Chapter Four: An Unexpected Effect

Actually, these people just want to catch others making mistakes so they can report them. If it weren't for the graduation certificate, Han Li and his little sister would rather stay home reading or wander the streets in a daze than come to school. In the month since he crossed over, Han Li had avoided friends, classmates, and neighbors as much as possible. Life had been rather dull; when he had nothing to do, he practiced his martial arts. He was fascinated by the real, substantial skills, and when he was tired or it wasn’t convenient, he simply emptied his mind.

Today, when he arrived at school and slumped onto his desk, his mind drifted into emptiness. Thanks to the good genes of his parents, both Han Li and his sister were strikingly attractive. The Han family’s status was obvious; ordinary families couldn’t compare. Han Li and his sister were sought after by many in their class, considered ideal lifelong partners by more than a few. Yet, having just crossed over, Han Li responded indifferently to girls trying to chat him up. Their approaches were too subtle—borrowing books, asking for pens, discussing the ideology in the little red book. Han Li had no patience for that; if they’d invited him straight to the grove, he might have considered it. But his desire for peace depended on others’ willingness. His absence for over a month had made the girls in class miss him terribly. They surrounded him, asking all sorts of questions. Some classmates talked about their jobs—the children of cadres; others mentioned going to the countryside—those from families similar to his.

At that moment, a commotion erupted outside. A classmate grabbed Han Li’s arm and pulled him out. “Han Li, stop lying there. Let’s go see what’s happening!” The one dragging him was Yu Daqiang, Han Li’s neighbor, childhood friend, sworn brother, and classmate all in one. “Hey, Yu Daqiang, slow down! You might hurt Han Li,” called out one girl. “Yu Daqiang, what are you doing?” “Yu Daqiang, where are you taking Han Li? Can I come too?” Yu Daqiang… Han Li and Yu Daqiang led the way, followed by a group of girls still speaking up for him.

Once outside the classroom, Yu Daqiang let go of his arm, but gave him a light punch. “You haven’t shown up for over a month and you’re still so popular. Careful you don’t end up with rotten peaches.”

Han Li retorted, “Get lost, pal. This is called being beloved by all, not rotten peaches. But what’s happening at the Animal Husbandry Bureau? By the time we get there, won't it be over?” Yu Daqiang replied, “This guy’s got some skills. Those kids won’t be able to handle him anytime soon. You’re practicing martial arts, right? I thought you might like to see some real action. If we hurry, we might catch the tail end.”

The two jogged over to the Animal Husbandry Bureau, which was already surrounded by a crowd. Though they couldn’t see the person inside, a long bench was being wielded fiercely—the crowd dared not approach. But the situation didn’t last long; someone fired a shot into the air. The person inside froze, then began to wail loudly, and the bench dropped to the floor. The crowd rushed in and dragged the bench-wielder out, pressing his head down. Han Li couldn’t see his face, but from his gray hair and build, he was clearly no young man.

Just as he was about to be dragged out the door and everyone thought it was over, the man broke free, laughing loudly, and smashed himself headfirst into the wall.

“Bang…”

A wave of gasps and screams swept through the crowd. The man lay on the ground, red and white fluids slowly seeping from his head, his body convulsing. Han Li, in two lifetimes, had never witnessed such a scene. His legs felt weak, and nausea washed over him. Yu Daqiang was equally shaken, gripping Han Li’s arms tightly. The pain brought Han Li back to himself.

Just then, his golden finger grew hot. Han Li’s eyes involuntarily focused on the warm corpse. He sensed something near the body drawing his golden finger. Fortune favors the bold. Anything within ten meters was within his reach; even if something unexpected happened, no one would suspect someone so far from the scene.

Han Li made up his mind and tried to select “disassemble” near the corpse. Only then did he realize it was a jade pendant attracting his golden finger. Now, the jade pendant had vanished, and Han Li’s mind was filled with a new skill: “Elementary Beast Mastery.”

At the same time, the fusion option lit up, and Han Li instinctively chose to fuse. Maybe because it was the first time, his head felt swollen, as if he hadn’t slept for days. But the dizziness and nausea didn’t appear, so he could still endure. However, his arm couldn’t take much more—Yu Daqiang’s grip had nearly bruised it black and blue.

Yu Daqiang now looked pale and shaky, staring at his feet, unable to look toward the corpse. Han Li felt his head was about to burst, though his body was otherwise fine. So he dragged Yu Daqiang back to school, and when they returned to class, both collapsed onto their desks.

“What happened to you two? Watching someone get arrested left you like this?” “Yeah, are you feeling unwell? I have some hot water—do you want a drink?” Hot water, his foot. Han Li just wanted to quickly absorb the beginner beast mastery skill in his head.

“Have you ever seen a watermelon split open?” “Sure, I saw ripe watermelons at my grandmother’s place.” Han Li said, “I don’t mean that kind. While they were arresting him, the man’s head hit the wall and burst like a watermelon—red and white everywhere.” “Ah…” “Ugh…” “Don’t say any more. I’ll never eat watermelon again.”

Han Li’s words sent the girls scurrying away, leaving him to concentrate on absorbing his new skill. When his little sister finally got his graduation certificate and called him to go home, he had finished.

“Elementary Beast Mastery”—as its name implied, it was trash. At the beginner level, he could only control sparrows, small birds, rabbits, and other small animals and communicate with them simply. Larger animals were difficult to influence, though he could reduce their hostility, ensuring they wouldn’t attack him without reason—as long as he hadn’t harmed them before.

Han Li, ever the optimist, could only feel speechless at this moment.