Chapter 36: Becoming Stronger Starts with Running

Room 1602.

As a temporary base, the layout was much simpler than Gao Mo’s home, consisting of only a two-room suite.

Rei Furuya plugged in the laptop he had retrieved from Gao Mo’s place, powered it on, and casually opened the background programs.

He held no high expectations for the results. This outsourcing task had been assigned to his subordinate, Kazami, a month ago, and it had taken until the day before yesterday to finally complete. He did not believe that Gao Mo, a complete layman, possessed the ability to catch up to Kazami’s progress in just a week.

He had initially treated it merely as a test—a way to see what kind of score Gao Mo might get.

"Huh?"

Furuya glanced at the output in surprise.

Although the formatting was not particularly standard and it looked a bit messy, the video clips extracted were perfectly matched—even more aligned with the requirements than Kazami’s report. There were even minor details included that he himself hadn't noticed.

What on earth had Kazami been doing for the past month?

Furuya felt a brief moment of existential doubt. He had pegged Gao Mo for his calm demeanor in the face of death and crime; he had never imagined that his most capable subordinate, the Public Security elite Yuya Kazami, would be outdone by an amateur.

As he unconsciously dragged the progress bar, Furuya’s eyes narrowed.

There was an issue with the background processing time. The actual processing had only taken a few hours; in other words, Gao Mo had only finished the work by rushing through it last night—at nearly the maximum fast-forward playback speed of the video data.

"What is going on here?" Furuya’s expression was icy, but it quickly shifted to confusion.

His investigation could not be wrong. He had gained a fairly good understanding of Gao Mo during this period and believed his judgment was sound: Gao Mo was just an ordinary, washed-up idol. While there had been significant changes over the past few days, it was impossible for him to have been replaced right under his nose. His behavioral habits, his way of speaking, even his occasional moments of distraction were identical to when they first met. Even a master of disguise like Vermouth could not deceive him under such circumstances.

Does this mean Gao Mo possessed these observational skills all along?

If he had this kind of talent, why become an idol? And how did he end up nearly unemployed?

Thinking about Gao Mo’s subtle, lingering sense of detachment, Furuya propped his chin on his hand and fell into deep thought. He added an extra 150,000 to the payment he had originally intended to transfer.

...

Teimuzu River.

The riverbank, which had been peaceful for days, was once again a scene of chaotic activity. Gao Mo jogged behind the hulking figure of Genda, moving with an ease that felt almost overbearing. Despite having gone days without exercise, running again felt many times easier than before. Exercise was no longer an act of torture; it had truly become a form of training.

He could clearly feel the difference in his body. The further he ran, the more energetic he felt, and his breathing rhythm gradually synchronized with Genda’s.

It seemed the "Ageing but Resilient" trait was truly taking effect through the exercise.

"Hah!"

After one round trip, Genda finally couldn't help but speak: "What's gotten into you today, Kido?"

A few days ago, Gao Mo couldn't even finish the first segment, yet now he was becoming more energetic as he ran, suddenly transforming from a weakling into a running pro.

"What did you do these last two days?" Genda asked, scratching his head in bewilderment. He had thought Gao Mo was slacking off, but the progress was more explosive than even his own training regimen. It left him feeling a lack of accomplishment, even casting doubt on his own "Muscle Transformation" capabilities.

"I'm not sure myself."

Gao Mo was still full of energy, though his physical limits were eventually reached, and his pace began to slow.

"Let's take a break," Genda prompted, waking from his thoughts. "Training must be done in moderation."

The two found a nearby convenience store to buy water and, under the shocked gaze of the clerk, polished off an entire pot of oden. Even so, Genda didn't feel full, and he looked at Gao Mo, who was paying the bill, with a look of deep embarrassment. His current financial situation could barely cover his own meals, let alone treat others.

"Don't stand on ceremony with me; your breathing technique helped me a great deal."

Gao Mo was uncharacteristically generous. Although he had only taken the first step, he could already see a bright future ahead: "Ageing but Resilient" could genuinely alter his physical state, and it could be accelerated through training. Being weak wasn't terrifying; the most important thing was having hope.

After this, he could probably start learning judo from the mustachioed man.

*Buzz!*

His phone vibrated in his pocket. Gao Mo stopped his musings and checked it, finding a deposit of 200,000 yen, with a note explaining that 150,000 was a bonus.

That was quick. He had expected it to be dragged out for a while. To earn 200,000 just for organizing a few months of surveillance footage and identifying specific people was a bargain. If all his side jobs were like this, it would be quite worthwhile.

However...

He opened his phone, but there was no specific transaction information. Why was the payment so secretive? Could Furuya be using funds from the Black Organization?

A chill ran through Gao Mo. He activated his Eagle Eye vision to survey his surroundings, but he found nothing suspicious. In the original story, Furuya belonged to the "Red" side opposing the Black Organization, but as someone from the Public Security Bureau—which had a poor reputation—he might not be as righteous as he appeared. He had to be careful not to get sucked into the Black Organization's vortex over a bit of pocket money.

"Coach Genda," Gao Mo said, putting his phone away as he turned to him. "I'm planning to save up to open a detective agency. Why don't you come and help me? This gym won't last much longer."

Genda lowered his head in silence, his fierce face revealing a faint sadness. "It's not a gym, it's a Muscle Transformation class. Even if it's difficult, I have reasons why I must keep it running. I'm sorry."

"..."

Gao Mo didn't press for the reason. He wanted to pat Genda on the shoulder to comfort him, but realized he couldn't reach. Never mind, he probably couldn't afford to hire this guy anyway. He’d likely eat the detective agency into bankruptcy in a few days.

...

Another week passed in the blink of an eye.

During this time, Gao Mo received an invitation that forced him to pause his judo practice. He traveled a long way to a strange village called "Headless Village." He had expected something to happen, but he ended up working for nothing for a few days, only walking away with a 50,000 yen "hardship fee." There were no cases, no missions. It was as if the God of Death had suddenly gone on strike, and the world had returned to normal.

By the time he returned to Tokyo, Gao Mo was still in a daze. Aside from gaining one star for his "Roleplay" and adding a new "Temporary Laborer" profession, his only gain seemed to be that 50,000 yen—which he still had to pay taxes on.

Calling it Headless Village... he really thought it was going to be a major case.

In the apartment living room, Gao Mo lay on the sofa after turning on the television, rubbing his temples to shake off the lingering sense of frustration.

[Storage Pool: 25 Stars]
[Career Task: Roleplay 3/4]

His star count had long exceeded the requirements for an upgrade, and only one roleplay task remained. As long as the roleplay went well, he would be fine.

"Popular singer and lead vocalist of the Rex band, Tatsuya Kimura, was murdered last night during a celebratory concert banquet at a karaoke parlor..."

"The murderer is Kimura's current beautiful manager, Mari Terahara..."

Gao Mo turned his gaze to the news report. This world had an endless supply of crime reports, but he paid attention to this one because it sounded somewhat familiar. Tatsuya Kimura’s rise to fame had happened right during his own lowest point.

To think he died at the hands of a woman. The motive for the murder... it was simply because Tatsuya Kimura wasn't good at expressing love, which led to a misunderstanding.

This world was indeed not quite right.