A Restful Night

Song Chen slept more soundly than ever before. It had been a long time since he'd slept so deeply.

For years, there hadn't been a single day when he hadn't worried about the future. As a child, he'd worried about whether he'd have enough to eat. As he grew older, he'd worried about whether his Vitality Value would rise. Then came worries about the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, the system, and the mutated beasts beyond the city walls that could take his life at any moment.

But last night, he'd slept like a log. Maybe it was because he'd finally come home. Maybe handing that box of potions to his parents had lifted some burden from his shoulders. Or maybe he was simply exhausted. Whatever the reason, he slept until late morning.

Sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, casting several golden patches across the floor.

Faint street noise drifted in through the window. Someone was shouting, vehicles passed by, and a drone hummed overhead.

Song Chen sat up and stretched. He felt full of energy, and the sensation of his Blood Qi surging through him left him refreshed and invigorated.

He picked up the phone beside his bed and opened the news. A striking red headline stood out at the top:

[First-Level Alert remains in effect. The Garrison Command in Anning City has issued an announcement: All residents should stay indoors unless absolutely necessary. All Martial Artists are to remain on standby.]

[Signs of large-scale mutated beast activity have been detected in the direction of Evergreen City. The military has dispatched a reconnaissance team.]

[The Spirit Energy Cannon array has finished charging. The city wall's defensive formation has been fully activated.]

[Garrison Commander Shen Qingshan delivered a televised address: Anning City will never repeat Evergreen City's fate. Residents are urged to remain calm.]

Song Chen scrolled through the comments one by one. The comment section had already exploded.

"My cousin's in the City Defense Force. He says there's a chance Anning City could fall."

"Can you stop scaring people? That'd take at least a Third Rank Beast Tide, wouldn't it?"

"You guys don't know? I heard something happened over in Evergreen City. A top researcher escaped back here with serious injuries..."

"Explain more."

"Explain what? Say another word and you'll be dead."

"Whatever happens, trust our Garrison Commander! Anning City has never fallen!"

Song Chen put down his phone and went to the window. From there, he could see a corner of the distant city wall.

In the sunlight, the massive Spirit Energy Cannons gleamed with a cold light. Teams of Martial Artists patrolled the top of the wall.

Farther away, a wisp of black smoke rose into the sky. He couldn't tell whether it came from beyond the city or from a training exercise somewhere inside.

Under the First-Level Alert, the entire city was shrouded in tension.

Song Chen frowned. He wasn't afraid of the Beast Tide. What he feared was that when it came, he'd be stuck inside the city, watching helplessly as others killed mutated beasts.

The system needed Killing Value, and Killing Value came from killing mutated beasts. Now that the beasts were gathering outside, he couldn't get out.

During a First-Level Alert, all non-combat personnel were forbidden to leave the city. As a student, there was no chance he'd be granted permission. The last time he'd gone outside had been for practical training.

I need to find a way out...

Just then, a commotion came from outside the door. Someone had arrived—and there was more than one person.

Song Chen opened the door and stepped out. The living room was as lively as a market.

His mother, Li Xiuying, stood in the middle of the room, beaming and gesturing animatedly. Four or five people sat around her: middle-aged women, a few older men and women, and two young people he didn't recognize.

As she spoke, Li Xiuying gestured excitedly. "You should've seen it! The day Xiao Chen came home, he was carrying this huge box. When we opened it, it was full of Blood Vitality Potions—ten bottles, a whole ten bottles!"

A plump older woman slapped her thigh. "Goodness! Ten bottles of Blood Vitality Potion? That must've cost a fortune!"

A thin older woman chimed in. "Hundreds of thousands! My old Li couldn't earn that much in ten years."

Li Xiuying waved a hand with a carefree flourish. "Money doesn't matter. What matters is that the boy has such a good heart."

"Xiao Chen said the potions were all for us, so we could get our health back."

The plump older woman's eyes widened. "Xiuying, you're one lucky woman! I've watched Xiao Chen grow up, and I always knew he'd amount to something!"

The thin older woman agreed. "Exactly! I've always said that the Song family's boy was destined for great things."

Song Chen stood at the bedroom doorway, unsure whether to go in or retreat. Since when had his mom become such a chatterbox?

In his memory, Li Xiuying had always been a quiet, ordinary woman who kept her head down and worked.

She got up before dawn every day to make him breakfast. At night, she'd still be mending clothes under the lamp after he'd gone to bed. She didn't say much, but every word showed how much she cared.

And now, the woman standing in the middle of the living room, beaming and gesturing wildly—was that really his mom?

Had he walked into the wrong house?

Song Chen rubbed his eyes and looked again. No, it was his mom.

"Xiao Chen!"

At last, Li Xiuying noticed him in the middle of her excited chatter. Her eyes lit up as she beckoned him over. "Come here and let Auntie Wang and the others have a look at you!"

Song Chen steeled himself and walked over. The older women's eyes landed on him in unison, blazing like searchlights as they looked him up and down, as if they wanted to see right through him.

"Goodness, Xiao Chen's gotten so tall!"

"What a sturdy build! You can tell he's cut out for martial arts!"

"And his face has filled out. He's much more handsome than he was as a child!"

Song Chen felt awkward under all the praise. His gaze swept across the living room and landed on the two young people sitting in the corner. One was his cousin Li Hao, a relative on his mother's side. He was seventeen, had a Vitality Value of 0.7, and was in his second year of high school.

The other was a girl around seventeen or eighteen. She was quite pretty and had her head lowered as she played on her phone.

Li Xiuying pulled him down beside her. "Xiao Chen, come on. Have a chat with Auntie Wang and the others. Her son Xiao Gang practices martial arts too. You two can exchange pointers sometime."

The plump older woman hurriedly nodded. "That's right, that's right. Xiao Gang's Vitality Value is 0.8. He's always wanted to find an experienced senior to give him some pointers..."

Song Chen politely nodded, but his gaze fell on his parents. His father, Song Zhengye, sat on the sofa drinking tea. He looked much better than he had the day before; color had returned to his face, his eyes were brighter, and although the old scar was still on his arm, he looked far more energetic overall.

His mother, Li Xiuying, had changed even more. Yesterday, she'd looked utterly worn out, with gray at her temples. Today, her face was rosy.

Even the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes seemed shallower. Her voice was strong, and her movements were much livelier. She looked nothing like the worn-out middle-aged woman she'd been yesterday.

The potions had worked, and the effect was even better than he'd expected.

A complex emotion welled up inside Song Chen.

The plump older woman leaned toward him. "Xiao Chen, what's your Vitality Value now?"

The living room fell silent for a moment. Everyone turned to look at Song Chen.

Li Xiuying's eyes sparkled with anticipation. She'd been so excited yesterday that she'd forgotten to ask.

Song Chen fell silent for a second, then understood why his mother was so excited.

They'd lived in the Poor District for decades, and their family had always been the most unremarkable on the street. Other families had children who got into martial arts high schools; Song Chen had barely managed to get in.

Other families had children whose Vitality Values broke 1.0; Song Chen's had barely hovered around 0.6. Other families could afford gene potions; his family could barely afford meat.

For decades, their family had always been pitied and looked down on. Now, at last, it was their turn to hold their heads high.

If that was the case, then there was no need to hide it.

"2.2." Song Chen slowly let the number fall from his lips.