I'm Really Going to Become an Immortal

Heaving a backpack that seemed rather heavy.

Chen Yun stepped out of the supermarket, his complexion somewhat dark.

Since he had discovered the sensitivity and uniqueness of his sense of smell at the Vegetable Market,

he had stayed near the entrance of the Vegetable Market, using his olfactory ability to sense whether the food was edible to search for stuff he still could eat.

Such an operation spared him the trouble of having to buy a portion of each type of food.

But just when he embraced an all-encompassing approach, carefully sensing every scent in the entire Vegetable Market,

he realized that something was amiss.

The odors emitted by many people's metabolism and the public restroom in the Vegetable Market

made him realize the perils of human existence.

It also made him immediately aware of the disadvantages of having an overly developed sense of smell.

Originally, Chen Yun was mentally prepared to encounter bodily odors since human sweat, skin secretions, and exhaled gases all create a slightly unusual smell due to the concerted action of specific microbes of metabolism.

But he had genuinely forgotten about the restrooms.

Fortunately, this situation also stimulated his potential.

It enabled him instinctively to adjust the intensity of his sense of smell easily, as well as to control this ability to actively weaken, block, or enhance the perception of certain specific scents.

After he quickly weakened his perception of certain smells to the level of ordinary people but without completely blocking them,

Chen Yun hurriedly finished smelling all the food in the Vegetable Market and quickly left the place.

Yet, it still left his complexion darkened, leaving a very negative impression.

It was not until he bought some simple fitness equipment such as dumbbells, skipping ropes, and yoga mats at a nearby supermarket,

that Chen Yun's complexion slightly improved.

After all, the experience had been highly unpleasant.

However,

Chen Yun faintly realized a possible future from this incident.

That was the likelihood of an inevitable rift forming between himself and ordinary humans.

Perhaps in the future,

humans would seem to him nothing more than a noisy group of monkeys.

Especially if this kind of change in his body, which could tentatively be called "evolution," filled with positive feedback, were to continue over time.

Putting aside what he might become if he continued to evolve, he could already vaguely see the growing estrangement between his evolved self and humanity.

For example, the natural smells produced by normal metabolic and chemical reactions in the human body had already made him uncomfortable.

If his vision were to become even more exaggerated in the future, eventually enabling him to see countless imperfections and pores on human skin, humans' flaws would seem magnified in his eyes.

Furthermore, considering his overall abilities might surpass those of humans,

at that time, his relationship with humanity might change significantly.

This made Chen Yun feel somewhat uneasy.

The process of human evolution did not have a decisive creative moment; instead, it gradually emerged generation after generation from early hominid species.

In social animals, behaviors that enhance collective well-being are rewarded because the health of the group is more effective for evolution than that of individuals.

If conformist behavior can harmonize a group without hindering development, then evolution will not eliminate this behavior.

Non-conformist individuals generally cannot survive in a group, and their efficiency in spreading genes is low.

Therefore, everyone is a descendant of conformists, so there is an instinct to conform.

Chen Yun was no exception.

He felt a trace of unease about the possibility of becoming "more distanced from conformist behavior and more alienated from humans" in the future.

But as he pondered:

A decision gradually formed in Chen Yun's mind.

No matter what the future held, he would strive to adhere strictly to his original character.

He did not want his core values to be altered or shaken by any disturbances that might arise during the process of evolution.

There might inevitably be some changes,

but he would persevere.

Even if becoming "non-conformist and alienated" was inevitable in the future, Chen Yun would make it "Chen Yun-style" "non-conformist and alienated."

He would embrace evolution.

Not be led by evolution.

If his evolution were to continue indefinitely, he wanted to hold onto his character as much as possible.

After setting this basic tone in his mind, Chen Yun's inner unease slowly dissipated.

He was just about to go home to put away the purchased items and record the changes he had noticed during this outing,

when his phone in his pocket suddenly rang with a notification.

He took it out.

It was a text message from Cai niao Station notifying him of an arrival.

"[Cai niao Station] Please go to Shop 9-10, Building 5 in Mingwang New Village A District, Shucheng, to pick up the YT package, verify the pickup code at u.cainiao.com/xujia/duzhuan]"

He raised an eyebrow in recollection for two seconds.

Then he remembered what it was.

It was a bunch of tutorial materials.

It was something his neighbor, Bai Shi, had asked him to order together before the New Year's break. The shipments had been delayed due to the holiday, so they were only now arriving.

Bai Shi was probably near the Cai niao Station in the garden, so it was a good time to go pick him up and retrieve the parcels together.

With that thought in mind,

Chen Yun headed towards Cai niao Station.

He hadn't gone far

when he noticed a group of children gathered around a stone table in the nearby garden.

Bai Shi's portly figure and his Mediterranean haircut were particularly eye-catching.

As Chen Yun got closer,

he heard the tallest, strongest child among them shake his water gun and say, "So why do you always get the King card? Tell me now!"

To this, Bai Shi proudly spread his arms and said, "There are many things that the wise may prefer not to know."

After this remark,

the surrounding children still stared at him, saying nothing.

With no one to play up to his role, Bai Shi's moment became rather awkward, and scratching his head, he added, "That's what Ralph Waldo Emerson said in 'Speeches and Biographies.'"

Unfortunately,

most of the surrounding children were elementary students and didn't understand what he was talking about right away.

The atmosphere remained quiet.

However, the tall, strong kid seemed to understand Bai Shi's refusal.

Being spoiled as usual, he pointed his water gun at Bai Shi almost immediately.

"I want to know now!"

The rambunctious child's voice fell,

and the stream of water shot out the next moment.

But Chen Yun, who had appeared next to Bai Shi at some unknown time, reached out a hand quickly and pulled Bai Shi to the side to dodge the water.

Then he grabbed the water gun from the kid's hand with his other hand.

The speed was so fast that both were caught off guard.

The strength was so great that even if they reacted, it wouldn't have made any difference.

Everyone around them quieted down.

A few of the smaller children were even so surprised that they gasped in shock.

Clearly, they were stunned by Chen Yun's smooth and fluid action.

Bai Shi was stunned for a moment; then he straightened his clothes and stood upright.

He politely nodded his head to Chen Yun to express his gratitude and then looked helplessly at the child in front of him who looked woeful after being disarmed.

"Kids really are harder to deal with than adults."

He muttered under his breath, rubbing his forehead.

The children didn't catch what he said clearly, but Chen Yun, whose physique had changed, heard him quite clearly.

Chen Yun, standing nearby, understood what Bai Shi meant.

Usually, when Bai Shi played poker, he played with a group of elderly men and women.

After all, Mingwang New Village was known as a senior community.

The community primarily consisted of older adults.

But that didn't mean there were only elderly people here.

In the early morning, it wasn't yet time for the elderly to come out to stroll and pass the time.

So, those who gathered around Bai Shi to watch his card tricks were a group of energetic children, still a few days away from the end of their winter break.

Compared to the mostly gentle elderly in this area, the proportion of unreasonable people among these children was somewhat higher.

Seeing the tall, strong child's face filled with grievance, almost on the verge of tears,

Chen Yun slightly frowned.

With a serious expression, he handed the water gun back to the child.

The mischievous kid initially intended to douse Chen Yun again.

However, seeing Chen Yun's stern face, he unexplainably shuddered,

Wiped the oil stains from the spicy strips on his mouth,

And without a word, turned and left.

Seeing this, the other children followed suit and also left.