Two Extraordinary Paths

Ma Ran was the first person Wan Haihao had no idea how to address.

Junior?

Little Ma?

Brother Ran?

Theoretically, any of those would work.

But Wan Haihao always felt that speaking that way would be too flippant and not respectful enough.

Damn!

Who knew why he felt the need to respect a high school student who was younger than him and had made no particularly notable contributions to society!

Wan Haihao had no idea where this inexplicable urge to curry favor came from.

In the end, he decided to address him directly by name.

"Ma Ran, what do you think?"

Hearing this, Ma Ran finally put down the chicken leg bone in his hand, not a shred of meat left on it. He gave Wan Haihao a meaningful look before finally speaking in a low voice. "The answer is simple."

The moment he spoke, the three people beside him fell silent and listened attentively.

"The times have changed."

The four words people often saw in the comments sections of major media outlets, websites, forums, and video apps sounded strangely magical when they came from Ma Ran's mouth.

The three of them were somewhat puzzled, but none interrupted him. They simply listened in silence.

"Gulunzhong wasn't the only place sealed off because of supernatural phenomena and superpowered individuals."

Ma Ran spoke in a somber tone. "According to the information I've gathered..."

"Huangshan in Anhui, West Lake in Hangzhou, the Yangtze River Qutang Gorge, Taiwan Province Sun Moon Lake, the Terracotta Army area in Xi'an..."

"These places were closed one after another within four months, operations were suspended, and the public was told that the scenic areas were undergoing maintenance."

"And organizations similar to Caolu Academy also began appearing one after another."

At this point, Ma Ran stopped speaking. He simply took another five steaming, fragrant crispy chicken legs and a serving of braised beef with potatoes, then began eating leisurely.

Dong Huaiming had already eaten his fill, but those words immediately whetted his appetite. He fetched a bottle of Sprite, gulped down two mouthfuls, and said excitedly, "I told you!"

"No investigation, no right to speak!"

"Brother Ran must have conducted a meticulous investigation and carried out careful analysis and research before reaching the conclusion that superpowered individuals really exist in this world!"

At this point, Dong Huaiming lowered his head and muttered fervently, "Caolu Academy really... I actually guessed right... Oh my God!"

Wan Haihao had originally just wanted to find a random topic and chat with Ma Ran for a few sentences, but he suddenly felt that the situation was slipping out of control.

Judging by Ma Ran's appearance, he didn't seem like someone who enjoyed joking around...

Years of materialist education made it difficult for Wan Haihao to accept the things Ma Ran was hinting at.

"Now that we've become members of Caolu Academy, we should come into real contact with those supernatural phenomena soon."

"Don't overthink it."

After saying this, Ma Ran lowered his head and continued enjoying the food.

In the final days before his rebirth, life for Earth Humans had been miserable. Even eating a can of luncheon meat counted as living in comfortable conditions.

Su Qiangwei had ordered only a serving of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar. After replenishing her vitamins, she seemed to no longer suffer from motion sickness.

She blinked, her gaze settling on Ma Ran as he ate. Her focus was clearly different from that of the two men. "How exactly do you maintain that figure?"

Ma Ran ate very elegantly, but he ate quickly, with astonishing efficiency.

The others hadn't paid attention, but she had been watching him the entire time.

One serving of fried rice with shredded pork and green pepper, one serving of mushroom ramen, two steamed buns filled with sauced meat, six crispy chicken legs, two tea eggs, one serving of bone broth, and one serving of braised beef with potatoes.

How should she put it...

It was a meal exploding with carbohydrates and protein.

The food at Caolu Academy's cafeteria came in very generous portions. Even a single serving of fried rice was enough to leave Su Qiangwei stuffed.

One meal for Ma Ran was equivalent to Su Qiangwei's usual intake for three days!

"That appetite... It's not scientific."

Ma Ran didn't usually engage in much strenuous physical activity, did he?

Aside from physical education class, she hadn't seen him do any extra exercise.

Setting aside her biases and judging objectively, Su Qiangwei felt that Ma Ran's physique was quite good.

Neither bulky nor skinny, it possessed the beauty of golden proportions.

That appetite was completely incompatible with his figure!

Ma Ran raised his eyes and glanced at Su Qiangwei. "Mental activity is strenuous, so I consume more energy."

After saying this, he wiped his mouth, took his tray to the dishwashing area, then turned and left the cafeteria, heading toward the dormitories.

Su Qiangwei accepted that explanation.

People who engaged in heavy mental labor really did get hungry easily. No matter how much they ate, they wouldn't gain weight.

It was said that top-level Go players could even lose five pounds over the course of a match!

Those five pounds of body weight couldn't possibly all be water.

That was also why so many people could gorge themselves during their student years without expanding, yet after entering the workforce, they clearly ate less while their weight continued to shoot up.

"Hey! I haven't finished asking my questions! Wait!"

Su Qiangwei stood up and hurried after him.

Dong Huaiming also quickened his pace and followed, displeased. "You had all that time in the car and still haven't finished asking? Why are you, a girl, running around the boys' dormitory?"

He still had plenty of questions and theories about superpowers that he wanted to discuss with Ma Ran in private.

It was an intimate topic, and it would be inconvenient to discuss with a third party present.

Su Qiangwei sneered and shot back, "What does it have to do with you if I go to Ma Ran's room? Don't tell me you're his roommate. I already asked—members of the academy all have single rooms."

"How are you so unreasonable?"

Dong Huaiming grew anxious. "How about Brother Ran stays with me today and you tomorrow?"

"No way! Me today, you tomorrow!"

"Don't you just want to ask how to lose weight and maintain your figure? We've already joined Caolu Academy, and you're still asking such low-level questions. How lame!"

"Hm? Don't tell me you want to ask how to become a superpowered individual? You've worked so hard along this path for so long, yet if you had even a little talent, there should have been some sign of success by now. The answer is obvious—you have no talent at all. So don't waste Ma Ran's time! Everyone wins!"

Watching the two people suddenly start arguing ahead of him, Wan Haihao sighed. He silently deleted the message he had originally intended to send on WeChat and changed it to: "Let's have breakfast together tomorrow."

That aloof junior really was popular...

The single dormitory rooms Caolu Academy provided for its members weren't particularly large, but their furnishings gave them a warm, cozy feel.

The walls had been painted sapphire blue. Perhaps the person responsible for planning the decor had looked up Ma Ran's viewing history through the big data system, because posters of Tiga, Taro, Leo, Seven, Mebius, and other Ultramen were plastered across the walls.

As for the furniture, everything from a computer, television, and desk to a bathtub was provided.

After seeing Su Qiangwei and Dong Huaiming off, Ma Ran locked the door, lay down on the bed, and began organizing his thoughts.

Caolu Academy was a supernatural organization disguised as an academic society, with official backing.

Among the many supernatural organizations in the country, Caolu Academy could be considered one of the most elite.

Joining Caolu Academy meant gaining access to two extraordinary paths from the very beginning.

① Awaken superpowers through the Victory Encounter Stone.

② Study extraterrestrial inscriptions, deduce the locations of the acupoints, and cultivate inner energy.

There wasn't much to say about superpowers.

This was an extraordinary path that followed the principle of equivalent exchange. From manipulating the five basic elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth to solidifying one's form, from flying through the sky to burrowing underground, it encompassed all kinds of strange and varied abilities.

What ability one awakened had nothing to do with one's genes, nor was it connected to one's personal wishes. It was purely a matter of luck—a carnival for gamblers and the extraordinarily fortunate.

The second extraordinary path contained some points worth pondering...