“Huh? That’s it? I’m dead?” She tossed the mouse aside, puffed out her cheeks, and said, “This isn’t fun at all.”

The second round began, and William Thompson patiently coached from the side.

“Don’t just attack everyone you see. If you’re too reckless, you won’t survive till the end. You need to find a place to hide.”

“If you’re playing a game, just play the game—don’t move your body left and right along with it.”

“Damn, Grandma Thompson, your aim is that good?”

Grandma Thompson’s performance left William Thompson utterly astonished. She was clearly a newbie, but her reaction speed and marksmanship were incredibly precise. Wielding a rifle, she dominated the battlefield.

“This game is really fun. I like this era.” A smile appeared on Grandma Thompson’s pretty face.

Chapter Five

William Thompson: Grandma Thompson, I’ve gone astray in my cultivation

The next day, William Thompson took Grandma Thompson out shopping for clothes. She couldn’t keep wearing men’s clothes forever, so William Thompson made a long shopping list, including not just clothes but also daily necessities. When William Thompson asked Grandma Thompson if she needed to buy sanitary pads, Grandma Thompson was confused for a long time.

“Alright, let me put it another way—uh, do you still get your period?” he said.

He figured she probably didn’t anymore. Otherwise, a period that lasted over a hundred years—just thinking about it was terrifying.

All those years of Grandma Thompson’s periods—could they fill a swimming pool?

William Thompson got chopped on the neck by Grandma Thompson’s hand. When he left the house, his neck was still crooked. He had to thank Grandma Thompson for holding back; otherwise, with one strike, he, William Thompson, wouldn’t have had the chance to continue the family line before meeting his end.

Now that he had a bit of spare cash, the inheritance left by his biological father wasn’t enough to make him rich, but two hundred thousand was enough to enjoy a comfortable, petty-bourgeois life in Shanghai.

William Thompson took a cab with Grandma Thompson straight to Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, the most bustling commercial street in Shanghai. Along with the Bund, it’s a must-visit for out-of-town tourists.

Along the way, Grandma Thompson leaned against the car window, excitedly gazing out at Shanghai.

“The Oriental Pearl Tower! When I first saw it, it had just been completed. Back then, it was the tallest building in Shanghai. Now there are several buildings next to it that are even taller.”

“The roads are so wide, and the buildings people live in are so tall…”

“Wasn’t Pudong a poor, desolate place where not even birds would poop? I haven’t been here in over twenty years, and now it’s so prosperous.”

She chattered on, marveling at the ever-changing face of Shanghai.

The taxi driver couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, where are you from?”

Her words were all jumbled and made no sense. The driver was a local, and if he remembered correctly, the Oriental Pearl Tower was completed around 1995. This young lady couldn’t have been born yet back then.

Pudong really was a desolate area over twenty years ago, but you don’t even look twenty.

What was most confusing was her tone, as if she hadn’t paid attention to the world for over twenty years.

Grandma Thompson replied crisply, “The capital.”

“…Oh, so you’re from Beijing.” It took the driver a while to get it. Then he asked, “What do you mean by over twenty years ago?”

Grandma Thompson was about to speak, but William Thompson quickly interjected, “She likes to joke around, ha, haha.”

He laughed awkwardly.

He tugged at Grandma Thompson’s sleeve, signaling her with his eyes to keep quiet.

He wasn’t worried about the secret of “a war soul from over a hundred years ago” getting out, but rather that she’d be taken for a lunatic.

It wasn’t rush hour, so traffic was good. Half an hour later, they arrived at People’s Square.

William Thompson pulled Grandma Thompson out of the car and into the crowd, warning, “Grandma Thompson, don’t go spouting nonsense anymore. The Qing Dynasty has been gone for a hundred years.”

“Got it.”

Grandma Thompson was still very obedient. She could be a bit willful at times, but most of the time she listened well. At least for now.

“I’m really curious about something,” William Thompson took Grandma Thompson’s soft hand to keep her from running off like a wild dog, and asked, “Grandma Thompson, how many exes have you had?”

“Including you,” Grandma Thompson recalled, “six.”

William Thompson shuddered, his face turning pale.

A hundred and fifty years, five exes—on average, each great-grandson lasted about thirty years. Were my ancestors really that short-lived?

Grandma Thompson sighed, “For various reasons, they never lived long. But don’t worry, as long as I’m here, I’ll make sure the Thompson family line continues for generations.”

William Thompson suddenly felt uneasy.

William Thompson walked ahead holding Grandma Thompson’s hand, while Grandma Thompson followed closely, looking around with great interest. Sometimes she was drawn to the sightseeing cars, sometimes to the food in tourists’ hands, and sometimes she just stared blankly at the colorful shop signs.

It was like an impatient boyfriend dragging along a curious, playful girlfriend.

If there were couples kissing on the street, she’d probably blush and spit in embarrassment, but actually, social customs weren’t that open—very few couples would really kiss passionately in public.

William Thompson thought of his own childhood and teenage years. When he was little, his adoptive parents would take him shopping for clothes on the pedestrian street every month—the four of them, happy together. After he became a teenager, it was just him and his sister.

His sister was cold as ice, and being alone with her was always stressful.

William Thompson had spent many years trembling under his sister’s tyranny. After learning the truth about his background, he immediately moved out to live on his own, escaping her clutches.