Chapter One Chapter One

On the evening of March 16, 2011, at half past eight, a time when people in rural areas or small towns might already be asleep, and most people at home would be watching various TV programs, for the international metropolis of Haicheng with a population of over ten million, this was just the beginning of the nightlife.

The city was illuminated by lights, making it more beautiful and colorful than during the day. Various advertising light boxes competed with the lights of vehicles, showcasing the prosperity of the city.

At this moment, in a single room in the inpatient department of the Second People's Hospital of Haicheng, a young man was staring in horror at his left hand, wishing that his arm could immediately move away from him. His face was covered in sweat, sweat dripping continuously from his forehead, his hair already soaked.

"What a pity, Zhao Long looks pretty good."

"Yeah, so young and already had his arm amputated. His future prospects are ruined."

"What a waste of resources. If only I had met him earlier..."

"Stop daydreaming and hurry up to change his dressing. Check if he's fully awake too, see if he has any emotional reactions when he wakes up and finds his arm amputated. It would be troublesome if he couldn't handle it."

Zhao Long, who was anxiously staring at his left arm, suddenly heard the nurses' conversation. They were talking about him. In fact, he had woken up yesterday, but in a daze, not fully conscious. He only remembered seeing someone moving furniture while he was on his way home from work. Suddenly, a cabinet fell over, and there happened to be a little girl nearby. Zhao Long reached out to support her, but he couldn't remember what happened next.

Waking up again in a daze, he only heard people around him talking about his amputated arm. At that moment, his head buzzed, and he felt completely bewildered. Later, people from the hospital kept coming in and out, and he remained in a state of confusion. However, all of this was true. It had been almost two days since the surgery, and he had been lying there all this time. It wasn't that Zhao Long couldn't accept this blow completely. What was most important was that he felt sore all over, exhausted, and weak. His arm felt like it was being bitten by countless insects, aching like the pain of growing flesh. His blood seemed to be boiling, his organs occasionally sending various pains, leaving him in a semi-conscious state.

Until just over ten minutes ago, this feeling suddenly disappeared, and Zhao Long suddenly felt fully awake. But when he sat up, his left arm, which had supposedly been amputated, was intact.

Hearing their conversation, Zhao Long became somewhat clearer. Although he didn't understand why his amputated arm had regenerated, someone was about to come in. Zhao Long's head swelled even more at the thought of being seen by someone. He didn't want to be seen as a monster or be captured and studied by some special department. He didn't want to stay here any longer.

Thinking of this, Zhao Long suddenly sat up. His right arm still had an IV drip attached, and with a sudden movement, he shook the bottle, causing the IV stand to topple over.

"Clang... Crackle..."

"Oh... Is that sound from Room 106? Go check it out..."

At this moment, Zhao Long heard the voices of the nurses again. Without paying attention to anything else, he grabbed the neatly placed patient gown on the bedside table and realized that this was a ground floor room. He opened the window and jumped out. Zhao Long was an athletic champion at school, and he could easily descend from any floor below the third.

Zhao Long jumped out directly, but he didn't notice that the door to his ward had been closed all along. And the nurses' voices were not loud. Even if his bedside stand had fallen, the nurses would only have heard it vaguely as they approached.

At this moment, Zhao Long couldn't care less. He was completely panicked and jumped out of the ward. As soon as he jumped out, he saw flashlight beams not far away. Security guards on patrol were coming this way.

He couldn't let anyone see him, couldn't let anyone know. That was the only thought in Zhao Long's mind at the moment. With a burst of energy, he rushed out. Zhao Long ran extremely fast, and just a dozen meters away was a wall. In the blink of an eye, he had rushed over. It was so fast that he hadn't even thought about controlling his speed or braking, and he was about to crash into the wall.

How could this be? Zhao Long's mind was in a daze, but just as he was about to crash into the wall, his left arm instinctively lifted, and with a slight push from his feet, his arm had already landed on the wall over two meters high. With a gentle exertion, his entire body rose up, and with a push, he was already outside the wall.

"Bang... Bang... Bang..." At this moment, Zhao Long felt his heart pounding rapidly. Strange things happened every year, but today he encountered something unbelievable.

"Hey... Where's the person?"

