Human Trafficker

Although he had gone through the whole ordeal with The Skinner and had even unexpectedly become a psychic—

The moment he received his paycheck, Li Yèlái was in an exceptionally good mood.

He rode in Yáng Chén's SUV and went on a shopping spree at the market.

He also gained the upper hand in verbal battles with several vendors.

At the same time, so that Li Yúnyān would not notice anything amiss, he specifically bought a backpack identical to his previous one.

And so, Li Yèlái carried bags upon bags of groceries toward the apartment.

Along the way, he reflected on everything he had seen and heard that day and decided on his future course.

After gaining a preliminary understanding of this world's secrets, Li Yèlái clearly realized just how dangerous it was.

Even with the high walls, even with the Disaster Management Department—

Ordinary people could still hardly avoid danger.

Psychics, Forbidden Items, Suffering Ones, disaster monsters—these were all threats.

Since he had become a disaster handler, he would have to gradually grow stronger and gain enough ability to protect himself.

At the very least, he could not let his own bad luck get him killed.

While earning bonuses and collecting his salary, he also had to prepare precautions against the possible curse on his younger sister.

It was said that highly awakened psychics possessed considerable authority. Perhaps they could suppress the curse on his younger sister without the authorities finding out.

But every awakening carries great risks. I wonder if there's a safer method. Li Yèlái's thoughts shifted, and he thought of that "Black Shadow."

Though he did not know its purpose, it had indeed saved him.

The price was unknown, but if he traded with it again, another chain on its body would likely break.

Once all the chains broke and the Black Shadow completely escaped its restraints, who knew what would happen?

Those who trade with demons will have their souls taken.

Thinking of those words, Li Yèlái silently shook his head. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he could not make another deal with the "Black Shadow."

Just then, Li Yèlái suddenly noticed someone watching him. At the entrance of a nearby alley, a woman dressed in black was holding the hand of a little girl and staring blankly at him.

Li Yèlái found it strange. Following her gaze, he realized she was looking at the plastic bag in his hand.

There was nothing special inside, just some meat, vegetables, and a fish.

Though he was usually frugal, now that he had been paid, Li Yèlái still bought some good food to keep at home.

After all, his younger sister could not leave the house. Grocery shopping could only be left to Li Yèlái.

Blood still seeped from the freshly killed fish, staining the plastic bag red.

What was there to look at?

Though he found it strange, Li Yèlái did not pay it much attention.

When the light turned green, he crossed the street.

Yet the woman's gaze remained fixed on the bag of fish dripping with bloody water until the little girl whined, "Auntie, hurry up. I'm starving! Take me somewhere delicious to eat, okay?"

Only then did the woman look away. She looked at the girl with a hint of struggle in her eyes and forced a smile. "Yes, I'm hungry too."

Then she led the girl into the alley.

When Li Yúnyān saw Li Yèlái returning with bags upon bags of goods, she was not pleasantly surprised. Instead, her eyes went wide.

Before Li Yèlái could explain himself, Li Yúnyān immediately rushed to a photograph in the bedroom.

She cried out, "Mom, this is bad! Big Brother's being kept by some older woman! He's finally gone down this road of no return!"

Li Yèlái's expression froze, and he shouted in exasperation, "What older woman? There is no older woman!"

"What? Not an older woman? Then is it an older man?" Li Yúnyān's expression changed again.

Li Yèlái suddenly felt exhausted.

After much persuasion, he finally calmed Li Yúnyān down and told her that he had sold a valuable antique and received quite a substantial commission.

That barely convinced Li Yúnyān, though she still looked somewhat suspicious.

There was no helping it. Li Yèlái did not want his younger sister to know about psychics yet, much less worry her. For now, he could only use his identity at the Antique Shop as a cover.

At the same time, he still had no clue what to do about the curse on his younger sister.

After graduating from high school, Li Yúnyān had received an acceptance letter from a university in Border City.

In the post-disaster era, university degrees were extremely valuable.

Once one graduated, there would be no shortage of high-paying jobs.

Unlike Li Yèlái. With only a high school diploma, he could not find particularly good work.

But just as her life was about to change, Li Yúnyān suddenly developed a severe psychological illness.

She suddenly became unable to approach or see any outsiders. She was even terribly afraid of living sparrows.

She had completely lost her former lively, cheerful self.

In the end, she did not even dare leave the house. Even when seeing a doctor, she could only consult them through the front door.

