Chapter 4

The night was adorned with twinkling stars, casting a faint glimmer across the pitch-black sky.

For some reason, the moon tonight seemed exceptionally bright.

Yang Chen sat on his small bed, staring blankly at the interface before him.

He had the strength, but how was he supposed to improve it?

Could it be that he had to rely solely on the system check-in fifteen days from now?

That would be utterly ridiculous!

Besides, a check-in didn't necessarily guarantee an increase in strength.

Yang Chen had just scrutinized the check-in page carefully; it contained a variety of rewards, such as spiritual liquid, weapons, cultivation techniques, martial skills, armor, and mounts.

There was even a "Thanks for participating!"

In other words, if he relied only on check-in rewards, it would be very difficult for him to improve.

After all, aside from his raw power, he knew nothing. Even the simplest task of utilizing the energy within his body was a thorny problem.

To put it bluntly, he was like someone who had picked up a divine weapon; he knew it was powerful, but he could only swing it around. He couldn't tap into its true potential, forced to rely on its mere hardness and sharpness to hack and slash.

Yang Chen felt quite helpless about this.

Could it be that I have to rely on Number 98?

Yang Chen rubbed his temples, feeling a sense of resignation.

Good grief, he was probably the only Grandmaster on the entire Earth who was this useless!

I can only hope Number 98 is fast; otherwise, this is too stifling!

Yang Chen shook his head and closed the interface.

This system had no functions other than the check-in; it was truly trash.

Yang Chen had read other novels before, and the systems those protagonists possessed were incredible. As for his own? How should he put it?

Utterly useless!

Aside from a check-in, there was nothing, and he had to wait fifteen days for the next one!

It was worth nothing!

He would have been better off with an AK and a rifle. He could have grown strong and achieved greatness!

Pah!

Just as Yang Chen was endlessly complaining about his system, his ears twitched slightly. Having sensed something, a smile appeared on his face.

"It really is Number 98. That was fast!"

Yang Chen's body shifted slightly, and he vanished directly into the darkness, as if he had merged with it. Unless one looked very closely, he was nearly impossible to see.

At this moment, in an open space outside Yang Chen's small house, several men in black had appeared out of nowhere. Their expressions were grim, and their eyes radiated a hint of danger.

The surroundings were silent and deserted. A breeze blew, startling a few birds into flight.

"Target location found?"

"Found it. It's in that house!"

"Finding him is enough. I don't know what kind of connections that Red Hair has to convince the captain to let us carry out this mission."

The men exchanged words, and one of the men in black even showed a look of disgust.

Clearly, these men in black held Red Hair in equal contempt.

"Sigh, forget about him. Regardless, if a new esper is discovered in Huaxia, we'd have to capture them anyway. We're just here to teach this new esper a lesson."

"That Red Hair is truly a parasite of Number 98. He's been an esper for months and still can't beat a newcomer. How embarrassing!"

As soon as this was said, the group of men in black nodded in agreement.

That was right; to have been an esper for so long and still be unable to defeat a newcomer—it was truly shameful.

To be unable to win and then come looking for help to deal with the person?

In the eyes of this group, he was a total waste.

"Alright, we'll just give him a small prank. Who knows, this newcomer might become our teammate, so we shouldn't go too far."

The leader of the men in black waved his hand and said softly.

"Let's go. Once we bring him back, we can report the mission complete."

"Yes!"

As soon as the words fell, the figures of the men flickered instantly.

A faint white glow appeared in one man's hand, and within that light, a red dot emerged.

"Found him. He's in the room!"

The man whispered.

The others exchanged glances, and then one of them quickly vanished into the darkness, sprinting toward Yang Chen's house.

There was a purpose to this.

After all, a new ability user—especially one not yet registered with Number 98—could be hostile. If they were, approaching them directly would undoubtedly be a death wish.

What if they were a spy from another country?

Such things had happened before.

That was why they were taking these precautions!

Even within the borders of Huaxia, one had to remain vigilant at all times! This was the creed of every internal operative of Number 98.

After all, this was no ordinary era; it was the era of spiritual energy awakening!

With millions of abilities in existence, it was entirely possible that the person passing you by was a spy from another nation.

Even though Huaxia was one of the three most powerful nations on Earth, it still could not guarantee that its territory was free of foreign ability spies.

Of course, someone like Red Hair, who could only be considered an external operative—or rather, an ordinary ability user merely hanging onto the Number 98 name—would never be recognized by the true members of Number 98.

The other men in black quietly found a secluded corner, close to Yang Chen's house yet difficult to detect.

To become internal operatives of Number 98, their ability levels had to be quite high.

Although Number 98 accepted ability users from all over Huaxia, very few actually made it into the organization's inner ranks. Aside from those with exceptional talent, one had to be at least D-Class or higher.

And this particular squad was composed entirely of D-Class operatives!

Even if they encountered a C-Class ability user, they could put up a fight by working together.

The man in black who had slipped into the darkness soon arrived at the perimeter of Yang Chen's house. He observed it carefully, then his body twisted slightly, and he passed directly through the thick wall, entering Yang Chen's room.

This was his ability: Phasing.

Once inside, the man in black quickly merged with the shadows, his black clothing perfectly fulfilling its purpose.

It was night, and the lights in Yang Chen's room were off. In the absence of any light, this was where the man in black was in his element.

However, once he entered the room, he sensed something was wrong.

The room was far too quiet—so quiet that it didn't feel like anyone was inside at all. Yet, his teammate had clearly detected fluctuations of spiritual energy coming from this room just moments ago!

The man in black's heart sank. Just as he was about to make a sound, he felt a powerful hand clamp onto his throat, rendering him completely unable to utter a peep.

He tried to move, but he found that the hand, filled with immense strength, felt like steel. No matter how he struggled, he could not escape, and he could only helplessly allow himself to be lifted into the air.

It was as if he were being held like a chick.

It was effortless!

Fear flickered in the eyes of the man in black. He had a decent grasp of his own strength; even if he encountered a C-Class ability user, he could put up some resistance. But to be in a situation where he didn't even have the chance to fight back?

He had only ever felt this level of power from the B-Class experts within Number 98!

Outside, the leader of the men in black frowned slightly. His teammate had been inside for a minute, yet there hadn't been a single sound.

Yang Chen's house wasn't large; it should have taken only ten seconds to locate him, which would have been enough time to send a signal.

But now, a minute had passed, and there was nothing.

That shouldn't be!

Even if there were a fight, there should have been some noise!

For a moment, the leader's mind was in turmoil.

He exchanged glances with the surrounding men in black. One of them held up a device where a faint white glow emerged, displaying two red dots that were extremely conspicuous.

"Could it be that the two of them met?"

The leader frowned, lost in thought.

Then, he suddenly raised his head, a fierce look appearing in his eyes as he spoke in a low, stern voice.

"We can't wait any longer. Move in!"

"Yes!"

The men in black responded, and faint fluctuations of spiritual energy began to emanate from their bodies.

In an instant, gusts of wind began to swirl around them.

Just then, the door to the house opened quietly.

A somewhat lean figure walked out slowly, carrying the limp, dazed man in black. His body seemed to harbor terrifying power.

The figure tossed the man in black aside, then looked at the remaining men in black, who had assumed defensive stances, and bared his snow-white teeth.

In the dark of night, they looked exceptionally bright.

"Are you looking for me?"

To be continued!