The residual warmth of the Stone Body Transformation lingered at his fingertips. Lin Mo clenched his right hand; the rough texture of his palm was long gone, but the feeling of that power surging through his veins was so real it sent a shiver down his spine—it was definitely not a dream. Leaning against the cold handrail of the subway car, exhaustion from overtime and the thrill of the earlier incident washed over him in an instant, and he couldn't help yawning. The Venerable Stone Monkey's entrustment echoed repeatedly in his mind, along with the shocking moment his arm turned to stone and blocked the blade. In his heart, there was both anxiety about the unknown ability and an undeniable hint of anticipation.
It was nearly half-past ten at night when he returned to his rental apartment. The small room was spotlessly clean, with unfinished internship plans piled on the desk, and the cold light from the computer screen made the room even more desolate. Lin Mo quickly washed up, lay on the bed, and tossed and turned, wondering what ability he would get the next day—would it be wings to soar in the sky? Or the invisibility to hide his figure? He couldn't help raising his hand to try again and again, but his palm remained ordinary, with no sign of change.
He didn't know how long he tossed and turned before drowsiness finally overtook him, and Lin Mo fell into a deep sleep. In a daze, a familiar warm current suddenly surged from his dantian, gentler than last night, spreading to every part of his body along his blood vessels. Unlike the stiff heaviness of the Stone Body Transformation, it dispelled most of his exhaustion, leaving him feeling relaxed all over. When he suddenly woke up, the sky was already dim, and the phone screen clearly showed 00:05—his new ability had been unlocked.
Lin Mo sat up abruptly, focusing on feeling the changes in his body. There was no surge of increased strength, nor any change in his body shape; he was no different from usual. He frowned, a trace of confusion welling up in his heart: Could it be that today's ability was a useless gimmick? He tried calling his own name, and his voice was still plain, with no abnormalities.
Just as he got up to wash up, a faint quarrel suddenly came from next door, as if an old couple was bickering softly. Lin Mo was stunned—he lived in an old community, and the sound insulation was average, but it could never be clear enough to hear the whispers next door. He held his breath and listened carefully, and was instantly shocked: not only the quarrel next door, but also the "rustling" sound of the cleaner sweeping the floor in the corridor, the "ding-dong" sound of the convenience store downstairs opening, and even the honking of cars passing by in the distance, all were as clear as if they were right beside him, even the faint sound of air flowing was unmistakable.
"Clairaudience?" Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized that the ability randomly unlocked today was such a practical clairaudience! He tried to concentrate, easily filtering out irrelevant noises, and accurately captured the sounds he wanted to hear—the old couple next door was worrying about their grandson's tuition fees, the cleaner was complaining about the hardship of getting up early while sweeping, and the convenience store owner downstairs was quietly counting the goods from the night before.
Lin Mo was overjoyed. Although it didn't have the powerful combat power of the Stone Body Transformation, the practicality of clairaudience was undoubtedly more suitable for his current situation. He quickly washed up, had breakfast, and squeezed the subway to the company as usual. Along the way, he deliberately restrained his ability, but the whispers of the people around him couldn't help but drift into his ears—some complained about endless overtime, some ranted about their meager salaries, and more people were secretly talking about the "stone-armed hero" at the subway entrance yesterday.
"Have you heard? Yesterday at the exit of Line 3, there was a guy who could block a knife with his stone arm—totally awesome!"
"Of course I have! My friend took a video, but it's too blurry to see his face. Otherwise, I really want to thank him in person!"
Listening to these comments, Lin Mo couldn't help smiling slightly, but he remained calm and didn't reveal his identity at all. He knew clearly that this ability was a gift, but also a hidden danger. Once targeted by someone with ulterior motives, not only would he get into trouble, but he might also implicate innocent people around him.
The internship in the morning was still busy. Lin Mo buried his head in revising the plan, and occasionally, during breaks, he used clairaudience to listen to the surrounding movements, but found nothing abnormal. Until the lunch break, he went downstairs to the convenience store to buy lunch. As soon as he walked out of the office building, a suppressed cry mixed with a fierce scolding drifted into his ears, sharp and piercing.
"Stop crying! Hurry up and hand over the money, or I'll be rude to you!" The man's voice was rough and ferocious, full of threats.
"I...I really have no money. This is the money for my mom's life-saving medicine. I can't give it to you..." The girl's cry was full of despair, intermittent, making people's hearts clench.
Lin Mo's heart tightened, and he immediately concentrated. His clairaudience accurately captured the movement in the alley—a girl in a school uniform was stopped by two hooligans, who looked arrogant and were forcing her to hand over what was in her hand. Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Mo walked quickly towards the alley, his steps extremely light, trying not to attract their attention, and a plan had already formed in his mind.
