Chapter 64: Chapter 59: The Center of a Storm of Rumors

It was late at night, but Mr. Stanford’s house was still filled with the constant sound of CLANGING and BANGING.

Normally, late-night construction in the neighborhood would draw an inquiry from the community association—

What’s that? The construction is at the home of the community association’s president?

Oh, well. Never mind then.

"Mr. Maurice Stanford," Li Wei said, stepping forward ahead of Don Quixote. "Still up this late?"

Mr. Stanford was directing a few workers as they nailed something to the doors and windows. The beams from flashlights and spotlights on the ground sliced the whole house into jagged pieces.

"Reinforce this part here... Oh, it’s you two, the uncle and nephew." He turned and smiled upon seeing the armored Don Quixote and Li Wei. "I have to go on a long trip tomorrow, so I made an urgent call to have the doors and windows reinforced. I’d rather not get robbed again."

"Good morning, civilian!" Don Quixote declared loudly. "Rest assured, with Knight Don Quixote present, a few petty thieves are of no concern!"

"Er..." Maurice Stanford paused for a moment before replying, "Thank you, Knight Don Quixote, for your contributions to the community."

"It is merely my duty!" Don Quixote boomed with satisfaction. "If you require any assistance, you need only ask!"

"Anthony!" a worker on the wall called to his partner. "Help me lift that sheet of tempered glass over here!"

"I shall help!"

Hearing one of his subjects in need of aid, Don Quixote was about to rush forward without a second thought, startling Li Wei into quickly stepping in to stop him.

The last time, Don Quixote had failed to move the statue and had gone back to train arduously for ten days, not sleepwalking for that entire time. If he failed to move this sheet of tempered glass, which weighed over a hundred pounds, he might disappear for another period.

After some strenuous persuasion, Li Wei ended up taking on another [Help the Subjects of the Fief] quest from him.

After carefully lifting the tempered glass and handing it up, he received a reward of [Constitution +0.1].

With his Constitution reaching 2.5, Li Wei could now feel his heart rate slowing even further. It seemed to have dropped below 30 beats per minute. It felt less like a heart in his chest and more like an industrial pump. Every breath he took carried several times more oxygen than a normal person’s, delivering it throughout his body and providing him with a ceaseless supply of energy.

Ever since his Constitution had risen above 2.1, he didn’t feel much fatigue even when playing a full game. Now, he was confident he could maintain high-speed movement for an entire quarter.

Maurice Stanford was also surprised to see Li Wei lift the large sheet of tempered glass, which weighed over a hundred pounds, all by himself.

"You two have done more for this community than a whole squad of police," he said, looking curiously at Don Quixote. "Li Wei, what does your uncle do for work during the day?"

"Right now, he’s a patrolman and an accountant for a property management company," Li Wei interjected. "But he might switch jobs after a while. I’m not sure about the specifics."

Maurice Stanford nodded thoughtfully, thanked Li Wei and Don Quixote, and then went back to directing the workers.

Don Quixote and Li Wei also completed their daily patrol before returning home.

The effects of his high Spirit and Constitution allowed Li Wei to maintain his energy for the entire day on just two to three hours of sleep.

’I wonder if a Constitution and Spirit of 3.0 or higher would let me metabolize sleep completely?’ Li Wei thought. ’That would be like having almost a third more time than everyone else.’

...

On Wednesday morning, the air at Franklin K. Lane High School was thick with the smell of not just weed and cigarettes, but also something called "excitement."

The moment Li Wei stepped through the school gates, he felt countless gazes sweep over him like radar beams. The level of attention was even more intense than before he had made his name in that one game.

It was because Coach Miller—that old black man with a voice like a megaphone, a mind as narrow as a horse’s ass, and an inability to keep a secret—had already broadcast yesterday’s news to the entire universe.

"Did you hear? That Asian kid got a 4-star player rating from a famous scout!"

"More than just 4-star! I heard all he has to do is show up at a training camp and he’ll get a 5-star certification. That’s a 5-star player! You can’t even find 50 of them in the entire United States of America!"

The news that Li Wei had already locked down a full-ride scholarship to a top university—and even rumors that he was a lock for a future number one draft pick in the NFL—were mutating like a virus as they spread through the school’s hallways.

"I saw my boy Li Wei’s greatness from a mile away," Travis said smugly. "Ever since I saw him drink that loser Evan under the table at the party that night, I knew—"

"This guy was destined for big things," he said, bobbing his head. "He drank three whole jungle juices and didn’t even go to the bathroom. His bladder is scary strong, which means his constitution must be scary strong, too."

"Tell us the details," some of the cheerleaders clamored. "We weren’t there, we didn’t get to see it!"

"Evan, that big dumbass, had a few sips of piss-water and started picking a fight with Li Wei," Travis said, gesturing vividly. "Li Wei was downing the jungle juice like it was water. Before the third round was even over, Evan was puking his guts out all over the floor, hugging Li Wei’s shoes and crying like a little lost chick looking for its mommy."

The crowd burst into uproarious laughter.

"And that’s not even the best part," Travis said, lowering his voice. His face twisted into a strange expression, a mixture of pity and wild amusement. "The best part is, after Evan blacked out, guess who led him away?"

"Who? Did Daphne have a change of heart?" one of the players heckled.

"Daphne? No, no, no," Travis said with a wave of his hand. "It was a slender ’beauty’ with long hair. He had been staring at Li Wei the whole time, but probably saw Li Wei wasn’t interested. So in the end, he helped Evan upstairs."

"He?" someone said. "Shouldn’t that be ’she’? Did you misspeak?"

"I didn’t misspeak, and that’s the most interesting part of the story," Travis said, slapping the table and laughing so hard that tears started to well up in his eyes. "Li Wei had warned me beforehand. That dude was a guy."

"I can’t even imagine the look on Evan’s face when he woke up from his hangover the next morning and found a chick with a dick lying next to him!"

The twist plunged the entire cafeteria into a second of dead silence, followed by an explosion of laughter so loud it could have shattered the windowpanes.