Chapter 103: A Lightning Awakener?

Chapter 103: A Lightning Awakened?

"Young man, please spare some change. I haven't eaten in three days."

As soon as Yan Kai stepped out of the car, he was surrounded by several beggars.

Yan Kai rummaged through his pockets, but he didn't have a single cent on him, let alone money to give to beggars.

In the end, it was Shen An who pulled a hundred-yuan bill from his wallet to send the beggars on their way.

The Japanese restaurant was quiet and elegant, with few customers. Shen An and Yan Kai chose a corner table by the window and sat down.

A waiter brought the menus, bowing respectfully as he asked, "What would you two gentlemen like to order? We've just opened, so all food and drinks are twenty percent off."

"I'll have two orders of salmon sashimi, seaweed sushi, and octopus..."

The two of them ordered a table full of food, totaling nearly a thousand yuan. Since portions in Japanese restaurants were usually small, they weren't worried about leftovers. Yan Kai also ordered two bottles of rice wine, wanting to share a few drinks with Shen An.

"Bro, it's been a while since we last drank together. Here's to you!"

"Cheers!"

Shen An raised his glass and downed it in one go with Yan Kai.

The Japanese rice wine was sweet, much like glutinous rice wine. Its alcohol content was low, making it hard to get drunk. In less than five minutes, they finished both bottles, drinking it down as easily as soda.

"Mm, the squid sashimi here is really fresh. Not bad." Yan Kai picked up a baby squid with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth, chewing with relish.

The squid wasn't entirely dead yet; its body wriggled in struggle, its tentacles clinging to the corners of his mouth.

Shen An felt a bit squeamish. "More than just fresh. That squid is so small, it probably hatched less than two weeks ago."

"Try one, bro," Yan Kai said, placing a squid on Shen An's plate.

Shen An didn't touch it. He couldn't quite stomach eating live food, and he usually avoided squid at Japanese restaurants anyway.

It wasn't out of fear. As an Awakened, his hands were already stained with plenty of blood, so fear was out of the question. He just found eating live seafood unsettling; he still preferred the cooking styles of Chinese cuisine.

"Just give it a try. You'll get used to it," Yan Kai urged, seeing his hesitation.

Steeling himself, Shen An picked up the squirming little squid from his plate with his chopsticks and was about to put it in his mouth.

Just then, a commotion outside interrupted him.

"Let go of me! What do you think you're doing?"

"We're municipal patrol officers. We received reports that you're squatting here and ruining the city's image. You're coming with us."

Shen An set down his chopsticks and looked out the window.

A dozen men dressed in code enforcement uniforms were shoving and pulling a group of beggars and homeless people. The officers seemed intent on dragging the homeless people into their vehicles.

Shen An couldn't stand it any longer. Slapping the table, he stood up and said, "Yan Kai, let's go stretch our legs."

Yan Kai was baffled. *They're just a bunch of homeless people. What's the big deal?*

But seeing Shen An head out, Yan Kai had no choice but to follow.

"Get in the car, or don't blame me for getting rough!"

A man in a patrol uniform tried to drag a homeless man into the vehicle. The homeless man was stubborn, refusing to budge even if it killed him, and the two sides reached a standstill.

Losing his patience, the uniformed man pulled a stun baton from the vehicle. "Damn it, you want to do this the hard way? You must be looking for a death wish."

"Boys, get them! Don't waste time on these pieces of trash."

Brandishing the stun baton, the leader lunged at the homeless man.

At that moment, a dark shadow flashed by with lightning speed, blocking the homeless man and grabbing the stun baton bare-handed.

The officer gasped in shock. "Who are you?"

"Sticking your nose where it doesn't belong? You must be tired of living."

The man flipped the switch on the stun baton. A massive voltage discharged, surging up Shen An's arm and sending a jolt of numbness through him.

Yet Shen An did not let go. He gripped the stun baton tightly, standing as firm as a mountain.

"Holy crap, you're dead!"

The man dialed the power to the maximum. The stun baton crackled loudly, scorching Shen An's sleeve, yet his hand remained completely unharmed.

The attacker was dumbfounded. *Is this guy even human?*

Their stun batons were modified to deliver millions of volts with a current strong enough to kill a bull, yet it did nothing to Shen An.

Realization dawned on the man. He stared at Shen An and asked, "Are you a Lightning Awakened?"

Only an Awakened with lightning abilities would be immune to electricity. Thus, the man mistook Shen An for one.

In truth, he wasn't. Shen An was actually vulnerable to electricity, but the moment the stun baton was activated, he had triggered his Devour talent, swallowing the electric current into his spatial storage.

Shen An had devoured fire and water before, but this was his first time devouring electricity. He hadn't even been sure if his talent could absorb it, since electricity had no physical form. He had simply taken a gamble, and it paid off.

Since he could devour it, he could also release it.

With a thought, Shen An instantly retrieved the powerful current stored in his space and directed it at the man in front of him.

"Ah!"

With an agonizing shriek, the man's internal organs were instantly fried by the massive current. His hair and clothes burned to charcoal in a split second.

The rest of the patrol officers froze in terror.

Just then, someone recognized him and shouted, "It's Shen An! Everyone, charge! Kill him!"

Yet, despite holding stun batons, none of the dozen or so men dared to take a step forward. Shen An's name was already legendary, and they had heard he was an Awakened with unfathomable strength.

Another man yelled, "Don't be afraid! Go! Whoever kills him, the Young Master will reward them with five million in cash!"

Lured by the massive bounty, the men began to stir. Steeling their courage, they charged forward, swinging their stun batons at Shen An.

"You truly know nothing of my strength. How foolish."

Facing the dozen attackers, Shen An showed not a shred of fear.

As the towering men rushed him with murderous intent, Shen An remained calm and composed. With a flick of his mind, he drew his black iron sword from his spatial storage.

*Clang!*

A stun baton swung toward him, only to be blocked by the black iron sword, sending sparks flying.

Shen An deflected the baton, and in a flash of sword-shadow, pierced the man's chest.

A clean kill in a single strike!

The remaining men swarmed forward, attempting to surround Shen An and avenge their comrade.

Seeking a quick resolution, Shen An swung the black iron sword. Wherever the sword light flashed, blood splattered.

Accompanied by a chorus of agonizing screams, a dozen corpses collapsed to the ground. Not a single one survived.

"A bunch of small fry."

Shen An wiped the blood off the black iron sword and returned it to his space.

The surrounding homeless people stared in open-mouthed shock, utterly awed by Shen An's strength.

Yan Kai ran out of the restaurant only to see a dozen corpses littering the ground. His face turned pale with fright.

"Bro, you're... you're way too powerful."

Yan Kai only knew Shen An as the chairman of the Future Group; he had no idea he was an Awakened. Seeing Shen An display his power for the first time, he was completely filled with admiration.

"Just a few small-time thugs. A piece of cake," Shen An said, waving it off dismissively.

"But looking at their clothes, they seem to be official personnel. Aren't you worried about bringing trouble upon yourself by killing them?" Yan Kai asked worriedly.