Chapter Seven: Encountering the Mysterious Orb Again

Though he did possess supernatural abilities, Long Yu found himself in an awkward predicament—he simply had no idea how to use them! It was as if he possessed a body full of inner strength with no means to harness it, and the frustration gnawed at him relentlessly. But not knowing was just that—ignorance, unyielding and insurmountable, much like advanced calculus: if you can’t do it, you simply can’t, and there’s no way around it. He could clearly sense the mental energy within his mind and could even extend it up to ten meters beyond his body, but aside from allowing him to observe his immediate surroundings, it served no other purpose.

As for his spatial abilities, they left Long Yu even more speechless. After acquiring the power, he’d conducted a series of experiments, yet the only result was the faint sensation of spatial fluctuations around him—nothing more. His abilities were a precious fortune, yet he was like a man standing before a room full of treasure, unable to enter, forced to gaze upon riches he could never possess.

Soon, however, Long Yu let go of his disappointment. Having powers at all was already a stroke of luck; it was unreasonable to expect mastery from the outset. He was no protagonist with a built-in system from some fantastical novel. It was best to proceed step by step, exploring and learning as he went.

After examining his transformation, Long Yu’s curiosity turned to the origins of that mysterious little glowing sphere. Since he’d found it by the riverbank, perhaps it had been carried downstream from further up the river. Considering the immense benefits of the mysterious sphere, his heart surged with hope—if he could find a few more, he could grow much stronger.

From the moment he gained his abilities, Long Yu understood that this world was no longer the same as before. From now on, those without strength would suffer greatly. If he wished to protect his family and his sister, he had to become strong; and now that he had the chance, failing to seize it would be nothing short of unforgivable.

Fortune favors the bold. Long Yu resolved to take another risk. Moreover, the increase in his strength had given him newfound courage in the face of danger.

Keeping a distance of more than ten meters from the river to avoid any mutated creatures lurking in the water, Long Yu advanced cautiously, ever vigilant of his surroundings, while following the river upstream.

After covering nearly half a kilometer, he saw the river flowing into a cavern. Gazing into the pitch-black mouth of the cave, primal fear rose within him. “Should I enter or not?”

After a moment’s struggle, greed triumphed over fear. “Since my body has grown stronger, my vision, hearing, and all my senses have improved greatly. Plus, I have my mental energy to probe for danger. Even if something happens, I should be able to escape, right?” With these thoughts, Long Yu convinced himself.

Stepping into the cave, the damp, musty air unique to such places enveloped him. Apart from the sound of water striking stone, there was silence—heavy, almost oppressive. The darkness and stillness pressed down on him with an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

But having come this far, he couldn’t just turn back. Besides, he hadn’t encountered any danger yet. Overcoming his instinctive fear, Long Yu pressed on.

The deeper he ventured, the more animals appeared within the range of his senses—lizards, fish, snakes lurking in corners, and other creatures whose names he didn’t even know. Sidestepping those he deemed dangerous, Long Yu crept farther into the cave, now more than a hundred meters from the entrance.

Yet all the animals seemed ordinary; he sensed nothing with a high degree of mutation. This made him wonder if the mysterious glowing sphere hadn’t actually come from upstream after all. Otherwise, why hadn’t he encountered any highly mutated creatures? Surely not all animals would dislike such an object.

This thought gave him second thoughts—if he couldn’t find another sphere, continuing deeper would be pointless risk. But before he could make up his mind to retreat, yet another small glowing sphere appeared before him. Unlike before, this one was intact and, aside from emitting light, was unremarkable—its texture was much like stone.

The cave’s creatures, all averse to light, showed no interest in the glowing “pebble,” leaving it for Long Yu to claim with ease. Wasting no time, he swallowed it down.

A warm surge of comfort washed over him, and his strength increased again—his physical abilities now measured at thirty points. The previous frustration vanished, replaced with elation at his wise decision.

Yet, as is often the case, fortune’s favor soon gives way to misfortune. Long Yu was not to be spared this fate.

No sooner had joy filled his heart than his senses detected a serpentine creature slithering toward him. Was it coming to attack? Memories of the soldier recently killed by venom filled him with dread.

Even with his enhanced strength—now three times that of an ordinary person—he was no match for poison. A mere tenth of a gram could kill a normal man; even with his resilience, could he withstand one gram? Two? In the end, a bite would still be fatal. A normal snake could inject several grams of venom in a single strike, and now, with animals beginning to evolve, who knew how potent the venom might be?

“No, I have to run!” The thought spurred Long Yu into motion.

Fortunately, the snake’s progress was slow. Soon, Long Yu noticed it didn’t seem to be pursuing him; rather, it moved about aimlessly. This eased his fears somewhat, but he kept up his brisk pace—better safe than sorry. What if this was a hunting strategy, meant to lull him into complacency?

After two or three minutes, the snake veered away and slipped into the water on the far side of the river. Only then did Long Yu finally relax.

At that moment, a strange spatial fluctuation reached him. What was happening? Thanks to his spatial powers, he was particularly sensitive to such disturbances. The sensation originated five or six meters ahead, but even when he extended his mental energy, he sensed nothing unusual.

His eyes saw nothing out of the ordinary either. “What’s going on?” Doubt filled his mind.

Curiosity drove him toward the source. Bending down, he picked up a pebble and tossed it forward.

Something bizarre occurred—the stone vanished from his perception, utterly and completely, as if it had never touched the ground. It simply disappeared into thin air.

Could there be something wrong with the space ahead? But what, exactly? And where had the stone gone?

“Should I check it out? Or just leave…”

No, he’d already survived so many dangers today—perhaps another opportunity awaited him. Still, Long Yu proceeded with caution. Rather than stepping forward himself, he extended his phone toward the area.

Instantly, half of the phone disappeared from his senses.

He withdrew it again; the device was whole, still powered on, with its innards intact.

It seemed the area ahead wasn’t overly dangerous, and one could return after entering. This reassured Long Yu considerably, and he resolved to investigate further himself.

Fortune favors the bold—without risk, there could be no reward. With this resolution, Long Yu pressed on.