**Chapter 2**
As the second day began, Zhushi Jiu woke up on time at 7:00 a.m. He didn’t dream, and his entire process of waking up was extremely rapid, almost as if he had regained his mental clarity within seconds of opening his eyes.
“Has my body also started to mutate in this aspect?”
From the current timeline, this was the second day after he received the injection.
Zhushi Jiu clenched his fists, feeling his muscles becoming more solid and powerful.
Last night, before going to bed, he had a few hours of combat training with the two Black Soldiers, which wasn’t as exaggerated as the previous week, but was still enough to convert the protein in his stomach into energy for his body, allowing him to maintain a high-intensity training state.
As a result, his body had become slightly more robust than yesterday.
But what was truly beyond his previous thinking was that he had entered deep sleep shortly after lying down and slept for only four hours, yet he didn’t feel any fatigue upon waking up, which was probably the most perfect sleep he had had in over twenty years.
As he jumped out of bed, Zhushi Jiu saw the two Black Soldiers standing beside the bed.
“Did you guys not sleep?” Zhushi Jiu asked.
This wasn’t out of concern, but rather to understand the state of his body after receiving the Black Soldier injection.
“We don’t need to sleep,” one of the Black Soldiers replied.
Zhushi Jiu pondered, having only received the lower-level substitute injection, and yet he only needed to sleep for four hours. Were the Black Soldiers so strong that they could even abandon sleep?
“Is this the case for all Black Soldiers or just some of them?” Zhushi Jiu asked.
“Some,” the Black Soldier replied. “Some elite Black Soldiers undergo neural network regulation surgery, which is a procedure that eliminates the need for sleep. After undergoing the surgery, Black Soldiers no longer require sleep.”
Neural network regulation surgery?
It sounded wonderful, as not needing sleep meant having a lot of time to do practical things, but Zhushi Jiu first focused on the most critical issue.
“What about the side effects?”
“Shortened lifespan.”
Zhushi Jiu’s eyes became sharper: “Then, will Black Soldiers who only need short sleep periods after receiving the injection also have a shortened lifespan?”
“We don’t know,” the Black Soldier replied.
“We don’t know? Haven’t you researched this?”
The Black Soldier replied indifferently, “99% of Black Soldiers will die prematurely, unable to live out their natural lifespan. To be more accurate, 90% of Black Soldier reservists will die in the first battle against the Alien Creatures.”
Zhushi Jiu: “……”
Elite Black Soldiers were difficult to kill in battles against Alien Creatures, but became short-lived after undergoing the neural network regulation surgery.
As for the weaker Black Soldiers, they couldn’t even live out their natural lifespan, so there was a lack of experimental data, making it impossible to prove whether ordinary Black Soldiers would have a shortened lifespan after receiving the injection.
“Are the Alien Creatures really that strong?”
The two Black Soldiers glanced at Zhushi Jiu, seemingly thinking that this question wasn’t worth answering.
“Fine.”
Zhushi Jiu didn’t get an answer, but he already knew the answer.
…
After washing up and opening the door, Zhushi Jiu saw an unexpected person.
“Oh, good morning, Great Detective.”
Ji Hui smiled and waved at him.
Standing outside the door were not only Ji Hui but also Ma Qunbo and Qian Zhele.
Compared to Ji Hui, who was in high spirits, Ma Qunbo and Qian Zhele looked lethargic, with Qian Zhele yawning nonstop.
Zhushi Jiu maintained his expression from yesterday, revealing a warm smile: “You’re up so early?”
“Yes, we didn’t know when you’d wake up, so we came to stake out your place,” Ji Hui said with a smile.
They were afraid that something might happen.
Everyone thought so in their hearts.
They had seen Sun Haoran’s resentful expression yesterday, so they worried that he might come to find trouble with Zhushi Jiu, plus Wang Chong’s serious tone had made them concerned about their friend’s safety, so they not only booked the rooms next to and opposite Zhushi Jiu’s but also got up early to stake out his place, fearing that Sun Haoran might cause trouble when he met Zhushi Jiu.
“Where’s Sun Haoran?” Zhushi Jiu asked.
He didn’t know what had happened last night, and after glancing around, he realized that someone was missing.
Qian Zhele shrugged: “He’s probably still sleeping. We don’t usually wake up so early.”
At this time, Ji Hui approached Zhushi Jiu and said, “Great Detective, don’t you want to deduce what happened last night?”
Zhushi Jiu’s smile remained unchanged as he waved his hand: “I won’t deduce it. Yesterday’s deduction was just a small trick, and it’s not a big deal. If I deduce it again, I’m not sure I can figure it out.”
