Chapter 27 : Chapter 27
Chapter 27
It seems we don't need any more teammates?
As Ji Qing sat back down at the desk in his dorm room, he belatedly realized this: if they really followed You Xingluo's plan, they would already meet the minimum number of participants for the competition.
Whether they got first place or not didn't matter to Ji Qing.
It all depended on what his two teammates thought, but... Ji Qing's thoughts paused, and he guessed with some hesitation, They probably aren't interested in first place either, right?
It was quite novel that You Xingluo was so certain Liu Mu would agree.
From Ji Qing's brief interactions with Liu Mu, he had thought Liu Mu would be a very difficult type to persuade. Now it seemed that the relationship between Liu Mu and Shao Huayu was unexpectedly complex.
"The interpersonal relationships in Class S are quite subtle," Ji Qing murmured to himself.
When Ji Qing had seen this point specifically mentioned on the Manga Forum before, he had thought nothing of it. Now that he was involved, he immediately sensed that something was off.
But Liu Mu's ability also gave Ji Qing a new inspiration.
[System, I remember there are items that can trace the origin of an object, right?] Ji Qing called out to the System in his mind.
[One moment.] The robotic system immediately came online.
A low booting sound, like a system starting up, echoed in Ji Qing's ears. He thought with a strange feeling, Was the System... sleeping just now?
After a brief search, the System replied, [Yes, there are.]
[Item: Tracking Map, 200 Popularity Value/use]
[Description: A map that can display an item's whereabouts for the past three months, but only within a fixed range of activity. The whereabouts of an item outside this range cannot be tracked, even if it later returns to the designated area.]
[Item: Trace-Catching Net, 400 Popularity Value/use]
[Description: Tracks the target's movement trajectory over the past five days through information such as the target's scent. This item is not limited by activity range but requires the target's movements to have a complete and connectable trajectory.]
...
[I've listed all the items related to tracking.] The System's tone paused, then it asked, [Host, which type are you looking for?]
[The first one,] Ji Qing said, amused.
The System could have asked him to be more specific, but instead, it just threw a series of product descriptions at him. Ji Qing felt a headache coming on, but he was also helpless.
But this was fine too.
Ji Qing's gaze lingered on the description of the Tracking Map for a long time, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. He thought, Then the problem is simple now.
According to Li Xuehua, the school kept a unified record of all ability items.
As long as he could get his hands on an ability item that was a "prize for the top three in the individual competition," he could use the item provided by the Popularity Value Shop to follow the trail and find the location of the World Book.
Although Ji Qing couldn't compete, wasn't there someone who could?
Ji Qing took out his terminal and found the hidden communication software, swiftly sending a message to Xie Chang'an:
Raven: [Hey, baby~]
Raven: [Has anything fun been happening at school lately?]
Xie Chang’an: […]
Xie Chang’an: [Yes… and I honestly think you don’t need me as a spy.]
Raven: [Who put this bad idea into my baby's head? What a bunch of awful people. Uncle will teach them a lesson for you later (angry.jpg)]
Xie Chang’an: [You're a little scary.]
Just as Xie Chang'an was about to type an explanation for his words, Raven replied: [Let's meet on Sunday night. I have something for you to do.]
Xie Chang’an: [???]
The topic changed so quickly that Xie Chang'an almost didn't react. But when he was about to ask for the reason, Ji Qing had already taken off his terminal bracelet, ready to wash up and go to sleep.
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one for Xie Chang'an.
But Ji Qing saw no problem with it. He was still contemplating whether to specify an ability item for Xie Chang'an to get, or if "any one" would do in reality.
Ji Qing believed that Xie Chang'an could get into the top three of the individual competition.
After all, Xie Chang'an was the protagonist of the manga; the probability of him failing was very low. Ji Qing thought casually, If he really can't do it, I'll just have him steal it himself afterward. There's room for error even if he fails.
If he wins, he gets it; if he loses, he steals it.
Two bright paths lay before Xie Chang'an. If neither of these solutions worked, then... it would all depend on Li Yuan's conscience.
