Mutated Beasts: I Contracted Myself

“Su Jingyao, want a candy? It’s on me.”

Zhang Ping leaned on his desk, holding a green six-sided crystal in his hand, squinting at his deskmate, Su Jingyao, as he asked.

Su Jingyao glanced at the crystal, expressionless, and spat out one word, “Go away.”

“If you don’t want it, fine, no need to get so mad,” Zhang Ping muttered, retracting his hand.

A vein popped up on Su Jingyao’s forehead as she shot him a sharp look. “Zhang Ping, I get that your ability’s useless, but if you keep going around asking people like this, do you really think someone won’t beat you up?”

“Useless? It’s not so bad, I’m just asking you. Who else would I ask?” Zhang Ping mumbled.

Su Jingyao shot him an exasperated glance and went back to filling out her graduation application.

“You really planning to graduate?” Zhang Ping glanced at her and asked.

Su Jingyao shrugged. “I’ve learned everything the school has to offer, and my ability’s suited for combat. Only real battles can make me stronger. Joining the Patrol Squad was a decision I made a long time ago.”

“But you’re only seventeen.” Zhang Ping said, sighing.

Su Jingyao shot him a look of disdain. “Zhang Chen applied for graduation a week ago. He’s probably already out of the city with the Investigation Unit, hunting Mutated Beasts. He’s only sixteen.”

“Yeah, yeah, genius level.” Zhang Ping sighed, rolling his eyes.

Su Jingyao noticed that Zhang Ping didn’t seem the least bit envious or jealous, and a small sigh escaped her lips.

Zhang Ping used to be one of the most hardworking students in class. He went crazy experimenting with his abilities the day he awakened. But soon, his powers were classified as “Ineffective Rank.” It was a huge blow to him, and he even skipped classes for several days.

When he returned, he had already become the jaded person sitting next to her now.

“Your ability may be classified as ‘Ineffective Rank,’ but there are so many mutated creatures in the world. Maybe one day I’ll find a creature that’s willing to accept your power. Then your abilities could actually come into play…” Su Jingyao couldn’t bear to see Zhang Ping giving up on himself, so she looked at him seriously.

Zhang Ping just lay there, nonchalantly. “Whatever. Do you think any creature would hand over its life to someone else like that? If I gave it to you, would you eat it?”

“...”

Su Jingyao thought about the six-sided crystal Zhang Ping had been holding and immediately fell silent.

Just looking at it made her want to run. It felt like staring at something disgusting, like poop, making her instinctively want to back away.

“Alright, I’ve already accepted that I’m a waste. Actually, being a waste isn’t so bad. I’ll just go farm, maybe I’ll live longer than all you warriors,” Zhang Ping said with a laugh.

He really meant it.

After all, whether it’s the Patrol Squad, the Investigation Unit, or even the free Adventurers, the casualty rate was pretty high.

Staying in the city and farming might be a low-status job, but at least he could survive. The casualty rate was way lower than any combat profession.

If someone just wanted to live a long life, staying in the city was the safest bet.

In his past life, Zhang Ping had been a member of a private rescue team.

One rainy night, he’d gotten a rescue mission and was on his way to search for lost hikers in the mountains. But a landslide hit, and he died on the spot.

When he came to, he found himself in the body of the Zhang Ping he had just died from.

After absorbing the memories of the previous Zhang Ping, he couldn’t help but think: It’s just an “Ineffective Rank” ability. Was it really worth getting so upset over?

Though, he did kind of appreciate the old Zhang Ping. Without his death, Zhang Ping wouldn’t have crossed over into this body, and he would’ve truly been dead.

But, to be honest, the old Zhang Ping was way too fragile.

Abilities or not, the previous Zhang Ping had nothing going for him, yet he still somehow managed to scrape by. Since the ability was “Ineffective Rank,” it might as well have been nonexistent.

But Zhang Ping’s awakened ability was actually kind of interesting.

