Long-Awaited Sunlight

Long-Awaited Sunlight

Since this was only a test, Xu Zhi did not intend to use too many cores. After some consideration, she decided to use two [Moth], two [Heart], and four [Cup] Attributes to make up forty minutes.

It was neither too short nor too long. If it failed, she would not lose too much.

Still, Xu Zhi had some faith in her luck. Otherwise, she would have invested even less.

She opened the Spirit Vessel interface, put in those cores, and clicked confirm.

[Number of cores invested: 8]

[Spirit Vessel duration: 40 minutes]

[Random Attributes being generated.]

[Random generation complete.]

[Spirit Vessel:

Mental: 270

Physical: 360

Traits: Craving Lv3, Self-Healing Lv1, Chaos Lv2, Secret Lv1

Special Ability: None]

"Looks pretty good."

[Searching for a random deployment location.]

[Deployment successful.]

Xu Zhi's vision went dark. She immediately realized that she was probably already inside the "Spirit Vessel." As the Spirit Vessel finished taking shape, she heard sounds she had not heard in over a month—the clamor found only where crowds gathered.

Car horns, the sounds of people coming and going along the streets, and advertisements from storefronts combined into a scene of peaceful prosperity.

It had only been a little over a month since she had heard such sounds, yet it felt like a lifetime ago.

Xu Zhi stood there in a daze for two or three seconds before raising her hand, palm upward, and looking at it beneath the sunlight.

She had not felt such bright sunlight in a long time. Warm and dazzling—it truly was nostalgic.

But time was limited, so Xu Zhi did not allow herself to indulge for long before gathering her thoughts.

First, she carefully sensed her own condition. Though she had also invested four [Cup] Attribute Cores this time, the restlessness in her heart was not as intense as it had been in her previous Spirit Vessel.

It seemed that at least one of the [Moth] and [Heart] Attributes could suppress the agitation caused by [Cup].

That was no small gain.

Xu Zhi then looked around and realized she was likely standing at the entrance of an office building.

Though the office building's doors stood wide open, no one was entering or leaving. A red sign had also been placed at the entrance, bearing a symbol similar to a Federation police badge, yet somewhat different.

The pedestrians on the street seemed to turn a blind eye to the conspicuous symbol. Not a single person glanced in its direction.

Finding it strange, Xu Zhi headed straight into the office building.

Once inside, she found it even stranger. Office space in a bustling commercial district was worth every inch of its weight in gold. At this hour, people should have been working inside no matter what. Even on a day off, plenty of office workers should have been staying late to work overtime. Why was it so quiet now?

Xu Zhi climbed several floors in succession and found no one on the first few floors.

There could have been many reasons for that, but considering the warning sign at the entrance, Xu Zhi was more inclined to believe that something had happened here.

When she went up another floor, people finally entered her field of vision.

Xu Zhi did not look at them first, but the man was startled when he saw her. "Stop! Who are you? How did you get up here?"

The newcomer wore casual clothes and was a man in his early thirties. His shout alerted his companion, and a girl who looked fifteen or sixteen poked her head out from a room.

"What happened? Who's here?"

When she saw Xu Zhi, she too looked surprised. Turning to the man beside her, she asked, "Who is this?"

The man shook his head. "No idea. I came out and saw her walking up the stairs."

Xu Zhi remained where she was, silently observing the two. The man and woman did not seem like they belonged to the same type. The man looked proper and stern, while the girl seemed rather lively from her expression.

The only thing they had in common was the wariness in their eyes as they looked at Xu Zhi.

Hearing the man's answer, the girl frowned. "Are you sure the barrier was set up properly?"

A barrier?

Xu Zhi blinked. She guessed it might be some kind of supernatural ability.

The man nodded. "Ordinary people definitely can't get in."

At that, the girl's eyes lit up. "That means..."

Their conversation was actually very quiet, but for some reason Xu Zhi heard every word clearly. She thought it might have something to do with this Spirit Vessel.

"Hey!" The girl raised her voice slightly and asked Xu Zhi, "Are you a supernatural?"

Xu Zhi paused. From overhearing their conversation, she could infer that the man had placed a barrier downstairs that ordinary people could not enter. Yet she had ignored that barrier. Though she possessed no active supernatural abilities, this Spirit Vessel was undoubtedly a "supernatural."

So Xu Zhi nodded. "I am."

"Are you registered?" the girl asked again.

Xu Zhi could guess what that meant as soon as she heard it, but she deliberately exposed her ignorance. Tilting her head slightly, she asked sincerely, "What's that?"

"Hiss, big sis, how do you not even know that?"

The girl did not grow suspicious. She only thought Xu Zhi might be somewhat uninformed. Just as she was about to explain it to Xu Zhi, a loud bang suddenly came from inside the room, followed by an irritable voice. "Orange! What are you dawdling for?!"

"Ah, ah, ah! Coming!" The girl, who had still been intending to speak with Xu Zhi, hurriedly turned and ran into the room.

A burst of sounds came from inside, as though people were fighting, though not particularly fiercely. There was also a stream of angry cursing mixed in, before it gradually subsided.

Xu Zhi looked curiously toward the doorway, but wisely did not enter.

Her luck was quite good. Not only had she successfully been randomly sent outside, she had also encountered supernaturals.

But she truly was curious about what the people inside were doing. It sounded like they were fighting, yet neither the girl nor the man outside seemed to feel any sense of danger or urgency. Was it a one-sided beating?

Before long, two people came out of the room, a man and a woman. The girl was the one Xu Zhi had seen before. The man looked to be in his early twenties, with a rather... vicious-looking face. Going by stereotypes, he looked like a street thug at first glance.

The young man carried a brown suitcase in his hand. The suitcase drew Xu Zhi's attention because something inside seemed to be moving from time to time, as though a living creature had been locked within. Every time it moved, the young man would slap it, and the suitcase would instantly behave itself.

Xu Zhi: ...

"Hehe, bro, I wasn't deliberately refusing to come help you just now. Someone showed up outside."

The girl guiltily pointed at Xu Zhi. Xu Zhi blinked innocently.

The young man frowned, making his irritable-brother aura even stronger. He also looked at Xu Zhi, but surprisingly, his tone was fairly mild. "A supernatural?"

Xu Zhi gave an "Ah" and nodded.

The young man asked that same question again. "Registered?"

Before Xu Zhi could answer, the girl rushed to speak. "She doesn't even know what registration is!"

The young man's frown deepened. "There've been notices everywhere this month. You didn't know?"

Xu Zhi said, "The place where I live is cut off from information, and there aren't many people there. I don't watch TV or listen to the radio either."

That was the truth.

Hearing that, the young man scratched his head, seeming a little irritated. "Tch. Since we ran into you, come with us. We'll take you to register."

The girl still remembered Xu Zhi's confusion and explained, "Once it's confirmed that you're a supernatural, registering lets you receive benefits issued by the Federation. Registration itself doesn't require you to take on any obligations, but you can't disrupt public order. Well, you'll understand once you get there and read the handbook." Xu Zhi smiled and nodded, but inwardly sighed. Are people outside really all this friendly? If this were Cloud City, the two groups she'd run into would probably still be fencing with words and probing each other. How wonderful—the peaceful outside world.