Chapter 4: The Boss of Room 7 and the First Fight
Nuoding Academy's Dormitory Building No. 7 was not the penthouse Ye Chen had envisioned. It was a large, drafty room filled with simple wooden beds and the unmistakable scent of pre-teen boys who hadn't discovered soap yet.
"You've got to be kidding me," Ye Chen said, standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. "San, look at this. Where's the privacy? Where's the mini-bar? I'm pretty sure I see a spider over there that's wearing a tiny Spirit Tool. This is a health hazard, San. I have a sensitive constitution!"
Tang San set his small bundle of belongings on an empty bed. "It's a work-study dorm, Ye Chen. We're lucky to have a roof."
"A roof is the bare minimum, San! That's like saying, 'We're lucky the floor isn't lava!'"
A group of older boys were huddled in the center of the room. A tall, sturdy-looking kid stepped forward, looking at the two newcomers with a smug grin.
"New meat?" the boy asked. "I'm Wang Sheng, the boss of Room 7. In here, we have a rule. If you want a bed, you've got to show you're worth it. Who's first?"
Ye Chen looked at Wang Sheng, then back to Tang San. "Did he just call us 'meat'? San, tell him I'm a premium cut. Tell him I'm wagyu. I don't respond to 'meat.'"
Wang Sheng frowned, confused by the word 'wagyu' but sensing the disrespect. "Stop babbling! Fight me, or sleep on the floor!"
Tang San stepped forward, his face calm. "I'll do it."
"No, wait," Ye Chen intercepted him, placing a hand on San's shoulder. "You did the hilltop thing this morning. You did the hammer thing. Let me handle the 'Welcome Wagon.' I need to see if my 60% power is enough to move this guy without sending him through the wall."
Ye Chen walked into the center of the room, his movements loose and casual. He looked at Wang Sheng and gave a little finger-flutter wave. "Alright, Big Wang. Let's do this. But keep it above the belt. This tunic is new, and I don't want any wolf-hair or whatever you're packing on it."
Wang Sheng roared, his Martial Soul—a Battle Tiger—faintly manifesting behind him. He lunged forward, his fist aimed right at Ye Chen's chest.
To the other students, Wang Sheng was fast. To Ye Chen, it looked like he was moving through a vat of honey.
He's slow, Ye Chen thought, his Kryptonian brain processing the trajectory instantly. And he's noisy. Why is he screaming? It doesn't make the punch faster, man.
Ye Chen didn't even raise his hands. He just leaned back slightly, the punch whistling past his nose. Then, he stepped into Wang Sheng's space and gave him a light "boop" on the shoulder with his palm.
BOOM.
It wasn't a punch. It was a shove. But to Wang Sheng, it felt like being hit by a runaway carriage. He flew backward, sliding across the floorboards until his back hit the far wall with a heavy thud.
The room went silent.
Ye Chen looked at his hand, then at the groaning boy. "Whoops. My bad. I thought you were heavier. You gotta eat more, Big Wang! You're light as a feather! You're like a crouton!"
"What... what kind of power is that?" Wang Sheng gasped, rubbing his shoulder. "You didn't even summon your soul!"
"I'm just naturally gifted," Ye Chen said, flashing a 40% Kevin Hart grin. "It's the sun, man. It does wonders for the bone density."
The Arrival of the Rabbits
Just as the tension was cooling down, the door swung open again. Two figures stood there, and the entire room seemed to brighten.
They were identical twins. They had long, dark hair tied into high ponytails that looked like rabbit ears, and eyes that sparkled with mischief. One was wearing a pink dress—that was Xiao Wu. The other was wearing a similar outfit but in a deep, celestial violet—this was Xiao Ling.
"Is this Room 7?" Xiao Wu asked, looking around with a curious tilt of her head.
"Looks more like a circus," Xiao Ling added, her gaze landing on Ye Chen, who was still standing in the middle of the room. She blinked, her nose wrinkling slightly. She felt something... strange. This boy didn't smell like a human. But he didn't smell like a soul beast, either. He smelled like... ozone and starlight.
"Who's the boss here?" Xiao Wu challenged, stepping forward.
Wang Sheng, still on the floor, pointed a trembling finger at Ye Chen. "He is. He just... he just 'booped' me into a wall."
Ye Chen straightened his tunic, suddenly very aware of the violet-clad girl staring at him. "Boss? I prefer the term 'Executive Consultant.' And who might you two be? You look like you're lost on the way to a tea party."
Xiao Wu smirked. "I'm Xiao Wu. And this is my sister, Xiao Ling. We're here for the work-study program. And since you're the boss... I guess we have to fight you too?"
Ye Chen looked at Xiao Ling. She wasn't as loud as her sister, but there was a quiet strength in her eyes that made his "Super-Hearing" pick up a strange, rhythmic thrumming from her heart. It was faster than a human's.
"Fight?" Ye Chen scoffed, leaning against a bedpost. "I don't fight girls, especially ones that look like they belong on a greeting card. Tell you what, Xiao Wu—you can fight San over there. He's the stoic one. I'll just chat with your sister and try to figure out why the air suddenly smells like carrots."
Xiao Ling stepped closer to Ye Chen, her eyes narrowed. "You're weird. You're not using Soul Power, but your body... it feels like a volcano."
Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat—a rare occurrence for a Kryptonian. He leaned in, his voice dropping to that confident, witty tone. "A volcano, huh? I like that. Does that make you the brave explorer, or are you just here for the view?"
Xiao Ling didn't back down. She gave him a mysterious, playful smile. "I'm just checking if you're dangerous."
"Oh, I'm very dangerous," Ye Chen said, gesturing to the cracked wall. "I'm a menace to society and cheap furniture. But for you? I'll try to keep the 'booping' to a minimum."
As Xiao Wu and Tang San squared off for their inevitable duel, Ye Chen and Xiao Ling stood off to the side, two "aliens" in a room full of children, both realizing that the next six years were going to be anything but boring.