Ka Xiu didn’t come straight back after all.
Chu Zaizhou used a magic item again to secretly watch the official espers clean up after the incident. The group of investigators, dressed in navy-blue uniforms, coordinated with the police to meticulously clean the scene. They checked and deleted surveillance footage and even spoke with the manager of the landfill site to neatly handle the noise made during the incident with a plausible excuse. They really covered all the bases.
No wonder he had lived so long in reality without any information about espers!
Chu Zaizhou thought about it and felt it made sense. After all, such information could easily disrupt order and cause panic due to the supernatural entities.
Even if he hadn’t appeared, reinforcements would likely have arrived in time to resolve the supernatural incident.
He actually wanted to follow and hear what the official espers thought of him, but worried about being noticed if he got too close, he ultimately decided against it.
Ka Xiu teleported from a blind spot in the cameras and returned home to Wenhai District.
Crouching at the door, his slightly curled hair tips dripped with water droplets, making him look like a drenched big black cat.
He looked expressionlessly down at the water dripping from his hem, totally opposed to the idea of muddying his home.
—In the end, it would still be “me” who’d have to clean it up.
Chu Zaizhou wanted to laugh but held it in. He put down his pen and went over to help Ka Xiu take off his overcoat: “You’ve worked hard.”
After the surge of intense emotions subsided, what followed was deep fatigue.
Thankfully, the contact afterward allowed their consciousnesses to merge, bringing a comforting warmth like soaking in a hot spring.
Hm? Does hugging your alternative character have this effect too?
After changing his shoes, Ka Xiu went to the bathroom to get a dry towel, saying, “The inherent attribute of forgetfulness kicks in hard. Without full control, it’s easy to overlook key details.”
Chu Zaizhou naturally replied, “I’ll go out and buy a new notebook later.”
He needed to familiarize himself with the scene where he would interact with himself to avoid giving himself away later.
Chu Zaizhou was perfecting the setting in his mind as he sat back down.
Just then, the system popped up a task.
[Main Quest: Build the “Central Institute for Supernatural Abilities”, resolve the supernatural crisis, and maintain world peace.]
System: [Congratulations player on finding the main quest in reality. Now announcing the conditions for unlocking accounts.]
System: [Please convince more people of the school’s existence. Each believer earns 1 role-playing point. Every 10 people impressed by the alternative character earn 1 role-playing point. Points can be exchanged for unlocking other accounts.]
[Specific accounts require exchange based on combat power, or you can choose to gamble, 50,000 a try.]
Chu Zaizhou was speechless: “Is this main quest so impromptu?”
“And, isn’t this point system a bit much?”
Actually, it’s not. With social media so prevalent, anything eye-catching doesn’t lack traffic.
The system avoided discussing the lottery: [Everything is based on the player’s objectives.]
Chu Zaizhou looked at the words “Central Institute for Supernatural Abilities” written on a piece of paper and rubbed his temples.
The existence of “esper IDs” was unexpected.
In a moment of urgency, Chu Zaizhou concocted the “Central Institute for Supernatural Abilities” on the spot and presented it boldly to the official espers.
The result was a lame bluff, and now he faced a pile of troubles.
Setting up an organization wasn’t out of the question, but Chu Zaizhou didn’t want to prove to the officials that he was “really a good person.”
The term “academy”, a neutral word embedded in DNA, could pull in some insignificant goodwill, leaving the rest to their interpretation.
Chu Zaizhou continued to ponder:
“To give all account cards a home, without opposing the officials, but eliminating their suspicion is almost impossible, unless…”
Unless he was the absolute, undeniable powerhouse!
Human psychology is interesting—they manipulate and ignore the weak; compete and exclude peers; but they never question or oppose those far stronger than themselves.
Seeking benefit and avoiding harm is instinct.
And now, Chu Zaizhou had an unmatched advantage.
His account cards were strong, some high-level ones even capable of moving mountains and filling seas.
He looked up towards the window, the hazy rain blurring the boundaries, but he could still see the dazzling lights.
High-rise buildings stood among a sea of lights, countless pedestrians bustling through the traffic, students just out of night study planning to buy late-night snacks…
This seemingly peaceful world hid countless tricky currents.
The wind shook the windows, stirring up stacked documents. Chu Zaizhou snapped out of his reverie.
He seemed to hear a voice whispering enticingly by his ear.
It was his own.
The voice asked, “Are you going to bet?”
Like the day a windfall of a million landed, you could choose to save it and continue a normal life or you could gamble it as a springboard to invest in the future.
