Counting Units

At 7:55 a.m., at school.

Jiang Hou had just sat down in the classroom when Zong Zheng Nanmo leaned over and whispered, "Jiang Hou, in the latter half of last night, a fire broke out at a nightclub in Old City. More than a dozen people died."

"More than a dozen died again?" Jiang Hou froze.

Zong Zheng Nanmo nodded and said quietly, "Yes. The Law Enforcement Department's official explanation is that a gas explosion in the kitchen caused it, but I heard the corpses were horribly mangled. It didn't look like normal death by suffocation."

Jiang Hou understood what Zong Zheng Nanmo meant. It looked like another monster attack.

Of course, the more than ten people who had died last night referred to unusual deaths. They did not include Yidu's daily traffic accidents, murders, or natural deaths.

As a major city with a population of over ten million, Yidu saw at least two or three hundred deaths every day for all sorts of reasons.

As for why Zong Zheng Nanmo knew about these things, it was because of his profession. As a family that carried on Taoist traditions, many members of his family worked in fields related to the dead, including cooperating with the law enforcement departments.

Thus, they were exceptionally well-informed in such matters. As long as one person knew something, it would soon spread through the family business group chat.

Those calling for help called for help, those checking auspicious dates checked auspicious dates...

Nothing happened that morning, and time passed in the blink of an eye.

At noon, after eating, Jiang Hou went downstairs to rinse out his lunchbox. When he returned to the classroom, the phone in his pocket gave a faint vibration.

Jiang Hou put the lunchbox into his drawer before taking out his phone.

However, it was not the text message he had expected. Instead, Qin Siyu had tagged him in a private message on the video app, sent him a video, and added a smug emoji.

"What is this girl sending me a video for?" Puzzled, Jiang Hou opened the link.

The video consisted of more than a dozen photos, all solo shots of the same girl in different settings: beneath a tree on the sports field, by the classroom window, and in the corridor.

The girl in the photos had a small face, yet she was fair and beautiful. Her waist-length black hair was casually parted down the middle, and a pair of purple headphones hung around her neck.

The pressure from the headphones drew her hair inward, covering part of her cheeks and making her already small face seem even more delicate.

Jiang Hou estimated that she was around 1.6 meters tall. Her white shirt and short-skirt school uniform made her already mature chest look even fuller.

Coupled with the video app's beauty filter, she had red lips, white teeth, and skin like congealed cream. She was simply breathtakingly beautiful.

Because the girl had such excellent facial features and face shape to begin with, Jiang Hou felt that even without the beauty filter, she would be no less attractive than Li Mengwu.

Huh! When had Li Mengwu become a unit of measurement? Jiang Hou shook his head, tossing the strange thought from his mind. Then he subconsciously glanced toward the middle of the classroom, where the boy named Jiang Zhong was smiling as he said something to Li Mengwu.

Whether the girl was pretty or not was unimportant. What mattered was why Qin Siyu had sent him this video. Jiang Hou checked the video's data. It already had over ten thousand likes, had been posted yesterday afternoon, and the account had gained more than eight thousand followers.

They were all horny bastards.

Without Qin Siyu telling him, Jiang Hou knew that this video account called "Angel's Feather" was the one she had started with her classmate.

After liking the video and following the account, Jiang Hou exited and replied to Qin Siyu, "The photos are pretty good. The lighting and composition are both very professional!"

Qin Siyu quickly replied, "Of course. I specifically studied it for half a month."

Jiang Hou smiled. Given what he knew of Qin Siyu, the girl was surely feeling extremely pleased with herself right now. The corners of her upturned mouth could probably hang a baby bottle.

Jiang Hou forgot about the video in the blink of an eye. Since he still had time, he lay on his desk and napped for a while.

After the three afternoon classes ended and the dismissal bell rang, Zong Zheng Nanmo immediately perked up. "Come on, Jiang Hou. Let's go to the club."

Was there really any need to be this excited? It was not like they were going to see beautiful girls...

