AITAMITB Chapter 43

The next day, the Nightwalkers’ car arrived in front of Shen Zhifei’s villa, as arranged with Su Mingyue.

Still in her sleepwear, with a toothbrush dangling from her mouth, Zhao Xiaokui, who hadn’t changed her clothes yet, looked at the car that arrived at six in the morning and asked, “Wasn’t it supposed to be at eight?”

“Hey,” Gou Rixin emerged from the car, greeted her, and said, “We just finished our duty. Thinking that we would come to pick you up anyway, we decided to come on the way.”

Zhao Xiaokui’s skeptical gaze swept over him.

Gou Rixin looked upright, showing no sign of guilt.

Lin Bai lowered the car window, stuck his head out, and said, “You can leave whenever you’re ready.”

How urgent could it be?

Zhao Xiaokui looked at the dim sky and felt the Nightwalkers’ eagerness for her.

She wasn’t exactly an early riser, even though supernaturals could go days and nights without sleep. She preferred staying in bed, or rather, the bathtub, and sleeping until it was pitch dark.

But she had a motherly girlfriend.

Shen Zhifei allowed her to eat breakfast and go back to sleep, but she had to get up on time for meals.

After asking if Gou Rixin and the others wanted to have breakfast together and getting a refusal, Zhao Xiaokui said, “Wait a moment,” closed the door, and headed inside.

Shen Zhifei was preparing breakfast when she entered. Seeing her, she asked, “Have the Nightwalkers arrived?”

Zhao Xiaokui nodded, walking towards the washroom, still brushing her teeth. Halfway there, she turned back, bubbles covering her mouth, and asked, “By the way, can you sense the fluctuation of supernatural energy on them?”

“I can faintly sense it, but it’s very weak.”

“Can you hear their heartbeats?”

Shen Zhifei shook her head.

Zhao Xiaokui continued to inquire, “Not even a little? No buzzing sensation?”

Shen Zhifei, already convinced that she wasn’t the telepath Zhao Xiaokui mentioned, shook his head and said, “Not a bit. No buzzing sound either. Hurry up and brush your teeth; the foam is drying.”

“It’s strange. How could I not hear anything at all?”

In a person’s mind, countless thoughts constantly emerge.

Many thoughts were fleeting, and sometimes even their owners might not be aware that they existed.

For those who could hear heartbeats, people who didn’t restrain their minds were like having a hundred mouths, constantly chattering at all times and in all places.

But distinguishing the true intention of the owner from these thoughts was generally something not easily achievable—at least for low-level mind readers.

The thoughts they heard might have nothing to do with the current situation, and two completely opposite thoughts could suddenly appear. Because many times, people were contradictory beings. Even the owners of those thoughts might not know what they truly wanted. Good mind readers could, after capturing these thoughts, use words to lead the other person onto the path they desired.

Being able to hear people’s heartbeats was a painful thing, especially for low-level mind readers who couldn’t control their extraordinary abilities.

As long as they were in a crowd or among living beings, even if it was eerily quiet around them, their ears would be as lively as if they were in a big meeting.

Afraid that her girlfriend would suffer this kind of pain, Zhao Xiaokui taught Shen Zhifei how to use mental power late into the night yesterday.

Fortunately, Shen Zhifei’s mental power was not weak. Upon awakening, it was almost on par with Lin Bai, who had awakened for many years.

If her extraordinary ability direction weren’t telepathy, Zhao Xiaokui believed that with the wizardry cultivation method in her hands, Shen Zhifei could definitely advance to the first rank sooner than Lin Bai.

Shen Zhifei wasn’t a foolish person either. Although it was her first time experiencing the mysterious existence of mental power firsthand, she quickly grasped the methods Zhao Xiaokui taught her.

At least she learned how to establish a mental barrier, so she wouldn’t be constantly emitting mental power like Lin Bai, continuously receiving information from the outside world.

Zhao Xiaokui had a plan. If she joined the Nightwalkers, she needed to figure out a way to share her cultivation methods. At the very least, she wanted Lin Bai to learn how to restrain his mental power. Otherwise, his constant emission of mental power, while it might enhance the training effect and increase growth speed, could eventually wear him out.

However, even though she taught Shen Zhifei to shield her mind, and Shen Zhifei couldn’t hear any heartbeats, Zhao Xiaokui couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Shen Zhifei’s mental power was not weak; she could even break through Zhao Xiaokui’s mental barrier.

It’s important to note that merfolk naturally possessed mental shields. It was nearly impossible for telepaths of the same rank to break through this barrier and pry into their minds.

To plant suggestions and guide the actions of merfolk required an ability at least three ranks higher.

With such cultivation, wouldn’t it be better to confront challenges head-on? Why go through the trouble of making things so complicated?

Everyone played with souls, and the distinction of being at the third rank was crucial. A chaotic mind could easily disorient others.

Though Zhao Xiaokui wasn’t a genuine mermaid, her pseudo-mermaid identity, shaped by five years of deep-sea living, had almost no difference in soul from a real mermaid, except for the physical disparities. Even though she hadn’t guarded against Shen Zhifei, due to her undergoing a transformative period, it indicated that Shen Zhifei’s mental power was on the verge of reaching the first rank. Moreover, its quality was quite high, comparable to the merfolk, who excelled in souls and mental abilities.

Could I have guessed wrong? Is Shen Zhifei not a telepath?

If not a telepath, then what?

Among neutral faction supernaturals, aside from the two main types, wizards and knights, there were only a few others.

Apart from telepaths, nearly all other categories belonged to the Destiny school.

It couldn’t be a Star Seer, right?

But they say Star Seers die early…

If Shen Zhifei were truly a Star Seer, Zhao Xiaokui would prefer her to be an ordinary person.

