Oops, My Hand Slipped (Deadpan)

After answering that "yes," the Xiao Mi Power Bank suddenly fell silent.

Honestly, after snapping out of the light just now and discovering that she was inside a power bank, she had been completely stunned too.

What was going on?

She had come to see what kind of person possessed an SSS-rank Ability, and hadn't she set the scan conditions so that the most technologically advanced device nearby would become her soul Vessel?

Why was it a power bank?

After looking around the room, she suddenly understood—and then realized a grim fact.

She was trapped.

At that moment, Ling, in her data-soul form, found the situation so unbelievable that she nearly laughed out loud.

She... was trapped?

Even the three A-rank targets ranked in the top thirty before had failed to threaten her, yet she had actually gotten trapped!?

And she had delivered herself right to the door?

Deep within her data, Ling, existing in another form, suddenly crouched down and covered her face.

Ling suddenly did not want to face this fact.

"This is so stupidly adorable I could die!!!"

Ling covered her face and whimpered softly!

Back then, even when faced with the killing blows of A-rank top-ten targets, she could turn into soul data and escape, then use her genetic sequence to cultivate another body and resurrect.

But this time, she had walked right into the trap and locked herself in a little black room!!

What? You were asking why she was trapped?

(Takes a deep breath.) First of all, the reason Ling had dared to come was because, as soul data, she only needed any network interface as a springboard to connect to the Night Web and return to her body.

What!? You still did not understand?

Then tell Ling.

(Roars!) Can your power bank connect to the internet!!!!

"Aahhh!! Ling, you idiot! Idiot!!" Ling still covered her face, curled up in the corner, refusing to accept reality. Without a direct network interface, she could not even transfer herself now. She had completely and utterly locked herself in a little black room.

"When all is said and done, it's all this guy's fault!!!"

Ling suddenly raised her head viciously and stared at Fang Ran, who was sprawled outside like a salted fish!

"Why is there a Night Battle Participant in this world who doesn't even have a phone!!!!"

Ling was practically about to die from the combination of her own rage and Fang Ran's poverty. A person with Night Battle Participant access, a person with an SSS-rank Ability—even if he was not extravagantly rich or flashy, even if he lived modestly to conceal his identity, surely he should at least have a smartphone!!

Did he have to be doing this badly in life!?

Ling would swear on anything that every Night Battle Participant definitely had technological equipment nearby for gathering information. That had always been the foundation of her reckless confidence, but she had truly never expected it.

There really was a poor bastard who did not even own a smartphone!

And even if he did not have a phone, why was there not a single thing in his home that could access the internet!!

Why was the most technologically advanced thing her scan had selected as a temporary Vessel his damn power bank!!

And it was freaking Xiao Mi's!!!

Ling screamed inwardly. She no longer cared about maintaining the image of a little girl and directly revealed her true nature.

Fang Ran lay sprawled on the sofa like a salted fish. Looking at the suddenly quiet Summoned Beast—the Xiao Mi Power Bank—he had no idea what it had been thinking just now. He sighed, finally resigned himself to fate, and said, "Listen, Mi. Since you're my Summoned Beast, we're grasshoppers tied to the same rope."

"You already know my situation, right?" As he spoke, Fang Ran lay back on the sofa and once again remembered the truth he did not want to face. He let out a long sigh. "If you have any ideas, just tell me. Otherwise, we're both dead."

The Xiao Mi Power Bank remained unmoved.

Fang Ran grew a little anxious. With a mournful face, he leaned close to it. "Mi, do you know how serious this is right now!? I'm wanted! Police Uncle could come check my water meter at any time!!"

"Isn't a Summoned Beast supposed to help out at critical moments like this!"

Fang Ran spoke with tears in his voice, so moving that he was only one step away from grabbing the power bank, rubbing it against his face, and wiping his snot all over it.

"Stay away from me! Don't call me Mi!! I'm not your Summoned Beast!!"

The power bank instantly bristled, flying up and smashing directly into Fang Ran's chin, knocking him back onto the sofa.

After venting a little and getting her revenge, Ling reluctantly gritted her teeth and admitted that Fang Ran was right. They really were grasshoppers tied to the same rope now. If her soul data, completely trapped here, was destroyed, she would truly be dead.

So, after finally calming down her anger, it spoke coldly. "Heh. You just gained Night Battle qualifications, didn't you?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Fang Ran immediately nodded like a pecking chicken.

"Have you looked at the Ability interface?"

The power bank spoke coldly in a sweet little girl's voice, looking "completely aloof."

"Uh, Ability interface?"

Fang Ran looked utterly lost.

"Seriously." The power bank trembled with rage. How had this trash even obtained access? "Silently call up your system interface, then open your information Ability interface."

Fang Ran hurriedly did as instructed. A ding sounded in his mind, and a light-blue page really did appear. All kinds of complicated data began refreshing. Fang Ran's scalp went numb as he looked at headings for things like heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, muscles, fat, Magic Power, battle aura, Abilities, and more, followed by long strings of complicated and troublesome values. He felt as though his intelligence had been insulted.

Damn it, where was the simple, brutal point-allocation template promised by web novels?

"Can you see it?"

"I can't understand it."

Fang Ran honestly shook his head.

Ling: "..."

"Really, sometimes I wonder how exactly you got Night Battle access."

