2 We are God’s Favorite Children

Hong Xiaofu lived in a bungalow with a yard in an old town near Shengyang Research High School. 

At a time where one could strike gold overnight, there were plans to demolish the town that Hong Xiaofu resided in. Of course, it was not a big deal for the Chinese, as they were used to moving.

However, that was not the point. The point was that all the houses in the town, with more than 20 households in total, belonged to Hong Xiaofu's landlord and that… was awesome. 

Standing in front of the no.122 unit, Hong Xiaofu opened the door and entered the courtyard as he shouted, "Xiaoling, I'm back!"

Just as the words left his mouth, a figure pounced on Hong Xiaofu.

It was a twelve-year-old little girl. She was nearly five foot two and had a pretty face, with big, bright eyes and a friendly smile. She was wearing a white dress.

"Brother, you are finally home!" 

It was Hong Xiaofu's little sister, Shen Xiaoling. 

She ran to Hong Xiaofu before halting right in front of him. She sniffed and exclaimed, "Wait, that's a familiar scent! It smells like machinery parts!"

Upon hearing that, Hong Xiaofu was at a loss for words, "How is your nose so sensitive? How do you even know this scent?" 

As Hong Xiaofu said that, he reached into his bag and pulled out a freshly cleaned device. 

He had found it on the side of the street on his way back home. As he knew that Shen Xiaoling would like it, he had decided to bring it back home. 

In the end, ShenXiaoling had not noticed the smell of breakfast crêpes in his bag; instead, she had smelled the machinery device he had brought home. 

It was a mystery how Shen Xiaoling's mind worked... didn't girls usually enjoy eating and beauty? How did his sister start gaining interest in such a messy hobby?

"This is so beautiful!" Shen Xiaoling exclaimed happily the moment she saw the machinery piece. She quickly grabbed the item from Hong Xiaofu and carefully examined it from all angles, "This should be… it's a–"

After examining the object for a while, Shen Xiaoling could not figure out what it was. However, that did not affect her mood at all. She pulled Hong Xiaofu into the house and said, "Brother, come to my workshop! I have something to show you!"

Hong Xiaofu replied, "What have you found again?"

Who knew that a 12-year-old could have a workshop?

Of course, the workshop was just the garage that came with the bungalow unit and it was about a dozen square meters and not considered large.

Shen Xiaoling seems to have an innate habit of collecting items, and the entire garage was filled with strange machinery parts that she had accumulated. 

The larger items included car shock absorbers and vehicle-related parts, while the smaller items consist of things like circuit boards and steel screws. As long as the items were related to some sort of machine, they could be found in Shen Xiaoling's workshop. 

A small object appeared before Hong Xiaofu's eyes. The object that was placed on the table was about three centimeters long and a centimeter wide. The material was rather peculiar: it exuded a dark light, giving the object the shape of a diamond. Most importantly, there were complex, intricate patterns found on its surface. 

"What is this?" Hong Xiaofu asked as he stepped forward to inspect the object. 

Shen Xiaoling had managed to drill a hole through it. She picked it up and pushed a black rope through it before handing it to Hong Xiaofu, "Brother, I found this in the courtyard today. Shall I make it into a necklace for you?"

"Sure!" Hong Xiaofu took the newly made necklace and wore it on his neck. He smiled and replied. "Whatever you say this is!"

The two of them laughed for a while before Hong Xiaofu took Shen Xiaoling's hand and guided her back into the room, "Alright, let's go and eat."

Shen Xiaoling smiled sweetly and answered, "Okay!" 

One should always have habits in life. 

Hong Xiaofu and Shen Xiaoling sat at the dinner table, a piece of breakfast crêpe placed in front of them. Together, they closed their eyes and clasped their hand together before saying in unison, "We are God's favourite children!"

Hong Xiaofu prayed, "Thank you, teachers!" 

Shen Xiaoling thanked, "Thank you to our society!"

After expressing their gratitude, both Hong Xiaofu and Shen Xiaoling opened their eyes and enjoyed the breakfast crêpes. 

Although they were orphans, they were happy with their lives. They remained optimistic and grateful. Both of them knew that without the stable social climate of the time, they would not have survived. 

They were also aware that without the goodwill of those around them, they would not have been as happy as they were. 

As life gave them hope, they returned life a smile. 　　

As long as there was hope, everything would improve. 

Sure enough, it was as if the necklace could hear Hong Xiaofu's prayers. There was a faint warmth on his chest.

