Chapter 38
The manner in which Pullman casually spoke of purchasing a villa was no different from how Bai Hewei might breezily order a bottle of Cola.
Bai Hewei suddenly realized that the foreigner standing before him was an unmitigated, filthy-rich tycoon.
For a moment, he actually felt a wave of anti-wealth resentment swell within him.
Yet, Pullman remained entirely oblivious.
“The housing prices in your city are quite cheap,” Pullman sighed, swirling his glass. “I originally wanted to just buy the entire apartment building you live in, but unfortunately, that wasn’t allowed. If I had done that, the Special Operations Department would have been at my doorstep in no time. But buying a villa near your neighborhood is fine too; it’s safer. By the way, if you ever get injured in the future, come to my sister for treatment. I’ll give you a fifty percent discount.”
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Bai Hewei ventured, “what are your sister’s typical rates?”
“For standard critical injuries, it’s usually around ten million USD. If it’s regenerating a severed limb, it’s closer to thirty million USD,” Pullman replied casually. “Of course, under normal circumstances, if my sister dislikes a particular Evolver but still wants to make a buck, the price might hike a tiny bit. There’s really no helping it, though. My sister has to pay for her own security team, and she has to advance cash for every house call. We quite frequently run into people trying to rob us.”
…You guys are such massive fat cats; isn’t it completely natural that you’d attract robbers or people looking to hijack your cash? Bai Hewei thought. Someone call the tax bureau immediately. Do these private clinics even pay taxes?
“You two should really just settle down in our city,” Bai Hewei urged with absolute sincerity. “You can set up a hospital here down the line, preferably right within our subdistrict’s jurisdiction. That way, when you pay your taxes, it’ll count directly toward our subdistrict’s economic performance metrics.”
With rates that exorbitant, if Pullman’s sister treated just one patient a day, the volume of tax revenue she alone generated in a year could probably cover the salaries of the entire municipal workforce.
As long as they remained law-abiding, a pair of powerhouses like them would be fiercely coveted and protected by the municipal government like prized treasures. Absolutely no one would dare trouble them, freeing them from any needless anxiety.
Possessing wealth without strength made one an easy target for scams, but possessing both wealth and absolute strength commanded pure terror.
“But my sister is quite busy lately. Someone commissioned her to treat [Sage] Batu. Once she wraps that up, she’ll come find you,” Pullman took a sip of beer, finding the local brew rather crisp. He poured himself another glass. “If memory serves correctly, Batu’s recent downfall was your doing, right?”
“Injustice… He was foaming at the mouth from a sudden medical emergency; it had virtually nothing to do with me,” Bai Hewei defended himself. “I didn’t even touch a hair on his head. By the time I took the elevator up, he was already completely unresponsive.”
However, the intelligence his sister had received indicated that [Sage] Batu had suffered absolute brain death, his entire spiritual framework thoroughly shattered.
Even if she successfully treated him, Batu would merely awake as an ordinary human.
Yet even so, that foreign nation had still put forth an astronomical bounty to secure her services.
“I’ll speak to my sister when she returns,” Pullman smiled. He set down his beer glass, noting with a slight sigh, “Looks like your pickup team is here. They sure keep tabs on you.”
Bai Hewei turned his head, spotting Luo Chuan and his squad operatives standing nearby, tracking them with absolute anxiety.
“Captain Luo!” Bai Hewei waved. “Want to join us for a few skewers?”
Luo Chuan hesitated for a fraction of a second, gesturing for his team members to wait at a distance before stepping forward on his own.
As an A-Class Evolver, he commanded a towering reputation and was routinely treated with absolute deference wherever he went.
Yet sitting around this tiny roadside table, one was the reigning strongest powerhouse in the world, and the other belonged to the globally recognized, untouchable S-Class sibling pair. No matter how one calculated it, this was a clash of absolute titans; an A-Class Evolver stepping up was no different from entering a meat grinder.
But duty called, and he had no choice but to step past the threshold.
At the very least, they weren’t throwing punches, so he wasn’t there to break up a brawl.
