Evolving infinitely from ground zero

About an hour later.

The dinner party came to an end.

Teachers and students all went back to their homes, each finding their own mothers.

On the way home.

Lin Zichen noticed something was off with Shen Qinghan’s mood and stopped to ask, “Han Han, you seem a bit down. Did something happen?”

“No, just feeling a bit drowsy,” Shen Qinghan said with a forced smile on her face.

Lin Zichen could tell she was putting on a brave face, but seeing that she didn’t want to talk, he didn’t press further.

As they passed by a supermarket.

Shen Qinghan stopped and said, “Xiao Chen, come in with me to buy some stuff, will you?”

“Sure,” Lin Zichen agreed with a nod and followed her into the supermarket.

Once inside.

The two of them went straight to the back and stopped in front of a shelf.

The shelf was filled with women’s personal care products.

Shen Qinghan expertly reached for the top shelf and took down a large pack of adult diapers specifically for women.

Then, turning to Lin Zichen with cheeks slightly blushing, she whispered, “I only wear these at night when I sleep. During the day, I don’t wear them at all.”

Lin Zichen: “Mm, you’ve mentioned it before.”

Shen Qinghan said with a bitter smile, “When I was little, my mom always told me I’d grow out of it, that I wouldn’t wet the bed after I got older.”

“But up until now, I still wet the bed at night. I have to wear diapers to dare to sleep, and it’s really annoying.”

As she spoke, Shen Qinghan’s mood became especially low: “Xiao Chen, I feel like I’m disabled, a disabled person who can’t hold in their urine.”

“You’re not disabled.”

Lin Zichen looked at her earnestly and said, “Not being able to hold in your urine is your superpower; it’s just that you haven’t fully discovered how to use it yet.”

“Superpower?” Light returned to Shen Qinghan’s eyes, not as dim as before.

“Yeah, superpower,” Lin Zichen said with certainty: “Your talent for swimming so well is one manifestation of that superpower.”

Suddenly recalling something, Shen Qinghan looked into Lin Zichen’s eyes and asked, “Then Xiao Chen, you’ve been so amazing since you were little, do you also have a superpower?”

“Mm, I have superpowers just like you,” Lin Zichen answered without hesitation.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“What kind of superpower is it?”

“My superpower is that I have a strong physique and learning abilities.”

“Ah?” Shen Qinghan said disappointedly, “Isn’t that just pure talent?”

Lin Zichen explained, “Talent is a kind of superpower too, just like your talent for swimming.”

“That makes sense,” Shen Qinghan’s mood improved considerably, her face full of anticipation, “If I really do have a superpower, I wonder what kind it would be.”

“It would definitely be a very powerful superpower,” Lin Zichen said with a smile.

“Let’s go, Xiao Chen. Let’s check out,” Shen Qinghan said with a sweet smile, then turned with the diapers in hand to head towards the checkout counter.

When she completely turned around and walked away from Lin Zichen, the sweet smile on her face quickly dimmed.

The beaming face she had just a moment ago was still just a brave front.

Only now, her acting had improved, and her smile didn’t seem as forced as before.

She didn’t believe that she had any so-called superpower; she felt it was just Lin Zichen’s way of comforting her.

Compared to having an undiscovered superpower, she felt more like she was cursed.

After checking out, they left the supermarket.

As they walked past the market, they saw public security officers exterminating rats again.

Unlike the last time, this time there was a frenzied man trying to stop the officers from exterminating the rats, running into the middle of the market while crying and shouting:

“Stop, stop, don’t kill my brothers!”

“Did you hear that, stop now!”

“Aaaaah, if you keep killing my brothers, I’ll fight you all!”

As he shouted, the man grabbed a broom and lunged forward to drive away the security officers.

It turned out that the “brothers” he was shouting about were the rats scurrying around in the marketplace.

“Xiao Chen, is this man crazy?”

“He might be mentally ill.”

“He looks so scary.”

“Mental illness is like that, let’s go, we’re going home.”

“Mm.”

Xiao Chen and Shen Qinghan had stopped to watch the commotion for a while but left soon after.

Shortly after they left, the man causing the disturbance was subdued by the security officers, handcuffed, and put into the back of the security van to be taken back to the station for interrogation.

Evening.

At home.

Xiao Chen and his parents were sitting together having dinner, as usual, while watching the evening news.

They saw a news report about a missing person, saying that a young female teacher had disappeared after leaving school last week, and she had not been found up to today.

“Why is there another young woman missing, isn’t this the fourth one this month?”

Zhang Wanxin frowned slightly.

Lin Yansheng corrected her, “You’re mistaken, it’s the fifth.”

Zhang Wanxin, feeling puzzled, said, “There have been five people missing, can’t the security department catch the culprit?”

Xiao Chen didn’t speak, listening to his parents’ conversation while watching the news on TV.

The news anchor said that all five missing persons that month were young and beautiful women, advising young and beautiful women to avoid going out at night if possible, and if they must go out, to do so in groups and avoid secluded areas.

“Xiao Chen, it’s not very peaceful outside recently. As a boy, you have to take good care of Han Han and not let her go out alone, got it?”

Zhang Wanxin turned to Xiao Chen and instructed him.

Xiao Chen: “Mom, don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Han Han.”

Zhang Wanxin was still worried and said, “Now send Han Han a WeChat message, remind her to pay attention to her safety, and remember to tell her to call you along if she’s going out.”

“Alright, I’ll send it now.”

After speaking, Xiao Chen took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Shen Qinghan, reminding her to be safe.

Shanhai City, XX District, XX Street Security Office.

In a brightly lit interrogation room.

The deranged middle-aged man that Xiao Chen had seen at the marketplace in the afternoon was now being examined by a psychiatrist for his mental state.

Outside, two security officers were on night duty, keeping watch.

Half an hour later.

A security officer walked into the interrogation room and asked the psychiatrist, “How does it look, is he a mental patient?”

“I’m not sure yet,” the psychiatrist shook his head, “I’ve been trying to communicate with him, but he hasn’t said a word, as if he’s mute.”

“He’s certainly not mute; he was shouting nonstop at the market earlier,” said the security officer with a smile.

After speaking, he noticed that the handcuffed middle-aged man’s facial muscles started to twitch slightly, and small fine hairs were growing at a visible pace.

Seeing this scene, his face turned pale, and he immediately shouted out loud:

“Quick, request headquarters to send a Mechanically Modified Human here for backup, the man in the interrogation room is transforming into a giant mutant rat!!!”

PS: Begging for monthly and recommendation tickets!