Yang Shan's sudden "surprise inspection" had been like a stone thrown into the lake of his heart. The ripples took several days to slowly settle.
Still shaken, Luo Li became even more committed to the principle of "farm safely and don't get reckless," pouring most of his energy into studying and consolidating his grasp of the Path of [Remembrance].
As for Castorice, after the "sister-in-law" incident and Luo Li's "declaration of integrity," she showed no sign of distancing herself. She remained as dependent on and close to him as ever, those feelings deepening by the day. Only occasionally, when their eyes met, a faint glimmer resembling shyness flashed deep within her purple eyes, so fleeting that Luo Li wondered whether he had imagined it.
The days passed steadily in cultivation, livestreaming, and warm companionship with Castorice.
Until that afternoon, when Luo Li finished meditating and felt his control over his mental power improve a little further. Just as he was cheerfully preparing to start his stream, the red sphere in his mental space, which had been quiet for several days, began stirring restlessly again.
"(´•ω•̥`) Master~ Master~"
Xiao Hong's thoughts carried obvious eagerness to please and longing.
"I... I think I'm getting a little 'hungry' again..."
Luo Li frowned and answered inwardly, "Didn't you just 'eat your fill' not long ago? How are you hungry again?"
"( p′︵‵.) Those C-rank 'snacks' last time had plenty of energy, but... they weren't 'pure' enough! There were too many messy memory fragments inside. Digesting them was so tiring...
"I want a 'cleaner,' more 'efficient' energy supplement~"
Xiao Hong offered the explanation pitifully.
"Besides, I feel like my power has hit a bottleneck. I need higher-quality 'ingredients' to keep growing...
"How am I supposed to help Master fight if I stay this weak!"
The corner of Luo Li's mouth twitched.
Help me, my ass! You're a Memory Spirit who's currently good for nothing except acting cute and serving as a flash drive, and you want to help me fight?
I'd count it as a win if a vampire didn't swallow you whole as dessert!
Still, Xiao Hong's words did remind him of something.
Relying on him and Castorice to sneak out and "forage" was no long-term solution.
Even setting aside the risks, finding suitable, isolated low-rank vampires took luck. It was far too inefficient.
Besides, as Xiao Hong's requirements for energy quality increased, they might need to face more dangerous prey.
He had to find a safer, more sustainable approach.
His gaze landed on a pop-up advertisement on his computer screen for a webpage he had browsed before: the "Resource Exchange" under the Jiangcheng Ability Users' Guild.
An idea gradually took shape.
"Xiao Hong..." Luo Li asked solemnly in his mind.
"After you absorb vampire energy, aside from your own growth, do those chaotic memories and negative energies that get 'purified' completely dissipate?"
"(⊙ˍ⊙)? Yes, Master! Those junk memories and negative emotions don't help me grow, and they contaminate my core! Of course I have to get rid of them!"
"Then... if I could find a way for you to absorb that energy 'legally' and 'safely,' would you be willing?"
"(★ ω ★) Yes! Of course! Master, you've thought of something?! Tell me, tell me!"
Rather than answering immediately, Luo Li opened the Resource Exchange webpage and began reading carefully.
To encourage ability users to eliminate vampires, the Longxia Faction had established a comprehensive contribution point exchange system.
Ability users could earn contribution points by handing in "vampire crystals" obtained in battle-unstable crystals that condensed inside vampires and contained part of their source energy-completing missions issued by the guild, or providing other valuable resources, such as rare materials or intelligence.
Contribution points could then be exchanged for money, weapons and equipment, cultivation resources, and even certain special privileges.
Among the regulations, one inconspicuous provision caught Luo Li's attention:
[...Registered ability users with special support or research abilities may, following guild review and assessment, apply for specific types of live vampires or remains for ability research or development. The required contribution points may be reduced or waived at the guild's discretion, or covered by research project funding.]
Special support or research abilities...
Luo Li's eyes lit up.
His C-rank "Super-Speed Reaction" clearly did not qualify.
But... what if he added the power of the Path of [Remembrance]?
[Remembrance Perception] could read information, while [Remembrance Weaving] could exert slight mental influence and suggestion...
If handled properly, disguising it as a support ability capable of "analyzing vampire memory fragments to identify weaknesses" or "tracing a vampire's movements through contact with its remains" seemed... not entirely impossible?
Once the idea appeared, it grew wildly like weeds.
