Chapter 72: Not Bald, Not Strong Anymore?

Chapter 72: Not Bald Anymore, But Also Not Stronger?

Sheng Qingquan opened the novel, and upon hearing his inner thoughts, many people froze mid-tap as they were about to grab the red packets.

Suddenly, tapping didn’t feel right anymore.

But the situation wouldn’t change just because they stopped tapping.

“How could catching some good luck affect my own?!

“Logically speaking, catching some good luck should mean my luck is at its peak right now, and it should keep rising.”

Sheng Qingquan doubled down on this belief but still shifted his attention to the novel.

“No way?”

Sheng Qingquan was shocked.

“Growing hair is actually related to the apocalypse?”

“Can’t something purely good happen in life? Does it always have to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing?”

The staff members, who had perfectly blended into the crowd and were now regarded as just another group of overworked employees, fell into deep silence as they stared at their darkened phone screens, which reflected their fuzzy hair patches.

Yeah, couldn’t we just have some straightforward good news?

He had only just celebrated his bald spot no longer looking like the Mediterranean Sea a few days ago. The newly grown hair hadn’t even had time to grow longer before being told, “Happy about not being bald anymore? It came at the cost of Tianlanxing’s future.”

Who could still smile at that?

Tao Qingmiao gently touched the baby hairs at her hairline. In this line of work, who didn’t face immense pressure? And with great pressure came great hair loss.

When she gathered all her hair, it was just a sad little wisp—not even as thick as a single pigtail on most people.

She had finally seen some improvement and was hoping to finally have thick enough hair for a proper ponytail in the future, only for this to happen.

Guess you really can’t have good hair and world peace?!

“Forget it, forget it. Guess I’m just not that lucky.” Tao Qingmiao dropped her hand with a sigh, as if already seeing the fuzz falling out and her hairline retreating to Everest heights.

No matter what, compared to hair, humanity’s future was far more important.

Heartbroken as they were, everyone shared the same sentiment.

So what if I’m bald? At least I’m stronger now!

In the story, people also realized that the hair loss problem that had long plagued them seemed to have mysteriously gotten better, or even completely resolved.

When they noticed this, they were thrilled. Even though many shampoo brands jumped in with sneaky ads, claiming it was all thanks to their products—just like how terror groups fighting to take credit after an attack—it didn’t dampen their spirits.

The companies made complete fools of themselves, but people just laughed it off.

Who cared? Their hair was back—free entertainment!

Not only did their hair grow back, but its quality also improved dramatically.

For many, hair loss wasn’t the only issue—some struggled with hair texture. Severe frizz, hair like barbed wire, or strands that stuck up like a scared cat’s fur.

Every morning when they looked in the mirror, they thought they’d escaped from a mental ward.

"Some worry about thick, wild hair, while others suffer from thin, flat hair that won’t hold any body."

"Even with a decent amount of hair, the strands are so thin and soft that they lie flat against the scalp, with zero volume or bounce. Not only does it look lifeless, but worst of all—it makes your face look huge. Who could stand looking so much uglier?"

The staff members nodded in silent agreement.

Same struggle, different hair.

"Beyond that, issues like greasy hair despite daily washing, dandruff that wouldn’t quit no matter what shampoo they tried, scalp bumps that hurt and itched like crazy—all these problems gradually improved."

"And over time, they disappeared for good. These troubles vanished entirely."

"Everyone’s hair became full and thick, soft and smooth as silk."

"No split ends, no frizz or dryness, and the scalp became perfectly healthy—no more random itching, no more greasiness after just a day or two without washing, no more flakes everywhere like a snowstorm."

"Even after days without washing, hair remained clean and weightless, just like in shampoo commercials. A comb slid right through it, no tangles at all."

Sheng Qingquan’s words drew everyone into the world he described.

Everyone with such perfect hair... Without thinking, they started smiling.

Then suddenly, they snapped back to reality.

There was a catch!

The fact that it appeared in the prophecy meant the price was surely one they wouldn’t want to pay.

Better to take it with a grain of salt.

"Then someone got sick of their pin-straight hair and went for a perm—only to find their hairstyle unchanged afterward."

"No accidental frizz instead of curls, no mix-ups—just hours of torture with chemicals and hot tools, only to walk out with the same pin-straight hair."

"Even when the salon assumed they’d used the wrong solution and offered a free redo with extra care, the result was the same."

"Even a curling iron couldn’t make it budge."

"That’s when people realized something was wrong."

If that were the only issue, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

Compared to the earlier benefits, not being able to perm your hair was no big deal.

Ask ten people off the street and ask if they’d accept this trade-off—all ten would say yes.

If you want curls, fake it with a wig. No way is that a problem.

But the staff knew this was likely the smallest downside. The real problem lay ahead, and Sheng Qingquan hadn’t even gotten to it yet.