"Don't ask. I don't want to answer." Fang Ran turned away, refusing to recall the unbearable memories of that night.

"What a useless piece of trash!" A voice full of frustrated disappointment came from the power bank. "Don't reject the access request. I'll simplify the template so even an idiot like you can understand it!"

A light-blue system prompt appeared. Fang Ran immediately pressed confirm and granted access. The complicated, high-end-looking interface instantly adjusted itself. The screen shook, and an entirely new interface appeared before Fang Ran. The data on it was extremely simple, so simple that even Fang Ran could understand it easily!

Name: Fang Ran

Level: E

Ability: Magical Girl Power

Fang Ran: "..."

Damn it, did it have to be this simplified!? That huge interface had been reduced to just three lines?

And that Ability line hurt way too much.

What was even more screwed up was that the formerly light-blue, futuristic, high-tech-looking interface had turned into a cute pale pink. In the upper-right corner, Cardcaptor Sakura stood atop the interface frame in her signature pose.

This was your damn so-called simplified template?

This was not simplification—you had practically gone to heaven!!

Then, as if things were not bad enough, that Xiao Mi Power Bank slowly floated over to Fang Ran. Having gained access, it looked at the interface with him and asked as if concerned, "Can you understand it this time?"

"I understand your sister!! Explain to me what the hell this Cardcaptor Sakura thing is!?"

Fang Ran spoke viciously and grabbed for his power bank, but Ling had anticipated it and lightly dodged away.

"What do you mean, what is it? Oh, that? I gave you a skin pack to match your Ability. How is it? Satisfied?"

"Motherf—" Fang Ran was so enraged that the word "idiot" nearly slipped out before he lunged at it!

"Say another word, and I'll report you to the National Cultural Heritage Administration."

The power bank floating before Fang Ran calmly tossed out that sentence.

". Brave and wise—those words must have been invented for an esteemed elder like you."

The word "idiot" stuck in his throat and would not come out. Fang Ran felt as though his power bank had Fate itself wrapped around his neck. He hurriedly put on a flattering smile.

"Hmph."

The power bank gave an arrogant little snort, ignored him, and brought up another interface.

Ding! A bound exclusive weapon has been detected. You may assign values to it according to your wishes.

Ding! This assignment may only be performed once. It cannot be changed or revoked.

Ding! Once assignment is complete, you will gain an exclusive special effect.

Fang Ran froze, and then another interface popped up. Thank heavens, this time it was a normal light-blue interface.

Magic Wand

Attack Value: 1

Magic Value: 1

Defense Value: 1

Speed Value: 1

Appearance Value: 0

Available Points: 5

Huh? Why did this feel like some cheap browser game's stat page?

Damn! Appearance Value was actually 0. Was that to be expected from a twenty-five-yuan belt?

"What exactly do these values do?" Fang Ran asked with the eager curiosity of a child. "My stats aren't bad, right? They're pretty balanced."

Ling: "..."

Seeing Fang Ran's excited expression, Ling really could not bring herself to tell him that, back then, aside from Appearance Value, all four of her Psionic Photon Core's base attributes had started above fifteen and nearly reached the cap of twenty.

"They mean exactly what they say. Attack is for offensive magic, like cultivators and mages. Defense and speed are the same, nothing special. Appearance Value is the same too. I simplified the main framework from the system for your interface. You probably wouldn't understand those complicated formulas anyway." Ling sighed slightly. To end up with someone this weak, she really...

"Then why is Appearance Value mixed in there?" Fang Ran asked in confusion.

"I don't know. That Appearance Value is strange. It seems impossible to simplify away, so I ignored it. Anyway, after this, that useless attribute will disappear. Hurry up and allocate the points so we can see what special Ability you get."

"Oh, are special Abilities important?"

Fang Ran asked, then saw the power bank fall silent for a moment before it gave a scornful sneer.

"When you play games, do you think a character's core skill is important?"

"Uh..."

"You should have a Mystic Side magical transformation-type Ability. Remember, don't allocate randomly. Put them all into Magic Energy Value. Your numerical format determines your Ability, and your exclusive weapon's Ability is extremely important."

Ling cautioned him uneasily. Fang Ran nodded and looked at the five attributes. He nodded slightly, already understanding the rough situation. The system gave everyone a weapon with different attributes, along with five free attribute points.

Then the final data and weapon type would determine the passive... uh, special Ability.

Under Ling's supervision, Fang Ran slowly reached his finger toward Magic Value, but then—

He remembered that moment facing the Zombie, the slender, elegant Longsword entwined with a Silver Dragon that he had held in his hand.

That sensation, the sensation that Fate itself could be changed.

"Oops, my hand slipped." Fang Ran said deliberately in a completely flat tone.

As Fang Ran spoke, his finger suddenly changed direction and directly allocated all five points.

Ding! You have successfully assigned values. Current modified attribute: Appearance Value: 5.

One man and one power bank fell silent. "..."

"You idiot, are you mentally disabled!? Give me one reason why you maxed out Appearance Value!!"

Ling's voice suddenly dropped low. Then she controlled the power bank and smashed it viciously into Fang Ran's head. But even after taking a righteous hammer blow to the head—

What greeted Ling was still Fang Ran slamming the table and shouting with righteous conviction!

"Then what do you expect me to do!?"

"You want me to hold up a belt as a Magic Wand and use Magical Girl Power to fight people? You might as well tell me to die!"