After that, Lu Yun took out the Strength Fruit and swallowed it in just a few bites.
Almost immediately, he felt his entire body heat up.
A scorching current flowed through his veins, surging wildly in every direction.
Pain struck him.
Lu Yun let out a muffled groan as his face turned pale and sweat poured down his forehead.
Fortunately, the sensation lasted only a few moments before receding like a tide.
In its place came an overwhelming sense of lightness, accompanied by a sudden burst of strength coursing through his body.
Clenching his fists, Lu Yun could feel explosive power filling his muscles.
He had no idea how much his physical abilities had improved, so he dropped to the floor and tested himself with a few push-ups.
“Not bad!”
Delighted, he watched the veins on his arms bulge.
He could easily do one-handed push-ups—yes, with only one hand—without the slightest difficulty.
He managed more than a hundred repetitions before finally feeling exhausted.
His strength had clearly surpassed that of an ordinary person, though it was probably only on par with an average special forces soldier.
He was still far from the level of a true master.
Even so, Lu Yun was more than satisfied.
He understood that physical strength was the foundation of everything.
Only with a solid foundation could he fully utilize certain skills.
For example, archery required tremendous arm strength to draw a powerful bow.
“It looks like I’ll have to complete more missions and earn even better rewards. Since there’s no limit to this Strength Fruit, I wonder how powerful I can become in the future.”
Muttering to himself, Lu Yun took off the clothes that had been soaked with sweat.
He discovered that his physique had changed as well.
His body was lean and well-defined rather than bulky, but with the slightest exertion, his muscles displayed remarkable explosive power.
The next morning, Lu Yun got up early, ate breakfast, and prepared to leave the Fire Phoenix Special Operations Base.
However, as soon as he reached the gate, the guards stopped him and demanded identification papers.
Speechless, Lu Yun finally realized just how strict security was in a special operations military zone.
Left with no choice, he turned around and headed for headquarters.
When the officers learned that Lu Yun wanted to leave, they frowned and asked for his reason.
He told them the truth without trying to hide anything.
Not long afterward, Fan Tianlei arrived personally to approve his request.
At the same time, he summoned the women and had them report to headquarters.
Soon, all of them arrived, instantly filling the command center to capacity.
Wherever one looked, there were female soldiers in military uniforms—every one of them beautiful and heroic, creating quite a spectacular scene.
Even soldiers outside the building craned their necks to sneak a peek.
Seeing this, Lu Yun felt a headache coming on.
Now that his physical abilities had improved dramatically, Lu Yun had gained some confidence.
He no longer felt that he needed the women’s protection, although in a one-on-one fight, he still might not be able to beat them.
Fan Tianlei, however, immediately shook his head.
“No. Someone has to accompany you.”
Helpless, Lu Yun couldn’t figure out what Fan Tianlei was thinking.
Was he genuinely concerned for Lu Yun’s safety, or was he simply trying to keep an eye on him?
Fan Tianlei continued, “Too many people would be inconvenient. We’ll send three people to protect you.”
“Fine,” Lu Yun agreed.
Fan Tianlei turned toward the group.
“An Ran, Ye Cunxin, and Tang Xiaoxiao—you three will accompany Lu Yun to Jiangnan City.”
“Yes, sir!”
The three women answered in unison.
Afterward, the others returned to the base while Lu Yun and the three women headed toward the exit.
Inside an off-road vehicle bearing military plates, He Lu sat behind the wheel while Ye Cunxin occupied the front passenger seat.
Lu Yun and An Ran sat in the back.
The atmosphere inside the car was quiet.
Lu Yun made no attempt to start a conversation.
He had no interest in embarrassing himself.
Yet from time to time, the three women secretly glanced at him.
Something about Lu Yun seemed different today, though they couldn’t quite put their finger on it.
What they didn’t know was that after consuming the Strength Fruit, his physical condition had improved significantly, changing his entire aura and presence.
An hour and a half later, they arrived in Jiangnan City and drove straight to Tomorrow High School, where Lu Yu studied.
“Xiaoyu, over here!”
As soon as he got out of the car, Lu Yun spotted Lu Yu waiting expectantly outside the school gate.
She was beautiful, with fair skin and a tall figure.
Her jeans accentuated her long legs.
At the peak of youth, she was bright and energetic, one of the school’s most admired beauties with countless admirers.
Yet she always treated her suitors coldly.
Only in Lu Yun’s presence did she reveal the liveliness expected of someone her age.
“Brother!”
Lu Yu ran over and curiously glanced at the three women before greeting them politely.
“Hello.”
The three women nodded and smiled back.
“You three can go look around for a while,” Lu Yun said.
“I’ll call you later.”
“Okay.”
The women had no objections.
After smiling at Lu Yu, they turned and left, giving the siblings some privacy.
“Let’s go.”
Smiling, Lu Yun ruffled Lu Yu’s hair as they walked into the campus together.
“How do you think you did on the exams?” he asked.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think there’ll be any problems.”
Lu Yu had always excelled academically.
“I want to study in Jiangnan. I don’t want to go too far away.”
“That’s fine. Jiangnan University is one of the country’s top schools. With your grades, you should have no problem getting in.”
Lu Yun nodded.
He also preferred that she stay nearby so he could continue looking after her.
Talking and laughing together, they soon arrived in front of a large building.
Tomorrow High School’s auditorium was already packed with graduating seniors.
The students were all smiles, chatting excitedly as they prepared for the graduation ceremony.
Each student had come with family members to celebrate the occasion.
Lu Yu found her class section and led Lu Yun to their seats.
“Xiaoyu, you’re here!”
“Lu Yu! We were looking for you earlier!”
“Who’s this guy?”
“Lu Yu, no wonder you’ve always ignored your admirers—you already have a boyfriend!”
Classmates greeted Lu Yu one after another, all curious about Lu Yun’s identity.
After all, he didn’t look much older than her.
What surprised them even more was that the usually reserved Lu Yu was smiling brightly in front of him, holding onto his arm with obvious affection.
Naturally, people began to speculate.
Was he really her boyfriend?
However, Lu Yu had no intention of explaining their relationship.
She casually responded to her classmates’ greetings and then ignored the topic altogether, continuing to chat intimately with Lu Yun.
Seeing that Lu Yu wasn’t interested in explaining, Lu Yun didn’t bother to say anything either.
He simply ignored the curious stares around him.