What If You Just Pretended You Didn't See Anything, Okay?

In the alley, pale butterfly phantoms and the sharp edge of the Jade-Bladed Mantis slaughtered together.

The first fluttering butterfly to fly out, like a living piece of cold light, circled at high speed around the Jade-Bladed Mantis.

The mantis swung its scythes in fury, yet always missed right before contact.

The butterfly took a tricky trajectory, and the falling dust of light that touched the carapace emitted a faint sizzling sound, leaving behind pale etching marks.

Hua Yin felt that every time the butterfly swooped in, it could "tear" away wisps of warm stuff from that monster, easing the burning hunger inside his body.

Yet this relief was like a drop of water falling into a parched field, stirring up an even more ferocious craving.

More...

His will poured forth. More Pale Bewitching Butterflies began to launch attacks, following the lead butterfly that had first pounced on the Jade-Bladed Mantis, countless pale butterfly phantoms silently lingering, their flapping wings stirring up a cold current, the halo in the alley dimming and brightening accordingly.

The Jade-Bladed Mantis lowered its body, a deep light flowing beneath its carapace, poised and ready.

Hua Yin did not give it time. He pointed forward.

"Go."

All the butterflies converged into a pale swirling current, roaring forward!

The Jade-Bladed Mantis danced its twin scythes into a net, a few vanguard butterflies being swept apart by the blade light, yet even more poured down like spilled mercury, drilling through the gaps, from above and below, instantly swarming the mantis's entire body.

They found the tiny gaps at the carapace joints, their phantom mouthparts condensing into metallic pale cold light, stabbing in fiercely! Biting! Sucking!

"Scree--!"

The mantis emitted a painful screech, rolling frantically, its scythes hacking at itself, yet struggling to shake off these clinging maggots on bone.

The carapace at the bitten spots rapidly turned gray and brittle, the pale light being frantically sucked away along the mouthparts.

Hua Yin's face was pale, sweat beading on his temples, while simultaneously controlling the numerous butterflies brought a needle-like headache.

Yet the pale light in the depths of his eyes grew brighter.

He "tasted" it--cold and viscous yet majestic vitality was pouring in a torrent through the butterflies into his body.

The parched cells within his body cheered, the hunger was rapidly filled, and a dizzying sense of fullness and pleasure slowly surged upward.

The mantis's struggle grew weaker, one scythe hanging down powerlessly.

"Crack."

A slight, crisp snap.

Several butterflies bit through the gray and fragile connection point at the back of its neck.

The ferocious head rolled down, the red light in its compound eyes extinguishing.

The insect carcass collapsed to the ground with a bang.

Hua Yin's body swayed slightly, the swarm of butterflies trembling slightly.

The sense of fullness brought warmth, but the "void" inside his body let out an even clearer roar--not enough!

More butterflies surged out, pouncing on the headless insect corpse.

This time, it was not just absorbing energy; the carapace, muscles, bodily fluids...

All matter rapidly decomposed, dissolved, and turned into pure light currents under those pale mouthparts, pouring into Hua Yin's body.

Only a faint rustling sound remained, like spring silkworms eating leaves, yet profoundly eerie.

Hua Yin slightly lifted his chin, closing his eyes to feel the surging vitality coursing through his limbs and bones.

A sense of power filled him, and the exhaustion was washed away.

The corners of his mouth uncontrollably curled into an arc--that was a mix of satisfaction, intoxication, and a trace of unnoticed, cold eeriness.

"Hua... Hua Yin?"

A trembling, incredulous voice came from the alley entrance.

The smile froze, the swarm of butterflies pausing.

Hua Yin abruptly turned his head.

At the entrance of this dim dead-end alley, Lin Qingquji was leaning against the wall, barely standing, her right leg in an awkward posture, her trouser knee worn through and stained with blood.

Her face was filled with shock and fear, her lips parted slightly, her eyes staring fixedly at him, at the insect corpse that was currently "melting," and at the eerie smile that had yet to fade from his face.

Time froze for an instant.

"Turn around!" Hua Yin roared out, his voice sharp, "Don't look at me! Close your eyes!"

Lin Qingquji shuddered all over, instinctively closing her eyes tightly, her eyelashes trembling violently.

Hua Yin's heart hammered wildly, frantically managing the butterfly swarm in a fluster.

Under his chaotic thoughts, the devouring actually accelerated.