"Hell yeah, brother." Shen Xiaoling said as she enjoyed the breakfast crêpe. "Did anything interesting happen in school today? Did anyone experience the Awakening?"

The Awakening had been a popular topic among everyone. Other than the trivial entertainment gossips, all daily discussions had been centered around the Awakening. 

Who had been Awakened, who had been hired by whom, who had bought a car or a house… it was all people could talk about.

"The Monitor of Class 15 has Awakened, he is a Comprehensive Strengthening System's Awakener. He is strong." 

As he spoke, Hong Xiaofu felt quite envious indeed. 

The world recognized three broad categories of Awakeners. 

First, those in the Functional System. Awakeners in that category possessed a wide variety of abilities such as flying, object control, and manipulation. Although they had average levels of combat effectiveness, Awakeners in that category were well-loved by major corporations as they could make deliveries by flying

Then, there was the Elements System. Awakeners in that category possessed great combat abilities. For instance, they had the ability to control ice, fire and lightning. Most importantly, they had a huge potential for growth and countries paid special attention to Awakeners of that group.

Finally, there was the Strengthening System. The abilities possessed by Awakeners in that group were arguably the most practical: they had enhanced sensory abilities, such as improved memory, sight, hearing, strength, and speed. Among these Awakeners, those who experienced Comprehensive Awakening experienced the enhancement of all sensory abilities!

It was not an exaggeration to say that the Comprehensive Awakener was a natural warrior. There were no opponents whose skills were on par with those of a Comprehensive Awakener. 

"Wow!" Shen Xiaoling's eyes lit up the moment she heard about the Comprehensive Awakener. She commented enviously, "That's so awesome! He can now get a great breakthrough and soar up in the sky!"

"That's not it." Hong Xiaofu said with a smile, "He has been accepted into Tsinghua University. Isn't that great? Alright, let's not talk about this. I have to finish my work. Finish your homework after you are done eating." 

"Hm, okay." 

After instructing his sister, Hong Xiaofu sat in front of the computer—which was a hand-me-down from his Class Chairperson, Suying. Suying's family was going to trade in this computer for a thousand dollars but upon knowing that Hong Xiaofu did not own one, he sold the used computer to Hong Xiaofu at a price of five hundred dollars. 

Although the computer was considered obsolete, it had in fact only been used for two years. A similar computer of the same configuration would have cost three to four thousand dollars. 

After he had received his computer, his neighbour, Uncle Zhang, gave Hong Xiaofu his wi-fi password, allowing him to resume his game training. The job paid him one thousand five hundred dollars a month—it was not considered a tiring, and Hongfu found it relatively easy to complete.

He took out his mobile phone to send a message to Zhao Ming.

<I'm getting ready to go online, will you be on today?>

<No, 200 I don't think I'll be able to make it today. have a huge pile of homework complete. You can go ahead and practice. If there are new items, please let me know. The Wishing Drake War Drum! you manage get it, will pay dollars in red packets!>

<Are you sure? You have to give it me!>

He immediately turned on the computer. 

The Wishing Drake War Drum was the best weapon for ghost-type swordsmen in the current version of the game Dungeon and Warriors: a giant sword of the highest quality. 

Hong Xiaofu skilfully started the game and logged into the portal before sorting out his game equipment inventory. After selecting the right weapons, he entered the abyss part of the game. 

To Hong Xiaofu, it was necessary to earn the Wishing Drake War Drum, though in fact there was nothing extravagant about it. After the game's recent upgrade, countless users tirelessly repeated the level, in hopes of earning the epic weapon. However, only a handful would manage to own the Wishing Drake War Drum. 

At that very moment, Hong Xiaofu saw a glimmer of golden light on the screen as he killed the BOSS on the stage. 

"I wonder what lousy weapon I got this time round," Hong Xiaofu grumbled as he habitually opened his backpack. 

As he had been helping Zhao Ming clear each stage of the game day by day, Hong Xiaofu had seen the common weapons at least eight hundred times and gotten used to them. 

As he opened the backpack, his eyes widened in shock. 

"That--that--" Hong Xiaofu stammered as he read the name of the weapon. His voice became husky and strained, "Really?! The Wishing Drake War Drum?! Yes! It really is the Wishing Drake War Drum!" 

Hong Xiaofu sat in silence for a while before bursting out in laughter, "Two hundred dollars in my pockets!"