Chapter 301: Chapter 298: [Sending a Big Gift Package?]
Chapter 298: A Grand Gift Package Delivery?
Early the next day.
"What happened to your hair?"
Standing in the backyard of Brother Lei’s shop, Chen Nuo looked curiously at Brother Lei’s shiny bald head.
Brother Lei had a mournful expression on his face. "Well, I had to shave it off again!"
Chen Nuo: "..."
Brother Lei sighed deeply. "What could I do? This is just too odd. Who has ever heard of someone who was bald one day and then had a full head of hair the next? My girlfriend was so freaked out; she thought I had contracted some serious illness. It took a lot to calm her down temporarily, and I made her promise not to talk about it outside. I can’t explain it! I was so frightened yesterday that I didn’t even open the store. After going to the hospital with my girlfriend, I just went home. But today, I had to open for business! When the employees saw my hair had grown back today, how was I supposed to explain that? I couldn’t explain it clearly, and it would just cause a lot of gossip. So, I hardened my heart and shaved it off again."
Poor Brother Lei; even his eyes looked pitiable when he mentioned "shaving it off."
As he spoke, Brother Lei turned around and gently took out a paper package wrapped in newspaper from a drawer... Inside was a pile of hair!
"This... I shaved it off myself. I kept it to show you, to see if you could figure anything out. I didn’t dare to throw it away."
Didn’t he dare to throw it away... or was it that he couldn’t bear to?
Chen Nuo sighed.
But there was work to be done.
He took the newspaper-wrapped pile of hair and pinched a tuft to inspect it closely. He looked at it from the left and the right, then suddenly rubbed his fingers together, creating a spark of flame that quickly incinerated the tuft of hair at his fingertips.
As the flame died, the hair turned to ash.
Brother Lei had a pained look on his face: "..."
Chen Nuo pondered for a moment, then pointed at the chair in front of him. "Sit here."
"Alright!" Brother Lei took a deep breath and sat down solemnly.
First, Chen Nuo pulled Brother Lei’s bald head closer for a look—the hair was shaved, but the follicles were still intact and prominent. Then, after thinking for a while, he took Brother Lei’s wrist to feel his pulse.
"What, Boss Nuo, you even know traditional Chinese medicine?"
"No." Chen Nuo shook his head. "Don’t talk."
Holding the pulse and closing his eyes to meditate for a moment, Chen Nuo finally opened his eyes and looked at Brother Lei.
"Did you find anything?"
"Emmmmm..." Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "Did anything unusual happen these past few days? Like, suddenly being bitten by a spider or something?"
"...No."
"Then, have you ever seen some kind of semi-transparent interface, like a system display or something?"
"No, I haven’t."
"I see... Have you picked up anything strange, like an inconspicuous broken ring, and then suddenly started hearing strange voices in your head? Voices claiming to be an old master or something?"
"Still nothing..."
"Then..." Chen Nuo was about to continue when Brother Lei was nearly in tears. "No, Boss Nuo, what exactly is wrong with me?"
"Nothing!" Chen Nuo moved his fingers away, no longer holding Brother Lei’s wrist.
Brother Lei was trembling. "So I..." He pointed to his head as he spoke.
Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "If it’s shaved, then it’s shaved. It’s alright."
"What’s alright? What do you mean?"
"You’ve gone bald, and you’ve also grown stronger."
Brother Lei stared blankly at Chen Nuo, his expression almost on the brink of tears!
"Don’t get it?" Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "If you can’t understand, I’ll show you."
With that, he casually grabbed a screwdriver from nearby, took one of Brother Lei’s hands, and with lightning speed, made his move!
Before Brother Lei could react, the screwdriver had pierced his palm, and blood spurted out.
Brother Lei exclaimed, reflexively pulling back his hand. Before he could speak again, Chen Nuo pulled his palm over again and ordered, "Look closely!"
Brother Lei: "...What the hell?!"
