"Me? An ability?"
Shen Heng stared at the middle-aged man before him, somewhat dazed. I heard you, but how come I didn't know I had an ability? If I had one, would I have ended up beaten like this yesterday?
Seemingly noticing Shen Heng's confusion, the middle-aged man explained:
"After a Calamity Beast dies, all the Origin Power in its body gathers in its brain, forming an Origin Power Crystal. For an ordinary person, absorbing an Origin Power Crystal is equivalent to attempting an awakening!"
"But yesterday, we didn't find an Origin Power Crystal in that Calamity Beast's head. And according to the officers who arrived first, your hand was inside the Mutilated Hound's head when they got there..."
The middle-aged man didn't continue, but Shen Heng understood what he meant. "So I must have awakened?"
"Yes!" The middle-aged man nodded. "Although an awakening can fail, everyone whose awakening fails enters a negative physical state they can hardly suppress. You clearly aren't in such a state."
Shen Heng hesitated before asking, "How do I know what ability I've awakened?"
"Close your eyes and focus on sensing your body as it is now. An ability is like an instinct. If you pay close attention, you'll know!" the middle-aged man said.
Shen Heng glanced at the middle-aged man, then gently closed his eyes and carefully sensed the state of his body.
Soon, something he had overlooked since waking up quickly caught his attention.
The footsteps of people passing outside his hospital room, the voices of nurses talking to patients' families at the service desk, the chatter of patients taking walks downstairs, the rush of traffic speeding along the street...
A moment later, Shen Heng slowly opened his eyes.
"Well? Did you sense it?" Wang Hai asked.
Shen Heng turned his head slightly toward the middle-aged man beside his bed. Rather than replying immediately, he asked, "Who are you?"
"Here's my ID. Have a look!" The middle-aged man took a small black booklet from inside his clothes and handed it over.
Shen Heng took the ID. The middle-aged man's photo was at the top, with his personal information beneath it.
Name: Wang Hai Position: Director Department: Public Security Supervision Bureau ...
"Public Security Supervision Bureau?" Shen Heng quietly read the department's name on the ID.
"Yes. The Supervision Bureau is a department the nation established specifically to defend against Calamity Beast invasions!" the middle-aged man explained with a nod.
Shen Heng's brows furrowed slightly. A name I've never heard before. And...
Seeing Shen Heng's slight frown, the middle-aged man asked, "What is it? Is there a problem?"
"No, it's just..." Shen Heng hesitated. "Why doesn't the name sound anything like the supernatural department you just described? It sounds like an ordinary department."
"Hahaha..." Han Ling laughed from her seat on the bay window. "What do you think this is, a TV show? What's wrong with the name Supervision Bureau? It's grand, impressive, and classy, and it's convenient for showing ordinary people, too!"
Uh... I'm not so sure about grand, impressive, and classy, but it certainly sounds official. Still, what does she mean by convenient for showing ordinary people? Shen Heng was somewhat puzzled.
Without giving him more time to think, Wang Hai said, "Well? Do you believe us now?"
Shen Heng glanced at him, then looked back down at the ID in his hand. "So you're an official department?"
"Of course!" Wang Hai nodded.
"Then the authorities should be able to look up your information, right?"
"The police can!"
Shen Heng nodded thoughtfully, then turned his head this way and that from his seat on the bed, seemingly searching for something.
"Are you looking for something?" Wang Hai asked.
"One moment."
After that brief reply, Shen Heng spent a little more time searching before finding his phone on the bedside cabinet.
He picked it up, tapped it a few times, and held it to his ear.
The call soon connected.
"Hello, this is the 110 emergency dispatch center."
"Beep-"
The call ended.
Shen Heng first glanced at Han Ling, who was struggling to hold back her laughter by the window, then turned his gaze to Wang Hai, whose face remained stern.
"Sorry, I've never seen an ID like this before. I don't recognize it, so I had to verify it!"
"Of course. That's your right! Can you believe us now?" Wang Hai showed no irritation at being doubted. On the contrary, he rather approved of Shen Heng's actions.
"Yes!" Shen Heng nodded.
"Then can you tell us what ability you've awakened now?" Wang Hai steered the conversation back once more.
Shen Heng looked at Wang Hai, hesitated, and said:
"The ability I've awakened should be... Hearing Enhancement!"
"Hearing Enhancement..." Wang Hai glanced at Shen Heng's ears. "What does it do?"
"As for what it does..." Shen Heng gathered his thoughts and said, "First, I can hear sounds from far away. Second, I can pick up subtle fluctuations in other people's speech."
"You can hear sounds from far away? How far?" Wang Hai asked.
"The limit is about 500 meters!" Shen Heng replied.
"And the other part, picking up subtle fluctuations in people's speech?" Wang Hai continued.
"Yes. Things like nervousness, fear, joy, panic, and so on." Shen Heng nodded.
Wang Hai considered its uses. "So it can be used to detect lies, but it won't be much use against people with strong nerves who can lie without their expression changing or their heart skipping a beat!"
Shen Heng nodded in agreement.
Wang Hai took a black board out of the things he carried and handed it over.
"This is an ability testing board. It's used to test ability ranks! Lay your hand flat on it and imagine the Origin Power inside your body flowing toward the board!"
Shen Heng looked at the testing board. It was an irregularly shaped black slab with somewhat rough edges, but its body was smooth as a mirror, its surface giving off a faint, dim glow.
Following the instructions, he placed his right hand on it, then imagined the Origin Power inside his body flowing down his arm and pouring into the testing board.
During the test, Wang Hai explained, "This testing board is made from a Lizard-Shelled Turtle's back shell. The Lizard-Shelled Turtle is a type of Calamity Beast. His back shell is exceptionally sensitive to the strength of Origin Power and can accurately measure an ability's rank!"
"How are ability ranks divided?" Shen Heng asked.
Wang Hai replied:
"Abilities are currently divided into seven ranks: S, A, B, C, D, E, and F. S is the highest, and F is the lowest!"
"The higher an ability's rank, the greater its inherent strength. The same ability at different ranks can even display completely different effects."
As the two spoke, a faint red glow lit up on the testing board.
"F-rank?" Wang Hai glanced at the color glowing on the testing board, then put it away, lowered his head, and began writing.
Beside him, Shen Heng's expression unconsciously grew grave.
Hearing Enhancement? F-rank?
Sure, I never thought transmigrating necessarily made me the protagonist of this world, but this combination...
I'm not asking for some high-end ability like lightning or fate, but at least give me a combat ability!
Now, with this ability and its rank...
Shen Heng could only feel that his future was pitch-black!