Chapter 73

When Old Ma saw his son shedding tears, his heart really softened. After some careful thought, he found that Ma Le's words made sense, and he gave up on his idea: "So, I'll just stay at home?" Ma Le sighed and said, "That's the only way. You'll need to rest for about a month. Treat it as a vacation. Dad, you've worked so hard for so long, it's time to take a break... How about you and Mom go on a trip?"

"That's a good idea!" Old Ma responded first, but his mother poked his forehead and said, "A trip? You think it's easy? It costs money!"

Ma Le felt a pang in his heart. Although the family wasn't wealthy, his parents had worked hard for so many years, and they could afford a trip. Thinking about this, Ma Le patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll take care of the trip. I promise to get it done within a week!"

Hearing this, his parents were naturally very happy, but they didn't take it seriously. They knew their son well; although he was clever, he didn't have a job, so where would he get the money for a trip? After a few more jokes, his mother started preparing breakfast. After breakfast, Ma Le told his parents he had a date with a friend and left for his second brother's new house.

With his current speed and endurance, Ma Le could move around the city more quickly and flexibly than a car. Although he couldn't show off his superhuman strength in public, he rarely used transportation unless it was very urgent. He didn't get tired, and walking around the city, enjoying the scenery, was a pleasant experience.

He strolled to his second brother's neighborhood, took out the note, and saw that it was Building 40. He looked up but couldn't find the building number right away. He asked an old man passing by, who pointed him in the right direction. Ma Le thanked him and walked over. Just as he rounded two buildings, he saw a truck parked there. The driver was talking to a young woman. Using his superhuman senses, Ma Le could faintly hear them discussing tiles. He thought he had found the right place and walked up.

The truck driver was there to deliver tiles, but not just for this woman. He was in a hurry to leave and urged the woman to unload quickly. The woman seemed at a loss, just looking at her watch and asking the driver to wait a bit longer. Ma Le approached and said, "Hey... are you unloading tiles?"

The woman turned and looked at Ma Le, asking, "Who are you?"

Ma Le patted his chest and said, "I'm here to help, sent by your brother. Are the others not here yet?"

The woman nodded and said, "Not yet, only you are here. I'll call them..."

Ma Le stopped her and said, "No need to trouble them. It's just a few thousand pounds of tiles. I can handle it!" He rolled up his sleeves and got ready to work. The woman, a bit embarrassed, said, "But... I can get you a coat." She looked at his clothes. Ma Le knew she was worried about him getting dirty. He thought, "What a considerate sister-in-law, beautiful and caring. My brother is lucky." He waved his hand and smiled, "No problem, my clothes are free!"

This was true. Since he gained the absorption ability, his clothes were made from his own flesh and could clean themselves and even regenerate if damaged.

He started unloading the tiles. Each package was heavy, with 800x800 tiles weighing about 100 pounds each, and smaller tiles weighing 40-50 pounds each. If it were the old Ma Le, even with his height and strength, it would have taken him half a day to unload everything. But now, with his strength being over twenty times that of a normal person, he could handle it easily. In less than half an hour, he had unloaded all the tiles. The driver, who was used to heavy loads, couldn't help but praise him, "Bro, you're in great shape!"

The truck left, and Ma Le asked the woman, "Sister-in-law, which floor? I'll carry them up for you."

The woman was surprised, "Sister-in-law? What sister-in-law?"

Ma Le was puzzled, "Aren't you my brother's wife?"

The woman was taken aback, then laughed, "I'm his sister..."

"Oh, I misunderstood. I thought you were... hehe..." Ma Le scratched his head, then looked closely. The woman was in her early twenties, more like a girl...

"Then, little sister, I'm your brother's friend, here to help. I'll carry them up for you!" Ma Le said with a smile.

The girl, a bit embarrassed, said, "That's too much to ask. It's a few thousand pounds, and you're doing it alone... Why don't you rest? The tiles are unloaded, no rush to move them..."

Ma Le, who didn't know what it meant to be tired, insisted on helping. The girl couldn't refuse and agreed, going upstairs to open the door while Ma Le started carrying the tiles up. The new house was on the fifth floor, and it was a struggle for a normal person to carry one package up. But Ma Le carried two or three at a time, as if it were nothing. In less than half an hour, he had moved over 6,000 pounds of tiles, and he was just starting to sweat and breathe heavily.

