His genes hadn't been activated. Even with all that training, he still got a little dizzy after drinking too much.
Zhao Xin flopped onto the sofa and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Nope, I'm a little dizzy. I need a rest. Just a little rest."
Liu Chuang, on the other hand, raised his glass again. "I'm fine. Come on!"
He looked like he had an incredible tolerance for alcohol.
If he hadn't been facing the TV.
Han Fei pursed his lips and checked the time. It was almost midnight.
He waved a hand and went to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. The cold water hit his skin, and his mind suddenly cleared.
"Huh? I haven't fished up today's bottle yet."
Because he'd picked a special ability, he always kept a basin of water at home, along with a bathtub full of water.
So Han Fei could start fishing right away.
But which one should he try first?
Han Fei rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before deciding to warm up with the basin.
He reached his hand into it.
The moment the water covered his hand, it was as if he'd plunged it into an unfathomably deep ocean. He couldn't feel the bottom or find the edges. Back when he was testing his ability, he'd even stuck his head in once, but it seemed only his hand could enter that endless ocean.
He moved it from side to side.
Suddenly, he felt something in his hand, as if he'd grabbed hold of something.
He pulled it out in one swift motion.
It was another familiar glass bottle.
He pulled out the cork.
And tipped it over.
He performed each step with practiced ease.
He'd repeated this routine more times than he could count.
"What's this?"
It looked like some kind of machine.
It was glowing, too.
He had a vague feeling that this thing was dangerous. His whole body prickled with pins and needles—his instincts were warning him.
He blinked.
Han Fei looked inside the bottle. It was empty.
However, there was a chip on the object that looked like a machine. Maybe he could study it and figure out what it was.
He set it aside for now.
Then Han Fei reached for the main event of the night.
The bathtub.
That same unfathomable depth.
Time to fish.
A familiar sensation.
He pulled out the cork.
The same routine.
Except—
"Holy crap! A legendary golden drop?!"
Six angular stones came out of the bottle. They looked like models, with rough animal emblems carved into them.
Han Fei was practically beside himself with excitement.
He knew these things!
He knew them very well!
There was an anime with a villain who appeared throughout the entire story.
He'd been weakened again and again: sealed away since ancient times, his fire essence split apart, his intelligence worn down, his magic forgotten, his dragon teeth pulled out, his Twelve Divine Powers sealed, and his body turned to stone. Yet he was still the most powerful demon in that world.
These six little things were some of his powers: six of the Twelve Divine Powers.
That's right. This unfortunate villain was called Shendu.
He came from a strange world where black and white chi were in balance.
Han Fei took out the six talismans.
He found that they were:
The Chicken Talisman, which granted Levitation Power.
The Horse Talisman, which granted Restoration Power.
The Ox Talisman, which granted Strength Power.
The Rat Talisman, which granted Life Power.
The Dog Talisman, which granted Immortality Power.
The Sheep Talisman, which granted Soul Power.
Every one of these abilities was practically broken.
It was a shame they were all in talisman form. That meant anyone could use them, but they couldn't unleash their full power. After all, they were seals to begin with—Lo Pei's seals on Shendu.
And the set wasn't complete, either. He only had half of them.
That was a bit of a disappointment.
Even so, Han Fei was thrilled.
Especially with the Dog and Horse Talismans. One represented immortality, the other healing. With these two—
I can go ask Death God Karl if he's a pathetic god!
All right, that was still a little risky.
Void definitions and supercomputer analysis were still pretty intimidating.
Besides, who knew whether things from other worlds would change in this one? It was impossible to say.
After all, this was a sci-fi world—probably.
But to think he'd pulled up something this good.
Could it be because tonight was New Year's Eve?
Han Fei's thoughts wandered off in every direction.
Whatever the reason, now that he had these six talismans, along with the Wind Eagle Armor, Eight Extremes Heaven, and all the other things he'd fished up over the years, there was no doubt about it.
He could protect himself now.
It hadn't been easy.
He'd awakened his powers so many years ago, and only now did he finally feel somewhat safe.
He no longer had to worry about being blown to the heavens by a single solar flare, or wiped out by a single Heavenly Blade Judgment.
Han Fei rubbed his eyes. "No, this still isn't safe enough. God-Slaying Martial Art, Void Martial Art, Stellar Detonation, Conceptual Definition... Those bastards in the Super God World have been researching nothing but things that can destroy everything. I still can't let my guard down. I have to keep my head down!"
He pulled himself together, put everything away, and left the bathroom.
Zhao Xin and Liu Chuang were already going at it again on the sofa, drinking like they'd come back to life.
Steam rose from the dishes on the table. It looked like Aunt Wu had reheated them.
Han Fei grinned. "Why didn't you wait for me? Count me in!"
He went over to join them.
"Come on, let's raise a glass to Brother Fei."
"If it weren't for Brother Fei, I'd still be the idiot who wanted to play hero, only to nearly turn into a street thug. Look at me now—I've made something of myself and even made my damn dream come true!"
"That's right. Let's have a drink. If it weren't for the boss, I'd still be muddling through life as a hooligan. Maybe I'd never have escaped that pit and would've stayed a rotten person forever. The boss gave me a chance and changed my life. I can finally go back to my hometown now. Boohoo..."
Liu Chuang was a grown man, but he couldn't stop himself from crying.
Han Fei didn't say anything. He just raised his glass, tipped his head back, and drained it in one go.
Since coming to this world, he'd already changed the fates of many people. So far, the results had been pretty good.
Fireworks burst overhead.
Brilliant colors filled the sky, spreading a festive glow.
It was midnight.
A new year had begun.
2012.
A snowy winter foretold a bountiful year.
It snowed the next day.
And it snowed heavily.
The weather turned unusually cold.
Of course, that didn't matter to someone like Han Fei, who was already becoming something less than human.
Look.
Han Fei had already gone out for his morning run in just a shirt.
This kind of exercise wasn't doing him much good anymore, but training was like rowing upstream: persistence itself was a test.
"Okay, ten kilometers done."
He put on his coat, got in his car, and headed for the training base.
He couldn't wait to test the talismans' powers.
It had already taken a lot of self-control to resist the urge to try them first thing in the morning and stick to his routine. Now that his run was over, the first thing he wanted to do was test them.
Oh, right. Besides the talismans, there was also that strange mechanical thing from last night. He'd handed it over to the researchers. He wondered if they'd made any progress.
Han Fei thought absently.
But—
Before he could even start the car,
Black Star's voice came through his phone.
"Master, Laboratory No. 2 finished studying that strange machine from your priority project at five this morning. According to the priority settings you specified, they waited until you finished your morning run to notify you."
Han Fei opened his mouth, but he didn't know where to begin complaining.
Never mind.
He'd let it go.
"Tell them to wait. I'll be there soon."
"Yes."
Before you continue