The King of Curses

Chapter 28 Fate favors her

An Zhi is really a strange person.

She was well aware of this, but she never considered it a flaw.

This is not a congenital defect at the physiological level, but just a subtle deviation between personal cognition and social common sense.

If society is a vast, rumbling machine, there will always be a few gears that are out of alignment due to either incorrect size or excessive wear.

Some people think that this is a disorder and imbalance and therefore needs to be corrected, just like a disease needs to be treated; but in her eyes, since common sense itself is not an innate natural state but is artificially constructed, and customs can change in every era, there is really no sacredness that cannot be offended.

However, most people in the world live on this side after all. In order to avoid being exiled to the ship of fools and drifting with the tide, the black sheep living in the flock have no choice but to remain silent.

People without ambitions will lie dormant, or be worn down, or finally lose control of themselves and be shunned, rejected, or even imprisoned...

But she didn't want that.

The signs of all this began with the death of her loved ones.

An Zhizhen grew up in a wealthy and upper-class family. Her father is a businessman and her mother is a pianist.

Although their marriage lacked love, they respected each other. It was just that they were rarely together. Her father traveled around for business and her mother toured the world... Since elementary school, she had been taken care of by her grandfather, a retired cadre.

Until the day her grandfather died of illness.

That was the first time An Zhizhen witnessed the death of a person at close range.

The old man, who used to be talkative and full of ruddy complexion, was now skinny and hunched over like a skeleton lying on the bed. His eye sockets were sunken, he exuded a strange smell, and his voice was weak and hoarse. When he looked at her or called her name, the young girl was frightened.

No matter what kind of wealth, status, or fame you have had, no matter how happy and fulfilling your life has been, at this moment, all the good things have lost their meaning, and all the meaning has turned to nothingness.

Children are always afraid of vague things, and most of them will gradually forget about it when they grow up. But An Zhizhen is different. After being afraid, she thinks about how to overcome the fear.

She wanted to take her destiny into her own hands, and her interest in physiological science and medicine may have started from that time.

However, the power of an individual is so weak, and the world he or she faces is so vast and unfathomable. In the face of the torrent of the times, it may overturn at any time.

She wants to find that dream.

——So, you want to be a politician?
The reason why humans can create brilliant civilizations is because of their organizational ability; it is only after becoming a "species" that humans can become monsters. But even if you crawl into the brain of this monster, you still cannot control it as you wish. Not only are you at risk of backlash, but your individual weakness remains unchanged.

——So, you want to be a scientist?
If she could make some amazing discovery that would overturn the order of the modern industrial system and the scientific community, she might be able to find the answer she wanted.

But... such hope is undoubtedly vague.

It was from that time that An Zhizhen realized the abnormality in her personality. She found that her ideas were absurd and fanciful, which were the ideas that only villains in fictional works would have. However, since we are all ordinary people and no one has superpowers or magic, delusions will always be just delusions.

But I don’t know whether to say it is lucky or unfortunate. In addition to having a very different way of thinking from others, An Zhizhen is also very smart and precocious, so he has always been able to hide the conflict between himself and the group very well.

In the eyes of others, everything about An Zhizhen is perfect; she has a good family background, outstanding looks, elegant conversation, a warm personality, gentle attitude towards others, is extremely popular, has a good brain, is very talented in study and art, and is deeply trusted by teachers, parents, and classmates. After graduating from a prestigious university, she embarked on an academic path. Everything was so natural.

An Zhizhen believed that unless some probabilistic effect that was almost imperceptible on a cosmic scale came into play, she would never find the answer she wanted.

Therefore, this disguise may last a lifetime, even after getting married and having children, even after getting old - she has already prepared herself mentally for this.

Until the power of the curse arrives.

An Zhizhen did not encounter or encounter anything, he just awakened naturally and realized its effect at the first moment.