But what conscience would a cadre of an Infected organization have?
A meaningful smile instantly touched Ji Qing's lips.
***
Time quickly flew by to Sunday.
This time, Li Yuan had set the location in a bar. As a coastal town, Yancheng had a wide variety of nightlife entertainment. Dance halls, bars, casinos, and other lavish entertainment venues were all available.
Compared to the dangers lurking outside the walls, the people inside numbed themselves with alcohol and revelry.
The night sky was sparsely dotted with stars, and the air carried a pungent fragrance.
Xie Chang'an, dressed in casual clothes, followed the map navigation into a dark alley. Rusted pipes exposed on the walls dripped liquid continuously, and the ground was covered with puddles of varying depths and scattered garbage.
Mixed together, they emitted a nauseating smell.
Xie Chang'an frowned imperceptibly.
He secretly quickened his pace to leave, but his hand under his jacket still gripped the dagger tightly. This was Xie Chang'an's third time coming to the outskirts of Yancheng. He had discovered that Li Yuan had a particular fondness for arranging meetings in lavish places.
Well, Li Yuan's attire does fit in with these places, Xie Chang'an thought with a strange feeling. After all, a normal person wouldn't wear such an intricately and exquisitely crafted mask...
Just as Xie Chang'an was about to leave the alley, a faint, suppressed moan reached his ears.
He immediately stopped in his tracks, his face showing vigilance.
But after looking around, trying to pinpoint the direction of the sound, his cheeks flushed an unnatural red, and he fled the alley at an even more flustered pace than before.
At the end of the alley was a red-light district.
Revealing posters and standees with strong sexual tension were plastered everywhere, and many charming dancers were soliciting customers on the street.
Xie Chang'an hurriedly tried to escape, but after glancing at the route on his terminal's navigation, he closed his eyes, steeled his heart, and charged towards the group of dancers with a sense of utter despair.
"Oh my, a little brother~"
"Such a rare face. I can give you a discount~"
"Handsome, look over here~"
"Don't walk so fast. If you're not interested in us, I can recommend my younger brother~"
A chorus of teasing laughter immediately rose around him. Xie Chang'an's cheeks were flushed, and he didn't dare to say a word, fleeing the scene at a sprinter's pace.
When Li Yuan saw Xie Chang'an, this was his state: his eyes were vacant, his steps were unsteady, as if he had suffered a huge blow.
"That can't be right," Li Yuan sized up Xie Chang'an, his eyes full of amusement.
He waved away the waiter in the private room and beckoned for Xie Chang'an to sit next to him. Li Yuan teased nonchalantly, "Were the results of the ability test that upsetting for you?"
"That's not it at all," Xie Chang'an retorted weakly.
He did not choose to sit next to Li Yuan, but instead sat stiffly on the sofa opposite him. Li Yuan smiled at this but said nothing more.
Li Yuan started the conversation, "How did the test feel?"
"..." Xie Chang'an remained silent.
"Looks like the situation wasn't good?" Li Yuan picked up a wine glass and elegantly crossed his legs. His slender fingers looked exceptionally pale against the dark red alcohol.
Xie Chang'an's gaze suddenly shifted.
Li Yuan had never taken off his mask when meeting him. Although it wasn't necessary to take it off for their meetings, Xie Chang'an would occasionally wonder what the face underneath the mask looked like...
He must be quite good-looking, Xie Chang'an thought hesitantly.
"What's your mental threshold?" Li Yuan suddenly asked.
"I don't really want to say."
Xie Chang'an's mood instantly dropped, but after thinking of something, he covered his face in resignation and answered, "Two hundred and eighty-nine."
Li Yuan's eyes widened in shock. "...You're kidding, right?"
Everyone in Class S was above 8,000, but the manga's protagonist was only at 289? Ji Qing had originally thought it would be around 3,000 at least. Was it really that low?
"What's your mental threshold?" Xie Chang'an asked, unwilling to accept it.
Although they were both Infected, Xie Chang'an only knew one other, Li Yuan. When Xie Chang'an was testing his mental strength, he had looked at his terminal countless times, wanting to ask Li Yuan—
Do the Infected even have mental strength?
