Chapter 300: Chapter 297 [You’re Very Alert, Aren’t You?]
"Ugh, I accidentally stayed up past midnight again.
Don’t worry, everyone, this Chapter is for the 18th!!"
Chapter Two Hundred Ninety-Seven [You’re Very Alert, Aren’t You?]
After returning home today, Chen Nuo received several phone calls.
The first call was from Brother Lei.
"...You’re saying your hair grew back?"
Chen Nuo, clutching the phone, was also dumbstruck. Has there been a major breakthrough in the treatment for seborrheic hair loss?
"You haven’t recently used some kind of medicine that suddenly started working, have you?"
"No! Impossible! I used to buy all sorts of recommended hair growth remedies, some even imported from abroad, but none of that crap worked. I haven’t used those kinds of products in ages! This hair, it just suddenly grew out this morning!"
Chen Nuo frowned. "What do you mean ’suddenly’ grew out? Did it grow while you were sleeping?"
"That’s not it," Brother Lei answered from the other end of the phone. "When I woke up this morning, everything was still fine; my head was as bald as ever. I just washed my face, popped into the restroom... and after I finished using the bathroom and was drying my hands by the sink, I looked into the mirror... holy shit! I was nearly scared to death right then!"
It happened while using the restroom?
Chen Nuo became curious too.
Brother Lei then told Chen Nuo that his girlfriend, Zhu Xiaojuan, was also scared and had insisted on dragging Brother Lei to the hospital for a checkup right away.
They did go, but nothing was found.
The hospital doctors flat-out didn’t believe such a thing as "growing a full head of black hair in a dozen minutes or so."
They thought the couple had come to cause a nuisance, looking for a fake news story to grab attention. Or that they were plain crazy!
They even warned the couple to stop causing trouble, threatening to call security to throw them out if they disrupted the hospital’s order any further.
After leaving the hospital, Brother Lei calmed down a bit and quickly grabbed hold of his girlfriend, who was still hot-tempered and eager to drag him to another hospital for a checkup.
Brother Lei chose to talk to Chen Nuo about this. For such a strange and mysterious incident, of course, one would consult someone strange and mysterious.
"...Aside from hair growth, is there anything else unusual about you?" Chen Nuo asked.
"Nothing, there’s no abnormality anywhere else on my body."
"Well, I’ll come over tomorrow to take a look at you."
After Brother Lei hung up, he felt a vague sense of unease. It seemed like... he had forgotten to tell Chen Nuo something. What was it...
The second call came from his master, Old Jiang.
"Ah, come over for dinner tomorrow?"
Chen Nuo was a bit startled. It wasn’t a holiday or Old Jiang’s birthday. Could it be that Master Song Qiaoyun’s birthday was coming up? That couldn’t be right. Master Song Qiaoyun’s birthday is at the end of the year; Chen Nuo remembered that well.
"What, you don’t have time?" Old Jiang’s tone was slightly unfriendly. "You said you would practice martial arts with me; how many days has it been since you last showed up?"
"...Alright, alright, Old Jiang, say no more. I’ll definitely come tomorrow," Chen Nuo said with a wry smile and sighed. "Ask Master Song Qiaoyun to make something tasty. How about stewed beef? Her beef is delicious."
"...You’re even ordering dishes now? No beef! It’ll be braised pig trotters tomorrow! Take it or leave it!"
With that, Old Jiang hung up.
The third call was from Zhu Dazhi.
"Senior Brother! My divine art is perfected!! My divine art is perfected!!!"
On the other end of the phone, Zhu Dazhi wailed and howled.
Chen Nuo moved the phone a little away from his ear, waiting for Zhu Dazhi to finish before asking a couple of questions.
Zhu Dazhi was not articulate—it might sound unbelievable, but the guy spoke in a jumbled, incoherent manner.
After rambling on for a while, Chen Nuo barely understood the gist: Old Jiang had taught Zhu Dazhi a martial art yesterday, which he was told would take a long time to master, something about ten or twenty years...