“Ahem… is the food at this stall really that spectacular? To think you two would sit here specifically?” Luo Chuan initiated a casual pleasantry, internally feeling profoundly anxious.
The absolute second the surveillance grid picked up the meeting between Bai Hewei and Pullman, the squad captains had immediately drawn lots to determine who would play the role of the interrogator.
His luck had been wretched; he drew the short straw.
Despite dragging his feet as much as possible, Luo Chuan still had to face reality.
The Pullman siblings were categorized by numerous global nations and organizations as prime targets for recruitment.
Both siblings possessed exceptionally formidable capabilities and shared an unbreakable bond; provided one made a choice, the other would implicitly back it up. Having grown up together as orphans in a church orphanage, their mutual trust was absolute.
Pullman’s sister, as a premier healing-type Evolver, was fiercely sought after. Word was she could mend any physical trauma induced by supernatural backlashes. If an anomaly triggered during her treatment phase, her brother would step in to anchor her safety.
As for Pullman himself, he was widely dubbed the “Evolver Killer.”
No matter how powerful an ability user was, if they attempted to abduct him, they would invariably be stripped of their powers and reduced to a regular citizen for a duration ranging anywhere from one to three years.
And once an Evolver was stripped of their supernatural protection, their historical adversaries would naturally line up to settle scores.
Pullman might not personally execute his targets, but the volume of Evolvers who had perished because of his ability was immense.
A pair like this was bound to be coveted by countless factions.
Fortunately, the Pullman siblings were exceptionally sharp. They operated on a policy of non-refusal, accepting invitations from various rogue syndicates and nations indiscriminately without offending a single party. Yet they never took up permanent residence in any single location, choosing instead to purchase real estate across the entire globe.
“We were just researching real estate acquisition and immigration protocols,” Bai Hewei shared the absolute truth. “It’s actually quite difficult for a foreigner like him to secure permanent residency in our country.”
“It’s not that difficult if you go through the special talent recruitment track for Evolvers,” Luo Chuan answered subconsciously. “Basically, provided an S-Class Evolver has never intentionally harmed our citizens and is willing to renounce their foreign citizenship, they can clear the background checks and secure residency once we verify there are no espionage issues. However, if you wish to sit for public exams to enter the establishment, your options are limited strictly to our Special Operations Department; other bureaus are completely barred.”
However, every single S-Class Evolver was essentially a prized treasure of their respective home nation, so very few would willingly renounce their citizenship. Combined with a sequence of dense background checks, the absolute number of people who walked this path was virtually zero.
“Once my sister returns from her field call, we’ll start initiating the paperwork,” Pullman stood up. “I’ve had my fill. Thanks for the hospitality.”
With that, Pullman waved at Bai Hewei and Luo Chuan, departing the sector with absolute briskness.
“Mr. Bai, what exactly was that about?” Luo Chuan was thoroughly baffled. “We were genuinely worried the two of you would throw hands.”
“This is a residential zone; even if we were going to fight, it wouldn’t be here,” Bai Hewei knew exactly what Luo Chuan was anxious about, shaking his head like a rattle. “Captain Luo, he doesn’t harbor malicious intent. Rest your mind.”
“That’s excellent then,” Luo Chuan let out a massive sigh of relief. “The main reason I stepped over was to notify you that you can start preparing your annual leave application. Next week, Director Yuan will clear a slot in her schedule to formally meet with you.”
So soon?
Bai Hewei felt his deep-seated anxiety regarding high-ranking leaders flaring up once again.
“Do you know anyone over at the Research Institute? Before I meet Director Yuan, can I go there to run a full physical checkup first?” Recalling Pullman’s warning, Bai Hewei felt a trace of underlying worry. He wanted to run a comprehensive diagnostic check to get a handle on his energy variables; if he unconsciously harmed Director Yuan during their meeting, even if he successfully cleared the exams down the line, he’d constantly have to worry about getting targeted by the leadership.
Luo Chuan’s pupils contracted violently.
