The surgery was complete.
In his private room, Wu Heng summoned three training dummies and practiced rapid strikes to familiarize himself with his enhanced body.
There was no such thing as gaining strength too quickly to control it. After one set of punches, he had already mastered it completely.
With a thought, Wu Heng returned to his bedroom in the real world.
"Hey, Team Leader Liu? You want me to go work a shift at the factory now?"
His mother, Yang Huifen, called from the living room. She was probably on the phone about work.
"...I understand the factory's predicament, but I've already come home. I covered last week, so it should be Xiaomei and the others' turn this week."
"Why do they get to take care of their own kids while I have to stay up all night working shifts every day? I have a kid at home too!"
"Go ahead and dock my pay if you want. Little Liu, I'm telling you, I quit! But I've earned the money for all the hours I worked, so don't short me a single cent, or I'll report you to the labor bureau!"
"My son's earning money now. I don't care about that attendance bonus. You can work yourself to the bone!"
Yang Huifen hung up angrily. In the past, she had thought that working a little harder and tiring herself out was nothing, all for her child's sake and a stable life. But after she helped her coworkers so often, they had started taking it for granted, dumping all kinds of hard work on her every day.
But things were different now. Her son had made something of himself.
What goes around comes around.
She finally didn't have to put up with this anymore. After saying the words she'd kept bottled up for three years, she felt triumphant, as if she'd become ten years younger.
Wu Heng opened his bedroom door and walked into the living room.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. I just called the factory and told them. I'm retiring now, and my son can support me."
When Yang Huifen saw her son come out, she reined in her smugness a little. She looked at Wu Heng, beaming with pride. She was happy from the bottom of her heart and felt that her life had been worth it.
"Sure. I'll drive you there tomorrow, then."
Wu Heng chuckled. He was happy to play along with something so trivial. Now that he was home, his tense nerves finally relaxed for a moment.
The night passed without incident.
At nine the next morning, after the family finished breakfast, Wu Heng drove his mother to the factory to handle her resignation.
There was no dramatic comeuppance; she resigned without a hitch.
Team Leader Liu didn't mock Yang Huifen or Wu Heng. He simply said a few words and signed the paperwork. His mother's wages would be deposited into her account next month.
Yang Huifen felt a little disappointed that it hadn't been more dramatic. She didn't notice Team Leader Liu's clenched fists or his dejected back as he walked away.
He thought of the good-for-nothing child at home and wondered how much longer he'd have to keep working. Maybe he'd have to wait until he was too old to move.
As soon as they entered the residential complex, Yang Huifen asked Wu Heng to pull over by the roadside. She slowly got out of the car, greeted the others, and joined the square-dancing group.
"Hey, Huifen, aren't you going to work at the factory today?"
"Who's this young man? Why'd he make a special trip to drive you back to the complex?"
A group of middle-aged women greeted his mother, all talking at once.
"This is my son! He's made something of himself, so I'm retiring now!"
"Well, look at that! Your son's made it big! That car must've cost a fortune."
Yang Huifen seemed to brush off the praise modestly, but afterward, she no longer felt like dancing.
She turned and sat on a nearby bench in the sun, scrolling through short videos.
The autumn sun was warm. After twenty years, it felt as though this was the first time she'd ever basked in it.
Wu Heng parked the car in the underground garage and took the elevator, pressing 4. It began to rise slowly.
When it reached the first floor, the doors opened and a pretty young woman with a high ponytail stepped inside. She wore a complete outfit from some brand—a white tracksuit trimmed in pink.
Her lively outfit didn't match her pale lips.
When the young woman saw Wu Heng, she raised her right hand slightly and smiled with a nod, greeting him.
She was Lili, the girl from apartment 403.
Wu Heng nodded slightly in return, then furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly.
There was a scent of blood coming from the woman's lower body.
He was extremely sensitive to blood now. He could tell for certain that she was injured. The wound was at least two inches long and quite deep.
"You don't look too well," Wu Heng ventured.
The silent girl standing beside him seemed surprised that he had spoken. She paused for a moment before replying:
"Mm, well... It happens to girls every month. I'm just a little anemic."
