novelsite Chapter 10 We are different from them
Chapter 10 We are different from them
After more than a month of persistent effort, I savor it every night.
He Quan's free attribute points have reached 12.
He evenly distributed his free attribute points to Strength and Constitution.
The moment the attribute value increased, the world became lighter.
He Quan stood in the center of the living room and slowly clenched his fist.
The faint popping sound from the knuckles was not from bone misalignment, but from the sound of air being rapidly compressed in the palm.
He tried to jump lightly, not the levitation he would experience with the Superman experience card, but a pure display of physical strength.
His body felt as light as a feather. When he landed, the contact between his feet and the wooden floor became extremely subtle. He could clearly feel the contraction and relaxation of every muscle and the trajectory of the blood pumped by each heartbeat in his veins.
He went to the kitchen and picked up a stainless steel knife. The tip gleamed coldly under the light.
He Quan hesitated for a moment, then aimed the tip of the knife at his forearm and slowly applied force.
At first, it felt like normal pressure, but as the force increased, the skin under the knife tip began to exhibit a peculiar resilience.
It felt like pressing rubber with a blunt object; the skin was slightly dented, but there was no sign of it breaking.
He continued to apply pressure until his arm muscles tightened, the knife began to bend, and his skin remained intact.
He Quan released his grip, and the curved knife clattered onto the counter. The enhanced physical strength granted by his improved constitution made it difficult for ordinary sharp weapons to harm him in the slightest.
"What are you doing?"
The sound of tornadoes came from the doorway. She floated there, her eyes filled with doubt, looking at the obviously bent knife on the counter.
He Quan turned around, a bright smile spreading across his face, and opened his arms wide: "Look! This is the result of my month of arduous training! Now I'm invulnerable to swords and spears!"
Tornado: "..."
She silently drifted closer, her gaze sweeping back and forth between He Quan's smug face and the curved sword.
Asceticism? Every day after she showered, she would sit on the sofa in clean socks and watch his so-called "asceticism."
Can that be called asceticism?
So you're treating eating ice cream like a form of spiritual practice?
Tornado's lips twitched.
He Quan sighed, "Alas, the power I need to cultivate diligently day after day to obtain is ultimately no match for those of you who are born with superpowers."
His words reminded Tornado.
She thought of Fubuki; her younger sister also had superpowers, but they were very weak. At present, she could only make toys float up wobbly, and it didn't last long.
This was the first time she had ever seen someone like He Quan become stronger through strange "cultivation" methods.
Just then, He Quan suddenly reached out his hand to her, palm up, making an inviting gesture.
He blinked. "In a bit, just the two of us, we'll go out for a stroll. No snowflakes involved."
The tornado was stunned.
Alone...with him?
She was always with Fubuki, whether they were in the safe house or later moved to this new apartment; she was always inseparable from her sister.
Going out alone with He Quan...it feels strange.
Two words popped into my mind: date?
Her cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes darted around for a moment, and finally she nodded gently and gave a soft "hmm".
It was afternoon, and the sunlight was perfect.
He Quan and Long Juan told Chui Xue to stay home alone for a while and look at picture books or cartoons.
Upon hearing this, Fubuki immediately pouted and ran over to hug He Quan's leg: "No! Fubuki wants to go out and play too! Take Fubuki with you!"
He Quan bent down, picked up the little one, kissed her soft cheek, and said gently, "Good girl, I'll definitely take Chuixue to even more fun places next time."
Fubuki's little face turned bright red instantly, like a ripe apple.
She always thought He Quan was very handsome, even more so than those celebrities on TV, so she liked to stick close to him.
But the sudden kiss stunned her completely. Her heart was pounding, and she clutched He Quan's clothes, momentarily forgetting to protest.
He Quan gave Long Juan a wink, and the two quickly went out.
The moment the door closed, you could still hear Fubuki making small, muffled sobs inside the room. It didn't sound like she was sad; it sounded more like she was shy and didn't know what to do.
In the hallway, Tornado kicked He Quan in the shin and glared at him, saying, "Why did you suddenly kiss Chuixue?"
"What? You want one too?"
As they were talking, He Quan leaned in and quickly kissed Long Juan on the cheek.
Tornado froze, her cheeks flushing red at a visible speed, even the tips of her ears turning pink.
She subconsciously touched the spot where she had been kissed; a warm, soft sensation still lingered there.
The emotions welling up inside me... seemed to consist only of waves of shyness, with no anger or disgust whatsoever.
He Quan naturally took her slightly warm hand and walked into the elevator.
Tornado looked at her hand being held, then looked up at He Quan's profile. She wanted to say something, but her mouth moved, and in the end she just gently closed her fingers, clasping his palm.
Walking down the bustling street, Long Juan's face was still flushed, and her little hand was firmly held in He Quan's palm.
