C2 A Shocking Transformation

The rain was getting worse. People scurried along the streets, desperate to get home or to find some shelter at the very least. No one noticed the kneeling figure by the lake, let alone the look of amazement in his face.

Zhang Muye stared blankly at his hands as he turned them over again and again. Everything was fine! No, even better than fine!

His body was thrumming some inexplicable strength, as though a live power source had embedded itself into his core. As soon as he thought of this, he noticed something dance beneath the skin of his arms. It was glowing ever so faintly, and looked a lot like the trail of lighting as it cracks across the sky.

And just like that, a burst of electric current blasted out of his body. It was weak, but he could see the water rippling in its wake. He even glimpsed a few fish jumping through the surface before diving back into the lake.

But the strangeness didn’t end there. Muye knew for certain that his brain was enhanced and more developed than it had ever been. Not only could he remember events from his earliest years, but his memory seemed to have become photographic as well. He could remember almost anything from his past, and replay the scene in his mind within a split-second.

'Just what the hell happened to me?'

Muye didn’t even know where to begin with all the possible explanations. All he knew was that a terrifying and abnormal change had come over his body. Sure, the change appeared to be for the better, but that was why it was so alarming.

Since he was in a good shape, he decided to rush home for now.

Muye lived in the shed area of Jinnan City, a place where most buildings were several decades old and likely dilapidated. To put it mildly, it was a settlement for the lower class.

The city itself had undergone many developments over the years, and Jinnan City was thriving for the most part, but the shed area remained the same. In fact, the young people from its community toiled for twelve hours a day, while the elderly continued to find odd jobs or worked part-time, and all this just to ensure that they had food on the table. In the end, they could only ever afford the bare necessities in life.

When he arrived home, he found his father, Zhang Aiguo, smoking his pipe by the doorway. Inside, his mother, Cui Ping, was sitting on a stool and sobbing quietly while his sister, Zhang Meng, tended to her homework without making any noise.

Muye knew right away that something had happened.

As he approached, his father cast him a curious glance. “Where have you been?” he asked, voice low and somewhat hoarse. “Why are your clothes soaked?”

"I slipped and fell into the lake."

Zhang Aiguo took another drag from his cigarette before speaking again. “Your teacher, Mr. Wang, called just now and said you got expelled from school.”

Muye was startled by this, but he nodded his head in confirmation.

His family would find out one way or another. There was no way he could avoid it even if he wanted to.

All of a sudden, Zhang Aiguo threw his cigarette on the ground and lashed out at his son.

“How can you let me down like this?” he cried out.

Cui Ping’s sobs grew louder. She ached on her son’s behalf. Muye had studied diligently for more than ten years, and would no doubt ace he incoming college entrance exams. The school was merciless for having him expelled at this pivotal time in his life. They had practically ruined her child’s future!

Muye bowed his head in shame. He felt bad for his parents.

Though they weren’t related by blood, Zhang Aiguo and Cui Ping had given him endless love and support ever since he had joined their family when he was four years old.

He knew that his expulsion was a hard blow to his foster parents.

“Don’t you realize how much effort we put in to nurture you into a proper adult? Why are you so reckless and disobedient?”

Zhang Aiguo slapped his chest in frustration. His usually loving and kind face was twisted into a look of anguish, and it seemed to Muye that half of his father’s hair had turned white.

His own heart wrenched in pain.

“Ah, forget it! Go to your room, and relax before getting back to your studying. I’m going to make sure you take the college entrance exams, no matter what it takes.”

Such was the nature of Zhang Aiguo. He might burst out in rare anger and speak some harsh words, but he would quickly soften the blow and cancel it out altogether. He lit another cigarette and offered some encouragement to Muye before heading out of the house.

“Son,” Cui Ping said. She had wiped her tears away and looked more composed. “Go and change your clothes first. You might catch a cold. I’ll make you something to eat.”

What was done, was done. They couldn’t do anything else besides looking forward and hoping for things to get better. The most important thing for now was for Muye to continue his studies and pass the college entrance exams.

He gingerly went to his room and took a shower. He got dressed and rushed to the small space by his bed, intending to do some push-ups.

He still could wrap his head around the miraculous changes in his body. His heart beat wildly at the mere thought of it.

But as the familiar wave of electricity surged through his veins, Zhang Muye could no longer write off everything that had happened. As impossible as it may seem to any sane person, it was all real—from his mysterious recovery to this newfound superpower and inhuman strength.

As if to prove all this to himself, he proceeded to do a grand total of two hundred push-ups. And he wasn’t even winded at the end of it. In the past, he could only go as far as fifty. What’s more, he had grown taller than his original height of 1.75 meters. He could reach out and arm and almost touch the ceiling now, which placed him over 1.8 meters tall.

Even his clothes felt uncomfortably tight, and his pants barely covered his ankles.

He was already toned before, but now his abs were more prominent and defined. Muye dreaded having to think of himself as such, but he really did look like a masterpiece crafted only by the finest sculptors.

Except, of course, for the steady thrum of electricity nestled in between his firm muscles.

With all of this combined, it could be said that Muye’s overall aura had evolved.

His lips curved into a small smile, his eyes glinting with evil mischief. If he went out into the world like this, he’d probably be able to win girls left and right, wouldn’t he?

Something clicked inside his head, and he dove into his desk to do some serious reading.

An hour passed before he finally put down his book. Then he closed his eyes and took a slow, deep, breath to calm the excited thumping of his heart.

It was just as he had hoped—he had obtained a most auspicious ability, far greater than anyone could have imagined!

Indeed, his body was superior to that of an ordinary man, but what pleased him the most was the incredible improvement in his cognitive skills.

Zhang Muye couldn’t even find the words to explain it, let alone express how happy he was.

Now, he could understand a concept with a single glance. Words in English and other languages that he used to struggle to remember were now etched in his memory. Most amazing of all was the sudden progress in his musical talents. In the past, he would either paint or play the guitar in his free time. Despite his constant practice, however, there was one particular song he could never play properly.

That was no longer true. With his restless hands, he picked up his old guitar and started to play the damn song. It turned out that he played even better than the original artist.

The experience was both frightening and gratifying at the same time.

With this new super brain of his, he would be able to learn anything he wanted, in the shortest period of time possible.

Muye took his time basking in this knowledge. When the pleasure waned, he sat up straight and began plotting. He needed to figure out a way to utilize these abilities to their utmost potential, and in the most advantageous ways.

Needless to say, the college entrance exams were at the top of his priorities.

Every student worth his salt was terrified of the exams, but it was inevitable.

After all, it was the only opportunity they had to better their lives and further their ambitions.

Just twenty-four hours ago, Muye also found the exams doubting. Now, however, he was brimming with confidence.

It was still a month away, but he was determined to do something as soon as possible. He needed to make up for the countless mistakes he had made in the past and atone to his hardworking parents.