DipNovel Chapter 3 Unyielding Physique
Chapter 3 Unyielding Physique
The safe house is on the top floor of an old apartment building on the east side of Z City.
Demolition led the way, its white armor standing out starkly in the dimly lit corridor.
"This building is inhabited by ordinary people."
Without turning his head, he said like a landlord, "Most of them work the night shift and sleep during the day. Try not to make too much noise when you come and go."
He Quan followed behind, carrying the tornado. The fabric of the hospital gown was very thin, and he could feel the warmth of her breath.
Demolition stopped in front of a door and pulled a key from a compartment in the armor. The lock was a bit stiff; he had to turn it twice before it opened.
The room was bigger than He Quan had imagined.
Upon entering, you'll find a living room, about twenty square meters in size, with light-colored wooden floors. A gray fabric sofa sits against the wall, opposite which is a wall-mounted TV. There's a thin layer of dust on the coffee table, indicating that no one has lived here for some time.
The kitchen is open-plan and connected to the living room, with an induction cooker and microwave on the counter. Further in is a short hallway with a room on each side.
"Water and electricity are available."
Explosion placed the keys on the coffee table: "They're also available online."
He turned to look at He Quan, the visor of his helmet reflecting the living room light, obscuring his expression.
The explosive voice was flat: "You are now an unidentified superhuman. If left unchecked, you'll be in big trouble."
He Quan said, "I need an identity, a legal one."
Demolition took a card from the armor's storage compartment and placed it on the coffee table. It was a library card from Z City Library, with no photo, only a number.
"This is a temporary identification code. Your information has already been entered into the public database in Z City. Name, age, blood type, fingerprints—all are blank. Fill them in yourself."
He Quan picked up the card and looked at it. It was a very ordinary gray magnetic card, with some wear on the corners, as if it had been used for some time.
Blast walked towards the door: "I'll come back in a few days. Tell me how much you remember then."
He paused at the doorway.
"The same goes for that girl. If she still has family, it's best to find out more. Sometimes, children who are sold are not sold willingly by their parents."
The door closed.
The living room fell silent.
He Quan placed the tornado on the sofa. She remained curled up in his arms, only lifting her head when her feet touched the sofa cushions.
"Please sit here for a while."
He Quan said, "I'll go check the room."
Neither room was very big; the one further inside had a window that offered a view of the apartment building across the street.
A double bed took up most of the space, and the sheets were white and neatly folded.
The outermost room had no windows, only a single bed and a simple wardrobe.
He Quan returned to the living room. Long Juan was still in the same position as before, with her hands on her knees. She was still wearing the research institute's hospital gown, with obvious wear marks on the cuffs.
"Take a shower first."
He Quan walked over, bent down, picked her up, and carried her to the bathroom.
The bathroom wasn't large, but it was fairly clean. It had white tiles, and a bathtub in the corner. He Quan put down the water heater and bent down to turn on the hot water tap. A gurgling sound came from the pipes, then water came out, steaming.
He tested the water temperature; it was warm but not scalding.
Then, without saying a word, He Quan started to take off her clothes.
Tornado quickly stopped him: "I can wash myself!"
"Fine, fine, fine."
He Quan's tone was filled with deep disappointment.
"?"
Tornado looked at him with a surprised expression.
What are you disappointed about?
He Quan returned to the living room, sat down on the sofa, and sank into the soft fabric cushions.
He opened the system page and used the three lottery chances he obtained from the contact blast.
【Item: Food Tablecloth (Blue Quality)】
A light-colored tablecloth appeared in his hand, with simple patterns embroidered along the edges, and it felt like cotton or linen.
He Quan glanced at the effect. All he had to do was spread out the tablecloth and say the name of the food he wanted to eat, and the corresponding food would immediately appear out of thin air on the tablecloth.
It is very practical.
【Bamboo Dragonfly (Blue Quality)】
He Quan: "?"
Just by looking at the name He Quan, you can already tell what it's about. The problem is, isn't the Time Stop watch more valuable than yours? What makes you think you're of blue quality? Do you even deserve to be called Time Stop?
[Reward: Item fusion attempt ×1 (random)]
The relevant user manuals instantly flooded his mind, and He Quan's eyes lit up.
