Chapter 17: Biochemical Madman

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Biochemical Madman

A... a single-finger planche?!

The dark-skinned physical education student’s eyes went wide on the spot, his jaw dropping so far it looked like he could fit a whole fist in his mouth.

A moment later, he snapped back to his senses.

He couldn’t stop himself from cursing up a storm in his head.

’Holy shit!’

’Goddammit!’

’Is he even fucking human?!’

’He’s nearly six feet tall!’

’And he has such slender, long fingers!’

’With those two disadvantages combined, even the top calisthenics athlete in the country might not be able to pull off a single-finger planche on the high bar!’

’He’s just a liberal arts student studying a foreign language, how the hell can he do that?!’

’This is impossible!!!’

In that instant, the PE student’s entire understanding of calisthenics shattered into a million pieces.

Nearby, Xia Shuran’s big, beautiful eyes were wide with shock. Her mouth was slightly agape, her bright, pretty face a mask of disbelief.

But beyond the shock, another emotion was surging within her.

’He’s a better student than me.’

’His athletic talent is greater than mine.’

’No, he’s stronger than every single PE student at Hai City University!’

’He’s really...’

’...so perfect!’

Xia Shuran gazed at Gu Qing on the high bar, her breathing quickening involuntarily.

Her feelings for Gu Qing had transformed from an initial mild crush into pure, unadulterated worship.

Her fundamental instinct to admire the strong had been completely triggered.

Drawn in by his looks, now utterly captivated by his physique.

From this moment on, she was Gu Qing’s most devoted fangirl.

"Holy shit, look at that guy!"

"For real? Someone at our school can actually do a planche on the high bar?"

"Wait, it looks like he’s holding himself up with just his two thumbs. Fucking awesome!"

Many people on the athletic field had noticed Gu Qing.

Seeing someone actually perform a planche on the high bar, every one of them was utterly astonished.

Hearing the gasps of surprise all around, Gu Qing realized he was being too conspicuous.

He immediately stopped doing the single-finger planche.

He dropped down from the bar with a smooth, fluid motion.

’It’s fine to be skilled,’ he thought, ’but not so skilled that it defies common sense.’

’Otherwise, it’ll attract a lot of unnecessary trouble.’

’Unless I become strong enough to be invincible, able to withstand a nuclear blast with my bare body.’

’Then I wouldn’t have to worry about anything.’

’Because no one would be stupid enough to pick a fight with such a terrifying existence.’

"I’m heading out. We can train together again tomorrow."

Ignoring the stunned PE student, Gu Qing walked straight up to Xia Shuran and said this.

With that, he walked off the field, not wanting to stick around and be the center of attention.

Seeing this, Xia Shuran quickly jogged to catch up.

"Senior."

"Why did you leave in such a hurry?"

"Is there something urgent you have to do?"

Xia Shuran asked, keeping close to Gu Qing’s side with a puzzled look on her face.

Gu Qing casually made up an excuse:

"No, I just remembered I have an online assignment due before six. I need to hurry back, revise it, and send it to the professor."

"Oh, that is urgent."

Xia Shuran nodded in understanding.

After a moment, she hesitated, then reminded him tentatively, "Senior, have you forgotten that you were going to treat me to a meal?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she felt a pang of regret.

’I feel like I’ve reminded him too many times, and this timing is terrible. I hope he doesn’t find me annoying,’ she worried.

Hearing this, Gu Qing realized he really had forgotten about it.

He turned to Xia Shuran, a hint of apology in his voice. "Sorry about that. I’ve been busy lately, and I went home for the weekend. It completely slipped my mind."

Then he added with a smile, "No time like the present. How about we go grab a bite in the student life area now? Pick whatever you want, my treat."

"We’re going now?"

Xia Shuran was a bit confused. "But Senior, don’t you have to rush back for your assignment?"

"Look at my memory, I forgot as soon as I said it. Another day, then?"

"Senior, are you free tonight?"

As she spoke, Xia Shuran took out her phone, opened a food app, and showed it to Gu Qing. "I have two half-price coupons for an all-you-can-eat barbecue place. The restaurant is right across from campus. How about we go there?"

She had gotten these two half-price coupons the day before yesterday, just waiting for the right opportunity to ask Gu Qing out to eat with her.

