The System is Abstract, Luckily, So Am I

Chapter 220 : Biology Actually Contains Heavenly Secrets

With the task completed, Lin Li was very pleased.

And it didn't pop up a derivative task with ten times the requirement.

Actually, Lin Li was even prepared to run to all the gyms in Xiling today, but it was good that there wasn't one, saving him a lot of effort.

He declined Brother Zhu's kind offer to stay and eat whole wheat steamed buns (wowotou). After all, he said there was no wheat and no nest (wo), so Lin Li was afraid something bad would happen if he ate it, and immediately ran away.

(Translator's Note: A pun on "wowotou" which literally means "nest head").

Let Brother Zhai eat it.

[You have obtained the active ability "Soul of Close Combat".]

[You have obtained the derivative ability "Soul of Close Combat (Passive)".]

An ability can derive a new ability? This was a situation that hadn't occurred before, so Lin Li curiously checked the details.

[Soul of Close Combat: Specify a single type of melee weapon. For the next hour, you will be proficient in using that weapon in close combat. Cooldown time is 24 hours. During the ability's activation and cooldown time, "Soul of Close Combat (Passive)" will be disabled.]

[Soul of Close Combat (Passive): You will adapt to all melee weapons faster and can use them more flexibly in close combat.]

So that's how it is.

This looked much more powerful than [Catching a Blade Empty-Handed]. Even just the derived passive could crush it.

And what exactly was the definition of a melee weapon?

To determine the definition, Lin Li rode his bike while keeping his eyes on the ground.

He easily found a disposable chopstick by the side of the road.

Upon picking it up, Lin Li's hand naturally gripped it in a reverse grip, like holding a dagger.

Because Lin Li's brain suddenly became very certain that this was the most suitable posture for exerting force.

Waving the chopstick in front of him a few times and hearing the faint sound of it cutting through the air, Lin Li chuckled.

Obviously, chopsticks were also within the scope of the ability's influence.

It seemed the ability's "melee weapon" referred to melee in a very broad sense. Even short weapons like chopsticks, which were more suited to be called hidden weapons, counted.

Dropping the chopstick, Lin Li picked up a stone.

This part is relatively sharp, convenient for hammering people, and holding it like this is more suitable...

These guiding pieces of information just appeared in his mind.

Confirmed: as long as it's held in the hand, it's considered melee.

A rifle equipped with a bayonet would definitely be influenced by this ability too.

However, both the active and passive descriptions of this ability stated that it would only enhance his talent for melee combat with the weapon.

In other words, if he really got his hands on a firearm with a bayonet, the information his brain gave him could only assist in improving his bayonet fighting skills, not involving ranged attacks like shooting and aiming.

But that was enough.

This undoubtedly strengthened Lin Li's confidence in exploring "reality."

Then he might as well enhance it further.

When choosing to use the "Ability Amplifier," the prompt indicated that the only available target was the "Soul of Close Combat" as a whole, without distinguishing between active and passive.

[You have used the "Ability Amplifier" on "Soul of Close Combat".]

[Soul of Close Combat (+1): Specify a single type of melee weapon. For the next two hours, you will be proficient in using that weapon in close combat. During this period, you have one chance to change the specified weapon. Cooldown time is 24 hours. During the cooldown time, "Soul of Close Combat (Passive)" will be disabled.]

The time was doubled, and he gained one chance to change the specified weapon, making it more applicable. As for the passive, it remained completely unchanged.

He was quite satisfied.

Unfortunately, he only had one amplifier left.

Returning home, in order to prepare for his date with the beautiful lady, Lin Li continued to use spiritual energy to transform his Upright Thunder-Controlling Body.

Completing the one-month body forging task gave him 20 low-grade spirit stones, plus that one high-grade spirit stone. Lin Li currently had no shortage of spiritual energy.

The maximum amount of electricity his body could store had greatly increased, and the distance for long-range electrical discharge had also increased to twenty centimeters—it was only ten centimeters when he was in Shanting. This was the change over just a few days.

He could feel that it wouldn't be long before the Upright Thunder-Controlling Body could enter the next stage.

There should be another wave of significant growth then.

If there was a chance, Lin Li would definitely go to Pingjiang and let that thunder path expert know who the real Thunder Dharma King was.

"Mom's leaving first, I won't take you to school."

At the end of dinner, Wu Min, having finished cleaning the kitchen, walked into the living room and said to Lin Li.

"Okay, Sister Min. To be honest, I really can't bear to part with you," Lin Li said, choking back sobs.

While choking back sobs, he picked up Wu Min's bag from the table, stuffed it into her arms, then pushed Wu Min to the door, opened it, and made a standard "please leave" gesture.

Wu Min: "..."

Only his mouth can't bear to part.

After flicking Lin Li's forehead and organizing her things, Wu Min left.

"Great, it's freedom!" Lin Li cheered at the speed of light.

The door opened.

