Anomaly

Since the power was out, there wasn't much point in asking.

Chen Shouyi simply turned around and went back to his room.

The moment Chen Shouyi returned, Shell Girl started making a huge fuss again, buzzing on and on like a mosquito.

She was completely obsessed with cartoons now.

Every day, as soon as they got back to the hotel, she had to watch them. Nothing could change her mind.

Chen Shouyi was fed up with her. She was getting more and more mischievous.

He didn't want to use glass beads to appease her again, afraid he'd spoil her. Seeing that his phone still had plenty of battery, he said impatiently:

"Watch, watch, watch! I'll put something on for you right now."

He found Peppa Pig on a video app and randomly picked an episode.

It didn't matter. She wouldn't care which episode it was. As long as she had something to watch, she was happy.

He held the phone out in front of Shell Girl.

But after only one look, she started fussing again, her face full of dissatisfaction.

"Little Beiqi! That's little Beiqi! I want big Beiqi!"

Now she was getting picky? Weren't they all the same damn thing?

Chen Shouyi was so exasperated that his temples throbbed.

"Watch it if you want. If not, go to sleep!"

As soon as the giant got angry, Shell Girl immediately fell silent. She pouted and sulked to herself.

But soon she was engrossed in the cartoon, watching with rapt attention without so much as a blink. Her earlier anger had already vanished without a trace.

Listening to the cartoon's silly, adorable dialogue, Chen Shouyi sat blankly on the edge of the bed. For some reason, he felt restless, as if something bad were happening.

He sat quietly for more than ten minutes.

Then, faintly, he seemed to feel something strange stirring inside him.

It was as if a weak force were about to burst forth, like a seed frozen through a long winter that had slowly begun to sprout as the spring breeze passed.

This feeling...

His expression changed. As if to make sure, he immediately opened his status panel.

Seeing that his talent still read Beginner Self-Healing and hadn't changed to Natural Healing, he let out a long breath.

But then he sprang to his feet.

His expression was grave, his face full of disbelief.

To his shock, he saw that "Beginner Self-Healing" had grown much dimmer than the other entries, becoming almost translucent.

Shell Girl started shouting again.

"Beiqi, Beiqi, Beiqi!"

Hearing Shell Girl fuss again, Chen Shouyi suddenly had a bad feeling.

He snatched up the phone and saw that it had lost its signal.

Both the network connection and the cellular signal had disappeared completely.

Even the phone screen flickered faintly from time to time, as though the voltage had become unstable.

He tossed the phone aside and picked up the lighter provided by the hotel from the bedside table.

He flicked it, but it wouldn't light.

Irritated, he shook it and tried again. This time the flame finally caught.

Staring at the weak, wavering flame, not even a centimeter high, he froze on the spot, as if he'd plunged into an icy abyss.

There was still more than half a lighter's worth of liquid gas inside.

Perhaps he had always had a destructive streak. As a child, he'd loved playing with fire. He didn't smoke, but he often flicked this lighter just for something to do.

He clearly remembered that just yesterday, its flame had shot several centimeters high.

Of course, the pressure inside might have dropped. But combined with his talent turning faintly translucent, there could only be one explanation.

He sat back down on the edge of the bed, his thoughts in disarray.

Shell Girl kept fussing, making him even more restless.

The other hotel guests seemed to have noticed the loss of their phone signals too. Voices outside the door grew louder and more agitated.

Chen Shouyi could no longer sit still. He grabbed the noisy Shell Girl, tied her up, and stuffed her into his briefcase.

Staying in his room left him cut off from information.

He decided to go outside and take a look.

The corridor was packed with people. It seemed every guest had come out, and voices filled the place.

Most of them were strangers who probably hadn't even seen one another before. Yet now they chatted freely, trying to comfort each other's unease.

A power outage was unexpected, but at least everyone had experienced one before.

But for the power to go out while the internet and phone signals disappeared too—that was far too strange.

"Hey, young man, are you heading out?" A middle-aged man nearby asked curiously, watching Chen Shouyi with his briefcase tucked under his arm, looking ready to leave.

"It's too stuffy in my room. I'm going out to look around and find something to eat."

"You shouldn't go out right now. It's pitch-dark," a woman wearing light makeup kindly warned him.

"I'll be careful. I should be fine," Chen Shouyi said with a smile.

As if he'd be afraid of this, a powerful Martial Artist!

Chen Shouyi soon left the hotel.

Cars had completely blocked the street, forming a long, motionless line.

Many drivers simply opened their doors and either squatted by the roadside, smoking irritably, or chatted with one another.

Some people were fighting not far away, drawing a crowd.

His heart grew heavier.

He didn't know whether it was only Dongning City or the whole world.

If it was the whole world...

He could hardly imagine it.

The mysterious force field of the other world reduced the activity of electronics. Even a reduction of just half a percent would slow chemical reactions, require higher voltage for current to flow, and make low-energy electromagnetic waves harder to travel through the air.

Human civilization as a whole would probably undergo a drastic upheaval, falling backward.

He checked his phone. At least it still had power, which meant the effects hadn't yet reached a catastrophic level.

How was his family doing?

At last, he could no longer suppress the tide of longing in his heart. He stopped, turned around, and headed home to check on them.

He hurried along, and after a little more than ten minutes, he saw the building he knew so well.

The restaurant downstairs had already closed, its metal shutter firmly drawn.

That was very much in keeping with Mother Chen's cautious nature.

He looked up at the dark windows, emotions surging through him. Unable to hold them back, he called out loudly, "Dad! Mom! Little Sis! Are you there?"

Chen Shouyi called for a while before a window opened and Mother Chen leaned out.

"Shouyi, why are you back? Have you eaten? I'll come down and open the door!"

"No need, no need. I just came by to check on you. I'm leaving right away. The training class is very strict at night, and they check our rooms every day. I still have to go back later."

"You silly child, the power's out and you're still running around. If you've already come, then hurry back." Mother Chen sounded worried.

Chen Dawei leaned out too.

"Don't put so much pressure on yourself. It's no big deal if you don't pass the Martial Apprentice exam. You've gotten so thin."

"Dad, I'm strong as an ox now!" Chen Shouyi said, forcing his voice steady as he flexed his arm.

He was a little overwhelmed, and his eyes had reddened.

All these days, he'd been under tremendous pressure that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

Especially after the fierce battle that day—the fear of having narrowly escaped death and the terror of dying. He'd had to bottle it all up, like a bowstring pulled taut, with no one to confide in or help him let it go.

Now, in front of the people closest to him, he finally let his vulnerability show.

"Quit bragging and hurry back!" Mother Chen cut in.

"Is Little Sis home?"

"She's here!"

As soon as Mother Chen finished speaking, Chen Xingyue leaned out too.

"Brother, are you really about to pass the Martial Apprentice exam?"

"Of course. I've been working hard lately. Just wait—I'll surprise you!"