Chapter 10
“The first unit is the home of this Evolver named Li Zhibo,” Little Yi said in a low voice as she led Bai Hewei to the entrance of a residential building. “This Li Zhibo became an Evolver five years ago. He’s a Rank C, and his ability is telekinesis—he can manipulate objects with his mind. However, there are limits to the weight of the objects and the speed of his control, though I’m not entirely sure what the exact limits are.”
“That ability sounds incredibly practical. Whether it’s performing magic tricks or doing other jobs, he should have been able to afford a much larger house by now,” Bai Hewei remarked, deeply perplexed. The residential compounds in this neighborhood were quite old.
Furthermore, the state had established very comprehensive career guidance for Evolvers. Generally speaking, even if an Evolver didn’t strike it rich, securing at least a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle wasn’t much of a problem.
“Exactly!” Little Yi sighed helplessly. “Originally, after Li Zhibo awakened, he actually managed to buy a villa using his supernatural ability. But a couple of years ago, of all the things he could do, he decided to play the stock market. He kept adding to his positions with floating profits and wiped out his entire fortune in one go. Word is he even used leverage. Afterward, he had to sell his villa and luxury cars, and he moved back to this old apartment last year. Since then, he’s spent every day wallowing in self-pity, blaming the country for failing him, and refusing to go out and look for a job.”
Bai Hewei fell silent.
Foreign stock markets were truly a menace—always rising and hitting new all-time highs, unlike their own country’s stock market, which perpetually hovered between three and four thousand points, repeatedly harvesting retail investors. Want to make money there? Keep dreaming.
“Cough, our country’s stock market is indeed… but he still can’t blame the state. The government didn’t force him to trade stocks,” Bai Hewei stated righteously. “Don’t worry. When you knock on the door this time, I’ll handle the talking.”
Little Yi smiled. “Brother Bai, it’s better if I do it. His family at least recognizes me. If a total stranger shows up, they might just attack directly.”
With that, Little Yi led Bai Hewei up to the third floor and knocked on the door.
“Is Mr. Li home? I’m Little Yi from the community office. I visited last month. Could you please open the door?” Little Yi called out twice. Since Li Zhibo didn’t have a job, he was bound to be home at this hour.
After her second call, the inner door slowly swung open, though no one was standing behind it.
“Come on in, the door is open,” a voice called out from inside the apartment.
“A voice-activated door?” Bai Hewei asked curiously.
“It’s telekinesis,” Little Yi said, caught between tears and laughter.
“Haha, I still can’t quite wrap my head around these things right away.” Bai Hewei felt genuinely embarrassed. Even though he had become an Evolver himself, he still hadn’t fully adapted to these bizarre abilities.
Little Yi and Bai Hewei stepped inside, and the door automatically clicked shut behind them.
See, now this is what you call a practical ability.
“My parents aren’t here. It’s just me and a friend at home, make yourselves comfortable.” Li Zhibo looked to be in his early thirties. His face was pale, his hair was somewhat disheveled, and behind him stood a rather handsome young man. The two of them had emerged one after the other from the bedroom, their clothes slightly rumpled as if they had been thrown on in a frantic hurry.
In broad daylight…
The gazes of Bai Hewei and Little Yi locked onto the pair in a bizarrely knowing look before promptly snapping back.
Personal preferences—they wouldn’t interfere.
“What do you want?” Li Zhibo cut straight to the chase.
Despite having telekinesis, he didn’t even use it to pour them a glass of water. Bai Hewei felt a mild trace of resentment.
“It’s like this, Mr. Li. Recently, the higher-ups requested that we conduct a safety inspection of the old residential buildings, so I’ve come by. As you know, our compound is thirty to forty years old, so there might be issues with the drainage pipes and structural integrity. I wanted to map out the situation first to see how things stand…” Little Yi explained with absolute composure.
“Cut the nonsense. You just don’t trust me, which is why I’m the first one you came looking for,” Li Zhibo sneered. “Old buildings? If I had any money, do you think I’d still be living in a dump like this?”
“That’s not what we mean, Mr. Li. We have to conduct door-to-door visits for the entire compound,” Bai Hewei interjected to smooth things over. “I’m from the sub-district office, and I’m here to help Little Yi with the visits, otherwise a single person could never cover it all. Right now, our entire jurisdiction is doing this. Besides, if you think about it, by checking the old buildings for hidden safety hazards, the residents will be able to live more comfortably in the future, won’t they?”
Li Zhibo continued to sneer but remained silent.
Instead, the young man standing behind him spoke up after a moment. “How long is this inspection going to take? Do you have professional personnel? You’re just a community worker and a sub-district temp—neither of you are experts. Can you actually spot structural hazards just by looking with your naked eyes?”
