Level 2

After an hour of gaming, Lin Xiao glanced at the time and realized he needed to head home to complete his daily mission. "Hey, guys, I have to get going. I'll see you all tomorrow," he said, standing up and stretching.

"Alright, take care, Lin Xiao," Zhang Wei replied, waving as Lin Xiao left the internet cafe.

Lin Xiao started running home, his thoughts focused on completing his daily mission. However, he couldn't shake off his curiosity about the police activity he had read about earlier.

He decided to make a quick stop to check out the place where the police were camping to protect the office worker receiving the mysterious balloons.

The location was a nondescript office building, seemingly quiet and ordinary.

But Lin Xiao's heightened intelligence, a gift from his system, allowed him to spot subtle details that most people would overlook.

As he approached the area, he noticed a few inconspicuous cars parked strategically around the building. The drivers were all wearing plain clothes but their demeanor was alert and watchful.

Lin Xiao also observed a couple of people lingering nearby, seemingly engaged in casual activities like reading newspapers or talking on their phones, but their eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings.

He remembered reading that the office worker had been receiving ominous messages attached to balloons, and the police had decided to go undercover to catch the culprit.

Despite their best efforts to blend in, the officers' sharp gazes and strategic positioning gave them away to Lin Xiao's observant eyes.

He walked past the building, pretending to be just another passerby. As he did, he noticed a man sitting on a bench, seemingly engrossed in his phone.

However, the way the man occasionally glanced up and scanned the street made it clear he was part of the surveillance team.

Lin Xiao also spotted a woman across the street, leaning against a lamppost with a book in her hand.

Every few minutes, she would look up and make eye contact with the man on the bench, subtle signals passing between them.

Feeling a bit like a spy himself, Lin Xiao couldn't help but admire the coordination and effort the police were putting into this operation.

He made a mental note of everything he saw, filing it away in case it could be useful later. Satisfied with his observations, he continued his run home.

As he approached his house, the system notification popped up.

[Run 1 km completed - Reward: +0.5 Stamina +10 Exp]

Lin Xiao smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishment. He only had one more daily mission to complete before he could level up. He entered his house, greeted his mother, and headed toward the room.

As Lin Xiao made his way up to his room, he paused at the sight that greeted him in the living room.

Lil' Blackie and Xiao Bai were perched on top of each other, forming a perfect cat pyramid. Both of them were adorned with pink bows around their necks, looking utterly adorable.

Lin Meiying was kneeling next to them, giggling and playing with a toy mouse, trying to entice the cats. As soon as she noticed Lin Xiao standing there, she quickly stood u, hid the toy mouse, and crossed her arms, her expression shifting to one of indifference.

"Mom made them wear these bows," she said, her voice dripping with feigned disinterest.

Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow, about to tease her, when Xiao Bai's thoughts suddenly entered his mind with surprising fluency. "Xiao Xiao, Lin Meiying was the one that gave us these bows."

Lin Xiao's eyes widened in surprise. "You can speak so fluently now?" he thought back, astonished at Xiao Bai's sudden improvement in communication.

"Yes, Xiao Xiao," came the confident reply.

Suppressing a smile, Lin Xiao decided to play along with his sister's pretense. "Oh, really? Mom made them wear those?" he said, feigning innocence as he walked over to the cats. "They look so cute, though."

Lin Meiying's facade cracked for a moment, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks before she regained her composure. "Yeah, well, she thought they would look nice," she mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

Lin Xiao chuckled, reaching out to pet Lil' Blackie and Xiao Bai. "Well, they do look nice."

As he headed up to his room, he thought how despite his sister's attempt to hide it, he could see that she was starting to warm up to the cats, just as he was.

Inside his room, Lin Xiao carefully placed Lil' Blackie and Xiao Bai in their cat bed. However, no sooner had he set Xiao Bai down than the mischievous cat teleported onto Lin Xiao's head, settling there comfortably.

"Really, Xiao Bai?" Lin Xiao chuckled, reaching up to gently lift the cat down. "You just got those powers and already you're showing off."