"So bad, it's loneliness." Lin Li teared up at the speed of light.

Wu Min was used to it. She just gestured for Lin Li to go to her room and get something she left behind, and then truly left.

Lin Li didn't rush out immediately. Wu Min might be waiting for him. He waited until 5:30 before riding his bike to the post station to pick up the rest of his packages.

There was no time or need to open them now. Lin Li headed to school for the evening self-study session.

...

"Konnichiwa, Baowei." Seeing those guys still piling on top of each other in the hallway, Lin Li went up and greeted the Japanese Zhou Baowei.

Zhou Baowei pretended not to hear.

"You're wrong, Lin Li. Baowei doesn't understand that now, you have to use a different one," Wang Ze, who was standing nearby, heard this and said with a smile.

"Eh? Updated again?" Hearing this, Lin Li looked around and, seeing no teachers, took out his phone to check Baowei's QQ Qzone.

[October 4th: If I don't diet properly tomorrow, in my next life I'll become Chiang Kai-shek's man!]

[October 5th: If I don't diet properly tomorrow, in my next life I'll become Japanese!]

[October 6th: Ashita wa chanto daietto shinai to, raise wa buta ni naru! (If I don't diet properly tomorrow, in my next life I'll become a pig!)]

[October 7th: Oink oink oink oink, oink oink!]

"So you've already become Tianpeng (Zhu Bajie)? Baowei, you're even more amazing than Martin Morning. You're the Great Transforming Baowei." Lin Li was amused and patted Baowei's shoulder with a smile.

(Translator's Note: Zhu Bajie is a pig demon from Journey to the West. Martin Morning is a cartoon character who wakes up as a different person every day).

"I've tried really hard. I followed the diet tutorials, and I multiplied their training volume by seven, but it's still useless," Zhou Baowei scratched his head and said.

"Which part's volume?" Lin Li's sharp eyes instantly saw through the wordplay.

"The diet meals."

"Makes sense. Being able to eat seven portions a day, you are this!" Lin Li gave a thumbs up.

"Wrong, it's one meal. But I have to say, diet meals are actually pretty tasty."

"Then I have to give you two of these."

After chatting with the guys in the hallway for a while, Lin Li returned to the classroom.

Bai Bufan was sitting in his seat, the window next to him was open, and the ceiling fan overhead was creaking as it spun.

If the fan falls, will it slice his head off?

Lin Li had fantasized about such scenes since he was a kid, even pondering how he would dodge and how far the blood would splatter.

"If you don't close the window, there will be a lot of mosquitoes and bugs later." Returning to his seat, Lin Li said while closing the window.

Although Lin Li wasn't afraid of mosquitoes, other little bugs flying around were also very annoying.

"September is over, and they won't even let us turn on the AC. Nansang is too stingy." Bai Bufan helplessly pointed to the floor-standing AC in the back that could no longer be turned on.

"A calm mind keeps you cool. If you can't even handle this little bit of heat, won't you break down when you're delivering food after graduation?" Lin Li looked at Bai Bufan with some disappointment.

Bai Bufan: "?"

"Why is my future already destined to be delivering food? Shouldn't I be selling matches in the winter?"

"That works too. I respect your choice."

"Wait, that's not right!"

...

After the evening self-study session began, Xue Jian did his usual patrol and then called Lin Li and Bai Bufan out again.

But it wasn't a bad thing. It was just because they had made it onto the school's honor roll, and since it was their first time, they needed to provide a "message they wanted to say" for the school's records.

"Can I say anything?" Lin Li asked expectantly.

"No pornography, gambling, or drugs."

Lin Li: "I want to say silence is golden."

"What about you?" Xue Jian looked at Bai Bufan.

Bai Bufan: "..."

Silence speaks louder than words.

Xue Jian: "..."

Xue Jian realized that his silence and Bai Bufan's silence were different.

"Both of you, change it."

Lin Li and Bai Bufan had no choice.

After all, rules are rules, and they weren't just set today.

Finally, considering that the two of them made it onto the honor roll together, they decided to do a collaboration. So Lin Li looked up: "Teacher, then can I write 'Without Bufan, I wouldn't have achieved today's results'?"

"That's acceptable." At least it was better than pornography, gambling, or drugs. Xue Jian nodded.

Bai Bufan's eyes widened, tearing up a bit, then he nodded firmly: "Teacher, then mine will be 'Without Lin Li, I wouldn't have made such progress'."

"Okay."

Not wanting to waste more time with these two troublemakers, Xue Jian nodded and left.

"Good brother!"

"For a lifetime!"

The two left behind looked at each other, tears streaming down their faces for their brotherhood.

The evening self-study session continued. Lin Li had finished his homework during the holiday and had already previewed the material. With no academic pressure, he simply pretended to study while actually holding a spirit stone in his hand, cultivating immortality right there in the classroom.

Anyway, the transformation process of the Upright Thunder-Controlling Body wouldn't produce any strange phenomena.

