The Strongest Support-Attribute User

"The strongest Support-Attribute user?"

"That's right!" Gu Yan nodded, but there was no pride in his tone. He merely took a sip of cola, looking utterly dejected.

He revealed some of the less important facts to his older sister.

"Why do you look so unwilling?"

"Of course I am! I only wanted to be a slacker, but instead they dumped all this work on me." With a light squeeze, he crushed the cola can into a ball and toyed with it in his hand.

"And I'm a support-type user, yet they still treat me like a combat asset. It's downright oppression and exploitation!" Gu Yan put on an indignant expression. What he meant was: I'm actually very well-behaved and don't like fighting. They're the ones forcing me to fight.

Besides, if even a support-type user like him could participate, it probably wasn't that difficult!

Although he hadn't told Gu Li how dangerous the battles he had taken part in were, hinting at it in advance would make it easier for her to accept later.

Gu Yan was worried his family would be uneasy.

Gu Li sneered and pointed at the cola can he had casually crushed down to the size of a marble. "That's what you call support? Do support users have that much strength?"

Besides, she hadn't forgotten how Gu Yan had instantly killed that monster the other night.

"People have different constitutions."

"..."

Gu Li was rendered speechless for a moment.

"Sigh, I'm just worried you're too stupid. Someone good-looking and high-status might say a few smooth words, and you'll go throw your life away for them."

"Sis, I'm an adult already. I'm not someone who can be talked into leaving with two pieces of candy..." Gu Yan was speechless as well. They were only two years apart, so why did this feel like a mother lecturing a little brat?

"All right. I'm just worried about you. Be more careful."

In the eyes of others, Gu Li was cold and irritable, and extremely difficult to get along with. But toward one of her only two blood relatives, she was deeply concerned.

"Go to work after you finish eating." Gu Li returned to her room. From the sound of it, she had gone to change clothes.

"Work? What work?" Gu Yan was utterly baffled.

"The Haishi Ability Bureau, you idiot!"

Buzz!

His mind rang, and everything around him seemed to sever its connection with Gu Yan.

How could this be? The food in Gu Yan's mouth instantly lost its flavor, becoming bitter and strangely unfamiliar.

He chewed carefully, trying to recover its former taste, but no matter how many times he savored it, only one meaning remained: work!

I must be tired, he thought. The world before his eyes turned dim and gray.

Damn it, couldn't he be a slacker for just one day?

"Hey, isn't this little brother Gu Yan? What happened? You only remembered to come to work after more than ten days?"

The siblings had just walked past the Ability Bureau's medical building when they ran into Zhang Yu carrying a pile of cleaning tools. Apparently, he was on his way to clean the training grounds.

The two exchanged glances, both wearing smiles.

"Hey, Brother Yu." Gu Yan greeted him absentmindedly, paying no attention to Zhang Yu's teasing.

"Brother Yu?" Gu Li raised her brows. She deliberately emphasized the word "brother" and glared at Zhang Yu with a dangerous look.

"Uh... is there a problem? I'm his senior, and I'm a few years older than him. Calling me brother is... pretty normal... right?" His voice grew quieter as he spoke, and his confidence quickly ebbed.

Zhang Yu took the long way around to avoid Gu Li and tried to approach Gu Yan, but the moment Gu Li locked onto him with her gaze, he immediately froze.

"Heh, this is my younger brother. You should call him brother," Gu Li said. Her tone was completely different from when she was at home, but Gu Yan wasn't nervous in the slightest. In fact, he was interested in seeing Zhang Yu make a fool of himself.

"How can I do that? I won't call him little brother, but could you please not make me..."

"No. You can't call him brother. You're not worthy."

"..."

Zhang Yu swallowed the words of gratitude he had been about to say, then silently picked up his tools and continued on his way.

"What kind of work could we possibly have here? Do we really have to come to work?" After Zhang Yu had gone some distance away, Gu Yan began complaining as well.

"Dealing with Ability Users who violate the rules, stepping in to protect civilians when necessary, and handling all kinds of tough, exhausting jobs that ordinary people can't deal with. That's our work."

"But if something happens, they can just notify us directly. There's no need to come to work!" Although he knew that wasn't reasonable, Gu Yan still wanted to fight for a chance to slack off.

Besides, if they really needed him to make a move, Xu Muchi would probably swoop down from the sky with a whoosh, and then he would be dragged off to do hard labor.

"That's why, for all the employees of the Ability Bureau, training and improving their strength is part of their daily work."

"Then, as a support-type user, I don't have to—"

"No. Everyone has to work. Support users are no exception."

Gu Yan fell silent, cursing under his breath nonstop.

"Actually, it's easier to manage us when we're gathered together. After all, we're all powerful individuals. If one of us broke free of control, the resulting damage could rival a small war."

"Besides, not everyone can be like that woman from before, tying people up and forcing them to work whenever and wherever she wants."

At that, Gu Li lowered her voice and secretly glanced around before saying, "Actually, there are quite a few pretty girls in the bureau. Do you want to pick one?"

"Huh? Sis, did you tamper with your understanding of me? You're actually Mom, aren't you?"

Bam!

Gu Li punched Gu Yan on the head. Although he couldn't feel any pain, he obediently covered his head anyway. After all, bloodline suppression was real.

The two kept walking as they talked, and before long, they entered the office building.

"By the way, your office is on the fourth floor, Room 401. I've had someone clean it every day for the past ten-odd days."

"What do I need an office for?" Yes! Room 401, right? I'll order a mattress and bedding right away.

"Everyone above B-Class has one. Of course, you're no exception. Don't even think about slacking off and sleeping. According to regulations, you're also responsible for managing an area, and you have to join an Ability User squad."

"Most cities only have one squad, but Haishi is special. It has four. I originally planned to put you in my squad, but the higher-ups disagreed."

"Can I still resign?" Gu Yan looked as if he had lost all hope, his eyes dull and lifeless.

He had no objections to fighting the Collapse—that was his duty. But going to work was another matter entirely.

"Hmph. Didn't you want to sneak into the Ability Bureau without telling me before? Regretting it now?" Gu Li had already reached the door of her office.

"Too late. Go to work obediently!" With that, she opened the door, only to find several people pressed against the back of it, eavesdropping. Without exception, they were all members of Gu Li's squad.

"Cap... Captain Gu, good afternoon!" The speaker's forehead was already covered in cold sweat, and his teeth were trembling slightly.

Two in the afternoon—what was good about that?

Watching the excitement was human nature. Gu Yan somehow produced a bottle of cola and leaned against the corner, waiting with great interest to see these people get lectured by his older sister.

Gu Li smiled without saying a word. The men and women before her all found themselves wanting to run away.

Hiss—

Gas escaped from the punctured can, breaking the awkward silence.

"Eavesdropping?" In front of outsiders, Gu Li once again became the cold and irritable older sister.

"Captain Gu, rest assured. You'll always be our cold goddess!"

Gu Yan chuckled inwardly at those words. They really just exposed themselves. They practically said outright that they heard everything.

Just as he raised the can, Gu Li snatched it away.

"Get to work!"

Then she slammed the door shut with a bang.

"..."