A Life of Attributes Starting as a Nobleman in the Republic of China Era

It's 11:30.

Chen San gripped the steering wheel, while Chen Che huddled in the back seat with his head down. Looking in through the car window, only Chen San was visible.

The car passed the border between Nanshi and Zhabei, turned a corner, and headed towards the "Paramount" nightclub.

No one could see that a figure quietly rolled out of the car on the riverbank in Nanshi.

Chen Che crouched down in the shadow of the river embankment, waiting for the red taillights to completely disappear at the intersection.

All was quiet; there was no one around. Only the occasional buzzing of a passing car could be heard before it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Although the Bund is brightly lit, it doesn't reach here. Not far away, you can see figures moving on the Huangpu Wharf; those are workers still toiling at night.

Chen Che crouched down and crept to the riverbank. He found a shady spot, sat down, and took off all his clothes.

【Spirit: 3.2】

【Soul: Cangming】

Since I added 6 free attribute points to Spirit last time, I've gained another 2 points through natural growth.

Chen Che looked at the floating attribute panel in front of him, took a deep breath, and, relying on his consciousness, clicked on the two words "Cangming".

That tingling, itchy sensation that started deep within the cells exploded again.

His spine began to stretch and bend in the opposite direction. Chen Che leaned back under the pull, letting out a muffled growl.

The keratin that seeps out of the pores turns into scales, covering the limbs, leaving only a patch of skin on the chest.

Fingers and toes were stretched out, with fingertips solidified into webbed claws.

A thin membrane grows on the outside of the eyeball, and the auricle rolls inward and is also covered with a thin membrane.

He twisted his body and waved his limbs at will. Fortunately, his body was completely under control.

My mind is clear.

Chen Che subconsciously took a deep breath and walked step by step into the Huangpu River.

The underwater world is clearer than the land world.

It wasn't visual, but the sensation of water flowing through his skin. He could feel a group of crucian carp rolling around in the mud ten meters away, and further away, the propeller of a night-going ship was turning, the blades cutting through the water in an arc like a knife slicing through butter.

Chen Che dived down and swam toward the Huangpu Wharf.

His limbs stretched out, and his webbed feet moved with almost no resistance. Scales brushed against the water, and he heard his own breathing. It was his gills; three thin slits opened on the side of his neck, and water rushed in, carrying oxygen and sediment. The oxygen was inhaled into his lungs, and the sediment was sifted around his gills.

He stopped close to the concrete wall of the dock, with only his eyes above the water.

Night shift workers were hoisting wooden crates onto the cargo ship. Chen Che counted them; there were more than a dozen people, some on shore and some on deck.

He looked away and sank back into the water.

This time, we dived even deeper, swimming close to the riverbed silt towards the boat mooring area.

Shanghai has six wharves, and Huangpu Wharf, under the influence of the Green Gang, is considered medium-sized. The berthing area has more than a dozen passenger ships, six wooden cargo ships, two barges, and one iron-hulled tugboat.

"Regarding the canal transport, our gang has already prepared three cargo ships. The cotton spinning machines, lathes, and imported goods that Nanjing needs have long been loaded onto the ships." Wang Jian's words still echoed in Chen Che's ears.

Looking up from the riverbed, three of the six wooden cargo ships had a deep draft, clearly indicating that they were carrying cargo.

Chen Che reached the bottom of the first cargo ship.

The bottom of the boat was covered with a thin layer of barnacles and algae, and rust was creeping outwards from the edges of the welds.

He gripped a metal plate with his webbed toes, his fingertips pressing against the steel plate at the bottom of the boat.

The muscles beneath the scales began to tighten, and the claws pierced the iron plate, cutting a gash along the edge of the weld.

River water began to seep into the cracks.

Underneath the sheet metal was a wooden board; once the sheet metal was cut open, things became much easier.

He moved to a different spot and made another cut. A metal strip about a finger's width was left between the two cuts; that was the weld on the keel.

Chen Che gripped the metal strip and tore it outwards.

It was easier than I expected. It seems that my [Strength] attribute has also improved after transforming into Cangming.

The iron plate emitted a dull groan, most of the sound absorbed by the river water, revealing a large hole.

The water in the bilge began to flow into the river.

He swam to the second boat.

The ship appears to be newer, with a thicker hull.

Chen Che stopped when his webbed claws reached the dragon bone. He gripped the dragon bone with both hands, braced his thighs against it, and it took him quite a bit of effort to break it.

The third one.

A small sampan was moored beside the cargo ship, and a person was sleeping on it. As Chen Che swam past the ship, he could see the person turn over, and the sampan rocked slightly.

A thought suddenly flashed through Chen Che's mind, making him want to laugh a little.

He crawled out from under the fishing boat, swam a few feet to the shore, and grabbed onto a piece of abandoned mooring post.

Then he poked his head out of the water.

"Wow!"

Chen Che shouted.

Someone on the dock turned their head and moved closer to where Chen Che was.

"Wow! Ah!"

Second tone.

He raised his webbed toes and waved them at the brightest gas lamp on the shore. The webbed toes were translucent in the light, and seaweed clung between his fingers.

"monster!!!"

This time it wasn't him who shouted it.

It was a worker by the pier. The cargo box he was carrying fell to the ground, and his face turned as white as a sheet.

Chen Che lowered his body, then jumped back up, splashing around and raising a large spray of water.

"Wow! Wow! Wow!"

He didn't know how to call a monster.

People on the shore began to run. The torch went askew and fell to the ground. Screams came from all directions.

Chen Che called out again.

"Wow! Ah!"

That sound cracked.

Doesn't it look a bit too much like a goose?

He swam along the shadow of the river embankment, circling around to the east side of the dock, where a large searchlight was shining.

Chen Che climbed onto the dock and stood under the lights.

He opened his eyes wide, facing the brightest light.

"Whoa!"

A new wave of screams erupted on the dock.

There are at least a dozen eyewitnesses.

Chen Che leaped with all his might, jumping at least three or four zhang high, and landed on the deck of the third cargo ship. He then swung his large claws wildly at the deck and mast, quickly leaving the cargo ship riddled with holes.

"Whoa!"

Chen Che tore open the cargo hold door with one claw. Inside were tightly packed wooden crates, stacked all the way to the top of the hold. He grabbed the top crate and pulled it out, causing the entire stack of crates to collapse. Some crashed through the bulkhead and rolled into the river, while others rolled deep into the cargo hold.

The shore was in complete chaos. Workers scattered in terror, and the police whistles could be heard in the distance.

almost.

Chen Che turned around, lightly leaped from the side of the boat, and sank into the river.

He looked back before entering the water.

All three cargo ships were listing noticeably and slowly beginning to sink.

The shouts from the dock behind him came muffledly through the water. He heard someone yelling "Monster!" and "Water monkey!" and the sound of police whistles getting closer and closer.

The lights on the dock gradually grew smaller and smaller, and the sounds of people dissipated in the night wind. Chen Che first swam to the middle of the river, raised half his face to the surface, and only after confirming that no one was around did he swim towards the downstream bank.

The attribute panel popped up on its own. The column "[Spirit: 3.2]" began to flash red, and Chen Che struggled to hold on.