Wait, that club president seemed quite pretty too.

Speaking of which, Jiang Hou realized that a lot of beautiful girls seemed to have appeared recently. Aside from Qin Siyu and Li Mengwu, Jiang Ruochan and Siyu's classmate were both no less attractive than Li Mengwu.

But that was normal. Jiang Hou simply could not remember girls who were not pretty, like the other female students in his class!

After leaving the teaching building, Zong Zheng Nanmo said, "Jiang Hou, I found a Combat Power Ranking app on the watch, but I don't have permission to open it."

"Let's ask the president later if she can grant us access."

"Sure. I'm a little curious about it too." Jiang Hou nodded.

As they spoke, the two crossed the football field and arrived at the Old Teaching Building behind it.

They were not the only ones there. Many students participating in club activities were gathering in this direction, though their destinations were the activity rooms on the first, second, and third floors.

There were already few people by the time they reached the fourth floor, and the fifth floor was even quieter.

As soon as the two arrived at Room 501, they saw the dashing black-haired girl already seated by the window, quietly reading the book from yesterday.

"President, you're already here." Zong Zheng Nanmo greeted her enthusiastically, with none of yesterday's restraint visible.

They were all eighteen-year-olds, and their thoughts were not as complicated as those of adults. In Zong Zheng Nanmo's view, once they joined the club, everyone became good friends who could hang out together.

Jiang Ruochan looked up, her voice calm. "So, have you gone through all the information in the watch?"

"We have."

Zong Zheng Nanmo nodded, pulled over a chair, and moved closer. "President, we can't open this Combat Power Ranking app. Can you grant us access?"

"Are you sure you want to open it? Aren't you afraid of being discouraged?"

Zong Zheng Nanmo did not care. "What's there to fear? We just awakened, so it's normal for us to be weak. Ignorance is far more frightening. We need to know where we stand."

"Zong Zheng is right. I think so too." Jiang Hou nodded in agreement.

"Fine. Open the settings and find your Smart Watch serial numbers. I'll grant you access from here." As she spoke, Jiang Ruochan held out her left wrist.

Unlike the ordinary-looking watches Jiang Hou and the others wore, Jiang Ruochan's "Smart Watch" was exquisitely designed.

Its slender, delicate strap was woven with gold-and-blue patterns, connected to a watch face resembling a starry sky. Around its edge was a phoenix-tail pattern made of tiny, sand-grain-sized diamonds.

After Jiang Hou and Zong Zheng Nanmo reported their serial numbers, Jiang Ruochan began operating it.

"All right. Restart them, and you'll be able to open it."

"Haha, President, you're amazing." Zong Zheng Nanmo flattered her, then eagerly powered off and restarted his watch. Jiang Hou did the same.

"Beep beep. Welcome to Heaven's Punishment Regional Network. Uploading basic data."

"Name: Jiang Hou."

"Age: eighteen years and four months. Awakening date: October 14th, Dragon Calendar Year 34. One of the members of Wind Chime Squad."

"Physical evolution path. Power system unknown. Physique strength: 8.6. Level: late First Order."

As the electronic voice announced the updated data from Jiang Hou's watch, Zong Zheng Nanmo's side was nearly the same, though his data had not changed much from yesterday.

"Wait, Jiang Hou, wasn't your physique 5.3?" Zong Zheng Nanmo froze, wondering if he had misheard.

"What do you mean?" Jiang Ruochan looked over.

Zong Zheng Nanmo scratched the back of his head. "After you left yesterday, President, we followed the beginner's guide and tested our strength."

"Jiang Hou's data showed a physique of 5.3. I was surprised that he was lower than me at the time, but now it seems the watch must have measured it wrong. Otherwise, how could it change so much in one day?"

Jiang Ruochan calmly shook her head. "The ones I gave you may be basic models, but they do not make mistakes. That can only mean his physique strength truly increased by three units in a single day."

First update. More to come.