A little test

"We're here."

Shi Yu brushed the grass seeds clinging to his legs and looked at the Abandoned Factory ahead.

"Huh? We're here? Are you sure? This place is way too run-down."

Hu Zihao bounded to the front, then shook his legs with a grimace.

Hu Zihao now looked like a giant seed-sowing machine. Needle-shaped and round seeds covered his jeans and jacket; he had carried cockleburs, avens, and patrinia seeds a long way.

By comparison, Han He's clothes and trousers were much cleaner. A Hunter certainly had a Hunter's composure.

Shi Yu took out his phone to check the map again. He had checked it repeatedly along the way. This was definitely the place.

"That's right, it's this factory... I only ever heard my grandparents talk about it when I was little. I never imagined it would be this dilapidated now..."

And it was being used as an official base, too. What a legendary building.

Looking at the seemingly deserted factory before him, Shi Yu also began to feel puzzled.

Weren't they supposed to come here to report in? It was 8:43 now, neither early nor late. Given Shen Bai's personality, there was no way he would stand them up. Had something unexpected happened?

As he thought, Shi Yu walked into the factory grounds and stopped in front of the Main Factory's entrance.

Seeing this, Hu Zihao tore handfuls of prickly, fuzzy seeds off his legs and hurried over to Shi Yu, saying:

"I've never been here before... There's actually a factory this big?"

Shi Yu nodded and looked around.

Indeed, its layout alone made the factory's former glory apparent. Even though much of the remaining factory buildings had been damaged, its former scale was still evident.

But none of that mattered. The question was, where were Liu Yiyi and Shen Bai?

It was too quiet.

Han He had said little all this time, but vigilance was his normal state. He pricked up his ears and listened carefully for any movement around them.

Strange...

"There aren't any smells, or any sounds."

Han He promptly voiced his conclusion.

No sounds?

That's right. At some point just now, even the wind had gone silent. The rustling of the trees had vanished without a trace, too.

Shi Yu froze, but Han He reacted even faster. His hand was already inside his pocket, his fingers tapping lightly as the different textures of various materials conveyed information to his fingertips.

Even the usually oblivious Hu Zihao got ready. He lowered his body slightly, and the strength in his body gradually began to build.

Bang!!

At the very moment the three went on alert, the doors before Shi Yu burst open. Along with the thunderous crash of the doors being pushed apart, air surged violently through the doorway like river water that had long been held back. The explosive wind instantly sent several discarded, broken planks flying. They spun through the air, shooting straight at Shi Yu!

Shi Yu, who had already sensed something was wrong, felt his heart tighten. There was hardly time to dodge. Looking at Hu Zihao and Han He, who had already stepped in front of him with clenched fists, Shi Yu sensed that he could move one of the lighter planks. He immediately darted out from beside Hu Zihao, reached out with his Psychokinesis, seized the plank on the left from a distance, and gave it a fierce swing, sending it crashing into the other planks one after another.

Bang! Bang! Clatter!

Wood chips sprayed everywhere. The battered planks could not withstand the chaotic collisions at high speed. With that one plank disrupting them, every plank actually veered off course, lost its original force, and fell to the ground.

Silver was already shining in Shi Yu's eyes. He had altered the probability of the event.

This plank will knock all the other planks away.

"What the hell..."

Hu Zihao looked at the shattered wood by his feet, then warily scanned his surroundings.

Shi Yu, however, had a different suspicion.

That gust of wind reminded him of the girl whose ability had yet to be introduced-He Siying.

He also remembered Liu Yiyi saying, "Good idea."

Considering Liu Yiyi's personality, Shi Yu thought this was most likely a test. The other possibilities were slim.

Remaining on guard, Shi Yu spoke quietly to Han He and Hu Zihao beside him:

"Listen, this might be a test. Do you remember the girl who wasn't there when we introduced our abilities on the day we signed the contracts? The one who left early with Aunt Feng."

"Yeah, I remember, but... Huh?"

Hu Zihao was just about to voice his confusion when he saw someone slowly emerge through the doors the wind had blasted open.

It was none other than He Siying.

He Siying's expression was as gentle as ever, but it also carried an indescribable sense of distance, like a deer encountered as mist rose through a forest.

She walked slowly to the doorway and stopped, then spoke to the three boys huddled together:

"You guessed right. This is indeed a little test, to help us get to know one another's abilities better."

A little surprised, Hu Zihao lowered his voice even further and said to the other two:

"Damn, this girl's hearing is way too good. We were being so quiet just now."

Seeing that his guess had been right and the newcomer was not an enemy, Shi Yu sighed in relief. He waved a hand to tell Hu Zihao to stop being silly for now, then addressed He Siying:

"Then, Si Ying, does that mean we've passed?"

At Shi Yu's words, He Siying tilted her head. The smile on her face was gentle and gracious, and her naturally cute, approachable looks made her seem even softer.

"You passed long ago. The test just isn't finished yet."

As she spoke, He Siying held up three fingers.

"The three of you can attack me by any means you have and test your own limits. Is that all right?"

How kind. She even asked if it was all right.

Shi Yu exchanged glances with the two beside him.

It would be far too cowardly to say no now. We might as well just go straight home.

"Then please go easy on us?" Shi Yu said, raising his head.

He Siying nodded. The dust around her began to stir, swirling to trace the shape of the air currents.

She took a tiny pocket watch from her pocket, glanced at it, and said softly:

"The clock starts now."