LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 23: The Corpse
Translator: CinderTL
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"I guess I was getting greedy again."
At 7:05 AM, Chen Feng woke up once more.
He was a bit helpless, having failed to find a new light orb.
He then got up and drew the curtains.
Sunlight poured in, revealing a completely different blue sky and white clouds from the dream world.
High-rise buildings stood in a row, and the sound of fruit shops opening below echoed in the air.
Coming to his senses, Chen Feng quickly summoned his panel.
[Name: Chen Feng]
[Age: 22]
[Strength: 9.2]
[Agility: 8.8]
[Constitution: 8.9]
[Willpower: 9.4]
[Skills: Sanda (Mastery, 38%), Judo (Beginner, 41%)]
[Talent: Perception Lv1 (11/100)]
He glanced at the information on the panel and roughly sorted out all the logic.
"Martial arts skills can be improved through personal practice or by breaking through limits using light orbs."
"Talent, on the other hand, can only grow through specific methods."
He thought about the gains from killing the two faceless men in the dream world last night.
Two gray light orbs had slightly enhanced his perception talent.
But normally, no matter how he used his perception talent, the data after Lv1 never changed at all, unlike Sanda and Judo, which could still improve slowly.
"This is just Lv1. What if it improves to Lv2 in the future?"
"Then the effect should more than double…"
His eyes flashed, and Chen Feng paid great attention to his perception talent.
After all, this was a special benefit distinct from Sanda and Judo.
In fact, he even suspected that this might be some kind of supernatural ability, but he hadn't truly developed it yet.
"Take it slow."
"At least now I know how to grow this talent…"
"The dream world might still hold many secrets. As long as I continue exploring, one day I'll be able to make it stronger."
With this thought, Chen Feng organized his plans for the future.
Buzz!
Suddenly, his phone vibrated, signaling a new message.
He put his thoughts aside and opened it.
[Chen Yun: Xiao Feng, about the job search thing, I told my mentor your thoughts.]
[But he's a bit worried and wants to meet you. He hopes we can have dinner together this weekend. Is that convenient for you?]
After reading the message, Chen Feng thought for a moment.
Chen Yun's mentor was a good person. When his original parents passed away, the mentor had helped with the funeral arrangements and resolved the disputes left by the previous generation.
In the past two years, the mentor had occasionally invited the siblings to dinner, giving advice in a senior's tone, but had also helped out a lot in private.
"Alright."
He nodded, not wanting to make things difficult for the mentor.
After all, he had a day off at the supermarket every week, so having a meal was fine.
[Chen Yun: How about Saturday evening? Hotpot, your favorite. :) ]
"Alright."
After a brief exchange, Chen Feng set up a dinner for three days later, the location near the research institute.
Afterward, there were no further issues, and he thought about last night's encounter.
He changed into his clothes and left the house.
A few minutes later, Chen Feng arrived again at the old alley.
"Heard someone died?"
"Yeah, it was horrible. His organs were all gone."
"Damn, that's terrifying. Whose family was it?"
"It was the drunk from Liu Ping's family. Probably got drunk and came home late… Serves him right."
Unlike last night's dim and empty atmosphere.
The street was now crowded with people, all gossiping.
Two long yellow police lines blocked the entrances to the alley, with two blue and white security cars parked nearby. Seven or eight security officers were maintaining order, moving in and out.
"Huh?"
Chen Feng was surprised. He hadn't expected such a big fuss in this alley.
Quickening his pace, he overheard some of the conversations.
"No organs left?"
The key words triggered a memory from last night when he passed the alley and heard chewing sounds.
Man eating monster?
A chill ran down his spine, and Chen Feng instinctively wanted to squeeze into the crowd to get a better look.
"Who the hell…"
Someone was annoyed at being squeezed and was about to shout.
But when they turned around, they saw a tall young man with a sturdy build and a calm gaze.
The unfinished words got stuck in their throat. After making eye contact, the person quickly forced a silly grin and stepped aside.
...
"Time of death, estimated around midnight last night."
"Male, 49 years old, name…"
The alley was about ten meters long, with uneven cement floors.
On either side were walls and two old buildings made of cement and red brick.
The body, slightly obscured from view, lay half-sitting against the wall, with several security officers standing nearby, all looking pale and nauseous.
Some of the older security officers weren't scolding them because even they were frowning.
Looking at the body, the drunk man was torn in half from the waist, as if ripped apart by tremendous force.
Blood covered his entire body, with only some organ remnants left inside.
The blood trailed all the way from the other end of the alley, as if dragged across the ground.
"Captain, what do you think?" someone asked.
"These injuries don't look like the work of an ordinary person…" Captain Xiang Jianjun shook his head, frowning as he observed the scene for a while.
"It could be a martial artist of a professional level, or even a modified human."
"Or…"
He didn't finish his sentence, but those nearby understood what he meant.
Their expressions changed slightly, and the atmosphere grew more tense.
"How's the surveillance footage?" Captain Xiang Jianjun quickly turned to ask the others.
"Captain, the situation is a bit complicated."
"This is an old community with poor infrastructure, and there are few surveillance cameras…"
A younger security officer awkwardly explained, opening the data on his tablet. "There's an electronic eye at the left exit, but it might have been out of service for days due to aging. The other exit on the right is too far to capture anything from here."
Captain Xiang Jianjun frowned when he heard this but soon saw the young officer's surprised expression.
"No, Captain, we've found something."
"At 12:08 AM last night, someone passed by nearby. Perhaps we can ask them…"
...
"Xiang Jianjun?"
At the exit of the alley, Chen Feng stood at the front of the crowd, pressing up against the police line.
His tall frame blocked the view of many people. The youth who had previously moved aside could only lower their head and curse inwardly.
"What a coincidence, he's here again."
"Is the Safety Bureau really that short on people?"
Chen Feng briefly thought, then quickly turned his attention to other traces at the scene.
Unfortunately, the distance was too far, and with the security officers deliberately concealing things, he couldn't find any useful clues.
"Move aside, please!"
Two security officers carried a stretcher out, with a white cloth covering the body.
The smell of blood hit his nose, and Chen Feng stepped back, watching as the white-cloth-covered stretcher was loaded into a van.
A middle-aged woman accompanied the body into the vehicle, her face showing no grief, only numbness.
Chen Feng guessed she was the deceased's family member.
He shook his head inwardly and looked away.
Soon, Captain Xiang Jianjun walked out as well.
Their eyes met, and the other's gaze turned to one of surprise.
"It's you?"
(End of the Chapter)
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Translated 4 Series, 1.5K+ Chapters and 1.78M+ Words.