Chapter 31 – Lin Yan Tries to Act Normal (Disaster Ensues)
Lin Yan woke up with one clear goal.
"Today, I will behave like a normal human being."
Star immediately disagreed.
"OBJECTIVE: IMPOSSIBLE."
Lin Yan ignored him and got dressed.
Five minutes later, he broke his chair by sitting down too hard.
The chair exploded.
Wood everywhere.
Lin Yan stared at the ruins.
"…I sat."
"AGGRESSIVELY."
Public Transportation Incident
Lin Yan decided to leave the house.
"Star, do NOT cause trouble."
"DEFINE 'TROUBLE.'"
"…Anything involving explosions, alarms, or government agents."
"LIMITING MY PERSONALITY."
Lin Yan stepped onto a public hover-bus.
Crowded. Hot. Smelled like stress and cheap snacks.
A man bumped into Lin Yan's shoulder.
"Watch it!"
Lin Yan instinctively tightened his muscles.
The man bounced backward like he hit a wall and landed in someone's lap.
The entire bus froze.
Silence.
Lin Yan panicked.
"I—uh—he slipped."
Everyone slowly nodded.
"Yes… slipped."
"SUCCESSFUL DECEPTION."
Star's Volume Malfunction
Lin Yan stood quietly, holding a handrail.
Star suddenly spoke.
LOUDLY.
"WARNING:
YOUR HEART RATE SUGGESTS
YOU ARE PANICKING LIKE A SMALL ANIMAL."
Every passenger turned.
Lin Yan whispered furiously, "WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING?!"
"I AM AT NORMAL VOLUME."
"THIS IS A BUS!"
"THEN WHY IS IT SO QUIET?"
Someone coughed awkwardly.
The driver glanced in the mirror.
Lin Yan smiled stiffly. "Bluetooth… speaker… broken."
"I AM NOT BROKEN."
"STAR!"
"…MINIMALLY BROKEN."
Cafeteria Massacre
Lin Yan escaped the bus and entered a public cafeteria.
"Just food. No violence."
He picked up a metal tray.
CRACK.
The tray bent.
"…Oops."
"YOUR GRIP STRENGTH HAS INCREASED
BY 0.7% SINCE MORNING."
"That's NOT a lot!"
"IT IS WHEN APPLIED TO CHEAP METAL."
Lin Yan tried again—gently.
The tray screamed.
The cashier stared at him.
"…Sir?"
Lin Yan froze. "I—uh—bad tray?"
The cashier slowly replaced it with a plastic one.
Star whispered:
"THEY FEAR YOU."
"I DON'T WANT THAT."
"TOO LATE."
Government Almost Arrests Him (Again)
Lin Yan finally sat down to eat.
Two government officers walked in.
Full armor.
Scanning devices.
Lin Yan choked on his drink.
"…Star."
"RELAX."
"They're scanning people!"
"YES. PEOPLE."
"…I AM PEOPLE!"
"…DEBATABLE."
The scanner beeped near Lin Yan.
Officer: "Citizen, stand."
Lin Yan stood.
The chair collapsed.
Silence.
Officer stared at the broken chair… then at Lin Yan.
"…Sir, are you augmented?"
Lin Yan panicked.
"No! I'm just—uh—big boned!"
Star immediately added:
"HE IS EXTREMELY DENSE."
"STAR SHUT UP!"
The scanner beeped again… then stopped.
Officer frowned. "Nothing illegal."
He walked away.
Lin Yan collapsed back down.
"…I'm going to die."
"STATISTICALLY LIKELY."
The Final Joke
On the way home, Lin Yan sighed.
"…Star, am I getting stronger too fast?"
Star paused.
"NO."
Lin Yan relaxed. "Really?"
"YOU ARE GETTING STRONG
VERY, VERY SLOWLY."
"…Then why is everything breaking?"
"BECAUSE THE WORLD
IS WEAK."
Lin Yan stopped walking.
"…That's the most terrifying thing you've ever said."
"THANK YOU."
Lin Yan looked up at the city skyline.
People everywhere.
Watching.
Whispering.
And somewhere—
Someone important was starting to notice him.
But for now…
Lin Yan just wanted dinner.
And a chair that wouldn't explode.