To avoid risk means no game at all, just continue working blandly; after all, the state will handle the supernatural crisis.
To take low risk, use the alternative character to join an official organization and coast along in the background.
If he chose neither of those, he would guard the greatest secret and walk a path unprecedentedly dangerous, trusting no one but himself.
…
A cup of water was handed to Chu Zaizhou.
The black-haired young man naturally sat beside him, his tone calm and matter-of-fact: “We need to take the initiative.”
Chu Zaizhou looked up, meeting those unfamiliar yet deeply trusted deep green eyes.
Ka Xiu’s pupils reflected a figure, looking harmless and even carrying the pale fatigue unique to corporate drones.
But the familiar face now bore an uncontrollable smile.
The choice had already been made when he acted in front of those two espers.
A low laugh escaped from Chu Zaizhou’s throat.
“I really am not content with mediocrity.”
No parents, struggling out of an orphanage, working while studying to get into the best university, receiving an offer from the top company in the industry…
He always harbored grand ambitions.
The moment Chu Zaizhou planned to further arrange his plans, the doorbell rang very abruptly.
Chu Zaizhou froze, peering out through the digital peephole.
His heart nearly stopped the next moment.
Navy-blue uniforms!
How had they found him so quickly? Had he exposed himself somehow?
No, no, it might not be because of the incident in Jianren District.
Chu Zaizhou had always had one skill; the more chaotic the situation, the calmer he appeared on the surface.
The first time he spoke under the national flag, his teacher praised him for his composure, not knowing he ran to the bathroom to throw up immediately after stepping down.
Although it’s better now, Chu Zaizhou felt he was facing something scarier than public speaking.
He glanced back.
Ka Xiu, sitting on the sofa wiping his hair, moved with the speed of a fight to clear up any water traces, gathering everything that didn’t belong to Chu Zaizhou and sneaking into the bathroom.
—Using fighting speed to clean up.
The two outside the electronic peephole presented their IDs:
“Hello, Mr. Chu, we are the police. Here are our ID numbers, you can verify them online.”
Chu Zaizhou pretended to check and opened the door, offering disposable slippers.
“No need, we just have a few routine questions to ask.”
Qing Qing took back her ID, subtly scanning the room.
The room wasn’t large, highlighting the solitary man’s austere atmosphere.
But it was atypically clean and tidy.
(Ka Xiu: Panicked and cleaned too much.)
The most noticeable thing was a thick stack of documents on the table.
Chu Zaizhou seemed to have been working just moments ago.
“Have you noticed anything unusual recently?” she asked gently.
Chu Zaizhou appeared bewildered: “What do you mean? I usually work overtime at the company and fall asleep as soon as I get home. I barely notice anything around.”
“Like pets acting strangely agitated, or something mysteriously lost or damaged…”
Seeing Chu Zaizhou’s tired look, Qing Qing didn’t think much of it. She asked casually, planning to turn off the recorder and leave.
“Yes.” At that moment, the young man suddenly stopped her.
Qing Qing: “Hmm?”
“My gaming pod is broken.” Chu Zaizhou pointed at the gaming pod in the corner.
Their attention was drawn there, just as they were about to leave, but Chu Zaizhou stopped them.
The young man looked a bit uneasy: “Shoes…”
“Oh!” They realized their mistake and quickly put on the slippers.
“Just to be sure, you haven’t touched it, have you?”
“No.” Chu Zaizhou shook his head, cleverly saying, “I haven’t touched it since I found it broken.”
“Please step back a bit.”
“Is there a problem?” Chu Zaizhou appropriately showed some concern.
Qing Qing had already pulled out a pen-like device, carefully pressing it against the gaming pod.
It seemed they could detect supernatural fluctuations. Chu Zaizhou wondered if they could distinguish between an esper and his accounts as he observed from the side.
Watching the numbers jump, Qing Qing seemed surprised and whispered softly, “Da Hai, it’s this!”
Da Hai crouched down, speaking in a voice only they could hear: “Is the supernatural still here?”
“The numbers are decreasing, the supernatural has disappeared,” Qing Qing frowned, “This isn’t logical.”
Da Hai: “Do you suspect it was him?”
Qing Qing thought for a moment: “It’s unlikely.”
He stood up, extending his hand to Chu Zaizhou: “Mr. Chu, could you hold this pen?”
In Chu Zaizhou’s mind, several scenarios of knocking them out flashed—he hadn’t expected Qing Qing to be so straightforward!
System: “It’s okay, you won’t be discovered.”
Chu Zaizhou silently extended his hand, and the pen-like device flashed a green light, showing the values 30/10.
