Fortunately, they were all superficial wounds, and after the doctor treated them, they were no longer a major concern.

However, the doctor still advised me to rest for a period.

Since I had nothing pressing to attend to anyway, I followed the doctor's advice and rented a room near the hospital to stay.

After a tiring day, I returned to my rented room and quickly stripped off my clothes as I lay down.

Even at the clinic, the doctor had kept trying to get me to take off my trousers to check for any injuries on my legs,

because I had told him I tumbled down the stairs.

But I never agreed to let him see below my waist.

It wasn't that my tattered sweatpants were particularly valuable, nor was it shyness about letting him look.

It was because the moment my superhuman ability returned, I felt a sharp sting on the outside of my right thigh.

And the juvenile Shēn was tucked right there, in my right pocket.

I suspected that the Shēn had bitten me, and that's why I could suddenly use that power.

I was afraid that if the doctor saw the wound on my leg and then the black shell, he might draw conclusions, perhaps thinking I was poisoned or something.

Now, I tried to pull off my trousers, but I simply couldn't; a hard tug sent a stabbing pain through my right thigh.

I reached into my pocket and felt around, only to find the Shēn motionless inside, utterly impossible to pull out.

A large hole had been torn in the inner lining of my pocket, and something soft and spongy from within the Shēn had pierced through and latched onto my leg.

Fearing I might injure the Shēn by pulling too hard, I could only use scissors to carefully snip the fabric away bit by bit until I could finally slip the pants off.

Sitting on the bed, I saw that the Shēn had extruded its inner sac from the shell; it resembled a black snail, clinging fiercely to my leg.

Its inner sac was lined with barbs that had dug deep into my flesh.

The area around the wound was darkening, looking precisely like poisoning.

But upon closer inspection, it wasn't poison; it was because all the blood in that section had been sucked dry by the Shēn, giving it a blue-black hue.

Alone, I spoke to the Shēn as if I were mad, "Well now, you're quite fierce, aren't you? Is my flesh tasty?"

The Shēn's inner sac actually wiggled, seemingly answering me: Delicious!

I was momentarily speechless, then asked again, "Did you enable my Nen ability today?"

The Shēn's inner sac moved once more, apparently in agreement.

Seeing that the creature seemed intelligent, I felt a surge of surprise and continued, "How did you manage that?"

This time, the Shēn stopped moving, simply clinging tightly to me.

I was speechless again, feeling as if a significant amount of my blood had been drained, and its body seemed larger than before, though all the white spots were gone.

Recalling the mountain of corpses I had seen in the mysterious ruins of Kobe, I felt a chill and said, "Alright, what will it take for you to let go of me?"

The Shēn remained still, as if dead.

Utterly helpless, I thought that if you weren't my savior who had given me such a thrill, I would have tossed you into a pot and boiled you.

I looked around and spotted one of the stinky, salted fish I had bought still on the table. I retrieved it, placed it near the Shēn, and said, "Eat this instead; it’s much tastier than my flesh!"

Waving the stinky salted fish back and forth around the Shēn several times, it finally loosened its grip and slowly detached itself from my leg.

It retracted its inner sac and clamped its shell shut tight.

I examined my leg and saw two very deep puncture wounds, causing me to gasp sharply. I realized the Shēn might not have been trying to save me, but was simply hungry; otherwise, it wouldn't have bitten so ferociously.

I fetched an empty fish tank, filled it halfway with water, and tossed the Shēn in. Then, I cut the salted fish into small pieces and dropped some in. I returned to the bed and lay down.

Thinking back on the day’s events, I chuckled gleefully; it had been incredibly exhilarating.

This must be what "Ding Xiong" always talks about—the feeling of being a superhero, right?

Possessing the ability to banish evil and uphold justice truly felt fantastic; I could do things ordinary people couldn't.

Suddenly, I recalled that line from the Galactic Team in Pokémon: "To protect the world from devastation! To shield all people from destruction!"

Although I hadn't reached such an exaggerated level, and this small power couldn't eradicate all evil and injustice, I certainly felt immensely satisfied.

However, I realized that the power seemed temporary, and perhaps it could only be awakened through the Shēn within an enclosed space—that condition was far too restrictive.

Furthermore, if I needed to use it again in the future, and the Shēn was unwilling to cooperate, it would be impossible to achieve.

It seemed my dream of maintaining world peace was still quite distant.

What I needed to do now was first win over that creature which loved stinky, salted fish, and only then could I do as I pleased.

With that thought, I sighed, pulled on the new clothes I had bought, and opened the door to step out.

I had fifteen thousand withdrawn from Boss Tong's card, plus the two thousand I already had in my wallet; that should last for a while.