And this was the perfect chance.

If she missed it, there was no telling when the next one would come.

After all, Gu Qing seemed incredibly busy to her, almost only free in the afternoons when she was practicing with her Red Tassel Spear.

"Sure, tonight it is."

Gu Qing agreed without a second thought. "Let’s meet at the library entrance at seven."

Xia Shuran’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, her voice a little softer than usual. "Okay, see you at seven tonight."

With their plans set, the two didn’t chat any longer and went their separate ways back to their dorms.

...

[Barber]

[Librarian]

[Shut-in]

[Rideshare Driver]

[Biochemical Madman]

On the way back to his dorm,

Gu Qing’s gaze swept around casually, habitually observing the labels above everyone’s heads.

As he passed the cafeteria, his attention was suddenly drawn to a young man wearing glasses.

The man looked to be in his early thirties, with a listless expression. He staggered as he walked, his body appearing very weak.

But none of that was important.

What really caught Gu Qing’s eye was the particularly striking label above the man’s head:

——[Biochemical Madman]

’What the hell?’

’Why would this person have a label like that?’

’He’s not a zombie, is he?’

Gu Qing was shocked.

This was the second heaven-defying label he had encountered since awakening his "golden finger" ability.

The first had been the one floating above his ex-girlfriend Bai Ningyu’s head——[Corpse].

Just as he was reeling from the surprise, the unsteady young man’s body swayed, and he collapsed straight to the ground.

Without a second thought, Gu Qing rushed forward to check on him.

Seeing that the man wasn’t completely unconscious and still had some awareness, he quickly asked:

"What’s wrong?"

"Might be... a bit of hypoglycemia... Could you please buy me a Coke... Thanks..."

The young man’s voice was extremely weak.

They were right next to the cafeteria, so Gu Qing immediately went inside and bought a Coke for him.

The man took the Coke and, GLUG GLUG GLUG, chugged down more than half the bottle.

Before long, the color returned to his face.

Feeling much better, the young man looked up at Gu Qing, his face full of gratitude.

"Hey, thank you so much for that. You were a huge help. How much was the Coke? I’ll add you on WeChat and transfer you the money."

"Two-fifty."

Gu Qing replied casually.

He didn’t care about the small amount of money; he was just very interested in the man’s [Biochemical Madman] label.

Therefore, he had to get his WeChat.

After adding each other on WeChat and receiving the payment, Gu Qing started a conversation to build some rapport. "By the way, if you have hypoglycemia, why don’t you usually carry some candy with you for emergencies?"

The young man gave a wry smile. "It’s not pathological hypoglycemia, just a side effect of some chemical reagents."

Recalling the man’s [Biochemical Madman] label, Gu Qing asked out of curiosity:

"What kind of chemical reagent has that side effect?"

"They don’t have specific names yet. Right now, they’re just abbreviated as Compound No. X."

The young man was surprisingly open, answering whatever was asked.

After a bit more small talk, Gu Qing learned that the young man’s name was Zhou Yuan, a PhD student at the university who conducted biochemistry research in a lab.

He often used himself for human trials, injecting various chemical reagents and biological toxins into his body. He’d even been hospitalized several times for it.

A pure, unadulterated mad scientist.

Gu Qing was genuinely impressed listening to this.

If this Zhou Yuan were in an apocalyptic movie, he’d absolutely be the kind of villainous scientist who creates a zombie virus.

All he could say was, the [Biochemical Madman] label hadn’t gone to the wrong person.

Speaking of labels, Gu Qing couldn’t help but start thinking.

’If I get to know this PhD student and find a way to do biochemical research with him, what kind of Attribute could I get from his label?’

’It would most likely be an Attribute related to biochemistry.’

With this in mind, Gu Qing immediately turned to Zhou Yuan and said:

"Brother Yuan, I’m actually quite interested in biochemistry research myself. Maybe we can chat about it more in the future."

"Well, what a coincidence."

Zhou Yuan adjusted his glasses and asked, "Are you studying biology or chemistry, junior?"

Gu Qing: "I’m a foreign languages major."

"Huh?"

Zhou Yuan froze on the spot, wondering if he had misheard.

...