Chapter 4: Bizarre Incident

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Bizarre Incident

Basketball Skill +1?

Physical Strength +1?

Can obtain the Attribute—Muscle Knots?

The moment the notification appeared, Gu Qing clearly felt his body grow stronger, every cell brimming with power.

When he felt the basketball in his hands again, it seemed to meld perfectly with him, as if he had entered a state of being one with the ball.

He looked at the hoop and took a casual shot.

"SWISH!"

The ball traced a perfect parabola—y = -0.2x² + 1.2x + 2—and sank cleanly through the net.

’I’ve really turned into Curry...’

Gu Qing was a little stunned by his own shooting accuracy.

After sinking a few more three-pointers without hitting the rim, he received another pass from a teammate.

This time, he didn’t hang back on the perimeter for a three-pointer like before.

Instead, he lowered his center of gravity, took an explosive step forward, and accelerated toward the paint.

After the Physical Strength +1, he felt a surging power churning within him, a desperate urge to unleash it all.

In the blink of an eye, he drove to the basket with the ball, leaped up over the defender, and swung his right arm high like a giant wielding a massive axe, smashing the ball toward the rim.

It was a tomahawk dunk, an act of sheer, violent beauty!

"BANG!"

A tremendous crash erupted.

The basketball, packed with savage, terrifying force, slammed clean through the hoop.

The defender in front of him was sent flying by the immense force, landing flat on his back with his limbs in the air, his head ringing.

Everyone else who saw this stared with wide eyes, their jaws gaping wide enough to fit several cucumbers, disbelief written all over their faces.

"HOLY SHIT!! What’s going on?! Since when did Curry turn into James?!"

Gao Fei clutched his head with both hands, his expression exaggerated, unable to believe what he was seeing.

He’d played a lot of basketball with Gu Qing before and knew his skill level very well.

Forget dunking; Gu Qing often missed even wide-open layups.

But now, Gu Qing could effortlessly posterize a defender, making him feel like he was looking at a complete stranger.

Under everyone’s gaze, Gu Qing let go of the rim and landed steadily, looking refreshed and invigorated, as if he had just unleashed something pent up.

He glanced at the defender on the ground.

’I’m a little shocked myself.’

’My Physical Strength only went up by one, but my athletic ability improved this much?’

’If I accumulate a hundred points and get the [Muscle Knots] Attribute, I can’t even imagine how ridiculously strong my body will become.’

’I’d probably be able to punch a basketball into smithereens.’

The more Gu Qing thought about it, the more excited he became.

...

In a flash, another hour passed.

[You have played basketball with your roommate Gao Fei for over an hour]

[Basketball Skill +1]

[Physical Strength +1]

[Accumulate 100 points in Physical Strength to obtain the Attribute—Muscle Knots]

[Current Points Acquired: 2]

Gu Qing finished reading the text in front of him.

Then he glanced around, his eyes sweeping over the [Basketball Player] tags above everyone’s heads.

A doubt arose in his mind.

’There are so many people on the court with the [Basketball Player] tag. Why did I only gain an Attribute from Gao Fei?’

’Could it be that... the core requirement for acquiring an Attribute is that I have to know the person?’

’But how is "knowing someone" defined?’

’Is just knowing each other’s names enough?’

’Or do we have to have spent some time together?’

’I need to find some time tonight or tomorrow morning to test this out,’ Gu Qing thought.

As for why not right now, it was because he had been playing for over two hours straight. His stamina was almost completely drained, and he couldn’t play anymore.

After leaving the basketball court, Gu Qing didn’t rush back to the dorm. Instead, he went with Gao Fei to the supermarket in the residential area to buy snacks.

They ended up spending several hundred yuan.

He bought so many snacks that he needed Gao Fei’s help to carry them all.

...

Back in the dorm, Gu Qing put the bags of snacks he was carrying on the table and looked at Chen Zijie and Qian Duole.

"I’ll just leave these snacks here," he said. "Help yourselves to whatever you want. Don’t be polite with me."

"Holy crap! Benefactor, please accept my bow!"

Qian Duole immediately started acting like Lü Bu, whooping dramatically.

Chen Zijie was shocked. "Damn, Gu Qing, did you strike it rich? You found a way to make money? Spill the details, quick!"

Gu Qing smiled. "I did make a little money. Bai Ningyu gave me some compensation for breaking up."

"How much?"

"Not much. Just twenty thousand."

"Damn!"

Chen Zijie was filled with envy, jealousy, and hate. "Heh, I’m a man of principle. I wouldn’t be caught dead earning that kind of dirty money by selling my looks!"

After saying that, he immediately sent Gu Qing a private message on WeChat.

[Bro, there are too many people in the dorm, so I’m kneeling to you on WeChat. Please, I’m begging you, introduce me to a rich sugar momma who isn’t picky about looks!]

Gu Qing chuckled. "Just messing with you guys. What kind of breakup compensation would a guy like me get? I’m just single now, so I can save the money I used to spend on the relationship and treat myself a little."

With that, Gu Qing grabbed a set of clean clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

He took off his sweat-soaked clothes.

Looking down, he saw that his stomach, which used to be only lightly toned, now had a chiseled eight-pack that was clearly visible.

And looking even further down, the muscles there were even more impressive.

So powerful that a single glance would be enough to make Bai Ningyu drop to her knees and beg him to get back together.

’Well, a new body calls for new things. Guess I’ll have to go on Pinduoduo and buy new underwear a size up. Otherwise, it’s getting tight down there,’ Gu Qing muttered to himself.

After his shower, Gu Qing immediately began his plan to farm Attributes.

First, he took out a few bags of snacks to share with Qian Duole, farming the Digestion Ability Attribute.

Then, he teamed up with Chen Zijie to play games, farming the Reaction Speed Attribute.

From now on, whenever he had free time in the dorm, he would eat snacks with Qian Duole while playing games with Chen Zijie.

He was essentially two-timing them.

...

Before he knew it, the night had grown deep.

The four roommates turned off the lights and got into bed.

Not long after lying down, Gao Fei suddenly spoke up. "Let me tell you guys something creepy, but don’t spread it around."

Qian Duole: "Details."

Gao Fei: "So, in the external relations department my girlfriend is in charge of, a younger male student went missing half a month ago. The surveillance footage shows he never left the school, but he just vanished. No sign of him, dead or alive."

Chen Zijie: "He’s been missing for half a month? He’s probably toast."

Gao Fei said with a look of regret, "That kid was super handsome, just a little less than Gu Qing. I heard a lot of the rich, pretty girls at school were into him. But he disappeared before he could even hook up with a sugar momma. Yeah, he’s most likely dead. What a waste of a body practically born to be a kept man."

’Missing for half a month and still not found? Super handsome?’

’As anyone familiar with murder cases knows, he was probably dismembered. A crime of passion, most likely...’ Gu Qing speculated internally.

He didn’t pay too much attention to the bizarre disappearance.

Soon, Gu Qing’s thoughts returned to his own cheat system.

His mind was completely filled with thoughts about the tags.

’When I get up tomorrow morning, I need to find a stranger to test this on and figure out the exact mechanics of acquiring Attributes from tags.’

...