Chapter 36

After the injection, Mr. Wang's heartbeat and breathing gradually returned, and his vital signs visibly recovered at a rapid pace, even showing signs of surpassing the normal limit. However, his consciousness seemed to be still hazy. Perhaps due to the pain from the enhancement, his entire body began to twist and convulse, moving from the bed to the floor, drenched in sweat and groaning in pain. It took nearly a minute for him to regain his strength.

Mr. Wang slowly opened his eyes and saw a man in a white coat standing in front of him. Ma Le currently had Anderson's appearance, which Mr. Wang did not recognize. Finding himself on the floor and facing a stranger, he instinctively stood up and took two steps back, asking warily, "Who are you? Where am I?"

Ma Le smiled and said, "Look around and tell me where you think you are."

Mr. Wang looked around and was immediately stunned, saying in disbelief, "T... The morgue? Why am I here?"

Ma Le had already bought that day's newspaper on his way there. He now flipped to the news about the employee who had beaten his boss to death and handed it to Mr. Wang, saying, "Take a look."

Mr. Wang took the newspaper and began to read, his face turning red and then white. By the end, he put down the newspaper in a daze, "I'm dead? But how is this possible? I'm clearly still alive. Could I be a zombie? Or am I already a ghost? Are you the Ox-Head or Horse-Face, or the Black and White Impermanence?"

Ma Le burst out laughing, not expecting this tight-fisted man to have such an imagination. He walked up to Mr. Wang, pinched his chubby round face, and teased, "Do you feel like a ghost? Stop guessing. Clinically, you were indeed dead, but it was due to the hospital's inadequate technology. You weren't completely dead, and I saved you!"

Mr. Wang shook his head, freeing himself from Ma Le's hand, still half-believing and half-doubting. Ma Le knew it would be hard for him to accept and pointed to the nearby hospital bed, saying, "Lift this up!"

Mr. Wang didn't know who this person was, but he was still wary after the beating and didn't dare to offend him. He could only force a smile and say, "You're joking, right? This hospital bed must weigh over a hundred pounds. How can I lift it..."

" Lift it if I tell you to, no excuses!" Ma Le said sternly, and Mr. Wang cowered, reluctantly walking over and grabbing the bed with both hands. As he exerted his strength... huh? The bed was much lighter than he expected, feeling lighter than a bucket of mineral water. Mr. Wang gave it a strong push and actually managed to lift it!

Ma Le smiled and said, "Do you believe me now? Not only did I save you, but I also gave you a strong body. Your strength now rivals that of a professional weightlifter!" Mr. Wang, in disbelief, put down the bed and looked at his hands in amazement, clenching his fists and jumping in place, confirming that his physical condition was indeed vastly improved. Shocked, he looked at Ma Le and then knelt down, kowtowing, "Thank you, great master, for saving my life. May I ask your name? I will set up a memorial tablet for you back home and worship you for generations..."

Ma Le didn't help him up, deliberately putting on a mysterious air and speaking in a condescending tone, "Don't thank me. I didn't come here specifically to save you. Do you remember the employee who beat you?"

Mr. Wang looked up, puzzled, "Ma Le, what does he have to do with this?" Ma Le sneered, "Of course he does. I didn't come to save your life; I came to clean up after Mr. Ma. Your death would cause a lot of trouble for Mr. Ma!"

Mr. Wang's mouth dropped open in surprise, and it took him a while to react, "Then who is Ma Le... no, Mr. Ma?"

Ma Le, amused by this tight-fisted man's behavior, smiled inwardly but maintained a mysterious demeanor, "That's not for you to ask. Just remember, when the media and the police come, don't cause any trouble for Mr. Ma! Minimize the impact and make people forget about it as soon as possible."

Mr. Wang nodded hurriedly, and when he looked up again, the "great master" was gone. This made him even more convinced that the great master was no ordinary person, and that Ma Le... no, Mr. Ma, was someone not to be trifled with. As for how he would deal with the police, the media, and the hospital, that was another story.

Ma Le left the hospital, finally resolving a troublesome matter. He had originally planned to play a bit of a trick, like transforming his hands into iron fists and breaking tiles in front of Mr. Wang. However, when he left Miracle City, the system had warned him to avoid using supernatural powers in front of ordinary people. If it drew attention from the real world and made ordinary people aware of Miracle City's existence, there would be penalties.

These penalties usually targeted skills and energy, with little constraint on innate abilities and real attributes. But Ma Le's innate ability was so much like a skill that if it fell under the penalty, it would be a huge loss.

