Chapter 11: Beginners Are Indeed Unreliable

The next morning, gentle sunlight streamed through the window, filling the cramped room with a warm glow.

The curtain in the middle was pulled halfway aside. Hand in hand, Ren Jie finally yielded to Tao Yaoyao’s insistence.

“Bro~ wake up~ bro?”

Ren Jie opened his sleepy eyes, waking from a dream. As soon as he looked up, he saw Tao Yaoyao with a pair of pink shorts pulled over her head, only her big eyes blinking at him.

Ren Jie: ???

What kind of look is this? Quite a unique style?

“Are you still groggy from sleep?”

Why put something on your head like that?

Tao Yaoyao looked at Ren Jie seriously.

“Bro~ you’re so passionate! You told me you were a hot-blooded guy, but I didn’t believe it before!”

“Now I do, cough cough~”

Ren Jie was even more bewildered:

“What does wearing your shorts on your head have to do with being hot-blooded?”

Tao Yaoyao coughed: “You’re so hot-blooded you’re literally smoking, cough cough cough~ let go of me, you’re burning hot!”

Ren Jie’s eyes widened in shock. Looking down, he saw thick smoke billowing from his blanket. The whole room was filled with smoke and heat, even his skin felt scorching.

Startled, Ren Jie sprang out of bed with a flip.

“What the heck! What’s going on?”

The quilt was burned with a human-shaped scorch mark, the cotton catching fire.

As soon as he stepped out, a towering blaze erupted on Ren Jie’s body, turning him into a human torch. Even the only pair of shorts he wore caught fire.

Tao Yaoyao looked at Ren Jie with admiration:

“Oh wow~ bro! You’re so fiery, even a vampire biting you would get their mouth blistered from the heat, right?”

Ren Jie’s face darkened. Without a word, he dashed straight to the bathroom, knowing if he didn’t, even the bitter tea would be gone soon.

“You unlucky kid, why didn’t you wake me up earlier? Your brother’s literally on fire!”

Tao Yaoyao grinned mischievously:

“You can’t expect a 15-year-old pretty girl who’s bedridden with a terminal illness to get you up.”

In the hallway, An Ning carried breakfast and frowned when she heard clattering noises from the room. “Xiao Jie, Yaoyao? Time to get up and eat?”

“Hmm~ what’s that smell? Burning…”

Before An Ning could approach, the door was suddenly slammed open. A human torch dashed out at full speed from the room, sprinting straight to the bathroom.

An Ning was stunned: “Xiao Jie? What’s happening?”

Did Yaoyao accidentally set her brother on fire while playing?

Worried, she hurried to check the room and saw Tao Yaoyao with her shorts on her head and a human-shaped scorch mark on Ren Jie’s bedsheet...

An Ning: (sigh)…

In the bathroom, the sound of running water was accompanied by sizzling noises and wisps of white steam drifting out.

Ren Jie’s voice came from inside:

“Aunt An Ning, don’t worry. I probably caught a fever from the cold last night. You all eat first, I’ll be out shortly.”

An Ning: ???

Fever? Your fever can burn a quilt and set your body on fire?

Is that even a normal human body temperature?

In the bathroom, Ren Jie stood under cold water, gradually cooling down to normal.

This must be the official awakening, causing the combustion phenomenon.

He had thought the awakening phase would take several days, but it happened overnight?

Now, Ren Jie had officially unlocked his gene lock and entered the first stage of the Awakening Realm.

At that moment, the world before him seemed clearer. He could even see the trajectory of falling water droplets.

He smelled the aroma of pork and scallion buns downstairs, heard the cries of neighboring children, a couple’s quarrel, and could keenly sense the subtle touch of water droplets on his skin.

The Awakening Realm means awakening the five senses.

After a gene warrior enters the first stage, not only does physical strength greatly improve, but sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing all sharpen considerably.

They can manipulate the awakened abilities, and at the first stage, gain one skill slot.

Ren Jie raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Sparks flew, and in the next moment, his entire palm was engulfed in crimson flames.

The fire crackled wildly and flickered with fierce intensity.

The flames reflected in Ren Jie’s eyes.

“From now on, I guess I won’t need a lighter when I go out…”

He just didn’t know what his skill would be.

Three minutes later, Ren Jie had tidied up and came to eat.