She lowered her head slightly, and a few strands of dark hair slipped from behind her ear.
"Oh. Drink lots of hot water," Wu Heng replied casually.
His heart sank. The woman was lying!
Why was she injured, and why was she lying about it? Was there something she couldn't talk about?
His gaze briefly skimmed over the girl's thigh without her noticing.
Judging by the scent, the wound was on the outside of her right leg. It had probably been treated recently, which was why the smell of blood hadn't faded.
"Thanks."
The girl seemed very quiet, completely unlike the person he'd seen a few days earlier.
"It's nothing. Do you want to go to the hospital and rest for a few days?"
Wu Heng wondered if his experiences in those two horror worlds had made him too sensitive. Had he developed persecutory delusions?
He even wondered whether she might be a Tower Guardian too.
"No need. I'll be fine after resting for a couple of days."
Ding! The fourth floor.
Cai Xueli stepped out of the elevator as she spoke and headed for apartment 403.
Wu Heng followed behind, carefully watching the girl.
Her feet, left leg, upper body, and even the way she swung her arms all seemed normal.
Only her right leg was injured—and the wound had definitely been made by a regularly shaped, sharp-edged weapon!
Why would an ordinary girl have a knife or sword wound? And she'd rather use something as embarrassing for a girl to mention as her period to cover it up. Wu Heng couldn't help being suspicious.
He hoped he was overthinking things. How could it be such a coincidence that another Tower Guardian lived right next door?
But this girl lived so close to him that she could cause trouble. He had to nip every danger in the bud. This world wasn't the ordinary one he'd known in his previous life. He had to proceed cautiously and never let his guard down.
Wu Heng returned to his bedroom, thinking, and connected to the Tower Mark to check the information on the next story world.
[Next story world: Spasm, countdown: 28 days, 16 hours, 23 minutes (refresh available)]
Wu Heng frowned at the title. He'd seen horror movies from all over the internet, but he'd never heard of this one. Who made it? And who watched these things?
Refresh!
[500 survival points deducted. Refresh successful.] [Next story world: The Dead Husband and the Tenant, countdown: 28 days, 16 hours, 21 minutes (refresh available)]
Wu Heng was baffled. What kind of movie was this? What country was it from? He wanted the director to come out and face him!
Was he just too ignorant, or were there so many obscure movies in his previous life? He was starting to wonder whether this was even a movie from his last world!
Refresh again!
Wu Heng steeled himself. His survival points were limited, so whatever movie came up this time, he'd just go in and fight.
He'd escaped pain in the first world and killed greed in the second. Did not knowing the plot mean he couldn't get stronger?
[1,000 survival points deducted. Refresh successful.] [Next story world: Ghost in the Heart, countdown: 28 days, 16 hours, 20 minutes (refresh available)]
"?"
Wu Heng was now especially sensitive to the word "heart."
He'd even dare to go into something called Ghost in the Butt, but "heart"? That was his vital point. His heart was what kept him alive!
There was no need. Really, there was no need. Forget it—he'd refresh one more time.
Wu Heng sighed.
[2,000 survival points deducted. Refresh successful.]
Wu Heng felt relieved when he saw the story world that came up this time.
He'd been wondering how to fill the Life Box's deep space. This world had come at just the right time.
The information transmitted by the Lighthouse read:
[Next story world: Tomie, countdown: 28 days, 16 hours, 17 minutes (refresh available)]
Wu Heng had finally rolled a world whose story he knew.
The story was mainly about an immortal monster: Tomie Kawakami!
In appearance, Tomie Kawakami was an extraordinarily beautiful woman. She attracted men and women, young and old alike. Her origins were unknown, and she was vain and arrogant.
She had a strange constitution that allowed her cells to reproduce endlessly, giving her the ability to multiply without limit, like a planarian.
She had a fatal charm: bewitching, yet poisonous. She seduced men and drove them mad. All of them fought over her, murdering their wives, fathers, and children, and even killing themselves.
But in the end, they all dismembered Tomie to satisfy their filthy desire to possess her.
Dismemberment wouldn't kill Tomie. Instead, she'd split apart and regenerate into countless new Tomies, spreading her charm farther and farther, making the tragedy repeat itself again and again.
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