Author's Notes: Hello everyone! and welcome back to yet another installment of From Ground Zero! I've got another action packed chapter for you so sit back and relax while I spin for you yet another yarn! Please leave some feedback in the reviews so that I know how to improve my story!

I stared at this man standing before me, too shocked and scared to say anything. Of all the goddamned places I had to wake up in, it had to be in ANCIENT CHINA?! You couldn't have at least dropped me off in a place that spoke English? This all had to be some stupid prank or some cruel joke someone was pulling on me. Here I was with nothing to defend myself with, wearing a thin hospital gown that was now making me look more and more indecent no thanks to how ripped and dirty it was becoming staring into the eyes of a man who back at home would have been way out of my league AND had legions of girls drooling over him.

No one in my family had bothered teaching me or my sister how to speak Mandarin growing up because they were from an area where it was rarely spoken. Though if I knew I was going to find myself in an emergency situation like this, I would have taken the opportunity to learn how to immerse myself in the language. I did know Cantonese though, even if I wasn't completely fluent in the language. I didn't know if this man was going to find me speaking in another dialect trashy, but I didn't really have much choice in the matter. I had a dislocated shoulder and a twisted ankle PLUS I was stuck at the bottom of a ravine so I had to take a risk. I shook my head no at him and then pointed back and forth at my shoulder and my ankle, wincing at each little movement that made my body flare with pain.

(…My shoulder and ankle hurts… I can't stand up.) I told him in Cantonese, hoping he would at least understand that I wasn't in any position to move right now.

He seemed to pause for a moment, like he was mulling over what I had just said. I wanted to kick myself again, but doing that wouldn't have solved anything. I was snapped out of my panicked thoughts as another loud angry roar echoed throughout the ravine. I turned around to see another army of fierce corpses rising out of the ground, each jerking and twitching as though they were being controlled by something very unnatural and evil. The fox's eyes had gone from being yellow to a very ominous shade of red that seemed to glow in the darkness. I escaped from being torn to shreds by one horde of fierce corpses just to wind up at the mercy of ANOTHER horde of them? Today was definitely not my day. The three teenagers, now joined by a fourth one, began to hack and slash away at the newly risen army, sending a flurry of dismembered body parts flying everywhere. Soon, they were joined by other younger boys, the ravine now turning into a bloody and gore filled battlefield.

The man got up, dusted off the front of his robes and stepped protectively in front of me while taking out what looked like a guqin strapped to his back from its protective wrappings. With a wave of his hand over the strings, he sent out a shockwave out into the crowd. Dozens of fierce corpses were sent flying in various directions. The fox demon shook off the barrage of attacks it was currently under and broke free of whatever enchantment was binding it in one place. It lunged at us with fangs and claws bared, ready to tear us to pieces. With another wave of his hand, he sent out yet another shockwave that sent it skidding and bouncing backwards across the ground.

Shaking the rubble out of its fur, its eyes glowed red again as another dozen corpses rose from the ground. It was then that I heard the shrill yet haunting song of a flute being played. The corpses began to jerk unnaturally again and turned on beast, climbing all over it and pinning it to the ground while it angrily thrashed its head around in indignation. I was confused, what was going on and why where they turning on it? Another man stepped up in front of me from behind, a polished black flute with a red tassel tied around a jade pendant hanging off its end in his hand and a look of determination on his face.

He was a bit shorter than the man with the guqin, but he was none the less just as handsome as the man beside him. His dark unruly hair was tied in a high ponytail with a long crimson ribbon that also seemed to dramatically flutter in the wind as he played his chilling melody. Almost in stark contrast to the gentleman next to him, he wore robes of black, dark gray and red. I found myself more frightened by his eyes to than to focus on how attractive he was. They glowed that same ominous shade of red that beast did in the dark.

He played a different melody this time, one that sounded a bit gentler than the one I heard before. The sound of something heavy and metallic rattling filled the air. I looked upwards to see a figure with dark tattered robes and long greasy matted hair soaring above me, the chains attached to the shackles on his wrists and ankles whipping behind him as he landed beside the two. I watched him talk with them in hushed tones before pointing at me. To my horror, I realized that it was yet another fierce corpse that I was looking at. But he seemed different from the ones that have attacked me before. Though he might have been dead, I felt a sort of gentle warmth and kindness radiating from him as he scooped me up into his arms and leaped upwards, using different nooks and crannies as footholds to help propel him upwards.

It didn't take too long to finish off the fox demon. All it took was one very well aimed sword strike to the chest to get it to stop thrashing around. The fierce corpses or whatever you called them instantly froze in their tracks. Some dropped to the floor like puppets that have had their strings cut. Others simply crumbled to dust, leaving behind nothing but tattered rags and a few bones. Many of them began the process of disposing of the demon's body and collecting what intact corpses were left behind. Were there perhaps families and loved ones that these people once belonged to? In all the chaos and pandemonium, I had forgotten how cold it was getting. A fierce corpse was still a cold lifeless body that little to warm me up and my clothes were beyond repair so I began to shiver, trying in vain to pull what little rags I had left to warm myself up, my breath coming out in little ragged white puffs of smoke. An all too familiar male voice rang in my head, signalling that I've cleared another mission.