The small puncture in his palm, made by the screwdriver, healed with visible speed. The bleeding slowed and then gradually stopped. The broken skin on the surface also rapidly began to heal.
In just a short moment, the wound healed completely, leaving behind a faint white mark... Then, the color of the skin slowly darkened, and the pigmentation returned. The skin of the wound soon matched the surrounding skin in color.
A few minutes later, if one looked again, the mark of the injury was almost imperceptible!
"...What the hell! What the hell! What the hell!!!" Brother Lei exclaimed again and again.
"I told you, you’ve lost hair, but you’ve also gained strength," Chen Nuo sighed.
During the earlier examination, Chen Nuo had used his spiritual power to penetrate Brother Lei’s body, carefully checking his condition, and had noticed an anomaly. The speed of energy circulation within Brother Lei’s Consciousness Space was much faster than that of an ordinary person. At the same time, the cells throughout Brother Lei’s body appeared to be highly activated! In simple terms, his cellular regeneration and the energy they contained seemed far greater than that of a normal person.
Chen Nuo pondered for a long time, thinking carefully. There seemed to be no external force involved with Brother Lei’s body or Consciousness Space. This metabolic energy appeared to be Brother Lei’s own.
So... Brother Lei has "awakened"?
A very slim possibility, but not entirely impossible. After all, Brother Lei regularly had a lot of contact with people like himself, those who possessed abilities.
Chen Nuo remembered that in his previous life, he had seen someone post a similar hypothesis on the Octopus website: If an ordinary person frequently comes into contact with Ability Users, could they inadvertently be affected by their residual energy? Could this activate their own potential and increase the possibility of "awakening"?
When he saw this hypothesis in his previous life, many people had replied to it. Of course, most were just boasting or joining in on the fun. But some actually discussed it seriously. In his memory, there was indeed someone who conducted in-depth research on this. There was even one person who was so drawn to this topic that they carried out long-term research.
He was an Ability User, a doctor, who on a whim secretly drew blood from his wife, with whom he lived. He then carried out various comparisons over different periods and at different intervals. This experiment lasted for a whole year. Eventually, hardly anyone paid attention to the topic anymore. However, this Ability User, who clearly had a rather stubborn personality, kept updating his experimental progress in that thread for a full year without interruption. Eventually, almost no one paid attention, yet he still regularly posted his latest experimental comparison data.
Chen Nuo, out of boredom, had actually remembered this and would periodically look up the thread—much like following a serialised story. He was actually curious about what the final conclusion would be. He wondered if an ordinary person, after prolonged contact with an Ability User, would indeed have an increased chance of awakening.
But then... the person posting updates had gone silent. It was unclear when it started, but the Ability User stopped posting updates. Later, Chen Nuo even asked around and found out that... the guy had died. He’d been killed during a commissioned task.
"Boss Nuo, I’m not well-educated, so don’t try to fool me! I... have I become an Ability User?" Brother Lei’s eyes widened as he stared at Chen Nuo.
"Uh-huh, I guess so—definitely," Chen Nuo nodded. "But I’m not sure how it happened, or what the cause is. Maybe you just suddenly awakened."
"Awakened?" Brother Lei thought for a moment, a mix of excitement and curiosity in his expression. "Boss Nuo, does this mean I’m like you? Or like Lin Sheng?"
Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "Actually, everyone has the potential to awaken. Some people just have stronger talents and awaken early or easily. Others have weaker talent and may never awaken in their entire lives. In this world, 99.9999999% are probably the latter. But you, you’re an exception. It could also be that you’ve been in contact with us for a long time. Perhaps you were then unwittingly stimulated by the energy we inadvertently released, and then suddenly... SNAP! Just like that, you awakened."
Afterward, Chen Nuo simply taught Brother Lei a set of meditation techniques for controlling his abilities.