But if Boss Tong wasn't caught, he might cancel all his cards, and then I wouldn't be able to access that money.

This ill-gotten wealth needed to be withdrawn or transferred entirely right now.

Of course, I intended to give the majority to Zhao Jiajia to finish her studies; I only needed to keep a portion for living expenses.

So, I spent four or five hours running to various banks, withdrawing one hundred thousand in cash, then transferring the remaining over two million into my own account, and finally throwing the card away.

Afterward, I returned to the hospital where Zhao Jiajia was staying, placed a card with a deposit of 1.5 million in her drawer, and wrote the password on a note beside it.

Zhao Jiajia, having suffered extreme shock and a concussion, had slept through most of the day and showed no signs of waking.

I glanced at her still-swollen face and murmured, "Be more careful from now on; consider this money compensation for what Boss Tong did."

With that, I turned and left, closing the door softly behind me.

The following week passed peacefully, with no significant events occurring.

When I wasn't busy, I’d wear a hat and sit in the coffee shop across from the hospital, watching the people emerge.

On the eighth day, I saw Zhao Jiajia walking out of the hospital, dressed in a white sundress.

The paper in her hand was likely her discharge papers.

Watching her walk out of the hospital, the white dress highlighting her pure temperament, she looked stunningly beautiful, and I couldn't help but sigh.

She stood at the entrance, looking around, seemingly searching for someone.

I figured she was now abandoned by everyone, with even her only friend having betrayed her; the person she was looking for was most likely me.

Though I didn't want her to remain alone and lonely, I pulled my hat lower to avoid being seen.

I reasoned that if she could return to a normal university life, she would quickly make new friends, perhaps even find a decent boyfriend; there was no need for me to interfere further in her life.

Zhao Jiajia searched left and right for a long time, finally giving up. She bit her lower lip, her eyes turning slightly red, and then quietly walked away.

I breathed a sigh of relief, watching her dejected silhouette turn a corner before I finally stood up and left the coffee shop.

I walked in the opposite direction from Zhao Jiajia. A moment later, I saw a van decorated with white flowers approaching ahead, followed by a string of identical black BMWs.

I wondered whose funeral it was, I thought to myself.

But when I looked at the black and white photograph displayed on the lead car, I saw it was Boss Tong's.

I was startled, thinking perhaps the migrant workers had managed to kill him in their fury.

Unexpectedly, I overheard two middle-aged men discussing it nearby: "Isn't that the old man who died in that police car incident a few days ago? I heard he was some big shot."

The other person chimed in, "What big shot? More like a gangster. I heard he was dealing drugs and gathered a bunch of thugs to run rampant everywhere."

The first man continued, "No wonder. I heard that while the police car was moving, a steel bar fell off a flatbed truck ahead of them, piercing him straight through the heart. Everyone else in the car was fine. It's divine retribution for all the evil he committed, isn't it?"

After listening to them, I watched the funeral procession slowly pass before me and couldn't help but sigh; it seemed that accumulating too much evil truly invited retribution. Ah... even if I hadn't killed you, it still turned out that way...

The procession slowly moved away. I muttered to myself, "Well, at least now I don't have to worry about Zhao Jiajia anymore."

Content, I walked back toward the clinic. Today was the last time I needed to have the ointment reapplied; after that, I’d be done with treatment.

Next, I planned to spend time building a rapport with the Shēn, keep looking for a job, and contact Nie Chuan to see how things were progressing.

I finished applying the dressing at the hospital around ten in the evening. I grabbed a quick bite somewhere on the street and returned to my room.

After a shower, I lay comfortably on the bed watching TV. The whole world felt settled, making me just want to fall asleep.

And so, I drifted off without realizing when I fell asleep.

I slept wonderfully, staying asleep until broad daylight.

I checked my phone; it was past ten in the morning.

I stretched, climbed out of bed, and my first order of business was to check on the Shēn.

It had devoured all the stinky salted fish in the tank, and three small white dots had reappeared on its back.

I said to it, "You're recovering well. How about some breakfast?"

The Shēn blew a bubble in the tank, an expression I couldn't decipher.

So, I took it out and placed it on my wrist, saying, "Give me a bite; I’m much tastier than salted fish!"

The Shēn's shell wiggled slightly, seemingly preparing to open its mouth, but it held back.

Seeing that it didn't seem hungry for me, I smeared some of the salted fish scent onto my arm and asked, "How is this flavor?"

The creature acted like a shy young woman, slowly opening its mouth, and finally took a bite!

I thought to myself: Damn it! It was that easy! The Superman is back!