If he succeeded, he could legitimately obtain "research materials" from the guild, solving Xiao Hong's food and growth problems while also earning contribution points to exchange for resources, and concealing the existence of the Path of [Remembrance] to some extent.
It would accomplish several things at once.
Of course, there were risks too.
How to disguise his ability perfectly, and how to handle the guild's review and any possible follow-up investigations, were all questions requiring careful consideration.
But compared to sneaking into dangerous areas to "farm," this approach was clearly more feasible and safer.
"Castorice!"
Luo Li rushed excitedly out of his room and found Castorice watering the pothos on the balcony.
"I may have found a way to legally help you... uh, help Xiao Hong solve the food problem!"
He briefly laid out his entire plan.
Castorice listened quietly. A trace of thought flickered in her purple eyes before she nodded gently. "It sounds safer than us going outside."
She paused, then added, "If you need my help, I can... go with you."
Looking at her calm yet resolute eyes, Luo Li felt warmth well up inside him.
"Great! Though I'll probably have to handle the initial assessment myself." He smiled.
"Once I get the credentials sorted out, maybe I can even take you to 'work' with me!"
He got straight to work.
Luo Li immediately logged into the Ability Users' Guild's official website and found the special ability registration portal.
He took a deep breath and began filling out the application form.
In the "Ability name and description" field, he hesitated briefly before finally entering-[Deep Information Perception and Traceback].
For the rank, he conservatively entered C+-slightly higher than his original C rank, but not enough to draw too much attention.
He carefully composed the ability description:
[Through contact with specific objects or biological remains, the user can perceive and read deep information flows attached to them, including but not limited to emotional memory fragments and residual energy trails.
Particularly sensitive to vampire remains and crystals, this ability can be used to analyze their activity patterns and weaknesses, or trace their origins. A noncombat support ability requiring close contact with the target and substantial mental power expenditure during activation.]
After finishing the description, even Luo Li thought it sounded a little far-fetched.
It sounded like an enhanced "profiling" ability specifically targeting vampires, with a touch of mysticism thrown in.
But precisely because of its vagueness and unusual nature, it left him plenty of room to maneuver.
After submitting the application, all he could do was wait anxiously.
To Luo Li's surprise, only two days passed before he received a notification from the guild, instructing him to bring identification to a designated location for an ability assessment.
Their efficiency surprised him and left him faintly uneasy.
The assessment was held at a testing center attached to the Ability Users' Guild building.
Luo Li went alone, while Castorice stayed home to await news.
He was received by a serious-looking middle-aged researcher wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a badge reading "Examiner-Li."
"Mr. Luo Li? Please follow me."
Examiner Li spoke flatly, with an impersonal, businesslike coldness, and led him into an enclosed room filled with precision instruments, its walls flickering with energy patterns.
In the center of the room stood a metal table covered with a thick black cloth.
"According to your application, your ability, [Deep Information Perception and Traceback], primarily targets residual information associated with vampires."
Examiner Li adjusted his glasses, his sharp gaze sweeping over Luo Li from behind the lenses.
"We have prepared three 'samples' from different sources.
"You will need to perceive each in turn and describe the information you 'read' in as much detail as possible.
"We will make a comprehensive assessment based on the accuracy and detail of your descriptions, and how closely they match our existing intelligence."
He lifted the black cloth.
Three transparent, sealed containers sat on the metal table.
The first contained a small patch of dark red, dried blood.
The second held a small piece of leathery skin tissue bearing blackened scorch marks.
The third contained a cloudy, dark purple crystal the size of a fingernail, emitting faint energy fluctuations-the lowest grade of "vampire crystal."
Luo Li's heartbeat quickened slightly.
He knew the test had begun.
He stepped forward and first held his hand over the bloodstain in the first container.
Closing his eyes, he activated [Remembrance Perception] at full strength.
His mental power spread like tendrils, carefully touching the bloodstain.
Instantly, chaotic, fragmented images and emotions flooded his mind-a dark alley, a prey's terrified screams, the sweetness of warm blood, and pure, bloodthirsty excitement and satisfaction...
"A D-rank Bloodthirsty Beast..." Luo Li opened his eyes, trying to keep his voice calm and professional.
"It died no more than forty-eight hours ago.
"Its hunting location... was probably a narrow, damp alley. Its emotions were dominated by simple predatory excitement, without particularly complex thought processes."
Examiner Li recorded his words on a tablet without expression, betraying neither pleasure nor displeasure.