She had stayed at home like that for three years.

Li Yèlái had tried many methods for her sake, but none had worked.

Now, it seemed Li Yúnyān was the same as him, affected by some sort of curse.

Most likely, she was what the authorities called a Threshold One—someone on the verge of becoming a psychic.

Though not yet true psychics, some individuals could still be affected by curses.

Or perhaps, without even knowing it herself, she had already become a psychic?

Watching the girl diligently stuff her face, Li Yèlái thought, Looking this silly, she doesn't seem like a psychic. I still need to find a chance to ask the authorities how to suppress curses like this.

The next morning, as soon as Li Yèlái left the residential compound, he saw Cheese by the roadside.

She was driving a rugged SUV. Its black body resembled a sleeping beast. The vehicle alone was probably over two meters tall, while Cheese herself looked to be only around one-sixty. Her petite frame seemed rather mismatched with the car.

She was waving at Li Yèlái. The combination of a beautiful woman and a huge vehicle drew glances from passersby.

"I thought you'd drive a sedan or sports car," Li Yèlái said as he took the passenger seat.

"How could I? If we're in a pursuit and hit some rough roads, the chassis could get smashed right off. Handlers usually drive this kind of vehicle." Cheese then asked seriously, "Are you sure the curse hasn't triggered?"

"Definitely not. I just passed someone's balcony, and none of their potted plants fell on me." Li Yèlái nodded just as seriously.

"You've even figured out its rules. You really are unlucky, getting stuck with a curse like that." Cheese complained as she stepped on the gas.

Soon, the two arrived near the East City Branch, but they did not enter it right away.

Instead, they went into an indoor swimming pool above ground.

Li Yèlái found it a little strange. Hadn't they said they were training the Psychic Barrier?

Why had they come here? Did he need to learn how to swim before learning barriers?

The next second, he watched Cheese take off her hoodie and pants, revealing the white swimsuit beneath. It wrapped around her lovely figure, accentuating her proud curves and making her fair skin appear even paler. Li Yèlái was briefly dazed.

"Don't fall for me. There are several other trainees, and you're progressing the slowest, so I'm giving you some extra tutoring." Cheese handed him a swimsuit and teased, "Why aren't you stripping already?"

After saying that, she sat down in a beach chair beside him and watched Li Yèlái. Her expression was that of a rich woman appraising a male model.

"Changing here costs extra." Li Yèlái clicked his tongue. To avoid being taken advantage of by this female hooligan—

He found a changing room, put on the swimsuit, then came out and asked, "Didn't you say we were training the Psychic Barrier?"

"This is part of the training." Cheese lounged in the beach chair, her fingers interlaced over her fair abdomen. She said evenly, "The Psychic Barrier is a protection released by a psychic's subconscious. You need to train that subconscious and turn it into an active ability under certain circumstances. For example, it's about to rain. What should you do if you don't want to get wet?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a great deal of water sprayed down from above the entire facility.

Li Yèlái was startled, only to discover that the spray was not falling on him.

Instead, it was blocked by an invisible barrier. Droplets gathered on the barrier into streams and flowed downward, revealing the circular barrier's outline.

Not a single drop touched Li Yèlái.

"This is the Psychic Barrier. The moment you heard me say it was raining, your subconscious opened a barrier for you because it rejected getting wet." Cheese was not drenched either and remained seated in the beach chair. "Now, stop rejecting the rain. Try thinking that you want to take a shower."

Take a shower? Li Yèlái pondered it and silently nodded.

Soon, the barrier vanished, and water came pouring down over Li Yèlái.

"Very good. This is the most basic application of the Psychic Barrier: rejection and acceptance. Your will strengthens or weakens the barrier's intensity." Cheese continued, "Now, imagine that someone suddenly attacks you."

As she spoke, she suddenly threw a water balloon mixed with dye at Li Yèlái.

Li Yèlái's heart stirred. His Psychic Barrier unfolded again, carving out a waterless space amid the downpour and successfully blocking the balloon. Bright red dye spread across the Psychic Barrier before being washed away by the water.

Cheese nodded slightly. "But in an emergency, your opponent won't give you time to react. Bullets are faster than that."

True. If it were a bullet, he would probably be hit before he even realized it and "rejected" it. Unless his reaction speed was faster than a bullet's!

"So I can't casually dismiss the Psychic Barrier. I need to remain in a state of rejection at all times?" Li Yèlái asked.