The girl invited him in to rest. The house was just starting to be renovated, with only a few wooden stools for the workers. She carefully laid two layers of old newspapers for him to sit on and went to get him a bottle of mineral water. Ma Le sat and looked around the house. It was large, about 130-140 square meters, with a comfortable layout. He couldn't help but admire, "My brother is amazing, buying such a big house..."

Just then, Ma Le's phone rang. It was Liu Wenden, "Ma Le, what are you doing? We're waiting for you!"

Ma Le was puzzled, "That's strange, I've already finished unloading. I'm waiting for you guys!"

"Ha, we're all here, almost done. Your brother lives on the first floor, he hasn't seen you!"

Ma Le realized something was wrong. He saw the girl coming out with the water and asked, "Is this Building 40?"

The girl was surprised and shook her head, "This is Building 41..."

"Ah?!" Ma Le's mouth dropped open. Liu Wenden on the other end of the phone laughed, "Ha, you must have gone to the wrong building. Who did you help?"

Ma Le, annoyed, said, "Not your business, go play somewhere else. I'll be there in a bit!"

He hung up, slapped his thigh, and said, "Little sister, I made a mistake. This isn't your house... Who is your brother?"

The girl was also confused, "It's my brother, the second oldest in the family. He promised to help me find someone to renovate the house..."

"Got it!" Ma Le laughed, "What a coincidence. I came to the wrong building to help you. I have to go, little sister. They're waiting for me!"

The girl finally understood. She realized this big guy wasn't her brother's friend and felt bad. She insisted on treating Ma Le to a meal to thank him. Ma Le declined, saying it wasn't necessary, and left. The girl followed him out but tripped on the door frame and fell. Ma Le, quick as a flash, caught her, but in her panic, she flailed her hands and grazed her finger on a wooden stool, causing it to bleed.

Ma Le was torn between laughter and concern. This girl was beautiful, kind, and considerate, but a bit clumsy. He held her hand to check it. Her middle finger was split, and blood was flowing. "Quick, wash it with water. Do you have any bandages?"

As he spoke, he caught a whiff of a strange scent from her wound, similar to the scent of the regenerative beast he had encountered before.

Smelling this, Ma Le's mind went blank, and he instinctively put the girl's middle finger in his mouth. The girl, shocked by his sudden intimate action, blushed deeply. She tried to pull her hand away, but Ma Le's strength was far greater. She could only let this stranger suck on her finger. Then, Ma Le's eyes widened, and he stared at the girl with a cold, intense gaze. A tangible aura of killing intent spread, making the girl feel a chill down her spine. She tried to speak but was choked by Ma Le, who pushed her into the house and pinned her against the wall.

"You... how..."

The girl, struggling to breathe, tried to speak. Ma Le, showing no mercy, stared at her coldly and asked, "Which city are you from?"

The girl, confused, shook her head and said, "What do you mean... which city?"

Ma Le sneered, "Don't try to fool me. I know your name is Yu Xiaoning, and you have telepathic abilities!"

The girl's eyes widened in surprise, "How... do you know..."

Ma Le snorted, "It doesn't matter. Just tell me which city you're from and what level of adventurer you are!"

The girl, struggling, shook her head, "I... don't know... what you're talking about..."

Ma Le sneered, about to force her, when his Miracle Badge sent a message: "Leaking information about Miracle City to a civilian, deducting 500 credit points..."

Ma Le was shocked, looked around, and saw no one else. He took out his Miracle Badge and scanned the girl. Her information appeared clearly.

Adventurers cannot be scanned with the Miracle Badge! Ma Le realized his mistake and quickly let the girl go, apologizing, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I thought you were..."

The girl, kneeling on the ground, coughed and asked, "It's okay, I can see you're not a bad person, but... what do you mean by 'city' and 'adventurer'?"

Ma Le thought this girl was really understanding but didn't know how to explain. Seeing her suspicious look, he bit his lip and made up a reason, "I'm from the International Superhuman Association, responsible for investigating superhuman crimes!"

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