(Preface: The name "Lin Tiannan" was randomly generated using the naming system in the Qidian Writer App. I have no grudge against anyone named Lin Tiannan. If that happens to be your name, please forgive the offense.)
On June 28, 2017, an unidentified white light spread out from the Arctic, enveloping the entire world. From that day onward, "mutants" began to appear.
Mutants had all kinds of abilities. According to statistics, only one in every ten million people became a mutant. A powerful mutant was like a nuclear weapon, and countries led by M Country publicized them as a form of "diplomatic leverage."
September 25 of the same year, Beichang City, China.
A prisoner transport van moved slowly down the road, escorted by more than a dozen police cars in front and behind. The cars were packed with tactical officers wearing bulletproof vests and carrying shotguns and riot shields.
The convoy gradually left the city behind and arrived at a rudimentary military base on the outskirts of Beichang City.
Judging by the students undergoing military training inside, this was hardly a classified facility. After entering the base, the convoy slowly came to a stop. The tactical officers climbed out of their cars in orderly ranks and surrounded the transport van.
An ordinary-looking young man stepped out of the van. He was in his early twenties and stood 178 centimeters tall, with sharp brows, bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and a well-defined face. Unfortunately, his single eyelids, thick lips, and slightly pudgy build knocked his looks down several notches.
The young man looked rather timid as the dozens of tactical officers escorted him into a building.
"Do we really need this many people escorting him?" the two officers up front began discussing in hushed voices. "This 'mutant'?"
"When we discovered his superpower, he knocked a car more than twenty meters away with one hand. You think we're here to protect him?" the other officer whispered. The first turned to look at the young man in disbelief and swallowed.
The officers brought him into an enclosed room. It was clean and brightly lit, with various instruments set out inside. A woman in military uniform and a man in a white lab coat stood waiting.
The woman was about 170 centimeters tall and looked twenty-five or twenty-six. Even in uniform, her slender, graceful figure was obvious. Her long, upturned eyes had a slightly alluring cast, and her high nose bridge looked almost foreign. She had a tiny mouth and fair skin, with soft black hair tucked beneath her military cap. Even the uniform could not conceal her beauty.
As for the man beside her, he was 165 centimeters tall and in his forties, with a bald crown, glasses, and a noticeably expanding waistline. Dressed in a white lab coat and holding a set of research documents, he was clearly a researcher.
Soon, the young man was brought before them.
"Ma'am, we've brought him," a tactical officer said, saluting them.
"You're dismissed." The female officer nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the young man and glanced down at the documents before her.
"Name: Xiao He. Born April 18, 1996. Height: 178 centimeters. Weight: 80 kilograms. Superpower..." At this point, the officer frowned. "Can defeat anyone named 'Lin Tiannan'?"
As she spoke, she shot Xiao He a glance.
Xiao He guiltily looked away.
He knew what she meant. In fact, he had thought the same thing himself: What kind of trash superpower was this?
Then the officer turned to the researcher beside her and said coldly, "Explain."
The researcher pushed up his glasses. "Our tests showed that, when fighting ordinary people, his physical performance was as follows: a hundred-meter sprint in 8.26 seconds, a standing jump reach of 4.68 meters, a bench press of 350 kilograms, and a right hook with 900 kilograms of force."
"Isn't that only a little stronger than an ordinary person? He barely qualifies as superhuman," the officer asked disapprovingly. The researcher hurried to explain, "But when he fights someone named 'Lin Tiannan,' his abilities increase roughly tenfold. Those figures would easily meet your requirements for a Level 5 mutant..."
"Who is Lin Tiannan? What does this ability have to do with him?" the officer asked incredulously. The researcher lowered his head in embarrassment. "We initially discovered this young man's ability because someone named Lin Tiannan hit him with a car... It seems to be the trigger for his ability."
"So how does this ability work?" the officer asked with a frown.
The researcher consulted his report. "Our research found that, while someone named 'Lin Tiannan' must be present for his superpower to activate, if the attackers are a group, he only needs one of them to be named Lin Tiannan for his abilities to increase."
"Then could we just arrange for someone named Lin Tiannan to stand nearby as a bystander and boost his abilities?" A glimmer of hope seemed to appear in the officer's eyes.
"Uh... no," the researcher said awkwardly. "There has to be someone named Lin Tiannan among the people he recognizes as 'enemies' for his ability to activate. Otherwise, he's essentially just a relatively strong ordinary person..."
