That evening, after dinner, Lin Zichen rested for a while, then quickly went upstairs and shut himself in his room to train hard.
He worked out for over three hours, then finally stopped to rest, drenched in sweat and with every muscle in his body numb.
Even while resting, he didn't waste time. Sitting on the floor, he searched the news on his phone for updates about the Rat God Cult, keeping tabs on the heretics' movements.
He found that, in less than a day, several more cultists had been arrested.
There was no denying that the Municipal Public Security Headquarters worked fast.
The only fly in the ointment was that they still hadn't caught a Giant Mutant Rat.
In fact, they hadn't even seen so much as a shadow of one.
It was as if Giant Mutant Rats had never existed in the human world at all. The thought was baffling.
Once he'd rested enough,
Lin Zichen put away his phone, picked up his clothes, and headed to the bathroom.
After his shower, he turned off the light and went to bed.
Before sleeping, he made a point of setting an alarm for three in the morning. He planned to go outside late at night, when the streets were empty, and test his physical capabilities.
In the blink of an eye, several hours passed.
His phone alarm rang.
Lin Zichen woke at the sound, got dressed, grabbed his measuring tools, and quietly slipped out of the house.
Then he found a blind spot in the surveillance coverage and began testing himself.
The results were ready in less than ten minutes.
He could sprint a hundred meters in just 3.59 seconds.
His vertical jump reached 7.02 meters.
He could lift a car weighing around 1,650 kilograms with one hand.
Compared with his previous test, all three figures had improved.
Once he'd finished testing, Lin Zichen didn't linger outside. He grabbed his measuring tools and jogged all the way home.
As he passed a patch of greenery, he spotted a fat rat nearby.
He took a closer look and was startled to see it crouched on the ground, eating a bird!
A sparrow!
The sparrow was still alive, its wings beating as it struggled to escape the rat's jaws, but to no avail.
The sight left Lin Zichen stunned.
He'd seen cats eat birds before.
But what was a rat doing eating a bird?
How had it even caught one?
Lin Zichen furrowed his brow. The scene before him felt deeply disturbing, so he hurried away from the rat and took a detour home.
On the way, he took out his phone and called the Public Security Station to report what he'd seen.
After hearing about it, the people at the station merely told him not to go near the rat. They said nothing else—not even asking where it was. They seemed entirely unconcerned.
The next morning.
After breakfast, Lin Zichen stood by his front door, fiddling with his phone as he waited for Shen Qinghan to come out so they could head to school together.
Before long, Shen Qinghan came out with a small bag of biscuits in her hand.
She stopped in front of Lin Zichen, took a biscuit from the bag, and held it up to his mouth. With a sweet smile, she said, "Mom made these last night. Try one."
Xu Meng had made them especially for Shen Qinghan to take to school and share with her classmates. She hoped Shen Qinghan would get along with everyone in her class.
Lin Zichen took a bite and smiled. "Aunt Meng's biscuits are as delicious as ever."
"Of course!"
Shen Qinghan said proudly.
After chatting for a few moments, the two set off for school.
As they walked along the school path after entering the gates, Lin Zichen suddenly heard someone calling his name from behind.
He turned around. A tall girl came into view.
She looked like an upperclassman.
"Ah, Zichen, it really is you! I thought that looked like you from behind!"
The moment the girl saw Lin Zichen's familiar, handsome face, she hurried over, visibly excited.
Lin Zichen looked her over and realized he didn't know her. He couldn't help feeling puzzled.
The girl smiled brightly. "Zichen, do you remember me? When you took part in the school sports meet in your first year of middle school, I stayed by your side cheering you on. I shouted so much I went hoarse."
Lin Zichen didn't remember her at all, but he still gave her a polite smile. "Of course I remember."
Hearing him say that, the girl was so happy she could hardly contain herself.
Lin Zichen didn't chat with her for long. After saying goodbye, he took Shen Qinghan and headed to the classroom of Class 1 Grade 1.
On the way, Shen Qinghan couldn't help sighing. "Xiao Chen, you're really popular. Wherever we go, there are always girls fawning over you."
Lin Zichen just smiled without saying anything.
Once they reached the classroom, Shen Qinghan shared her biscuits with Li Chuxin and He Yu.
It was the first time either of them had tasted biscuits that good. When they learned that Shen Qinghan's mother, Xu Meng, had made them herself, they showered Xu Meng with praise.
As Xu Meng's daughter, Shen Qinghan felt secretly delighted listening to them.
Before long, the school bell rang.
The students of Class 1 Grade 1 began their first lesson of high school.
It was Mechanical Modification Course. Their teacher, Cai Yuanfei, was a bespectacled man who looked like an engineer.
The first lesson was simple. He mostly introduced the students to some basic concepts and principles.
Lin Zichen listened for a bit and realized it was all material he'd read about as a child. He quietly took out the book he'd brought from home and started reading instead of wasting time listening.
Everyone else in class paid close attention.
After all, not everyone could read as widely as he had from childhood—and remember everything they read.
Most people had to keep up with the teacher to learn.
While Lin Zichen read quietly, Lu Gang and Wang Shujie, the two top students from Nanguan City, were extremely active in class.
Whenever the teacher asked a question, the two of them immediately jumped in to answer. They got it right every time, astonishing the rest of the class, who thought they were incredibly impressive.
Cai Yuanfei, their teacher, praised them too, saying they truly lived up to their reputation as top students from Nanguan City and had an impressive breadth of knowledge.
After Mechanical Modification Course, their next lesson was Gene Fusion Course.
Their Gene Fusion Course teacher was Liu Deren, another bespectacled man who looked like an engineer.
The first lesson also began with an introduction to a few principles and concepts.
Lin Zichen listened for a while, realized it was material he'd already taught himself long ago, and continued reading the book he'd brought.
Lu Gang and Wang Shujie, meanwhile, were as eager as ever to show off in class.
Liu Deren had taught for many years, but he'd never met students with such extensive knowledge. He raised his thumb and praised them:
"Remarkable! Students from Nanguan City really are impressive. In all my years of teaching, I've never met students this outstanding. You've truly opened my eyes."
Hearing that praise, both Lu Gang and Wang Shujie were immensely gratified.
Before long, the school bell rang.
After two lessons of Mechanical Modification Course and two of Gene Fusion Course, the entire morning of classes was over.
"Brother Jie, I heard you placed third in the Nanguan City high school entrance exam. That's incredible!"
"Lu Gang, I heard you can casually lift a 300-kilogram weight with one hand. Is that true?"
"Damn, those top students from Nanguan City are amazing!"
During lunch break, most of the class gathered around the two top students from Nanguan City, marveling at how impressive they were.
Seeing that, He Yu felt so sour he could hardly stand it. He couldn't help muttering, "Damn, those two are such show-offs. They spent the whole lesson showing off, like they were terrified no one would realize how great they are."
Lin Zichen thought the two showing off was only natural. There was nothing to begrudge them.
They'd always studied so hard and worked so diligently. After finally getting such excellent results, you couldn't begrudge them a chance to show off. That would be going too far.
More often than not, people's greatest motivation to keep striving was the chance to show off after they succeeded.
If a man grew rich but didn't return to his hometown, it would be like wearing fine brocade by night—that was the whole point.
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