The first value represented magic power. Below 50 was normal, over 50 indicated the potential to awaken as an esper, and over 100 was the strength of an esper.
The second value was the contamination index. 0 meant no contact; below 50 indicated contact but no contamination; over 50 meant uncontrollable contamination, requiring purification.
Qing Qing didn’t know whether to be happy or disappointed—he had thought he might recruit a rookie esper.
After all, Mr. Chu was quite handsome.
“Are you suspecting me?” Chu Zaizhou asked with a frown, “I have no reason to damage my own gaming pod.”
“That’s not what we mean, Mr. Chu!” Qing Qing chuckled dryly.
His mouth ran away with him: “Just worried you might have touched the gaming pod, what if it was leaking electricity?”
Silence, silence was tonight’s Cambridge.
Can’t you make up something better!! Chu Zaizhou nearly lost control of his expression.
He focused his gaze on the gaming pod, his expression wary: “So, what are you trying to investigate? Is it related to my gaming pod?”
“This…”
“Qing Qing!” Da Hai suddenly called her name, “We should go, we’ll bring the inspection tools tomorrow.”
“Ah? Oh!” Qing Qing was somewhat puzzled, but seeing her partner’s expression, she nodded.
“Sorry for disturbing you late at night, Mr. Chu. We’re actually investigating a theft and vandalism case. We’ll do our best to look into your personal property damage!”
“Please don’t touch this gaming pod for now, to avoid damaging evidence.”
Chu Zaizhou nodded lightly: “Thank you both.”
“No trouble at all.”
Moments later, the two left Chu Zaizhou’s home and got back into their car.
“Da Hai, did you find something?” Qing Qing asked first.
Da Hai’s lips trembled, his gloved hands revealing a card: “I found this in the compartment.”
Qing Qing turned on the car roof light, and the bright light illuminated the card.
It was a high-quality card, cream-colored with a starry pattern on the back, the fine embossing felt under the fingers, and smoothly written in water pen was a line:
[Heh, espers, I’ve taken care of the little supernatural for you, you’re welcome. (Wicked smile)
Remember to compensate Mr. Chu for his gaming pod!
Central Institute for Supernatural Abilities, Qiu Qiu, sends greetings on behalf of the president!
·
·
·
PS: Damn, I can’t believe I’m falling for that man. Do you guys have a dating service? Go expand one!
Three minutes, I want all the information on Chu Zaizhou!]
“…”
“…”
“What is this?”
Shocked by the card, Qing Qing felt something was very off: “Where did you pick this up!”
“Right in the gaming pod’s compartment.” Da Hai took a deep breath, “I touched it while checking for traces.”
Qing Qing: “…”
Help, he actually wanted to know more about what this content was!
Too cheesy!
Could someone seriously write something so bossy?!
“Do you think the person who wrote this is male or female?” He furrowed his brows, asking Da Hai.
Da Hai opened his mouth, then squeezed out: “ta.”
Great, their country’s culture is profound and extensive.
The greeting card shocked them both, leaving them unsettled for a long while before they began to analyze.
“Let’s not mention the card directly stating ta took care of the supernatural.”
“Referring to us in plural form, how did ta know we would get this card?”
It’s like precognition!
Qing Qing mused: “If this Qiu Qiu resolved it, that explains the disappearance of the supernatural signal.”
“As for the second sentence, either ta foresaw us seeing the card or ta didn’t care about being discovered—possibly because ta observed Chu Zaizhou’s character.”
Qing Qing had observed all the way here, feeling that Chu Zaizhou was a very reserved and obsessive-compulsive person.
He had been subtly observing from the start, his attitude towards them both calm and cautious, only awkwardly reminding them to change slippers when they entered.
“A person with such a personality, upon noticing their belongings abnormally damaged, obviously wouldn’t touch them.”
“Moreover, he plans his life very well, not letting his curiosity wander.”
Qing Qing enjoyed dealing with such people.
Da Hai furrowed his brow: “Could it really be precognition?”
Predictive-type espers! Dangerous regardless of combat ability!
“We need to report this back to the captain.” Qing Qing flicked the card, his expression serious.
“Central Institute for Supernatural Abilities—We actually have such a brazen organization within our country!”
The two skipped dinner in their haste to return to the SWAT squad, coincidentally running into Yu Tianhe and others who had just finished fieldwork.
“Let’s have a meeting.” Yu Tianhe said, “Today’s events were unusual, I’ll report immediately after discussing.”
Ten minutes later.
“Central Institute for Supernatural Abilities!”
“You’ve also encountered their people?!”