“What… what did you just say?”
Had he misheard?
Bai Hewei was taking the initiative to head to the Research Institute for a full-body examination?
Luo Chuan cleared his ears, confirming his auditory senses hadn’t failed him.
“Is… is that not allowed?” Bai Hewei blanked. “Does it require a prior reservation or something? As for the diagnostic fees, I can cover them myself, provided the price isn’t astronomically high.”
“No, no, no, there’s absolutely no need for diagnostic fees!” Luo Chuan snapped out of it, blurting out rapidly. “How about this—I’ll place a call for you immediately. I know the Research Institute inside and out; I’ll absolutely ensure you don’t throw away a single cent on this.”
With that, Luo Chuan frantically retrieved his phone, located a specific number saved in his contacts, and dialed it without a shred of hesitation.
It was the direct landline to the Central Research Institute.
An A-Class Evolver like him underwent annual diagnostic checks at the Central Research Institute; local research branches were only equipped to handle grades below A-Class.
Luo Chuan understood with absolute clarity just how intensely the Research Institute drooled over Bai Hewei’s profile.
After all, he had personally hauled the trash bags from Bai Hewei’s residence multiple times.
This absolute favor had to be custom-delivered directly to the Central Research Institute before anyone else could intercept it.
Securing a merit like this would absolutely guarantee him an “Excellent” rating during the year-end performance evaluations. Accumulating three “Excellent” ratings would bump his rank up by a full level.
He had originally assumed his luck was wretched when drawing the short straw, never anticipating that the goddess of fortune was actually waving her hand at him.
Life truly carried unpredictable variables.
“Is this the Research Institute? I am A-Class Evolver Luo Chuan. Please inform Chief Wen that Bai Hewei desires to undergo a comprehensive physical examination at the Institute. I will escort him throughout the entire process.” Luo Chuan nimbly included himself in the deployment.
The line hummed with administrative sorting for a brief moment before a familiar voice echoed on the other end.
“Captain Luo, please detail the exact circumstances,” Wen Zhiyi’s voice intoned.
“Upon learning that he is scheduled to meet Director Yuan next week, Mr. Bai Hewei proactively requested to undergo a comprehensive physical examination. Personally, I believe the local research branch lacks the capability to execute an absolute diagnostic suite on his profile. Therefore, I request that your office dispatch specialists bundled with advanced instruments to personally conduct a comprehensive testing sweep.”
“Thanks for your hard work, Captain Luo. I will lead a team over tomorrow. Please monitor Mr. Bai Hewei’s movements. He must maintain a strict fast tomorrow morning; I will have my assistant forward the list of required diagnostic items to your phone shortly. Please transmit the details to Mr. Bai.”
“Understood, no problem,” Luo Chuan agreed without a shred of hesitation.
The call disconnected.
The absolute second Wen Zhiyi set down the phone, the surrounding researchers completely dropped their current tasks, staring at him with absolute hunger in their eyes.
“Chief, you know my capabilities! Across the entire compound, not a single researcher matches my precision when drawing blood. This phlebotomy chore belongs to me, without question!”
“Chief, you know my loyalty! Ever since the foundation stone of this Institute was laid, I have been rooted here. On a regular basis, I have never competed against anyone for excellence evaluations, but you absolutely must include me in this deployment!”
“Chief, I have poured blood and sweat for this Institute; you can’t leave me weeping in regret this time!”
…
Usually, the moment an out-of-town deployment notice dropped, these researchers would desperately wish they could bury themselves under the floorboards to escape. Yet upon learning that they were heading out to conduct a full physical examination on Bai Hewei, their backs stopped aching, their joints became perfectly fluid, and even their phrasing grew spectacularly pleasant.
That was Bai Hewei, after all.
The strongest Evolver in the world!
As a researcher, who wouldn’t want to wildly rush over to execute a comprehensive examination on him? Even if they couldn’t personally run the diagnostics, simply being able to witness Bai Hewei’s real-time biometric readings was an immense profit.
