NOVEL WEB Chapter 2
Chapter 2: The Complete Lin Ran!:
[Lin Ran loved jasmine flowers. She often dragged you to the small courtyard downstairs to admire the jasmine she planted at your house. She would carry a scented sachet filled with dried jasmine and play with you in the mud. You urinated, you mixed the mud, while Lin Ran stood to the side, looking at you with disdain. But when you weren’t paying attention, she would secretly use a small shovel to pile the mud onto the jasmine plant, eagerly anticipating its every bloom.]
[Almost every day, you would see Uncle Lin arriving with a dark expression to pick up Lin Ran, while your father would never get tired of mocking him. Then, every so often, you would see your father returning home with a bruised and swollen face.]
[Age 5: You dreamed of becoming a genetic warrior, but your talent in martial arts was beyond disappointing. No matter how much you trained, there was no improvement at all. Instead, you became thinner and weaker. You often overheard Lin Ran’s mother complaining to your mother about Lin Ran’s terrible academic performance as well. While most children’s grasp selection determined their strengths, you and Lin Ran managed to pick only the things you were bad at.]
[Their conversations revealed many things to you. This was how you learned that Lin Ran’s mother was also a genetic pharmacist. They often complained about how genetic pharmaceutical companies were becoming more and more outrageous, trying to monopolize the entire market and driving up prices without any moral bottom line.]
[You were still too young to understand words like ‘monopoly,’ ‘corporations,’ or ‘laws.’ Their discussions gradually took a strange turn, and they began debating whether they should cultivate feelings between you and Lin Ran while you were still young. Eventually, they privately arranged a childhood engagement between you two.]
[Lin Ran, who was playing nearby, naturally overheard this conversation. From then on, she would frequently tease you, while you, with a serious expression, declared that you had no interest in women—only martial arts could captivate your heart.]
[Age 6: Perhaps your words had hurt Lin Ran, as she didn’t come looking for you for several months. But when you met again, she was completely different. She boldly declared herself as the ‘Complete Lin Ran’ and said her first order of business was to beat you until you knelt and called her ‘Grandmother.’]
On a black carpet, a little girl with bright, watery eyes sat on top of a boy. One hand was firmly pinching his nostrils, while the other arm was locked around his neck in a chokehold. Her face was full of menace.
Nearby, Uncle Lin, sporting a thick beard, was grinning from ear to ear. He mimicked Zhang Jie’s father’s smug expression and leaned in close to him.
“Aiyo, my daughter is amazing! Just a few months of training, and she’s already this strong. Unlike a certain someone’s useless son… Tsk tsk tsk.”
Just as Zhang Jie’s father was about to throw a punch, the two children’s fight drew their attention again.
“Say it! Admit you have no interest in martial arts!”
“I… won’t!”
Zhang Jie felt like he was about to be strangled to death. He never expected Lin Ran to make him lose interest in martial arts in such a way, but he was stubborn.
“Then say you’re interested in me!”
“I… won’t!!!”
A smile never disappears, it only transfers.
The moment Lin Ran said that, the smug smile on Uncle Lin’s face instantly moved to Zhang Jie’s father’s face. Imitating Uncle Lin’s tone, he chuckled.
“Aiyo, my son is amazing! Any kids born from this pair will take my surname. Unlike a certain fool’s daughter… Tsk tsk~”
Then, like children, the two grown men started fighting. Unfortunately, Zhang Jie’s father was at a disadvantage. This led to an amusing sight—Lin Ran was pummeling Zhang Jie, while Uncle Lin was pinning down Zhang Jie’s father. The old ones were beaten, and the young ones were also beaten.
After the ordeal, Zhang Jie’s father couldn’t swallow his pride. He didn’t dare vent his frustration on his wife, so he had no choice but to take it out on Zhang Jie.
Thus, a world where only Zhang Jie suffered was achieved.
[Age 7: You and Lin Ran started primary school together. Perhaps it was because martial artists tend to have aggressive personalities, but Lin Ran became increasingly bold and violent. Her combat ability skyrocketed, and she began treating the boys in class like punching bags. The once-shy and gentle girl had died in your heart…]
The sun shone brightly over the vast school playground, where a group of children ran around joyfully. A young PE teacher leaned quietly against the soccer goal, watching them with a peaceful expression.
Lin Ran, dressed like a tomboy, searched through every bush, flipping through them one by one, until she finally found Zhang Jie hiding in a dense patch of grass.
“Hey, why are you always hiding from me? Come out and play house!”
“I won’t!”
Lin Ran yanked Zhang Jie out of the bushes and dragged him over to play. As the other kids cheered, Zhang Jie, utterly resigned, was forced into his designated role.
The characters in their little game of ‘house’ were always fixed. The script was cliché—the girl gets kidnapped by villains, and a genius boy fights off an entire group of bad guys to rescue her. But in reality, Lin Ran was the one taking down all the ‘villains.’
It wasn’t that the other boys didn’t want to play the hero. It was simply that Lin Ran’s strength left them no room for argument.
As for Zhang Jie? He was the ‘girl’ who got kidnapped, waiting for Lin Ran to rescue him…
“Waaah!”
“Ughh!”
As the sounds of children ‘dying’ echoed across the playground, Zhang Jie, lying on the ground like a corpse, was suddenly lifted into a princess carry by Lin Ran. She carried him down from the podium, and a faint scent of jasmine filled the air. Their eyes met.
The girl’s delicate face was speckled with a bit of grass, and her adorable features shone with a playful smile. The tiny tear mole at the corner of her eye was especially striking.
She gazed into Zhang Jie’s eyes seriously and spoke in a resolute tone.
“Zhang Jie, don’t be afraid! I’m here!”
[Age 8: Ever since you started primary school, every day has been pure torment. Out of all the boys in class, Lin Ran only ever picked on you.]
[Lin Ran didn’t like sour foods, but she loved candied hawthorn. Every time she ate one, she would make you finish the hawthorn after she sucked all the sugar off. You never knew whether to enjoy it or not, but you always pretended to dislike it. One day, a kid offered five packs of spicy strips to buy the hawthorn Lin Ran had already eaten, but you refused outright. The other kids immediately suspected that you had a crush on Lin Ran.]
[“I just like eating sour stuff, okay?!” That’s what you said, unaware that Lin Ran had quietly taken note of your every reaction.]
[Age 9: You gradually developed an interest in biology. In your spare time, apart from training, you started reading extracurricular books on biology and learning more about apocalyptic creatures. You also gained a deeper understanding of humanity’s current genetic technology.]
[Apocalyptic creatures, also known as Blood Disasters, are life forms entirely composed of blood. They possess an extreme assimilation ability, capable of eroding both living beings and inanimate objects, turning them into second-stage Blood Disasters. These creatures corrode buildings, converting them into blood nests to propagate more Blood Disasters. Historical records suggest that Blood Disasters might even be able to consume stars, though this has never been confirmed.]
[Lately, the news has frequently reported grim updates from the frontline against these disasters. The situation seems dire. This makes you feel uneasy, but your parents assure you there’s nothing to worry about. Your city is in a strategic inland zone, and unless the entire front line collapses, apocalyptic creatures will never reach this place. However, you often see the worried expressions on their faces, as if they’re encountering difficulties at work.]