Special reward

Xing Yao lowered his eyes, his fingertips unconsciously pressing lightly against his brow. His brows knitted slightly as he sank into thought, the air around him heavy as hell. He said nothing for a long while.

The mass of pale red resentment in his mental world, once so dense it dazzled the eyes, was now as thin as a layer of smog about to be blown away. It floated listlessly in midair without the slightest presence, its reserves practically scraping the bottom. He raised his eyes and gave the resentment pool, nearly dry enough to evaporate, an indifferent glance. Understanding flickered in his eyes before he looked away and spoke without the slightest hesitation:

"Let's stop overthinking for now. Let's get some resentment points first."

The moment he said that, the clones beside him perked up as though pumped full of stimulants, their ears shooting straight up. Their previously listless faces instantly lit up, their eyes wider than light bulbs. Hearing that they were going out to sell cards and harvest resentment sent them soaring with excitement on the spot. They rubbed their hands eagerly, the corners of their mouths climbing madly. They could not conceal their wicked grins, delighted to watch the drama grow and waiting for someone else to suffer. They nodded furiously in agreement, itching to rush outside and witness the buyers' spectacular moments of social death.

The next second, with a thought, Xing Yao left his consciousness world and returned to reality. The other clones followed right behind him, emerging together, their eyes shining and their excitement still undiminished.

He had barely steadied himself when his phone rang like a thunderclap, so insistently it made his scalp tingle. Xing Yao raised a brow and glanced down at the screen, only to stare dumbfounded-five or six missed calls were crammed together, all from the same number.

He swiped across the screen to check the caller ID, and his gaze instantly sharpened:

The National Talent Research Institute.

His expression calm, Xing Yao swiped a finger to answer, brought the phone to his ear, and spoke with utter indifference. "Hello."

A composed, formal male voice immediately came from the other end, its official tone utterly devoid of humor, its pace steady and its wording precise:

"Hello, student Xing Yao. Following comprehensive verification through our institute's systems, the talent you previously reported has been confirmed as an entirely new talent that has never appeared in our existing records. In accordance with the relevant national regulations on ability management, you are hereby granted a special reward."

"This reward is an item imbued with a special aura. Once you have been exposed to this aura, all resources and items you obtain from the Rune Secret Realm in the future will be exempt from taxation. This effect applies to you personally, as well as all your subordinates and accompanying personnel, with no limit on numbers."

"The reward has now been delivered to your doorstep. Please collect it promptly. Should you require talent registration or reexamination in the future, you may contact our institute at any time."

Without waiting for Xing Yao's reply, the caller politely and decisively ended the call.

Xing Yao lowered his phone. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes before they returned to calm.

Exemption from secret realm levies, with unlimited coverage for everyone? This reward felt downright like using cheats.

He glanced toward the door, then at the clones standing by beside him, and spoke evenly. "Number Three, go get the package."

Clone Number Three promptly answered, hurried over to open the door, and carried in a tightly wrapped box that faintly exuded an eerie aura, setting it before Xing Yao.

Xing Yao flicked his fingertips and opened the packaging, then froze on the spot-

Inside the box lay an incredibly cool-looking, matte jet-black handgun-shaped item. It had neither a magazine well nor a live-ammunition trigger, and an official insignia was engraved on its grip. A faint, elusive special aura slowly drifted from it, maxing out its air of prestige.

It was light as hell in Xing Yao's hand and cold to the touch, with a unique energy flowing against his palm. Amused, he raised his arm, aimed at the bewildered Clone No. 1 beside him, and lightly pressed the activation point.

"Whoosh-" A faint thread of aura, too fine to see, shot out soundlessly and landed squarely on Clone No. 1.

Clone No. 1 scratched his head on the spot, utterly baffled. He looked himself up and down, his face a picture of pure confusion. "What the heck? I don't feel anything! Doesn't hurt or itch, like getting bitten by a mosquito. Doesn't do jack?"

But beside him, Clone No. 2, whose senses were the keenest, comparable to a human radar, instantly frowned. His nose twitched, his gaze locked precisely onto Clone No. 1, and he spoke at once:

"Holy shit, I can sense it! A really faint but incredibly distinctive aura stuck to him. It's just dissipating a little fast!"