Bai Bufan, on the other hand, was catching up on the homework he had specifically saved for tonight during the National Day holiday.

While writing, he muttered:

"Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. I see. In biological taxonomy, Kobe (Family) is smaller than Gangmen (Class-Phylum). It seems the Boss did a lot of Kegel exercises (ti gang). The priest must have been thrilled."

(Translator's Note: A pun on biological taxonomy terms. "Ke" (Family) sounds like Kobe, and "Gang Men" (Class-Phylum) sounds like anus. "Ti gang" means Kegel exercises).

Lin Li: "?"

Thank you, Bufan, and thank you, Kobe. For the sake of health, I started doing Kegel exercises and drinking water.

...

"Let's go. If you need anything, contact me via message in a bottle." As soon as the bell for the end of the evening self-study session rang, Lin Li stood up and said to Bai Bufan.

"Why are you in such a hurry? What are you going to do now?" Bai Bufan asked in surprise, seeing Lin Li ready to run before he even got up from his seat.

"I have a date."

"With who?"

"A beautiful lady." Lin Li said as he walked towards the back door.

"From outside the school?" Bai Bufan glanced at Chen Yuying, who was still in her seat, and lowered his voice slightly. "Ready to cheat so soon? Be careful not to get 'one eye open, one eye closed'."

"From outside the planet."

Bai Bufan: "?"

The truth is always unbelievable. Ignoring Bai Bufan, Lin Li jogged downstairs, but suddenly remembering something, he changed direction and ran towards the office.

"What's wrong?" Xue Jian, who was just about to get up and return to the teachers' apartments, saw Lin Li running over and asked in confusion.

"Teacher, has the 'message' for the honor roll been submitted yet?" Lin Li looked at Xue Jian.

"Not yet, why?" Xue Jian shook his head.

Lin Li smiled: "Can I change it?"

Xue Jian: "?"

"...Fine."

Bai Bufan, who the fuck wants brotherhood with you.

...

Riding his bike home, Lin Li opened all the packages he had picked up in the afternoon.

A baseball bat, a steel pipe, a fruit knife, a dagger, and a bottle of pepper spray.

"This ability is really something. I'm kind of looking forward to using it actively. I'll really become a weapon master."

Lin Li muttered to himself.

In front of him, the paper dummy he had just rolled up was covered in deep cuts on its vital points.

And these relatively precise attacks were all done by Lin Li, someone who had absolutely no prior training.

Lin Li felt like there was a comprehensive weapon master in his mind. Every time he picked up a melee weapon, it would teach him how to use it, and he just had to follow its instructions.

With his enhanced body control ability, simple movements flowed smoothly, completely replicating the thoughts in his mind.

Without killing fish at RT-Mart for a few years, it's hard to achieve this kind of fluidity.

However, for some high-difficulty movements, his brain knew how to do them, but his body still couldn't. It would probably take time to accumulate experience.

Moreover, the target in front of him was stationary. Actual combat would definitely be different, and it would be more difficult for his body to understand and process the brain's commands.

But this was already very impressive.

If someone saw Lin Li doing this, they would definitely mistake him for a serial killer.

His act of backstabbing Bai Bufan tonight was probably also induced by this ability.

He was wondering why he suddenly wanted to backstab him. This damn "Soul of Close Combat" had really screwed him over.

Lin Li is good, Soul of Close Combat is bad.

Unfortunately, the dagger and fruit knife on hand didn't have many moves to speak of. If he had a sword or a saber, it would probably look even cooler.

Like the steel pipe and baseball bat, there were many tricks in his mind for those.

Unfortunately, even the cheap basic versions of those things in modern times cost several hundred yuan, and most of them were unsharpened.

Sharpened ones were even more expensive.

It would be more cost-effective to buy a chainsaw and become Logger Vick.

(Translator's Note: A character from the Chinese cartoon Boonie Bears).

The reason Lin Li didn't buy a chainsaw was that it was too noisy. He wanted to sneak into the village quietly, no shooting.

Putting the dagger back into its sheath, Lin Li returned to his room. He first turned on the AC, then put on a protective suit as an inner layer, and finally started putting on the bulletproof vest, wrist guards, and other armor.

To be honest, the final result was a bit bulky, even slightly hindering his movement, and it was very hot, but this gave Lin Li a sense of security.

The Upright Thunder-Controlling Body was fully charged. The "Duck Blood Bottle" was one-third full of human lust and one-third full of fear, leaving one-third empty for emergencies.

Finally, making sure he had his phone and holding a mini plastic box containing a live ant, Lin Li headed to the bathroom.

He placed disinfectant, alcohol, and everything else nearby so he could disinfect himself immediately upon returning.

While turning on the stopwatch function on the spare phone placed on top of the washing machine, Lin Li clicked the lit button on the system's unclear interface.

A blinding white light flashed before his eyes.

Beautiful lady, here I come!

(End of Chapter)