ATPnovel Chapter 4: The Hand of the Void
Chapter 4: The Hand of the Void
In July, the summer winds in Wuhan are hot and dry, causing the old security windows of the old residential buildings to creak.
Shen Xing quickly washed up, tidied himself up, and then pushed his wheelchair out of the rented room.
He lives on the thirteenth floor, but fortunately, the old building has been fitted with an elevator, so going downstairs isn't a problem.
Enter the elevator, go down to the first floor, and turn onto the street.
The morning light shone on his thin figure, so bright that it was hard to open his eyes.
Across the street, a group of students in school uniforms whizzed past on shared bicycles, their cheerful laughter echoing in my ears.
Shen Xing withdrew his gaze, feeling inexplicably melancholy.
Once upon a time, he was one of those people, but now he can only sit in a wheelchair and has to plan his route in advance even when he goes out.
He shook his head and continued pushing the wheelchair forward along the sidewalk.
Pedestrians on the road occasionally glanced over, their eyes showing a hint of surprise, and they quickly made way for them.
"So young, how come you're in a wheelchair?"
"They probably encountered some kind of accident. How pitiful."
"Yes, she has a fair complexion, which is my daughter's type. It's a pity."
Shen Xing had heard these comments countless times over the years and had become basically immune to them.
He pushed it straight toward the subway station.
In today's society, it is extremely inconvenient for disabled people like him to travel.
Whether you take a taxi or a bus, there are a lot of troubles involved, and it also adds to the burden on society.
This is why, despite having 8500 million disabled people in China, accounting for 6.4% of the total population, they are still rarely seen on the streets.
Because they basically never go out, and Shen Xing is no exception.
He stopped a few hundred meters from the subway station.
"This is troublesome...when did they build a threshold here?"
Shen Xing frowned slightly as he looked at a step about ten centimeters high at the intersection ahead.
I tried several times but couldn't get up, and ended up tiring myself out.
"We'll help you."
A clear, melodious voice came from behind, accompanied by the light, quick footsteps of two pairs of sneakers on the ground.
A moment later, two pairs of fair hands rested on the handles of the wheelchair.
The two of them worked together to lift Shen Xing, wheelchair and all, up.
Only then did he turn around and look.
These are two girls with ponytails, who look like students from the nearby university town who came out for a stroll.
"Thank you." Shen Xingchong and the others nodded.
"You are welcome."
The girl on the left, wearing denim shorts, turned her head and was met with Shen Xing's clean-cut face, and paused for a moment.
Then, feeling embarrassed, he quickly pulled the girl on his right away and left.
Shen Xing continued to push the wheelchair forward slowly along the edge of the subway plaza.
Over the years, I've experienced many instances of kindness from strangers and have gradually learned to accept it with equanimity.
Soon, they turned onto a rather secluded side road.
It looks like there's construction going on here, with blue sheet metal fencing on both sides.
Just then, Shen Xing suddenly heard a sharp whooshing sound from above.
Looking up, a steel bar had fallen from an unknown height.
And right below the steel bars were those two girls from before!
They remained hand in hand, chatting and laughing, completely unaware of the danger lurking overhead.
"Watch out!" Shen Xing shouted immediately.
However, it was too late; the steel bars were falling too fast.
With the reaction speed of an average person, there is simply no way to dodge it.
He could almost see one of them being impaled by steel bars, blood splattering everywhere.
In a moment of crisis, he instinctively reached out his right hand, fingers spread, and made a clenching motion in mid-air, following some kind of instinct.
An invisible spiritual force surged from his palm, forming an unseen giant hand in the air!
He slammed his large hand down on the falling steel bar!
"Clang—"
The steel bar was knocked away, flying horizontally in a trajectory that defies the laws of physics, and crashed into the blue sheet metal.
The two girls were startled by the loud noise behind them. They turned around blankly, and immediately understood what was happening, their faces turning pale.
One of the girls put her hands on her hips, looked up, and started cursing at the construction site above her, while also taking out her phone to take pictures.
At this moment, Shen Xing stared blankly at his outstretched right hand, looking completely bewildered.
What happened?
That fleeting feeling just now... it felt like the [Hand of the Void]?
Isn't this a skill from a game?
He instinctively felt that he might not be fully awake, but he had just seen an invisible hand appear out of thin air.
Otherwise, it's impossible to explain why that steel bar suddenly flew off horizontally.
Furthermore, a slight dizziness came from deep within my brain, a sign of mental energy depletion.
All these phenomena indicate that all of this is true!
"Could it be... that abilities from games can really be transferred into reality?"
