Chapter Sixteen: Approval Granted

Time passed gradually.

After the initial wave, a few more ghouls returned one after another, but soon, almost none came back at all. In truth, not many ghouls died by his hand that day; counting the juveniles, there were barely a hundred, perhaps not even half the population of the nest. The remaining creatures must have sensed the danger lurking within their lair.

Lin Lei even suspected that those ghouls who returned intermittently were sent to scout the situation, and when they never came back, the others became too afraid to return.

What a pity… If he waited longer, perhaps he might catch a few stragglers, but for Lin Lei, that no longer held much meaning.

He checked his watch. Having left at noon, it was now dusk.

Time to go home.

He left the sewers and was soon back at his apartment.

Standing before the bathroom sink, he gazed at his reflection. Though he had only crossed into this world a few days ago and his body was still thin, his entire demeanor had changed dramatically—brighter, more energetic.

He lifted his bangs. The cigarette burn on his scalp had completely faded, leaving no trace behind. The restorative power gained from multiple acts of “plundering” was indeed formidable.

Thanks to that vial of medicine, his mood remained stable. Though still somewhat exhilarated, it no longer clouded his judgment.

He washed his face and headed to the living room.

Facing the white wall, he threw a punch.

With a muffled thud, the wall shuddered, and a sizable chunk of plaster crumbled off.

Lin Lei’s eyes gleamed. He had struck with nearly his full strength, yet felt almost no pain, as if he were wearing an oversized, thickened cowhide glove.

He grabbed the fruit knife from the table and casually slashed at his palm. Only a white mark remained—his skin wasn’t even scratched.

He burst out laughing, exhilarated, and began to increase the force.

It took nearly half his full strength to break the surface of his own skin. Using the knife’s tip made it a bit easier.

But this was under the strength standard of “five ghouls.”

If an ordinary person tried to cut him with a knife, they’d hardly make a dent in his defenses.

After absorbing the power of five ghouls, the most remarkable change in his body was the toughness of his skin.

These creatures, aside from their fangs and claws, were most notable for their resilient hide…

He narrowed his eyes.

I wonder if I could withstand a handgun now.

Even if not, the threat would be greatly diminished.

…

Meanwhile, as Lin Lei returned home, in the basement of a villa in the upper district, a dog-like monster crawled out of the pitch-black corridor and climbed the stairs.

In the villa’s living room, a woman in a red Gothic dress set down her teacup and turned to face the ghoul that had emerged from below.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” she said.

The ghoul knelt at her feet, making a sound almost like weeping, its face full of misery and grievance.

The woman seemed to understand its lament, and her gentle expression slowly twisted.

“What did you say?” she demanded.

…

For the next two days, Lin Lei didn’t return to the sewers to hunt more ghouls. Instead, he rested quietly at home.

First, he needed time to adapt to his increased strength. Second, after taking that vial of medicine, he had absorbed yet another ghoul.

Though his mood swings weren’t as wild as before, he was still not entirely stable.

He secluded himself, meditating and clearing his mind. Only on the second night did he change clothes and venture out again.

Returning to the ghoul’s lair, he found nothing but chaos and darkness—no sign of the creatures’ return.

They’ve abandoned this place.

Ghouls possessed a certain intelligence, after all; these survivors would likely rebuild elsewhere.

It would be difficult to achieve the same harvest as before.

Lin Lei wandered the surrounding area all night, spotting only two solitary ghouls.

He found nothing more.

…

Returning home in the morning, he fell into a deep sleep, only to be jarred awake by the shrill ring of his phone.

The caller was Li Xueshu.

“Lin Lei, your review has been approved. Come to school this afternoon. I’ll take you to the Bureau of Investigation.”

A glint flashed in Lin Lei’s eyes. It was already one in the afternoon. He got up at once and found a nearby restaurant.

After wolfing down a meal, he didn’t head straight to school. Instead, he stopped by a barbershop.

A fresh, short haircut transformed his entire look.

Well, I’m actually quite handsome.

His original appearance wasn’t bad, but his gloomy demeanor and undernourished, scrawny body made him unpleasant to behold. Now, with better meals and a new hairstyle, he was much more presentable.

At the school gate, Lin Lei, backpack slung diagonally, spotted Li Xueshu from afar, chewing gum beside a white SUV.

He patted his cheeks, forced a stiff smile, and approached.

Without glancing at him, Li Xueshu stared ahead. “If you haven’t added me on WeChat, get lost.”

Lin Lei’s mouth twitched. “Xueshu, it’s me…”

Li Xueshu finally turned in surprise, her eyes flashing with curiosity. “You… Lin Lei?”

Though still thin, Lin Lei’s aura had changed so much he was almost unrecognizable.

At that moment, a burly man in sunglasses and a black suit leaned out from the front seat—most likely the driver.

“Are you coming or not?”

“We’re going,” Li Xueshu replied, giving Lin Lei an odd look and sliding into the back seat.

Lin Lei followed and closed the door. “Where are we going?”

A solid partition separated the front and back seats; once the windows were closed, the outside world vanished into darkness.

Li Xueshu shook her head and gave him a meaningful look. “Don’t ask. I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

The car started.

Lin Lei took out his phone to pass the time, but there was no signal inside the car, and the GPS was useless.

Naturally, this was to prevent the location from being leaked.

Suddenly, Li Xueshu turned to him. “Earlier you asked me for grenades and bombs… What did you want them for?”

“Self-defense,” Lin Lei replied casually.