"That's it?" The officer folded her arms and demanded angrily, "I asked you to find a Level 5 mutant. Our country has over a billion people, and this is who you bring me? Do you know what this means? M Country already has two Level 5 mutants! What use is this superpower? Are we supposed to expect every enemy who comes knocking to be named 'Lin Tiannan'?"
Although Xiao He resented being discussed like this, there was nothing he could do. When he first discovered his superpower, he had only one thought: What the hell is this?!
But his superpower had been given to him by that "white light." It wasn't as if he had chosen it himself. There was nothing he could do.
"Officer Cui, please don't get upset. We have a second mutant waiting..." the researcher hurriedly explained, then urgently beckoned to someone outside the laboratory window. A moment later, a girl was brought into the room.
Xiao He looked her over. She was probably a little over 160 centimeters tall, with a bowl cut, a round face, and rather pretty features: lively, sweet eyes, a small, delicate nose, and a tiny mouth. Her impressive bust was probably larger than a D cup, but she carried a little baby fat, especially in her legs. They weren't actually short, but their slight plumpness made them look a little thick.
Not my type. Xiao He felt no stir of attraction.
He preferred legs to breasts. A girl with beautiful legs would make his heart flutter before he could help himself.
The researcher introduced her. "Officer Cui, this is Ye Wanqing. Her superpower is 'the ability to change other people's names.'"
Xiao He and the female officer: "..."
"What does that mean?" the officer asked with a frown.
"Well..." the researcher explained, "as long as we pull up a document bearing someone's real name, whether it's a driver's license, marriage certificate, or ID card, this girl can use her superpower to change that name to something else. It just has to be their real name. Afterward, in everyone's perception, as well as in every recorded document, that person's name becomes the new one."
The officer immediately raised her eyebrows. She looked at Ye Wanqing, then at Xiao He. "You mean..."
"Yes. If this girl changes an enemy's name to 'Lin Tiannan,' and then this young man steps in..." The researcher slapped his right fist into his left palm. "Wouldn't that make him a Level 5 mutant?"
"..." The officer fell silent for a moment, then sank into thought.
"We've already confirmed that it works," the researcher added. "Earlier, we activated his superpower using a test subject whose name had been changed to Lin Tiannan."
Even Xiao He could see the officer's internal struggle. But mutants had only appeared recently, and she clearly had not found any better candidates.
"Fine. We'll make do with this for now," the officer said through gritted teeth, her brow furrowed. Then she turned to Xiao He and Ye Wanqing. "Since you're both here, that means you've already signed the contracts, correct?"
Xiao He nodded. Before he came, they had offered him a contract with an annual salary of ten million and all kinds of generous benefits. The only downside was that he had to live under the relevant department's supervision and could not do anything that violated the contract.
Of course Xiao He knew why these military personnel had approached him. After all, "mutants" had only recently appeared, and every country was treating people with superpowers as military assets worth showing off.
He had agreed without hesitation precisely because mutants were still a recent phenomenon. He might as well make whatever money he could.
Xiao He also knew his superpower wasn't particularly powerful. A better mutant might appear in a few days and replace him. Then wouldn't he be able to pocket a few million without lifting a finger and retire?
With that daydream in mind, Xiao He had signed the contract. However...
Xiao He glanced at the girl beside him. I didn't know a girl like her existed back then. Otherwise, I might have thought this contract through more carefully.
But then another thought struck him. With her around, wouldn't I be invincible? Then the risks wouldn't matter!
"In that case, starting today, I require you to live together as a couple. Our department will use its authority to transfer you to the same school for easier supervision." The officer held out her hand. "My name is Cui Man. From now on, I'll be your guardian and handle your mission assignments. I look forward to working with you."
After a brief silence, Xiao He and Ye Wanqing asked in unison, "As a couple? Why?!"
"For several reasons." Cui Man folded her arms and said matter-of-factly, "Mainly for publicity. Your abilities complement each other so well that presenting you to the public as a couple would be much better than calling you partners, wouldn't it? With abilities like yours, the couple setup will reduce the risk of a third party driving a wedge between you. It's a little like pairs figure skating."
Xiao He was rather reluctant. He had already planned to spend his remaining college years enjoying romance, but now...
"Relax. You only have to pretend. This is a stopgap measure. Once we find stronger mutants, you can return to your normal lives." Cui Man seemed equally dissatisfied with the current situation. "Well then, welcome to the Special Incident Response Department, or the Special Response Department for short."
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