A few seconds later, the massive insect carcass completely vanished, leaving behind only a shockingly complete gray-white skeleton and a pool of evaporating mucus.

So clean it was as if it had never existed.

"Wuwu--wuwu--"

On the avenue outside the alley, police sirens sounded from near to far! Red and blue lights flashed alternately on the walls of the alley entrance.

The authorities had arrived!

Hua Yin's pupils contracted sharply. He swiftly scanned the scene--scattered books, a broken specimen booklet, knife marks on the wall, pale insect bones...

And the witness.

Lin Qingquji!

He forcefully suppressed his emotions, walking quickly behind the tightly-eyed, trembling Lin Qingquji.

The young girl sensed his approach and trembled even harder.

Hua Yin took a deep breath, raised his icy hand, and gently covered her eyes.

He could feel the trembling of her eyelids and the warmth of her skin.

"Lin Qingquji," he lowered his voice, almost pressing against her ear, "listen. Everything you just saw..."

He paused, his voice growing deeper, carrying a plea and an unquestionable force:

"Keep it a secret for me, okay?"

"Don't tell anyone. Don't tell a soul."

"Just pretend... you didn't see anything. Can you?"

How could Hua Yin possibly hurt her, because in his eyes, Lin Qingquji was a good girl.

The young girl's body beneath his palm stiffened.

A few seconds of silence, as long as a century.

The sirens outside the alley grew closer, the red and blue lights flashing urgently.

Finally, the trembling of her eyelashes calmed somewhat. A very light yet firm breath of sound was squeezed from her throat:

"...Mm."

She nodded, the movement small, but resolute.

Everyone encountering ads like "Are you a real person?" need not pay attention to them, simply close them, and absolutely do not scan codes or send text messages!

Hua Yin's hanging heart settled slightly. He quickly withdrew his hand, speaking in a low voice: "Hurry, leave from the other side. Don't look back."

Lin Qingquji opened her eyes, still not looking back.

She bit her pale lower lip, enduring the pain in her knee, and hobbled toward the darkness at the other end of the alley, quickly disappearing.

Hua Yin watched Lin Qingquji vanish into the other end of the alley, his palm retaining the sensation of her eyelids slightly trembling.

Voices approached the alley entrance, the red and blue lights blinding.

He did not attempt to flee, merely lowering his head to look at his chest, which had recovered as good as new, yet had once been blown wide open.

Pale light flashed and vanished in the depths of his eyes, an icy and surging power quietly coursing beneath his blood vessels.

Several personnel in black uniforms with sword-and-shield badges on their arms swiftly entered, scanning the mantis corpse left with only a pale skeleton and the chaotic scene with vigilance, ultimately locking their gaze onto him.

"Scene secure! One surviving teenager discovered! E-grade demon beast Jade-Bladed Mantis confirmed dead... cause of death unknown, only skeleton remains!"

Hua Yin allowed a female team member to lead him out of the alley and into a vehicle bearing the same sword-and-shield emblem.

Sitting opposite him was a middle-aged supervisor with a steady disposition, the fine print beneath his arm patch clear: Special Affairs Bureau--namely the Dragon Nation Special Powers and Biological Administration.

"Young classmate, can you tell us what happened?" the supervisor asked, his gaze scrutinizing.

Hua Yin raised his head, the panic belonging to a startled teenager rapidly fading from his face, replaced by an unusual calmness.

He looked straight at the other party, his voice clear yet without much fluctuation:

"It chased me, and I ran into a dead end. It pounced over and pierced my chest with its scythe."

He paused, his hand pressing against his damaged school uniform, "And then, I awakened."

The air inside the vehicle suddenly grew still. Several team members instantly tensed their bodies, their hands resting imperceptibly near their waists.

Captain Wang's gaze became incomparably sharp.

"Awakened?" Captain Wang leaned forward slightly, "Are you sure? Do you know what that means?"

"It means I'm no longer ordinary."

Hua Yin spread his palms, not summoning the butterflies, but a faint yet undeniable icy aura permeated the air, "I can control something... like butterflies. They devoured that mantis and healed my injury."

He chose to confess.

Hiding an S-grade awakening involving life and death with a bizarre scene carried too high a risk in front of professional agencies.

Voluntarily explaining might still buy a little bit of breathing room.

Captain Wang looked at him deeply, pressing his communicator: "C7 team reporting, an independently awakened new awakener discovered at the scene, preliminary assessment of ability is life-devouring and healing-related, immediately initiate level-two contingency plans, return directly to the branch testing center."