But somehow, Zhu Dazhi managed it overnight.
Chen Nuo didn’t take it too seriously. Old Jiang was probably just trying to scare Zhu Dazhi. Saying it would take ten or twenty years was likely a casual remark from a master, intended to encourage the kid to work hard and apply himself diligently. As for mastering it overnight, Zhu Dazhi probably just stumbled into some dumb luck. Perhaps he accidentally nailed a specific move of a certain martial art form?
Without giving it much thought and not in the mood to listen to Zhu Dazhi’s craziness, Chen Nuo soon hung up.
The fourth call surprisingly came from Boss Guo of the ramen shop.
"What? You want to give me some beef?" Chen Nuo was stunned.
Why on earth would Guo Qiang send him a gift out of the blue? Was he asking for a favor? That couldn’t be right. A Destroyer Level expert should be able to push through any problem as long as they don’t encounter a top-tier master. If he really encountered a situation where even a Destroyer Level expert was helpless and needed to find a top-tier master like himself to handle it... giving a piece of beef would be way too stingy, right?
"Damn, I’m having bad luck today," Guo Qiang said over the phone, his voice a bit gloomy. "I was doing business in my shop this morning, and somehow, I ended up falling asleep on the counter. I slept like the dead. I was still cooking something on the stove in the kitchen, and it ended up burning dry. If my wife hadn’t come back early from shopping, the kitchen would’ve almost caught fire. I nearly caused a fire. I ruined over ten pounds of steamed beef, all of it overcooked! I figured since the meat was ruined, and I couldn’t use it for cooking anymore... but didn’t you mention last time that you have a cat? It’s good for feeding the cat."
Chen Nuo sighed.
I suppose it’s the thought that counts. But... that Gray Cat is even pickier than humans. Overcooked beef? I’m afraid it won’t even give it a glance.
The fifth call made Chen Nuo a bit nervous.
The call was surprisingly from Li Yingwan.
"...What? You guys had a car accident?"
Chen Nuo immediately stood up. Then, a few seconds later, he sat back down.
"...Oh... the driver got distracted and the car hit a tree? ...Yeah... Mhm... As long as everyone’s okay, that’s good."
He asked a few more detailed questions before he understood the situation fully.
The three girls were out together, and on the way back, their car crashed into a tree.
No one was seriously injured, though they were a bit dazed in the car for a while. They only called the police after regaining consciousness.
The driver had a bit of a concussion and was sent to the hospital, but it wasn’t anything serious.
Li Yingwan talked for a while, and then the phone was passed to Niveer.
Niveer chatted with Chen Nuo for a bit, and between the lines, it seemed she was acting coy about being frightened, hoping Chen Nuo would come over to visit...
Where would I dare to go? Frightened? Don’t joke! You, the Squatting Little Witch, who can do anything under the sun and in the sea! You’d be frightened? You’re the type who dares to jump from tens of thousands of feet in the sky with a parachute! You’re the type who dares to free-climb a hundred-meter cliff without a safety rope! Frightened? I’m already trying to avoid you three; there’s no way I’d willingly walk into your trap!
Then the phone was taken by Xicheng Xun.
Xicheng Xun’s way of talking was a lot more normal.
"...We’re not in any serious trouble, Ah Xiu, so please don’t worry too much. But... if it’s convenient for you, could we meet tomorrow? I have something I’d like to discuss with you. Yes, it’s a serious matter."
Xicheng Xun’s tone was very serious, and Chen Nuo agreed. "I’ll be going to school tomorrow; we can meet there."
"Alright, thank you for your concern, Ah Xiu!"
On the other end of the phone, Xicheng Xun hung up and then turned to glance at the two girls.
The traffic police had already arrived at the scene.
The van had slammed into a sycamore tree at the side of the road, denting its front. The windshield was also cracked in several places.
The driver had been sent to the hospital—his condition was stable; he just complained of a headache.