Xiao Bai's thoughts came through clearly, "Xiao Xiao, it's fun up here."

Lin Xiao couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, let's see how you're both doing with speaking. Xiao Bai, can you say my name again?"

"Lin Xiao," Xiao Bai responded, his thoughts translating almost seamlessly into words.

"Great job! Now you, Lil' Blackie. Can you say 'Lin Xiao'?"

"Lin Xiao," came the hesitant but clear reply from Lil' Blackie.

Lin Xiao smiled, impressed with their progress. "You're both getting really good at this. Now, what about your skills? Let's test them out again."

He retrieved a small rubber ball and placed it in front of Lil' Blackie. "Lil' Blackie, can you use your time control on this ball?"

Lil' Blackie's eyes glowed faintly as she concentrated on the ball, but the same thing happened as the last time, the ball cracked.

Lin Xiao noticed that her powers hadn't developed further since the last time they practiced. "It's okay, Lil' Blackie. Keep practicing, and you'll get better."

Next, he turned to Xiao Bai. "Alright, Xiao Bai. Can you show me some teleportation again?"

Xiao Bai gave a tiny nod and disappeared from Lin Xiao's side, reappearing instantly on the other side of the room.

The teleportation was flawless, but Lin Xiao noticed that it was just as it had been the last time they practiced. "Good job, Xiao Bai. Your skills are still impressive."

Satisfied with their progress, Lin Xiao sat back down. "You both are doing great with your speaking, but it looks like your skills are still at the same level. Don't worry, though. We'll keep practicing, and I'm sure you'll get stronger."

Xiao Bai and Lil' Blackie both purred in response, seemingly content with the praise. Lin Xiao smiled at his cats.

Lin Xiao settled onto his bed, crossing his legs and closing his eyes, ready to focus on his meditation.

He took a deep breath, inhaling slowly and exhaling even slower, trying to clear his mind of all distractions. He pictured a calm, serene place, allowing the image to take over his thoughts.

Gradually, he felt himself slipping into a meditative state. The worries of the day began to fade away, replaced by a deep sense of calm.

He focused on his breathing, letting each breath guide him deeper into meditation. Minutes passed, and Lin Xiao could feel his body relaxing, his mind becoming more attuned to the process.

After what felt like an eternity, he heard the familiar chime in his mind.

[Ding... Daily Meditation Mission Completed - +0.5 Mana, +10 Exp]

Before Lin Xiao could even react to the mission completion, another notification appeared.

[Ding... Congratulations! You have leveled up to Level 2. You have gained 2 stat points.]

His eyes snapped open in surprise. "Level 2 already? And stat points, too?" He couldn't believe it.

This meant that every time he leveled up, he would become stronger, even without the daily missions. The potential was immense.

"System," Lin Xiao called out, "what new features have been unlocked with this level up?"

[New Features Unlocked: Strength Sharing, Missions]

[Strength Sharing: Cats can share their powers with you, and you can borrow powers from them.]

[Missions: Missions are now divided into four categories - Normal, Intermediate, Difficult, and Hell.]

Lin Xiao's eyes widened in excitement. "Strength sharing? That means I can use Xiao Bai's and Lil' Blackie's powers! And they can borrow mine? That's incredible!"

He felt a surge of excitement and possibilities. If he could share powers with his cats, his capabilities would expand significantly. And the new mission categories promised even more challenges and rewards.

"System, how does the Strength Sharing work?"

[Host can activate Strength Sharing just by thinking about it.]

"Got it," Lin Xiao said, feeling a thrill of anticipation. "What about the missions?"

[Missions are now categorized to offer varying levels of difficulty and rewards. Normal missions are similar to your daily tasks. Intermediate missions will require more effort and offer better rewards. Difficult missions will be challenging and offer substantial rewards. Hell missions are extremely challenging and offer the highest rewards.]

Lin Xiao nodded, absorbing the information. The new features opened up a world of possibilities.

He couldn't wait to start experimenting with Strength Sharing and taking on more challenging missions. The future looked bright and full of potential.