He Was a Herrscher

"By the way, I really do have something to entrust to you this time."

"It's about that survivor named Gu Yan, right?" Qin Hong'an had already learned about Gu Yan's battle against the Herrscher of Reason alongside Xu Muchi and Black Dragon.

"Right." Xu Muchi pulled a clean sheet of paper from the desk and tapped it lightly with two fingers. Detailed information about Gu Yan appeared on it.

Of course, it only contained what she knew.

"Keep this person's information confidential and take good care of him. For now, issue him an identity certificate as a B–A-Class Support-Attribute Ability User. We must keep him in the Huaguo Ability Department."

B–A-Class meant that he was currently B-Class but had A-Class potential.

Xu Muchi looked Qin Hong'an straight in the eye. "He's very important."

"I understand." Qin Hong'an picked up the documents and read them carefully. The more he read, the more shocked and excited he became.

I struck gold! What kind of peerless prodigy is this?!

As long as Gu Yan's mental state was assessed and he trained with veteran Ability Users for a while, he could be converted into an S-Class Support-Attribute Ability User!

The world's first S-Class support user!

Qin Hong'an's respect for Xu Muchi rose another level. To think she could find such an excellent prodigy—she truly lived up to her reputation as Senior Xu!

"Oh, and his classmate Zhao Qi is also an Ability User. Arrange something for him as well. I estimate that he has at least B-Class potential." After saying that, Xu Muchi left.

The phone rang.

"Hello, who is this?" Gu Yan answered the call, then froze for a moment before coming to his senses.

He had eaten dinner too late the night before and had not adjusted to the time difference. Being woken up by a phone call early in the morning felt nothing short of...

Like his soul had left his body.

"..."

"Did I wake you?" It was Xu Muchi's voice.

Gu Yan glanced at the time. Ten forty. Yep, early morning.

"I only got this phone card last night. How did you find out my number?" He already knew the answer, but he could not resist being a smartass.

"Looking you up was easy. Let's get to the point. Someone from the local Ability Bureau will be at your house soon. Don't reveal your true abilities. If anyone asks about your abilities, say they're enhancement, acceleration, and healing."

"Got it." Gu Yan silently committed her instructions to memory while swiftly getting dressed.

"You called just to tell me that?"

"Is there a problem?"

"...No." After hanging up, Gu Yan began to think.

Did Xu Muchi discover something?

When he had asked whether she was an S-Class Ability User, she had denied it. If she had not been hiding anything, then she must have been an existence above S-Class.

As for why she could not be below S-Class—come on. If even an A-Class Ability User could resist a Herrscher, then Honkai would no longer be something to fear.

That was why Gu Yan believed Xu Muchi had noticed something and acted this way. Otherwise, why would such a powerhouse above S-Class give him special treatment?

For now, though, it was beneficial to him.

It was also possible that his identity as a support user had drawn her attention, but that possibility was unlikely. If she wanted to use him as a disposable tool, she would not have needed to go to so much trouble.

Since he could not figure it out, he decided not to think about it anymore. As long as it did not harm him, that was enough.

Knock, knock, knock!

"That was fast? I haven't even had breakfast."

After tidying himself up hastily, he went to open the door. Gu Yan's older sister and mother were not at home; one had gone to school and the other to work. Gu Yan was resting at home alone.

"Hello, please come in!"

"Sorry to bother you."

The visitor was a middle-aged man in a suit with an imposing air.

"Mr. Gu, please."

Gu Yan accepted the documents from the man and read them carefully, afraid of missing even a single word.

As it turned out, these people from the official Ability organization had come to offer him two choices.

First, he could retain his status as an ordinary citizen, but his use of abilities would be restricted. He would have no special rights or obligations and would lead a relatively carefree life.

Second, he could accept assignments from the Ability Department and join the Ability Department. Aside from not using his abilities casually in front of ordinary people or for illegal activities, he would face no other restrictions. He would also receive dedicated subsidies, starting at one million a year.

Not only that, but many resources would be available to him free of charge. In return, Ability Users had to help maintain social order, protect the lives and property of the public, and so on.

In other words, they were somewhat special police officers.

As someone who wholeheartedly wanted to become a couch potato, Gu Yan naturally...

Chose the second option.

Seeing that Gu Yan had made his choice, the man took out a form and gestured for him to fill it out.

In the ability field, he wrote: Support-Attribute—enhancement, acceleration, and healing.

"Mr. Gu, we'll be colleagues from now on." The man extended his hand and forced a smile while discreetly sending a message.

Gu Yan did not notice the man's little move. He only felt awkward being addressed as "Mr. Gu" over and over when he was an eighteen-year-old "boy."

"Mr. Gu, this is your Ability Certificate and dedicated phone."

The Ability Certificate was actually made of titanium alloy. It would get lost but would not be easily damaged. However, replacing it required paying out of pocket, and misusing the Ability Certificate was illegal.

It was a pity that the so-called dedicated phone was not a private aircraft. It was an attractive smartphone with no brand name, specially made by the Huaguo Ability Department. It could be used to log in to the internal website, came with a dedicated number, and had a few other small functions.

Of course, the phone itself was top-notch as well, comparable to a Nokia.

"Remember to come to the Haishi Ability Bureau to register sometime in the next couple of days. Then you'll officially become one of us. You can find the address on this phone. Goodbye, Mr. Gu!"

The man hurried out of the room as though he were afraid Gu Yan might change his mind.

Downstairs, inside a black official vehicle, a woman looked at the message on her phone and sighed.

"It's done!" The man from before opened the door and climbed into the car.

"It was pretty easy, too. The people above made it sound so terrifying, saying they'd dock my pay if I failed, but that I'd get a raise if I succeeded."

"Come to think of it, your younger brother is much more normal than you. I thought your whole family would be this difficult to deal with."

Gu Li wore an exasperated expression and said, "Wasn't it said that the chances of multiple Ability Users appearing among biological siblings were extremely low? How is Xiao Yan an Ability User too—and one with A-Class potential at that?"

The man was somewhat surprised. Gu Li rarely talked this much, but she became very concerned whenever her younger brother was mentioned. The siblings really were close.

"What? You don't want him to make something of himself? I remember you insisted on sending him abroad to study before. Were you afraid he'd be targeted? You protected him too well."

As someone from the Ability Bureau, Gu Li had dealt with many dangerous individuals, and she was deeply worried that trouble would implicate her family.

Just as the man had said, Gu Li truly wanted to protect Gu Yan.

Why were both biological siblings Ability Users?

Either they were not actually biological siblings—but that was impossible. As a Mental-Attribute Ability User, Gu Li's memories from the age of two were perfectly clear. She remembered Gu Yan's birth and upbringing in detail.

Or their mother was a powerful Ability User. But Gu Li had been a veteran employee of the Ability Bureau for years. If she did not even know about this, then all those years of work would have been for nothing.

Could it be that Gu Yan's ability was fake?

Rubbing her forehead, she had already accepted the "fact" that the two of them were an exception.

"After he comes to the Ability Bureau, do you want to meet him and tell him the truth?" the man asked curiously.

Gu Li did not answer. She merely nodded.

She did not know that the possibility she had overlooked was the correct answer.

Gu Yan was not an Ability User at all. His abilities came from imitating the circulation and flow of energy, then replicating it through Honkai Energy.

And that was precisely the authority of the Third Herrscher—the Herrscher of Possession: controlling the flow of energy!

He was not an Ability User, but a Herrscher.