Urban Powers After the Apocalypse

Now, he could easily lift a 50-kilogram bag of rice with one hand and run up and down thirty-two flights of stairs in one go without much more than heavy breathing. The once-daunting physical activities like pull-ups and dips were now second nature to him. With a strong, streamlined muscle build, he looked every bit the part of a physical powerhouse.

However, this enhancement wasn't without its drawbacks. Perhaps due to the rapid increase in strength, Xu Mo's body coordination had significantly decreased. He often found himself in awkward situations where he couldn't control his strength. While larger movements, like walking or bending, weren't too affected, small actions, such as using chopsticks, became a clumsy mess. This forced him to dedicate a significant amount of time to training the finer motor skills, hoping to adapt to his newly enhanced body as quickly as possible.

The most profound change came from the brain's capacity, which increased dramatically after two rounds of enhancements. Xu Mo wasn't entirely sure what brain capacity meant, but he could clearly feel the improvement in his memory, processing speed, focus, and sensory sensitivity.

For Xu Mo, who was about to face the college entrance exam, this was a welcome surprise. While it might not propel him to the top of the rankings overnight, it certainly made studying much more efficient.

However, based on the increase in mental strength that accompanied the brain enhancement, Xu Mo noticed a peculiar phenomenon: the growth after the second round of enhancement was much smaller than after the first. If the first enhancement had boosted his mental power by ten, the second one only added about five or six.

If he was right, the third enhancement would yield an even smaller increase, and so on, eventually approaching zero.

This might be the reason Professor Mo mentioned that the doomsday shards couldn't be endlessly enhanced.

Despite this limitation, Xu Mo couldn't help but become fascinated by the higher-level doomsday shards rumored to break through enhancement limits.

Beyond these strengthening shards, another one that excited Xu Mo was the orange "chain" shard.

When activated, this shard interacted with the strengthening shard responsible for muscle explosiveness. If Xu Mo's enhanced strength could be compared to a bonfire fueled by dry wood, then this orange chain shard was like a barrel of gasoline. The energy generated by the shard flooded through his body, capable of unleashing tremendous power with a single movement. It was this explosive energy that allowed Xu Mo to narrowly escape from under the speeding car.

Xu Mo had roughly measured it, and the energy unleashed by the orange shard could generate three to five times the power of his full-strength punch. The impact was powerful enough to snap a tree with a trunk the size of a bowl in half. Combined with the "Demon's Hand," which was sturdy and resistant to pain, the destruction it caused could only be described as terrifying.

The best part of this orange shard's energy was that it didn't require distance to activate. Even if Xu Mo was right next to the object he was striking, the full force would still explode. The power emitted spread out in a ripple, rather than focusing at one point, similar to the martial arts concept of the "inch punch." Unlike the inch punch, however, the force wasn't concentrated at a single point but spread like a small bomb going off. The energy diffused in all directions, making it incredibly destructive to the surface of objects, although it lacked sufficient penetration power.

Xu Mo named this ability "Zero Burst."

The only downside was that, like the yellow shard's USP handgun, "Zero Burst" also had strict usage limits. Even with a full charge of energy, he could only use it five times. Moreover, since he was still inexperienced, the full potential of the burst hadn't been realized yet, requiring more practice.

However, during his research into the doomsday shards, Xu Mo encountered something puzzling.

Both the information provided by Professor Mo and the appearance of the "Fallen Raven" suggested that the blue doomsday shard should result in some kind of intelligent lifeform. Yet, his "Demon's Hand" seemed more like a weapon generated by the yellow shard, with no signs of intelligence at all.

Additionally, the "Demon's Hand" was far less effective than other shards, like the "Fallen Raven," which boasted a nearly supernatural spatial teleportation ability. Compared to these, the "Demon's Hand" seemed disappointingly underwhelming, especially considering the rarity of intelligent doomsday shards.

Despite this, Xu Mo couldn't shake the feeling that the ornate "Demon's Hand" wasn't as simple as it appeared. Perhaps there was something about it that he hadn't yet discovered.

"Doomsday shards... if only I had this power back then... maybe..." Xu Mo thought, gazing at the flickering blue flame on the back of the "Demon's Hand," feeling his heart tighten. He reached into the top left drawer of his desk, slowly pulling out a photo of a beautiful girl. It still lay there quietly at the bottom of the drawer, the frame clean despite its age.

His phone suddenly rang, the caller ID showing He Shang's name.

"Xu Mo, guess who I just saw?" He Shang's voice came through, unusually excited.

"Fujiko F. Fujio?" Xu Mo joked. He Shang only ever got this excited when he met famous cartoonists.

"Heh, you think I'm some sort of medium? Not a chance." He Shang laughed. "Anyway, I just saw your little wife."

"Who? Xu Bilin? You're messing with me again. Be careful, I'll tell her." Xu Mo smiled, knowing that He Shang only dared to joke like this behind closed doors. If Xu Bilin found out, He Shang would be in for a verbal thrashing.

"Tch, I thought we were friends. You're putting your love life before your buddies..." He Shang grumbled before abruptly changing the subject. "Seriously though, I saw Xu Bilin, and guess what? She was with a guy."

"Her dad?" Xu Mo laughed. He Shang often made jokes like this.

"...You're asking for it, aren't you?" He Shang sighed dramatically, then seriously said, "It was Ouyang Ning, the captain of the third class basketball team."

Xu Mo froze. While seeing Xu Bilin with Ouyang Ning might not mean much, having such a capable guy by her side made Xu Mo uneasy. It was impossible not to feel a twinge of insecurity.

"You're too sensitive. It's not like this is some dating game where a chance encounter boosts their affection. They're just classmates, running into each other and having a chat—it's normal. You know how friendly Xu Bilin is..." Xu Mo tried to rationalize it, though he also seemed to be convincing himself.

"Yeah... you're right, but why does it feel like something's off between them?" He Shang sounded a little unsure, but then gave a sort of warning: "Love your country, love your school, love your juniors... but watch out for your senior brother. Pay attention to what's going on with your little wife. Don't let someone steal her right under your nose."

Xu Mo chuckled, brushing it off. "Don't be so dark about it. She's never promised me anything, and even if she becomes my girlfriend, I'm not going to restrict her from having normal social interactions."

"Ah! You're so dazzling! My eyes are blinded by the human light radiating from your towering presence! Xu Da, you were born to make me feel small and insignificant!" He Shang replied sarcastically, before quickly changing the subject to something trivial.

After hanging up, Xu Mo carefully took out the photo frame from the drawer, gently wiping every corner, as if he were cleaning away memories that time had started to blur.

He stared at it for a long time before placing it back into the drawer, slowly pushing it closed.

"Some things... letting go really isn't easy."