Dawn of a New Era

By the second day, things got even worse. He endured the pain and pulled out three more teeth below.

On the third day, he numbly pulled out another five.

...

And by the seventh day, he had pulled out all his teeth.

In just a few days, his cheeks and mouth had sunken in, and his entire appearance had drastically changed. His originally handsome image had turned into a sneaky and unattractive appearance, making it hard to look at.

In the evening, Chen Shouyi looked at himself in the mirror, baring his teeth. The new, sharp, white front teeth emerging made him feel nothing; his face was numb with indifference.

This is just the darkness before dawn. Just endure a little longer, and soon there will be no need to hide or be ashamed.

He opened the attribute panel and glanced at it.

The days of hard training had shown significant results: his agility increased by 0.1, reaching 14.8. Additionally, both perception and willpower increased by 0.1, now at 12.8 and 13.1, respectively.

In terms of knowledge skills, his archery finally advanced from proficient to mastery level. Although it was just a slight improvement, it was a significant leap. Now his arrow-shooting speed had stabilized from ten arrows per second to thirteen arrows per second.

The progress was truly astonishing.

At this moment, there was a knock at the door: "Bro, Sister Xiao Ling is looking for you?"

"Got it!" Chen Shouyi closed the attribute panel and said.

He felt a bit puzzled. It was already eight o'clock in the evening, a time when most people were already asleep. Why would someone seek them out so late? Had something big happened?

He immediately put on the mask beside him, opened the bedroom and closed the door.

Chen Xingyue had long gotten used to her brother's appearance and felt somewhat powerless to complain.

These past few days, her brother had been acting a bit weird and not normal. He was always elusive, and even during breakfast and dinner, he was nowhere to be seen. If he hadn't been sleeping at home at night, one might have thought he had disappeared.

It's just a lost tooth; is it really worthy of hiding from everyone? Plus, he didn't even think of getting it fixed. She felt her brother's mind was not quite right recently, and she dared not tease him anymore, fearing it would make things worse.

...

Bai Xiaoling sat in the living room, a bit restless. Seeing Chen Shouyi come down, she immediately stood up. Although she found it odd that he wore a mask, she didn't overthink it. After his parents and Chen Xingyue left the room, she immediately said:

"General Manager Chen, why haven't you attended military training?"

"Military training? When did this happen?" Chen Shouyi frowned, puzzled.

"You don't know?" Bai Xiaoling was taken aback. Surprised, she asked, "It started the day before yesterday, hasn't anyone informed you?"

"The day before yesterday?" Chen Shouyi murmured, recalling that his mother and sister had mentioned someone looking for him several times, but they hadn't said what it was about, so he didn't pay much attention.

Over the past few days, because of his tooth issue, he was always elusive, leaving early before dawn and returning home only after dark, with no attention to outside matters.

In fact, storms were brewing in Hedong City these days. Orders were issued not only targeting martial artists but also organizing workers, farmers, students, and urban unemployed residents through their respective units or streets and towns to conduct basic military training while expanding the militia.

Even his villa area held an emergency war evacuation drill while he was absent.

Chen Shouyi explained the situation.

Bai Xiaoling, being sharp, immediately said, "General Manager Chen, someone is definitely scheming against you. Even if they couldn't inform you during the day, they should have at night. Have you offended someone lately?"

He nodded, feeling a chill in his heart. This event, thinking even with his lost tooth, he could guess it was Lei Ruiyang's doing. Unexpectedly, the other party was so sly!

"It's unfortunate that only your parents and sister know about this, which doesn't count as evidence." Bai Xiaoling didn't inquire about whom he had offended. Anyone at his level was beyond her small position's capacity to confront. Pacing around, she thought aloud, "However, maybe we can dig into the one who issued the notice to possibly have the punishment rescinded."

"If no evidence is found, what punishment might I face?" Chen Shouyi solemnly asked.

"It's not clear yet," Bai Xiaoling said:

"The exact penalty hasn't been determined. I heard whispers from a friend working in the city government; those above might not let this slide easily. You, as a martial artist, leading in military training evasion, may be made an example of, at least with a warning."

"What about something more serious?" Chen Shouyi asked.

"There is no precedent for this, so it's hard to gauge, but it likely won't be too severe. At most, it might involve being docked or penalized financially. Let me look into it for you, though chances aren't high since there's no CCTV now."

Chen Shouyi's tightly knitted brows relaxed:

"Forget it, don't bother. If there's punishment, so be it."

A mark on a martial artist is meaningless, negligible at best. Even financial penalties are not a big deal, as last month's salary plus bonuses of 5.65 million would sustain him for a long time.

If the penalty is rescinded and he's asked to continue military training, would he actually go?

"Don't be careless; the higher-ups' impression of you might sour then." Bai Xiaoling said worriedly on his behalf.

...

After Chen Shouyi's advice, Bai Xiaoling soon left.

He returned to his bedroom, his heart still darkened.

Though he didn't want to participate in military training, given the Shell Lady's situation and his image issues, Lei Ruiyang's interference, to some extent, ended up helping him avoid the dilemma. But these petty methods are truly irksome.

He walked to the window, pulled back the curtain, and quietly watched the night outside.

The distant roar of machinery in the industrial area echoed faintly.

"I'll swallow my pride this time, but don't let it happen again..." He touched his sunken cheek, a cold gleam in his eye as he murmured to himself.

"Good Giant, I'm not going to make it. I can't keep my eyes open, I'm going to sleep!"

Hearing the Shell Lady's voice, Chen Shouyi's stern expression softened immediately.

"Don't sleep yet. Eat something first." he quickly said, glancing at the Shell Lady who sat on the bed with her head bobbing and eyes barely open. He immediately took out some honey, mixed half a spoonful with hot water, and placed it in front of her.

"Wake up, hurry and wake up."

Hearing the sound, the Shell Lady opened her heavy eyelids, gazed sleepily at the honey, and drank a few mouthfuls with her head drooping. Her small body swayed slightly like a wobbly dummy before she lay down on the bed and soon started snoring softly.

PS: Sorry for the late chapter.