Chapter 42: Mutation

Chapter 42: Mutation

Since the power was out, there was no point in asking further. Chen Shouyi simply withdrew his steps and returned to his room.

As soon as he entered, Shell Woman started making a racket again, buzzing incessantly like a mosquito. She had become obsessed with cartoons lately. Every day upon returning to the hotel, she would demand to watch them without fail.

Chen Shouyi was thoroughly annoyed—she was getting more and more unruly. He didn’t want to pacify her with glass beads again, afraid of spoiling her. Checking his phone and seeing it still had plenty of battery, he snapped impatiently, "Fine, fine! Here, watch this!"

He opened a video app and found an episode of Peppa Pig, randomly selecting one. It didn’t matter to her anyway—as long as there was something to watch, she’d be content. He placed the phone in front of her.

But the moment she glanced at it, she started fussing again, pouting in dissatisfaction.

"Little Bei Qi! This is Little Bei Qi! I want Big Bei Qi!"

Now she was being picky? Wasn’t it all the same damn thing?

Chen Shouyi’s temples throbbed in frustration. "Watch it or go to sleep!"

Seeing the giant lose his temper, Shell Woman immediately quieted down, sulking silently. But soon enough, she became completely absorbed in the cartoon, staring unblinkingly, her earlier anger long forgotten.

Listening to the silly, childish dialogue from the show, Chen Shouyi sat on the edge of the bed, zoning out. For some reason, he felt restless, as if something bad was about to happen.

He sat there silently for over ten minutes.

Then, faintly, he sensed something unusual in his body. It was as if a weak force was stirring, like a seed frozen through winter slowly sprouting as the spring breeze passed by.

This feeling…

His expression shifted. To confirm, he immediately opened his status panel. Seeing that his innate ability still read Primary Regeneration and hadn’t changed to Natural Healing, he let out a sigh of relief.

But then, with a sudden jolt, he stood up.

His face turned grave, disbelief written all over it.

To his horror, he noticed that the text for Primary Regeneration had grown noticeably dimmer compared to the other entries, appearing almost translucent.

Just then, Shell Woman started shouting again.

"Bei Qi! Bei Qi! Bei Qi!"

Hearing her clamor once more, Chen Shouyi suddenly had a bad premonition. He quickly grabbed his phone—only to find that the signal was gone.

Both the internet and cellular signals had completely disappeared. Even the phone screen flickered intermittently, as if the voltage had become unstable.

He tossed the phone aside and picked up the hotel-provided lighter from the nightstand.

He flicked it once, but no flame appeared.

Annoyed, he shook the lighter and tried again. This time, a weak flame barely a centimeter high sputtered to life.

Staring at the feeble, flickering fire, he froze in place, his blood running cold.

The lighter still had more than half its liquid fuel left.

Perhaps due to an innate destructive urge, he had always enjoyed playing with fire since childhood. Though he didn’t smoke, he often idly flicked the lighter for fun.

He clearly remembered—just yesterday, its flame had been several centimeters tall.

Of course, it could also be due to insufficient air pressure inside, but combined with the slightly transparent handwriting—a sign of his innate ability—there was only one possible explanation.

...

He sat back down on the edge of the bed, his mind in turmoil.

Shell Woman continued to chatter incessantly, adding to his agitation.

Other guests in the hotel seemed to have noticed the disappearance of their phone signals as well. The voices outside the door grew increasingly noisy.

Chen Shouyi couldn’t stay still any longer. He grabbed the noisy Shell Woman, tied her up, and stuffed her into his briefcase.

Staying in the room meant being cut off from information. He decided to go out and see for himself.

The hallway was crowded, as if all the guests had stepped out. The air buzzed with anxious conversations.

Most of these people were strangers who had probably never even seen each other before, yet now they spoke freely, comforting one another in their shared unease.

A power outage was unexpected, but at least everyone had experienced one before.

But a power outage combined with no phone signal or internet? That was far from normal.

"Hey, young man, are you heading out?" A middle-aged man nearby noticed Chen Shouyi holding his briefcase, clearly preparing to leave, and asked curiously.

"It’s too stuffy in the room. I’m going out to look around and grab something to eat."

"You shouldn’t go out now—it’s pitch black out there," a lightly made-up woman advised kindly.

"I’ll be careful. Should be fine," Chen Shouyi replied with a smile.

As if he, a Martial Artist-level powerhouse, would be afraid of something like this.

Chen Shouyi soon left the hotel.

The streets were completely gridlocked, cars forming an unmoving serpentine line.

Many drivers had stepped out, either squatting by the roadside smoking irritably or chatting with one another.

Not far away, a fight had broken out, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

His heart grew heavier.

He didn’t know if this was just happening in Dongning City or if the entire world was affected.

If it was the entire world...

He could hardly imagine the consequences.

The mysterious force field from the Otherworld weakened electronic activity—even if only by a fraction. Chemical reactions would slow, electrical currents would require higher voltage, and low-energy electromagnetic waves would struggle to propagate through the air.

Human society would likely undergo drastic changes, even civilizational regression.

He checked his phone. At least it still had battery, meaning the effect hadn’t reached catastrophic levels yet.

He wondered how things were at home.

At this moment, he could no longer suppress the overwhelming longing in his heart. His steps faltered, and he turned direction, heading home.

He walked briskly, and within ten minutes, he saw the all-too-familiar house.

The restaurant downstairs was already closed, its metal shutter tightly shut—a testament to Chen Mu’s cautious nature.

Looking up at the dark windows, emotions surged within him. Unable to hold back, he shouted, "Dad! Mom! Little Sister! Are you there?"

After calling out several times, the window finally opened. Chen Mu leaned out, surprised.

"Shouyi, why are you back?"

"Have you eaten? I’ll open the door for you!"

"No need, no need. I just came to check on you. I’ll leave soon—the training camp is strict at night, with room checks. I have to go back."

"You reckless child, running around despite the blackout. If that's the case, hurry back now," Chen Mu said worriedly.

Just then, Chen Dawei also poked his head out:

"Don't stress too much. Failing the Martial Arts Apprentice Assessment isn’t the end of the world. I can see you’ve lost a lot of weight."

"Dad, I’m actually really strong now!" Chen Shouyi forced his voice to stay steady, flexing his arm.

His emotions were slightly agitated, his eyes even turning red.

These past few days, he had endured unimaginable pressure, far beyond what an ordinary person could bear.

Especially after today’s intense battle—the lingering fear of a narrow escape, the terror of death—he had no choice but to bottle it all up inside, like a tightly drawn bowstring, with no one to confide in or relieve the tension.

Now, facing his closest family, he finally revealed a trace of vulnerability.

"Stop boasting and hurry back!" Chen Mu interrupted.

"Is little sister home?"

"She’s here!"

As soon as Chen Mu finished speaking, Chen Xingyue also peeked out: "Brother, you’re really about to pass the Martial Arts Apprentice Assessment!"

"Of course! I’ve been working hard lately. Just wait—I’ll surprise you all when the time comes."