“Chief, this is the advanced array designed for testing. I’ve already hauled the unit out; let me act as your bag-carrier for this deployment,” a remarkably sharp researcher squeezed through the crowd to present an instrument to Wen Zhiyi. “This stands as the premier flagship unit in our inventory.”
Because Evolvers were scattered across every corner of the country, their diagnostic instruments were engineered to be as portable as naturally possible.
Even if a core piece of equipment was exceptionally massive, it didn’t matter—the Research Institute housed spatial-type Evolvers who could simply pack the heavy hardware into their dimensional rifts to carry it along.
“Chief, regarding the local research branch in that prefectural city—I used to serve as their Deputy Director back in the day. The current Director and Deputy Director over there were my direct subordinates. I’ve already placed a call to their offices; although they have no idea what’s triggered this deployment, they have already agreed to completely clear out their facility for a full day to accommodate us. Look at that—you must take me along.”
The personnel at the Research Institute were experiencing a mutual revelation. They had never anticipated that their seemingly pedantic colleagues—the ones who supposedly “lacked worldly wisdom and did nothing but bury themselves in studies”—were actually a hidden army of corporate powerhouses.
The moment they needed to vie for a slot, they executed tactical plays that anticipated the leadership’s every need.
“The main headquarters cannot be left entirely unstaffed, but deploying to that prefectural city to conduct a diagnostic sweep on Bai Hewei does indeed require a substantial workforce,” Wen Zhiyi noted, sounding remarkably accommodating at this juncture. “We will allocate the slots strictly according to the progress of your current assignments. Barring the time required to process travel paperwork, our flight will depart tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM. Up until that exact deadline, whoever wraps up their current tasks with absolute quality control will secure a slot. The quota is capped at twenty individuals—first come, first served.”
Hearing this criteria, the researchers instantly scattered in a massive stampede, sprinting back to work relentless overtime to clear their desks.
Wen Zhiyi let out a subtle sigh of relief, pacing back into his office to draft an official deployment report for the central government.
Dispatched a cohort of twenty researchers required passing through a formal administrative approval process, after all.
Early the next morning.
Wen Zhiyi watched several dozen researchers engage in a literal hundred-meter dash, sprinting furiously toward the vehicle fleet.
Those who successfully boarded the transport plane looked thoroughly triumphant, while those who missed the cut by a single step looked deeply grief-stricken, attempting to invoke sympathy to squeeze out an extra slot.
“Hurry, hurry, hurry! Initiate takeoff protocols immediately!”
“Stop letting people on! Let’s move out!”
“Don’t fall for Old Li’s act; he’s completely faking that limp. I know his routine all too well.”
“Don’t worry, colleagues! I will return carrying the first-hand biometric data streams!”
As the volume of researchers who failed to make the cut piled up, more than half of the department was practically blinking back tears of regret.
“Make sure to stream a real-time video link!”
“Letting us join a virtual cloud diagnostic session is acceptable too!”
Over at the prefectural city’s research branch, the local staff had no idea what had triggered this deployment. They had merely received a sudden directive from the leadership instructing them to take a full day of mandatory leave and temporarily suspend all operational services.
This was especially true for the residents living near the facility, who watched the Special Operations Department coordinate with the Department of Transportation to completely seal off the surrounding roads starting from the cover of night, entirely ignorant of what crisis had manifested.
The Municipal Government Office had issued a document inquiring about the disruption, but the regional branch had flatly rejected their inquiry, citing “confidentiality protocols.”
Huo Ling was so excited he had literally lost a few strands of hair.
Despite not having slept a single wink all night, his spirit remained exceptionally vibrant.
“To think Bai Hewei would take the initiative to submit to a physical examination… truly magnificent,” Huo Ling practically wept with tears of absolute gratitude, delivering a heavy round of praise to Luo Chuan.
They had originally assumed that after Batu dissolved into a simpleton, they would have to map out alternative strategies to uncover Bai Hewei’s parameters. Who could have anticipated that Bai Hewei would proactively request a diagnostic suite?