"Look, the window is open. The person just had surgery, where did they go?"

"Did you see anyone?"

"No one, is there anyone here?"

"Inform the doctor, quickly, find someone…"

At this moment, the nurse had already arrived at the ward but found no one inside, feeling puzzled. Seeing the open window, she leaned out but noticed the security guard passing by. Neither of them had seen anyone.

Hearing the conversation between the nurse and the security guard, Zhao Long, who was already outside the wall, hurriedly quickened his pace. The Second People's Hospital of Haicheng was not too far or too close to where he lived, about a dozen stops away. Zhao Long had lived in this area for more than three years and was very familiar with it.

Run, quickly leave this place. Today's events were too bizarre, and this matter absolutely must not be known to anyone. As Zhao Long ran, he felt like everything around him was slowing down. The pedestrians walking by, the cars on the road, their movements and sounds all seemed much slower. It was so quiet.

Fortunately, it was already night at this moment, and although Haicheng's nightlife was bustling, there weren't many people strolling on the streets, especially on roadsides like this. Moreover, Zhao Long's running route was far from the streetlights, and his mind was in turmoil. Although he felt strange, he was single-mindedly focused on getting home and didn't think much about it.

"Mom, mom, there was a dark shadow just now, whoosh, it ran faster than Liu Xiang..." A little girl suddenly stopped and turned to look in the direction Zhao Long had just run past.

Her mother turned back to look, but there was nothing behind them. She scolded, "Don't talk nonsense, it's late at night. Blame your dad for telling you ghost stories for no reason."

Zhao Long lived in the suburban area of ​​Haicheng's western district, where there were mostly bungalows. Although the subway had just opened nearby, the prices were not too cheap. Of course, compared to the bustling downtown area, it was much cheaper.

Finally, Zhao Long abruptly stopped his pace and realized that he had already reached the intersection of Shuguang Sixth Street, where he lived. The place where Zhao Long lived was called Shuguang Ten Streets, with ten streets from one to ten. He couldn't believe how fast he had arrived. Suddenly, the sound of a horn came from nearby as a van passed by him, and there were bursts of noise around him. Life went on here as usual, with many vendors selling skewers and small items by the roadside, and some people he knew were greeting him.

It was only at this moment that Zhao Long suddenly understood what was happening. Previously, when he ran at his fastest, he had also felt a slight slowing down of things around him, a sensation of slowed sounds. But it was extremely faint, far less intense than now. This sensation was too strong now. His movements were several times faster than before.

This speed was probably impossible even for a real world champion. How could this be? Not only had his left arm regenerated, but even his body and strength had also been enhanced so much.

What on earth had happened?

"Bang... Bang... Bang..." At this moment, Zhao Long felt his heart beating violently. He, wearing patient clothes, walked toward his small courtyard in a daze.

"What kind of pajamas are these? Why do they look like hospital patient gowns?"

"I haven't seen you for several days. Why are you dressed like this?"

Zhao Long was well-liked, having lived in the area for several years and knowing many people. However, at this moment, he could only nod and quickly step into the courtyard. It was a two-story building, with the landlord's family living upstairs and the lower portion divided into three rented units.

"Finally, I caught you. Do you think I don't know about your tricks? Coming back late and leaving early, do you think you can get away with it? Pay the rent quickly. If you can't afford it, then move out and make room for others. There are plenty of people looking to rent now." Blocking the door was Zhao Long's landlady, Yao Meili, a woman in her mid-twenties. She wasn't particularly attractive, but she had made herself quite thin due to hunger. Moreover, her makeup skills weren't great, making her look even worse when she got angry, her voice becoming sharper and her words more cutting.

"Do you think it's okay for you to wear a patient gown? This isn't a charity organization. This won't work with me. Hurry up and pay. This time, you have to pay a year and a half in advance. If you can't afford it, then leave quickly." Seeing Zhao Long remain silent, Yao Meili became somewhat dazed. However, when she noticed the clothes he was wearing were patient gowns, she became even more outspoken and harsh.

"Little Zhao is back. Why haven't we seen you for a few days?" At this moment, a middle-aged woman came out from another house in the courtyard, slightly overweight, holding a large fan. Yao Meili frowned when she saw her, especially when she saw her fanning herself. She seemed extremely disdainful.