"At first, failed perms were blamed on the stylist’s skill. No one thought much of it."

"After all, walking into a salon smiling and leaving in tears is pretty much a running joke. Who’d suspect something deeper?"

"But then people noticed more than perms—nothing chemical would stick. Even existing styles faded at an alarming rate."

"Previously dyed or permed hair reverted to straight black."

"You could tie it up, pin it with hairpins, or decorate it with accessories. But dye it? Perm it? No way."

"Just as everyone was brainstorming wild theories, speculating whether human genes had changed and hair had finally had enough of chemical abuse and revolted, they realized something else. They couldn’t cut their hair anymore."

"During this period, hair grew unusually fast. Not many guys were used to long hair, so most males’ first instinct when noticing it getting longer was to get a haircut."

"While many women preferred long hair, when it got too long, it got in the way, prompting them to consider shortening it as well."

"Barbershops were suddenly swamped, but not one shop made a dime that day."

"In fact, many shops lost money."

"Customers came in, but neither scissors nor electric clippers could do anything—just bounced right off the hair."

"Not only that, the hair actually dented the blades of scissors and clippers."

"Whoa!" The staff couldn't help but inhale sharply upon hearing this.

"Since when was hair like this?"

"Seriously, it can wreck scissors?"

"Was this hair or steel wire?"

"Even steel wire can be cut with scissors—just with more effort. Steel wire might not necessarily damage scissor blades, yet hair had managed to do so."

"This was seriously wrong here."

"Everyone was stuck with long hair."

"At this point, even people who’d kill for great hair before couldn’t find joy in it."

"This was creepy as hell."

"Meanwhile, some sensitive individuals noticed they had lost a bit of weight, though not severely."

"Then, one morning, people woke up feeling oddly light. Only then did they realize their once-luxurious long hair had vanished. A quick look in the mirror revealed their hair had turned into a close-cropped buzz cut."

"Stepping outside, they saw that everyone—men and women alike—had gone from sporting silky, smooth long hair to extremely short buzz cuts."

"Like sheep freshly shorn for summer."

"Though neither the hair's miraculous improvement nor its bizarre disappearance seemed physically harmful, the government had been digging for answers—yet they kept hitting dead ends."

Even the authorities couldn’t figure it out?

Sheng Qingquan skimmed ahead impatiently.

"So, it turned out that human hair, when woven into fabric, made killer material for a certain alien race—nourishing their bodies and promoting better growth. However, they didn’t dare mess with strong humans."

"Not only did they have to pay high prices, but they often couldn’t get their hands on enough, and even when they did, the hair quality sometimes fell short."

"Then, a traveling merchant from this race, upon discovering the backward planet Tianlanxing was inhabited by many humans, got greedy."

"Backward meant that unless he revealed himself, the humans on this planet would never find him. Thus, even if humans noticed something amiss, they could do nothing but just take it."

"Especially since humans thrived on this planet, facing no significant threats—they were the dominant species. Moreover, human society had entered a stable phase."

"No major conflicts, everyone had enough to eat. Those on the brink of hunger would strive to find work or receive skill training with official support to secure employment. Food shortages were virtually nonexistent."

"In other words, aside from the hair, he can completely ignore humans. Humans are self-sufficient."

"What a perfect self-sustaining pasture!"

"Holy crap!"

"So the government’s efforts to ensure everyone has food, to keep things running, and all the hard work to improve people’s lives—those became the very reasons you targeted Tianlanxing, huh?"

Sheng Qingquan, reading this, felt both shock and fury, but his urge to rant was even harder to suppress.

He was almost too distracted by anger to even process the audacity of someone wanting to farm humans.

"Now *that’s* what I call a capitalist! The kind that deserves to swing from a chandelier!"

"Expecting the horse to run without giving it a single blade of grass."

"Never mind that humans are intelligent beings—even with ordinary animals, when humans want wool, they still take good care of their sheep. They provide feed, nutritional supplements, shelter, medical care when sick, and all-around care. They even take the sheep out for walks and play them music to keep them in good spirits."

"It’s not like they put in zero effort."

"But this guy? He’s a total freeloader! Taking advantage of others to the max."

"And on top of that, he’s picking whatever hair texture he wants!"

"So he doesn’t have to lift a finger, does he?"

Sheng Qingquan had heard the legend of the mermaids weaving silk, their fabric so light it seemed weightless, waterproof—a rare textile only they could produce.

It was said that in ancient times, powerful monsters, shady merchants, or crooked officials would capture mermaids and force them to weave silk for profit.

"Sounds just like what’s happening here."

"Is he farming humans like mermaids now?"

"Or worse—like he’s fenced off a stretch of ocean, making the mermaids fend for themselves, survive on their own, *and* still work hard to weave silk for him. Total self-sufficient labor! The exploitation is exactly the same!"