Dead Man

A little after seven in the morning, Jiang Hou sat at the dining table, slowly eating breakfast.

Today's breakfast was porridge, steamed buns, and a small plate of pickled vegetables.

However, Jiang Hou moved somewhat carefully. Earlier, while washing his face and brushing his teeth, he had accidentally snapped his toothbrush by using too much force.

A Strength attribute of nearly 30 points was equivalent to three times that of an ordinary person. His grip strength was probably between 150 and 200 kilograms—not excessively outrageous.

But this power had surged suddenly, leaving him no time to get used to it. As a result, Jiang Hou would easily apply too much force if he was not careful, damaging little things around him.

Across from Jiang Hou, Qin Siyu held a steamed bun and tore it into tiny pieces as she spoke.

"Jiang Hou, I've already packed your lunch. Don't forget to take it when you leave."

"Okay." Jiang Hou nodded.

"Alright, I'm full. Remember to clean up later." The girl stuffed the last small piece of bun into her mouth, then patted her little hands and stood up.

Today, she wore a white long-sleeved shirt, a red plaid skirt that covered her knees, and black tights underneath, making her 1.65-meter figure look curvy in all the right places.

Her hair was tied into a loose ponytail with a white bow, several white ribbons trailing from it and giving her an airy, lively appearance.

Her bangs had also been carefully arranged, hanging beside her ears on both sides while covering her brows in the middle, making her already pretty little face look even more delicate and lovely.

Compared to Qin Siyu's girls' school uniform, Jiang Hou's boys' uniform was rather ordinary.

Straight black trousers and a white shirt on top—it was not ugly, but it was simply conventional, nowhere near as flattering or stylish as the girls' uniform.

Jiang Hou sighed. "Our Siyu is getting prettier and prettier. And you're so virtuous too. In a few years, who knows which lucky guy will get to marry you."

The girl said nothing in response to Jiang Hou's praise, but the slight upward curve of her lips showed that she was in a very good mood.

"Eh!"

Just as Qin Siyu was about to turn and leave, she suddenly let out a soft cry and looked back at Jiang Hou's face.

Jiang Hou, stared at by her, touched his cheek in confusion. "What is it? Did I not wash my face properly?"

The girl looked a little puzzled. "Jiang Hou, I just noticed that the pimples on your face seem to be gone. Your skin's gotten a little fairer too, and you look much better."

"Oh, it's probably because I've been going to bed early lately." Jiang Hou kept a straight face and casually came up with an excuse.

"Is that so?"

The girl looked suspicious. "I go to bed early and get up early every day too. Why haven't I changed that much?"

Jiang Hou was speechless. "...You play on your phone until eleven or twelve every night. You may get up early, but that only counts as getting up early."

"Fine, let's not talk about that."

To avoid being lectured by Jiang Hou, the girl decisively changed the subject. "Do you want to get your hair cut? It looks so messy and gloomy, not sunny at all."

Because he had not cut his hair for more than two months, Jiang Hou's hair now completely covered his ears, while the scattered bangs over his forehead covered half his eyes.

This hairstyle was common in high school. It usually belonged to students who did decently in class but were not very outgoing and were a bit of homebodies.

"No. It's a waste of money, and why do I need to look sunny? It's not like I'm looking for a girlfriend." Jiang Hou flatly refused.

Right now, he only wanted to keep a low profile while researching Extraordinary Power. He had no interest in anything else, and a sudden drastic change would easily draw attention, whether at home or at school.

"Tch. I can't be bothered with you."

Seeing that Jiang Hou did not want a haircut, Qin Siyu could do nothing about it. She turned and went back to her room.

The nation in this world was powerful and highly developed, so the domestic educational atmosphere was relatively relaxed. It was not as brutally competitive as in Jiang Hou's previous life.

The same was true of high school. There were no morning or evening self-study sessions. Classes did not start until eight in the morning, and school ended at four-thirty in the afternoon.

After school, those who wanted to stay could take part in activities, gather together to form hobby clubs, go home to continue studying, or play games.

Students with good grades went to university after graduating high school, while those who were not good at studying chose vocational schools to learn specialized technical skills for entering society later.

Because of the social atmosphere, attending a vocational school was not looked down upon either.

Moreover, these schools had cooperative contracts with major local companies and factories. As long as students were not particularly stupid, they could enter a factory or company in their chosen field after graduation.

At the same time, since sixteen was considered adulthood in this country, the few high school students who did not want to continue studying could also look for work directly after graduating.

All in all, they avoided taking several years of detours.

While Jiang Hou's thoughts wandered, the morning news playing on the living room television suddenly caught his attention.

"Late last night, a vicious home invasion murder occurred in our city's Villa District."

"At around one in the morning, a man surnamed Zhang entered the home of the victim, a man surnamed Li, while carrying a sharp weapon. He brutally attacked Li's family, resulting in three deaths and one injury."

"Law enforcement officers rushed to the scene immediately after the incident and surrounded Zhang as he was preparing to flee."

"During the arrest, Zhang resisted and was armed with a dangerous weapon. After firing warning shots, law enforcement officers decisively opened fire and subdued him."

"However, although they avoided vital areas, the bullet struck his femoral artery. Zhang died from excessive blood loss before reaching the hospital."

"Meanwhile, four brave law enforcement officers sustained injuries of varying severity during Zhang's resistance and are currently receiving treatment at the hospital."

"According to the preliminary investigation, the crime was triggered by an incident a month ago, when Li injured Zhang's father and refused to pay compensation for medical expenses and other damages."

"This had a great impact on the nineteen-year-old Zhang. Unable to contain his anger, he ultimately caused this tragedy."

"Therefore, Nan Nan urges the general public to remain calm when facing difficulties. Do not ruin yourself and your family because of a momentary impulse..."

This news sounded like nothing more than an ordinary home invasion murder case, but one particular shot caught Jiang Hou's attention.

In the footage, the villa's front gate stood wide open. One of the doors lay on the ground, having been sliced diagonally into two from the middle.

The cut through the iron gate was smooth and straight. One could imagine just how sharp the weapon that had cleaved it open must have been; even "cutting through iron like mud" was not enough to describe it.

Or rather, such a divine weapon should not normally exist in this world—unless... it was an extraordinary weapon from another world.

At that thought, Jiang Hou's expression grew solemn.

Sure enough, he was not the only one who had encountered something miraculous last night. Others had entered that dangerous world as well and gained Extraordinary Power.

However, judging by what had happened, this person had likely obtained a powerful weapon.

And this Zhang had an impulsive temperament. The moment he gained Extraordinary Power, he had developed murderous intent and gone straight to the home of Li, the man he held a grudge against.

Although suppressed by this world, Zhang, who possessed Extraordinary Power, had not only killed his enemy but also injured four law enforcement officers armed with guns before being shot dead.

However, Jiang Hou felt that before going to seek revenge, Zhang might not have realized that this world suppressed supernatural powers. Otherwise, he would not have allowed himself to be surrounded by law enforcement.

Otherwise, even if he could not defeat them, he would have chosen to flee immediately.

"Jiang Hou, you're still eating? It's already seven-thirty."

"I'll be done soon. Siyu, you go ahead. You don't need to wait for me." Jiang Hou came back to his senses and waved at the girl carrying a pink backpack.

Although both were seniors in high school, they did not attend the same school.

However, in Wing City, all public school uniforms followed the same design. Only the school badge on the left chest differed, so their uniforms looked similar.

First update. Remember to vote in support.