"No. There will always be moments when your subconscious accepts something. That's when you'll be in danger. You need a more precise technique." As Cheese spoke, she dispelled her own barrier.

In an instant, the rain soaked her from head to toe, and her wet short hair fell against her face. Yet she tossed a water balloon overhead, then did not even look at it.

A few seconds later, the balloon fell, but instead of hitting Cheese, who was already drenched by the rain, it burst in midair.

Li Yèlái understood what he had just seen. While "accepting" the rain, Cheese had "rejected" the water balloon's attack.

"This is the more precise technique. Once you master it, your safety factor will increase greatly. You won't have to worry about getting shot from the shadows." Cheese said, "Now, you need to make your subconscious distinguish what should be rejected and what should be accepted."

"Rejecting while accepting?" Li Yèlái thought about it and nodded slightly.

Then he dispelled his Psychic Barrier. Rain soaked him once more, and he closed his eyes.

He recalled the battlefield from when he had obtained the Hegemon Facial Mask.

The Hegemon held the dead Woman in Red in his arms and walked calmly through a sky full of arrows. He reached out, caught a flower drifting through the air, and placed it by the woman's ear.

He experienced that feeling again—rejection and acceptance.

Seeing Li Yèlái close his eyes, Cheese nodded in approval.

This was tied to the subconscious. Seeing with one's eyes would only be useless.

Back then, it had taken her half a month to master this technique.

I wonder how long it'll take him. Cheese thought as she swiftly threw several water balloons.

The next second, Cheese's eyes widened, and she involuntarily sat upright.

Before Li Yèlái, who was still being drenched by the rain, several water balloons exploded out of thin air. Not a single drop touched him!

She had demonstrated it once!

And Li Yèlái had already mastered the technique? Even Doll, the most gifted one, had taken ten minutes to master it!

Looking at Li Yèlái with his eyes closed, Cheese's face was full of astonishment.

"Did I succeed?" Li Yèlái asked with his eyes still shut.

Cheese immediately concealed her surprise and answered calmly, "Very good, you succeeded. Remember that feeling and practice it often."

Li Yèlái opened his eyes and looked at Cheese. "Was that fast? Did you have the thought, 'This child is terrifying. He must not be allowed to live'?"

"Ha, as if. I got it in one try too, okay?" Cheese replied with a light snort.

"Oh." Li Yèlái scratched his head. "How far behind the other trainees am I?"

"Behind? What progress do you even need?" Cheese grumbled inwardly.

The technique that the other trainees needed more than half a month, or even longer, to master—you got it immediately. What progress were you talking about?

Suppressing her inner complaints, Cheese kept a straight face and shamelessly said, "A famous teacher produces outstanding students. I'll take you to overtake them right now!"

Thus, when Cheese brought Li Yèlái to meet the instructor of this batch of trainees, the instructor's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

How long? the instructor asked with meaningful looks.

Cheese silently held up one finger.

One hour? Holy shit! He's almost caught up to Doll!

Cheese considered it and did not correct the instructor's misunderstanding.

After all, when Yáng Chén heard the report, he had also thought she was bragging.

The instructor was astonished, but his face remained stern. After giving Li Yèlái a slight nod, he said to Cheese, "Perfect timing. We're planning to handle a missing person case. Come with us."

"A missing person case requires this many handlers?" Cheese looked at several trainees and asked, "Besides, isn't that the Security Bureau's responsibility?"

"I can't exactly take new recruits to hunt down Suffering Ones, can I? Not every recruit has blood on their hands." The instructor looked at Li Yèlái again and replied, "Besides, one of the recruits has Spirit Eyes and Trace Tracking. Let them get used to missions ahead of time."

As he spoke, he took out a photograph. It showed a pretty little girl, around six or seven years old.

"She's been missing for an entire day. The Security Bureau checked a great deal of surveillance footage but found nothing. They suspect trafficking, but there's no record of the girl leaving the megacity. She should still be inside the city."

Li Yèlái looked at the photograph, feeling as if he had seen the girl somewhere before.

After thinking carefully, he said, "I think I've seen this girl."

The instructor asked, "When? Where?"

"Yesterday evening, at the entrance to an alley not far from my residential compound. A woman in her thirties was holding her hand." Li Yèlái recalled the events of the previous day.

"Very good!" The instructor sneered. "That human trafficker isn't getting away!"