Chapter 122: Unexpected Elder |
The pressure against the side of his head forced Shi Rang into rapid thought. His body froze in place, not daring to move an inch.
At this life-and-death juncture, his brain operated at an unprecedented speed, almost as if it had truly become a computer.
If he could not provide a satisfactory answer, the person in front of him would absolutely crush his head like a melon.
Sensing. Perception.
That was it. The problem lay with his Perception.
The other party wanted to probe his Anomaly Perception.
Shi Rang had been wondering for a long time whether his perceptual abilities were normal or not.
Without a doubt, no one else in the world could rely on Perception to locate the signals of the Management Authority's Special Communicators. Otherwise, given the Bureau's level of vigilance, they would have certainly implemented targeted countermeasures.
Since they had not, it meant this was his unique ability, which was why it was classified under Consciousness Connection.
As for his Anomaly Perception, that warranted a question mark.
He only knew that the Management Authority possessed technology capable of detecting Reality Bending fluctuations. However, the capabilities of such equipment were limited, and their precision frequently faltered. Otherwise, they would have long since launched targeted, carpet-style searches to contain anomalies.
Since humanity lacked this kind of technology, what about the Ascension Society, which gathered and recruited Ascenders?
While touring The Capital by car, Shi Rang had intermittently activated his Perception. He had discovered at least ten Anomaly Fluctuations near the roads in the city. Though they varied in size, some of them were definitely entities capable of entering the containment list. Based on this density, the number of anomalies in the world had reached a terrifying level.
Some anomalies seemed capable of sensing the presence of other anomalies, but that felt more like a biological instinct.
Could it be that this kind of Precise Anomalous Perception was extremely rare?
Otherwise, was this woman going to take turns squeezing the heads of every sensory ability user she came across?
Combining this with the lethal question she had posed, Shi Rang formulated a bold guess:
This entity residing within the female body also possessed Perception.
Just as a person blind from birth would not verify the difference between how others saw them and their own reflection, the fact that she had come to him with this question meant she definitely already had a standard answer in mind.
From this, he could deduce that his Anomaly Perception was not exclusive to him alone, nor was it a secret that would earn him a death sentence if exposed.
Before the pressure on his skull increased to an unbearable degree, Shi Rang gave his answer.
"I can sense you too, just like you. You are... radiant. Much stronger than I am."
A tremor passed through the hands holding him.
The force pressing against the sides of his head stopped increasing.
"Only me?"
"Of course not. Jing Zi is in that direction. I know he is there." Shi Rang tremblingly raised a hand to point into the distance.
Fortunately, Jing Zi had not teleported too far away. Extending the range of his Perception was enough to sweep across his location.
The woman stared fixedly at Shi Rang, as if trying to dig into his eye sockets with her gaze alone.
While Shi Rang waited in agony for her to hand down her judgment, she actually smiled. Letting out a soft sigh, she opened her arms and hugged him.
Shi Rang went completely rigid. His instinct was to throw the person off him, worried that this was an attack or the activation method of some Anomalous Effect.
Moreover, besides Ying Shang, he had never really been hugged by anyone—right, he also had to exclude Xu Yijun—but just as he raised his hands, his reason and his desire to stay alive warned him to absolutely not move a muscle.
'For the sake of your head, just stand there like a post!'
But the woman seemed practically glued to him. Shi Rang could only awkwardly support her light frame, standing woodenly in place with his hands raised in the air, not knowing where to put them.
Barely a few seconds passed before Shi Rang actually heard the sound of sobbing right by his ear.
"This is wonderful... truly wonderful..."
Shi Rang was completely dumbfounded.
After a long while, the woman finally pulled away from him. With an incomprehensible, motherly affection, she caressed his face and examined him closely, giving him full-body goosebumps.
The Anomaly Fluctuations that had been stinging him also retracted. Although they still could not conceal her terrifying power level, they no longer caused him physical discomfort.
"Even though we do not share the same origin, we are kin... This is so nice." She wiped the corner of her eye, regaining her composure. "I am sorry, I must have frightened you. Huo Anzhi said you could only heal injuries, but you demonstrated other abilities. Yet, you do not share my origin. I thought you were a spy from the Management Authority who sneaked in carrying supernatural equipment."
Shi Rang did not fully understand everything she said, but he realized she had misunderstood something fundamental.
He did not dare show it. He could only try his best to analyze the parts he did comprehend bit by bit, ensuring this misunderstanding would persist.
'So, she sensed that I was using Perception and actively sought me out...'
'Does this count as mutual sensing between abilities of the same type?'
'When was I targeted? Could it have been from the very beginning...' "Me too, this is the first time I have encountered this situation," Shi Rang said, carefully organizing his words.
"How old are you?"
"..."
"...Twenty-eight."
"I am asking when you moved into it. Oh, you do not share my origin, so you... swapped hosts? Or were you there from the very beginning... I do not understand. Sigh, how can I figure this out? Damn the Management Authority. Damn the Exterminators."
'I do not understand either,' Shi Rang grumbled inwardly.
Regardless, after an inexplicable and lengthy tangent, she finally took her hands off him.
He had seemingly survived this hurdle.
The woman stood there, touching her face in slight distress. After pondering for a moment, she revealed a bright smile again.