This actually hit the nail on the head.
In truth, Little Yi also wanted to complain. The higher-ups really had a massive screw loose, constantly pushing every single issue down to the grassroots level, demanding that they execute tasks completely outside their professional scope.
Mapping out the structural quality of old houses was actually one of the better assignments, since at least some hazards could be spotted directly. But sometimes, tasks like resolving local government debts or attracting corporate investment were also dumped onto the grassroots, which was utterly mind-boggling.
If I actually possessed the capability to attract major corporate investments for the local district, would I still be working as a low-level grassroots grunt under you?
“It’s like this: staff from the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau will join us later to take precise measurements. In this preliminary phase, we’re just acting as a screening force to note down the primary areas where residents report safety hazards. Otherwise, the workload would be far too massive to ever complete the inspection,” Little Yi explained hastily.
“If that’s all it is, go look around yourselves. As far as I’m concerned, this entire place is a hazard.” Li Zhibo waved his hand with clear impatience. How could he possibly be satisfied living in a dilapidated compound like this? These community workers kept barging in every few days simply because they wanted to monitor his status and see if he posed a threat to society, didn’t they?
Heh, do they take me for a fool?
“Mr. Li, we’re just doing our jobs,” Bai Hewei offered a polite smile. “How about this: we’ll just take a quick look at the balcony and the bathroom before we head out, alright?”
The moment those words left his mouth, the expressions of both Li Zhibo and the young man shifted instantly.
“What… what’s wrong? Is that not allowed?” Bai Hewei subtly stepped forward, shielding Little Yi behind his back.
“It’s not that it’s unallowed,” Li Zhibo said, his gaze drifting ominously toward Bai Hewei. “Since you want to look so badly, go right ahead. Just don’t regret it.”
With that, Li Zhibo hooked his finger, and the door leading to the balcony automatically swung open.
“It’s right out there, see for yourselves,” Li Zhibo said with an ambiguous tone.
Little Yi and Bai Hewei hesitated for a fraction of a second, but ultimately decided to take a quick look and leave.
“Sorry for the intrusion,” Little Yi said politely as she stepped forward, with Bai Hewei following closely in her stride.
The young man shot a glance at Li Zhibo, a trace of anxiety flashing across his face.
Meanwhile, Li Zhibo continued to hook his fingers. Every single knife and utensil in the kitchen flew into the air, hovering suspended in the room, ready to hurl themselves at the two people on the balcony at his whim.
Humph.
If he actually laid a hand on these grassroots grunts, he would likely have to flee immediately.
Li Zhibo was still hesitating; he didn’t truly want to push things to a bitter end with the Special Operations Department. It would be best to just find a way to knock these two unconscious. As long as no lives were lost, even if he did get caught in the future, it would just mean a stint in labor reform.
With that thought in mind, Li Zhibo channeled his telekinesis, preparing to unleash the blades.
At that critical, hair-raising juncture, the young man who claimed to be from the sub-district office suddenly snapped his head around.
The kitchen knives suspended in mid-air instantly froze as if locked in place by an invisible force. In the very next split second, they crashed back down onto the counter in their original positions.
CLATTER! BANG! The noise was deafening.
Little Yi turned around as well, startled by the sudden racket.
“Go check the balcony,” Bai Hewei gave Little Yi a gentle push, steering her safely away from the potential blast radius.
He didn’t plan on letting anyone from the sub-district office know he was an Evolver just yet.
“Mr. Li, I’m a bit parched. I’d like a glass of water.” Bai Hewei cast a profoundly intense glance at Li Zhibo. He pulled a disposable cup from the table, poured himself a cup of water, but didn’t rush to drink it.
Damn, I’m definitely reporting this to Director An the moment I get out of here. Those knives were actually about to fly at us—who do you think you’re scaring?
Bai Hewei could clearly see the “strings” trailing behind the floating knives. And the tangled cluster of these strings trace directly back to Li Zhibo’s person, making him look somewhat like a human spider.
Bai Hewei didn’t do anything flashy; he simply reached out with his mind and instinctively “severed” those strings.
Seeing this unfold, the young man standing beside Li Zhibo instantly launched an attack of his own.
The shadow beneath his feet seemed to awaken with a consciousness of its own, rapidly spreading across the floor and racing straight toward Bai Hewei.
An Evolver from who-knows-where. But since he’s working for the sub-district, he can’t possibly be that powerful.
