Chapter 20: The New Function of the Portable Space

Time slipped away in the silence of the night. Li Haibo did not dare to slacken for a moment, his forehead beaded with sweat.

As the first light of dawn touched the sky, Li Haibo let out a soft sigh—he still couldn't open it.

He had wasted the entire night without making any progress. It was truly worthy of its reputation as the most secure safe in the world. Looking at the brightening sky, Li Haibo helplessly tucked the safe into his personal infinite storage space. Just then, as the safe vanished, a gust of wind blew, causing a piece of paper on the nightstand to flutter down and disappear.

"Huh?" Li Haibo stared at the white paper inside his storage space with a look of utter bewilderment. "I didn't mean to collect that!"

After a moment's thought, Li Haibo retrieved the paper, placed it back on the nightstand, and moved the safe back to its original position. He tried storing it again, but this time, a breeze passed and the paper remained unmoved.

Was it just a coincidence?

Li Haibo pondered for a moment, then crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it forcefully against the wall. At the same time, he extended his left hand and focused his mind. As the paper ball hit the wall and bounced back, it vanished.

Brilliant. After a few more attempts, Li Haibo finally confirmed that he could open an invisible portal of space in front of him using his mind. Any object that actively collided with this portal would be swallowed up.

Furthermore, swallowed objects could be released in reverse; that is to say, the speed at which the paper ball flew into the portal was the same speed at which it flew out. Moreover, he had no idea how large this portal was, as the room was too small to test it properly.

Excited, Li Haibo ran outside. Perfect—it was lightly snowing.

Li Haibo raised his left hand, palm facing upward, and focused his intent. Suddenly, within a ten-meter radius centered on him, every snowflake that descended to the height of his palm vanished.

Li Haibo trembled with excitement.

This was absolutely incredible. Just imagine: facing dozens of machine guns spewing tongues of flame, all he would need to do was extend his left hand, and every incoming bullet would be swallowed—and not just swallowed, but sent right back the way it came.

"Ha... ha... ha! I, Lord Bo, am invincible!" Li Haibo danced with joy. With this spatial portal, let alone guns, he wouldn't even fear cannons!

Once he calmed down, a thought flashed through his mind. Since inanimate moving objects could pass through the mysterious portal, what about a living, moving person? Could they pass through as well?

He reasoned that if someone were just standing still, he couldn't force them into the portal, but if they were moving toward it on their own? It might just work.

This idea took root in his mind like a seed, driving him to find out.

After thinking it over carefully, Li Haibo decided to experiment. He hurried over to the crude chicken coop, lunged forward to grab a sleeping hen, and threw it into the air with all his might.

The little hen, which had been resting peacefully in its dreams, was terrified out of its wits by the sudden turn of events.

It widened its eyes in horror, flapping its wings frantically in a desperate attempt to regain control of its fate. Then, with a "poof," the hen vanished.

"Hahaha... Wait!?"

The hen, just released from the infinite storage space, was now lying motionless on the ground.

His heart tightened. Could it be dead?

He hurried over to check. Fortunately, he found the hen still had a faint breath; it had merely fainted.

Li Haibo breathed a small sigh of relief, but curiosity drove him to reach out and touch the hen again. "Poof..."

Brilliant. Living creatures, as long as they were unconscious and lacked autonomy, could still be successfully stored in the personal infinite space.

This discovery sparked countless bold ideas in his mind. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Hmm! If this is the case, if I ever want to kidnap someone..."

Li Haibo looked at the hen, which was slowly waking up, and asked solemnly, "Chicken, what did you see?"

The hen, its sleep disturbed, was furious and unleashed a tirade at Li Haibo: "Every country has its own national anthem..."

Li Haibo snapped its neck with a crisp *crack*. "Don't blame me, you knew too much!"

Li Haibo walked back into the main room as if nothing had happened. "Mom! We're having chicken tonight!"

Mother Li walked out, wrapping a coat around herself, and said with regret, "Oh my! That was the hen I was saving for eggs. How did it die?"

"Who knows?" Li Haibo replied casually, then turned and went back to his room to catch up on sleep.

...

After daybreak, the snow stopped. A sleep-deprived but highly invigorated Li Haibo walked out of his home.

Mother Li’s gaze followed her son’s receding figure. His eyes, once bright, were now bloodshot and filled with exhaustion.

She couldn't help but let out a deep sigh. "Is the burden not too heavy? Sigh! This damned world!"

She shook her head slowly, then knelt before the old shrine. Mother Li clasped her hands together, her lips moving softly as she began to chant.

The other children had also risen. After a simple breakfast at home, Xin Zai headed out to sell newspapers, Xiao Hei went to the train station to shine shoes, and A Sheng wandered the streets selling cigarettes. The younger ones stayed home to help with chores.

"Old Ma! A bowl of wontons!"

"Coming right up! Just a moment, Xiao Bo!" Old Ma responded enthusiastically.

"How come Xiao Ma isn't here?" Li Haibo asked casually as he found a seat.

"He went out early this morning. Quanyi rented a rickshaw from Master Huang San's agency," Old Ma said while expertly boiling the wontons. "Even after paying the daily rent, he can still earn a few cents! It's not much, but it's enough to scrape by."

"That's great! A young man with strength, as long as he isn't lazy, he won't starve. Once he saves some money in a few years and finds a wife, life will be perfect. You just wait to hold your grandson!" Li Haibo said with a smile.

"Hey! In these times, just staying alive is hard enough; I don't dare hope for anything else!" Old Ma shook his head helplessly.

"No matter how hard the times are, life must go on. Once he has a family, he'll have something to look forward to!"

"I'll take your word for it!" Old Ma replied with a bitter smile.

After finishing breakfast, Li Haibo reached into his pocket and felt a sudden wave of embarrassment—not a single cent. He then remembered he had given all the money to his mother for grain.

He said apologetically, "Uncle Ma, I forgot my money. Could I pay you tomorrow?"

"No, no! Consider it on the house!" Old Ma waved his hand quickly.

"I can't let you treat me, I'll pay you tomorrow!"

"Xiao Bo, really, you've already helped our family so much. I haven't even thanked you for helping Quanyi get his 'good citizen' card last time. One breakfast is something I can afford!" Old Ma said sincerely.

"One thing is one thing. If I helped Xiao Ma, that's between me and him—that's a matter between two brothers. How can I let you pay for it? I'll settle it tomorrow, that's that. I'm off to work!" After saying this, Li Haibo hurried away.

"Heh heh... Xiao Bo is a righteous lad!"