This was Zhao Long's neighbor, Auntie Li. When they rented the house, Zhao Long reminded her that she and the landlady had signed a three-year contract together. They had set the price, with rent due every six months. Now, a year and a half had passed, and the rent had increased tremendously. Seeing other landlords continuously raising rents, Yao Meili blamed her husband every day, trying to find ways to force Zhao Long and Auntie Li out. Thus, she demanded that Zhao Long and Auntie Li pay a year and a half of rent upfront.

"Little Zhao, are you okay?" Seeing Zhao Long standing there in a daze, Auntie Li spoke up and then glared at Yao Meili. "Yao Meili, can't you see that Little Zhao isn't feeling well? You have to be a decent person, have integrity. Even people in this small city understand that. How come you don't? Little Zhao, don't worry. If you can't pay, Auntie will help you borrow some money. Let's pay her the rent and show her who's boss."

"You..." Yao Meili pointed at Auntie Li, but she couldn't get a word in edgewise. Auntie Li, tall and somewhat overweight, was intimidating when angry. Yao Meili was so angry that she couldn't even retort, gasping for breath. Auntie Li, on the other hand, continued like a floodgate had opened, her words flowing non-stop. She didn't insult anyone, but what she said made Yao Meili feel dizzy.

Zhao Long wasn't a dull person, but at this moment, all he could think about was his arm. However, his left arm was right there on his body, and he couldn't move away from it. Also, he had just jumped over a wall of more than two meters, and his running speed was several times faster than normal. All of this made him feel terrified and uneasy. So, he was in a daze and didn't pay attention to Yao Meili. Seeing Yao Meili take several steps back under Auntie Li's tirade, no longer blocking his way, Zhao Long walked directly towards his room.

"Ah, what a good kid. He has to manage the household and work, getting sick and enduring your anger. Look at how you've pressured him," Auntie Li sighed as she looked at Zhao Long, thinking he was feeling this way because of stress.

"You..." Yao Meili wanted to stop Zhao Long again at this moment.

"Who are you? Even covering half of my mouth, I could still out-argue you. Bullying a child is nothing to brag about." Auntie Li stretched out her fan, blocking Yao Meili.

"You... Fine... I won't bother with you country folks. The lease ends in three days. If you can't come up with a year and a half of rent, then all of you can get out." Gasping for breath, Yao Meili was overwhelmed by Auntie Li's words. Finally, she shouted and stormed upstairs.

Back in his room, Zhao Long immediately closed the curtains. Yao Meili's words about paying the rent in three days echoed faintly in his ears, but he couldn't focus on them. He stood there for a while before slowly walking to the mirror, carefully taking off his shirt. He slowly lifted his left arm and examined it, then looked into the mirror. His arm was intact, and he could clearly feel the strength and presence of it, no matter how he looked at it.

However, after examining his arm for a while, Zhao Long realized that the injury site on his left arm was also intact, just as it was before. He moved it up and down, left and right, clenched his fist, and picked up things carefully, and everything was fine. It was indeed his arm, unmistakably connected to him by blood. After a while, he raised his right hand to touch his left arm. The place where it should have been amputated was now without a single wound. Zhao Long pinched it with his fingers and felt a slight pain.

"Am I dreaming? Is this real?" Zhao Long finally became a bit clearer in his mind, murmuring to himself. Suddenly, he noticed a fruit knife on the table nearby.

He picked up the fruit knife and looked at his left arm. He couldn't believe that his amputated arm was now alive and well. Could it be a prosthetic limb? But he hadn't heard of such advanced prosthetics. Could he have become a test subject for some new technology without knowing it, and had his arm replaced with an electronic one?

Thinking about it, Zhao Long placed the fruit knife on his left arm, wondering whether to make a small incision or secretly collect some blood for examination. If not for this, he couldn't think of any other explanation. How could his amputated arm be intact, and why had his body undergone such a drastic change?

"Is it real or fake? What's going on?" Zhao Long muttered to himself.

"Of course, it's real. Do you want to mutilate yourself?" Suddenly, a voice echoed in Zhao Long's mind. What shocked him even more was that he could clearly sense that the voice was coming from his left arm.