Chapter Two: The Peerless Genius

In the dilapidated alley, the atmosphere was taut with hostility.

Fang Can faced the furious glares of the four thugs without the slightest trace of fear.

The men opposite him, however, were in a decidedly foul mood.

“Hand over anything valuable… Then take off your clothes…”

*He’s using all my lines! Which one of us is the robber?*

The thug who had just crawled up from the ground was overwhelmed by the sheer absurdity of the situation.

“What? Was I unclear?”

Fang Can impatiently rolled his neck. He saw nothing wrong with robbing those who had dared to rob him.

Although there were five men on the other side, they were all starving lowlifes from the bottom of society, emaciated by hunger. How could their physical condition possibly compare with his own, strengthened by a proper diet and regular training?

Besides… before crossing into this world, he had been a special-type superpowered individual whose rank had reached at least the County level.

He was merely dealing with a few street thugs. What was there to fear? Surely these wastes could not kill him.

*I’ll finish them off quickly, then examine that white panel.*

As the thought crossed his mind, Fang Can tilted his body slightly and dodged the slash of a thug wielding a rusty dagger.

*They have weapons?*

A trace of satisfaction appeared in Fang Can’s eyes. Once he knocked these men down, the weapons would belong to him.

“Kill him!” shouted the leader, clutching his cramping stomach and pointing at Fang Can.

At his command, the thugs each drew weapons from their waists—daggers, sickles, and the like—and charged.

A rusty piece of iron only had to graze someone to leave a long, easily infected wound. A blow to a vital spot could even kill outright.

*If that’s the case, then all I have to do is avoid being cut.*

As the thought arose, Fang Can felt his body undergo a world-shaking transformation.

At the same time, within the concealed description panel, a long string of characters began to appear.

Description:

An extremely hostile environment has been detected. Talent One, “When Fortune Follows Misfortune,” has been activated.

Hidden attributes increased accordingly: comprehension, aptitude, luck, intuition, willpower, logic…

…

In the blink of an eye, Fang Can felt as though he had undergone a tremendous metamorphosis.

The entire world seemed to simplify itself before his eyes, becoming easy to understand. The difficulty of the game called life had been lowered directly from hell mode to easy mode.

Under the pressure of imminent danger, the mortal body he had spent more than a decade adapting to transformed in an instant, breaking free from its cocoon like a butterfly.

The leap was comparable to upgrading from a PHS phone to a 4090T graphics card. This transformation, from within to without, gave him the sensation that nothing was beyond his power.

Different fields had different descriptions for this feeling.

Taoists called it transformation into the Dao; Buddhists called it enlightenment.

Zone, the genetic lock, the sixth sense, a sword heart made clear, the unity of man and nature, the divine realm—though their outward manifestations differed, all were descriptions of this power.

In ordinary language, it could simply be called the mark of an unparalleled genius.

*It’s finally surging forth… This enhancement of the mind, brought on by the possibility of death, is something I haven’t felt in years.*

Looking at the enemies only a few steps away, Fang Can’s eyes flashed with the exhilaration of returning to the realm of genius.

With his talents enhanced, many things he had once been unable to do now came effortlessly.

Efficient use of his muscles increased his strength by dozens of percent. His grasp of martial arts allowed him to retrieve countless combat techniques he had witnessed in the past. His instinct for danger enabled him to react without conscious thought…

There was no need to think. Or rather, dealing with these few worthless thugs was not worth wasting a single brain cell over.

Fang Can thrust out his right hand, reaching directly for the dagger coming at him.

*He’s asking to die!*

Excitement flickered in the dagger-wielding thug’s eyes as Fang Can’s hand approached. The fool actually dared to seize a blade with his bare hands.

But in the next instant, a sharp pain erupted in the thug’s wrist.

Amid the crisp sound of splintering bones, Fang Can’s palm clamped around the arm holding the dagger and violently twisted it back, driving the blade into the man’s shoulder.

“Urgh!”

The flesh was pierced. The dagger’s tip burst through the thug’s shoulder blade, turning crimson with blood.

With one hand gripping the dagger and the other locked around the man’s waist, Fang Can suddenly tensed every muscle in his body. Each muscle stood out in stark relief as a savage aura erupted from within him.

Amid the thug’s agonized screams, Fang Can hauled his body bodily off the ground.

Using the bleeding man as a shield, a vicious glint flashed through Fang Can’s eyes as he charged toward the others in the alley.

“Quick… get out of the way!”

Seeing the two figures charging toward them like a wild bull, the leader tried to shout a warning.

But in the narrow alley, there was nowhere to dodge.

With another agonized cry, the dagger protruding from the first thug’s shoulder pierced into another man’s body.

After a muffled groan, the two men were skewered together by a single dagger and pinned against the brick wall.

Fang Can released his grip and fixed his gaze on the remaining three thugs. A warm smile spread across his lips.

“You refused the polite offer and chose punishment instead. Now there are only three of you left.”

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

Seeing their howling companions, the three thugs wished they could flee as far away as possible.

But behind them stood the stone wall of a dead end. There was nowhere to hide, and they could only watch helplessly as this harbinger of doom advanced step by step.

…

Two minutes later, the five thugs lay scattered throughout the dead end, beaten so badly that even their own mothers would not have recognized them.

Fang Can, however, stood frowning at the fallen men, a trace of confusion in his eyes.

The enhancement buff enveloping him had weakened considerably, but it had not vanished entirely.

He had clearly defeated all five men. The danger should have disappeared completely. Could there still be some hidden threat nearby?

Fang Can glanced around. When he looked up, he seemed to see a majestic tiger perched atop the wall, its presence rolling like storm waves.

After a momentary lapse of concentration, he realized that a broad-shouldered, heavily built man was standing on the wall, staring fixedly at him.

Had his intuition truly failed to detect someone nearby just now?

The instant their eyes met, Fang Can felt as though he were being watched by a prehistoric tyrannosaur. Every inch of his body prickled as if pierced by needles.

The intuition that had failed him moments earlier now frantically warned him of the danger posed by the man before him.

“Hmph.”

The burly man’s lips curled slightly. With a light leap, he dropped from the wall. His descent was utterly silent, without the slightest disturbance.

“You’ve never practiced martial arts.”

The words sounded like a question, yet the man delivered them with absolute certainty.

“Is that a problem? And who are you?”

As he spoke, Fang Can carefully assessed the other man.

He stood nearly six and a quarter feet tall, with a powerful, imposing build and sharply defined features. His close-fitting long robe could not conceal the solid muscles bulging beneath it, while an exquisite tiger embroidery was faintly visible along the front of his garment.

“Li Fengtian, Hall Master of the Tiger Fiend Sect,” the man declared matter-of-factly.

He did not explain what the Tiger Fiend Sect was, as though it were common knowledge.

“Tiger Fiend Sect… Never heard of it,” Fang Can replied honestly.

*Never heard of it…*

Li Fengtian’s voice caught. Taking in Fang Can’s inappropriate clothing and short black hair, he said, “Looks like you’re definitely not from this county.”

“Uncle Li, why are you asking so many questions? And you’ve been lurking nearby, secretly watching the whole time. Don’t tell me you’re planning to avenge these men.”

With a smile, Fang Can gestured with his thumb toward the five unconscious thugs lying on the ground.

“Who would bother with a bunch of scum? What interests me is you.”

As he spoke, Li Fengtian kept his eyes fixed intently on Fang Can.