Chapter 004: "Fifty Years in a Day"
Tang Mubai was thrilled.
This system was incredible!
Not only could it make him stronger, it could even help others become stronger as well.
He could even discern the nature and depth of his relationships through something called “Affinity”—it let him know how close someone was to him, and what kind of bond they shared.
Affinity… did it mean kin and friends? Or was it more like a blend of intimacy and goodwill?
Take Xu Dalü, for example. Having watched Tang Mubai grow up since he was a child, and with no children of his own, Xu Dalü had always treated Tang Mubai as his own kin. That was why their affinity was an impressive 99 out of 100.
As for “Heal+,” it was most likely referring to Xu Dalü’s crippled leg.
Tang Mubai vaguely recalled that Grandpa Xu’s right leg had been injured when he was young.
It seemed he’d even been poisoned!
The toxin had remained, seeping into the bone and becoming impossible to remove.
That was why Xu Dalü had been lame for all these years.
It was also the reason he’d never managed to become a professional martial artist.
But now, it seemed there was still hope for Xu Dalü’s leg!
All it would take was spending some lifespan, and the problem could be solved.
Hmm…
There was no rush to begin treatment immediately—after all, Xu Dalü had been lame for so many years already.
For the moment, Tang Mubai needed to use the lifespan reclaimed by the system on himself.
After all, becoming a professional martial artist was more pressing than fixing Xu Dalü’s leg!
He opened the system panel and looked at the “Lifespan” section.
He’d already accumulated 78.5 years!
Currently, only his “Constitution” had reached a value of 2.
Tang Mubai considered for a moment, then focused his mind on the “+” next to “Strength.”
Whoosh!
A surge of power suddenly flooded his entire body.
He checked the system panel—sure enough, his “Strength” had increased from 1 to 2.
Correspondingly, his lifespan dropped from 78.5 years to 68.5 years.
Just like “Constitution,” “Strength” required a cost of ten years of life for each increase!
If those two were the same, what about “Agility?” And “Perception?” And “Willpower?”
How much lifespan would each consume?
After all, the exam for professional martial artists required not just a baseline of ten calories of vital energy, but also set standards for strength, speed, reaction, and combat skills.
Only after meeting all the requirements would one be awarded a professional martial artist’s certificate!
With 68.5 years of lifespan remaining, Tang Mubai decided to invest in “Agility.”
Whoosh!
His body trembled, as if a current of energy was running through him, causing his muscles to twitch subtly all over.
A brand-new sensation washed over him.
Success!
Just like “Constitution” and “Strength,” raising “Agility” cost ten years of life for each point.
At this moment, the system panel showed he had 58.5 years of lifespan remaining.
With less than sixty years left, Tang Mubai decided not to spend any more for now.
It was safer to have more life in reserve, and with the ability to reclaim life force from dead animals, there was no need to hurry.
Yes, after dawn he would head to the slaughterhouse!
He’d already chosen his target on the way back.
Fortune Slaughterhouse!
This was the largest livestock slaughterhouse in the Eastern District, operated with a mix of manual labor and machinery.
On average, five hundred pigs, two hundred sheep, one hundred cattle, one thousand chickens, nine hundred ducks, and six hundred geese were slaughtered every day!
If each chicken returned three to five units of life force…
Gulp.
Tang Mubai swallowed, wiping away the drool at the corner of his mouth.
Calm down! Calm down!
He hadn’t reclaimed any life force yet; he had to stay calm!
Tossing and turning in bed for half the night, Tang Mubai eventually drifted off to sleep.
When he woke again, he heard the little girl pounding on the door.
Startled awake, Tang Mubai leapt out of bed, yawned, and, amid the little girl’s scornful teasing, quickly washed up. Then he tied her ponytail and took her to school.
As for breakfast, he just grabbed some food at a roadside stall.
After dropping the little girl off, Tang Mubai hopped on his bicycle and rode toward the outskirts of town.
His destination: Fortune Slaughterhouse!
He pedaled as fast as he could, and in just half an hour, he arrived at the slaughterhouse gates.
At that moment—
[Detected loss of life force. Reclaim now?]
“Yes!”
[Life force +1]
[Life force +3]
[Life force +2]
[Life force +5]
[Life force +3]
[Life force +1]
…
A rapid stream of notifications flashed through Tang Mubai’s mind.
He was so excited he nearly jumped for joy.
He’d come to the right place!
He hadn’t even entered the slaughterhouse yet, and already the system had reclaimed a huge wave of life force.
“Young man, may I help you?”
A gentle voice reached his ears. Tang Mubai turned to see an elderly man in a security uniform approaching.
As expected, it was the gatekeeper of Fortune Slaughterhouse.
Tang Mubai quickly glanced around, spotted a recruitment notice posted nearby, and pointed to it. “Sir, I’m here to apply for a job.”
“Apply?” The old man was taken aback, then sized Tang Mubai up with a doubtful frown. “We’re hiring loaders—packing and sorting, all heavy work. Are you sure you can handle it, young man?”
“Of course!” Tang Mubai patted his chest and introduced himself, “Sir, I may not look especially strong, but I assure you, I have plenty of strength. If I didn’t, why would I embarrass myself by applying for this job?”
“That makes sense.” The old man nodded and beckoned him, “Alright, come with me. You can try it out and see how you do.”
“No problem!” Tang Mubai grinned.
It was just a job as a loader—he refused to believe that with a “Strength” of 2, he’d fail the test.
…
As Tang Mubai had expected, things went smoothly.
He lifted a fifty-pound crate with one hand as if it weighed nothing!
He was hired on the spot and put straight to work.
He didn’t need to slaughter the chickens and ducks himself; just being present in the slaughterhouse allowed the system to continuously reclaim life force.
[Life force +1]
[Life force +3]
[Life force +2]
…
Occasionally there were larger numbers like 10, 18, or 19, presumably from the cattle and sheep that had been pasture-raised and thus had more life force.
Factory-farmed chickens and ducks had weaker life force, which made sense.
And so, over the course of a single day, Tang Mubai gained an additional 48.3 years of lifespan!
Added to his previous 58.5 years, his total reached 106.8 years.
In just one day, he’d gained nearly fifty years of life.
Still, it felt like too little!