"OBJECTIVE CLEARED. TOTAL POINTS EARNED: 90. GOAL FOR COMPLETE REINCARNATION: 130/1000 POINTS"

"Oh shut the fuck up you asshole AI…" I angrily thought as I placed a hand on my forehead, already feeling nauseous and dizzy from a combination of stress, pain and a creeping chill in my bones that was starting to make its way up my body.

In between dying from the corona virus and leukemia, being dumped into an ancient Chinese forest, getting chased by zombies and a giant demon fox that can control the living undead, I had no patience for any of his snippy and emotionless remarks right now. I just wanted a nice warm bath and a comfy bed to sleep in. When I signed up for a second chance in life, I didn't ASK to get dragged into bullshit like this.

I watched as everyone began flying out of the ravine while standing atop their swords like they were magical skateboards or brooms. The two gentlemen who had protected me earlier flew out together riding the same sword. I couldn't quite understand what they were talking about, but the tones of their voices seemed to indicate that it was something serious.

I could barely focus on what was going on as I shut my eyes and gripped onto the front of this corpse's shirt with shaking hands. I felt like I was going to be sick again. My shoulder ached, my ankle was swollen, I was covered in cuts and scrapes, and my body felt like it was on fire. I vaguely remember feeling cool but callused slender hands being pressed against my forehead and lots of panicked yelling before passing out, the sensation of fabric enveloping my body and the comforting scent of sandalwood lulling me to sleep.

I didn't know if I was dreaming or something, but I found myself in a darkened hallway with multiple doors. They were all of different sizes and shapes, each with their own styles. Opening one white door with a silver knob, I saw an old yet familiar sight before me. My parents were arguing again about me. I could see my young 7 year old self huddled in a corner of the living room crying while my sister put a comforting hand on my shoulder. They had gotten into a heated argument about my grades and whether or not it would be better to put me in with the special needs kids.

I closed that door and sighed loudly, not wanting to see anymore. I opened another one, this one being covered in cracks and filth. It was of my supervisor at one of my old jobs verbally berating me for a mistake I had made. She'd always been a very stern and strict woman, not leaving anything open to interpretation. I'd miscalculated the amount on an invoice I was taking stock of, and she'd torn me a new one in front of some of my coworkers and a few customers. It was one of the most humiliating things I've ever been through.

I closed that one too, tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. I quickly rubbed my eyes and pushed open an oak door covered in carvings of crawling vines and flowers. I found myself in the middle of a lush meadow. I shuffled through the grass, drinking in my surroundings. Where…WHAT was this place? In the distance I could make out a gazebo surrounded by white peony bushes next to a small koi pond.

Sitting inside was a tall man with a lean build and waist length jet black hair tied in a low ponytail at the end. He had delicate features with deep golden eyes framed by long thick eyelashes, a finely pointed nose and a vermillion mark in between his eyebrows. On his head he wore a black gauze cap decorated with golden flowers fastened under his chin with golden cords. He wore a long cream coloured coat over what looked like a yellow round collared hanfu embroidered with a large stylized peony in the front. Though was shocked me the most was the fact that his entire right arm from the shoulder down was missing! All that remained was a bloody stump that stained his otherwise immaculate robes.

He eyed me with curiosity on his delicate features. I suddenly felt very nervous and self conscious under his gaze, remembering the fact that when I died, I was emaciated from years of chemotherapy and had nary a strand of hair left on my bare head. I was also wearing a very revealing open back hospital gown that left little to the imagination. My face heated up from both embarrassment and shame as I slowly backed away from the gazebo.

(O-oh, I see that I'm interrupting you in the middle of something) I said nervously in Cantonese, putting my hands up.

(I-I'll just be taking my le-)

"Stay" he said in English, not bothering to look up from his teacup. "Well? What are you waiting for? Don't just stand there looking at me! Have a seat!"

I took my seat at the table across from him, the stone bench feeling cool against my bare thighs.

"You can speak English?" I asked him incredulously

"Well not exactly" he said, putting his cup of tea down. "This place seems to be able to translate whatever language other people are speaking into our native tongues. You hear me speaking English, and I hear you speaking Mandarin."

With one fluid motion, he picked up a small pot on the table and poured some tea for me. The familiar smell of Pu'er tea mixed with jasmine calmed my nerves down as I took a gulp.

"Who are you?" I asked, setting my cup on the table.

The man proceeded narrow his eyes at me before answering.

"You can call me Meng Yao, but you also know me as the so called "Asshole AI" you seem so fond of cussing out" he muttered sarcastically.