He patted Brother Lei’s shoulder. "Congratulations, Brother Lei. But I must remind you, most awakenings like this are temporary. A person might be awakened by some kind of energy stimulus. After activation, if they don’t properly harness it, this activated state will slowly subside and eventually become dormant again. To maintain this ability, you need to stabilize it first. In the early stages, train frequently and practice your control power. Then, this ability will truly take root, stabilize, and persist long-term."
After saying that, Chen Nuo patted Brother Lei’s shoulder again and took his leave. He had a lot to do today and several places to run to.
Watching Chen Nuo sway out the door and leave, Brother Lei stood there stupefied.
No way... This ability... Train more to stabilize it? How am I supposed to train?!!! Should I just stab myself a couple of times when I have nothing better to do?!!!
Picking up the screwdriver that Chen Nuo had casually put down, Brother Lei held it in his hand, his heart wrestling with turmoil.
This... I just can’t bring myself to do it!
That morning, he had gone to Boss Guo’s noodle shop and received a package of beef that Boss Guo had prepared. Chen Nuo really didn’t want to accept it but couldn’t withstand Boss Guo’s enthusiasm. Accepting it, he would feed it to that cat, perhaps helping to break its picky-eating habit. A cat being pickier about food than a human – where’s the justice in that?
The shop looked clean, tidy, and well-maintained.
Chen Nuo asked, "Are you planning to take a break from business?"
"Yes!" Boss Guo’s face showed a hint of joy as he slowly said, "Last night, during my daily training, I suddenly felt my cultivation barrier loosen. Several of my qi pathways, which had been blocked for many years, seemed to be stirring. I think that after more than ten years of diligent practice, the time has finally come! I consulted with Fourth Daughter, and she also feels that her energy flow during cultivation has become much smoother. We discussed it and decided to close the store for a while. We’ll both return to the Guo Clan ancestral home in the Northwest and enter seclusion to practice hard for some time. This time, we might truly achieve a breakthrough! My wife and I practice the same school of martial arts. If we enter seclusion and train together, our efficiency will be even higher."
Hearing this, Chen Nuo felt inspired and nodded. "Well then, my congratulations in advance to Boss Guo. I wish you both success in your cultivation during this retreat!"
As Chen Nuo left Boss Guo’s noodle shop, he furrowed his brows and carefully pondered some questions. He glanced at the time; it was not yet noon.
I still need to go to Old Jiang’s house for dinner today. Yes, and there’s what Zhu Dazhi told me yesterday, about suddenly having some kind of breakthrough in his training... Right! And Xicheng Xun!
He hailed a taxi and headed to No. 8 Middle School. After entering the International Division, he first went to the faculty office, then looked for Xicheng Xun in her usual classroom spot, but she wasn’t there.
That’s a bit strange. Xicheng Xun was different from him; this girl had always maintained the persona of a model, top-A student. Even in the International Division, a place with virtually no academic rigor, Xicheng Xun never skipped class.
Just as he thought about this, his phone suddenly rang in his pocket. He picked it up, and to his surprise, it was Xicheng Xun.
He answered the call.
"Ah Xiu, you today..."
"I’m at school now."
"Then... can you come to my dorm?"
"Hmm?" Chen Nuo frowned. "You..."
"I... I had a bit of a problem today." Over the phone, Xicheng Xun’s tone seemed calm, but it was clear that she was trying hard to suppress some emotion.
"Okay!"
Chen Nuo hung up and quickly walked towards the dormitory building of the International Division.
Standing at Xicheng Xun’s door, Chen Nuo knocked.
The door slowly opened.
Chen Nuo stepped inside, then suddenly paused! The small room, the kind one could take in with a single glance, was empty. There was no sign of anyone. The door behind him also slowly closed on its own.
An idea suddenly flashed in Chen Nuo’s mind; his body instantly shifted sideways a meter. He then raised his hand and grabbed at an invisible something in the air that had been about to touch his shoulder!
With a light swing of force!
BOOM! It was as if he had flung something through the air, sending it smashing directly into the dining table in the room!
