Chapter 128: Registration
Lin Xiao’s eyes darkened, and he raised his right hand slightly. With a faint metallic hum, three or four steel nails materialized out of thin air in his palm, their razor-sharp tips glinting with a lethal sheen in the dim light.
Zhang’s face paled, and he stumbled back half a step. “You… you’re an Ability User? What do you think you’re doing?! Let me tell you, this is N City Base! If you try to start trouble here, I’ll call the armed guard squad right now!”
Lin Xiao adjusted his grip, and the floating nails slowly pivoted, pointing directly at the guard—
“Lin Xiao,” Chu Yang’s voice cut in sharply.
Stepping swiftly between them, Chu Yang turned his back to the guard, locking eyes with Lin Xiao and stopping him with a firm, warning look.
Chu Yang then turned around with an easy, disarming smile. “Take it easy, brother. My friend ran into some rough patches on the road, so he’s on edge and spoke without thinking. He didn’t mean anything by it.”
As he spoke, Chu Yang naturally took a half-step closer, using his frame to shield his movements. Sliding his right hand into his pocket, he discreetly retrieved three first-tier crystal cores and pressed them directly into the guard’s lowered palm.
“The girl is really young, and this place is stifling and intimidating. If they’re locked apart for twelve hours, she’ll be terrified and might even fall ill. When a child suffers, the mother is heartbroken, and none of us want to see that, right?”
Lowering his voice, Chu Yang spoke with calm, steady confidence. “Please do us a favor and set them up together in one room. Our entire group guarantees they’ll stay quiet and follow every instruction. If anything happens, we will take full responsibility. We won’t let it blow back on you.”
Feeling the hard, distinct edges of the crystal cores in his palm, Zhang’s eyelids twitched. The weight was undeniable, and knowing there were capable Ability Users in this squad, he was reluctant to escalate things further.
Quietly closing his fingers around the bribe, he slipped the cores into his pocket and glanced at the sniffling little girl. He cleared his throat, his abrasive tone softening considerably. “…Fine. Considering how young she is, I’ll make a one-time exception. But!” He pointed a stern finger. “If anything goes wrong, you answer for it yourselves!”
“Understood. We’ll handle whatever happens,” Chu Yang agreed without hesitation, lightly nudging Lin Xiao with his elbow.
Lin Xiao’s chest heaved. He held Chu Yang’s gaze for a second, then looked at the frightened mother and daughter, finally reining in his volatile energy. Dismissing the floating nails, he shot a cold glare at the guard, pushed open his iron door, and stepped inside without looking back.
Zhang curled his lip in silent annoyance, but said nothing more. Gesturing toward a slightly larger room nearby, he said, “You two, in that one. Remember, keep it quiet.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Wang Li said repeatedly, clutching Niu Niu tightly as she rushed inside.
Chu Yang let out a quiet breath of relief before turning to his own assigned cell.
Pushing the door open, a suffocating wave of heat laced with the stale stench of dust and dried urine hit him square in the face. Stepping across the threshold, the heavy iron door slammed shut, the automatic lock clicking firmly into place behind him.
In the cramped concrete box, the only illumination came from the tiny barred window set high in the door.
Moments later, Jiang Jue’s deep voice carried clearly through the adjoining wall: “Yangyang, what happened out there?”
Leaning his back against the rough concrete, Chu Yang replied in a relaxed tone, “Nothing serious, Brother Jiang. The guard was giving Sister Wang a hard time about sharing a cell with her daughter, so I handed over three crystal cores to smooth things over.”
Jiang Jue let out a faint breath on the other side. “Good. As long as you’re alright.”
Chu Yang was about to reply when the sound of approaching footsteps and muted conversation echoed down the corridor.
Peering through the narrow iron bars of his observation window, Chu Yang saw two men wearing light-gray, short-sleeved uniforms with laminated staff badges around their necks stopping outside Jiang Jue’s cell.
One of them, a tall man with a dark complexion, wiped the sweat from his brow and barked impatiently at the iron door: “Listen up inside! Quarantine inspection and registration! Stick your arm out through the window and cooperate with the check!” Turning to his colleague, he muttered resentfully, “In this damned heat… if it wasn’t for the paycheck, who’d want to run around in this giant oven…”
His companion, a slender man with glasses holding a clipboard and pen, said nothing, merely tapping the board in quiet annoyance.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Jue walked up to the door and calmly slid his right forearm through the iron bars.
The dark-skinned inspector moved with practiced efficiency. Taking a sanitized swab, he wiped the tip of Jiang Jue’s index finger and swiftly pricked it with a lancet. A single bead of bright crimson blood welled to the surface.
Dipping a specialized chemical test strip into the droplet, he waited a few seconds. The strip showed no abnormal discoloration.
He nodded to the man with glasses, signaling that the subject was clean.
The clerk flipped open the logbook, pen poised over the paper. Facing Jiang Jue through the bars, he began reciting the standard intake questions in a flat, monotone voice: “Name, age, superpower status, ability type, and current tier.”
Jiang Jue looked at him evenly. “Jiang Jue, twenty-six. Superpower: Lightning Element, Tier 3.”
“Tier 3?!” The clerk’s head snapped up. Pushing his glasses up his nose, his eyes widened in open shock and scrutiny.
Less than a year had passed since the onset of the apocalypse; the vast majority of awakened Ability Users were still lingering at Tier 1. Those who had managed to stabilize at Tier 2 were already considered elite combatants and the backbone of major exploration teams.
Tier 3, however, was on an entirely different level. They were rare, top-tier powerhouses that high-ranking commanders of major bases had to treat with absolute respect—living strategic weapons. In the entire N City Base, only two individuals were publicly known to have reached Tier 3.
The clerk’s indifference vanished, instantly replaced by deep deference and a touch of nervous flattery. “A-A Tier 3 Lightning user! Please excuse my manners, sir! Just a moment—I’ll record your details and make a special note right away!” He scribbled furiously across the page.
Jiang Jue gave a slight nod, pulled his arm back inside, and stepped away from the door.
Moving down the line, the two inspectors stopped outside Chu Yang’s room. The clerk tapped on the metal panel. “Next, please stick your arm out.”
Chu Yang followed the instructions, sliding his forearm through the bars. The tester carried out the same procedure, and the strip came back completely clear.
Adjusting his spectacles, the clerk looked at Chu Yang. “Name, age, superpower status, ability type, and tier.”
Chu Yang observed the clerk, his mind turning over the situation. In the brutal landscape of the apocalypse—especially inside a massive base—sheer strength was the ultimate currency and the best protective shield. Demonstrating their power openly would secure immediate respect, provide practical conveniences, and ward off countless petty troublemakers.
With that in mind, he answered clearly: “Chu Yang, twenty-two. Superpower: Spatial Ability, Tier 3.”
“A-Another Tier 3?! And Spatial?!” The clerk’s hand trembled, his pen nearly slipping from his fingers. He stared through his lenses at Chu Yang’s youthful face in complete disbelief. Spatial abilities were notoriously rare, and now a Tier 3 Spatial user was standing right before him, traveling alongside a Tier 3 Lightning combatant. What kind of monstrous team had just walked through their gates?
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