Chapter 27
Chapter 27: New Target
【 The Savage Realm, Dawn of the Third Day】
【 The Wasteland.】
Jiang Nan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and clenched his fist.
He hadn't turned into a muscular hulk—his physique remained lean and well-proportioned.
But beneath his clothes, those streamlined muscles contained a shocking explosive force.
‘Let's test the effects.’
Jiang Nan walked to an open patch of ground, bent his knees slightly, and tensed his thigh muscles.
Whoosh!
No running start—he jumped straight from a standstill.
His entire body was like a compressed spring, launching itself into the air in an instant!
When he landed, he looked back at the height he'd just cleared while airborne.
‘Vertical jump height… roughly 2 meters.’
Jiang Nan raised an eyebrow.
One had to understand—even top-tier athletes could barely reach a little over 1 meter on a running jump.
His standing 2-meter straight pull was simply inhuman.
Next came speed.
Jiang Nan drew a deep breath, leaned his body forward, and exploded into motion in an instant!
Boom!
The dirt beneath his feet blasted open into a small crater, and his entire figure became a black afterimage, slicing a straight line across the Wasteland.
The wind in his ears turned into a sharp shriek.
A few seconds later, Jiang Nan stopped and mentally calculated the distance and time.
‘No professional equipment, but rough estimate… my speed per second should have reached 20 meters per second.’
What did that mean?
Bolt, Blue Star's sprint god, peaked at around 12.5 meters per second over 100 meters.
Jiang Nan's current speed was nearly double that of Bolt's!
And it was instantaneous—no gradual build-up required!
In a 100-meter sprint, he'd only need 5 seconds!
Finally—strength.
Jiang Nan walked to the edge of the Twisted Jungle and found a dead tree stump roughly the diameter of a thigh.
He reached out one hand, gripped the bark, and applied force through his 5 fingers.
Crack!
Like crushing a block of tofu.
The stump shattered in his grip in an instant, wood shavings flying everywhere.
And his palm didn't even leave a single red mark—it didn't even feel like he'd exerted himself.
‘If it were bench press…’
Jiang Nan estimated from his muscles' feedback: "My peak strength should be around 1,000 kilograms."
Blue Star's world record holder, Jimmy Kolb, had a bench press record of just over 600 kilograms—and that was with professional equipment.
‘That means D+-grade stats are roughly 70% higher than the absolute human limit on Blue Star.’
Jiang Nan rubbed his chin, extremely satisfied with this result.
This didn't just mean he now had the ability to protect himself without using his Word Spirit—more importantly:
The stronger his body, the greater his capacity to withstand Word Spirit backlash.
For an ordinary person, this serum was a life-saving talisman.
But on someone with an ability, this was a qualitative transformation where 1+1>2!
‘As for endurance…’
Jiang Nan thought of a certain aspect.
No need to test this one—it could be verified gradually through daily 'life' in the days ahead.
Just as he was about to return to the vehicle to plan his next move, Guo Shuai walked over from the rear of the truck.
Guo Shuai now wore over his left eye a makeshift eyepatch Wang Meng had fashioned from a leather belt, and he clutched tightly in his hand a yellowed leather scroll.
He walked up to Jiang Nan and presented it with both hands, his expression somewhat downcast:
"Boss… this is Yang Wei's Newcomer Leaderboard reward."
"The Sky Screen just notified me that, as his only squadmate, the item was transferred to me."
Guo Shuai lowered his head, his voice slightly choked: "I have no use for it. Please take it."
Although Yang Wei was gone, this thing had been earned with his life—Guo Shuai didn't want it to go to waste.
Jiang Nan looked at the scroll without the slightest hesitation and reached out to take it directly.
As a leader, relieving a subordinate of an item that brought grief through its associations was also a form of kindness.
He unrolled the scroll.
On it was a single still-blinking red dot, surrounded by blankness—no text or explanation whatsoever.
"?"
Jiang Nan looked at Guo Shuai with an inquiring gaze—'how does this thing work?’
Guo Shuai scratched his head, equally clueless.
"Boss, I don't know either. The Sky Screen didn't say anything—just said it was a special reward for the top 20."
Jiang Nan didn't get angry.
This was essentially an inheritance of a relic, and having no instruction manual was perfectly normal.
He took the scroll, turned back toward the vehicle, and went straight to find Liu Yuqing, who was sprawled across the sofa.
Liu Yuqing at that moment had two massive dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was disheveled.
It was obvious the rhythmic "lullaby" from last night had tortured her into a sleepless night.
Right beside her, Yu Shishi—that carefree, empty-headed girl—was lying spread-eagle, sleeping sweetly with drool at the corner of her mouth.
As if last night's vibrations had been nothing more than white noise to help her sleep.
"Boss?"
Seeing Jiang Nan come in, Liu Yuqing hurriedly rubbed her eyes and sat up: "Do you have instructions?"
Jiang Nan didn't waste words—he simply handed her the scroll in his hand.
