"Ugh!"
Caught completely off guard, Liu Mu watched as the orange-golden flame instantly climbed up his arm.
The part covered by the flames rapidly charred, turning pitch-black and going numb.
He instinctively spread [Shadow Mist], trying to cover himself with it and suppress the eerie flames, but instead, they burned even more fiercely.
What Liu Mu didn't know was that to [Fierce Flame], any living creature—or even the product of an Aberrant's ability, like this—was excellent "fuel."
He stared fixedly at the figure in the heart of the flames.
The girl had long since broken free of her restraints. She approached him slowly, as casually as if strolling through a courtyard. Her burning golden eyes held not a trace of panic. Instead, they were filled with...
A familiar kind of mockery—the very expression he wore when tormenting his "prey."
That completely different bearing... She was clearly a masterful impostor. She had fooled everyone!
"Y-Your ability isn't [Eye of the Storm] at all!"
Liu Mu cried out, trembling as he pointed at Jiang Mian with his still-sensitive left hand. A horrifying conclusion surfaced in his mind.
"This aura... You're not an Awakened. You're an Aberrant... a high-sequence Aberrant. And you're already Second-tier?!"
How was that possible?!
Jiang Mian's file clearly said that an Elemental Storm had occurred when she "awakened."
If she were an Aberrant, an Elemental Burst of that magnitude would have been a one-time skill. She should have completely lost control and exploded long ago. How could she be perfectly fine like this?!
Besides, he had never seen an Aberrant proficiently wield two elements!
Jiang Mian tilted her head and smiled brightly, though there wasn't a trace of amusement in her eyes—only a hint of mockery.
"You figured it out?"
Her tone was light, even a little "shy," as if someone had discovered her little secret.
She touched her slightly flushed cheek. This feeling of dropping her disguise and letting her true nature out... was pretty exhilarating.
From Li Hao last time to this "kindred" before her,
Whenever she saw them go from being certain of victory to utterly disbelieving, an inexplicable thrill would rise within Jiang Mian.
Was she secretly a bit of a troublemaker after all?
No, no. It was clearly the recognition of her acting skills that made her feel accomplished!
"Too bad. You're too late."
She'd had her fun. It was time to send him on his way.
Orange-golden flames gathered in her palm, radiating a terrifying heat.
The temperature in the room continued to rise sharply. Some of the furniture, made from cheap plastic, began to melt and warp.
The air in the room rippled, as though it, too, was about to catch fire.
And Jiang Mian was deliberately holding back. If she unleashed her full power, its might would probably rival the Wind Field she had created earlier.
Shock and fear had already filled Liu Mu's face.
He had thought he was the Hunter, here to harvest a lamb with golden fleece. Instead, he'd run into a terrifying beast wearing a lamb's skin!
"Safe travels."
Jiang Mian waved at Liu Mu as if bidding him farewell. But in Liu Mu's eyes, it was Death beckoning him.
"No! Plea—"
He tried to beg for mercy, but the flames on his body suddenly flared and spread rapidly, swallowing him whole.
Liu Mu still struggled, trying to activate his ability and slip into the shadows, but against those eerie flames, all resistance was futile.
Even when parts of his body successfully turned to shadow, the flames followed like his own shadow.
A few seconds later, his body had shriveled and charred, finally crumbling into a small pile of ashes.
Then an invisible force flowed from Jiang Mian's limbs into her body, gathering toward the Calamity Core.
"Fresh fuel really is more efficient."
Jiang Mian carefully sensed the "hunger" coming from her core. It had eased somewhat—enough to keep quiet for a few days.
With a thought, she reined in the power of [Fierce Flame], and her eyes returned to normal.
As the flames faded, the ever-present [Shadow Mist] disappeared with them.
Jiang Mian looked around the room and rubbed her smooth chin.
[Fierce Flame] had quite the offensive power, and it could speed up her development, too. The only problem was that it drew too much attention when used. One careless moment and she could set the house on fire.
She had been very careful to control it just now, but the furniture was so poorly made that even the heat radiating from the flames had left it like this.
She'd have to replace it.
Everything else was fine. There wasn't even the faintest scorch mark.
Jiang Mian summoned the power of [Gale], sweeping up the ashes and foul smell in the room and sending them through the open window to mingle with the wind and rain outside, erasing the last trace of Liu Mu's existence.
Once she was done, Jiang Mian walked to the window and gazed at the city beyond, still shrouded in rain. Her expression was calm.
The trouble was gone for now, but there was no guarantee there wouldn't be a second or third time.
Since they had found where she lived and hired an Aberrant to do this, they had to have considerable influence.
Generally speaking, Field Duty commanders at the Public Security Bureau, like He Yi, were almost always Second-tier Awakened.
Jiang Mian estimated her opponent's strength topped out at Third-tier. She could handle that, but it would take some effort, especially since there was no way to keep the commotion down.
She knew her opponent wouldn't make a move personally, but she had killed this Second-tier Aberrant, so they would inevitably become wary.
If they hired a Third-tier killer next time, things could get troublesome.
For someone as cautious as her, any opponent she couldn't take down in an instant counted as "tricky."
After all, every extra second increased the risk of exposure.
To be safe, she should reach Third-tier as soon as possible.
The Special Affairs Bureau couldn't satisfy her appetite. What about other official agencies that had more opportunities to encounter Calamities?
For example... City Defense?
Beyond the city walls lay a world shrouded in Mist—and the domain of Calamities.
City Defense troops were stationed atop the walls, fighting them at any moment. They were always short on personnel and sometimes even had to ask the Public Security Bureau or the Containment Bureau for help.
Just like last time, when she'd seen them at the Special Affairs Bureau: Captain Cheng and the others had just finished supporting the East City wall and stopped by on their way back, hadn't they?
That showed just how short-staffed City Defense was.
If a "genius Awakened" like her asked to train with City Defense, surely the person in charge there wouldn't refuse.
But on the surface, she was still just a "rookie" with no combat experience, and she wasn't the kind of person who seemed eager to fight. Bringing it up out of nowhere would be too abrupt.
Wait, that guy earlier... hadn't he said he'd teach her how to use her ability?
She didn't need anyone to teach her, of course, but she did need a witness.
With him as her "witness," it would make sense for her to "improve rapidly" and gradually "master" her power... then get the idea of using her ability to make money quickly.
After all, everyone knew that although she was "timid," she was short on money—short enough to take a job from the Special Affairs Bureau.
City Defense's pay... even trainees got four digits a day!
At the thought, Jiang Mian rummaged through the drawer by her bed and found a small business card tucked underneath. It bore a few lines of elegant handwriting, along with his full name:
"Ye Chenyang."
Before you continue