One had to understand that within the grapevine of the Evolver community, the Research Institute didn’t exactly command a positive image. Furthermore, a comprehensive full-body examination was an act that could easily be linked to bizarre, invasive experiments, leaving the vast majority of Evolvers entirely unwilling to cooperate.
If other ordinary Evolvers refused to cooperate, the Special Operations Department could deploy a trace of physical persuasion.
But if Bai Hewei refused to cooperate, they could only implicitly respect his choice.
Now that Bai Hewei had requested it on his own, how could he not be ecstatic?
To ensure absolute certainty, Luo Chuan had personally shadowed Bai Hewei back to his residence, literally staking out his apartment stairwell for an entire night. Early the next morning, he had his team members drive his private vehicle—fully equipped with an absolute transit pass—to personally escort Bai Hewei to the local research facility, entirely unwilling to let any other operative touch his prize.
This guaranteed “Excellent” rating couldn’t be allowed to slip away.
Sitting inside Luo Chuan’s vehicle, Bai Hewei noticed that the surrounding roads had been entirely sealed off. He felt a trace of surprise, and it was only after Luo Chuan flashed his absolute pass that they smoothly cleared the checkpoints.
“Don’t overthink it. This setup isn’t because of you; they are here to safeguard the researchers dispatched from the central headquarters,” Luo Chuan noted, catching onto Bai Hewei’s tension.
Given a caliber of strength like Bai Hewei’s, no one on earth could possibly protect him; it was more a case of him protecting everyone else.
Riding in Luo Chuan’s car, Bai Hewei arrived at the local research branch completely unhindered.
Staring at the dense wall of fully equipped SWAT personnel lining the perimeter, Bai Hewei couldn’t help but swallow hard, harboring a trace of sudden regret that he had agreed to this examination so smoothly.
“Put on your masks and reign in your expressions,” Wen Zhiyi addressed the cohort of researchers whose eyes were completely packed with raw hunger, feeling thoroughly helpless.
Aren’t you going to scare the man away?
At least put on a proper facade.
Hearing his warning, the researchers whipped out their phones to check their reflections. Realizing their expressions were indeed a bit excessive, they nimbly put on surgical masks and slipped into pristine white lab coats, making themselves appear significantly more professional.
“Chief, won’t this configuration make us look even more like mad scientists from a movie?” a colleague inquired.
“I will receive him personally; I can manage my expressions. You all go double-check the equipment parameters, ensuring every single metric inside the examination matrix has been perfectly calibrated,” Wen Zhiyi instructed once more. “Take your positions. We absolutely cannot frighten him; he will need to return for routine follow-ups in the future. Today merely serves as a baseline testing sweep.”
“Understood, understood.”
“We will absolutely deliver a flawless performance.”
“Rest your mind, Chief.”
If they could extract a single breakthrough from Bai Hewei’s biological profile, wouldn’t academic papers practically compile themselves? Their research findings could literally be measured by the metric ton!
“Ahem, head on inside. I’ll wait for you out here,” Luo Chuan addressed Bai Hewei. “Once the checkup wraps up, give me a shout and I’ll escort you back home.”
With that, Luo Chuan parked his car inside the lot, entirely unwilling to step out of his vehicle himself.
Bai Hewei could only walk into the facility alone.
“Mr. Bai, this way, please.” Before Bai Hewei could even approach the reception desk, an operative clad in a white coat and a surgical mask stepped forward to open the door for him, even giving his shoulder a gentle, lingering pat, appearing profoundly ecstatic. “Our diagnostic suite features a substantial volume of items today. We intend to run a comprehensive sweep of every track, which will likely consume a few hours.”
“No problem. Since we’re running a checkup, it’s best to be thorough,” Bai Hewei stated with absolute compliance. “I want to get a handle on my own baseline metrics as well.”
“Exactly. If an Evolver remains completely in the dark regarding their own supernatural ability, they are highly prone to suffering an oversight when encountering adversaries down the line,” the researcher nodded. “We’re here. Head inside to Chief Wen’s office first to undergo a preliminary diagnostic suite evaluation.”
