Shivering

"Xiao Chen, your mother told me you joined the school's Martial Arts Team. How are you finding it?"

Lin Yansheng asked this the moment Lin Zichen stepped back into the house.

After school that afternoon, he had called Zhang Wanxin to let her know he had joined the team and would be home late, so both his parents were already aware.

"It's pretty good. It's nice to break a sweat and get some exercise after school."

Lin Zichen replied while taking off his shoes.

Lin Yansheng asked again, "Xiao Chen, you're exceptionally gifted in both academics and athletics. Have you thought about which path you want to take in the future?"

"I feel my athletic talent is even better than my academic one, and the path of martial arts holds more promise. Once I reach high school, I'll join the martial arts track to train," Lin Zichen said without hesitation.

In this world, there are no martial arts tracks during the earlier stages of education.

This is because starting martial arts training too early can hinder physical development.

Only when students reach high school and their bodies have matured sufficiently do schools open martial arts tracks.

Before that, students focus primarily on academic subjects.

However, schools do offer courses related to Gene Fusionists, Mechanical Cyborgs, and Exotic Beasts to ensure the students' well-rounded development.

"What a coincidence. Your mother and I were hoping you'd take up martial arts, too. It seems the three of us are of one mind," Lin Yansheng said with a gratified smile.

In this world, where humanity is constantly threatened by Exotic Beasts, all pursuits are considered inferior to the mastery of martial arts.

Only by practicing martial arts and tempering the physical body to a certain level of strength can one withstand the backlash of gene fusion or mechanical modification, eventually becoming a high-ranking Gene Fusionist or Mechanical Cyborg.

"By the way, where's Mom?"

"Your mother and Auntie Meng went out to buy groceries. They said since it's Friday, we should all get together for dinner tonight."

"No wonder I didn't see her in the house."

Lin Zichen nodded, cut the conversation short, and headed upstairs to take a shower.

He had worked up a sweat during his training, and feeling sticky was quite uncomfortable.

In the bathroom.

After showering and drying off, Lin Zichen stood naked before the mirror, examining himself closely.

Although his daily training intensity was high, his muscles didn't look bulky at all. He didn't have the exaggerated physique of a bodybuilder, but rather a lean, powerful build.

He was the type who looked slender in clothes but was well-defined without them.

"Not bad. A perfect physique."

Looking at his reflection, Lin Zichen felt quite satisfied.

On a whim, he began practicing his punches and kicks in front of the mirror.

[You are practicing punches: Blood Qi +1, hand muscle strength +1, hand dexterity +1, punch proficiency +1]

[You are practicing kicks: Blood Qi +1, leg muscle strength +1, leg dexterity +1, kick proficiency +1]

He hadn't been practicing for long when the sound of laughter and chatter drifted up from downstairs.

It was the voices of Zhang Wanxin and Xu Meng; the two of them had returned from the market.

At the same time, he heard the voices of Shen Jianye and Shen Qinghan.

The two families were having dinner together tonight, and the three of them had arrived.

Seeing that everyone was there, Lin Zichen grabbed his clothes, put them on, and walked out of the room to head downstairs.

He reached the ground floor.

He saw the two mothers cooking in the kitchen, the two fathers chatting at the tea table, and Shen Qinghan sitting on the sofa, working diligently on a test paper.

Hearing Lin Zichen's footsteps, Shen Qinghan looked up and teased him, "Xiao Chen, you took forever in the shower. I've been here for half an hour already."

"It wasn't that long."

Lin Zichen said as he sat down next to her, casually scrolling through his phone.

He was reading current events, keeping an eye on the situation in various regions.

Before long, Shen Qinghan leaned in close, looking mysterious. "Xiao Chen, guess what Mom and Auntie Xin bought at the market. I bet you'll never guess."

"Hairy crabs?"

"Nope."

"Lobster?"

"Still wrong."

"Then I give up."

"I knew you wouldn't be able to guess!" Shen Qinghan flashed a triumphant smile before revealing the answer: "It's Ghost Shadow Squid meat! They bought three pounds of it!"

Ghost Shadow Squid meat?

Lin Zichen thought he had misheard, his face full of surprise.

Lin Yansheng, sitting in front, said, "Your mother knew you and Hanhan wanted to eat this, so she specifically asked your Aunt Meng to go to the mall and buy it."

Hearing this, a strange, indescribable feeling welled up in Lin Zichen's heart.