Liu Yuqing took it, and a flash of blue light flickered in her eyes.
【Appraisal!】
A few seconds later, her previously half-squinting eyes flew wide open!
【Item】: Terminal Search Scroll
【Grade】: C
【Type】: Single-use consumable
【Origin】: Sky Screen System reward; cannot be obtained directly from the Savage Realm.
【Function】: Upon use, automatically marks the nearest "Savage Realm·Terminal Signal Tower" on the map.
【Note】: The Terminal Signal Tower is the only interactive facility for activating the "Area Map" function.
Place the Leader Tablet on it to unlock and download detailed map information for the surrounding 200 kilometers.
"Boss! This is a great find!!"
Liu Yuqing was so excited she nearly leapt to her feet. She quickly pulled out paper and pen to write the information for Jiang Nan.
"With this, we can activate the map function! We won't have to run around blind in this godforsaken place anymore!"
"Do we leave now?"
Jiang Nan glanced over the information and nodded.
A truly strategic-level item.
Without a map, even having a vehicle was like being blind.
He thought for a moment, then directly stuffed the tablet and the scroll together into Liu Yuqing's arms.
Then he wrote on a sticky note:
【This thing—I'm putting you in charge of it from now on.】
Honestly, aside from collecting supplies and checking the leaderboard just now, the tablet hadn't been much use.
For a dictator like Jiang Nan—who only needed to handle "killing monsters" and "looking impressive"—the tedious work of studying maps, planning routes, and managing supplies was far too bothersome.
Better to hand it to Liu Yuqing, the sharp-minded "civil official."
"Ah? For me?"
Liu Yuqing held the tablet in a daze.
This was the Leader Terminal!
The equivalent of an imperial seal in ancient times!
And the boss just… handed it over without a second thought?
An emotion that could only be described as 'I would die for someone who truly sees my worth' surged through her chest.
The boss wasn't just powerful, good-looking, and enduring—his generosity of spirit was immense as well!
He was simply a born leader!
"Thank you for your trust, Boss!"
Liu Yuqing hugged the tablet and bowed deeply, her eyes resolute as if taking a solemn oath.
"I will devote my every effort to you—until my dying breath!"
Having sworn her loyalty, she turned and glanced at Yu Shishi, who was still snoring away, and a surge of irritation rose within her.
Everyone else is working, and you're just lounging around enjoying yourself?
Smack!
Liu Yuqing gave Yu Shishi's perky, bouncy backside a merciless slap.
"Get up! Stop sleeping! Go make breakfast!"
"Mmph…"
Yu Shishi rubbed her backside groggily, looking all aggrieved.
"Ouch… Yuqing, why are you hitting me?… I was sleeping so soundly…"
"I was even dreaming about my mom and dad…"
"Dreaming about your parents?"
Human curiosity made Liu Yuqing ask reflexively: "What were they doing in the dream?"
Yu Shishi blinked her big eyes and recalled with a blissful expression:
"I dreamed about when I was little and they were coaxing me to sleep… not only did they tell me stories, but even after I'd fallen asleep…"
"They were afraid I'd get scared, so they stayed beside me clapping!"
"Clap, clap, clap—so rhythmic!"
"……"
Liu Yuqing's hand froze in mid-air, halfway to pushing up her glasses.
Even Jiang Nan's footsteps came to a halt.
The two exchanged a glance, their expressions utterly peculiar.
Good grief.
Was that really "clapping to keep you company?"
That was absolutely them leveling up a side account!
And her parents were seriously way too brazen about it—
The child was still in the room…
‘Uh, wait……’
Jiang Nan suddenly realized something.
Last night, he had apparently also been one of the people "clapping" nearby.
Thinking of it that way, he didn't really have the right to criticize her parents.
"Ahem."
Jiang Nan gave a tactical cough and wrote on the sticky note:
【Enough chatter—go get something from the fridge and make breakfast.】
【After eating, rest here until noon, then head out to find the Signal Tower.】
"Oh! Sure thing!"
Yu Shishi hadn't caught the meaning behind those two pairs of eyes at all.
The moment she heard there was food, she immediately bounced off the sofa and trotted over to open the fridge.
With the tasks arranged—
Liu Yuqing hugged the tablet and was about to step off the vehicle to inform the other 2 members and start researching the route.
Jiang Nan turned his head, his gaze falling on the frosted glass door of the bathroom—closed tight.
Through it, the faint silhouette of a graceful figure was barely visible.
‘Now……’
The corner of Jiang Nan's mouth curved upward as he untied the belt of his sleeping robe.
‘It's time to test the endurance of a D+-grade body.’
He pushed open the bathroom door and stepped inside.
"Ah!"
Chen Tong's startled cry came from within, followed by a bashfully reproachful voice:
"You… why did you come in?"
"I'm washing the bloodstains off the bedsheet… it's all your fault, last night…"
"You're terrible~"
Then the bathroom door closed again.
Whether what followed was the washing of bedsheets—or something else entirely—
Only the sound of rushing water knew.