Bai Hewei leveled his gaze at the office, discovering that the handsome guy he had encountered previously was already waiting for him inside the examination room.
“Mr. Bai, please take a seat,” Wen Zhiyi pointed to the chair before his desk, signaling Bai Hewei to sit.
This voice sounded remarkably familiar.
????, Bai Hewei blanked for a fraction of a second. It sounded quite a bit like Number One, yet different in a subtle manner (Wen Zhiyi had activated a minor vocal distortion filter on his person).
“Our diagnostic suite features a vast array of items today. Phlebotomy and urinalysis are merely the absolute baseline; our primary objective is to subject your profile to a testing sweep spanning one hundred and three distinct classifications of supernatural abilities,” Wen Zhiyi pushed a thick folder of files forward, signaling Bai Hewei to scan them. “Contained within are the Diagnostic Liability Agreement, the Examination Guidelines, and the Supernatural Testing Parameter Logs. You may skim through them first.”
Staring at the dense stack of files, Bai Hewei merely felt a powerful headache coming on. “You can run whatever tests you deem necessary. I don’t comprehend these technicalities anyway, so I’ll leave the decisions entirely to the experts.”
“Understood. I suggest that outside of the one hundred and three ability tests, we append a psychological evaluation and a cognitive profile sweep,” Wen Zhiyi adjusted his spectacles. “If possible, could you share whether you encountered any anomalous events or experienced physical distortions prior to the awakening of your ability?”
Before an Evolver unlocked their power, a sequence of minor physical or mental tells usually surfaced.
Things like sudden hyper-excitability, a spike in body temperature, or in more severe cases, an actual illness.
Generally speaking, the more absolute the awakened capability, the more violent the preceding tells would be, though exceptions existed. For Bai Hewei to drop into reality as the strongest Evolver in the world, his profile was bound to carry unique parameters.
And this was exactly what they desperately desired to uncover.
“Anomalous events?” Bai Hewei scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. “That day happened to be my shift on duty, and I merely stamped an official seal on an Evolver’s file. Shortly after, I received an administrative directive instructing me to coordinate with the Special Operations Department to execute a crowd evacuation. These are entirely my daily routine tasks, carrying zero actual anomalies. The sole unique variable was that a once-in-a-millennium meteor shower triggered that night.”
“A meteor shower? True,” Wen Zhiyi nodded. He recalled that a meteor shower had indeed graced the skies that night, but its trajectory was far removed from Bai Hewei’s coordinates. Millions of people had witnessed the display that night, yet Bai Hewei was the only one who had awakened a supernatural power.
“Because the results of the provincial public exam had been delayed indefinitely, I made a wish upon that meteor shower,” Bai Hewei lowered his head. “I wished that either the world would be utterly destroyed, or I would successfully pass my public exams and land on the shore of a stable career. I begged the meteor shower to fulfill my desire.”
The precise reason Bai Hewei had avoided coming in for a checkup previously was because he terrified researchers would press him on this exact point. It made it look as though his internal resentment had been too overwhelming back then, leading him to harbor dissatisfaction toward his employment and make reckless, chaotic wishes.
But who could have anticipated that a wish would genuinely manifest, yet only realize exactly half of the parameters?
The meteor shower hadn’t triggered the destruction of the world, but it had likely… possibly… statistically given him the absolute capacity to destroy the world on his own instead.
Bai Hewei didn’t want to accept this conclusion; he didn’t believe his physical form was that absolute.
Yet every single other Evolver firmly asserted that his strength was plain to see, leaving him entirely caught between laughter and tears.
His peaceful daily life was completely shot.
“The next morning when I woke up, I had already transformed into an Evolver.”
“Injustice! I merely spouted those words on a whim; I never actually intended to destroy the world! And I have absolutely no idea how I became the strongest in the world either! It completely defies all logic!”
Author’s Note:
Researchers: Cue the background track ‘Good Fortune Arrives’!
