The sky over London was as gloomy as ever.
Wu's Orphanage.
Room 201.
Thud!
A heavy wardrobe floated gently down from midair and landed on the ground.
[The three hundred and fifty-eighth control experiment is complete. It fully proves one thing: the stronger my will and the more focused my mind, the greater and more precise the power I can control becomes… Perhaps this power is a form of idealism?]
Li Weide looked at the small notebook filled with Chinese characters in his hand, then pinched a broken pencil and added another line to the back.
[After repeated experiments, I still cannot confirm the source or scientific principle of this power, nor can I determine whether there are others who possess the same ability.]
Closing the notebook together with the stub of a pencil, he slipped them into his pocket.
"All right, the control experiments can only go this far for now. Next, it's time to begin phase two—the repair experiments…" Li Weide muttered, dragging over a cracked chair from beside the bed.
He lifted his hand and tapped the chair lightly. Instantly, the chair shattered into fragments and scattered across the floor, as though its previous form had only been held together with cheap glue.
Staring at the pieces, Li Weide solemnly extended his right hand again, his mind sharpening into full concentration…
"Repair!"
As soon as the word left his mouth, the fragments began to move. Like a video playing in reverse, they slowly joined together and reformed into a chair. The cracks were still there, but at a glance, they seemed fewer than before.
Pulling out a piece of string, he measured one of the longest cracks. A smile of delight appeared on his face.
Compared to the last repair, the crack was shorter! He quickly opened his notebook and began recording again.
[…As expected, using this power to repair objects is completely feasible. The reason I cannot fully restore them yet is simply because I have not completely mastered the power! And as my control steadily improves, the repairs become increasingly effective!]
After the joy faded, Li Weide looked down at his own hand, a trace of melancholy unusual for someone his age showing on his youthful face. Though this ability was miraculous and full of potential, if he had a choice… he would still prefer to remain in his own era.
Yes, Li Weide was a transmigrator. A week ago, while working on a crucial experiment in his laboratory, his vision suddenly went black. When he came to, he was here—and his body had reverted to about eleven years old. Most astonishing of all, he discovered he had gained the strange ability to easily influence other things around him.
Only after being taken in as an orphan and sent to the orphanage did he fully accept this absurd reality and quickly investigate the basic situation of this world.
It turned out to be Britain in the 1930s. To be exact, London in 1938.
1938 was by no means a good year. A failed art student was about to ignite a world war, and London would soon be reduced to rubble under relentless bombings.
With crisis looming, Li Weide felt that the strange power within him might become his greatest reliance. Moreover, his curiosity about it had only grown.
Thus, he quickly began training and experimenting with his ability. So far, progress had been remarkably smooth.
Unknowingly, Li Weide had already passed his first week in this era, wholly absorbed in his experiments.
After a short rest, he once again disassembled the chair, preparing for the second trial of his repair experiment. Time was running out—war was approaching.
Bang!
Suddenly, the tightly shut door was kicked open. The wooden door slammed against the wall with a loud crash.
Li Weide frowned and looked up. A boy about the same age as his current self stood in the doorway.
The boy had black hair and strikingly handsome features, the kind that easily drew favor… though the effect was ruined by his deathly pale skin and sinister eyes.
"So, you must be the new Easterner." The boy looked him over. His voice was smooth, yet carried a strange arrogance. "Nothing special about you… So tell me, how did you convince that old hag to give you the best room? Was it with that pretty face of yours?"
Li Weide's expression remained calm as he replied, "Your way of knocking is certainly… unique."
Thanks to his former profession, his English was excellent, so communication posed no problem.
"You sound defiant. A week ago, another idiot tried defying me." A cruel smile twisted the boy's lips. "That night, I hung his pet rabbit from the rafters."
"Oh?" Li Weide noticed the unhealthy gleam in his smile. "So doing that brings you joy?"
"Joy? No. I only do it so they fear me." The boy stepped into the room. "Only when people fear you will they obey and follow your commands. I've never tolerated anyone going against my will."
"I see… Then may I ask, sir—who wishes others to fear him—what exactly is it you want me to do?" Li Weide asked with interest.
At first, he thought the boy might simply be another troubled orphan who enjoyed tormenting small animals. But now, it seemed the reality was different.
Seeing Li Weide appear willing to yield, the boy smirked triumphantly.
"I asked Mrs. Cole many times to move into this room… but she always kept me in that damp, dark corner on the ground floor…" His eyes locked tightly onto Li Weide's.
Li Weide nodded. "So, you want to switch rooms with me."
"You're much smarter than the others." The boy was pleased by how quickly he understood. "In fact, if that old hag hadn't locked me in the cupboard for a week because of that rabbit, I'd have come much sooner."
Li Weide nodded again. "I completely understand. No one wants to live in a damp, dark place forever…"
"So, you agree?"
"No. I refuse."
(End of Chapter)