He really didn’t know, and he really couldn’t deduce it.
Three people thought he was being humble and teased him several times, but Zhushi Jiu still refused, so they finally gave up on him.
However, Zhushi Jiu also sensed something abnormal and asked, “What’s going on? You look like you’re trying to hide something.”
Qian Zhele burst into laughter: “Haha, it’s because we’re afraid Sun Haoran might cause trouble for you! You said some stuff that really got under his skin, and we’re worried he might come looking for you.”
They were trying to lighten the mood.
Zhushi Jiu understood.
But what he didn’t expect was that these three people would take it so seriously.
He guessed the reason.
He didn’t expect that he would warn Wang Chong, but Wang Chong still revealed something to these friends, causing them to attach so much importance to this matter. Zhushi Jiu further lowered his evaluation of Wang Chong.
To be honest, in the entire plan, he felt that what he needed most was to prevent the plan from leaking out through Wang Chong, so he took control of the plan’s main direction and even instilled suspicions in Wang Chong’s mind, but he didn’t expect Wang Chong to still be so careless.
Ma Qunbo looked at the two Black Soldiers behind Zhushi Jiu: “Hey, why did they change clothes?”
Qian Zhele also looked over: “Right, they were quite handsome in their previous outfits. Why did they change into windbreakers?”
Zhushi Jiu smiled: “It’s not possible to let them wear those dangerous uniforms on the ship all day, right?”
“That’s true.”
Ji Hui, whose attention was entirely focused on food, rubbed her belly: “Can we stop standing here and chatting? I’m starving to death!”
Ma Qunbo followed up: “Yeah, let’s go eat. We don’t need to wait for Sun Haoran.”
Zhushi Jiu didn’t object, and everyone took the elevator to the 15th floor, which was the same restaurant where Zhushi Jiu had eaten yesterday.
As soon as they entered the restaurant, the waiter with a vest came over to lead them to their seats.
Before long, the chef who had appeared yesterday walked out from the kitchen.
“What would you like to eat? I’ll personally cook it for you.”
Ji Hui saw the chef and greeted him: “Hey, Zhu Ge, long time no see!”
The chef, Zhu Ge, laughed obsequiously at Ji Hui: “Miss Ji, good morning! What can I get for you?”
“I’ll have the same as usual – three sandwiches, roasted vegetable crisps, a little cake, white chocolate truffles, and a seven-color fruit platter, with black pudding tea and a mango-flavored bubble tea.”
Ji Hui listed out her order like a menu.
Zhushi Jiu was stunned.
But Ma Qunbo and Qian Zhele were completely unfazed.
“Ha, she’s got a big appetite,” Qian Zhele said with a laugh. “We were also shocked when we first met her.”
Ma Qunbo added: “Most people are shocked when they first see her eat.”
Ji Hui retorted: “What’s wrong with my appetite? You guys just eat too little!”
Zhushi Jiu smiled: “The more you eat, the more energy you’ll have. It’s good to store up energy in your body.”
Ma Qunbo and Qian Zhele were speechless; this guy’s brain seemed to work differently.
Ji Hui, on the other hand, was thrilled.
The chef looked at the others: “What about you guys?”
Zhushi Jiu hastily spoke up: “Give me ten plates of beef, please.”
The three of them: “……”
“Can you really eat that much?” Ji Hui asked, her eyes full of doubt.
Zhushi Jiu smiled: “Don’t worry, I can eat a lot.”
…
Half an hour later, Zhushi Jiu devoured all ten plates of beef in front of them, and they finally believed him.
Even Ji Hui, who was attacking the desserts, stared at Zhushi Jiu in shock.
“This…this…”
Ten plates were stacked together, empty.
“Great, you’re indeed capable!”
Qian Zhele and Ma Qunbo looked on in awe.
But Zhushi Jiu still wasn’t satisfied; he told the chef, “Give me ten more plates, please.”
Ji Hui was stunned: “Wait, you still want to eat?!”
Zhushi Jiu apologetically smiled: “Sorry, I usually eat a lot.”
The three of them had their eyebrows twitching.
Another half hour passed, and Zhushi Jiu cleared all ten plates again.
The three of them stared at Zhushi Jiu in incredulity.
Only after Zhushi Jiu finished eating did they ask, “Aren’t you full?”
Full? Non-existent.
Zhushi Jiu shook his head.
Now, his eating was no longer dependent on his appetite being satisfied, but rather on how much his stomach could hold.
Most people stopped eating when they felt full, but in reality, the feeling of fullness was just a physiological reminder to stop eating, and there was still plenty of room in their stomachs for more food.
…
(End of chapter)
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