The alley was not wide, with discarded debris piled on both sides, dimly lit and a bit eerie. Two hooligans with yellow dyed hair were surrounding the girl; one leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, looking arrogant, while the other reached out to grab the plastic bag in the girl's hand—the bag contained medicine boxes and a small amount of cash. The girl held it tightly, trembling like a leaf, and tears kept falling.
"Stop!" Lin Mo shouted loudly, walking forward quickly, his firm tone instantly breaking the silence of the alley.
The two yellow-haired men were startled. When they turned around and saw the thin Lin Mo, they immediately showed disdain on their faces. "Where did this kid come from, daring to meddle in other people's business? Get out of here quickly, or I'll beat you up too!" One of the yellow-haired men said, reaching out to push Lin Mo roughly.
Lin Mo dodged nimbly sideways, knowing clearly that today's clairaudience had no direct combat power, and he could never fight head-on like yesterday. He focused and listened carefully, and his clairaudience instantly captured the movement not far away—the footsteps of the patrolling security guard, the laughter and talk of passers-by, only a minute's walk from here.
"Robbery in broad daylight—aren't you afraid of being caught by the security guards?" Lin Mo deliberately raised his voice, firm and confident, "I've already seen the security guards coming. If you know what's good for you, leave quickly, otherwise you won't be able to run away later!"
The two yellow-haired men were stunned, subconsciously looking towards the alley entrance. Although they didn't see the security guard, Lin Mo's tone was too certain, and coupled with their guilty conscience, their expressions instantly became flustered. "Don't try to bluff us here!" One of the yellow-haired men pretended to be calm, but his body couldn't help taking a step back.
Lin Mo seized the opportunity, deliberately raised his chin towards the alley entrance, and emphasized: "If you don't believe me, listen for yourself—the security guard's footsteps are getting closer and closer." He deliberately amplified the footsteps captured by his clairaudience, guiding the two yellow-haired men to listen. The two concentrated and listened, and sure enough, they heard the footsteps coming from the distance, their faces turning pale instantly.
"You're ruthless!" One of the yellow-haired men glared at Lin Mo fiercely, not daring to stay any longer. He pulled the other yellow-haired man, turned around and ran, almost bumping into the wall in his haste, and soon disappeared at the end of the alley.
The danger was over. The girl's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground. Lin Mo quickly stepped forward to support her. "Are you okay?" He said gently, reaching out to take the plastic bag in the girl's hand and checking it carefully—the medicine boxes and money were intact.
The girl wiped her tears, looked up at Lin Mo, her eyes full of gratitude, and said with a choked voice: "Thank you, really thank you so much...If it weren't for you, my mom's life-saving medicine would be gone, and I really don't know what I would do."
"You're welcome, it's what I should do." Lin Mo smiled, handed the plastic bag back to her, and solemnly urged: "Try not to walk in such a remote alley alone in the future—it's too dangerous."
The girl nodded vigorously, thanked him again and again, then held the plastic bag tightly and left the alley quickly. Lin Mo watched her back, a warm feeling surging in his heart—so even without powerful combat power, clairaudience could become a force to protect others. He gradually understood that no matter what ability he unlocked every day, as long as he had good intentions and used it well, he could become a light to illuminate others.
Back at the company, Lin Mo sat at his desk, still feeling the faint power of clairaudience at his fingertips. He couldn't help concentrating again, and accidentally heard the conversation between two men in the office building's bathroom. Their tone was weird and secretive, instantly alerting him.
"The boss said we'll do it tonight. The goods are hidden in the abandoned warehouse in the suburbs. Be careful, don't be discovered."
"Don't worry, that place is desolate. We've already arranged manpower, and there will be no mistakes."
Lin Mo's heart sank. The goods? Judging from their tone, they were definitely not ordinary goods—most likely illegal contraband! He wanted to hear more clearly, but the two men had already finished talking and left the bathroom in a hurry. Lin Mo frowned, keeping this matter firmly in mind—tonight, he must go to the abandoned warehouse in the suburbs. No matter what the goods were, he would never let them succeed.
What he didn't know was that in the shadow downstairs of the office building, the woman in the black trench coat appeared again. She looked up, her gaze accurately locking on the floor where Lin Mo was, a meaningful smile curling up at the corner of her mouth, and murmured softly: "Clairaudience? It seems that this kid has gradually figured out how to use his ability—more and more interesting." With that, she turned and got into the car, the engine started, and she raced towards the suburbs, her figure quickly disappearing into the traffic.