He had barely finished speaking when that wisp of aura faded into nothing, leaving not a trace.

Xing Yao hefted the item gun in his hand, understanding in his eyes and a faint smile curling his lips. His tone was certain. "We're good. This thing's genuine. Its effect is to coat you in a special aura."

He looked up at the clones watching him eagerly and spoke with crisp authority:

"Stop standing around. Line up! One shot each. We're stacking buffs on everyone-not a single one left out!"

The clones instantly bounced with excitement and briskly formed a little line, each stepping forward to wait for Xing Yao to stamp them with the heaven-defying mark of "tax-free, levy-free." Anticipation covered every face; they were one step away from shouting, "Brother Yao, hurry up and shoot me!" Once it was over.

Xing Yao held the handgun-shaped aura item, his fingertips lightly stroking its cold body. His brows drew together almost imperceptibly as he sank into thought again.

This wasn't right...

By past convention, a reward for reporting a new talent like this would have been settled with a small subsidy, some points, or a little money. This time, they had actually handed over a special item of heaven-defying value that completely waived all secret realm levies. It was so valuable it defied all reason.

He turned it over in his mind again and again, going through the whole thing several times, but still could not figure out what considerations lay behind this move by the state. Was it a test, an attempt to win him over, or some other arrangement?

After thinking it over without finding a single lead, Xing Yao simply shook his head and tossed all those tangled guesses to the back of his mind.

If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't think about it.

He would just treat it as a super benefit the state had given him in advance because of his special talent, as... a long-term investment the authorities were making in him ahead of time.

As that thought settled, a subtle hint of amusement flickered in his eyes, and he quietly began calculating another account.

For the nation's research institutes to produce special items containing an aura of special rules like this, the materials were hard to find, the procedures were complex, and the production cycles were outrageously long. A single finished product often consumed enormous manpower and resources, with efficiency so slow it made one's hair stand on end.

But he was different.

He held resentment, that unique and versatile energy, in his hands. With enough resentment, he could condense all sorts of inconceivable cards and special items with a thought. Although he could not yet mass-produce them instantly, compared to the authorities' tortoise-paced research and development, the difference was already that between heaven and earth.

Since the state was willing to invest, he might as well make more special items with unusual functions and rare effects under the Playing Card Organization's name in the future, supplying them specifically to the state.

Although that name was not yet prominent and few people knew it, he was confident that before long, the name Playing Card Organization would resound throughout the nation and even be firmly remembered by people all over the world.

It would let him exchange them for resources, conveniences, and a voice at the official level while steadily building the organization's reputation and strengthening his own footing. However he looked at it, it was a long-term arrangement with guaranteed profits and no losses.

Having thought this through, the last of Xing Yao's doubts vanished completely, and the air around him returned to its calm indifference.

Time rewound twenty minutes.

In the top-floor office of the National Talent Research Institute, the director was handling documents when an encrypted direct line suddenly rang.

He glanced at the caller and answered in a familiar tone:

"Xiao Hui, what do you need?"

A young but composed male voice came from the other end, its tone and manner carrying unquestionable weight:

"Elder Li, did my younger brother report a talent that's never appeared before?"

The director nodded. "Yes. There's absolutely nothing in the database. It's an unprecedented new type of talent."

"Then don't investigate too deeply. Just go through the motions." The young man lowered his voice a little. "We have a mole among us. It's not as if you don't know that. Keep whatever we can hidden. Don't push him into the eye of the storm."

The director agreed gravely. "All right. I'll be careful."

"Don't issue the usual reward, either."

The man paused slightly, his tone carrying an elder brother's particular indulgence and certainty. "Give him that gun directly-the one that completely exempts him from secret realm levies."

"Charge it all to me. Give it to him in the National Talent Research Institute's name. Don't leave the slightest trace of my involvement."

Hearing this, Elder Li chuckled softly:

"Aren't you going to see him?"

The other end fell silent for a moment, and the voice softened:

"I will. I definitely will. But not now."

The call ended, and silence returned to the office.