Contact

Wang Shouye's brow furrowed deeply, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the mahogany desktop.

He watched as the figure drifted silently through the open window, like a weightless fallen leaf.

The visitor made no unnecessary movements. With a casual wave of his hand, his strange cape fluttered slightly, and the two rigorously trained guards beside Wang Shouye, both assessed as B-rank Awakened, crumpled as though their bones had been pulled out and fell unconscious.

"It's all right. They've only fainted."

The visitor's voice was calm and even. He pulled out a chair and sat down across from Wang Shouye.

His unusual shoes, his robe of unknown material, and his somewhat childish cape all gave off a strange air.

As Su Luo came through the window, he had casually tested the cape's effect: Mischief.

The result was pretty good. The two burly men instantly fell into a baby-like sleep.

"Hello, Prefect Wang."

"...Hello."

Wang Shouye forced down the storm raging in his heart and tried to keep his voice steady.

So strong!

B-rank Awakened were subdued instantly without even a chance to react! Was this S-rank? Or... higher?

"Hello, my name is Luosu. I'm currently a mage, specializing in fire magic."

Su Luo had simply reversed the syllables of his name to make a homophone. Since the languages were different, the system would translate it anyway, so he wasn't worried about revealing his name.

"M-Mr. Stack of Flatbreads?" Wang Shouye hesitated.

Su Luo: "..."

What the hell kind of translation was that?!

After the correction, Wang Shouye said solemnly, "Mr. Su, what is your purpose in coming here?"

Cold sweat beaded faintly on his palms. Facing a mysterious powerhouse who could easily decide whether he lived or died, he couldn't help being nervous.

Su Luo said, "I'm here to make formal contact with the Great Yong authorities. This is a meeting that can change the age."

With that, Su Luo held out his palm.

A cluster of blazing flames sprang into being, leaping and dancing. In the blink of an eye, the flames collapsed and flowed into a cool breeze; the breeze then condensed into crystalline droplets of water. The droplets fell, spreading into a small pinch of fine dust on his palm. Earth, water, fire, and wind—the four elements flowed obediently at his fingertips, changing from one to the next.

An invisible current of air rose with them, quietly separating the two men from the outside world. The sounds in the office vanished instantly, leaving only a heart-stopping silence.

Wang Shouye's eyes widened slightly, and he nearly held his breath. Four abilities? No, there was also the flying and the mental attack just now... Could it be some kind of ultra-high-level superpower? No wonder he was so confident.

But Su Luo's next words shattered his understanding.

"Prefect Wang, let me emphasize again: I am not a superpowered person. I am a mage from beyond this world. What I use is a supernatural system entirely different from that of your world—Mana."

The subtle effect of the Charm Spell continued to work, reducing Wang Shouye's suspicion and increasing his trust in the words.

"How would you like to proceed with this contact?"

"First, keep this information confidential. From now on, only you and those I agree to contact later are entitled to know my true origins."

"Second, I want to meet the high-ranking officials who can make decisions for Great Yong, as soon as possible. Use your entire network of contacts. A remote meeting is acceptable, but you must ensure the communications are absolutely encrypted."

"As for my purpose, I hope to study the supernatural system that has just emerged in your world. I've observed that the way it appeared is rather abnormal. It doesn't seem to have evolved naturally; it looks more as though it was forcibly brought into being. I'm willing to offer basic knowledge of my Mana system in exchange..."

Su Luo paused briefly, then offered a bargaining chip that would be hard for anyone in power to refuse:

"Also, you can tell the higher-ups one thing in advance: unlike superpowers, which seem to depend on awakening and are difficult to reproduce, my Mana system offers those who study it a better chance of attaining long life..."

This was a lie. Su Luo didn't know either, but that didn't stop him from talking nonsense.

He started with nothing but his mouth and made the rest up.

Now that the Mana problem had been resolved, Su Luo had no intention of turning off the Charm Spell, such an efficient communication aid.

As for the danger of making direct contact, there was no need to worry.

If superpowered people weren't included, Su Luo's current strength made destroying cities and attacking strongholds easy. Even with superpowered people included... Su Luo was confident he could escape.

But there was no need. In most cases, destruction was the most wasteful method; intimidation and inducement were the better approach.

Wang Shouye took a deep breath and nodded firmly.

"All right, Mr. Su. I'll use every bit of strength and every connection I have to contact the higher-ups. The meeting will begin by eight tomorrow morning at the latest."

Su Luo nodded in satisfaction, then recalled something and added:

"For now, don't use the Superpower Management Bureau's channels. Now, give me all the information you have here on the Superpower Management Bureau, especially its senior personnel."

"All right, I'll get it immediately." Without any objection, Wang Shouye rose, took a thick file envelope from the secure filing cabinet behind him, and handed it to Su Luo with both hands.

Su Luo took the stack of files and lightly ran a fingertip across the pages. Then he took out a USB drive and tossed it to Wang Shouye. Without another word, he rose and walked to the window. Under Wang Shouye's complicated gaze, his figure flickered, and he was standing outside the window.

Su Luo took neither the stairs nor the elevator. He flew straight out of the window.

Su Luo was very satisfied with this contact.

The Charm Spell was so useful! Did you know that?

Wang Shouye watched the trail Su Luo left as he departed, dazed for a moment.

Then he picked up the phone and made one arrangement after another concerning security and his contacts. Finally, he took an old-fashioned red secure phone from a drawer and swiftly entered a long, complicated password.

The phone rang for nearly three minutes before someone answered.

"Hello, Your Majesty? It's me, Shouye. I've encountered someone who calls himself a mage from another world. His strength may be SS-rank... It concerns... long life..."

Who went out into the world without some backing?

Su Luo picked a quiet park at random and landed. Sitting on a bench, he began looking through the information.

First was the predecessor of the Superpower Investigation Bureau—the Abnormality Division.

First were the records of the Superpower Management Bureau's predecessor, [the Abnormality Division]. It had been established a little over a month ago, initially to investigate sporadic incidents involving the Awakened and cases of advanced, precision instruments failing.

The first head of the Abnormality Division had been a powerful military officer, but he had unexpectedly died in the line of duty during a sudden incident several days ago. Power had passed into the hands of Chen Hu, an S-class Awakened with a Superpower of the Talent type.

After Chen Hu took office, his disposition turned to shit. Using information and methods from who knew where, he gathered a large number of Awakened and took power outright...

Su Luo rubbed his eyes and checked repeatedly. It really said his disposition had turned to shit, not that his disposition had changed drastically.

He checked the details.

Chen Hu, originally cheerful, had become quiet and withdrawn, cast aside his old friends, acted autocratically, and swiftly seized real power. His manner was tough and stubborn, his character as hard as a turd in a latrine...

The person who recorded this information was something else.