Long, you're the protagonist of this world

What?

They were the same person?!

At this, both men widened their eyes in disbelief.

They had never imagined that the two Aberrants they were after were actually one and the same!

The "ghost" Zhang Jialiang had photographed had also taken part in the theft.

Their expressions shifted as they worked through the logic. Soon, their eyes widened in surprise, both with understanding and with frustration that they hadn't connected the dots sooner.

Sheng An set down the photographs and tapped them with a fingertip, her tone light:

"Both incidents happened in Stone City. I'd already wondered whether they might be connected. Why would that person use his ability at the foot of a deserted mountain? Most likely, he'd deliberately found somewhere with no people around to train.

"And that training must have served a specific purpose, such as-stealing grain.

"His ability has a very obvious trait: he vanishes instantly and appears somewhere else. Based on the four photographs Zhang Jialiang took, there's a limit to how far he can travel each time. In other words, he has to touch down at regular intervals."

Hao Jingye slapped the table and picked up the thread:

"It's like a speed ability. Move fast enough, and people can't see you clearly. If he activates his ability twice in succession with practically no delay between them, an ordinary camera probably won't capture him!"

Song Linwei still had one question. "Then what was that ghost encounter about?"

Sheng An chuckled, perfectly composed. "There might be no delay between two activations, but if the Space Esper collects the grain in between, that will inevitably extend the interval. The two activations will no longer be continuous, and the camera will definitely catch him."

She propped her chin on one hand and spun two photographs between the fingers of the other, her eyes full of interest-

"So our 'little ghost' needed a blind spot that would hide him from the cameras. That meant he had to know what was going on inside the warehouse...

"Planting a miniature camera on a worker to monitor the warehouse in real time, identify the surveillance cameras' positions, and track their changing blind spots became a necessity."

The worker's "ghost encounter" last night had been the "little ghost" planting a camera on him.

And the breeze he'd felt today had been the "little ghost" retrieving it!

Realization dawned on Hao Jingye.

As something occurred to him, he hurriedly opened the surveillance footage, dragged it to the instant the grain disappeared, and paused it.

Song Linwei looked over too, then pointed to a spot beside the worker and sucked in a breath.

"Right here! The tall stacks of grain and this worker's movements kept the camera from seeing this spot off to the side!"

Hao Jingye nodded, his expression complicated. "But it was only hidden for a moment, because the worker moved afterward, and the grain disappeared immediately after that..."

"That was all the time they needed. The Space Esper collected the grain, and he immediately retrieved the camera and took him away." Sheng An tapped the paused footage and lifted her chin. "Have someone enhance this timestamp, this spot, and this angle."

Hao Jingye nodded and hurriedly sent out the order.

Song Linwei shook his head. "Quite an elaborate scheme. Impressive."

"Yes. That's why I said he's a clever 'little ghost.' A clear objective, a clear course of action, from training to scouting the location, then choosing whom to plant the camera on, and finally carrying out the operation and erasing the evidence... beautifully done."

Sheng An didn't hold back her praise.

Song Linwei stole a glance at her, his feelings mixed.

No matter how clear his plan or how beautifully he'd executed the crime, Sheng An had still exposed him.

She had pieced together scattered clues and pinpointed him from the slightest traces...

Running into her was rotten luck for an Aberrant.

Song Linwei marveled at how well their motherland had chosen the person in charge of the Aberrants.

After sending the notification, Hao Jingye asked curiously, "Sister Sheng, what exactly is that 'little ghost's' ability?"

Since Sheng An called him "little ghost," he followed suit.

The nickname had single-handedly diminished the imposing aura of an extremely powerful esper.

Sheng An picked up Zhang Jialiang's four photographs again, the corners of her mouth lifting as she said with a smile, "A very unusual ability. I suppose we could call it-Flash."

Hao Jingye and Song Linwei widened their eyes.

Beep, beep-

Just then, the communications device sounded, and the fax machine produced a high-resolution photograph and a file.

Hao Jingye glanced down, then abruptly stood and picked up the photograph and file, his expression grave-

"Sister Sheng, we've found the Flash Ability esper's file."

An abandoned factory in Stone City.

"Hahaha, that went so smoothly! As expected, when the boss takes action, nothing can stop him!" Ke Jiaxue laughed, immensely pleased.

Another man, who appeared composed, spoke calmly. "My ability is unusual, but we also owe a lot to Zhang Kun's storage space this time. Otherwise, we couldn't have collected so much grain."

His tone seemed calm, but his slightly raised chin and confident gaze were enough to reveal his arrogance.

Beside him, another, bashful man smiled and said gently, "Tianyu's ability is the impressive one, and he came up with the perfect plan too. Otherwise, I definitely couldn't have accomplished anything."

"Neither of you needs to be modest! Zhang Kun, your storage space is really useful, and Long really is incredible. It's the Flash Ability!" Ke Jiaxue's eyes sparkled.

Long Tianyu, the Flash Ability esper.

He was also the heart of their team, the person who had brought them together.

At her words, a faintly smug smile appeared on Long Tianyu's normally stony, unsmiling face. He quickly suppressed it, maintaining his cool, composed demeanor.

Long Tianyu said, "In fifteen days-no, it's almost midnight, so fourteen days... the Apocalypse will arrive, and the world will undergo enormous changes. We've awakened our abilities before the Apocalypse. Once it comes, we'll definitely shine."

His gaze swept over the two people before him. They were Superpower People he'd gone to great lengths to find.

They were also the teammates he'd chosen for himself.

Ke Jiaxue's eyes shone even brighter, and she eagerly backed him up. "Even though I'd awakened my ability, if it weren't for you, Long, I wouldn't even know the Apocalypse was coming, let alone stockpile supplies in advance."

The bashful Zhang Kun smiled too and nodded, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Although the Apocalypse sounds terrifying, you predicted it and led us in stockpiling grain ahead of time. As long as we have enough supplies and strong combat abilities, there's no need to fear the post-apocalyptic world."

Hearing this, Long Tianyu felt a stir in his heart.

He looked at the two of them and grew serious. "You're the teammates I chose. I trust you, and I know you won't betray me. So there are some things I can tell you now."

Both immediately looked curious.

"The truth is, I didn't predict the Apocalypse. I... was reborn," Long Tianyu said slowly.

Zhang Kun: "!"

Ke Jiaxue: "!!"

Long Tianyu asked, "Will you blame me for keeping it from you before?"

"Of course not!" they said together.

Ke Jiaxue grew even more excited, her cheeks flushing red:

"Long, I always thought there was something special about you, but I never imagined you'd been reborn too! A powerful ability and rebirth... Long, you must be the protagonist of this world!"

She was just a recent college graduate, still at an age when she loved reading novels.

Zhang Kun nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing:

"We're really lucky to be following you, Long. By anime logic, a reborn Superpower Person like you must be the chosen one. Follow you, and we'll live well. Oppose you, and it's certain death."

Ke Jiaxue nodded fervently.

Long Tianyu could no longer stop the corners of his mouth from rising, his face full of pride and arrogance.

With rebirth and a powerful ability on his side, he was confident that no one could discover him, even after he'd stolen grain from a National Warehouse.

He was the chosen one.