Number 98

At night, stars dotted the sky, casting faint glimmers across the otherwise pitch-black heavens.

For some reason, the moon seemed especially bright tonight.

Yang Chen sat on his little bed, staring blankly at the interface in front of him.

He had the power now, but how was he supposed to get stronger?

Was he really supposed to rely on the system's check-in fifteen days from now?

That was ridiculous!

Besides, checking in didn't necessarily mean he'd get stronger!

Yang Chen had just studied the check-in page carefully. It offered all kinds of rewards: spiritual energy liquid, weapons, cultivation techniques, martial skills, armor, mounts, and so on.

There was even a "Better luck next time" option!

In other words, if he relied on check-in rewards alone, getting stronger would still be difficult.

After all, aside from his strength, he knew nothing. Even figuring out how to use the power in his body was a tricky problem.

In short, he was like someone who'd found a divine weapon. He knew it was powerful, but could only swing it around. He couldn't use its most formidable qualities—its hardness and sharpness—to chop things up.

Yang Chen was at a loss.

"Am I really supposed to rely on Number 98?"

Yang Chen pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling helpless.

Good grief, he was probably the most useless Grandmaster on the entire planet!

"I can only hope Number 98 gets here soon. Otherwise, this is going to be unbearable!"

Yang Chen shook his head and closed the interface.

At the moment, this system had no function besides checking in. It really was kind of useless.

Yang Chen had read other novels before. The protagonists' systems in those stories were incredibly powerful. But his own? How should he put it?

Utterly useless!

It did nothing but let him check in, and he had to wait fifteen days before he could do that again!

Worthless!

He'd be better off with an AK and a shotgun. He could build up his strength and make a glorious comeback!

Pah!

Just as Yang Chen was grumbling about his system, his ear twitched as if he'd sensed something. A smile appeared on his face.

"As expected of Number 98. That was fast!"

Then Yang Chen shifted slightly, and his body disappeared into the darkness, as though he'd become one with it. Unless you looked closely, he was almost impossible to see!

At that moment, several men in black had appeared in an open area outside Yang Chen's little house. Their faces were grim, and a dangerous glint shone in their eyes.

The surroundings were deserted and quiet. A breeze stirred, startling a few birds into flight.

"Have you found the target?"

"Yes. He's inside that house!"

"Good. I wonder how Red Hair managed to pull strings and persuade the captain to send us on this mission."

One of the men in black even looked disgusted.

Clearly, these men held Red Hair in just as much contempt.

"Whatever. Even without him, we'd still have to go capture this newly discovered esper in Huaxia. All we're doing is teaching the new esper a lesson!"

"Red Hair really is a parasite in Number 98. He's been an esper for months, yet he still couldn't beat a new one. What a disgrace!"

At that, the others nodded.

Exactly. He'd been an esper for so long, and still couldn't beat a newcomer. Wasn't that embarrassing?

And after losing, he'd gone looking for help to deal with the guy.

As far as they were concerned, Red Hair was completely useless.

"Fine. We'll just give the newcomer a little scare. Maybe he'll end up joining our team. Then things could get awkward."

One of the men in black, apparently their leader, waved a hand and spoke quietly.

"Let's go. We'll take him back and report in."

"Yes!"

As soon as he spoke, the men's figures flickered into motion.

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

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

The man spoke in a low voice.

The others exchanged glances. One of them quickly slipped into the darkness and raced toward Yang Chen's house.

There was a reason for doing things this way.

After all, this was a newly discovered esper who hadn't yet been recruited by Number 98. If he turned out to be hostile, barging right up to his door would be tantamount to asking for trouble.

What if he was a spy from another country?

Such things had happened before.

That was why they were proceeding this way.

Even within Huaxia's borders, they had to stay alert at all times. It was the creed of every official member of Number 98!

After all, this wasn't an ordinary era anymore. Spiritual energy had recovered!

There were countless kinds of supernatural abilities. The person walking past you might well be an esper spying for another country!

Even Huaxia, one of the three most powerful countries on Earth, couldn't guarantee there were no foreign esper spies within its borders!

Of course, someone like Red Hair was only an unofficial member of Number 98—or, rather, an ordinary esper who merely had a connection to Number 98. The organization's members didn't recognize him at all!

The other men in black quietly found a secluded spot close to Yang Chen's house, but not so close that they'd be easily spotted.

They were official members of Number 98, and their esper ranks were high.

Although Number 98 recruited espers from all over Huaxia, very few actually made it into the organization. They needed either exceptional talent or a rank of D-Class or higher!

This team was made up entirely of D-Class espers!

Even against a C-Class esper, they could put up a fight if they worked together!

The man in black who'd slipped into the darkness soon reached Yang Chen's house. He looked around carefully, then twisted his body slightly and passed right through the thick wall into Yang Chen's room!

That was his esper ability: phasing!

Once inside, the man in black quickly disappeared into the darkness. The benefits of his black clothes were now fully apparent.

It was night, and the lights in Yang Chen's room were off. There wasn't a trace of light, making it the perfect place for the man in black to show off his skills.

But as soon as he entered Yang Chen's room, he sensed something was wrong.

The room was far too quiet. It didn't seem as though anyone was inside. But his teammates had clearly detected spiritual energy fluctuations in the room earlier!

The man in black's heart sank. He was just about to make a sound when a powerful hand clamped around his neck. He couldn't make a sound at all!

He tried to move, but the hand gripping him felt like iron. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free. He could only hang helplessly as the powerful hand lifted him up.

Like a little chick in someone's grasp.

Effortlessly!

Fear flickered in the man in black's eyes. He knew roughly how strong he was. Even against a C-Class esper, he could put up some resistance. But this person had left him no chance to fight back at all.

The only people in Number 98 who'd made him feel this powerless were the B-Class experts!

Outside Yang Chen's house, the leader of the men in black furrowed his brow. A minute had passed since his teammate went inside, yet not a sound had come out.

Yang Chen's house wasn't very big. It should've taken only a few seconds to find him—more than enough time to send a signal.

But a minute had passed, and there'd been no sign of anything.

That wasn't right!

Even if they were fighting, there should've been some noise!

The leader's thoughts grew muddled.

He exchanged glances with the men around him. The faint white glow appeared again in one man's hand, with two red dots shining clearly within it.

"Could the two of them have run into each other?"

The leader frowned and fell into thought.

Then he suddenly raised his head, a glint in his eyes, and said firmly,

"We can't wait any longer. We attack now!"

"Yes!"

The men in black answered. Faint spiritual energy began to emanate from their bodies.

In an instant, gusts of wind swept through the area.

Just then, the house's door quietly opened.

A slightly slender figure slowly emerged, carrying a man in black whose eyes had gone unfocused. A powerful strength seemed to lie hidden within his body!

Then the figure gently tossed the man in black aside and looked at the few men who'd taken defensive stances. He flashed his white teeth.

In the darkness, they gleamed conspicuously.

"Were you looking for me?"