The education group had already sent assistants and staff to the scene, and they were talking with the traffic police and handling the situation.
But Xicheng Xun couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off! A car accident? Thinking back carefully, she could only remember the three of them getting into the car to head back. They were chatting and analyzing, discussing Chen Nuo’s personality. Then... she couldn’t remember anything else. She had no clear memory of the moment of the accident. If this was attributed to a stress response, where the accident happened too quickly for her to react or remember... that explanation was just barely plausible. But... to knock herself unconscious? It was understandable for Niveer and Li Yingwan, who were ordinary people, to pass out from the impact of the accident. But it was absolutely impossible for her! Xicheng Xun knew very well that she was an Ability User, and a powerful one at that! She was very familiar with her own body. Whether it was physical constitution, strength, flexibility, or reaction speed, she was several times superior to an ordinary person! Plus, she had exceptional control power over her body! At the moment of a car accident, an ordinary person might not react in time and get knocked out. But it was absolutely impossible for her! At the very least, she should have been able to make the necessary protective movements or react in some other way! After waking up, Xicheng Xun had immediately checked herself, particularly by introspecting her own Consciousness Space. She didn’t find anything unusual. However... the absence of anomalies was the biggest anomaly of all!
Chen Nuo hung up the phone and sighed.
Tomorrow was going to be busy. He had to meet Xicheng Xun at school, dine at Old Jiang’s house, and check on Brother Lei. All these matters seemed a bit odd.
In the evening, Ou Xiuhua picked up Chen Xiaoye from school and brought her home. The family of three had a normal dinner, then Chen Nuo spent half an hour watching cartoons with Xiao Yezi.
At eight o’clock, Ou Xiuhua took Chen Xiaoye to bed. Ou Xiuhua also needed to rest early tonight, as she had the morning shift tomorrow and needed to leave at six. Moreover, it was agreed that Chen Nuo would take his little sister to kindergarten tomorrow morning.
Chen Nuo simply went back to his room as well. He sat in front of the computer for a while, read the news, and browsed the Octopus Monster website to see if there was anything new.
In 2001, there weren’t many entertainment options online. Video websites had not yet flourished, let alone mobile versions.
He casually picked up a book, reclined on the bed, and flipped through it for a while—during which he sent a text message to Sun Keke. But the girl didn’t reply; she was probably asleep.
Past ten o’clock, Chen Nuo put down the book, lay down, and closed his eyes to sleep.
Spiritual Ability Users didn’t really need much sleep. But the fissure in his Consciousness Space hadn’t yet been repaired. His spiritual power was constantly leaking and being consumed. So, he had resumed the habit of sleeping like a normal person—not because he truly needed sleep to recover spiritual power, but because during sleep, while the body naturally recovered spiritual power, it also reduced its consumption. This ebb and flow naturally brought some benefits.
In the quiet bedroom, darkness prevailed.
The starlight outside the window was faint, and barely any of it could penetrate the thin curtains, allowing only a very weak glow to filter in.
The room was silent, the only sound being the slow ticking of the bedside clock’s second hand, creating a soft, "TICK, TICK, TICK..."
Chen Nuo had entered a state of sleep, his breathing gradually becoming even and steady.
Then, suddenly, by the bed, a figure appeared in the darkness, seemingly out of nowhere.
The small, thin figure stood quietly by the window, its bright eyes gazing steadfastly at the sleeping Chen Nuo in the dark.
Then, a faint smile played upon its lips.
Chen Nuo was dreaming.
As an Ability User with strong spiritual power, Chen Nuo retained a rather lucid consciousness even in his dreams. To put it simply: he was very aware that he was dreaming.
And this dream was bizarre!
In the distance was a dense tropical rainforest. Primitive and dilapidated buildings. And in front of him, the towering pyramid!
The Brazilian Rainforest, that relic space?
In his dream, Chen Nuo frowned and scrutinized his surroundings, unable to suppress a smile. Why on earth would I have such a dream...