"Alright, you can call me older sister or older brother, whichever you prefer. Human pronouns are simply too narrow. Or you can just use the names the people in the Ascension Society call me: Ghost Spirit, A Piao, or something similar. Either way, I am very happy to have found you. Welcome to our ranks."
It enthusiastically grasped Shi Rang's hands and shook them up and down. This time, it did not use any lethal force.
"I knew from birth that I was a 'Cursdoped', I thought you were one too, but even so, I am still incredibly happy!"
Having just lost his mother and his ties to his father, Shi Rang had inexplicably gained an "older sibling" who had wanted to crush his head just moments ago.
He nodded blankly, swaying along with the Ghost Spirit's handshakes, finally beginning to understand a little bit.
He originally thought the other party was an Anomalous Effect user capable of controlling other people's bodies. Hearing this now... A Piao was not human at all. It was a pure Anomalous Entity that simply occupied human bodies to move around.
'Because we have similar sensing abilities, the Ghost Spirit mistook me for a non-human anomaly too?'
It made sense. His Anomaly Sensing was plundered from the Stitched Walker.
'Strange. Anomalies capable of human speech are not exactly rare, and the Ascension Society should have encountered them before. Why is the Ghost Spirit so convinced that I am its kin?'
'...Right, my identity!'
Shi Rang and the Ghost Spirit were both Humanoids, and both possessed a corresponding Social Identity, which led to its misjudgment.
It thought his identity was also a stolen disguise!
Non-human anomalies usually appeared out of thin air or mutated from certain things. They rarely possessed such characteristics!
To possess a flawless human identity while also having Precise Anomalous Perception—those who met both of these criteria were exceedingly rare!
"Then I will call you Sister A Piao from now on, is that alright?" Smelling an opportunity, Shi Rang gathered his courage and asked.
"Of course." Facing a fellow compatriot in its eyes, it revealed its friendliness once more. This time, it was pure. It smiled broadly using the woman's face. "If anyone in the society messes with you, just tell me. I will deal with them."
"Thank you..."
Overjoyed at finding a "compatriot" in the human world, A Piao, who had likely been lonely for an unknown amount of time, pulled Shi Rang along to talk about matters concerning the Ascension Society.
"I am very pleased that you took charge of the Charity Foundation matter. That mission is incredibly important, but you are far too weak right now. While Shi Shixin handles those human administrative procedures, there is still a window of opportunity. You must go out and Plunder. Go and elevate yourself. At the very least, make your other ability stronger. Simply being able to take a beating is not enough. I will assign a few people to you. Take them to hunt down weak anomalies and strike the final blows yourself. Otherwise, I really cannot feel at ease letting you interact with the Management Authority's people..."
Shi Rang felt a twinge of alertness but did not hesitate to absorb the information the other party was revealing.
Like a sponge, he greedily soaked up this precious knowledge.
'Another ability? Is it referring to my Anomaly Perception, or my Consciousness Connection?'
'So, it also possesses the power to Plunder. But it sounds slightly different from mine. It is not about obtaining new abilities, but enhancing existing ones...'
Certain that this misunderstanding would not be easily unraveled anytime soon, Shi Rang relaxed slightly.
Although A Piao's goodwill was directed at its imaginary compatriot—and it would absolutely obliterate him the moment it realized the truth—until this lie shattered, this was his opportunity. This was his leverage.
He had to keep this act going. The moment the curtain fell on this grand performance would be his time of death.
Having someone protecting him was highly advantageous. He no longer had to worry about being constantly monitored as a new member. He could continue developing the New World Society to strengthen himself, fighting for a silver lining of survival before his impending doom arrived.
Furthermore, compared to Shi Shixin, A Piao was vastly better—even if this friendliness was built entirely on a lie.
The former was already nothing more than a tool in Shi Rang's mind. After agreeing to the deal, Shi Shixin had thoroughly become a puppet of the Fountain of Youth, posing no further threat.
"Sister, I want to go hunting on my own."
Shi Rang did not hesitate to grab the newly acquired Mask, mentally putting it on as he immediately switched his form of address, even taking the initiative to grasp the hand resting on his palm.
A Piao's hand was freezing and stiff, its skin taut like that of a corpse.
Regardless of who that shell had once belonged to, it was now thoroughly occupied.
'What a Ghost Spirit, truly capable of Seizing Souls and Occupying Bodies...'
"My other ability is much more formidable than you imagine. Once it is enhanced, it will definitely be able to help you. I do not want to expose my identity yet. Let them believe I am Shi Tiantian. Let me go by myself."
"Alright, alright." It patted his hand gently, its tone reminding Shi Rang of his Grandmother, like a grandparent doting on a younger generation. "Do what you must with peace of mind. If you encounter any inconveniences, just tell me. I will have the Cadres send people to help you clean up your tracks, divert attention, and deal with those blind fools. It will not be a problem at all."
"...Dispatch Cadres?"
"Jing Zi did not have time to tell you, did he?" A Piao covered its mouth and chuckled softly. "Out of the three Heads, I am the one who enjoys running outside the most."
Shi Rang was in absolute disbelief.
By sheer blind luck, he had somehow managed to secure the backing of one of the most powerful figures in the entire Ascension Society.