Make the World Chaotic? No, Make Abilities in Demand!

"It's 8:21 PM, all systems normal," Lin Qing turned on her phone's recording function. "Now, let's begin the first Operation Save the World strategy meeting. Attendees: Lin Qing, Shopkeeper."

"Does it have to be this formal?" Chen Xuan rubbed his forehead. It was called a meeting, but there were only two people sitting around the coffee table, no different from their usual chats. The phone was his, too. If anything leaked, what would happen to his reputation as the shopkeeper?

"It's absolutely necessary. What we're undertaking is an important and serious endeavor, and documentation is essential. Even if we both perish halfway, our successors can inherit our work through these records."

"Stop right there! What do you mean 'perish halfway'? If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!"

Chen Xuan felt a pang of frustration just thinking about the "still alive" status on his shopkeeper ability.

"You're right, this responsibility should have been mine." Lin Qing's gaze dimmed slightly before quickly returning to normal. "Don't worry, if we encounter major risks in the future, I'll do my best to protect you."

Chen Xuan pressed his forehead, deciding not to delve deeper into the issue. "Let me recap. The world will be destroyed by the nanomachines disaster, and the Dimensional Limit Organization and the shady company behind it are responsible for this catastrophe. Considering that this technological revolution will occur in thirty years, you need to stop the Dimensional Limit Organization, right?"

Lin Qing pondered for a moment. "The general logic is sound, but it would be more appropriate to use 'we' in the last sentence. The Organization is dedicated to controlling and sealing all abilities, regardless of whether they are acquired through recruitment, trade, or plunder. It makes no difference to them. You haven't been exposed yet, so you don't feel how troublesome the Dimensional Limit Organization is, but once they detect you, it will be war."

"War? I thought you were going to say a one-sided annihilation." Chen Xuan opened a bag of chips.

Even though he had just finished dinner, he felt the need to have something in his mouth during casual conversation.

"That would be underestimating you. Shopkeeper, your abilities are far more powerful than you realize. The guests who have received your help will all become your potential allies, so this is by no means a one-on-one battle, but a war between two forces." Lin Qing said earnestly.

Chen Xuan felt a bit awkward being praised. "But my name isn't on the infiltration list."

"I've been thinking about that too." She shifted closer to him, changing from sitting face-to-face to sitting side-by-side. Then, she reached out and slipped her hand into his chip bag. "Perhaps you are an anomaly, or maybe the threat you pose is too great, making you a top-level secret, and that's why no information remained after you were eliminated."

"Hmm... Then why didn't I join the Organization and become one of them? You also said that information about Organization members has never been leaked, right?"

Crunch.

Lin Qing chewed on a chip, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Shopkeeper... would you be willing to hand over all your abilities and be governed by them?"

"Probably not."

"Exactly." She visibly relaxed. "I don't think you're that kind of person either. The Dimensional Limit Organization can't offer you any benefits, at least they won't pay for abilities."

Chen Xuan didn't bother dwelling on which category he fell into to not be on the list. "Do you have any specific plans? If you want to stop the Organization."

Lin Qing coughed twice and sat up straight.

"No."

Chen Xuan almost choked. "None at all?"

"I used to be a combatant, proficient with everything from armed spacecraft to Gauss rifles. However, when it comes to strategizing..." She looked a little embarrassed. "In the past, our strategic plans were provided by the intelligence department and supercomputers."

Right... When he met her, she was indeed fighting an armed mech single-handedly.

"But it's not entirely without a plan." Lin Qing added. "There was a leading figure when the Dimensional Limit Organization split. Judging by her age, she should still be alive in 2025. She was willing to break away from the original Organization to maintain the independence of her actions. My initial thought was that if we could find her, we might find an ally to cooperate with from the inside."

After speaking, she sent a photo over.

Chen Xuan picked up the phone and looked at it. It was an old woman in heavy protective gear, with a ruined city in the background.

"Does she have a name?"

"Her codename is Honglian, but her followers at the time preferred to call her Leader."

"No other information?" he muttered inwardly, wondering why the photo made her look like a refugee.

"No, her personal information was strictly protected. The Organization was determined to kill her at the time."

"This idea won't work," Chen Xuan stated bluntly. "They are in the dark, and we are in the dark, so it's a balanced situation. If you actively seek out their secrets, then we become the ones in the light, and a single mistake could expose us."

