“What was that just now?” Wang Jian coughed, his throat irritated by the smoke.

Ivy hadn't expected the air to resonate, but she understood that her resonance was different from what the martial arts instructor meant.

Ivy rubbed her aching chest and wrist, explaining, “I didn’t focus my strength. My power was still dispersed. I just punched with more force.”

Wang Jian understood, but was even more surprised.

What do you mean, “just punched with more force”? That explanation is scarier than the actual thing!

Wang Jian was confused. “No, if you have that much strength, you shouldn't be at the bottom of the class in martial arts. If I had your strength, I wouldn’t have given up on the college entrance exam. What if I passed?”

Ivy frowned and gave a wry smile. “I wish I could, but I can’t. I’m just strong, but my body is weak. I only threw one punch just now then my arms and legs are already useless.”

Ivy pulled up her sleeve, and Wang Jian immediately saw the large bruise on her arm.

Ivy sighed, dejectedly, “The martial arts exam isn’t just one punch. Being able to throw only one punch means being at the bottom of the class.”

Wang Jian wanted to say something but didn’t know what to say, finally sighing, “Sigh, it’s such a waste of your strength.”

Ivy sighed inwardly. I managed to fool Wang Jian. I can’t practice martial arts in front of him anymore. A bottom-ranked student suddenly displaying extraordinary talent in front of a familiar classmate is suspicious.

Ivy stopped practicing martial arts, squatting on the steps, idly fidgeting with the small knife to pass the time. Her mind was still analyzing that punch.

Because of the iron, my bones have hardened, leading to a surge in strength. But the hardening is currently limited to my chest and spine, not my whole body. That's why my arms can't withstand the force and get injured, right?

Once the hardening covers my entire skeleton, will I be able to use this power without injury?

I remember my power level was 0.7 in the martial arts competition two months ago. What is it now?

It’s definitely over 1. Maybe even 2. After all, I could make the air resonate with raw strength. It shouldn’t be over 3, right?

Zhao Chong’s power level in that competition was 2.9. In terms of raw strength, I should be able to surpass him… shouldn’t I?

Ivy’s thoughts raced, planning to test her power level once the hardening covered her entire skeletal system.

7:00 PM, almost time to leave work.

Ivy and Wang Jian parted ways at the gate. Ivy rode her bike, pedaling furiously, wishing she could fly.

“Boss, ten pounds of small iron beads,” Ivy said at a different hardware store.

Ivy calculated, “Based on my previous progress, consuming ten pounds of iron beads should increase my absorption rate by about 30%, enough to cover my entire skeletal system.”

The ride to home from the incinerator took a little over an hour.

Ivy didn’t even break a sweat. The days of intense physical training had significantly increased her stamina.

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She ate three bowls of rice at home, filling half her stomach, saving the rest for the iron she would consume in her room.

Basic physical training, full speed ahead.

One two three four…

After a period of continuous training, her proficiency improved, and Ivy tried slowing down the playback speed, and her body could still keep up.

She trained until 4 AM.

Because she had eaten some food, the absorption rate was slightly affected, but not significantly, as the viscera were digested and absorbed within an hour.

Daily Summary:

[Iron Eater: Rank 1]

[Consumable Iron Types: 1]

[Absorbable Metal Properties: 1]

[Currently detected iron type—Common cast iron, absorption rate 28.1%.]

[Absorbed properties: ? ?]

——Absorption rate increased by 2.6%.

Ivy closed her eyes and slept.

...

Even and shallow breaths escaped from the bed, the heart rate monitor beside it beeping steadily.

The door opened softly.

A masked figure entered the room, slowly approaching the bed. A small knife was drawn, a swift, graceful throw, followed by a brutal plunge.

Blood splattered, staining the white bedsheet crimson. The heart rate monitor emitted a rapid alarm.

In the hallway, a nurse yawned, slowly pushing open the door. Seeing the blood on the bed, her expression changed.

“Nurse Li, should we call a doctor?” Another nurse, a trainee, asked, slightly panicked.

Nurse Li glanced into the room. Seeing no sign of the perpetrator, she deduced that the killer had likely escaped through the window after attacking the patient.

The heart rate monitor now showed a flat, straight line.

She indifferently looked away, glancing at the patient information next to the bed.

Wang Fang

Female

46 years old

Citizen Rank: Void

Nurse Li said calmly, “There’s no need to wake the doctor. The patient is dead. A void citizen, their life is just wasted air.”

The trainee nurse hesitated.

Nurse Li noticed the trainee’s expression and frowned. “Medical resources are precious. Wasting them on a worthless void citizen is better spent saving someone more valuable. Don’t you agree?”

The trainee nodded in agreement.

Satisfied, Nurse Li instructed, “Notify the patient’s family to collect the body.”

The trainee nurse pulled out the registration book, checked it, shook her head, and said, “The patient only has one daughter, and she died two days ago.”

Nurse Li frowned. “Where was this patient sent from?”

The trainee replied, “The precinct.”

Nurse Li muttered something under her breath, then said, “Then notify the precinct to collect the body. Tell them the patient is occupying a bed and the charges are still accruing. Tell them to hurry up.”

The trainee nodded and turned to make the call.

On the warm bed, the bloodless face stared blankly upwards. Blood continued to flow from the neck, spreading across the tiled floor.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

The patient was dead, but the bed was still charging. Perhaps this was Wang Fang’s most valuable moment in this life.

Li Xiang received the call while in bed.

Awakened in the middle of the night, he looked extremely annoyed. After listening to the message, his expression worsened.

“Take the body to the incinerator and burn it,” Li Xiang said into the phone. This was the cheapest way to handle it.

On the other end of the line, Chang Erbing understood but still asked, “We’re not taking the body back to the station for an autopsy?”

“Everyone at the station is focused on the west of the city. We don’t have the manpower. Taking it back would just create more work. Burn it. The victim is dead anyway. No one will care about this case,” Li Xiang replied.

He paused, then sneered.

“Were there any traces of the killer at the scene? If not, we'll pin it on the Qinglang Gang.”

Chang Erbing understood implicitly. “Understood. I’ll take two men to the Qinglang Gang tomorrow to look for the suspect.”

Li Xiang hung up the phone. His drowsiness had vanished. He lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply.

The woman beside him had also been woken and asked anxiously, “The Qinglang Gang has quite a bit of influence. Are you sure about accusing them of murder? Will they confess?”

Li Xiang glared at her, silencing her immediately.

He exhaled two more rings of smoke before explaining, “Gangs may be intimidating to ordinary people, but they are insignificant in front of me.”

He said disdainfully, “I’m the law, they’re the criminals. It’s like a cat and a mouse. If they’re sensible, I’ll take a bite. If not, I’ll kill them.”

His voice turned cruel and vicious at the end.

In recent years, Li Xiang had developed a unique approach to solving cases.

Because, to him, the truth of the case was irrelevant. What the case could bring him was the only thing that mattered.

So,

What could the Qinglang Gang bring him…?