When this thought popped into his head, he was first confused, and then an suppressed desire grew uncontrollably from the bottom of his heart!
If this is true, then can I level up, strengthen my body, and find more treasures in the game?
Could they even stand up again someday in the future?
With modern medical technology, it is impossible to repair the nerves in both legs that have been completely necrotic.
But that's the game world!
The abilities inside are incredibly diverse, even capable of resurrecting the dead and regenerating severed limbs.
What does it matter if my legs regain the ability to walk?
At this thought, a flame of hope ignited in his eyes.
"Should we tell Qin Lang and the others about this discovery?"
Shen Xing pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It's still uncertain whether only I can do it, or whether all players can bring the game's abilities into reality."
"Let's test their reaction first, then decide what to do based on the situation."
It's not that I don't trust them, but this matter is truly shocking.
If it were made public, it would make the news and could even bring endless trouble upon myself.
Therefore, you must not reveal anything rashly before you have a complete understanding of the situation.
Shen Xing suppressed her turbulent thoughts and continued pushing the wheelchair up the ramp into the subway station.
The journey was smooth and unobstructed.
Soon, he arrived at a food street in the suburbs of Jiangcheng.
On the west side of the street stands an old building with a sign that reads "Chuanxiang Pavilion".
This was also a restaurant they frequented during their university years.
It's lunchtime now, and there's a lot of people coming and going at the main entrance.
Before even entering, you can smell a pungent, spicy aroma.
"Shen Xing, over here!"
Three familiar figures stood at the gate and quickly walked over when they saw him.
Two men and one woman.
The boy on the left is over 1.8 meters tall and has a burly build. He is Qin Lang, who sent them the glasses. He is also known as "Coriander Lover".
The boy on the right is about 1.6 meters tall, with sunken eyes, and looks like a teenager who just came out of an internet cafe after an all-night session.
He is Lu Xiang, known as "Du Dai Wangu" in the group chat. He is addicted to various online loans and sneaker speculation, and has accumulated a huge debt.
The three of them used to be roommates and lived together for four years, and had a very good relationship.
The last girl was plain-looking and dressed sloppily; she even wore pink pajamas when she went out.
Her name is Xu Jiayi, and she's a typical gamer girl; otherwise, she wouldn't be hanging out with them.
The three grown men, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, started exchanging pleasantries as they stood at the door.
However, they mostly talked about random topics, such as how much online loan Lu Xiang owed, the difficulty of finding a job after graduating, and the symbolic meaning of steel wool.
"Hurry up, I'm starving."
Xu Jiayi, who was standing next to her, couldn't stand it anymore and rolled her eyes while crossing her arms.
The three laughed and pushed Shen Xing through the door to a private room on the second floor.
Many hot dishes were already laid out on the round table, including spicy chicken, boiled fish, and spicy blood curd.
A thick layer of bright red chili pepper segments covered the surface, making it look incredibly spicy.
Shen Xing, who always orders takeout from home, couldn't resist the temptation and her mouth watered on the spot.
The four of them disregarded table manners and started showing off on the spot.
"I eat! People live to eat! I fucking eat, eat, eat!"
Xu Jiayi revealed her true colors, using both hands to eat, her mouth covered in red oil, and she almost jumped onto the table.
The group enjoyed their meal while chatting.
"By the way, what types of units did you draw? How did you fare in the first battle?" Qin Lang asked first.
"Don't even mention it, I got a one-star Necropolis Graveyard, which only allows me to recruit the lowest-level zombies."
Lu Xiang looked frustrated: "These guys are as slow as old ladies crossing the street. We got the worst D-level rating in the first battle, and most of the ten zombies died."
"Haha, I got a two-star archer camp." Xu Jiayi laughed smugly, "Although they're a bit fragile, they're incredibly powerful. One volley can take down three or four Lost Ones."
"I got a B-rank rating in my first battle and was even given a shortbow as a reward."
The other two looked at her with envy, muttering that she had gotten incredibly lucky.
Two-star units are like having a huge advantage over others in the early game.
"Shen Xing, what did you draw?" Qin Lang asked again.
At this moment, Shen Xing, who was pondering how to subtly inquire about the impact of game abilities on reality, also came back to his senses.
"Oh, I got a 1-star Orc Barracks, which can only summon some green-skinned orcs," Shen Xing replied casually. "As for the rating, it's S-rank."
"A one-star orc, huh? That's really a pretty trash unit," Qin Lang said regretfully.
Then, realizing something, she exclaimed, "What did you say? S-rank?"
The other two also stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.