He could consume both physical and mental energy to create a six-sided crystal. Any creature willing to eat this crystal would be completely controlled by him, body and soul.

But...

It sounded pretty strong.

There was just one catch: the target had to truly be willing. If they weren’t, even if they ate the crystal, they’d just throw it up.

The old Zhang Ping had tried several creatures—kittens, puppies, snakes, mice, etc.—but none of them worked.

The old Zhang Ping even went so far as to brutally force several animals to take the crystal, but nothing changed. It seemed like the soul rejection was absolute.

In the end, the old Zhang Ping got so frustrated he spat out blood and literally died from his own abilities.

But the current Zhang Ping wasn’t that extreme.

Though his ability didn’t seem useful, he wasn’t completely without ideas.

The six-sided crystals he made were actually pretty beautiful. Maybe he could polish them and sell them as gemstones?

After all, rich people had unique tastes, so who knew? Maybe he could sell them for a good price.

After class, Zhang Ping packed his things and headed back to the dormitory area with Su Jingyao. Both of them were orphans and had been living in the school dorms since their enrollment.

“Don’t wait for me tomorrow, I’m moving out tonight,” Su Jingyao said as they walked.

Zhang Ping nodded and smiled. “Alright, take care.”

“You too.”

Su Jingyao glanced at Zhang Ping, a trace of reluctance flickering in her eyes before quickly disappearing. They parted ways at the dorm entrance, Su Jingyao heading into the girls' dormitory, and Zhang Ping into the boys' dormitory.

Zhang Ping’s dorm was on the fifth floor. He had originally had three roommates, but all of them had failed their awakening tests. They had left the school a week before Zhang Ping himself could have died from his own frustration. Now, he was the only one left in the dorm.

“Compared to those who failed the awakening, this guy’s situation is already much better,” Zhang Ping thought as he opened the dorm door. He remembered the confused and pained expressions of his roommates when they left the school. He put down his bag, took a shower, and then sat cross-legged on his bed.

He raised one hand, and green particles slowly appeared in his palm. As his physical and mental energy quickly drained, these particles grew larger, eventually forming a six-sided crystal.

According to the testers, his ability was classified as a composite ability, which should be named "Greed Gem" according to the rules for naming superpowers. This ability was considered too greedy—desiring everything and wanting to control everything. However, because of its excessive greed, all living beings instinctively rejected the Greed Gem, making it a useless ability.

“Let’s test its hardness!” Zhang Ping muttered to himself, holding the six-sided crystal.

If the crystal was hard enough, perhaps he could use it to make something, like Chain Armor. With six of these crystals embedded in it, the defense would probably be quite good.

He took out a small knife he always carried and tried to cut the crystal. Unfortunately, the crystal wasn’t as hard as it appeared. The knife quickly sliced through it, and from the feel of it, the hardness was about the same as bone.

Zhang Ping was a bit disappointed, but when he looked at the cut crystal, he couldn't help but feel a little hungry.

It wasn’t his fault he was tempted. The surface of the crystal, after being cut, was smooth and translucent, with a brilliant hue, looking a bit like green candy. It seemed like it might taste good.

Wait!

Zhang Ping suddenly paused, his eyes falling on the cut crystal. He began to wonder, “What would happen if I ate the Greed Gem?”

Would he be able to perfectly control himself? Could it be the legendary ‘hundred percent control of the body’?

It was clearly a path his former self had never considered!

Should he try it?

After all, the worst case would be just him controlling himself.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He decided to go for it, picking up the cut crystal and swallowing it in one bite.

Other creatures instinctively rejected the crystal, but he wasn’t one of them.

As soon as he swallowed it, Zhang Ping felt a slight change in his body. It was a subtle transformation, difficult to describe, almost like the feeling of being one with a sword.

It was an experience that could only be felt, not described.

After a long while, Zhang Ping opened his eyes and gave a mental command: “Go get a glass of water!”

