Chapter 16: Hello, Superhuman Number Eleven

With his newly forged leather belt in hand, Lin Xiao eagerly fastened it around his waist. Instantly, a mysterious force surged from the belt, permeating his body and noticeably amplifying his extraordinary power. Not only that, but the system notified him that his carrying capacity had increased from the previous forty kilograms to forty-three. This surprised Lin Xiao greatly—he had always assumed there was no limit, but there was indeed a cap, just as in the game. Now, it had risen to forty-three kilograms, roughly equivalent to the weight of a girl.

The special attributes brought significant enhancements as well. His stamina increased by four points, his HP rose to one hundred ninety, and his physical defense soared to thirty-two. At this point, even Er Gouzi might not be able to break through his defense.

However, when Lin Xiao glanced at his source power, he couldn’t help but feel a headache. The hard-earned fourteen points had dwindled back down to three. At this rate, who knew how many years it would take to reach level two?

“No, I must save my source power for leveling up. Staying at level one is far too weak. The Demon King’s overall strength has already reached the system’s evaluation for level two. Judging by the Mind Flayer’s abilities, it’s at least a level three, possibly even a level five monster. That’s not something I can contend with right now.”

All this time, Lin Xiao had never taken Er Gouzi or Da Gouzi too seriously. The real threat was always the major bosses of the second and third seasons, especially the Mind Flayer. This creature possessed intelligence, organization, formidable power, the ability to create clones, to control humans, and could drag people into the Upside Down at will. It was absolutely a high-level adversary, far beyond what a mere dog could compare to.

The only way to deal with the Mind Flayer was to make contact with the psychic known as Number Eleven. Only by leveraging her abilities did Lin Xiao stand a chance of victory. To fight alone would be courting death.

Fortunately, from the current storyline, the Mind Flayer had yet to make an appearance, so there was no need to worry for now. There was still time to grow stronger, develop a rapport with Number Eleven, and bring her to his side.

No, Lin Xiao told himself, he was certainly not obsessed with little girls. It was all for the sake of leveling up, defeating monsters, and protecting humanity.

The next morning, Joey, ignoring Lin Xiao’s objections, drove home once more. Lin Xiao could only follow along. Once there, he dared not linger, worried that the lab might send people after him again. After greeting Joey, he took the other family car and returned to the small town.

This was the advantage of America—even the poorest households had a car for everyone. Driving was a way of life, befitting a nation built on wheels.

Lin Xiao remembered that, according to the original plot, Mike and the others would arrive at Hawkins Middle School today. They would use the school’s radio equipment, and with Number Eleven’s psychic ability, search for Will.

Although the storyline had shifted—after all, Lin Xiao had killed the Demon King ahead of schedule—the inertia of the plot meant this scene should remain unchanged. Eager to meet Number Eleven and the others, Lin Xiao decided to head to Hawkins Middle School as well.

In the original story, the boys arrived in the afternoon, just as school was letting out, to attend a memorial for Will. During the event, Mike got into a dispute with one of the bullies, who ended up wetting himself thanks to Number Eleven’s powers.

Lin Xiao drove his car to the edge of the woods and slipped into the forest to continue honing his three abilities and familiarize himself with the use of magic. Unlike in games, using abilities in reality required mastering not just timing but also rhythm and the allocation of magical energy. Only constant practice could increase his proficiency.

As the day wore on, Lin Xiao became increasingly adept at wielding his powers. The reason he’d been able to dispatch so many pursuers the previous night wasn’t just a matter of abilities—it was about how he used them, which was far more crucial.

He trained until well into the afternoon, then drove to Hawkins Middle School. As he stepped out of his car and walked through the school, students whispered and pointed, clearly curious about why he was there.

Hearing the snatches of gossip, Lin Xiao suddenly realized what he and Joey had both forgotten: the previous night, Chief Hopper had come by to tell them that Will’s body had been found at the quarry and that they should come to identify him.

Joey didn’t believe it was Will’s body, and Lin Xiao, knowing the truth, had no intention of going. Thus, an awkward situation arose—the elaborate ruse concocted by Hawkins Lab and the state police had been completely ignored by those most directly involved. No one showed up to claim the body.

Lin Xiao couldn’t help but laugh. One of the least logical aspects of this show was how the state police went to such great lengths to fake Will’s death, even making a rubber dummy, only for Chief Hopper to see through it, break into the lab at night, and discover the truth.

Logically, Hawkins Lab didn’t need to involve themselves in Will’s disappearance at all. Their attempt to cover things up only made matters more suspicious—a classic case of overcomplicating things.

“Perhaps this is for the best. I suspect Hawkins Lab has set up a net at the morgue, hoping to catch me if I show up. By ignoring their setup, I’ve probably thrown their plans into disarray.”

Lin Xiao’s guess was accurate. The office where Will’s body was kept was heavily guarded by state police and armed lab personnel. When Chief Hopper arrived that morning, he wondered if he’d come to the wrong place or if some bigwig had died in the line of duty—otherwise, why so many people?

Chief Hopper was baffled that none of Will’s family showed up—neither Joey nor Jonathan. It was as if the person lying inside had nothing to do with them.

“What on earth is this family up to?”

Frustrated, Chief Hopper drove back to Hawkins, intending to visit Joey’s house once more.

Meanwhile, the head of the lab, Dr. Brenner, was equally vexed. The capture squad he’d sent out the night before had been completely wiped out—not only knocked out, but also robbed of their belts, returning with their pants barely held up. It was a humiliating fiasco.

Dr. Brenner found it strange. How could an ordinary high school student so easily defeat five armed guards, all of whom were retired special forces with considerable skill and experience? Unless their resumes were all fake?

No, impossible. Something must have happened to the boy. Otherwise, how could he have escaped through the portal the other day?

Dr. Brenner could only surmise that, like Number Eleven, this student must have undergone some transformation in the mysterious world, awakening some kind of psychic power.

But while Dr. Brenner was left to his suspicions, Lin Xiao made his way straight to the middle school, searching for Mike and the others. Not finding them, he headed for the broadcast room and waited nearby.

Before long, the four boys came walking over, laughing about the pants-wetting incident—it seemed the memorial in the gym had concluded. The class bully had clearly been humiliated by Number Eleven, which would lead to a series of later events.

“Hey, Mike, Dustin, Lucas.”

Lin Xiao greeted them. The three boys were surprised—why would Will’s brother come looking for them?

His gaze shifted to the petite girl with the golden wig and delicate features—this was none other than the psychic, Number Eleven, disguised as an ordinary girl.

“Hello, Number Eleven.”

The four faces changed instantly. For a moment, they were all stunned, staring at Lin Xiao like children caught with a forbidden secret. Which, of course, they were.