CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER 71 SPECIAL BURST_1

Under the night sky.

A cool breeze brushed across the rooftop, gently swaying the clothes on the clothesline, the chirping of crickets echoing intermittently.

Lu Yuan stood near a concrete pile, assumed a stance, and slowly threw a punch towards it.

This punch was incredibly slow.

As he punched, large beads of sweat visibly formed on Lu Yuan’s forehead and cheeks.

He gritted his teeth tightly; he looked like he was struggling immensely.

His eyes remained fixated on his right hand as it threw the punch.

His right hand was a whole size thicker than usual!

The muscles on his arm churned like waves; blue veins, usually hidden beneath the skin, bulged out, swelling like earthworms.

Lu Yuan felt as if the muscles in his right arm were rapidly twisting together like strands of a hemp rope.

Contracting, expanding, exploding...

POP!

A crisp sound burst from his punching right hand.

The sound was like an overstretched bowstring suddenly snapping.

Lu Yuan’s body deflated instantly, and he retracted the punch that hadn’t been fully thrown.

HUFF—HUFF—

Lu Yuan gasped for breath.

He stared, alarmed, at his right arm as it slowly returned to normal from its frightening state.

A dull, tearing pain throbbed through it.

He knew that during the punch, some muscles and tendons in his arm had strained and torn.

No, I can’t do it at this stage.

Lu Yuan’s face turned sullen.

He had successfully unlocked the Fighter profession’s second Core Skill, but he couldn’t use it. Anyone would feel terrible in his shoes.

Checking the panel, the newly unlocked skill presented itself—

[Special Burst] (Active).

Effect: When activated, grants over twice the instantaneous explosive power.

It was a straightforward skill introduction, yet its actual effect was astonishingly potent!

An instantaneous explosion of twice his usual strength.

Lu Yuan’s current Basic Punch Strength was over four hundred kilograms. Activating this skill would instantly boost his Fist Strength to over eight hundred kilograms!

No wonder his arm showed signs of tearing and collapsing even before the punch was fully thrown.

In terms of attribute points, activating [Special Burst] is like my Strength instantly jumping from 13 to 15! I really can’t withstand it; my Constitution just isn’t high enough...

Lu Yuan recalled the feeling when he threw the punch earlier.

It was a miraculous technique for controlling the body’s muscles.

The muscles in his arms, thighs, and waist felt as if they were forcibly twisted together like hemp ropes. That was how the explosiveness of twice his usual strength came about.

Twisted hemp ropes are naturally stronger and more resilient than single strands.

For a moment, Lu Yuan had the urge to immediately add his remaining attribute point to his Constitution.

But he suppressed it.

The Crane-shaped Pile will continue to improve my Constitution. There’s no rush, no rush.

Besides, I don’t really have a use for this move right now, so why waste the point?

Lu Yuan continuously reassured himself.

His typically cautious nature had made him accustomed to always reserving an attribute point for emergencies.

Often, a single attribute point could be life-saving in a crisis.

For example, during the first encounter in the rainy alley against the gang leader, Hei.

The second time when fighting against the rat man.

In both cases, it was by adding points mid-fight for a sudden power surge that he caught his opponents off guard, turning the tables and securing victory.

In a way, this could even be considered a unique Core Skill Lu Yuan had created for his own ’profession’—

Profession—[Old Six]! Core Skill—[Surprise Attack]!

This tactic was tried and true.

But today, Lu Yuan found it unbearable not to test the doubled power of the [Special Burst] skill. He felt as if millions of ants were crawling all over him; he truly couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Let’s go into the Consciousness Space. It doesn’t matter if I get hurt in the Consciousness Space; I can experiment freely there.

Lu Yuan thought of a compromise. He quickly tidied up the mess on the rooftop, grabbed his things, and headed downstairs.

"First in the grade! Yuan, you’re doing so well! Getting into Xia University will be a piece of cake for you!"

"You’re really impressive, Yuan! This kid has always been smart, just a bit too playful when he was younger. Now that he’s matured, that intelligence is really shining through!"

"Your Yuan and Jing, they’re both such good students, so sensible, and so good-looking... Qiuling, you’re truly blessed! We’re all so envious of you."

"Haha, not at all, not at all..."

In the morning, at the entrance of their small shop.

His mother, Zheng Qiuling, was surrounded by a few old neighborhood friends who often dropped by, her face practically blooming like a flower from smiling so much.

His grandfather, Lu Yueping, wearing his reading glasses, examined Lu Yuan’s report card, looking even happier than when he’d seen his own hospital discharge papers.

"Full marks in Foreign Languages, and nearly full marks in Math, Physics, and Chemistry. My grandson is truly amazing..."

Early this morning, the school had mailed his final exam report card.

The family was overjoyed. Lu Yuan, however, felt no particular excitement; after all, he already knew his scores.

He was currently sitting in front of the old-fashioned television in their small shop, watching the morning news.

"...Last night, a paper mill in the city’s eastern district caught fire. Firefighters arrived promptly to extinguish the blaze. Fortunately, there were no casualties... The weather is hot and the air is dry. We’d like to remind all citizens to be vigilant about fire and electrical safety..."

Including the explosion in the southern part of the city, this is already the third fire-related incident reported in the news these past few days...

Although the incidents occurred in different locations, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some special connection between these disasters.

Just as he was pondering this, the next news report caught his attention.

"...Recently, there has been a major breakthrough in the investigation of the missing persons cases that have plagued our city for over two months. This station will continue to provide follow-up reports..."

RING RING RING—

The phone in his pocket rang.

Lu Yuan took it out and had a look.

To his surprise, the caller ID showed Ge Wenjun.

"Captain Ge."

Lu Yuan answered the phone.

Ge Wenjun’s voice came from the other end.

"Lu Yuan, how have you been lately?"

Lu Yuan naturally knew what Captain Ge was asking about. He glanced towards his mother and grandfather before replying.

"Mm, I haven’t encountered...it again."

"That’s good. You don’t need to worry too much. In a couple of days, this matter should be completely resolved. Remember to stay indoors more for the next few days, and don’t go wandering into any narrow alleys or lanes..."

’Completely resolved in a couple of days...’

Lu Yuan was slightly taken aback. He subconsciously glanced at the TV news, his eyes flickering slightly, then nodded and said, "Understood, Captain Ge."

"Oh, by the way."

Ge Wenjun’s tone changed abruptly on the other end of the phone, and he asked, "You mentioned last time that you were practicing martial arts at a place called the Origin Martial Arts Hall, right?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"Nothing, just curious. I have to go now; there’s a meeting I need to attend."

"Goodbye, Captain Ge."

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP...