Chapter 4 | Things She Shouldn't Know

It rained lightly during the night.

The morning air was damp, and water dripped from the eaves, one drop at a time, tapping on the bluestone slabs. Chen Ye woke up very early, but didn't get up immediately. He lay in bed, listening to the sounds outside, while his mind replayed every detail of yesterday's deep mountain.

The wild boar's charge trajectory, the feel of the trigger, the system's "slow down" at that instant.

It was too clear.

This clarity was unsettling.

A subtle sound came from the yard.

Not his parents.

Chen Ye frowned, turned over, got out of bed, and pushed open the door.

His younger sister, Chen Xue, was squatting in the corner, holding a small knife in her hand. In front of her were several peeled bamboo strips. Her movements were slow but steady.

"What are you doing?" Chen Ye asked.

Chen Xue was startled, looked up at him, and her eyes were a little abnormally bright.

"I... I want to make a fish basket." She pointed to the side. "There were too many fish you brought back yesterday, and Mom said a bamboo basket is useful."

This reason sounded very normal.

But Chen Ye saw the problem at a glance.

Those bamboo strips were peeled too evenly.

It was something a novice couldn't do.

"Have you peeled bamboo before?" Chen Ye asked casually.

Chen Xue shook her head, "No."

"Then how do you know to make the knife at this angle?"

Chen Xue was stunned for a moment.

She lowered her head, looking at her hand as if she had just realized the problem, and her voice was hesitant: "I... I don't know, I just felt that doing it this way would be smoother."

Chen Ye didn't ask again.

But in his heart, waves were already rising.

At that moment, the system unexpectedly popped up a line of information:

【Detected a near-range abnormal adaptation fluctuation】

【Source: Non-contracted person】

【Status: Not awakened / High potential】

Chen Ye's breathing obviously paused.

This was the first time.

The system had taken the initiative to mention someone else.

And that person was standing in front of him.

His mother soon came out to call them to breakfast. Chen Xue put away the bamboo strips, sat at the table as if nothing had happened, and obediently ate porridge.

But Chen Ye noticed that her movements were more agile than before, and her judgment was also faster.

As soon as the hot porridge was served, she had already moved the bowl to the side half an inch, just avoiding the hot spot.

It wasn't a coincidence.

After breakfast, his father went to the commune.

His mother went to the river to wash clothes.

Only the siblings were left in the yard.

Chen Ye leaned against the door frame, his tone as relaxed as possible: "Xiao Xue, did you... have a strange dream yesterday?"

Chen Xue looked up at him, her eyes flickered.

"How did you know?"

Chen Ye's heart tightened.

"What did you dream about?"

Chen Xue thought for a moment and said in a low voice: "I dreamed you were in the mountains, being chased by something. Not a wild boar... a black shadow, I couldn't see the face. I wanted to call you, but I couldn't."

She paused for a moment and added:

"But I knew which way you would run."

That sentence sent a chill down Chen Ye's spine.

That route, even Wang Hu and Zhao Yan didn't know.

The system prompted again:

【Abnormal resonance enhanced】

【Suggestion: Maintain distance and observe】

【Warning: Premature intervention may trigger backlash】

Chen Ye hesitated for the first time about the system.

That wasn't someone else.

It was his sister.

In the afternoon, Chen Ye went to the river bend to fish as usual.

This time, Chen Xue came out with him.

"I want to learn," she said.

Chen Ye didn't refuse, but he chose the safest and most open section of the river. He pretended to fish seriously while secretly observing.

Chen Xue's learning speed was off the charts.

After only watching three casts, she could judge the wind direction;

As soon as the fishing line moved, she could sense it half a second earlier than Chen Ye.

That wasn't experience.

That was intuition.

【Prompt】

【Potential contract adaptation rate evaluation in progress...】

【Current valuation: 71%】

The moment the number jumped out, Chen Ye almost dropped his fishing rod into the water.

Over seventy percent.

He knew what that meant.

In the evening, when he returned home, Wang Hu happened to come over from outside.

He lowered his voice: "Chen Ye, the black market is asking about you."

Chen Ye nodded: "I know."

Wang Hu glanced at Chen Xue beside him and didn't say any more.

But Chen Xue suddenly spoke: "They will come from the south."

Both were stunned at the same time.

"How do you know?" Wang Hu asked subconsciously.

Chen Xue realized that she had slipped up, and hastily lowered her head: "I, I guessed."

But at that moment, even Wang Hu felt something was wrong.

Late at night.

Chen Ye sat alone behind the house, his consciousness sinking into the space.

The space was more stable than yesterday, and the edges seemed to be reinforced by an invisible force.

The system slowly surfaced with new information:

【Hidden mechanism prompt】

【Contract is not unique】

【Blood ties, resonance, choice】

【Will determine the final direction】

Chen Ye didn't move for a long time.

He suddenly realized—

The appearance of the system might not be that "it chose him,"

But rather, it followed him and turned its gaze to this family.

A slight turning sound came from the room.

His sister was not sleeping soundly.

Chen Ye stood up, looked at the old wooden door, and for the first time felt a strong thought:

No matter what the system wants to do, he couldn't let Chen Xue be involved too early.

The black market, the mountains, firearms, life and death—

These things should have been blocked by him.

And in the darkness, the system's last line of prompt, quietly emerged:

【After the observation phase ends】

【Contract selection will no longer be one-way】

The night wind blew, and the shadows of the trees swayed.

Chen Ye knew that from this moment on, things were no longer just the story of "he became stronger."