The young man possessed immense confidence in his own abilities; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been deployed to recruit disgruntled, underachieving Evolvers like Li Zhibo. As long as his shadow could ensnare the target, he could seize total control. When the time came, he would just stage a minor car accident for them, making it incredibly difficult for the Special Operations Department to trace it back.
Observing the slithering, clawing shadows creeping toward him, Bai Hewei frowned slightly.
The tip of his shoe lightly stepped on a stray fork of the advancing shadow.
A smirk surfaced on the young man’s face as he prepared to spring his trap.
Then, a sudden anomaly struck!
The shadow that was supposed to be under his total command instantly severed its connection with him. The remaining shadows acted as if they had just encountered a terrifying, primordial predator, scrambling frantically to retreat back to his feet.
Bai Hewei swayed slightly, causing the water in his cup to splash onto the floor, drenching the retreating shadows.
The young man standing beside Li Zhibo abruptly staggered back two steps, slamming hard against the wall to keep himself from collapsing. A sharp, copper taste flooded his mouth, but he forced himself to swallow the blood down.
What kind of absolute monster is this?
This was at the very least a Rank A Evolver, yet he didn’t even wear an Evolver badge. Was hiding out in a sub-district office a deliberate trap set specifically to ambush them?
No, we’ve likely been exposed. I must get back and report this thoroughly to the higher-ups.
Seeing his companion reduced to this state in a single encounter, how could Li Zhibo not realize that they had kicked a massive steel wall?
He had to find a way to get these two to leave immediately!
“Mr. Li, you should really clear out the clutter you’ve piled up on the balcony,” Little Yi said, forcing a cheerful smile onto her face. “It’s better to detach and discard things that aren’t good to keep around.”
Li Zhibo’s balcony was packed to the brim with religious paraphernalia. Little Yi could tell with a single glance that these weren’t good things. But since she was currently inside an Evolver’s home with Bai Hewei, she obviously couldn’t blurt it out carelessly. She would tip off the neighborhood cops once they left.
Little Yi felt rather tense, terrified that they might not be able to walk out of here alive. To her surprise, Li Zhibo seemed even more tense, looking explicitly frightened.
“My friend and I are actually about to head out ourselves. Why don’t you go inspect the other households first?” Li Zhibo said, practically dying to get these two out of his apartment immediately.
“I will cooperate fully! The next time you come by—no, wait, don’t come back, if your people come by, I promise to cooperate completely!” Li Zhibo quickly amended his tone. He never wanted to see these two ever again.
“Oh, is that so?” Little Yi breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It looked like her regular community relations work had paid off, and Li Zhibo hadn’t thought to lay a hand on them.
“Then we won’t intrude any longer.” Little Yi seized the opportunity to tug lightly at the edge of Bai Hewei’s shirt, signaling him not to dig any deeper, otherwise they might not get away.
“Mr. Li, sorry for the trouble,” Bai Hewei placed the disposable cup back onto the table and said with a polite smile, “See you around if the opportunity arises.”
No, let’s never see each other again. Li Zhibo was already shaking with fear.
The moment Bai Hewei and Little Yi stepped out of the apartment, the young man leaning against the wall could no longer sustain himself, collapsing straight to the floor and spitting out several mouthfuls of blood.
“Didn’t you brag that you were about to secure your badge? You look completely useless to me,” Li Zhibo couldn’t help but complain upon seeing the young man severely injured so suddenly.
“What do you know… That wasn’t an ordinary Evolver! We’ve definitely been targeted! They came here specifically to give us a warning display of dominance! Go pour me a glass of water to steady my nerves,” the young man barked impatiently. Li Zhibo was merely a low-level Evolver; if it weren’t for his decent utility, who would bother with him? He had absolutely no concept of how terrifyingly powerful that Bai Hewei truly was!
“Thank goodness they left…” Li Zhibo reached out to pour the water. But the exact fraction of a second his finger brushed against the table, the entire piece of furniture instantly shattered into a heap on the floor—every single fragment no larger than a thumbnail.
!!!
Li Zhibo sucked in a sharp, freezing breath.
No, seriously, the Special Operations Department’s talent pool has reached this kind of absurd level? Is the quota for permanent positions so tight that a powerhouse of this tier can only hang around a sub-district office?
“Regarding what you said earlier about joining your organization—forget it,” Li Zhibo stated immediately. “I happen to quite like being alive.”
With that, Li Zhibo immediately dialed the hotline for the Special Operations Department. “Hello, Special Operations Department? It’s me, I want to surrender myself!”
Author’s Note:
Li Zhibo: Oh crap, they’re definitely coming for me! The Special Operations Department is terrifyingly powerful, I’m completely shattered.
Bai Hewei: Today was another great day of diligent work!
