050. Photosynthesis

The next day, eight o'clock.

"Joyful Goddess, holy and beautiful, your radiant light shines upon the earth."

He hadn't drawn the curtains. Lu Ban opened his eyes to the sound of "Ode to Joy."

He had slept soundly that night.

That was only reasonable.

For an ordinary person with a regular schedule who didn't carry worries and fatigue into the next day, several hours of tense, thrilling adventure in another realm would put tremendous strain on the body.

But Lu Ban wasn't sluggish. He sat straight up.

As soon as he rose, he sensed that something was off.

After moving his body around, Lu Ban felt as if he had been reborn.

He looked at his left arm. That was where the ratman had bitten him with its tiny, jagged teeth the previous night. Now, the bandages there gave off an itchy sensation that made him want to reach over and scratch.

"Did I get tetanus?"

Curious, Lu Ban removed the bandages, but what he saw wasn't rotting, mutated flesh.

The wound had healed.

The wounds made by the sharp teeth, from which grass and trees had grown, were now basically reduced to scabs. With a little ruthlessness, he could tear them off directly, revealing only a layer of new skin.

Lu Ban didn't feel anything abnormal at all.

Still, he was certain that there was nothing wrong with his body. He didn't possess some astonishingly fast recovery ability—getting punched still hurt for quite a while.

In other words, the current Lu Ban had a major problem.

He pondered for a while, then finally lowered his gaze to the quilt.

The quilt's simple, plain patterns rearranged themselves, forming the system's cold text.

Skill: Photosynthesis

This was the skill Lu Ban had obtained after completing the mission. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing unusual about it. He had been too tired last night and hadn't tested it right away.

Now Lu Ban knew what this skill was useful for.

Simply put, it was photosynthesis.

Lu Ban went out onto the balcony. A thirteenth-floor balcony received more than enough of the summer morning sun. The warm light fell upon him, making him feel incomparably comfortable.

Moreover, Lu Ban could sense energy being produced inside his body. Even without breakfast, his hunger was slowly fading.

As for the wound, it was even more remarkable. After being exposed to stronger sunlight, it began to itch. Lu Ban tore away the dead skin and scab, revealing skin that had already grown back underneath.

He looked at his arm. It seemed as though something had swum through his veins, like the writhing vines in the grass the previous night. The only difference was that these things brought Lu Ban comfort and reassurance.

"."

Lu Ban took out his phone and used the selfie camera to look at himself in the mirror.

"Fortunately, my hair hasn't turned green."

He sighed with relief.

The Photosynthesis skill allowed Lu Ban to perform photosynthesis.

As long as he was exposed to sunlight, he could convert solar energy into the energy his body needed. If Lu Ban were thrown onto a deserted island to survive, he wouldn't need to eat anything strange—he could produce and consume everything he needed himself.

Moreover, just as plants rapidly repaired themselves after being cut, the minor wounds on Lu Ban's body would quickly heal under sunlight.

To verify this, Lu Ban took a kitchen knife from the kitchen and went onto the balcony. He lightly drew it across the ring finger of his left hand.

Blood seeped out and dripped onto the floor.

Lu Ban saw something resembling an insect wriggle out of the wound and retract again. Accompanied by the sunlight, the cut healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He cut himself again.

After repeating this three times, Lu Ban reached the conclusion stated above.

"Since this is photosynthesis, then if I fertilize myself, will I grow better?"

Lu Ban began to consider buying Golden Fertilizer online.

But then he thought about it. His waste products after digestion were actually rich in ammonia and nitrogen. Perhaps his body could regulate itself, repeatedly absorb the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from them, and nourish itself.

"In the novels, those cultivators don't need to eat or excrete once they reach a certain level. In other words, they may have mastered photosynthesis too."

Lu Ban was mainly curious about the changes taking place in his body.

"Would I count as... a vegetable now?"

As he muttered to himself, he heard his doorbell ring.

"Who is it?"

Lu Ban walked to the door and looked through the peephole.

An eye covered in blood vessels was peering at him from outside the peephole.

Lu Ban moved slightly away from it.

"How strange. Let me take another look."

He looked again and discovered two police officers standing outside, dressed in police uniforms.

Lu Ban hurriedly opened the door.

The two police officers had been about to speak when they saw the kitchen knife in Lu Ban's hand.

"Put the knife down first."

One officer took half a step back and touched the radio at his waist.

"Oh, sorry."

Lu Ban placed the kitchen knife on the table.

"We received a report that someone here was harming himself on the balcony. Would it be convenient for us to come in?"

The officer asked.

It seemed the neighbor across the way had seen Lu Ban photosynthesizing while basking in the sun on the balcony and called the police.

"Of course, of course. Please come in, please come in."

Looking at such harmonious, friendly neighborhood relations, Lu Ban was deeply moved.

After receiving permission, the other police officer entered Lu Ban's apartment and looked around.

"No, I was simply using the knife to make a cut on my finger and see what happened."

Lu Ban told the truth.

The two police officers froze.

They exchanged a glance, then warily looked at Lu Ban.

"That can hurt you. Do you have some kind of request? Let me see your wound."

One of the officers asked Lu Ban to hold out his hand.

Lu Ban extended both hands, palms open.

The officer carefully examined them but found no wounds.

They suspiciously looked at Lu Ban.

At that moment, one of the officers seemed to remember something. He scrutinized Lu Ban, checked the apartment number, then took out his police terminal and looked something up. He immediately gave his companion a meaningful glance.

"As long as nothing happened, that's good. We'll be leaving now. Remember, if you have any difficulties, contact the police."

The two left Lu Ban's apartment. Instead of taking the elevator, they went to the corner.

"What is it?"

The officer who had received the reminder was somewhat confused.

"Do you remember the notice about that dangerous individual? The one coordinated with the psychiatric department at the hospital."

His companion took out his police terminal and displayed Lu Ban's photograph, along with the relevant information.

"Severe delusions, persecutory delusions, schizophrenia, extremely dangerous!"

The two looked at the description and immediately became tense.

"I took a look just now. There wasn't a single injury on his palms. There's no way he was using that kitchen knife to harm himself."

"Right. And I noticed that his room was extremely clean. Even the space beneath the bed was spotless. Who normally cleans under their bed? Severe obsessive-compulsive disorder must have a reason—either psychological trauma or an attempt to conceal something."

"He handled the knife very skillfully, and he was holding it in reverse. That isn't the posture for cutting vegetables. It looked more like the posture for attacking someone."

"I think I saw a lot of hair around the drain in his bathroom. Judging by the length, it didn't seem to be his. It looked more like a woman's."

"I keep feeling that there's another person in the room. I can't explain why. It's simply intuition."

"There's a crowbar in the corner of the bedroom with dark-red stains on it. They might be dried blood."

The two spoke quietly, trading observations back and forth.

At that moment, one of the officers suddenly saw Lu Ban standing at the stairwell behind his colleague.

He was also holding a police cap.

"You forgot your hat."

Lu Ban handed the police cap to them and even gave them a warm smile before turning and leaving.

"."

The two police officers looked at each other, their hearts churning like stormy seas.

*

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