She lowered her head, her gaze fixed on their synchronized steps, and felt as if the world around her was somewhat unreal.
Just then, her gaze was drawn to a scene not far away.
A family of three was walking out of a large shopping mall. The parents were dressed simply, and the little girl in the middle of them was holding her hand; she looked to be about the same age as the mother.
The little girl held up a colorful ice cream cone, tilting her head back and talking to her parents, her face beaming with a bright, carefree smile. Her father bent down to listen, while her mother gently wiped the cream from the corner of her mouth.
That simple, ordinary happiness, like a tiny thorn, gently pierced the depths of Long Juan's heart.
Some long-blurred, distant fragments of memories about "home" surged up uncontrollably.
If... if I didn't have these troublesome superpowers, could I also live an ordinary but warm life like that girl?
They won't be seen as monsters by their parents, won't be sold off like merchandise, and won't spend three years in a cold, dark laboratory...
"You envy them?" He Quan's voice rang in my ears. He had obviously seen the happy family of three as well.
Tornado looked up at He Quan, a self-deprecating smile playing on her lips. Her tone was as calm as if she were talking about someone else: "Yeah. If only I didn't have superpowers, my parents wouldn't have sold me to the research institute... Isn't that a weak thought of mine?"
"It's okay to be weak." He Quan gently patted her head. "Because we are different from them."
"Are they different...?"
Tornado murmured to herself, if she could, she would rather not have this "difference".
He Quan's hand changed from rubbing to gently pressing her head, and he said with a smile, "Alright, that's enough with the comforting words. Don't say such nonsensical things again."
Tornado: "..."
The slight sadness that had just arisen was instantly wiped away by this guy's anger.
Just then.
Woo-woo-woo!
The piercing siren of an air raid siren ripped through the city sky without warning, each blare louder than the last, carrying a sense of urgency that seemed to demand death. Then, a deep, deafening roar echoed from beneath the earth!
Rumble!
The solid ground beneath our feet trembled violently, like a colossal beast awakening. The asphalt road surface cracked instantly, spiderweb-like fissures spreading and crisscrossing wildly, and scorching, sulfurous magma erupted from the cracks, engulfing nearby vehicles and streetlights.
Explosions rang out one after another, and thick plumes of black smoke shot into the sky, quickly turning the sky an ominous dark red.
"Look over there!"
"What a weirdo!"
Amidst the terrified screams of the crowd, a gigantic, suffocating monster suddenly burst forth from the cracked ground in the city center!
It was taller than ten stories, its body seemingly pieced together from cooled volcanic rock and flowing lava, covered in thick scales, with veins of magma crisscrossing its surface like blood vessels, emitting a dark red glow.
The monster's head was ferocious, and its giant eyes, burning with ghostly fire, coldly swept over the chaotic city, exuding a ferocious aura that sent chills down one's spine.
It simply stood up, crushing the buildings beneath it like building blocks, and completely covering the streets with the shadow of its massive body.
"Run!"
"Help! I don't want to die!"
"My child! My child!"
"Everyone, run!"
"What bad luck! Someone help us!"
Cries, screams, and the piercing honking of cars and police sirens mingled together, turning the city into a living hell in an instant.
The skyscrapers twisted and collapsed under the monster's random swings, and huge concrete blocks with steel bars crashed down like meteorites, easily destroying streets and vehicles.
Upon seeing such a massive, destructive monster for the first time, Tornado felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively gripped He Quan's clothes, her small body stiffening slightly.
The strange creature surveyed its surroundings. With each step it took, the earth trembled violently, the ground collapsed, and the heat emanating from its lava body distorted the air.
"Did you see that?"
He Quan, however, remained firmly in place, holding Long Juan's hand, against the flow of panicked people. His voice was calm to the point of being cold: "When ordinary people face such a disaster, they have no choice but to run away desperately and place their hopes on a futile stroke of luck or an unknown hero. What awaits them is often only injury or death."
Not far away, the happy family of three also fled for their lives with the crowd in a sorry state. The father was holding the child, and the mother staggered behind, her face full of fear. If they had been a step slower, the outcome would have been unimaginable.
Some people were so terrified that they collapsed to the ground, only to be swallowed up by the falling rocks or the spreading lava in the blink of an eye.
He Quan looked down at the tornado beside him, "You possess power they can't even imagine. And this power gives you more choices."
Before he finished speaking, he took the tornado by the hand and stepped forward.
An invisible force field naturally unfolded, keeping the surging heat and flying debris at bay.
The two walked against the panicked flow of people, step by step toward the lava monster that exuded an aura of destruction.
When they stood before the monster, the difference in their size was absurd. He Quan and Long Juan appeared as insignificant as ants in the monster's enormous shadow.