The ability of item fusion allows him to fuse various special items obtained from lotteries with his own abilities.
For example, the flying ability of a bamboo dragonfly and the brief stillness of a time-stop watch can be integrated and made available to oneself, eliminating the need to rely on physical objects.
But... it's a random fusion.
Fortunately, he hadn't drawn too many extraordinary items yet, and there wasn't much junk in the prize pool. He Quan didn't hesitate much and used the random fusion directly.
The next second, upon seeing the fusion result, he immediately cursed out loud.
"What the hell?!"
Energetic sandwich cookies?!
How could I win with only a one-in-four chance?! Where's the bamboo dragonfly? Where's the time stop watch? Where's the food tablecloth?
Why are sandwich cookies included? They're just consumables! One in twenty!
He Quan was momentarily unable to hold back, but as a warm energy quietly circulated within his body, he quickly calmed down.
This result... doesn't seem so bad.
The Vitality Sandwich Cookies are meant to restore life and energy, and now, this "restorative" property has been completely integrated into his body, undergoing a strange transformation.
Now, his flesh, saliva, sweat, and even his metabolic waste have become a kind of "healing potion".
It contains not only healing power, but also a gentle yet continuous energy replenishment that can dispel hunger, soothe fatigue, and bring a sense of vitality akin to "fullness".
For He Quan himself, this manifests as almost inexhaustible energy and rapid self-healing.
[Current Information]
[Name: He Quan]
Race: Human
【Strength: 0.5】
[Physical Fitness: 0.5]
[Items already bound: Time Stop Watch, Bamboo Dragonfly, Food Tablecloth.]
[Number of draws: 0]
Free attribute points: 0
[Talent: Unyielding Physique]
After fusing the items, a new talent bar appeared on the attribute panel.
After that, He Quan began to seriously consider his next steps.
First and foremost, this world.
The world of One-Punch Man. Monsters are rampant, and the level of danger ranges from wolves to gods. This is a decade or so before the story began, and the Hero Association has not yet been established.
For ordinary people, this world is dangerous.
Monsters of the Demon level or higher are enough to destroy a city, Dragon-level monsters can threaten multiple cities, and God-level monsters mean the extinction of humanity.
The Superman trial card has 25 minutes remaining.
What happens after you've finished using it?
He Quan leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.
He wasn't worried about survival. He had a gourmet tablecloth, so he had plenty to eat and drink. He had a time-stopping watch and a bamboo dragonfly, so he could escape if danger arose. He had an indomitable physique, so he could recover quickly from injuries.
But these are far from enough.
There are too many unreasonable beings in this world. Boros, Garou, Orochi, the Monster Association, gods... Faced with enemies of that caliber, five seconds of time stop is only enough for him to strike a running pose.
You must become stronger.
How will it change?
The system panel clearly displays the words "Free Attribute Points". However, it currently has 0 points, and there's no idea how to obtain them.
Level up by defeating monsters? Complete quests? Interact with more story characters to trigger gacha pulls?
Both are possible, but both need to be verified.
He Quan turned his gaze away from the ceiling.
Bang's martial arts school...
The thought popped into his head, but he immediately suppressed it.
Are you kidding me?!
I'm already using cheat codes, why would I need to practice martial arts?
Practicing martial arts is impossible; I can't endure that hardship.
The sound of water in the bathroom stopped.
He Quan snapped out of his thoughts and turned his head to look in the direction of the bathroom.
The rustling sound was the sound of someone getting dressed.
After a while, the door was pushed open.
A tornado emerged.
She was still wearing that hospital gown. Her hair was wet and clung to her cheeks, the ends still dripping water, soaking a small patch of fabric on her shoulders.
She stood barefoot on the doormat at the bathroom entrance.
Her feet were very small, and her toes were like pink candies, radiating an alluring luster.
The toes were slightly curled.
Why is He Quan Neng so observant?
Because he used a time-stop watch, he briefly admired it for five seconds.
Since I can use it for five seconds every day, I might as well use it.
Tornado: "All done washing."
He Quan stood up, took a towel from behind the bathroom door, unfolded it, draped it over Tornado's head, and began to dry her hair.
The towel covered most of her face, leaving only her chin and lips exposed.
Once her hair was half-dry and no longer dripping, He Quan draped the towel over her shoulder.
"Come here." He straightened up and walked towards the sofa.
Tornado followed behind. Her steps were small, and her gait carried the restraint characteristic of someone who had been confined for a long time.
He Quan told her to sit down on the sofa. He then produced a tablecloth in his hand, waved it, and the food tablecloth was spread on the coffee table.
"One serving of omelet rice."
The tablecloth shimmered, revealing a plate of omelet rice. The golden egg crepe perfectly wrapped the rice, and a crooked smiley face was drawn on top with ketchup.
"Another strawberry cream pancake, please."
Three waffles are stacked on a white round porcelain plate, drizzled with light pink cream and garnished with halved strawberries.
"And... um, little bunnies and fruit."
Three glutinous rice balls appeared, shaped into rabbits, and eyes were made with red beans.
"Hot cocoa, with marshmallows."
Finally, a chubby mug appeared, with a few white marshmallows floating on its surface, slowly melting.
Tornado was shocked; she watched in disbelief as He conjured up various foods out of thin air from the tablecloth.
She couldn't help but ask, "Is this also your superpower?!"
He Quan raised his chin slightly, his tone smug. "I can conjure up whatever you want to eat. Amazing, right?"
He specially prepared dishes for children.
"Uh-huh!"
Tornado nodded, acknowledging the power of He Quan's superpowers.
"Eat up," He Quan said.
She hesitated for two seconds, then reached out and picked up a rabbit-shaped rice dumpling, taking a small bite. The glutinous rice skin was pulled apart, revealing the red bean filling inside. She chewed slowly, her cheeks puffing out slightly.
Then she took another bite, this time a little bigger.
He Quan pushed the omelet rice towards her.
Tornado picked up a spoon and scooped down the edge of the egg crepe, gathering rice and half-cooked egg together. She blew on it and put it in her mouth.
She paused while chewing.
He continued chewing.
Then I scooped up a second spoonful, a little faster than before.
He Quan didn't eat; he leaned back on the sofa and watched her.
When Long Juan was eating her third spoonful, she noticed his gaze, paused, and lowered the spoon a little, as if afraid it would be snatched away.
Cream from the waffle got on the corner of her mouth, and He Quan reached out and wiped it off for her.
Tornado was slightly taken aback; it had been a long time since anyone had been so gentle with her.
After a while, the tornado finished eating, placed its utensils on the tablecloth, and disappeared automatically.
She sat on the sofa, and after eating her fill, drowsiness began to creep in, and her eyelids grew heavy.
He Quan went into the inner room, made the bed, fluffed up the pillows, and pulled back a corner of the quilt. He then took out a clean, thin blanket from the cabinet, folded it, and placed it at the foot of the bed.
"Come in."
Tornado slid off the sofa and walked barefoot down the hallway. She stood in the doorway, looking at the made-up bed, then at He Quan.
"You go to sleep first," He Quan said.
He sat down on the edge of the bed. The mattress was springy, and it made a slight creak when he sat down.
The tornado climbed onto the bed. The bed was too big for her; her small body sank into the blankets like a sunken nest.
Her hair was mostly dry, spread loosely on the white pillow, a kind of unreal green, like new buds just sprouting in spring.
She lay on her side, facing He Quan. Her eyes were half-open, half-closed, her gaze fixed on him, yet also as if she were looking through him at something else entirely.
Tornado didn't respond. Her breathing became steady, and her eyelashes stopped fluttering.
The little girl, who had been locked up in the research institute for three years, ate her fill for the first time in a room without iron bars, covered herself with a clean blanket, and fell asleep next to someone she wasn't afraid of.
He Quan sat for a while. Only after confirming that she was sound asleep did he stand up.
He turned on his computer in the living room and began browsing the world.
He Quan clicked on it and quickly browsed through it.
The information was collected, filtered, and recorded one by one.
Fortunately, it's a modern urban world with internet, air conditioning, games, novels... so living conditions are guaranteed.
Let's make some money first and improve our quality of life.
Making money is not difficult for him; in his original world, he had already achieved financial freedom.
The economic rules of this world are not fundamentally different: where there is demand, there is a market; where there is information asymmetry, there is profit potential.
He continued browsing the web, his fingers tapping on the keyboard, the screen light reflecting on his face.
(End of this chapter)