Disaster Handler

Mimicking the Spirit Eye Path?

Even psychics who were not on the Myriad Paths knew how outrageous those words were.

Conventional Myriad Paths psychics either mimicked or controlled other living creatures. Even The Skinner's ability to mimic the appearance of its victims—humans—was considered rare.

Yet now, Li Yèlái had mimicked a psychic from the Spirit Eye Path and successfully used that Path's ability.

He possessed the abilities of two Paths at once? That simply defied common sense!

It shattered the Path theories that countless psychics had spent decades developing!

In the headquarters conference room, the higher-ups stared at the scene in the Training Room with stunned expressions.

"One slash cut through a metal cube? What kind of ability is that? Even True Martial psychics at the same level don't have that kind of power!"

"It's highly likely to be Weak Point Break from the Spirit Eye Path! Those Double Pupils that suddenly appeared allowed him to precisely see the metal cube's vulnerable points—the so-called 'eyes' or 'acupoints'! With a precisely applied force, he could collapse the target's structure!"

"Is that a facial mask on his face?"

"Database analysis suggests that it may be the facial mask of Xi Chu Overlord Xiang Yu. But there are some differences."

"Legend says Xiang Yu was born with Double Pupils, but was he actually a Spirit Eye Path psychic? Then how did Liu Bang win? Was Han Xin a psychic too?"

"Forget about how the Han emperor won for now. In any case, this Li Yèlái has definitely gained the ability to mimic other psychics."

"He definitely isn't a pawn of the Ashes Church. An organization as shady as theirs wouldn't dare send out a psychic with such a special ability."

"Do you think he only has one facial mask?"

That final question plunged everyone into silence.

Meanwhile, the metal cube that had been cut open with a massive crack suddenly toppled toward Li Yèlái.

Fortunately, Li Yèlái had been prepared. After delivering the slash, he immediately retreated and dodged the falling chunk of metal.

Perhaps his body had already adapted to this power. This time, he felt no discomfort at all.

However, the bad luck—or rather, misfortune—that followed did give him a headache.

It seemed that he would need to be more careful of his surroundings whenever he used this ability in the future.

No. He should avoid using this ability whenever possible.

He wondered whether he would still have to fear cement trucks after becoming a psychic.

He still needed to train harder. Strengthening his Psychic Barrier and gaining the ability to protect himself against misfortune was the top priority.

With that thought in mind, Li Yèlái turned to Yáng Chén and said, "Brother Yáng Chén, this is my ability."

Those Double Pupils swept over the surroundings, leaving everyone stunned and silent.

Li Yèlái paused. "What?"

A flicker of panic rose in his heart. Could this ability be considered too bizarre even by psychics? They weren't going to do something to him, were they?

"It's nothing. Your eyes are just kind of ugly." Cheese stepped closer and handed him a folding mirror.

Only then did Li Yèlái see what he looked like after using his ability.

Looking at his own Double Pupils, Li Yèlái clicked his tongue. "They are a little scary."

"Not a problem. We don't mind." Cheese replied with a smile.

At that moment, Yáng Chén, who had finished communicating with the higher-ups, was the first to applaud. The applause gradually spread throughout the room.

The official psychics looked at Li Yèlái with increasingly fervent gazes, while the Clerical Staff who had gathered to watch began discussing him among themselves.

It left Li Yèlái feeling somewhat flattered.

He had never received this much attention before.

At that moment, the sturdy young man standing at the edge of the training ground took a document from a Clerical Staff member and silently walked straight toward Li Yèlái.

Another handsome young man with a sword and shield on his back grabbed his shoulder and asked in a low voice, "Furnace, what the hell are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" Furnace did not even turn around as he shook off the young man's hand. "He and I are both on the Myriad Paths. Clearly, we're fated! Why are you, Moon Shadow, a Zeroing Path psychic, sticking your nose into this?"

"You really have no shame!" Moon Shadow immediately stepped forward, locked Furnace in a chokehold, and sneered, "You addicted to poaching people now?"

"Exactly!" The plague doctor in the distance spoke up in a crisp female voice. "Our support group needs talent like this too!"

"You're the least qualified to say that!" Moon Shadow and Furnace roared at the same time.

The moment their voices fell, the training ground immediately descended into chaos.

Several psychics rushed in, each holding documents and pens as they tried to approach Li Yèlái, only to be blocked and held back by even more psychics.

Trips, chokeholds, grappling techniques. The three groups tangled together in a chaotic mess at the edge of the area.