BANG!
The dining table seemed to be hit, and the unseen presence seemed to retreat and then approach again.
Chen Nuo’s eyes narrowed, his spiritual power already extended, Telekinesis gathering and about to be unleashed...
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice in the air before him.
"Ah Xiu, it’s me..."
"...??"
Chen Nuo was stunned.
「A few minutes later.」
"So... according to what you’re saying... you... discovered this morning that you can become invisible? And then you found that you can’t control this state of invisibility at all?" Chen Nuo looked with wide eyes at...
Well, he couldn’t see anything. The space before him was empty; he couldn’t catch sight of Xicheng Xun at all. Moreover, the strangest part was that Xicheng Xun’s "invisibility" was extremely potent! It wasn’t just visual invisibility. When Chen Nuo entered the room earlier, with his level of expertise, he could have sensed someone standing before him even with his eyes closed. Especially given the strength and sensitivity of his spiritual power, which could completely bypass visual concealment. Yet, just moments ago when he entered, even Chen Nuo hadn’t detected Xicheng Xun in her invisible state!
Now, Chen Nuo had to specifically extend his Spiritual Force Tentacles, employing their probing and searching capabilities, to finally locate Xicheng Xun’s presence in the air!
This skill... It’s simply the perfect ability for an assassin! Even an average Ability User would find it hard to detect!
"I had an appointment with you last night, so I went to school to wait for you this morning. However, after the first class ended, I went to the restroom. I don’t know how, but I suddenly became invisible." Xicheng Xun’s voice revealed a faint hint of panic. "I don’t even know what happened, nor how I did it... It was only when I was standing at the mirror washing my hands that I suddenly realized I couldn’t see myself. Then... I was scared stiff. I hid in the restroom, not daring to go out, then desperately checked myself and my abilities... After a while, I suddenly wasn’t invisible anymore. I was terrified and just stood there for a long time. Then, feeling something was seriously wrong, I decided to go straight home! As it turned out, going home was the right decision. I hadn’t even reached my apartment. I had just entered the building and was on the staircase when I found myself becoming invisible again! This state was completely out of my control! It flickered in and out of existence. Fortunately, I came home. If I had been at school, it would certainly have caused chaos and frightened people."
Chen Nuo listened very seriously, frowning as he did so.
Just then, the figure of Xicheng Xun slowly and gradually started to appear in the air next to the coffee table. The girl was kneeling on the floor facing Chen Nuo. She looked puzzled at first, then raised her hands to look at herself.
"I... I can see myself again."
"Yes, you’ve reverted from your invisible state," Chen Nuo sighed.
"I... I don’t know how this..."
"I know," Chen Nuo said in a slightly odd tone. "You... have awakened a new ability... and your strength has also increased."
"Huh?"
"Yes, that’s what I mean."
Unlike with Brother Lei, Chen Nuo was serious about what he told Xicheng Xun. Chen Nuo really knew! Because of his experiences in his past life... Xicheng Xun, codename "Lan Mei"—one of her abilities was the "Ultimate Concealment Art"! In other words, the Xicheng Xun Chen Nuo knew in his past life eventually became proficient in this invisibility art! This was the evolutionary path of Xicheng Xun’s abilities after they advanced. That’s how Xicheng Xun was in his past life.
In this life... clearly, Xicheng Xun’s abilities also improved today.
But the question is... why today? Chen Nuo remembered very clearly. In his past life, Xicheng Xun’s invisibility art didn’t awaken until she was about twenty years old, after her abilities and realm had improved. In this life... the Japanese kendo girl before him was only a little over sixteen years old. A sudden leap in strength like this?
"Huff..." After exhaling deeply, Chen Nuo thought...
First, I need to solve the immediate problem. I can’t let Xicheng Xun, a living person, keep appearing and disappearing like this. How could she even go out? She’d scare people to death if she did!