He walked leisurely up the steps of the pyramid and slowly made his way to the sacrificial platform at the top.
Everything was exactly as he remembered it.
Standing on the platform, Chen Nuo looked around this place where he had once fought... Hmm, I repeatedly tricked my companions here many times. Companions offered to the heavens grant boundless power, after all...
Suddenly, the scene before him changed in a flash!
The relic space, the pyramid—all disappeared.
The surroundings turned pitch black in an instant!
The scene transformed into an underground cave, with towering black stone pillars that seemed to support the very fabric of the cavern...
Japan’s... underwater caves? The scene of my first encounter with the Mother?
A thought crossed Chen Nuo’s mind. Here, I engaged in spiritual power interaction with a Mother entity for the first time and received a huge gift. At the same time, I used the Tree of Misfortune to secretly kill a Mother entity...
Once again, the scene changed!
The headquarters of the Truth Society! The gate of the headquarters fortress that he had collapsed.
In front of him was an ambulance, and inside, he could vaguely see Xicheng Xun lying there, gasping for breath...
The images and scenes changed yet again!
Yulong Lake at Mount Niushou... An abandoned mine pit, beaten into ruins, the mountainside cracked apart...
This was the time Lu Xixi and I fought the Wizard together...
Then it changed again!
Towering snow-capped mountains were in the distance, the wind bitingly cold.
Next to the Mount Everest base camp, amidst scattered tents, Chen Nuo himself stood before a field of "memorial towers." Various ice axes and climbing gear, fashioned into memorials, rose up in tribute to the adventurers who had perished...
Niveer... Lux...
Chen Nuo sighed.
The scenes changed again!
In a hotel room: a whisky bottle on the table, empty glasses. On the floor lay a middle-aged man who had already stopped breathing.
This was... Yao Weishan?
A thought stirred in Chen Nuo’s mind, and he remembered. This was the scene where I killed Yao Weishan...
The images immediately changed once more!
A yacht, the open sea... Next to the sofa in the cabin, two coffee tables were missing. On the sea’s surface, waves churned and bubbles rolled up.
Was this... after I saved Li Yingwan’s family of three in South Korea and went out to sea to kill that guy with the last name He?
The scene changed again...
The minefield along the 38th Parallel...
The scenes changed...
Inside a sophomore classroom at No. 8 Middle School, the blackboard was covered with math problems...
And he himself was slowly standing up from his desk, looking at the math problem on the blackboard as if it were an incomprehensible script...
!!!
Chen Nuo suddenly realized something was wrong!!
Even though it was a dream, as an Ability User with strong spiritual power, his consciousness wasn’t uncontrolled! He still retained his self-awareness!
He suddenly felt something was off!
All these scenes, one by one, in sequence... They all followed the important events he had encountered after his rebirth, and then... one by one, they were rewinding in reverse chronological order!! Now he was standing in the sophomore classroom! Looking at the math problem on the blackboard! This was precisely the first scene after his ’rebirth’!! If this sequence continued... then the next scene would revert to memories from his ’previous life’!! This isn’t right!!
Chen Nuo suddenly took a deep breath...
Chen Nuo abruptly opened his eyes on the bed, waking from the dream.
He sat up and, in the darkness, slowly looked around the room. Then he quietly sat on the edge of the bed, pulled open a drawer, took out a pack of cigarettes, and lit one.
After taking a drag, he suppressed the strange emotions in his heart.
This dream... It was as if all his memories since rebirth were being replayed. Event by event, going backward through time, from the most recent to the more distant past... It was too strange! It was like his memories were being rewound, ’retrieved’ by going back along his timeline.
Chen Nuo quietly used his spiritual power to scan the surroundings. After finding nothing unusual, he withdrew his spiritual power.
He kept feeling... as if he was being spied on. What was going on?
On the rooftop, a boy stood quietly at the edge under the faint starlight. His bright, gleaming black eyes seemed to sparkle more than the stars, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"His alertness... is quite high..."