Even though she was once a member of the Dimensional Limit Organization, two organizations separated by a century were not comparable.

In this era, few people even knew of the Organization's existence, let alone digging into the identity of one of its members.

"Let me think..." Chen Xuan pondered. "Without the Dimensional Limit Organization, the world wouldn't be any worse off, right?"

"There's no doubt about that." Lin Qing confirmed. "Many infiltration points are indeed quite dangerous, and leaving them unchecked could even cause city-destroying accidents. The expansion of infiltration would also lead to more severe ability-related crimes. However, that's on a completely different scale compared to the entire Earth's ecosystem being destroyed. It can be said that the Organization's original intention was good, but the final outcome was the opposite of what was intended."

"I met Joan of Arc in another world," he mused. "According to historical inertia, she should have died at the age of nineteen, but I helped her change her fate. Will that have any impact on history?"

"Good question. The early Organization was very concerned about this issue, even classifying such infiltration points as pollution," Lin Qing said while munching on chips. "However, that was a misjudgment due to insufficient technology. Later, the research department was able to accurately measure the gravitational fluctuation coefficient of each world, proving that a world cannot infiltrate itself. Therefore, some seemingly similar histories are actually vastly different."

"So, the parallel universe theory was proven in the future?"

"The model of the universe is very complex. We can only take things one step at a time; we are far from being able to draw definitive conclusions." She nodded, then shook her head. "Actually, can't you already observe 'non-existent weight' now? It accounts for up to ninety percent of the mass. Scientific researchers call it dark matter, but it's actually likely the weight of other worlds."

Wow, if he published this conclusion, he could at least win a Nobel Prize, right?

"Wait, according to your logic, if the worldline is unique, then no matter what you do, you won't change the future where that ecosystem is destroyed, right?" Chen Xuan discovered a bug.

"That's the key!" Lin Qing's tone became energetic. "Yes, theoretically impossible, but you actually achieved it!" She raised her hand and waved the watch on her wrist – it was a bit strange that she was wearing an electronic watch given her highly cybernetic body. "This thing is a miniaturized gravitational wave detector. When the fluctuation coefficient changes, it issues a warning. So, I was astonished when I saw that Earth was still intact. You travel to other worlds not by crossing infiltration points, but by relying on your own special abilities. This might be the key to breaking the impossible theory!"

Chen Xuan narrowed his eyes, feeling a sense of being in a pyramid scheme.

If she hadn't brought this up, she would have been a proper cyberpunk spiritual maiden.

"You doubt me." Lin Qing keenly sensed his distraction. "But I understand. Human development is like blind men touching an elephant; we can only observe what we can see. Within this premise, all theories can potentially be overturned."

"You're quite open-minded."

"It's not open-mindedness, it's being factual," she corrected.

"Alright... Since infiltration and abilities are not things that must be sealed, we can't let the Dimensional Limit Organization hide comfortably in the shadows." Chen Xuan thought for a moment. "We need to stir up the water, the muddier the better, and expose it to public view. This way, it will have to dedicate most of its energy to dealing with public opinion, making it easier to find people or its weaknesses."

"You mean, reveal both the interdimensional invasions and the existence of abilities?" Lin Qing immediately understood his meaning.

"That's right. For me, it's incredible that the Dimensional Limit Organization could keep this secret for so long. But no matter what, their clandestine methods with ability users will definitely ignite public opinion, and everyone will naturally be full of interest."

"...That's indeed a good idea!" The girl couldn't help but clap her hands. "After all, people gain abilities from the influence of invasion points, not something they can control themselves. Forcibly stripping them away is equivalent to infringing upon a person's basic rights. This way, we don't have to act directly; everyone will spontaneously resist the Dimensional Limit Organization."

As for whether they would resist or join... that couldn't be determined yet, Chen Xuan thought to himself.

But one thing was certain: when these secrets surfaced, they would definitely cause a huge uproar in society. Unlike Area 51's research on aliens, alien corpses and flying saucers were just legends, with no concrete evidence. But abilities, on the other hand, were tangible and visible.

Moreover, this move carried little risk, making it perfect for testing the waters.

Putting aside the impact revealing this would have on the Dimensional Limit Organization, at least abilities could be openly discussed from now on. Ordinary people without abilities would naturally begin to envy the "lucky ones" who gained abilities. This would essentially create demand out of thin air.

And where there is demand, there will be supply.

This would definitely be a foolproof business for the Ability Store.