Chapter Two: The Biological Alchemy System

At six o'clock in the evening, the other relatives gradually took their leave, leaving only Uncle Zhang Guojun behind. Wu You bought two portions of fast food for them to eat in the corridor, then carried a large bag of canned beer up to the hospital rooftop.

Wu You wasn't suicidal, merely seeking a place to drink and vent his frustrations with a few loud shouts.

Just moments ago, in the hallway, his mother had lowered her pride to borrow money from each relative, gathering a total of sixty thousand yuan, including twenty thousand from Uncle Zhang Guojun. Relatives who once flattered and fawned over his mother now avoided her, quickly finding excuses to leave the hospital—no doubt regretting their visit.

Wu You understood that every family had its difficulties. Yet which of these relatives could claim not to owe his father money? Wu Jianguo was upright and generous, always lending a hand when relatives needed help, never hesitating to lend thousands. Even when others refused to repay him, Wu Jianguo never demanded it back. Over the years, these scattered loans amounted to no small sum.

But now, when the Wu family needed help, the responses were meager—a five thousand here, a three thousand there. Wu You couldn't bear to see his mother so humble and left under the pretense of buying food. When he returned, everyone was gone.

On the water tank atop the hospital rooftop, Wu You poured beer down his throat, the bitterness in his heart far surpassing the bitterness on his tongue. He despised his own impotence, resented the relatives' coldness, and loathed the unscrupulous actions of the developers.

“Ah!” Wu You shouted at the sky.

Thunder rumbled overhead. Unbeknownst to him, rain clouds had gathered, and the sky quickly darkened.

Moments later, rain poured down in torrents, drenching Wu You's shirt instantly.

“Hahaha, let it rain! Now no one can hear my wild shouts, hahaha...” Instead of seeking shelter, Wu You stood, seeming half-crazed.

Lightning danced across the sky in violent arcs.

After being soaked for a while, Wu You regained his composure. The thunder and lightning were close, and he felt uneasy. He decided to leave the rooftop.

At that moment, his phone rang. His Sony waterproof phone was unfazed by the downpour. Wu You instinctively took it out and answered.

A flash, thick as a thigh, struck down from the sky, hitting Wu You directly as he stood atop the water tank, phone in hand.

In the last moment, bathed in silver light, Wu You was filled with regret. What would become of his mother and father?

...

The thunderstorm came and went swiftly, leaving behind only a refreshed summer night and puddles on the ground. Even the clouds had cleared.

Wu You awoke atop the rooftop water tank, clutching his head, relieved that the pain was merely from hitting the ground when he fainted. The lightning seemed to have done him no harm, at least for now.

He picked up his phone and checked the time—only half an hour had passed.

Wait, something was off. Wu You realized that surviving a lightning strike wasn’t unprecedented, but his clothes were intact and his phone unharmed. He clearly remembered answering the call, holding the phone aloft. Sony phones were waterproof, not lightning-proof.

Thinking of that call, Wu You checked his call history to see who had dialed at such a moment. The last entry was from 3:50 p.m.—his final call with Uncle Zhang Guojun before arriving at the hospital.

Damn it, where was that call? Even if he hadn’t answered, there should be a missed call!

The more he thought about it, the more unsettled he felt. Wu You shivered and hurried down from the rooftop.

...

He had barely reached the corridor when he heard his uncle shouting angrily.

“Those bastards, isn’t there any justice left? No, sis, you stay here with Jianguo, I’m going over!”

Wu You realized something was wrong and hurried to ask, “Mom, Uncle, what happened?”

Before Zhang Guihua could reply, Uncle was already roaring, “Your neighbor just called. That damned demolition crew, taking advantage of your family’s absence, are starting forced demolition—the excavators are already in, and the old village chief is leading people to confront them!”

“What?” Wu You shouted in disbelief. Had the developers truly become lawless?

“Mom, Uncle, you stay here with Dad. I’ll go back to the village.” Seeing Uncle about to object, Wu You quickly cut him off, “I know everyone in the village, Uncle, you’re an outsider and wouldn’t be much help. Besides, I wouldn’t feel safe leaving Mom alone.”

Wu You’s reasoning was sound. Zhang Guojun didn’t argue further, only repeated reminders to be careful and stay safe, as did Zhang Guihua.

In the taxi, Wu You was frantic, urging the driver to hurry. If the developers succeeded in their forced demolition, it would be too late—not only would his parents’ lifetime of hard work be lost, but his father’s mysterious car accident lingered unresolved.

...

The taxi stopped on the village road. Wu You could see the crowd and the demolition convoy in the distance. It was already growing dark, but the two massive excavators stood out.