From the books she had read, there weren’t many Star Seers with happy endings.

Besides Star Seers and telepaths, she didn’t understand the other supernatural classifications. The Destiny school was mysterious, and related books were often written in vague terms. Consequently, she frequently dozed off while reading, quickly scanning through a passage and leaving it aside.

“What am I thinking?” Zhao Xiaokui patted her face in front of the mirror, thinking she was overthinking. Shen Zhifei had read her memories twice in a row; if she wasn’t a telepath, what else could she be?

She couldn’t recall any other supernatural types with similar abilities. A Gypsy witch?

Zhao Xiaokui shook her head, dispelling the image of a Gypsy witch wearing a high hat from her mind.

She didn’t dwell too much on the fact that Shen Zhifei couldn’t hear heartbeats. If she couldn’t, then she couldn’t. Among supernaturals of the same type, there were different tendencies in their abilities. Just like among merfolk, some were adept at devouring souls, while others excelled in separating souls. Similarly, in manipulating souls, each person developed their abilities differently.

Maybe Shen Zhifei was just a special case among telepaths.

Putting this matter aside, Zhao Xiaokui quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face, changed her clothes, and then joined Shen Zhifei in the Night Walker’s car.

“I feel like a little elementary school student being sent to school by my mom,” Zhao Xiaokui suddenly cracked a dark joke.

Shen Zhifei patted her head, “Good girl.”

Gou Rixin: “Pfft—”

Zhao Xiaokui, casting a sidelong glance at her girlfriend, slapped her.

Gou Rixin was confused: “…”

Lin Bai glanced at the two of them, and nodded slightly to Zhao Xiaokui in the rearview mirror, “Congratulations.”

Gou Rixin, still unaware of what happened, “Congratulations on what?”

No one paid him any attention.

Zhao Xiaokui leaned against Shen Zhifei’s shoulder, played with one of his hands, and smiled mischievously while looking at Gou Rixin’s bewildered expression.

Lin Bai could see that there was nothing unusual about her relationship with Shen Zhifei. If he couldn’t see that, he would let Zhao Xiaokui look down on him. On the other hand, Gou Rixin seemed completely clueless. Lin Bai, observing their obvious interactions, thought it was sweet, but Gou Rixin, seemingly oblivious, was still marveling at how good their relationship was.

Now, Shen Zhifei was finding it hard not to burst into laughter.

Several people followed the familiar route Zhao Xiaokui took last time to enter the Night Walker’s base. Su Mingyue, who was the closest to Zhao Xiaokui, had been waiting outside the elevator early on when they arrived.

“Xiaokui, Miss Shen, good morning.”

Zhao Xiaokui cheerfully responded, “Good morning, Sister Mingyue. You’re here for work so early!”

“I mostly live inside the base. The team is waiting for you in the meeting room. Let’s go.”

Circular hall, metallic walls,

Shen Zhifei’s gaze swept around, and her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Her expression was subtle, only noticed by Zhao Xiaokui, who threw her a questioning look.

Shen Zhifei shook her head at her, indicating that there was nothing to worry about.

The two followed Su Mingyue towards the meeting room, with Gou Rixin trailing behind. He leaned over to Lin Bai’s ear and asked quietly, “What did you mean by congratulations just now?”

Lin Bai, watching the two women walking hand in hand, sighed and said, “Can’t you see, Zhao Xiaokui and Shen Zhifei are together?”

“Huh?” Gou Rixin was stunned for a few seconds before reacting, then he slapped his thigh and lamented, “How can we go on living like this? Not only are the male comrades snatching our targets, but now even the female comrades are joining the ranks of competitors?”

Lin Bai, looking at his menacing bald head, pondered for a moment before honestly saying, “Even without competitors, there’s no guarantee that any female comrade would be interested in you.”

Gou Rixin: “…”

Just shut up, will you?

In the meeting room.

Upon receiving the message, Yu Youmin, Wang Junwu, and others had been waiting inside for a while.

“Sister Xiaokui and Miss Shen are here.” Su Mingyue opened the door, gesturing for Zhao Xiaokui and Shen Zhifei to enter.

Upon seeing Zhao Xiaokui, Yu Youmin’s eyes lit up like two 100-watt light bulbs, dazzlingly bright. He showed no trace of the commanding demeanor of a captain, striding over and introducing himself, “Comrade Zhao Xiaokui, hello. I am Yu Youmin, the overall head of the Night Watcher Base in S City. You can call me Captain Yu.”

“Captain Yu, hello.”

After shaking hands with Zhao Xiaokui, Yu Youmin turned to Shen Zhifei and said, “Is this Miss Shen Zhifei? After returning to the country, she founded Shen Entertainment, which was named one of the top ten enterprises in our city last year. Miss Shen can be considered a remarkable woman.”

Shen Zhifei nodded slightly and said confidently, “I also want to thank Captain Yu and everyone for creating a favorable environment for our company’s development. Our growth is inseparable from your protection.”

Listening to their uneventful conversation, Zhao Xiaokui rolled her eyes subtly, showing no interest in the exchange.

Su Mingyue noticed this and smiled subtly, pressing her lips together.

Fortunately, the pleasantries were just a momentary thing, and none of them were the type to linger. They quickly transitioned to the main topic.

However, although the main topic was related to Zhao Xiaokui, she didn’t need to say much during the entire discussion. At most, when Shen Zhifei turned to ask for her opinion, she would nod or shake her head. When the topic shifted to her, she would say, “I’ll defer to Zhifei.”

“Captain Yu, I have a question.” As the discussions around the contract were resolved, Shen Zhifei suddenly asked, “Have you ever considered exposing the existence of superhumans to ordinary people?”

---