The next day's newspaper headline was about Mr. Wang's miraculous recovery and his angry accusation of the hospital for irresponsibility, placing a living person in the morgue. When Ma Le saw this news, he was already at the train station, smiling to himself as he queued up to buy a ticket, feeling relieved.

There were no seats left on the train that day, but Ma Le didn't mind. He bought a standing ticket and stood for twenty hours, finally returning to his long-missed hometown!

As soon as he got off the train, the slightly cold air gave Ma Le a sense of familiarity. It was already chilly in the north in September, and it was now past 7 PM, with a light drizzle. Ma Le took out his phone-shaped Miracle Emblem and called home, planning to tell his parents that he was back.

To be honest, Ma Le felt a bit ashamed about going home. When he left home to work, it wasn't really to make money, but to prove himself. His family, though not wealthy, was well-off. His father worked for a public institution, and his mother managed the household, and the family lived a stable life.

Both parents were honest people, but they had a son who was anything but. Ma Le was tall and strong from a young age, the leader of the neighborhood kids, and he bullied girls, climbed roofs, and did all sorts of mischief. His teachers would have to meet his father at least ten times a semester.

Fortunately, by the time he was in his final year of high school, Ma Le finally buckled down and managed to get into a bachelor's program, much to his parents' delight. However, once in college, with more free time, he became even wilder and almost didn't graduate. Finding a job was even more challenging. Fortunately, his uncle, who managed human resources at a company, helped him get a leisurely job with a modest salary.

But even after starting work, Ma Le's nature didn't change. He continued to loaf around, drinking and partying, which made his father increasingly angry. Finally, three months ago, they had a heated argument at dinner. In a fit of youthful arrogance, Ma Le slammed the table and declared, "You just think I'm useless! Fine, I'll leave tomorrow and make something of myself!"

His parents thought he was just saying it out of anger, but the next day, Ma Le really did quit his job, pack his bags, and head south on a train.

Leaving home and losing his parents' protection, Ma Le felt the difficulty of life for the first time. The southeastern coastal region was economically developed, but the competition was fierce. He initially thought that with his bachelor's degree, finding a job wouldn't be too hard. But reality repeatedly dealt him harsh blows.

Ma Le wanted to go home and apologize, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He felt he had to earn some money first. After wandering for over a month, he finally found a stable job at Mr. Wang's Hongyi Antique Shop.

But now, he had lost that job, hadn't received his wages, and the money he had brought with him was almost gone. Ma Le had no choice but to return home. In the past three months, he had only called home a few times, and even when he did, he didn't have much to say, mainly because he was too ashamed... The last call was a month ago, and his family must have been worried sick. Ma Le waited anxiously for someone to answer the phone, but no one did.

"Did something happen?" Ma Le dialed his father's mobile phone, but it was off. He was now really worried. Had something happened at home? Ma Le ran to the street, hailed a taxi, and told the driver to drive as fast as possible. He rushed home, ran up the stairs, and knocked on the door, but no one answered. In a fit of desperation, he used his iron fists to pound on the door, deforming the security door and shaking the lock off! The house was neatly arranged, clearly recently occupied, but where were his parents? He knocked on the neighbor's door, but no one was home.

Ma Le thought for a moment and called his neighbor's daughter, Ma Xiaoxiao. After a few rings, she finally answered.

"Hello? Who is this?" A clear female voice came from the other end.

"Sister Xiao, it's me, Ma Le!" Ma Le said in a trembling voice, "I'm home, but what's going on..."

"Ma Le?!" Ma Xiaoxiao interrupted him with a scream, "You finally came back! You left without a word, and your parents have been so worried. It's been a month, and you didn't even call. Something big happened at home, and we couldn't reach you. Uncle Ma really raised you for nothing! You're such a troublemaker..."

"Sister Xiao, I know I was wrong, please stop... Tell me what happened at home? No one answered the phone, and the mobile phones are off... What's going on?!" Ma Le interrupted her complaints, asking anxiously.

A sigh came from the other end, "Sigh, it's okay that you're back... Come to the city hospital quickly, your father..."

"The city hospital?" Ma Le's mind went blank, and he couldn't hear anything else. He felt as if the world was spinning and dropped his phone, running to the city hospital like a madman. Fortunately, it was late at night, and it was raining, so there were few people on the streets, and no one noticed Ma Le running at a speed far exceeding the world record.

Rushing to the city hospital in the rain, he asked the nurse at the ward for his father's room number. Without waiting for the elevator, he ran up to the ninth floor, found his father's room, and burst in, kneeling down and shouting, "Dad! I'm a disobedient son, I came back too late..."

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**End of Chapter**