Involving life devouring and healing, which meant the esper ability grade awakened by this teenager should be extremely high.

"Received!"

The vehicle started instantly, accelerating toward the other direction of the urban area.

The scenery outside the window became unfamiliar. Captain Wang asked no further questions, simply letting Hua Yin rest for a moment.

Only the low hum of the engine remained inside the car.

About half an hour later, the car drove into a gray building with a plain exterior but heavily guarded.

Hua Yin was led underground, passing through several sealed doors requiring permission verification, and arrived at a white hall full of a technological feel.

"Routine procedure."

A researcher in a white lab coat motioned for him to lie down inside a ring-shaped instrument. "We need to determine your esper ability type, grade, energy intensity, and stability. Relax, do not resist the instrument's scan."

Hua Yin complied.

The icy touch pressed against his temples and wrists, and the instrument emitted a low hum.

He closed his eyes, able to feel the faint probing energy flowing through his whole body, the pale and icy power within him stirring slightly, only to be forcibly placated by him.

A few minutes later, the researcher looked at the waterfall-refreshing data on the screen, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter, his fingers tapping rapidly on the console.

Captain Wang walked to his side, asking in a low voice.

"The energy response... is very peculiar."

The researcher pushed up his glasses, his tone filled with confusion, "The ability leans toward 'devouring' and 'life draining', but the manifestation form has no exact matching record in the database."

"Meaning, this is a newly appeared esper ability."

"The intensity fluctuates violently, the lowest trough barely reaching the E-grade standard, but the peak..."

He pointed at several abrupt, high-surging bands on the screen, "These instantaneous peaks, the instrument can hardly capture the upper limit, estimated..."

"At least touching the A-grade threshold, and possibly even higher. Stability rating: extremely low, there may be a risk of losing control."

Captain Wang's expression turned grave.

A-grade potential, unstable, risk of losing control--this combination usually meant the esper ability awakened by this teenager was a double-edged sword.

"Conduct a deep spiritual core resonance test," Captain Wang ordered.

Hua Yin was led into another room, with a translucent multi-faceted crystal suspended in the center. The researcher had him place his hand on the designated position and inject a trace of spiritual power into the crystal.

Hua Yin's will moved slightly, and an extremely faint pale flowing light oozed from his fingertips, drifting toward the crystal.

The instant the flowing light touched the crystal--

Buzz--!

A piercing alarm suddenly went off!

The lighting in the entire room instantly turned into flashing red!

That test crystal trembled violently, erupting from within with unprecedented brilliant light, the color of the light frantically jumping among red, orange, and gold, and ultimately, an icy, near-absolute pale occupied the core and spread outward!

On the screen, the originally stably displayed estimated grade column saw its numbers soar frantically like running out of control, hardly pausing from C to B to A, finally freezing on a suffocating letter amidst a short, sharp explosion and tiny cracks surfacing on the crystal's exterior--S.

A dead silence filled the room. All the researchers stopped their actions, looking at the screen in disbelief.

Captain Wang's pupils shrank to pinpricks, his throat feeling somewhat dry.

S-grade...

The S-grade awakeners registered nationwide this year could be counted on two hands!

Every single one of them was a strategic entity, while simultaneously representing unimaginable potential destructive power and difficulty in control.

Hua Yin withdrew his hand, looking at the test crystal whose light was gradually dimming, yet had left behind a pale trace and tiny cracks, and then looking around at the silent crowd and flashing red light, understanding dawned in his heart.

It seemed the grade of the "Pale Bewitching Butterfly" could not be hidden.

Captain Wang took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock, and walked in front of Hua Yin. His tone was unprecedentedly solemn, even carrying a trace of unperceived awe:

"Classmate Hua Yin, do you know? Your esper ability is a first-time awakening, a brand new, unknown, new ability!"

"The grade is preliminarily determined to be... S-grade."

"This means many things. From this moment on, your file will be listed as top secret. You will need to undergo the most comprehensive evaluation, the strictest custody, and... the most professional guidance and restraint."

"Welcome to the real world," Captain Wang's gaze was complex, "a world full of power, opportunity, but also riddled with danger and responsibility."

Hua Yin remained silent, feeling that icy and surging power within his body.

He knew that from the moment he confessed, from the moment this pale light illuminated the test crystal, he could never return to the past.

The road was already unfolding beneath his feet.

As for the future, he did not know where it would lead.

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