Chapter 266

Chapter 266

Inside the training warehouse, Qian Lang, pale-faced, paced anxiously beside Jiang Nian's clothes.

His gaze flickered toward Jiang Nian's face, now only about three fingers wide, nestled in the pile of clothes. He didn't dare get close enough to gauge his body's size, nor did he dare step away.

Once activated, his superpower couldn’t be undone by himself, and even Jiang Nian’s Purify couldn't nullify it—awkward and troublesome.

He prayed Cheng Jing would arrive soon, yet dreaded the moment his leader saw the situation and got angry.

Though he hadn’t been in the Southern City Base’s Superpower Corps for long, he’d already had his fill of their public displays of affection.

Cheng Jing never hid his possessiveness over Jiang Nian in public, shamelessly flaunting their relationship at every opportunity, constantly oozing an aura of love that disregarded everyone else's existence.

Both had faces that invited trouble, yet somehow, not a single troublesome romantic pursuit had ever succeeded.

The warehouse door slid open, and Cheng Jing strode in, his brows furrowed and face stern.

Qian Lang took a deep breath and stepped forward to apologize:

“Brother Cheng, I’m sorry, I accidentally—”

“Where’s Nian Nian?” Cheng Jing cut him off.

Qian Lang pointed ahead.

“In his own clothes. I left him untouched.”

As Cheng Jing hurried over, he asked:

“Let me confirm—aside from the proportional shrinking, are there any other negative side effects?”

When Jiang Nian had proposed helping Qian Lang with his superpower breakthrough alone, they had discussed this peculiar effect and anticipated possible mishaps, including this one. They were prepared, but now that it had actually happened, Cheng Jing was still worried.

Qian Lang shook his head.

“Other than shrinking proportionally and slipping into a few hours of deep sleep after being affected, there are no other side effects. The shrinking effect lasts for three days, after which he’ll gradually grow back to normal.”

“Hm.”

Cheng Jing exhaled in relief, then his steps faltered. A barely perceptible dark glint flashed in his eyes as he turned back to ask:

“Gradually grow back? Not instantly?”

Well damn. That meant he could have Nian Nian (Jiang Nian's nickname) in different sizes over the next few days.

They had only mentioned the effect would lift after three days—no one had brought up this detail. Wait, this should count as a special case.

Sure enough, Qian Lang rubbed his hands awkwardly and admitted:

“Uh… yeah… If the effect lasts too long, it can sometimes happen… It counts as a special case. Once the three days are up, he’d need about three more days to change back.”

“At ages like a child, a teenager, and in his twenties—in three stages. So, full recovery would take about a week… Sorry, Brother Cheng.”

“Oh, I see.”

Cheng Jing nodded in understanding, barely suppressing a grin as he replied calmly:

"As long as there are no side effects and it doesn’t cause any mental trauma or the like, it’s fine."

After speaking, he crouched down in front of Jiang Nian’s clothes, took out a clean, soft towel, and wrapped the unconscious 'little guy' in it. Then, he stored the clothes and pants into the ring's storage space.

The shrunken Jiang Nian was only about 25 centimeters tall, roughly the size of his palm.

His perfectly scaled-down features and limbs showed no distortion—his face was soft and rosy, his lips slightly pouted in sleep, his eyes beautifully shaped with long, curled lashes. He truly looked like a hyper-realistic figurine.

Cheng Jing’s expression was tense, his hands trembling slightly. If Qian Lang hadn’t been there, he might not have been able to resist kissing him:

His *Nian Nian* had turned into an adorable living figurine!

This time, he could really keep the troublemaker in his pocket.

When there was no danger, wasn’t this pretty much a dream come true?

"..."

Qian Lang had the sense not to crowd them, waiting until Cheng Jing had wrapped Jiang Nian up and carefully placed him inside a rectangular, open pink-and-blue candy box before stepping forward to remind him:

"Based on the current time, Brother Nian will probably wake up around six in the afternoon. After he wakes up, just let him eat normally and let him recover gradually. Don’t worry."

"Got it."

Cheng Jing listened attentively, then stood up holding the candy box:

"I’ll take him back first. Since you’ve just had your Superpower breakthrough and have no adverse reactions, rest these next couple of days and adjust to it. If anything comes up, let someone know immediately."

Qian Lang nodded:

"Got it. Thanks, Brother Cheng."

"Brother Cheng, Qian Lang."

Liao Yu arrived, jogging over with a greeting. When he saw the miniaturized Jiang Nian in the box, his eyes widened, and he blurted out:

"Holy—he's adorable!"

Without thinking, he reached out a finger to poke Jiang Nian’s face.

"Hands off!"

Cheng Jing moved the box away and shot him a warning glare.

The rich kid grinned, rubbing his neck:

"This feels like a dream. Bro Nian really turned into a figurine."

Cheng Jing didn't bite and, after glancing at Qian Lang, instructed Liao Yu:

"I’m taking *Nian Nian* back to rest. You take Qian Lang for a full workup and collect data. Everyone’s Superpower breakthrough reactions differ—even slight variations need to be recorded."

Smoothly, he dismissed any notion of the rich kid tagging along home with them.

"Alright, got it."

Of course, Liao Yu didn’t dare expose his elder brother’s little scheme. He agreed with a smile and waited until Cheng Jing had left with Jiang Nian before turning to Qian Lang, who finally relaxed:

"You good with your powers now? You cleared to go?"

Qian Lang carefully observed for a moment before nodding:

"Seems stable now."

Liao Yu shrugged:

"Let's go then. Let’s get you registered and a full checkup, then rest for a few days. Might have to stop by the lab for samples."

"Thanks, Brother Yu. I’ll do my part."

Qian Lang answered with a smile. After walking a bit further, he added:

"I thought Brother Cheng would chew me out a little."

He had already prepared himself for a reprimand.

"First, it wasn’t intentional. Since Brother Cheng agreed to my godfather’s arrangement, he’d already prepared for something like this. Second, it’s just shrinking, no other side effects. As long as it’s safe, I think Brother Cheng’s kinda into it..."

Having been teammates for so long, he had some understanding of their leader’s preferences. If there were real danger, his godfather wouldn’t be here in the first place.

Qian Lang keenly sensed the implication and lowered his voice:

"So… Brother Cheng likes it when Brother Nian is small? Because… it’s more fun?"

Who knew? Their cold and serious leader had a hidden side.

"Ahem..."

Liao Yu gave him a look:

"What are you thinking? Don’t make Brother Cheng sound like a weirdo!"

Though his brother’s how protective he is of his godfather wasn’t far from being creepy, that wasn’t something to voice aloud.

Qian Lang rubbed the bridge of his nose:

"That’s not what I meant..."

Who doesn’t like cute things? That’s pretty normal, right? It’s not like it has to be some kinky thing.