096 Power

Beep, beep, beep...

Chen Xu woke up to the sound of his phone alarm, fumbling to turn it off and sitting up.

It was still dark outside, pitch black all around, with only a faint white light coming through a small window from a street lamp outside.

He flipped the switch on his bedside lamp, and the LED bulb above him lit up in a dazzling white light. This was a rather cramped attic, with a high ceiling in the middle and low sides, covered with tiles that provided no insulation.

He rubbed his face, forcing himself out of the warm comfort of his bed, feeling nothing but a whoosh of cold.

On a cold winter day, this was undoubtedly a painful ordeal, especially before dawn had even broken.

After getting out of bed, he quickly changed into a set of sportswear and went downstairs via a ladder staircase to brush his teeth and wash his face. He then warmed up for a while in the store.