0124 The Urban Knight-Errant’s Journey

"Surpassed my limits again?"

"This time, it's willpower related to [Spirit], and my courage has increased as well!" Chen Jue stood on the edge of the 20th-floor rooftop, looking down, slightly stunned by the notification popping up on his interface.

The dizzying sensation from a height of over 60 meters should have made anyone's legs turn to jelly, triggering an instinctive urge to retreat to safety. Yet, in Chen Jue's eyes, this 60-meter drop no longer felt like a place of danger. Aside from the biting chill of the early morning wind on the roof, he found himself devoid of the fear that would have paralyzed an ordinary person.

His eyes were as calm as still water, as if he were observing something perfectly mundane. Such a boost in willpower left even Chen Jue feeling a sense of disbelief.

"If I want to temper my courage, high-altitude stimulation really is the way to go," Chen Jue mused to himself. Before the property management or security could track him down, he quickly descended from the roof.

This was the art of "brushing off one's clothes after the deed is done, hiding one's name and identity." Possessing a personality that shunned the spotlight, Chen Jue had no desire to expose himself to the masses. To him, scaling the exterior of a residential building to save a little girl was a noble act, certainly, but it was no different from his daily practice of climbing trees or streetlights. It was just higher and more challenging, and the skill proficiency awarded by the interface was far greater than any previous attempt.

...

As the little girl was brought to safety, the crowd gathered outside the complex erupted into thunderous cheers.

"What a legend! That guy is amazing!"
"Well done!"
"Where are the parents? Have they returned? The child must have been terrified staying up there for so long!"

People were buzzing with discussion, either posting on social media or spreading videos of the rescue into various group chats. As for Wu Fang and her grandfather, they had watched from below in astonishment as Chen Jue continued to climb all the way to the roof after the rescue.

As the crowd dispersed, Wu Fang and her grandfather joined other residents in searching the complex, only to find absolutely no trace of Chen Jue. Even the property management staff were baffled; a young man of that stature, who had risked his life to climb the building and save a child, had vanished without waiting for a word of thanks. It was as if they had encountered a modern-day knight-errant who did good deeds without seeking fame.

Since a life had been saved, the parents and the property management were desperate to find him and express their gratitude.

Seeing everyone debating his identity and whereabouts, Wu Fang, who was observing from the sidelines, stopped her grandfather from speaking up. She knew how much Chen Jue loathed being bothered. When he had killed a dog with a single dart, he had trended nationwide, yet the entire internet failed to uncover his true identity—a testament to how much he valued his privacy.

So, after checking on the little girl and confirming she was unharmed, Wu Fang took the keys and her phone and headed to the park. Sure enough, deep in the park by the lake, she found Chen Jue practicing his horse stance and archery.

"Brother Jue, are you hurt? Why couldn't I find you in the complex earlier?" Wu Fang hid her hands behind her back, leaning in with a graceful posture to look him over.

"Of course I'm not hurt!"

"It was only the height of three gingko trees stacked together; it didn't take much time to climb. Later, when I saw everyone else coming up, I just took the fire escape down to the basement and looped out through the exit," Chen Jue said with a grin, lowering his longbow.

"Brother Jue, you really are immodest!"

Wu Fang was amused by Chen Jue's quick wit, a faint blush appearing on her beautiful face. She pulled her phone and keys from her pocket and handed them to him. "Here, back to you!"

Watching Chen Jue’s effortless and breezy demeanor, Wu Fang felt more and more that this sunny, outstanding, and courageous young man was exactly her type. He wasn't like the peers she encountered online or in daily life, who would show off their superiority the moment they made a little money or achieved a minor success. They would constantly talk about making millions a year, starting companies with hundreds of millions in turnover, or securing rounds of financing—they were so flamboyant.

Chen Jue, by contrast, had truly earned a million in half an hour, possessed incredible talents in darts, climbing, and archery, yet disliked being in the spotlight. He was like a modern-day knight-errant walking through the city, providing a sense of down-to-earth security.

