Chapter 4: The Extraordinary -
Zhao Chaoyao took a deep breath, a flicker of unease flashing through his eyes, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
"Bludgeoned to death with a blunt object, multiple fractures across the body... During their disappearance, Yang Dongqing happened to be away from home. Judging from the traces left at the scene, it can almost certainly be concluded that Yang Dongqing was responsible. It's just…"
"Just what?" Su Mu's lips curved into a faint smile, as if he'd found an intriguing prey.
"The forensic terms were too technical for me to understand, but they died in a bizarre way. It looked like they were struck dead by some sort of metallic blunt weapon. And yet... the bones still bore remnants of fist marks. Chief, could it be that Yang Dongqing used iron knuckles to beat them to death?"
Hearing this, Su Mu chuckled silently. Even the brown-tinted glasses couldn't conceal the glimmer in his eyes. "At last… I've finally found it!"
Zhao Chaoyao's face changed. "You mean Yang Dongqing is one of those legendary extraordinary beings? But... I had my people investigate his background. He's just a poor student, an orphan, and—"
He trailed off, his voice diminishing as his expression turned panicked. He dared not meet Su Mu's gaze because he suddenly realized how much his description resembled his chief.
The chief was also an orphan, a poor student, and an extraordinary being. So why couldn't Yang Dongqing be one too?
Wait… Could it be!?
Zhao Chaoyao seemed to stumble upon a critical realization: could this mean the key to becoming extraordinary was…
Su Mu ignored Zhao's panic, turning instead to the crystal wine bottle on the table. The crimson liquid swirled as he gently tilted the bottle.
**Clink!**
The mouth of the bottle kissed the rim of the glass, the sound crisp and clear, as the fragrant wine trickled in.
Su Mu took a sip, his pale face tinged faintly with color. His eyes closed momentarily as if savoring the flavor.
Moments later, he opened his eyes, frowning slightly. "As awful as always."
He disliked the taste of red wine. Compared to its bitterness, he much preferred the crispness of beer or the rich aroma of baijiu. However, given his current physical state, red wine was all he could handle—its alcohol numbed his nerves, easing the persistent headaches.
"Continue," he said, swirling his wine glass.
Zhao Chaoyao quickly shifted the conversation. "Right, Chief. Should we keep monitoring Yang Dongqing?"
"No need. The surveillance was to confirm if he's extraordinary, and now it's almost certain. A mere student, yet he crushed the skulls of two Viper Gang members barehanded, leaving fist marks on their bones—this can't be explained by sheer strength."
"So, what's the next move?"
Su Mu lightly raised the glass. The gleaming surface reflected the mysterious smile on his lips. Then, he downed the wine in one gulp, his voice languid, laced with the scent of alcohol:
"Hunt… the extraordinary!"
Zhao Chaoyao shuddered, his expression a mix of excitement and anxiety. To hunt one of the fabled extraordinary beings? That was something he had never dared to dream of.
---
A black sedan navigated through the dilapidated streets, flanked by rows of low houses. Behind them, a few chimneys spewed black smoke, filling the air with tiny dark particles.
Sitting in the car's backseat, Su Mu quietly observed the scenery outside. Most pedestrians wore dark gray or navy-blue work uniforms, walking briskly with vacant expressions.
Occasionally, some brightly lit houses dotted the streets. Outside these homes, scantily clad women in colorful dresses—mainly yellow and red short skirts—stood idly. They resembled blooming flowers amidst the gray monotony.
Su Mu himself was unsure if he qualified as an extraordinary being. Before he took control of the Viper Gang, he hadn't even known about their existence.
After all, he was just an ordinary resident of District 13 in Star City, one of the seventy-two cities under the Chiyan Empire.
In Star City:
- Districts 1 to 10 were the **Upper City**, home to elites, dignitaries, celebrities, and imperial nobles.
- Districts 11 to 20 were the **Lower City**, filled with laborers, farmers, rampant gangs, prostitutes, and pickpockets.
The Lower City was a hub for factories, farmland, livestock, and waste disposal. It supplied food and goods to the Upper City while absorbing its pollution and poverty.
The stark divide between the two areas was like an uncrossable chasm. Walls physically separated them, as if they were two entirely different worlds.
In the Upper City, the extraordinary might not be a secret, but in the Lower City, they were synonymous with mystery. Ordinary people, crushed by daily toil, never even encountered them.
Through the Viper Gang's network, Su Mu learned of these beings. They wielded unimaginable power, referred to as "extraordinary."
He didn't know how to become one, nor did he understand the source of their strength. But it didn't matter. It wouldn't stop him from hunting them—starting with Yang Dongqing.
Su Mu's health was deteriorating at an alarming rate. Conventional medicine couldn't help him. But Yang Dongqing offered a glimmer of hope.
A man capable of crushing skulls and leaving fist imprints on bones clearly possessed unparalleled physical resilience. If Su Mu could harness that power, he might temporarily stabilize his uncontrollable mental energy and survive.
---
Half an hour later, the black sedan stopped near a school. Its gate bore a bronze plaque weathered by the elements. The words "Elite Middle School" were barely legible.
True to its name, the school produced elites—students destined for factory jobs without needing connections. A sanctum of preordained assembly-line prodigies.