They were psychics from different teams. Usually, they were friendly and helpful, good comrades and good Comrades-in-arms.

But at this moment, their captains—Furnace, Moon Shadow, and Plague Doctor—clearly all wanted Li Yèlái as a teammate. Their friendship had temporarily been set aside.

They began grappling and brawling with each other, all trying to win over Li Yèlái, a psychic with tremendous potential.

Fortunately, they remained rational and did not use any abilities. Still, a brawl between psychics was quite a spectacle.

Li Yèlái could only stare in utter bewilderment.

Yáng Chén merely chuckled at this.

As Li Yèlái's guide, Li Yèlái was naturally his teammate.

And as a captain himself, he did not care about the three groups trying to poach his people.

Because he had already seen Li Yèlái sign the document Cheese had handed him.

"Hmph, youngsters!"

Yáng Chén chuckled as he looked at the crowd, then led the utterly confused Li Yèlái and Cheese out of the training ground.

He left behind the wide-eyed Third Team psychics, along with the Clerical Staff who were watching the show.

The psychic wearing a frog Doll costume watched Li Yèlái depart, then raised the sign in his hand.

Words immediately appeared on the sign.

[The old ginger is still the spiciest (￣▽￣)~*]

Meanwhile, after dismissing the facial mask, Li Yèlái followed behind Yáng Chén and listened as Yáng Chén introduced the branch.

"Don't mind them. Those people were actually captains of the branch. The East City Branch has six captains in total. Including me, you've already met four." Yáng Chén said, "As for the one in the Doll costume, their codename is Doll. Due to the unusual nature of their curse, they generally do not leave the branch. You can greet them properly when you have time later."

Li Yèlái nodded slightly, committing those captains' codenames to memory.

"Besides official psychics, there are even more Clerical Staff here. They may not be psychics, but they are also on the front lines against disasters." Yáng Chén pointed toward the office area in the distance.

Every workstation had several computer screens.

Some Clerical Staff members sat at their desks wearing headsets, communicating with people on the other end.

"Their job is to provide off-site support to psychics in the field. Intelligence, strategies, fire support, and mission information are all deployed through communication headsets." Yáng Chén said, "Later, you will also have your own support officer, so you can receive off-site assistance when facing sudden situations.

"For example, you can ask the Security Bureau or City Defense Force to seal off an area. If necessary, you can even request powerful support from the Border Iron Guard.

"Of course, by then, the handlers from every team would probably already be at the scene. It would be a hard fight!"

"And now, the important part."

Yáng Chén arrived before a pitch-black elevator but did not approach it. Instead, he said to Li Yèlái, "This is the branch's most heavily defended location, as well as its most dangerous. A handler team must be stationed here at all times, and no one may approach without authorization."

"The Black Prison, where all kinds of Forbidden Items are stored!"

"Forbidden Items? What are those?" Li Yèlái asked as he looked at the elevator.

"You can understand them as physical manifestations of the Void Realm's power or living entities in the physical universe. Their effects vary, and their danger levels differ." Yáng Chén did not approach the elevator. Li Yèlái did not yet have permission to enter the Black Prison.

So, Yáng Chén explained outside the elevator.

"We divide them into four ranks: Grade A, Class B, C-Rank, and D-Rank."

"D-Rank and C-Rank Forbidden Items have limited effects and hazards. But if they fall into society, tragedies are inevitable."

"Let me give you an example. A Scavenger once found a compass in the wilderness. It could point toward whatever non-sapient object its owner desired most. But the price was a sacrifice of flesh and blood. The more valuable the desired object, the more sacrifices were required.

"In the end, to gain more wealth, that Scavenger slaughtered his companions. That compass was a D-Rank Forbidden Item."

"C-Rank items are even more dangerous. One example is a wanted poster. All you need to do is place a photo or portrait of the target on the poster. Within three days, a powerful humanoid monster will appear near the target and hunt them down. Even if it is destroyed, it will revive three days later and attempt another assassination.

"This continues until the target is confirmed dead or the user cancels the target.

"The bounty is tied to the target's strength. If the corresponding bounty cannot be paid, the monster will kill the user and every living thing around them until it believes the bounty has been satisfied."

"As for Class B Forbidden Items, there is a set of Black Dragon Armor that will tempt anyone who sees it into wearing it.

"After putting on the armor, the user will instantly gain strength comparable to that of a psychic who has undergone five awakenings.