He paid the fare and rushed over.

In front of the road, the old village chief argued with the demolition team leader. Most villagers watched from the sidelines; few stepped forward to help.

“Have you completed the procedures? What you’re doing is illegal. If you force this, I’ll call the police!” The village chief was upright and couldn’t bear to see the Wu family bullied.

The demolition leader, Xiang Biao, his oily bald head gleaming, shouted back, “Who says we haven’t? We’ve got all the paperwork from the city and district. The Wu family signed off on the demolition.”

“Bullshit! I just called Aunt Zhang, she said they never signed. This is forced demolition!” A young man in the crowd called out with righteous indignation.

Xiang Biao looked toward the crowd, “Who said that? Step forward.” No one responded, so he shouted again, “The Wu family took the money, how could they not have signed? They’re lying! Move aside!”

As the crowd argued, the old village chief and a few concerned villagers were gradually pushed aside, and the excavators began to start up.

Wu You arrived just in time to witness this scene.

“Stop!” Wu You ran around to stand in front of the excavators, blocking their path.

Xiang Biao approached with his men. “Who are you, kid?”

Wu You stared into his eyes and enunciated, “I’m the son of that family. I just came from my parents. We never signed off on the demolition, and I’ve already called the police. You need to leave immediately.”

Seeing Wu You return, the village chief and others quickly moved to stand with him, confronting the demolition team. Other villagers, seeing someone from the Wu family present, stopped spectating and stepped forward to block the demolition workers.

Xiang Biao swept his gaze over the villagers, snorted coldly, then ordered his men to withdraw. Before leaving, he glanced back at Wu You with a meaningful look.

Only when the demolition team truly left did Wu You breathe a sigh of relief, wiping sweat from his brow and thanking the villagers, especially the old village chief.

After a while, the crowd dispersed. Before leaving, the old village chief reminded Wu You, “Xiao You, the demolition crew is not easily dealt with. If the proper way fails, beware they might use underhanded means. If anything happens, come find me.”

Wu You thanked him for his kindness and assured him he would notify him immediately if anything happened.

Once everyone had left, Wu You didn’t return to the hospital but went home, planning to keep watch tonight.

He hadn’t been home for a while, but the furnishings were unchanged. Though a bit quiet, the house he’d lived in for over twenty years still felt warm.

Behind the old house, a short distance away, stood a newly built two-story building—the Wu family had constructed it for Wu You’s future marriage, intending to demolish the old house afterward.

Wu You couldn’t understand his parents’ generation’s obsession with building new houses, but he recognized their goodwill and was determined not to let it all be destroyed so easily.

Entering his room, he collapsed onto the bed, his body feeling as if it had fallen apart. The old village chief’s warning and Xiang Biao’s final glance replayed in his mind. Who knew if tonight would be peaceful?

To say he wasn’t afraid would be a lie; Wu You was somewhat anxious. As his gaze wandered, he suddenly noticed a faint blue light, and his attention focused on it.

Whoosh—

A blue, translucent large screen appeared in his consciousness. Wu You sat up in bed abruptly, and in his excitement, the blue screen vanished.

Wu You swore he wasn’t hallucinating and decided to try again.

He slowly relaxed and focused his attention on the blue light in his consciousness. Sure enough, a screen—blue and translucent—appeared before him.

Words appeared:

Welcome to the Biological Alchemy System. Bound user: Wu You.

The text refreshed in pace with Wu You’s understanding.

Wu You suppressed his shock and continued reading.

Biological Alchemy System—using it, you will gain unlimited potential for biological creation.

Collect alchemy materials (animal/plant), imagine in your mind the specific part and form needed from the material, and envision the creature you wish to create. Consume the corresponding alchemy energy, and you can refine entirely new lifeforms.

Here, you can create exotic beasts to fight for you, rare creatures to generate profit, even divine beings to forge history.

As long as you gather enough materials and possess boundless imagination, your power will exceed your understanding.

Tip: The success rate of alchemy depends directly on the quality of materials and the plausibility of your envisioned creature.

This system has nine levels. Currently, you are at Level One. Each advancement consumes ten times more alchemy energy. Level One requires ten points to reach Level Two; subsequent levels multiply the required energy by ten.

At Level One, you can use two materials in each alchemy attempt, consuming one point of alchemy energy. Base success rate is fifty percent; failed attempts will consume the materials.

Refined creatures can be cultivated with alchemy energy; initial consumption matches the creation cost.

As an activation benefit, the system gifts you two points of alchemy energy and one spin of the lottery wheel.