The strange creature had clearly noticed the two tiny creatures that weren't fleeing but advancing. It stopped its destructive actions, and a highly human-like mocking expression appeared on its inhuman face. It roared, "What, have you little bugs given up struggling and come begging for mercy from me?"
What a piece of trash. He Quan quickly went through his memories and confirmed that this thing didn't even deserve a name in the original work. It was probably just one of the extras that a hero casually dealt with on his way to fame.
He completely ignored the monster's trash talk. Just when Tornado thought he was going to take action to deal with the monster and save the people around him, He Quan suddenly did something that completely stunned Tornado.
He circled behind Tornado, put his hands under her armpits, and lifted her high up like a shield, facing the hideous lava monster!
"?"
Tornado's mind went blank for a moment, then she struggled to her feet, shouting in shock and anger, "Hey! He Quan! What are you doing?! Put me down!"
The strange man was taken aback by this move, and then let out a deafening laugh.
He Quan held the tornado steadily, his voice clearly reaching her ears, carrying an undeniable guiding tone: "Tear it apart with your strength, crush it into a bloody mess of rotten flesh."
"Put me down first!"
Tornado was so angry that she wanted to use her telekinesis to throw He Quan away.
"Solve it, and I'll put you down." He Quan's tone was completely calm.
Tornado bit her lower lip, looking at the rampaging monster in front of her and the fleeing, crying crowd in the distance. A complex emotion surged in her chest.
It was anger, and embarrassment at He Quan's actions, but it also seemed... there was something long suppressed stirring within it.
She stopped struggling, slowly raised her hands, spread her fingers, and aimed them at the huge lava monster.
The immense mental power that had been deliberately suppressed and hidden for so long erupted like a flood breaking through a dam!
Om-!
Centered on the tornado, an invisible, terrifying force field instantly expanded! In an instant, the already cracked earth trembled and cracked violently, as if gripped by an invisible giant hand! The surrounding high-rise buildings that had not yet completely collapsed, along with their deeply buried foundations, were forcibly ripped from the earth by a force as powerful as moving mountains and filling seas, defying the laws of gravity and rising into the air!
The monster realized the threat and roared, attempting to spew lava, but it was too late.
The tornado's eyes blazed with green light, and its outstretched fingers clenched suddenly!
Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!
Countless building wrecks, twisted steel bars, and huge concrete blocks suspended in the air were slammed together as if by an invisible giant hand, producing a tooth-grinding sound of metal twisting and rocks colliding!
Centered on the monster, they were frantically compressed and kneaded, instantly forming a gigantic, extremely irregular sphere that blotted out the sky, completely enveloping the monster!
From inside the sphere came a brief, desperate roar from the monster, followed by the chilling thuds of bones shattering and flesh being crushed. A few seconds later, all was silent.
The tornado unfurled its fingers, and the massive sphere of ruins, no longer supported by telekinesis, crashed heavily to the ground, stirring up clouds of dust before falling completely silent.
"Can you put me down now?"
Tornado's voice carried a slight pant from exhaustion, but more so from the dissatisfaction of having completed the mission.
"Hmm, well done." He Quan chuckled and carefully placed her back on the ground.
Almost at the same time the strange man's aura disappeared, those who had narrowly escaped the disaster and were watching this place with trepidation let out wild cheers of relief!
"We're saved!!!"
"It's that little green-haired girl! She's a hero!"
"That's amazing! She defeated that monster!"
"The hero has arrived!"
The outpouring of voices was like a tidal wave; the collective outpouring of gratitude and ecstatic joy at surviving the ordeal was astonishing.
Countless gazes were focused on the tornado, filled with awe, worship, and disbelief.
Having never experienced anything like this before, Tornado instinctively felt embarrassed and at a loss. She tugged at He Quan's sleeve and whispered urgently, "Let's go quickly."
However, He Quan remained rooted to the spot, completely unmoved.
He reached out and gently pressed down on Tornado's slightly thin shoulder, crouching down to look her in the eye. His dark eyes held a gentle smile as he shook his head: "Don't be nervous, Tornado. Look at them."
He gestured for Tornado to look at the people who were gradually gathering around, their faces streaked with tears but beaming with gratitude.
"These cheers and praises are what you deserve."
He Quan's voice was clear, drowning out the surrounding noise: "You saved them, you saved a part of this city, all by your own strength. You are their hero, and there's nothing to hide."
A hero...
Tornado stood there, stunned, feeling the gazes fixed on her and hearing the deafening shouts of "hero" around her.
Something frozen and hardened deep inside seemed to be quietly melting.
For the first time, she experienced the feeling of being needed, appreciated, and worshipped... and it didn't seem so bad.
Her hand was still clutching He Quan's clothes tightly, but she was no longer in a hurry to leave.
(End of this chapter)