At this point, "whether it was her innate character that allowed the terrifying power of "Tiankui Quanshou" to reside in her", or "because she was born with the ability to manipulate others, which made her personality distorted"... it no longer matters.

That one in a billion chance really happened, and she found the answer. Her suppressed ambition suddenly swelled up.

After all, most people in the world live on this shore. Those black sheep living in the flock can only remain silent in order to avoid being exiled to the ship of fools and drifting with the tide.

But she didn't want that.

What she wants to do more is to take the power to decide right and wrong, good and evil into her own hands; she wants to build a huge ship for people all over the world according to her own ideas, and then drive them all on board. Only when human society faces the stormy waves again and gradually stagnates and develops, will it regain the spirit of adventure.

An Zhizhen thought so, and now, she has the ability to turn her ambition into reality.

But in the process, she discovered a problem:
That is...she is too lonely.

In An Zhizhen's original plan, she never took others into consideration, including her own relatives, and she would always be alone.

On the one hand, this affects personal mental health; on the other hand, those who are self-centered are unable to understand whether they are right or wrong.

If she wants to break this state, she must find someone she can openly tell her secrets and ideals to, someone she can trust with all her heart...

How to choose such a person? Even An Zhizhen herself could not come up with a standard that would satisfy her.

Until Cen Dongsheng appeared.

Until now, An Zhizhen felt that this person seemed to have fallen from the sky.

At the beginning, he behaved like a simple and enthusiastic young man, but she soon realized that he was approaching her with some secret.

So, she naturally put on a disguise, and the relationship between the two gradually became familiar and close...

Until she can experience the joy of being content with this fake relationship...

Then, An Zhizhen decided to set a test. When she saw him fighting to protect herself, she was so excited that she couldn't control herself...

"—You did a great job, Dongsheng."

On that night before dawn, in a dark corner of a corridor, there were only her and the unconscious young man. An Zhizhen held the young man's head in her arms and placed it on her knees.

She lowered her eyes and whispered softly in Cen Dongsheng's ear.

"It's really good, really good...it's beyond my expectations, it's amazing."

Just like a mother praising her child, her tone was full of love and her slender fingers gently stroked his cheek.

But, will you be that person?

At that time, An Zhizhen still couldn't make up her mind. It was not until he rejected the blood matchmaker and said, "I believe that the basis of a partnership is equality. If one party can completely control the other party, the master-servant relationship is not equal," that she finally became convinced.

Ah, it's you.

*
"…So, am I being kept?"

"Haha, if you think so, I welcome it. Let me, your sister, support you for the rest of your life!"

After Cen Dongsheng left, An Zhizhen stood at the door of the office and watched the young man leave without blinking.

Only when his back completely disappeared in the corridor did she reluctantly look away and turn back to the office.

Next, she turned on her phone. In order to avoid being disturbed when she was communicating with Dongsheng, An Zhizhen specifically cut off all contact methods this morning.

As soon as she turned on her phone, several calls came in impatiently. An Zhizhen opened the text messages and emails and replied to them one by one in an orderly manner.

"Okay, I understand. I'll check tomorrow. You should control all the researchers first... Yes, think of a reason to keep them in the institute for a day. Don't be polite at the critical moment. I allow you to use the security department, just don't hurt them. This is the first month of the institute's establishment, and the rules must be set."

"Have you made any progress? Very good, I was right about you, keep working hard. Serve me, and you will get what you want, whether it's money or fame... You want to become a curse master? Haha, that's easy."

"Have you made contact? Yes, I will go meet with the middleman. Preparation for the negotiation? Intelligence is necessary, but bargaining chips are not necessary. That is the last thing I need."

……

Putting down her phone, An Zhizhen walked around the office. After pulling the heavy curtains to block out the sunlight, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became quiet.

She turned on the record player, and accompanied by melodious classical music, the woman sat on the office chair, closed her eyes, and folded her hands on her thighs. Even her resting posture was very elegant.

She looked like she was resting with her eyes closed, but in fact her brain was working at high speed.

