"Thanks."
Jiang Mian said nothing more.
Though a thousand thoughts had churned through her mind just moments ago, she kept her expression unchanged.
Wearing this mask had practically become second nature to her.
She picked up her cup of milk tea and looked out at the desolate street.
The dark clouds overhead had grown heavier, but the rain still hadn't fallen, as if gathering strength for a torrential downpour.
Ye Chenyang's phone buzzed twice on the table. He only glanced at it before turning off the screen.
After a while, Jiang Mian spoke softly, as if the thought had just occurred to her:
"...Brother Ye, tell me... In the eyes of normal people, should Aberrants all be eliminated?"
There was a hint of hesitation in her voice, as though she were simply puzzled by the question.
At first, she hadn't known Ye Chenyang well and usually called him by his full name, or simply addressed him as "you."
But given the "persona" she was playing, continuing to call him that after they'd gotten closer would have felt too distant. After all, his name wasn't two characters like hers.
So, over the past few days of training, she'd naturally begun calling him something else.
She hadn't asked on a whim. She wanted to see what kind of answer Ye Chenyang, with his rational nature, would give.
It probably wouldn't be an emotional expression of hatred, but he'd still stand with the side that represented the majority.
Suppose that one day she exposed her identity. How would Ye Chenyang react?
Would he carry out her elimination without hesitation? Or might he hesitate, even for a moment?
If it was the former, she could also kill him without hesitation.
As for [Radiance] being a counter to Calamities... her level was higher than his now, and she'd soon reach the Third-tier.
He was only First Order. Even as an Apex Sequence, he'd need time to grow, wouldn't he?
So Jiang Mian figured... she had the advantage!
But if it was the latter, she couldn't bring herself to act without a shred of guilt—but she could still take advantage of it.
With her acting skills, as long as she kept wearing this sweet, gentle mask and carried on the performance, she didn't believe he could remain unmoved.
Jiang Mian's question was simple, but Ye Chenyang had a lot to consider.
He looked at Jiang Mian's profile and recalled their first few meetings.
Back then, he'd felt there was something strange about her, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. But once they'd grown familiar, that feeling gradually faded, and [Eternal Day] hadn't given him another warning.
Ye Chenyang couldn't explain it, so for the time being, he could only assume that Jiang Mian had been so overwhelmed when she awakened that she'd shown signs of turning Aberrant, but had ultimately awakened successfully.
As for why she'd asked this question, that was even easier to explain.
Before awakening, Jiang Mian had worked as a temporary employee at the Special Affairs Bureau. She'd only been temporarily assigned to Team One when they delivered the remains last time.
Considering that Teams Three and Four were mostly staffed by veteran employees, it was easy to guess what Jiang Mian had handled before.
Among those corpses, there might have been people who'd struggled to maintain their sanity, people who couldn't afford Suppressors and could only wait to die, and people who'd chosen to take their own lives before they went completely mad.
Jiang Mian had spent time in that environment and come into contact with the last traces they'd left in this world. And now she'd asked him this question.
Following that line of thought, Ye Chenyang felt he could perhaps understand how Jiang Mian felt.
Maybe this incident had stirred up unpleasant memories, or maybe she'd begun to feel sympathy for Aberrants.
Outside, the first raindrop finally fell.
Ye Chenyang lifted his cup and took a small sip. Rather than answering Jiang Mian directly, he approached the question from an angle she hadn't expected.
"Do you know how much a single Type One Inhibitor costs?"
Jiang Mian froze for a moment, then shook her head.
She knew the basic categories of Suppressors. The Type Three Inhibitor she'd bought before had a market price of twenty thousand, though the price could be bargained down quite a bit if you had the right connections.
That was why she'd haggled every time.
The standard effective duration of Suppressors was usually given in reference to Sequence 100 and above. A single Type Three Inhibitor lasted half a month, and even that wasn't reliable.
And a Type One... lasted six months, regardless of sequence.
For Jiang Mian now, it was an unattainable "miracle drug."
Ye Chenyang leaned forward slightly and raised his right hand.
"Five hundred thousand."
Jiang Mian was taken aback. Five hundred thousand... Her monthly salary was about thirty-six thousand, and even with all her allowances, she only just made it to fifty thousand.
Even so, she'd have to work for ten months to afford one, and that was without counting any other expenses.
Aberrants trying to hide their identities had to pay an even higher price through underground channels.
Not to mention, they had few ways to make money in the first place and could only keep themselves going with the less effective Type Three Inhibitors.
Ye Chenyang straightened up and watched Jiang Mian's expression as he continued:
"From the moment they 'awaken,' Aberrants are standing on a sloping slide."
"In theory, their need for Suppressors increases as their level rises.
"But once they reach the Sixth Order, their mental strength will increase dramatically. It may be able to counteract the erosion and maintain the mental state they had before advancing—
"Or... they may be assimilated into a Calamity."
Jiang Mian's heart jolted at his words. The official materials only gave a vague explanation of how Aberrants became Calamities. This was the first time she'd heard a definite number.
Could reaching the Sixth Order free them from Suppressors?
"But the vast majority of Aberrants don't make it that far.
"When all's said and done, they're just a bunch of helpless, unfortunate people afflicted with an incurable disease.
"And the authorities... are considering things from the perspective of the majority of 'normal people.'"
There were some things Ye Chenyang hadn't said.
Under ordinary circumstances—when the stele showed no signs of abnormality—the authorities turned a blind eye to Suppressor trades and even deliberately left a way out.
Besides the Containment Bureau, every city had a designated special administrative district open to Aberrants who met the requirements.
And the special administrative district in Base City No. 144 was...
At his words, Jiang Mian unconsciously lowered her head. The sweetness on her tongue suddenly turned bitter.
Whichever side you stood on, you considered things from that side's perspective.
But...
Was it really those out-of-control Aberrants who'd made the authorities decide to crack down?
Not necessarily.
This purge looked like it had been planned for a long time. From the crackdown on the Mobile Black Market around the time she'd awakened to the recent riot and the ensuing siege, it was clear this had been premeditated.
Looking at the long term, the number of Aberrants kept accumulating. Even if the increase wasn't great, more of them survived than died.
So the authorities needed a sufficiently convincing reason to begin the purge and keep the number of "wild" Aberrants firmly under control.
"Enough. Don't overthink it. You're an Awakened now, and you still have a long road ahead. Just focus on what's in front of you."
"Mm-hmm."
Jiang Mian nodded and asked nothing more.
They chatted for a while longer, until it gradually grew dark outside.
Ye Chenyang looked out. The rain was coming down hard.
"Did you bring an umbrella? Want me to take you home?"
"No need."
Jiang Mian shook her head and pulled a yellow raincoat from her bag.
"I have to get up early for my shift tomorrow. I'm off!"
Ye Chenyang nodded and walked her to the shop entrance.
He watched the figure in the yellow raincoat disappear into the rain before opening his umbrella and heading toward a black sedan in the distance.
Before you continue