still has a few days before her mind is taken over. Probably.”

Chen Furou turned gravely serious and nodded a few times, showing Wang Shen that he understood.

“Good,” Wang Shen inputted his number and patted the kid on his shoulder, giving him an encouraging smile. “I’ll send you a list of materials you need to collect for me.”

Wang Shen saw Chen Furou turn around silently and walk back over to his mom, his steps heavier than before. He had taken the first steps to ensure relations between himself and the future leader of the Morning Sect.

The rest was not up to him.