"But once it is worn, it cannot be removed. The wearer will also be corrupted by the armor, growing dragon claws and scales before becoming an out-of-control monster. The dragon slayer eventually becomes the dragon. Only death can remove that armor."

"This is similar to us psychics. Every power has a price." After hearing the three examples, Li Yèlái summarized, "While gaining power, we also gain the risk of curses and distortion. Forbidden Items make their users pay the price instead."

"Correct. The higher the rank of a Forbidden Item, the more dangerous it is. Some Grade A forbidden items even possess self-awareness and can destroy an entire Mega City. Therefore, our responsibility is to safely guard—or rather, suppress—them." Yáng Chén thought for a moment and said, "Of course, when necessary, we can also apply to use Forbidden Items. But the risks are considerable. That is still far in your future. For now, a basic understanding is enough."

Li Yèlái nodded again.

Yáng Chén led Li Yèlái away from the elevator. After walking for a while, he pointed at a noisy room and said, "This is our equipment area. All the equipment used by the handlers in our branch is made here. Besides technological creations, they can also forge suitable Psychic Weapons for us."

"Psychic Weapons? Weapons and equipment specifically for psychics?" Li Yèlái asked tentatively.

"Yes, because Psychic Weapons require psychic power to operate." Yáng Chén nodded. "After a psychic or disaster monster dies, if their Soul Well has not been completely destroyed, craftsmen can extract mysterious substances from it. They can then forge equipment containing one of that psychic's or monster's abilities."

"The Soul Well becomes material? Then that means a psychic with several Psychic Weapons effectively possesses several different abilities?" Li Yèlái said. "The more weapons, the stronger they are. So what is the price?"

Li Yèlái had now figured something out: every power came with a price.

That was true for psychics, true for Forbidden Items, and surely true for Psychic Weapons as well.

"The price is a multiplied risk of distortion." Seeing that Li Yèlái had caught on, Yáng Chén smiled. "Even I would not dare use more than two Psychic Weapons at once. Every handler must use Psychic Weapons carefully. You too."

"I can have Psychic Weapons too?" Li Yèlái froze.

"Of course. You killed The Skinner and received 10 Merit Points. You can use Merit Points to apply for Psychic Weapons corresponding to your rank. But you must wait until your training is complete and you receive your own codename before we can determine whether you can safely use a Psychic Weapon."

After thinking for a moment, Yáng Chén said with some regret, "What a pity. We had bad luck this time—the Skinner's Soul Well shattered. Otherwise, the craftsmen might have been able to make you a Psychic Weapon that changes your appearance, allowing you to hide yourself better."

After all, your ability is very special. You need more protection and concealment, Yáng Chén thought.

However, Li Yèlái felt a little guilty upon hearing that.

Naturally, The Skinner had not left behind any Soul Well. It had already become a sacrifice for Black Shadow and had been devoured alive.

After introducing the branch's facilities.

A Clerical Staff member came to find Yáng Chén.

"Looks like your identification has been processed. This will be your proof of identity." Yáng Chén smiled and handed Li Yèlái an ID card and a metal wristband. "From now on, you can show this ID to receive help from the Security Bureau and City Defense Force."

Li Yèlái examined the ID for a while. It bore his photo and a string of complicated codes, but no name. The codename field was still blank as well.

He carefully put the Disaster Handling Certificate into his pocket, then began examining the metal wristband.

"This is a communicator. It operates much like a smartphone. You can use it to look up information related to psychics, as well as your own personal information and assets." Yáng Chén said with a smile. "Speaking of which, the bounty for The Skinner and your Merit Points have already been transferred into your account. Merit Points can only be used within the branch. As for the cash, you can withdraw it and buy yourself some things."

Seeing the 25,000 Mega City Coins in his account, Li Yèlái felt a surge of emotion.

That was a huge sum of money!

After all, buying a house near the city center cost more than 800,000 Mega City Coins.

Yet he had obtained one-fortieth of that amount all at once. If he worked hard, he and his Younger sister could move into a good home within a few years.

"So what do I usually need to do? Patrol the streets?" Li Yèlái was instantly filled with enthusiasm for work.

"No. You can continue working at the Antique Shop or do whatever you want. When a mission comes up, we'll contact you and have you head to the target location." Yáng Chén said with a smile. "But you still need training. During this period, Cheese will pick you up and bring you here for training."

They even provided transportation? Great! Li Yèlái nodded repeatedly.

Cheese, meanwhile, looked at Li Yèlái with a stern expression. "You'd better keep your curse under control. I just bought that car!"