Courtyard House: Home Alone

The instant the first grenade exploded, Lin Yifan used his mental power to lock onto all the guards still putting up a last stand inside the consulate. Driven by his will, bullets were precisely aimed at their foreheads.

Having done all this, he showed no hesitation. With a flash, he disappeared from the spot and reappeared in the shadows two hundred meters away.

He glanced back at the consulate, where flames raged and cries of agony filled the air, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

"System, tally contribution value and skill points," he muttered to himself.

"Ding! Successfully killed 2 Japanese lieutenant generals, 5 major generals, 8 colonels, and 127 other officers below the rank of lieutenant colonel, as well as spies and traitors. Gained 58600 contribution points and 23 skill points."

A cold system notification sounded in his mind, and Lin Yifan nodded in satisfaction.

"System, add all the skill points you just gained to your mental power."

"Ding! Mental strength +23, current mental strength 49 points." A cool sensation far stronger than before instantly swept through Lin Yifan's mind. He felt as if his mental strength had transformed into an invisible ocean.

The area that was previously barely enough to cover the consulate was now easily able to cover a radius of over 300 meters, and even the tense expressions on the faces of the patrolling soldiers on the distant streets were clearly visible.

"Excellent!" Lin Yifan was overjoyed. The significant increase in his mental strength meant that his "Still Warehouse" and "Mind Shot" abilities would be even stronger, and his retreat would be more secure.

He didn't linger, using the darkness and his mental awareness as a guide, he moved like a ghost through the streets and alleys. The explosions and gunshots from the consulate had already alerted the entire city of Beiping, and the piercing sirens and the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard in the distance, clearly indicating that a large-scale search had begun.

"Trying to catch me? Not so easy!" Lin Yifan sneered, using his familiarity with the terrain and his mental guidance to deliberately traverse secluded alleys and deserted courtyards.

When encountering sporadic patrols, he doesn't even need to show himself. He can lock onto them with his mental energy, fire a few bullets, and silently resolve the trouble, while also gaining a tiny bit of contribution points.

After a series of close calls, Lin Yifan returned to the courtyard house after avoiding the last group of trainees; it was almost eleven o'clock.

He didn't go in immediately, but observed the area for a while. After confirming there was nothing unusual, he teleported back to his room. He closed the door and locked it. He let out a long sigh of relief, his nerves, which had been tense all night, finally relaxing.

"This harvest is enormous. Not only have my contribution points and skill points skyrocketed, but my mental strength has also broken through to a new level." Lin Yifan sat on the bed.

My contribution points have now reached 60870. The key is the system upgrade after defeating the lieutenant general and the reward for completing the system quest to defeat Suzuki Heitaro – that includes [Bajiquan (Intermediate)] and a [Constitution Enhancement Pill].

"System, claim your upgrade and mission rewards," Lin Yifan silently instructed himself.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have completed the system upgrade."

"Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the mission 'Slay Suzuki Heitaro'. The reward [Bajiquan (Intermediate)] and [Constitution Enhancement Pill] x1 have been sent to your spatial storage. Please check them."

The cold system notification sounded one after another. Lin Yifan immediately opened the skill bar and saw that the word "Intermediate" was marked after [Bajiquan].

A massive flow of information instantly flooded his mind, containing more profound variations in Bajiquan techniques, power generation skills, and combat experience, as if he had been practicing diligently for decades and had mastered it completely.

He clenched his fist, feeling the power within his body becoming more refined, and the crystal-clear principles of taijutsu in his mind, and felt a surge of satisfaction.

With his current strength and mental power, his intermediate-level Bajiquan has undoubtedly taken his close-combat ability to a whole new level.

Then, with a thought, a perfectly round pill emitting a faint glow appeared in his hand.

The pill felt warm and smooth to the touch, and a refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted up, instantly invigorating him.

"Is this the Body Strengthening Pill?" Lin Yifan carefully examined the pill in his hand, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and swallowed the pill.

The pill melted upon entering the mouth, transforming into a warm current that slid down the throat into the abdomen, and then quickly spread to the limbs and bones.

Wherever he went, Lin Yifan felt his bones making a slight "crackling" sound, his muscle fibers being nourished and strengthened, and even his skin seemed to become more resilient.

An indescribable feeling of comfort washed over him, as if he were soaking in a warm spring. He could clearly feel his physique strengthening at an unprecedented rate!

This feeling lasted for about half an hour before slowly subsiding. Lin Yifan exhaled a long breath of stale air, which seemed to contain a trace of impurities.

He clenched his fist, feeling an explosive power coursing through his body. His senses became sharper, and even the slight fatigue he had felt from using his mental energy at high intensity vanished.

"Awesome!" Lin Yifan exclaimed, feeling a profound sense of transformation and exhilaration. He could sense that his physique had improved by at least 30%!

With 49 points of mental strength, combined with his enhanced physique, intermediate Bajiquan, and the unpredictable mental shooting, his strength has now reached a terrifying level.

"Now, even if I'm surrounded and attacked by a small group of Japanese troops, I'm confident I can escape unscathed." Lin Yifan's eyes gleamed.

He glanced out the window. The night was still deep, but the firelight in the direction of the consulate seemed to have dimmed considerably, with only the faint sounds of sirens and gunshots remaining, proving that a bloody "baptism" had just taken place there.

"This is just the beginning." Lin Yifan's lips curled into a cold smile. "The Japanese devils in Beiping, enjoy the 'surprise' that's about to come."

He slowly sank his mental energy into his sea of ​​consciousness, beginning to sort through the intermediate-level insights he had just gained into Bajiquan, while simultaneously sensing every subtle change in his strengthened body.

Lin Yifan, who was experiencing this, was interrupted by the noise outside. Within minutes, the outer gate was smashed with a rifle butt, accompanied by shouts from puppet soldiers, Japanese soldiers, and traitors. He knew that the Japanese had come to search the area.

He looked toward the gate of the compound and saw that Grandpa Zhang had already opened the gate. The leading Japanese soldier shoved Grandpa Zhang aside and led more than a dozen puppet soldiers into the compound.

Lin Yifan's eyes narrowed, and he quickly concealed any possible traces of exposure. Like a cheetah blending into the shadows, he silently approached the window, his mental energy instantly extending out to take in the entire courtyard.