Ability × Aquarium

In the reception room outside the prison, Zhu Li and Chen Xi were boredly playing a game of Gomoku.

Hearing the heavy thud of the electronic door closing, the two looked to the left in unison.

An excited Lin Yue walked briskly at the front, with the members of the Countermeasure Bureau following behind Qiu Ye.

"Did you succeed?" Chen Xi stood up to greet her.

Although she had guessed that Lin Yue must have had some leverage to be so confident, she still felt a subconscious sense of worry.

Lin Yue cupped her hands in a salute: "I did not fail the mission."

Because the compatibility between the Shadow Dweller and the Butcher was excellent, she had not encountered much resistance during the binding process.

Seeing that they had finished talking, Qiu Ye chimed in at the right moment: "You two, please register the abilities you gained after binding with the Butcher."

Although the headquarters already had relevant data on the Butcher, the abilities gained by each individual varied; there was always a chance that the one Lin Yue bound with possessed new traits.

Holding onto a sense of curiosity, Lin Yue reported truthfully: "Strength enhancement, significantly reinforced recovery, and... I can see the weak points of the human body."

"And the most basic mastery of the Chainsaw Cleaver," Qiu Ye added to complete the information.

"The Butcher you have bound is fully equipped with abilities; it can be considered a top-tier specimen among this Legend-class."

As for the Butcher's domain ability, that would only awaken at the Second Rank.

"Registration complete. You two may go."

After all, since no new abilities were discovered, this was merely a formality.

The moment the test concluded, Lin Yue could no longer contain herself:

"From now on, I am a veteran Transcendent who has bound two Legends."

She crossed her arms with a smug look: "Classmate Chen Xi, can you call me Senior?"

"Senior Lin Yue." Chen Xi stared at her expressionlessly, tilted her head, and said slowly: "Are you satisfied now?"

"..." Lin Yue had not expected her to actually say it, and the expression on her face instantly froze.

She became a bit stammering: "Satisfied, let's go."

Halfway out, Lin Yue suddenly remembered something and looked back at the red-haired girl still sitting in her original spot: "Zhu Li, what about you?"

"You guys go ahead," the phone's text-to-speech voice responded for Zhu Li.

"Huh? Since when did Sister Zhu Li learn to use text-to-speech?" Luo Li, in the corner, exclaimed upon seeing this.

Lu Shaoqi, standing beside her, gave her head a sharp flick.

"The way you say that, it's like Senior Zhu Li is a caveman who doesn't know how to use a phone. She just doesn't want to use it, not that she doesn't know how."

"Ouch." Luo Li rubbed the spot that was hit. "Shaoqi, I suspect your mind has been affected by a Legend; you have serious violent tendencies now."

Lu Shaoqi rolled her eyes and ignored her crazy ramblings.

Zhu Li covered her mouth and chuckled softly. The people around them were clearly already used to their daily interactions and all went back to doing their own things.

"We're leaving." Bidding farewell to Qiu Ye, Lin Yue and Chen Xi left the Countermeasure Bureau.

Chen Shuo watched their retreating figures, wanting to say something but hesitating.

He really wanted to ask Lin Yue how she had solved the curse problem, as his family was secretly hiding a relic of a Legend from the Evil Flower organization.

However, he and the two of them were not even acquaintances, so it was truly difficult to bring it up.

"What's wrong, Shuo?" Qiu Ye, who was sitting in a chair playing with her phone, caught his movement in her peripheral vision.

"...It's nothing." Chen Shuo's eyes darted away.

Qiu Ye suddenly thought of something and blinked her eyes: "By the way, isn't your sister's birthday in a few days? Should we all go buy a cake or something then?"

Luo Li, who had been messing around with Lu Shaoqi, perked up upon hearing this: "How does the Captain remember a teammate's sister's birthday so clearly?"

Luo Li gave a teasing look: "Actually, this legal loli wouldn't mind doing the favor, provided you give me some Federation credits..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Shaoqi, following a signal from Qiu Ye, gave her another beating.

"The Captain is just caring for her teammates; you make it sound like she's a perverted boss," she said in a low voice.

Qiu Ye rested her forehead in one hand, looking helpless: "Why does it feel like the more I explain, the worse it gets?"

On the other side, on the pedestrian street, the sun was scorching.

Lin Yue and Chen Xi were strolling around, enjoying this hard-won moment of leisure.

To save trouble and avoid unnecessary attention, both of them were wearing sunglasses and baseball caps.

"Do you want some cotton candy?"

Every time they passed a snack shop, Lin Yue would ring like a punctual alarm clock.

Chen Xi refused her without even looking: "Too sweet, I don't want any."

"Iced black tea?"

"I'll just be thirsty again after drinking it."

"Where's the ice cream?"

"This one is alright."

Five minutes later, the two of them appeared at the entrance of the aquarium holding tricolor dango ice cream.

"This is my first time coming to a place like this."

Lin Yue scanned the bustling queue, sighing with emotion.

Chen Xi licked a bit of the melting ice cream: "You like it that much? We can just come often in the future."

"In the future... right." Lin Yue smiled sweetly, "I'll come once a day from now on."

Chen Xi felt her energy drained just imagining such a scene:

"Spare me, please. You get bored of a place like this after two or three visits."

Lin Yue laughed and lightly punched her back: "Can't you at least pretend for my sake?"

"Stop messing around, it's our turn."

They handed their reserved tickets to the ticket inspector.

As soon as they entered, a giant water tank at the entrance blocked their view. The deep blue light dyed the tips of their hair azure, and Chen Xi could already smell the damp, salty air unique to the ocean.

Schools of colorful fish darted about, instinctively pressing against the glass and sweeping past Chen Xi's side in unison.

It was like a painting unfurling; a kaleidoscope of colors crowded behind Chen Xi, with layers of whirlpools forming in her wake.

"So beautiful..." Lin Yue was rendered speechless by the stunning scene before her.

Others seemed to notice this, all curiously looking toward their position, with some even taking out their phones to take pictures.

After a brief moment of daze, Chen Xi glanced at the school of fish pressed against the glass to her left.

It was the influence of the Rain Lord.

The marine life naturally gravitated toward them after sensing that intimate aura.

Noticing this, Chen Xi took Lin Yue's arm and headed toward the center of the crowd.

Taken aback by the sudden tug on her left hand, Lin Yue was a bit flustered, yet she didn't pull away: "What's wrong?"

"Dummy, if we stay any longer, we're going to end up on the local news." Chen Xi lowered the brim of her hat and quickened her pace.

"I've even thought of the headline: 'A mysterious woman in Tianhai City attracts a swarm of ten thousand fish while visiting the aquarium.'"

"Is it really that serious?"

Lin Yue smacked her lips: "Then you have to take me to see a movie afterward."

"Let's get out of here first, and I'll agree to whatever you say."

Because she was in a hurry to leave, Chen Xi didn't pay attention to any physical contact, tightly gripping Lin Yue's left arm as she wove through the crowd.

The blonde girl's face flushed, letting herself be pulled along by her left arm.

"Something's not right..."

Even after moving away from the glass, Chen Xi could still smell a thick, fishy stench.

Seeing some of the tourists still casting glances in her direction, Chen Xi felt a sense of foreboding.

It wasn't until the glare of a reflection caught her eye that she glanced at the back of a middle-aged man who had just walked past, and she finally understood the source of her unease.

Fish scales were growing wildly on everyone's backs.