What followed wasn’t him controlling his body, but his body automatically walking to get the water.

It felt strange, as if his soul and body had separated—his body moved on its own, without needing him to control it.

Although he still had a sense of what was happening, and the energy he used was still his own, the process of getting the water was irreversible. Even if he wanted to use the bathroom or do something else in the middle, as long as he didn’t change the command, his body would persist in getting the water.

“500 push-ups!”

Zhang Ping drank the water, finishing his last command. Then, with a mental command, his body started doing push-ups.

After completing 500 push-ups, Zhang Ping collapsed to the ground, unable to get up, but a smile appeared on his face.

His previous self had been a fitness enthusiast, and his body was originally capable of doing 250 push-ups, but now, with the command, he could do 500. This exceeded the limit his willpower alone could achieve.

Without the command, Zhang Ping probably would’ve reached his limit at 300 push-ups.

Although this ability still seemed somewhat useless, he found the idea of superpowers fascinating.

After lying down for half an hour, he got up and brushed the dust off his clothes.

Even though he could control his body’s movements with his mind, his body was still just an ordinary body. Against mutated beasts in the wild, his abilities would be useless.

But he wasn’t disappointed. After all, he had prepared himself for a life of farming in the city.

If this ability could be used for farming, perhaps it could have other uses when his stamina improved in the future.

After taking another shower, he went downstairs for breakfast and then went back to his dorm to rest.

The next day, early in the morning.

Zhang Ping was still asleep, but his eyes automatically opened. He got dressed, left the dorm building, and began running on the field.

This was something he had set up the night before—a 4:00 AM run.

Although his consciousness was still asleep, his body moved on its own.

It was like sleepwalking.

By 6:00, he was awake, sitting in the cafeteria with porridge and three steamed buns in front of him.

Seeing the buns and porridge, his eyes lit up, and he smiled slightly.

“It works!”

Zhang Ping had just wanted to try it, but didn’t expect his body to follow his commands so perfectly.

However, he still had one question—since his consciousness was asleep, how did his body move? Was it because of his subconscious?

He didn’t dwell on it. Since it worked, exercising would be much easier in the future.

“Luo Shiyu, good morning!”

“Luo Shiyu, I’ve already gotten your breakfast.”

“Luo Shiyu is perfect! Ugh, I just want to cry thinking that I won’t see her after graduation.”

“I wonder which team Luo Shiyu plans to join after graduation?”

At that moment, many students nearby started to chatter excitedly. Zhang Ping knew that the school flower from the next class, Luo Shiyu, had arrived.

Luo Shiyu was the cutest girl of Class 2 and the most admired girl in Mingzhu Ability Academy. What made her even more remarkable was that she was adored by both male and female students alike. Her admirers weren’t just the boys; many girls also admired her.

For example, some of Zhang Ping’s former roommates were also admirers of Luo Shiyu, but after failing their awakening tests, they had left the school, disheartened.

Zhang Ping thought about Luo Shiyu while eating his bun. When he looked up, his pupils suddenly contracted.

He quickly lowered his head and drank his porridge to hide his shock.

In his memory, Luo Shiyu was a slim and beautiful girl, but just now, he had seen a two-meter-tall giant fox, with the forehead of a young girl’s body skin, standing proudly in the middle of the crowd. Yet, everyone seemed oblivious, still admiring it.

What was going on?!!

Zhang Ping’s mind was in turmoil as Luo Shiyu slowly walked toward him, surrounded by compliments from her classmates.

“Zhang Ping, good morning!” the huge fox greeted him in a raspy voice as it passed by.

Zhang Ping told himself to stay calm and nodded nonchalantly, “Good morning, Luo Shiyu.”

Fortunately, ‘Luo Shiyu’ didn’t stop and continued to greet other students as she walked by.

Zhang Ping finished his breakfast at a normal pace before heading out of the cafeteria like usual.