At the dining table, Tao Yaoyao sat in her wheelchair, and An Ning was there too. Neither had touched their food, both staring fixedly at Ren Jie.

They seemed to be waiting for an explanation.

After all, “catching a fever and setting yourself on fire” was a bit far-fetched...

Ren Jie scratched his nose, embarrassed: “Well... I seem to have unlocked my gene lock and become a gene warrior. It looks like I awakened a fire ability.”

An Ning’s eyes lit up instantly, and Tao Yaoyao exclaimed:

“Awakened an ability? Gene warrior? Ha! I always knew my brother was extraordinary, a true talent!”

“A fire ability? Show me! Can you fry an egg with your bare hands? I want it soft-boiled!”

Ren Jie scowled. After all the effort to awaken a power, it was just to cook her a soft-boiled egg?

But actually, he could.

An Ning’s eyes sparkled with joy: “Xiao Jie actually became a gene warrior? Wonderful! I knew you would make it. I’ll cook a couple of extra dishes for lunch to celebrate.”

An Ning’s joy was genuine. In ordinary people’s minds, gene warriors were powerful beings who could fly and vanish, protect the country—almost like gods.

It was clear An Ning and Tao Yaoyao were truly happy for him.

Tao Yaoyao pouted: “Hmph~ If I had taken the gene serum too, maybe I could have awakened some power as well, probably stronger than my brother’s!”

Ren Jie smiled and ruffled her little head.

“When I make big money in the future, I’ll get you a shot too. You’re fifteen now; it’s about time!”

Tao Yaoyao shrank back and timidly said:

“Bro~ are you sure you meant a shot, not a hit?”

An Ning and Ren Jie both laughed. At that moment, Tao Yaoyao didn’t seem like a sick girl at all—she was cheerful, lively, optimistic, and mischievous...

Perhaps only during her episodes did she feel down.

“Come on, stop standing there like a fool, eat your breakfast!”

Ren Jie looked at An Ning and Tao Yaoyao, his eyes full of tenderness...

Those two... were the only things in this world he truly wanted to protect...

With that thought, Ren Jie’s gaze hardened. He picked up his chopsticks and casually grabbed a fried egg.

But just as he moved to pick it up, his left hand suddenly went haywire, flicking upward.

The fried egg flew off, the chopsticks snapped on the spot, and his left hand clenched into a fist.

He slammed it hard onto the table.

“Bang!”

The table flipped up on one side. A whole spread of dishes flew everywhere, scattering all over.

An Ning ended up with a fried egg on her face, four or five leaves stuck in her hair, and a rice bowl perched atop her head.

Her smile froze, two veins bulging on her forehead.

Meanwhile, Tao Yaoyao had just raised a glass of milk to her lips when the table flipped, dumping the entire glass over her face like a facial wash.

“Ugh~ pfft cough cough~!”

Tao Yaoyao immediately spat out the milk.

Both stared wide-eyed in disbelief at Ren Jie.

What was going on?

Ren Jie’s left hand had activated a shaking mode, trembling uncontrollably up and down, wildly pounding the table at a rapid pace.

The table vibrated with a buzzing sound...

But the knocking was rhythmic, making the bowls and chopsticks tremble along.

Tao Yaoyao gritted her teeth:

“Bro! Apologize to the table! And to me too while you’re at it!”

An Ning smiled with narrowed eyes:

“Xiao Jie, you’ll have to clean this up later. Even as a gene warrior, you shouldn’t be this excited, right? I got up before dawn, worked hard all morning, and made breakfast.”

Ren Jie broke out in a cold sweat.

Why wasn’t this mechanical arm listening to him?

Newbies were truly unreliable, huh?

What if the old system installed something wrong on me?

“My hand’s cramped, it won’t listen...”

Ren Jie tried everything to stop his arm, but it was useless.

Under An Ning and Tao Yaoyao’s stunned gazes, Ren Jie’s left hand kept rhythmically pounding the table while moving toward underneath it.

An Ning’s eyes widened as if she suddenly realized something. Her face brightened and even flushed slightly.

Could it be that unlucky child wanted to... in the living room...?

Tao Yaoyao’s mouth dropped open. Silently, she pulled out her phone and started recording...

Meanwhile, the arm kept moving uncontrollably under the table...