Going Home

Another thing that caught Shen Xing by surprise was that after absorbing the traits of the Skin Face wood carving, his Physical Strength stat did not show any significant change.

Upon further reflection, he realized that 100% Mortal Body was likely the cap; perhaps some special conditions were required to break through this threshold and ascend to the next level.

Having successively absorbed the traits of the Blood Pupil and the Skin Face, he had gained two Latent Skills—Strange Pupil and Face Swap—and with his Physical Strength enhanced once more, there were now noticeable changes not only in his forearms but also in the skin and muscle power of his elbows and shoulders.

The first sensation that manifested was a faint redness beneath the skin, followed by the slow fading of the crimson glow.

Busy with carving and running his shop, Shen Xing's life had gradually begun to settle into a routine again.

Three days after his medical examination at the City First Hospital, he had weighed his options and decided to follow Li Naijing's request, submitting his medical certificate to the Public Security Bureau for filing.

According to Shen Xing's current thinking, he certainly had to continue searching for clues regarding Ye Ting's disappearance.

In that case, he would inevitably encounter anomalies in the future, and if he could align himself with the Special Case Investigation Unit, their manpower, resources, and authority might prove to be of great help.

Since the investigation unit had discovered his high mental power and wanted to exploit him, why shouldn't Shen Xing turn the tables and utilize the unit's resources?

The investigation unit had surely investigated all of Shen Xing's information in secret, so even though both sides were aware of the other's intentions, this cooperation was mutually beneficial and could continue under the table.

After crafting a second Skin Face wood carving, Shen Xing brought the second Blood Pupil and Skin Face carvings to the shop that day and officially placed them on the shelves.

Some of the wood carvings in the shop were placed out in the open, within reach, while others were kept in glass cabinets; those of higher value were secured with a lock on the glass door.

He would only open the lock if a customer intended to purchase an item or wished to admire it more closely.

It was on this very day, while he was still at the shop, that he received a call from Li Naijing.

Before answering, Shen Xing assumed she must have seen the medical certificate he submitted and was calling to officially notify him of something.

To his surprise, as soon as he pressed the answer button, Li Naijing blurted out, "Have you submitted the application to adopt Lin Wanru's daughter, Lin Feifei?"

Shen Xing paused, wondering why she would ask that, and replied, "Yes, I have."

Li Naijing's tone sounded quite pleasant. "We've investigated, and among everyone she knows, you are the closest to Feifei. I didn't expect you to be so kind-hearted!"

Shen Xing smiled and said nothing.

In truth, another reason he decided to adopt Feifei was that Shen Xing had discovered that, like himself, Feifei had recently encountered two anomalies, counting the one involving her mother, Lin Wanru.

Shen Xing didn't quite believe it was just bad luck that Feifei kept running into them.

There might be some reason for this that he was not yet aware of.

But Zheng Ruijun and Li Naijing were always right about one thing: frequently encountering anomalies was, to some extent, related to the person themselves.

For instance, possessing Trait Attraction.

"I have good news for you!"

Li Naijing, on the other end of the line, didn't know what Shen Xing was pondering; she just spoke in a cheerful tone.

Shen Xing vaguely guessed what this woman wanted to say.

He heard her continue, "In response to your good intentions as an ordinary citizen in voluntarily submitting your medical certificate to the Public Security Bureau, and to show our sincerity in developing deep cooperation with you in certain fields in the future, we have spoken to the Civil Affairs Office at City Hall. Your stalled adoption application has been approved."

Shen Xing: "Oh, really? Thank you!"

Li Naijing continued with a giggle, "You should know that our investigation unit has the authority to stand on equal footing with City Hall and the Public Security Bureau."

Just by the tone of her voice, it was clear she was a mad girl who had been intoxicated by power.

"The Civil Affairs Office is giving the green light now; you can pick Feifei up as early as tomorrow." After boasting about her contribution, Li Naijing hung up the phone, sounding delighted.

At noon, the sun was at its peak.

Filtering through the dense leaves overhead, the sunlight was broken into countless tiny spots of light, casting dappled shadows across the sidewalk.

They were standing in front of the main gate of Qiguang Orphanage.

Shen Xing carried two large cloth bags in his hands and a large canvas backpack on his back, filled to the brim with Feifei's clothes, daily necessities, and some books.

Beside him stood a little "grown-up," wearing an exquisite small backpack her mother, Lin Wanru, had bought for her. The front of the bag featured a Pikachu pattern, and inside were her favorite small toys and textbooks.

Today, Feifei was wearing a purple cartoon short-sleeved shirt and a small purple skirt. The volunteers had braided her hair into several small pigtails that bounced as she walked, making her look incredibly adorable.

"Where are we going now?" Feifei looked up at Shen Xing.

Shen Xing smiled at her. "Home."

Just then, an empty taxi pulled up. Shen Xing waved it down, then turned his head to ask Feifei, "Did you pack everything from the orphanage?"

"I took everything out. I left the rest of my toys and snacks for my friends," Feifei nodded obediently.

After placing the luggage in the taxi's trunk, the two climbed into the back seat and headed toward the Ivy Apartments.

Along the way, Shen Xing noticed that although Feifei was trying to remain quiet, she was clearly unable to contain her excitement. Her eyes were fixed on the streetscape flowing past the window, as if she wanted to memorize everything she saw.

The time spent in the orphanage had clearly stifled her.

Although the environment at the orphanage was quite good, it was ultimately no substitute for a child experiencing the outside world for herself. Furthermore, Feifei had long been accustomed to her previous life; being suddenly thrust into an orphanage and staying there day and night must have been very difficult for her.

Thinking of this, Shen Xing couldn't help but gaze at Feifei's rosy little cheeks.

As for the inheritance her mother, Lin Wanru, had left for Feifei, it included over a hundred thousand in savings and the apartment on the third floor of the Ivy Apartments.

To be honest, Feifei is wealthier than I am right now.

However, those savings of over a hundred thousand are held in a special account by the Civil Affairs Office of City Hall and are not given directly to Shen Xing or Feifei. Aside from covering the necessary expenses for Feifei's future living and education, any other use of the funds requires a special application and approval process.

Shen Xing had already learned of this. He did not adopt Feifei for the sake of this money, so he did not pay it much mind.

After all, if he truly reached a point where he could no longer shoulder the responsibility of raising Feifei, the Civil Affairs Office would naturally consider how to handle the situation, likely by revoking the adoption notice and having Feifei return to the orphanage.

Of course, for Feifei, that would undoubtedly be another disaster.

Watching Feifei's visibly restrained excitement, what Shen Xing was considering at this moment was why Song Xiaoyu, who had been controlled by the Skin Face, had returned to the orphanage to look for her.

So, is Feifei, like me, the type of person who has a special attraction to anomalies?

Perhaps "Trait Attraction" would be a more appropriate term.

If that is not the case, then could there be some other unknown reason why Song Xiaoyu returned to find her after turning into an anomaly?