Luckily, Chen Nuo did have a ready-made solution for this problem. In his past life, when Little Lan Mei was with him, she had experienced an advancement in strength and an increase in her abilities, and she had continued to progress under Chen Nuo’s guidance. Therefore, Chen Yanluo was very familiar with Lan Mei’s training methods and skills. He was also very proficient in the unique training techniques Little Lan Mei had used in her past life.
Without hesitation, he re-taught these unique training techniques, which had originally belonged to Little Lan Mei in her past life, to the Little Lan Mei before him.
"This training method is very suitable for you. You can use this method to train your newly awakened ability in the next couple of days. I believe that with your talent and comprehension, you should master this skill quickly. Regardless... it’s not a bad thing for you. After all, your strength has increased. And besides... this cultivation method should be very suitable for you."
Sigh... How could it not be suitable? It was, after all, the cultivation method Little Lan Mei had originally developed herself in her past life, based on her own unique conditions.
Xicheng Xun, unaware of this, was nonetheless very pleased. "I knew you were the best, Ah Xiu! I was sure you’d have a way to help me."
Er... actually, you created this method yourself in your past life...
"Oh, right! I came to you today because of something very important!" Xicheng Xun’s smile faded as she spoke seriously. "I think there’s something wrong with the car accident yesterday!"
"Hmm, go on," said Chen Nuo, frowning.
"Actually, it’s quite simple. Ah Xiu, with my level of strength and physical conditioning, how could an ordinary car accident prevent me from reacting and taking appropriate protective measures in time? How could it have even knocked me unconscious?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Nuo didn’t show any surprise on his face. He took a deep breath and said slowly, "Hmm, I understand."
Rising to his feet, Chen Nuo instructed Xicheng Xun, "You should stay home for now and don’t go out. Focus on mastering this new skill. Hmm... I’ll handle the matter of the car accident."
When Chen Nuo left Xicheng Xun’s house, it was already noon. As he walked down the stairs, the sun was high overhead.
At noon, the International Division campus, just across the wall, was a little more lively. Students were walking around on the athletic field, and many were going in and out of the cafeteria.
Chen Nuo, his brow furrowed, walked slowly out of the dormitory area. He didn’t head towards the academic buildings but instead went towards the athletic field. Climbing onto the concrete bleachers, Chen Nuo found a corner and slowly sat down.
Brother Lei, Xicheng Xun... and also Boss Guo, Fourth Daughter. They had either made rapid progress in their strength or had suddenly awakened. Furthermore... Right, there was also Zhu Dazhi. He hadn’t been very detailed over the phone yesterday, but it sounded like his training had also suddenly... advanced. Hmm... These are all people close to me...
Chen Nuo thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up. He gazed ahead, where the space was empty, devoid of any figures. Yet, a peculiar smile appeared on Chen Nuo’s face.
"So... are you here to hand out benefits? To give everyone close to me a big gift package? And... my dream last night... that was you probing and searching my memories, wasn’t it?"
Silence... No response...
Chen Nuo shook his head, smiled, and said, "Alright, I know you must be watching me. How about... coming out for a chat?"
After two seconds of quiet.
Suddenly, Chen Nuo heard a voice in his ear!
"Chatting is fine... but you have to treat me to cookies... Oh, and add a bottle of cola!"
Chen Nuo laughed and snapped his fingers. "Deal! I’ll throw in an extra serving of ice cream. What flavor do you like?"
"...chocolate flavor..."
"What a coincidence, I like that..."
"Chocolate flavor... vanilla flavor... cream flavor... strawberry flavor... and add a mango flavor. Oh, right, no matcha flavor. I don’t like it."
Chen Nuo: "..."
He sighed. "Good appetite! How about you tell me what else you want to eat? Just list it all out together."
"...Waffles, cake, doughnuts, milkshakes, red bean pies, and milk tea—full sugar..."
Chen Nuo listened seriously for a minute, then softly sighed.
"Good, at least I’m sure you’re definitely not a girl."