Chapter 2: Stellar Energy Tempering

The rescued girl contributed 100 hero points, the other two girls 50 each, and the rest came from the male classmates. Even the onlookers around, moved by their admiration for Qin Hao’s actions, each offered between 5 and 10 hero points.

“Call an ambulance!”

Qin Hao glanced at the man on the ground, his face covered in blood from the beating. Although he knew the man wouldn’t die, he still reminded everyone.

“Thank you, thank you!” Yu Feifei sobbed uncontrollably, but her gratitude was boundless. The way she looked at Qin Hao was as if she were gazing at a peerless hero.

In her eyes, Qin Hao was indeed her hero.

Soon, the wailing sirens of police cars and ambulances filled the air.

The injured were taken onto ambulances; the thugs were all arrested. Because Qin Hao had fought, he and two of the girls had to go to the police station to give statements.

Meanwhile, back at the night market, a pimple-faced teenager excitedly posted a video to his social media.

“A super expert appears, beats down thugs, hero saves the beauty!”

The post quickly spread from his friends’ circle, racking up likes at a frenzied pace.

“Damn, that’s way too cool!”

“If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was a movie. This guy is definitely a master.”

“Thumbs up for the young man.”

Sitting in the police car, Qin Hao continued to collect hero points. Even if each person only gave two or three, the points accumulated rapidly.

Qin Hao was not surprised.

The last time he’d punched a thug to death, someone had filmed it and spread the video. But since the thug had coughed blood and died, the video was eventually deleted.

This time was clearly different. Qin Hao had deliberately shown off, making it look like a real, uncut action scene—naturally, the video spread like wildfire. In the blink of an eye, Qin Hao’s hero points soared past a thousand.

Before he had reversed time, it had taken him five days to reach this milestone.

“Ding! Main quest issued.”

A new main quest appeared.

[Stellar Energy Infusion]

You now possess 1,000 hero points and have the potential to become a world-saving hero. But a hero needs formidable strength. Tap the Hero System [Store] to activate stellar energy.

Quest fixed reward: Perception of stellar energy.

Qin Hao was familiar with every capability of the hero system. In fact, it was very simple: only three virtual icons could appear in his vision as phantoms, or in his mind—Character, Quest, Store.

“Store.”

Qin Hao opened the store. At the top, glowing with golden light, was the emblem for sensing stellar energy.

All other items in the store were greyed out; this was his only option.

Without hesitation, Qin Hao chose to purchase it.

A hazy white light appeared from the void, as if out of nothing—or perhaps from a distant starfield, guided by the hand of a god.

The wisp of light sank into Qin Hao’s body, making him feel as if he were once again bathed in amniotic fluid, enveloped in warmth.

Within this warmth, every cell in his body seemed to come alive again. He felt healthier, free from pain, and stronger, as if he could run even faster.

Inside his body, a unique cycle began to flow.

Under the pull of stellar energy, Qin Hao awakened his ability.

Stellar energy was miraculous—each person infused with it would awaken a different power, known as a super ability.

Some gained speed, some developed stronger bodies, some became incredibly beautiful.

But powers varied in strength; in the apocalypse, certain talents were almost useless. That was where the hero system made all the difference.

Qin Hao’s innate ability was what he called Gene Devouring Technique.

Using stellar energy and the blood of dead creatures, he could continuously accumulate genetic material to strengthen himself.

This power was terrifying and was the reason he had survived for twenty years.

Unfortunately, the invading alien civilization had not given Qin Hao a chance.

Now, he was even more familiar with this power, understanding how it functioned. Qin Hao was confident he would be stronger than before he reversed time.

He exhaled softly, gathering up the aura unleashed by the activation of his power.

The young police officer sitting beside Qin Hao, pressed nervously against the door, felt inexplicably frightened by Qin Hao’s presence, as though angering him would result in being devoured.

It was the primal fear between natural enemies—like a mouse before a cat, a sheep before a wolf.

Beside them sat Chen Jiao, who instead felt an overwhelming sense of safety. Since she already regarded Qin Hao as a great hero, the stronger he seemed, the more reassured she felt.

“We’re here.”

The car soon arrived at the police station. The young officer hastily opened the door, leading Qin Hao to give his statement and leave his phone number.

By the time Qin Hao walked out of the police station, it was already midnight.

Finishing his statement, he left the police station, removed his SIM card, and tossed it straight into a trash bin.

Neither the police nor the people he had rescued would be able to find him.

With the apocalypse about to descend, remaining an unsung hero was enough.

However, a fierce battle awaited him. In ten days, the first assault of the invading alien civilization would begin. In the meantime, Qin Hao’s task was to grow ever stronger.

Moreover, Qin Hao recalled that something significant would soon happen—something even reported by legal news.

He opened his eyes and took out the red vial in his hand.

This was the basic strength serum, a reward from his first random mission.

A plan began to take shape in Qin Hao’s mind.

The next day, in East Hill District, Xingyang Third Street.

Night fell, and small stalls lined both sides of the pedestrian street. Young people, just off work, strolled along—some hurried past, others paused to browse.

Qin Hao stopped at a stall selling books, flipping through pirated paperbacks.

“How much for this one?” Qin Hao pointed to a book.

“Divine Class Human? That’s a new release, genuine copy, 100 yuan each.”

Qin Hao’s expression didn’t change, but he didn’t commit to buying.

The vendor quickly tried to sell him other books. “We’ve got older issues here, 30 each. You can trade in for new ones, too—just add ten yuan after you finish reading and swap for another.”

Qin Hao smiled faintly. He doubted he would ever return.

At that moment, a sudden “bang” and a screech of brakes pierced the air near Qin Hao’s ears.

Everyone reacted immediately, looking around.

The shrill sound of braking had already told them what had happened.

A traffic accident.

The pedestrian street bordered an intersection, where accidents weren’t uncommon.

Just then, screams erupted from the crowd.

A fiery red sports car had plowed onto the crosswalk.

It sent pedestrians and roadside stalls flying, charging forward like a mad bull, showing no sign of stopping.