Luo Li took a deep breath and moved his hand toward the scorched skin tissue in the second container.
His mental power reached out again.
This time, the information he perceived was somewhat more complex-the agony of burning flames, fear and hatred of some intense light, and a... cunning thought of concealing itself and looking for a chance to strike back...
"A C-rank predator..." Luo Li said slowly.
"It died from a high-temperature energy attack, possibly a fire-type ability.
"Before dying, it tried to hide, and... harbored intense hatred and a desire for revenge against its attacker.
"Its intelligence was clearly higher than a D-rank's."
Examiner Li's recording paused briefly. He glanced up at Luo Li but still said nothing.
Last came the dark purple vampire crystal.
Luo Li held his hand above it, probing even more cautiously with the tendrils of his mental power.
The energy within the crystal was more violent, and its memory fragments were more chaotic and jumbled, like a tangled ball of yarn.
He focused all his attention on painstakingly sorting through the fragments-
A brief memory of patrolling an abandoned factory area...
Markers for the scents of several specific humans...
An intention to assemble for action after receiving some vague instruction...
And... an instinctive fear of some more powerful existence...
Fine beads of sweat formed on Luo Li's forehead. He felt his mental power draining rapidly.
He opened his eyes, his voice carrying a trace of fatigue. "This crystal came from a C-rank predator. When alive, it mainly operated in... an abandoned industrial area toward the western outskirts.
"It seemed to be carrying out some kind of patrol duty, and... feared a stronger individual or source of instructions. Recently... it may have been preparing to assemble for action."
When he mentioned the "abandoned industrial area in the western outskirts" and "preparing to assemble for action," Examiner Li's fingers visibly paused on the tablet.
He raised his head and, for the first time, gave Luo Li a proper, careful look, with a trace of surprise he could hardly conceal.
A brief silence fell over the room.
Only the faint hum of the instruments remained.
Several seconds passed before Examiner Li spoke slowly. His tone was no longer purely cold; it now held a hint of curiosity. "Mr. Luo Li, your ability... is very interesting."
He pointed at the crystal. "The intelligence concerning this sample's place of origin, along with our preliminary assessment of its activity patterns, concerns information we have not yet fully confirmed internally, but are monitoring closely.
"Your description... matches our deductions very closely."
Something stirred in Luo Li's heart. He knew his gamble had paid off.
The industrial area he and Castorice had visited was indeed already under official surveillance, and the vampires there really were making unusual moves.
"This is only an initial perception. There may still be inaccuracies."
Luo Li spoke modestly while inwardly letting out a sigh of relief.
Examiner Li nodded and quickly tapped his tablet several times.
"Following preliminary assessment, your ability, [Deep Information Perception and Traceback], has been confirmed as C+ rank, with considerable value in supporting research, especially in vampire behavioral analysis and intelligence gathering."
He turned the tablet toward Luo Li, displaying the approval screen.
"Congratulations, Mr. Luo Li.
"Your ability has passed the assessment and been officially registered.
"The relevant permissions have been activated. You may accept suitable missions through the guild system or apply for research resources."
"Also..." Examiner Li paused, adjusted his glasses, and looked at Luo Li, something subtle entering his tone.
"Noncombat abilities like yours, with unusual functions and rare specializations, are sometimes jokingly called 'bug-type abilities' among us."
"Bug-type abilities?"
Luo Li blinked.
"Yes..."
Examiner Li displayed a rare, almost imperceptible smile.
"It means that, in certain specific fields and circumstances, they can produce unusual effects far beyond their rank assessment, almost like 'loopholes in the rules.'
"Make good use of your ability, young man."
Walking out of the testing center with his newly issued electronic identification card, labeled [Deep Information Perception and Traceback, C+ rank], Luo Li felt as though he had ridden a roller coaster, from his initial nerves to his all-out effort during the assessment, and now to immense joy and a faint sense of unreality.
It worked!
Not only had he successfully disguised his ability, he had also gained the guild's official recognition.
From now on, he could legitimately get involved in vampire-related affairs and provide Xiao Hong with a steady-and legal!-supply of "food"!
"(★≧▽≦)★ Yay! Master is amazing! Now we can eat on the public dime!"
Xiao Hong cheered and bounced excitedly in his mental space.
The corners of Luo Li's mouth rose. The future seemed bright.
Bug-type abilities?
He seemed... not to dislike the name.