"Thanks. Please make sure your grandfather keeps my role in the rescue a secret!" Chen Jue took the keys with a bashful smile and asked about the little girl.

Upon learning that the negligent parents had gone out to buy groceries and the girl had climbed out the window to retrieve a fallen toy, Chen Jue sighed. These days, news of children getting into accidents frequently topped the trending lists, mostly due to parental carelessness. Moreover, as Hangzhou was a newly minted first-tier city with strict aesthetic requirements, new high-rise residential buildings were prohibited from installing exterior security grilles. They could only use balcony railings or invisible nets, which was why such dangerous incidents of children climbing out of bedroom windows occurred.

After such a close call, the girl's parents had reportedly unbuckled their belts upon learning the truth. If the property management hadn't been there to stop them, they likely would have broken three belts teaching the "little monster" a lesson.

...

Seeing Chen Jue safe and sound by the lake, Wu Fang finally felt at ease. After finishing their morning exercise together, she headed to school. Though she was a high school PE teacher, she had plenty to keep her busy, including leading the morning exercises, so she always arrived early.

Before they parted, Wu Fang acted like a doting wife, specifically warning Chen Jue not to eat at the breakfast shops outside the complex. Having just saved someone, the sharp-eyed shop owners would surely recognize him. If he didn't want to become famous, it was best to stay away from the commercial area of that residential block.

Chen Jue humbly accepted the teacher's advice. After gaining 2 points in free attributes and strength from his horse stance and archery, he drove back to his apartment.

He changed his clothes to avoid being recognized, packed his textbooks, and strolled toward Jiang University. He ate breakfast at the cafeteria and sat in the back row of his classroom. Before the lecture even began, he heard students in the front row discussing the morning's rescue.

"Did you see the video of the rescue this morning?"

"I did! That guy is too insane!"

"He climbed 20 floors in just over a minute. He's like Superman."

"The internet is exploding. The comment section is saying that the guy who saved her is that 'Master of Skills' who just went viral."

"The 'Master of Skills'? The one who plays with darts and needles?"

"That's not all! He has so many talents. He just posted a video last week about climbing a tree to retrieve a dart; he climbed it in seconds. Netizens have already identified his clothes as the same ones."

Hearing the discussion, Chen Jue twitched and slapped his forehead. He didn't like dressing up, so he bought several identical sets of sportswear from a domestic brand. He wore casual clothes for class and sportswear for morning exercises or filming videos. He hadn't expected sharp-eyed netizens to "crack the case" based on such minor details. They truly had nothing better to do than spend all their mental energy on internet sleuthing.

While the medical class hadn't started yet, Chen Jue hurriedly opened the trending list on the video site. Sure enough, two of the top ten trends were related to him.

The first was "Hangzhou man bravely climbs 13 floors to save a little girl," featuring a reporter's interview and detailed footage of his climb. However, because it was recorded from a distance, the resolution was low. Furthermore, since he had climbed over 50 meters, the video didn't capture his face, only his back and a blurred profile.

But such flimsy camouflage couldn't fool the "Sherlock Holmes" of the internet. As soon as the first trend rose, another one appeared: "Identity of the 'Climbing Guy' exposed! Suspected to be the internet celebrity 'Master of Skills'."

Clicking into the comments, he saw a pile of people analyzing everything and tagging him in his old videos.

"Everyone, stop guessing. The only guy on the internet with these climbing skills is this masked fellow. Pointer: @MasterOfSkills"
"The IP address of the video solved the case—it's in Hangzhou, Jiang Province! (Laughing/Crying)"
"The climbing motion is identical to the tree-climbing video. I bet he was just out getting breakfast and saved her on a whim (Husky tongue-out emoji)."
"The clothes are the same, the build is the same—it's definitely him @MasterOfSkills (Dog emoji)."
"I bet 10 packs of spicy strips that it's the Master of Skills (Upvote)."
"Is that you on the trending list? @MasterOfSkills"
"Master of Skills, blink if you haven't been controlled by aliens (Laughing/Crying)."