What Kind of Villain-Exclusive Ability Is This! (Annoyed)

After an unremarkable twenty-fifth birthday, first thing the next morning, Xu Shi threw himself into work with renewed vigor.

This left Su Lin somewhat surprised... had the Young Master completely turned over a new leaf?

But his next request shocked her even more. "Wait, that... are you sure you want to do it now? Right here?"

"This kind of thing can be done anytime, you don't need to rush..."

Clearly, she strongly disapproved of his sudden desire to awaken his ability.

"Ascendants" came in two types.

Some people were born with their abilities, while others needed a little help.

By now, the technology for post-natal ability awakening had matured considerably, and the "Serpent Coil" was the leader in this field—even the Inspection Bureau relied on their support.

So Su Lin's concern wasn't about that.

What worried her were the complications that followed ability awakening.

Abilities weren't always a gift—the "ascension" triggered by the moderately corrosive "Rust Fog" was far from flawless.

Physical illness, mental torment... complications varied from person to person, but there had never been an exception.

In her view, even if Xu Shi never awakened an ability, that would still be better.

The worst-case scenario was awakening a useless, garbage ability while suffering agonizing pain.

(╯?﹏?╰) If that happened, what would they do?

And not to mention, she still hadn't dealt with Gu Yi's matter... bringing this up so suddenly felt a bit too rushed.

"Enough nonsense."

Xu Shi cut her off. "I told you to do it, so just do it."

This wasn't a whim on his part—it was because the "Spark" matter was far from settled.

The hacker intrusion was just a prelude; relying on that alone wouldn't secure them a complete victory.

The more critical reason was that there was a mole within the "Serpent Coil."

Xia Wuyou, the youngest action team leader in the Serpent Coil's Field Operations Department, was also the person in charge of this transport operation.

And she had an even more infuriating identity—the childhood sweetheart of the protagonist, Shen He.

Through this connection, Shen He had contacted her on the eve of the operation and successfully convinced her to open a backdoor for his plan.

To put it bluntly, without Xia Wuyou going easy on them, with the disadvantage in numbers and equipment, the "Spark" operation to snatch a prize from the tiger's jaws would have had less than a ten percent chance of success.

And that was just the beginning... old flames rekindled, the turncoat finally made up her mind to defect, becoming the sharpest blade within "Spark."

Just thinking about it made Xu Shi's blood pressure spike.

And now that the plot had changed, who could guarantee the protagonist wouldn't be more cautious and have Xia Wuyou double-check the list's authenticity again?

In short, these unstable elements had to be dealt with decisively!

Awakening his ability early was based on this same reasoning.

Xu Shi understood that compared to Gu Yi, Xia Wuyou was purer and had stronger mental fortitude... methods like planting bombs would likely have little effect, and might even backfire, pushing her straight into the protagonist's arms.

He needed the guarantee of an ability... and even if it never came in handy, the protagonists all had their own abilities—how could he, as the villain, be left out?

"...I understand."

Seeing Xu Shi's firm resolve, Su Lin had no choice but to reluctantly fetch a small device.

The "Sundial," developed by the Serpent Coil, was an instrument to assist in ability awakening.

"There might be some discomfort in a moment, please don't be nervous."

"Mm, begin."

Though he had mentally prepared himself, the suffocating sensation the moment the machine activated still exceeded Xu Shi's imagination.

It was like suddenly plunging into the Deep Sea—boundless darkness crushed his chest, and all he could feel was despair.

But after a brief moment of panic, Xu Shi quickly calmed down.

Just a normal reaction to ability awakening... find that anchor point, and everything would be accomplished.

The process wasn't drawn out; soon, he saw the rope descending.

This is it!

Stretching out his hand with all his might, he grabbed it, and the surrounding darkness shattered instantly.

"Hah!"

The next second, Xu Shi gasped and woke up with a start.

"Young Master, are you alright?"

Su Lin handed him a glass of water at the right moment, asking with concern.

"Fine, quite thrilling."

Taking the glass, he downed it in one gulp, then caught his breath. "Did it work?"

"Yes."

