Mo Xiaobai was still giddy over her restored eyesight when she suddenly noticed her body felt sticky and grimy all over. Looking down, she saw dried blood and some strange blackish substance clinging to her skin, emitting a foul odor. She jumped up immediately, turned on the shower, and scrubbed herself furiously.
An hour later, after the water had long turned cold, she finally felt alive again.
Then, when she looked into the mirror—she froze.
The woman staring back at her was not the slightly plump, dull-skinned version of herself she remembered. Her figure was now slender and graceful, her skin smooth and radiant, glowing like porcelain. Her hair was pitch-black and lustrous, cascading with healthy shine.
“Oh my god… this is incredible! This is basically cosmetic surgery without surgery! Hahaha! I’m eighteen again!”
Just then—crack, clang!
Her triumphant expression froze. She looked down and saw the stainless steel rack on the bathroom wall had snapped clean in half. One of the metal rods lay twisted on the floor.
“I… didn’t mean to!”
She stared at her unscathed hand, then at the broken shelf—back and forth several times—still unable to process the fact that she had just turned into a super-strength monster girl.
“Congratulations, Host, on successful genetic modification! Please be careful while adjusting to your new strength. After consuming the primary gene serum, your body’s strength and reaction speed are roughly three to five times that of a normal Blue Star human. Accidents like this one are… quite common.”
Fuwa’s timely explanation helped dissolve Mo Xiaobai’s embarrassment, and the little system proceeded to carefully instruct her on how to adapt to her new power and coordination. After about an hour of cautious practice, Mo Xiaobai was finally in full control of her body—her strength now roughly equal to five of her old selves combined.
From a frail, homebody livestreamer to a glowing, vigorous beauty—it felt amazing! She could practically take on the world. As for the disaster zone she’d left behind in the bathroom… well, that was just an accident.
Humming a cheerful tune, Mo Xiaobai tidied up, then packed the serum formulas and the remaining potions into her bag. She decided to head out for brunch—well, more like lunch, since it was already close to one o’clock. After that, she’d go visit her parents. She even planned to let them drink the primary gene serums to improve their health—maybe they’d awaken some abilities too!
As for the apocalypse… there was still time. No need to panic yet.
“Wait a sec, Fuwa,” she asked while walking. “Didn’t you say the primary gene serum has a chance to trigger ability awakening? Why didn’t I get anything? Is it because I already awakened the mutated wood ability, so I can’t get new powers?”
“Host, your gene serum didn’t trigger another ability,” Fuwa replied, shaking its little tuft of hair. “However, your body absorbed it exceptionally well—almost perfectly! That means all the serum’s energy was used to strengthen your body, leaving none for awakening. But don’t worry! Once your body receives a new energy stimulus, or when you earn enough merit points to exchange for an intermediate gene serum, you’ll have a very high chance of awakening a third ability!”
Apparently, gene serums had varying absorption rates. The better your body absorbed it, the stronger your base foundation became. So even though she didn’t gain another ability, it was actually good news—her potential for future growth would be much higher.
Thinking this through, Mo Xiaobai relaxed. She already had two abilities anyway: the first being her precognitive power. It didn’t seem very useful for now, but Fuwa had said that as it leveled up, she’d not only foresee danger but even predict the outcomes of different decisions—a total game-changer.
Her mutated wood-type ability was equally impressive. With Xiaoying’s help, she could control plants to grow rapidly and use them for both defense and offense. For now, she was still at the beginner level, but that could be improved with training.
After finishing a meal that was about five times her usual portion, Mo Xiaobai left the breakfast shop under the boss’s bewildered stare, completely satisfied. She bought some snacks and drinks at the supermarket, then headed straight for her parents’ house.
Originally, she had lived with her father and mother, since her younger brother was away serving in the military and rarely came home.
Yes, Mo Xiaobai had a brother—a soldier who had dedicated himself to the nation. He’d done exceptionally well, too. Now part of a special operations unit and even serving as its captain, he often went abroad for missions, which made his visits home even rarer.
The family had always been close-knit.
But as Mo Xiaobai grew older, her parents—and every relative they knew—began their relentless “When are you getting married?” campaign. To make things worse, her parents disapproved of her career as a streamer. They said it was unhealthy, unstable, and “not a real job.” Every day became a chorus of sarcastic remarks, disapproving sighs, and endless gossip about other people’s kids getting married and having babies.
Unable to stand it any longer, she moved out and rented a small place near her studio, only visiting home once or twice a month to check in and freeload a meal or two. It had been almost a month since her last visit, so the timing felt right.
When she arrived, it was just before 2:30 in the afternoon. Her mother opened the door, her face lighting up briefly with surprise and joy before instantly rearranging into her usual look of mild disdain.
“Back so early today? Don’t you usually only show up before dinner? Planning to freeload lunch? Bit late for that—we already ate. Your dad finished his nap and took Lucky out for a walk.”
While grumbling, her mother still fetched fruit and snacks for her and even took out a bottle of her favorite yogurt from the fridge.
“Oh come on, I just missed my beautiful little mama! I finished work early today and rushed right over to see you. Haven’t you been missing me so much you can’t even sleep?” Mo Xiaobai cooed, clinging to her mother like a spoiled child.
“Get off me! You’re too old for this—” Her mother paused, frowning. “Wait a second… why do you look thinner? And whiter? You didn’t take some sketchy diet or whitening pills, did you? I’m telling you, those things are full of hormones! Experts on TV said—”
Sensing the start of another lecture, Mo Xiaobai quickly interrupted.
“No way! You told me to exercise and stop ordering takeout, right? So this month, I’ve been running every day, cooking healthy meals, and going to bed early. Look—my complexion’s better, right? Don’t I look twenty again?”
She decided to keep quiet about the gene serum until her dad came home. For now, she just kept flattering and acting cute, waiting for praise.
“Well, would you look at that—finally listening to your mother!” her mom said smugly. “If you’d done this sooner, you’d be married by now. No need to stay single and worry us!”
Mo Xiaobai groaned. Here we go again.
“Mom, I keep telling you—it’s not that no one wants me! It’s that I can’t be bothered with those useless men. Look at me now—this face, this body, this skin! Those random guys your friends try to set me up with don’t even deserve a glance!” She leaned in dramatically, grinning.
“Yes, yes, you’re right about everything,” her mom replied, shoving her face away. “Still doesn’t change the fact that you’re not married!”
She huffed, pretending to be annoyed—but deep down, she couldn’t help feeling proud. Those men really weren’t good enough for her daughter.