Probing Again

"I..."

Jiang Mian habitually tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her tone laced with a hint of helplessness.

"I'm still adapting these past few days. It's just that after my Awakening, I feel incredibly hungry, and my expenses have gotten a bit high. Eating is almost becoming a problem."

This was the truth.

Although the bulk of her expenses was still Inhibitors, in her daily life, she not only had to hunt calamities to feed her core but also fulfill her normal human physiological needs.

Especially after entering Second-tier, her stomach had become like a bottomless pit; no matter how much she ate, she couldn't feel full, causing her wallet to rapidly dwindle.

While the government offered generous treatment to the Awakened, it wasn't something one could get by doing nothing.

Regardless of the type of subsidy, one had to participate in work or various missions to receive it.

As for the compensation and subsidies that had been tampered with before, those leaders tacitly avoided mentioning them, only saying that they would reapply for a new subsidy for her later.

She knew perfectly well that they simply wouldn't admit it. If they compensated her, it would be equivalent to admitting their dereliction of duty and would offend her, a "genius" with boundless prospects.

Jiang Mian found it ridiculous.

Setting aside the issue of offending them or not, they had been so obvious before. Now they were staying silent, did they think she was an idiot, easily fooled?

Huh? No... maybe they really do think that.

Jiang Mian "casually" glanced at the insignia on Wang Chen's chest, as if reminded of something.

"Speaking of which... I remember the treatment for the city defense should be the best, right?"

"City defense?"

In the eyes of ordinary people and even low-tier Awakened inside the walls, this was the most dangerous job, bar none.

Behind the high pay was a visibly high mortality rate.

It was the stage for the strong and the grave for the weak. For an Awakened like Wang Chen, whose sequence was low and combat power wasn't high, it was quite brutal.

Hearing Jiang Mian's idea, Wang Chen immediately became nervous, almost blurting out:

"It's too dangerous over there! Not only might you face real calamities at any moment, but also..."

He suddenly realized he had spoken too hastily and softened his voice, continuing:

"You only Awakened not long ago, there's no need to be in such a hurry."

"But, I want to get stronger quickly, and I'm short on money..."

Jiang Mian's tone softened, hinting at something:

"I don't want to go through what happened with Li Hao last time again."

As soon as she said this, Wang Chen silently closed his mouth.

She had been led into the warehouse by Li Hao before. If not for her "Awakening," that beast would likely have succeeded.

This... was perhaps the greatest motivation for her to become strong quickly.

The advancement of the first three tiers for Awakened was related to the proficiency of their abilities.

That is, the cycle of "use - recover - use" for the Awakened's abilities, accumulating the consumption of mental power, while simultaneously accumulating progress for leveling up.

The speed of progress was also related to the ranking of the sequence. For a genius like Jiang Mian, it might only take a few months or even weeks to catch up to others' years of accumulation.

Now, she wanted to get stronger quickly. With his mere Listening of sequence 335, he had no reason or qualification to stop her.

Ye Chenyang took all of this in.

It seemed that although Jiang Mian didn't show it on the surface after the incident last time, it had actually left quite a significant psychological shadow.

"Combat... is indeed a path to rapid improvement."

Ye Chenyang did not directly oppose Jiang Mian's "adventurous" idea.

In his opinion, calamities were opponents that all Awakened would eventually face. The calamity levels near the Base City were not very high.

Moreover, Jiang Mian's ability was currently leaning towards a ranged role, which was relatively safe.

After all, the existence of the city walls provided some reaction time. If it were a mist exploration team...

Unless they had the blessing of a Radiance Awakened, they would almost be having "intimate conversations" face-to-face with the calamities in the mist. That was truly unpredictable danger.

"Your control over your abilities is improving rapidly, which is good, but the use of weapons and practical combat skills still need training."

"How about this. I'll create a training plan for you these few days and help you get familiar with it. When you're fully prepared, it won't be too late to try."

Did this mean... he supported her?

Jiang Mian looked at Ye Chenyang in surprise.

She had originally just wanted to give them a heads-up so that her going to the city defense later wouldn't seem so abrupt.

She hadn't expected him to support her, and even help her create a training plan.

Speaking of which, except for that time in the warehouse where she hadn't had enough fun and was interrupted, today's progress had been exceptionally smooth. He hadn't delved into how she had managed to do it...

Perhaps it was as he said, classifying herself as someone with exceptional talent?

Dealing with smart people was indeed hassle-free. If she didn't show any obvious flaws, they wouldn't pry but would instead fill in the gaps themselves, patching up anything unusual about her.

"Mhm, thank you! I'll study hard!"

Wang Chen, watching the scene unfold, moved his lips but ultimately couldn't say anything.

He had his suspicions already. He'd heard that this year, the Awakened who had achieved high-level sequences in Base City No. 144 were, besides Shen Qiuyu from their school and Jiang Mian who had just Awakened, only... one person surnamed Ye, from the high school next door.

He should be the one standing before them.

Looking at it this way, Ye Chenyang truly possessed the bearing of a genius. Not only was his appearance outstanding, but his personality was also calm and kind to others.

In comparison, he, an Awakened with a lower sequence who could only retreat when Jiang Mian was in danger, seemed so insignificant.

Do geniuses attract geniuses...?

A strange emotion welled up in Wang Chen's heart, lodging itself in his chest and making it hard to breathe.

"It's getting late, let's head back and rest."

Ye Chenyang looked at Jiang Mian, whose eyes were filled with gratitude and excitement, and couldn't help but chuckle.

Initially, he had approached Jiang Mian merely out of curiosity, as she possessed talent yet he had no impression of her.

If she were an "acquaintance," he might have chosen to observe the situation like he did with Wang Chen, never easily intervening in her life's trajectory...

After spending time together, Ye Chenyang had to admit that Jiang Mian indeed held a unique attraction for him.

"Mhm, goodbye!"

Jiang Mian waved goodbye to the two of them politely and watched them leave in opposite directions before heading upstairs.

As soon as she got home, she tossed her glasses aside and collapsed onto the bed.

After acting all day, the mental fatigue was far greater than the physical.

She buried her face in the bedding for a good while before lifting her head, still looking somewhat tired.

Thinking back, that Ye Chenyang, as the holder of a top-tier sequence, putting aside the matter of hiding his strength, just spending so much time with a "rookie" like herself, and even being considerate in his attitude...

It felt strange no matter how she thought about it.

If she were a normal girl, after all this, she probably wouldn't necessarily fall in love, but her favorability would skyrocket, right?

Jiang Mian, always suspicious, rapidly replayed every detail of their interactions today, confirming that she hadn't slipped up and he hadn't become suspicious.

So... what was his motive?