One problem after another that needed to be solved emerged in my mind. Each problem was real and complex, and could not be solved by relying on spells.

On the one hand, her abilities have an upper limit, and it is currently difficult for her to control large crowds for a long time. On the other hand... if some people are allowed to go free, their value may be greater than those who are willing to obey.

Countless people live in this world, and they build a system to measure social value. The responsibility of those in power is to allow them to use their abilities appropriately.

"The laboratory has already made the initial preparations. But the talent pool is far from enough. It is not easy to find someone who has received academic education, has the knowledge and experience to undertake research and experimental work, and has a deep understanding of curses and ghosts, and can do this job without prejudice. For the time being, I still need to take the lead."

"We have already made preliminary preparations for contacting the government and professional organizations..."

"We have just begun research on the phenomenon of haunted houses. Since it involves the structure of space and time, it may have an impact on basic science... Knowledge progress comes from sharing. We need to find a way to make those who are complacent realize this."

Although the company and online forum that An Zhizhen took Cen Dongsheng to visit today was a key part of her plan to expand her staff, it was only the "tip of the iceberg" of all her preparations.

Ever since her ability awakened, she has been carrying out her plan in an orderly and fast manner, as if she had been thinking about what to do when this day comes since she was a child.

A large-scale plan, the primary purpose of which is to build up her own power as the cornerstone for realizing her personal ambitions and dreams.

Until that moment comes, everything is preparation time for An Zhizhen to step onto the world stage.

The ability of "Tiankui Quanshou" is too convenient and too powerful, and more importantly... the world today still belongs to ordinary people.

Countless people spend every day in confusion and ignorance, unaware that undercurrents are surging on the other side of the world.

Even if the forbidden masters cannot resist her power, they may still be able to sense her presence, but it is different for ordinary people.

Bureaucrats, rich people, elites... these people who still control a large amount of social resources today are the best entry points and are always advantageous.

This opportunity is short-lived. Before the power relations and organizational structure of the existing society are overturned, An Zhizhen seizes this first-mover opportunity and is rapidly expanding his own power and influence.

——She had no intention of hiding all of the above from Cen Dongsheng, and would reveal them one by one in the future.

An Zhizhen really wanted to see the expression of surprise on Cen Dongsheng's face, a look of respect mixed with trust, and hear him call her "Sister Zhizhen". All of this would make her feel satisfied.

This is what is called emotional value, and because of her arrogant personality, the requirements for what she wants are very strict, and only the person she recognizes can bring it to her.

as well as……

Dongsheng would occasionally express his opinions, which seemed to be insights that seemed to have a glimpse into the future, and that was exactly what she needed now.

After thinking for a while, An Zhizhen finally opened his eyes.

She stood up, raised her hands and stretched, showing off her beautiful figure.

"Oh, I'm really busy... This is the price of wanting to be great."

The woman looked towards the sun again, a smile forming on her lips.

She couldn't help but reach out her hand towards the sunlight, as if she wanted to hold the huge, unreachable star in her palm.

“Hehe… hehe…”

Thinking of last night's agreement and the conversation in the office just now, An Zhizhen couldn't help laughing.

"Really? 'Special Curse'... is it on the same level as me? I heard something interesting from Dongsheng again."

Whether it was the words that Cen Dongsheng said when they were in the haunted house, or the understanding of ghosts and curses revealed in his words, they all benefited her a lot.

It was definitely not a reminder of trivial matters. The young man had a mysterious origin, but his words seemed to be able to predict the future and concealed great value.

Others may find it difficult to detect the secret, but to a woman who is already extremely talented, it is enough to provide her with the right direction for research.

This made An Zhizhen convinced that it was fate that chose him to be that person.

This was the second time she couldn't help but have such a thought after awakening the ability of "Tian Kui Quan Shou" -

Fate is so kind to her.

"The future of this world is really exciting..."

(End of this chapter)