Su Lin took the analysis data printed in real time by the Sundial. "The results show that the ability you awakened is..."

Malice Entropy.

The name had already formed in Xu Shi's mind.

Or, to put it another way, Negative Emotion Amplification would also work.

No one is flawless. In different situations, people always generate different negative emotions.

Greed, jealousy, sadism, lust...

Malice Entropy was the catalyst—letting the seeds of evil blossom and bear fruit, forcing others to fall step by step into one's rhythm.

And according to the original setting, if someone was affected by Malice Entropy for too long, the target's mindset would undergo irreversible changes, eventually submitting completely beneath one's feet.

(??ω??) In simple terms, it was that whole corruption thing...

Why did even his ability have to be so villainous... Though he'd known this was coming, Xu Shi still couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating laugh.

No way to clean up his image now (doge).

Not that he'd planned to anyway. If you're going to be a villain, do it right—why bother with all that flashy nonsense?

Su Lin had no idea what Xu Shi was thinking, but she was still relieved.

The Sundial's rating was B—no need to worry at all now... let alone the fact that Young Master had awakened a psychic-type ability, the one with the greatest potential.

Every Re-Ascension brought a qualitative leap.

"Congratulations, Young Master. But please don't let it go to your head."

She didn't show it, though, only stating calmly, "From now on, I'll do my utmost to help you further develop your ability."

"Sounds good."

Xu Shi ignored her jab. He really did need to learn from Su Lin in this area.

"As for now, come with me to grab some lunch."

How had an entire morning passed... when he awakened his ability, it felt like only a moment had gone by.

Still, time-wise, it was about right to go meet that Miss Xia.

Eaton Tea Restaurant.

The Serpent Coil's lunch break was only half an hour.

Since time was tight, this restaurant—close to the office, fast service, and cheap prices—had become a favorite among employees who hadn't yet installed mechanical stomachs.

Xia Wuyou was one of them. At this moment, she sat in a corner of the restaurant, unhurriedly enjoying her lunch.

She was truly beautiful—a slender, well-proportioned figure, fair skin, her hair tied into a neat high ponytail, not a single wrinkle on her uniform... every movement exuded an elegant grace that was a pleasure to behold.

But the person sitting across from her was a bit sloppy, wearing a baggy sports hoodie and deliberately pulling his cap low.

It was obvious that the other customers in the restaurant didn't think much of this disheveled patron.

Xia Wuyou didn't mind, though. She just ate her meal and asked in a low voice, "Is this also Leader Shen's intention?"

"Yes. Leader Shen said that for the operation the day after tomorrow, he hopes Miss Xia will cooperate with us as much as possible."

The hoodie-clad man nodded. "Also, we ran into a bit of a situation earlier, so we'll need to trouble Miss Xia to confirm the specific personnel arrangements for the transport operation."

As he spoke, he slid a note and a key across the table from below. "The note has the contact info, and the key is for locker 404 at Subway Station C... what we promised Miss Xia is stored there."

"You're giving me the payment first?"

Xia Wuyou took the items without a sound, but her tone carried a barely perceptible tremor of excitement.

"Yes. Leader Shen said you two are old friends, so he trusts you that much... He also asked me to pass along a message: he wishes your aunt a speedy recovery."

"Good. Tell him I said thanks." Xia Wuyou nodded in acknowledgment.

"You could always thank him in person."

The hoodie-clad man stood up with a grin. "I'll be off, then—I can't stay here long... Enjoy your meal, Miss Xia."

Within ten seconds, he had vanished from sight.

Xia Wuyou remained seated, but her breathing unconsciously grew heavier.

That was a whole bottle of SS-class inhibitor—a sky-high price drug that could keep her aunt going for another six months.

If not for that, she wouldn't have taken the risk to strike a deal with Spark.

She'd pick it up after work, then head to the hospital... Thinking this, a smile gradually spread across the young girl's face.

But the next second, that joy vanished without a trace.

A man with gold-rimmed glasses walked into the restaurant, bypassed the crowd, and stopped at her table.

"It's a bit crowded... Mind if I share a table, Team Leader Xia?"