He looked toward the kitchen where Zhang Wanxin was busy, then quickly stood up and walked over, saying, "Mom, let me help you."

Seeing this, Shen Qinghan also went in to help.

The time reached 8:30 PM.

Dinner was finally ready.

Although this meal was served much later than usual and everyone was famished, looking at the eight rich dishes and one soup on the table, everyone felt the wait was worth it.

"Xiao Chen, this Ghost Shadow Squid meat is so fragrant, and it has such a great chew—it's especially delicious!"

Shen Qinghan ate with a look of pure bliss on her face, taking the initiative to pick up a piece of Ghost Shadow Squid meat and place it in Lin Zichen's bowl.

Lin Zichen picked it up and took a bite; it was indeed delicious.

[You have devoured a trace of the "Ghost Shadow Squid" Life Origin]

[Ghost Shadow Squid Atlas: 3.01%]

Hm?

The progress bar for the atlas actually increased?

Lin Zichen was stunned for a moment, feeling quite surprised, but after thinking about it, he felt it made perfect sense.

If he could devour it just by touching it with his hand, then consuming it into his stomach would naturally allow for even greater absorption.

Just as he was pondering this, a news report appeared on the television screen in front of them.

"Genius girl, shocking the nation!"

"At only fourteen years old, she has successfully fused with an Energy Heart, becoming the youngest Mechanical Cyborg in the country's history!"

"When the energy is activated, she can easily lift a 2,000kg off-road vehicle with one hand, sprint a hundred meters in just 3 seconds, and perform a standing vertical jump of up to 8 meters!"

"The Kyoto Prodigy of yesteryear, the genius girl of today—which of these two peerless geniuses will become the king of this era?"

"Is it the invincibility of gene fusion? Or the unmatched power of mechanical ascension? Let us look forward to the future peak showdown between these two geniuses!"

Everyone at the dining table watched the news.

Zhang Wanxin looked somewhat speechless and said, "Why has another 'genius girl' popped up? She's only fourteen; her body hasn't even finished growing and she's already undergone mechanical modification. I really don't know what her parents are thinking."

Lin Yansheng took a sip of soup and remarked, "I reckon they saw how successful the marketing for the Kyoto Prodigy was back then, earning pots of gold, and they want to follow the trend and cash in too."

Lin Zichen, listening from the side, also felt that this so-called peerless talent was just marketing to make money.

Making money, after all, isn't shameful; it's understandable.

Shen Qinghan looked at the news on the TV screen and thought the phrase "peerless duo" sounded wonderful, so she looked at Lin Zichen with great enthusiasm and said:

"Xiao Chen, I want to work hard to improve myself and strive to become a peerless duo with you one day!"

"Mm, go for it."

Lin Zichen gave her a thumbs-up.

Watching the interaction between the two children, Shen Jianye and Xu Meng across the table felt a bit bitter, growing increasingly worried about Shen Qinghan's future.

Work hard to improve and become a peerless duo?

But the reality was that the gap between the two children would only continue to widen.

Forget it, Hanhan is still young.

Let her live one happy day at a time, let their friendship last as long as it can; let her live well in the present.

As for the future, they would deal with it when it came...

Shen Jianye and Xu Meng both let go of their worries, feeling that it was best to let things take their natural course rather than fretting over things they couldn't control.

After all, worrying only brought negative emotions and couldn't change anything.

Soon.

The television screen began reporting another piece of news.

"In the XX District of Shanhai City, the captain of the local Public Security Station tragically sacrificed his life in his office at 11 PM last night. According to surveillance footage, he died in the jaws of a Giant Mutant Rat that had infiltrated the station."

"The Public Security Team captain, named He Chunshan, had served as captain for three years. During his tenure, he made outstanding contributions to the security of the XX District, arresting a total of nineteen Rat God Cult followers and assisting Mechanical Cyborgs in killing three Giant Mutant Rats..."

After reporting on the captain's contributions, the TV screen immediately played an interview video.

The interview was with the officers from the station; each of them looked furious, shouting that from this day forward, they would fight the Rat God Cult to the death.

After watching this news report, everyone in the room widened their eyes, faces full of disbelief.

The Public Security Team captain was actually dead?

11:00 PM last night... wasn't that shortly after they had just left the Public Security Station?

Thinking of this, a lingering sense of fear couldn't help but rise in everyone's hearts.

Lin Zichen, in particular, felt a chill run down his spine as he recalled the rat he had seen the previous night.

PS: Bowls out, begging for monthly tickets and recommendation votes!