Five days of free time before summer vacation began, and Tokyo glittered beneath the midsummer sun. Tang Yu stood at the school gate, gazing at the skyscrapers towering in the distance. The System Interface unfolded before him:
[Current Emotion Points: 30450/40000] [City Exploration Mode activated] [Recommended target: high-intensity emotional fluctuation scenarios]
Tang Yu took a deep breath and adjusted his backpack straps. Over the next five days, he planned to use "I just got to Tokyo and want to see more" as an excuse to roam every corner of the city and collect as many Emotion Points as possible.
He'd nearly exhausted the resources at school. It was time to expand his "harvesting" grounds.
First stop: Shinjuku Station—the busiest station in the world, with an average daily passenger flow of over three million.
Tang Yu squeezed into the rush-hour crowd, sensing the surging emotions all around him. The anxiety of commuters, the excitement of tourists, the impatience of businessmen... Emotions of every kind swirled through his awareness like colorful clouds.
[Emotion fragments from passersby +1+1+1...] [Total gained: 250 points]
Too inefficient. Tang Yu furrowed his brow. He needed a stronger emotional stimulus. He noticed a group of street performers in outlandish outfits getting ready to perform in the middle of the station, and immediately came up with an idea.
"System, redeem Street Magic Basics."
[Redemption successful, 500 Emotion Points consumed] [Remaining Emotion Points: 29950/40000]
Tang Yu walked over to the performers and struck up a conversation in fluent Japanese. "Need a hand? I know a few magic tricks."
The lead performer, a young man with dyed purple hair, gave him a once-over. "A student? We're not running a charity."
"I'll help for free, just to practice." Tang Yu flashed an innocent smile and activated Emotion Suggestion, gently piquing the other man's curiosity.
The purple-haired young man hesitated, then nodded. "All right. You can warm up the crowd for five minutes."
Tang Yu took his place in the middle of the crowd and pulled an ordinary deck of cards from his pocket. He took a deep breath and began his first public performance.
The first trick was simple: a card prediction. But Tang Yu added exaggerated gestures and humorous commentary, and soon a circle of onlookers had gathered around him.
When the third spectator "randomly" drew the Ace of Hearts, exactly as Tang Yu had predicted, the crowd burst into gasps.
[Amazement from the audience +150]
The second trick was a little more complicated. Tang Yu "borrowed" a salaryman's watch, then "made it disappear" into a sealed glass jar in front of everyone.
The trick actually relied on the Micro Teleportation Device he'd redeemed from the System Store for 300 points, but the effect was astonishing.
"This is impossible!" The watch's owner stared wide-eyed. "I saw it in your hand!"
[Shock from the audience +300]
The performance hit its stride, and the crowd grew larger and larger. Tang Yu's final trick was "mind reading." He asked a young woman to write down the number she was thinking of, then pulled a prepared envelope from his pocket. Inside was a slip of paper with the number "7" written on it.
"That's incredible!" The young woman covered her mouth. "I really was thinking of seven, because today is the seventh anniversary of my grandmother's death..."
The coincidence brought the performance to its climax. Tang Yu had actually used Emotional Link to briefly read the young woman's thoughts, but the result was more impactful than he'd expected.
[Astonishment from the audience +500] [Gratitude from the young woman +200] [Current Emotion Points: 31100/40000]
In half an hour, Tang Yu had gained nearly a thousand Emotion Points, far more than he'd expected. He politely declined the street performers' invitation to lunch, slipped swiftly into the crowd, and headed for his next destination: Shibuya Crossing.
At noon, Shibuya Crossing was packed with people. Tang Yu stood beside the famous Hachiko Statue, watching thousands of pedestrians stream across the road each time the lights changed. It was the perfect place to test his Group Emotion Suggestion ability.
"System, how many people can I affect at once at maximum range?"
[Current ability level: Can affect approximately 50–100 people within a 10-meter radius at once] [Duration: 2 minutes] [Overuse may cause mental fatigue]
Tang Yu nodded and waited for the next green light. As the crowd began crossing, he activated his ability and planted a feeling of "mild excitement" in the minds of the pedestrians around him.
The effect was immediate. Commuters who'd been expressionless moments before began walking with a spring in their step; a few high school girls inexplicably broke into giggles;
Even a stern-looking salaryman unconsciously started humming. The atmosphere at the crossing instantly grew livelier. Some people began taking pictures, while others smiled at strangers.
[Group Emotion Influence successful] [Number affected: 87] [Emotion Points gained: 870]
This was only the beginning. Tang Yu crossed the road and entered a large electronics store.
At the drone display, he pretended to accidentally bump into the display's control panel. Three high-end drones suddenly shot into the air and began circling the store. He'd used the Remote Control Jammer he'd redeemed in advance for 200 points. The staff and customers panicked; some screamed, while others excitedly took pictures.
[Panic from store staff +200] [Amazement from customers +300]
Five minutes later, just as the staff finally managed to regain control of the situation, Tang Yu had already slipped out the door. His Emotion Points had climbed another notch.
At three in the afternoon, Tang Yu wandered through Akihabara Electric Town, looking for another opportunity. At a street corner, he suddenly sensed a familiar malicious emotion—deep crimson, like blood, and brimming with aggression.
"Hey, isn't that the Chinese Kid from Class D?"
Tang Yu turned and saw Ryuen Kakeru standing at the mouth of an alley with four Class C students. Ryuen looked even more dangerous than he had on the Deserted Island. His eyes were bloodshot, and his muscles bulged unnaturally. Clearly, he'd taken that mysterious drug again.
"Ryuen." Tang Yu nodded calmly. "Out for a stroll during your suspension?"
"Thanks to you, I got suspended for two weeks." Ryuen grinned viciously as he closed in. "I can't believe I ran into you here. Must be fate."
Tang Yu quickly assessed the situation: five against one, his opponent had Drug Enhancement, and there were no teachers or students nearby. It looked like a hopeless situation, but it was also a perfect opportunity to collect high-quality Emotion Points.
"System, redeem Wing Chun Mastery (one hour)."
[Redemption successful, 1500 Emotion Points consumed] [Remaining Emotion Points: 30100/40000]
A wave of heat surged through Tang Yu's body. Countless martial arts techniques flowed into his Muscle Memory like streams of data. Tang Yu lowered his center of gravity slightly and assumed the Wing Chun Man Sao Stance. "Want to experience another defeat?"
Before you continue