Chapter 174

Feng Mu slowly released the Corpse Bone State, like shedding an outer shell and then putting on a false skin of flesh and blood once more; before the mirror he gradually returned to a familiar human form.

Hot water poured down from the showerhead like fine rain, gently and considerately washing away the traces left when Feng Mu released the "Corpse Bone State"; the blood that had seeped from torn flesh vanished silently and without a trace under the water's caress, finally spiraling into the floor drain.

In this quiet moment of bathing, several lines of Prompt Boxes suddenly flashed before Feng Mu's eyes; they manifested in the humid air like ghosts, revealing information he had not had time to read:

【Your Molding Embryo grade has changed!】

【Your Strength has gained an explosive increase!】

【Strength 9.8→9.9→9.99999 (Explosive Leap in Progress)】

【Your Agility has gained a slight increase!】

【Agility 6.8→7.3】

【Your Constitution has gained a massive increase!】

【Constitution 6.4→8.4】

【Your Spirit has gained a tiny progress.】

【Spirit 1.9→2.1】

The Molding Embryo's upgrade bringing a four-dimensional Attribute increase was within Feng Mu's expectations, but the Strength value suddenly leaping to 9.99999 left him feeling a few degrees of astonishment.

9.99999 what ghost, was System Dad forcibly hijacked by "Xunlei Speed Limit"?

"Explosive Leap in Progress?"

Feng Mu shifted his attention to the suffix behind Strength, constantly flickering inside the parentheses.

Black lines floated across Feng Mu's forehead; he silently roasted in his heart: "Good news is Strength is in Explosive Leap in Progress; bad news is, it looks like it can't leap past."

A comical scene surfaced in Feng Mu's Nao Hai: a muscle-bound strongman standing at the starting point of a pole vault; he had already driven the pole deep into the ground, the rod bent nearly to its limit, yet he seemed to have his feet glued to something, simply unable to take off.

Still in a deep squat storing power, huh!

Feng Mu speculated in his heart: "The experience bar is maxed out; this is probably like a game character reaching a Job Transfer node, needing to complete a specific Job Transfer mission to continue growing?"

"But, System, you at least have to throw a clue over!!"

His complexion was somewhat gloomy; he recalled that when cultivating skills, whenever an upgrade met with a setback, the System would considerately provide the reason for failure and the Prerequisite Conditions that needed to be met.

"This time, yet not half a hint; is it because Attribute upgrade doesn't count as skill improvement, so no feedback is provided?"

"Or is it because the so-called 【Explosive Leap in Progress】 doesn't look like a Judgment failure, at most only counting as a lag?"

Feng Mu pondered without result, could only shelve it temporarily, wait and see over These Two Days whether it can finish storing power and jump past on its own, or wait for a subsequent turning point to arrive, such as opening a Treasure Chest or the like.

"Constitution increased by 2 points, leaping to 8.4, in one stroke becoming the second-highest Attribute value after Strength, also steadily advancing toward the 10-point, ah no, 9.9999 threshold."

"Agility increased to 7.3, feeling like the body has become a bit lighter again."

"Spirit's increase is slow every time; compared to other Attributes, it's still like a stunted, lame leg."

Feng Mu stared at the Attribute panel, watched for a while longer, then closed it, lay back on the bed, and rarely prepared to rest and sleep early.

The time displayed on the phone was 03:33.

"Not yet 4 o'clock and I'm already asleep; I really am too lazy today." Feng Mu felt his conscience had been condemned.

Despite guilt in his heart, he still resolutely picked up the phone, ruthlessly indulging in playing with it for 5 Minutes.

Feng Mu's Fingertip lightly swiped across the Screen, browsing These Two Days' news, yet discovered the content was unremarkable, nutritional value not high.

Then, his gaze scanned over a few unread Text Messages; the Majority were spam advertisements, annoying beyond endurance, but there was also one useful one hidden among them.

It was precisely for this one spam Text Message that Feng Mu had not blocked all these spam ads into the blacklist.

【——Today auspicious for photography, Making Friends, Team Building.

——Today inauspicious for marriage, breakup, eating noodles.

If you need to test other fortunes reply 1; if not needed, reply "TD" to Unsubscribe.】

"Making Friends, Team Building? Ha—" Feng Mu's Mouth Corner curved slightly; in his heart he couldn't help but be Curious where Ma Bin learned these words brimming with Positive Energy.

He lightly narrowed his eyes, placed the phone to one side, then took a deep breath, letting his Train of Thought go with his breathing, his whole brain gradually emptying, finally sinking into a good dream.

City outskirts, an abandoned Warehouse near the road leading out of the city.

The surroundings were desolate and silent, only occasional wind sounds and distant vehicle roars breaking this dead silence. The warehouse walls were covered in mottled Rust Traces and fallen Cement chunks, appearing old and bleak.

The red paint on the Iron Door had peeled off; rust-stained it was tightly locked by a thick heavy Iron Chain, a large padlock hanging on the chain.

Pushing open the door, a wave of moldy damp breath rushed over; the air was permeated with stale Dust smell and iron rust odor.

The warehouse interior was incomparably dim; the only Light Source came from an emergency Light on the table, emitting a weak glow, as if it might Extinguish at any moment.

The warehouse floor was uneven, piled with various broken crates, moldy canned food, and some plastic water jugs.

In the Corner, under a tattered oilcloth, a person's Outline could faintly be seen.

This person was bound with coarse rope to a rusted Iron Chair, hands and feet tightly tied, unable to move; eyes were blindfolded, mouth was explained sealed, even ears were plugged with glue stops.

His face was covered in dust and Bruises; Bruises left purple marks at the corners of his eyes and mouth; clothes tattered, mottled Bloodstains on the fabric had dried, turning deep black.

Clearly, Hou Wendong today suffered a sudden kidnapping and Beating.

Hou Wendong sat bound on the chair, Not see, Not hear; his only perception was the Iron Chair's coldness penetrating thin clothing making him shudder, and the slightest struggle or movement causing the coarse hemp rope to Stimulate his injured Skin, bringing burning pain.

Hou Wendong carefully maintained stillness; every muscle of his was tense, afraid the slightest action would invite a tragic Beating.

He completely did not know whether the person who Beat him was still standing Pang Bian, nor how many people Beat him.

In the silent Darkness, Hou Wendong's heartbeat was like drumbeats, urgent and loud; his ears keenly Captured every heartbeat's vibration, could even hear the rumbling sound of blood flowing in his artery Blood Vessels.

"Who exactly, daring to kidnap me?"

Hou Wendong's brain spun madly, striving to recall the scene before falling into Unconsciousness:

At that time, I was sitting in the Corner of the La Mian Guan, back to the door, intently unwrapping a cake, carefully inserting Candles into it.

I saw, Li Xiuwan was just walking out from behind the Kitchen door curtain, holding a Bowl of steaming hot Chang Shou Mian.

Right, at this very moment, I saw the Smile on Li Xiuwan's face suddenly freeze; her eyes were filled with indescribable horror, her gaze staring straight at my back.

I instinctively turned around, and then everything went black before my eyes, as if my face were covered by a black cloth; at the same time, a sharp pain shot through the back of my head.

I must have been knocked unconscious by someone.

Just before losing consciousness, I vaguely heard the crisp sound of bowls and dishes falling to the ground, and Li Xiuwan's scream filled with alarm and fear.

Chapter End