It turned out they did, but it also turned out that ordinary people did too.
The homeroom teacher of Class F had made a point to tell the students after the whole class had finished the mental strength test, "Ordinary people also have mental strength, it's just that they don't have an Ability to mobilize it."
"You guys are probably at about that level," the Class F teacher sighed.
Xie Chang’an: "...Teacher, why didn't you say so earlier?"
These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the excitement of everyone in Class F. Now that it was the middle of the first semester, many students were already thinking about their future.
Should they stay at the ability academy or leave?
Several Class F students Xie Chang'an knew had already packed their bags and left the academy one after another. Although possessing an Ability was indeed a joyous event, their abilities were far from sufficient to allow them to gain a foothold in the cruel world of ability users.
It was better to return to the world of ordinary people.
With the departure of a few students, the atmosphere in Class F was quite oppressive. Xie Chang'an had originally thought that today's test could restore some of the students' confidence, but he didn't expect it to be even more discouraging.
Xie Chang'an repeated stubbornly, "What's your mental threshold?"
"Me?" Upon hearing this, Li Yuan put down his glass, a playful smile on his lips. "Baby, are you the type who seeks comfort from their elders after a setback?"
Xie Chang'an's face turned red, and he retorted in a low voice, "Of course not."
"Your actions suggest otherwise~" Li Yuan leaned back lazily on the sofa, fiddling with his fingers. "Young people really can't keep their composure. I wasn't as easy to read as you back in the day~"
"If you don't want to answer, you don't have to," Xie Chang'an said seriously. "There's no need to mock me like this."
"I would like to—" Li Yuan first drew out his words, then whispered with feigned disappointment, "but you're just too much fun. I've never met anyone as pure as you."
That sounded like he was mocking me, Xie Chang'an's eyes were vacant.
"Sigh, what chance would we have to get our mental strength tested?" Li Yuan replied with a smile in his voice. "These are all things that only Central City and those rich people would do."
"You've never been exposed to it before either, right?"
Xie Chang'an said sullenly, "That's true..."
"And we've already become Infected..." Li Yuan shook his head with feigned nonchalance. "Who would deliberately approach official institutions? A talent and an Ability are not the same thing, after all."
Xie Chang’an: "Sigh..."
"But don't be sad. I have high hopes for you~" Li Yuan chuckled comfortingly. "The difference between ordinary people and ability users is actually just that infection probability, and you don't have to worry about that anymore~"
Xie Chang'an immediately said resentfully, "Don't you know how powerful high-rank ability users are?"
"Hmm?" Li Yuan blinked.
"Lingxue... no, my friend told me she saw the S-class test," Xie Chang'an's tone was heavy. "It was super amazing, more like a magic show than an actual magic show."
"She said she's almost become a fan of the top freshman."
Ji Qing: ...Huh?
How could he be hearing gossip about himself?
Ji Qing secretly took a deep breath. But on the surface, he rolled his eyes and said with a regretful look as if he were listening, "Oh, I thought she wasn't such a superficial girl."
"Don't call her superficial," Xie Chang'an said stubbornly, but his expression revealed a trace of loneliness.
Li Yuan instantly understood. "Are you regretting that you didn't get to see it?"
"A little."
"It seems this top freshman is quite impressive," Li Yuan said casually. "But in that case, it saves the two of you from having to face each other in the individual competition."
"Hmm?"
"The prize for the top three in this year's individual competition at the Third Ability Academy is to choose a dispensable ability item from the school's treasury," Li Yuan explained, articulating each word clearly.
His crimson eyes, like a tranquil lake, reflected Xie Chang'an's figure. He then commanded, "You will become one of the top three and bring the prize back to me."
Xie Chang'an's pupils constricted upon hearing this.
This sentence instantly dragged him back from the relaxed chat to the cruel reality. He once again realized how capricious Li Yuan's actions were, but it wasn't over—
Li Yuan's lips curved into a smile, and he added with a light laugh, "Any one of them will do~"