Waiting for the big shot, I really need you.

An Ability Control Bureau operations team member responsible for guarding this area watched the vehicles lining up with concern. "It's already this late, and there still aren't many citizens arriving."

Their colleague was equally worried. "Because there are too many Polluted, probably."

There were too many Polluted and too few ability users who could serve as escorts. In fact, Part-Time Cat's civilian bounty hunters had all been joining the escort teams, but they were still severely short-handed.

"Let's hope it's just our intersection that isn't getting many people."

"A convoy's coming." The two Ability Control Bureau operations team members turned to look in one direction. An off-road vehicle came into view at the head of the convoy, and the two temporarily set aside their worries to welcome this lovely sight. Car after car followed the off-road vehicle toward the intersection, splitting off in an orderly manner to queue at the different exits.

By the time they saw the tenth car, smiles had appeared on the operations team members' faces.

"Hey, not bad. This is a pretty big convoy, and the vehicles don't look very damaged, either. They must have a powerful protector." One of the two instinctively rose onto tiptoe to peer into the distance. "Let's see which big shot it is."

Powerful ability users, whether they belonged to ability-user families, civilian ability-user organizations, or the Ability Control Bureau, generally enjoyed a certain degree of fame in this contradictory society that was both stable and turbulent. There were plenty of stages for ability users to shine on, making it hard to remain unknown.

The operations team member looked around, but instead of spotting a familiar big shot, he saw several more cars come into view. He froze for a moment, then broke into a grin. "Whoa, there are more."

Not just more, but a lot more, one after another in a vast procession.

"..."

"..."

"Which big shot is this? Or are several of them working together? Protecting this many vehicles-could it be our two captains?"

The two members had initially counted the cars one by one, but the vehicles seemed endless. In the end, they could only gape in astonishment.

When the last car came into view, a slender figure hopped lightly down from its roof.

"That's the ability user protecting this huge convoy? Looks a little, uh, unfamiliar."

Ye Jiang walked forward alongside the cars. The convoy she had escorted still had to queue, but she did not wait for them and went ahead.

She had not expected the queued cars to roll down their windows as she walked past and call out enthusiastically to her. Thanks and gratitude rose and fell like waves, startling her. The people in the other queued vehicles all looked their way and began discussing them in low voices. A trace of warmth crept over Ye Jiang's utterly impassive face. Her face twitched, and she turned to glare at those people, only for them to shout even louder.

Ye Jiang: "..."

Her face stayed rigid, and her legs moved at a furious pace.

The two Ability Control Bureau members raised their hands to greet her as she approached, but in the blink of an eye, Ye Jiang swept past them and headed farther ahead, leaving them standing blankly with their hands raised.

She was a speed-type ability user!

The two Ability Control Bureau members were absolutely certain.

The physical enhancement granted by abilities generally did not produce such incredible speed!

Ye Jiang's ultimate destination was the supply distribution point at the intersection.

When she arrived in front of Yu Qingyi, who was distributing supplies, Yu Qingyi was busy with her work and did not notice her immediately. Ye Jiang did not call out to her, quietly watching her work instead. Ye Jiang had only just learned that her friend worked for the Ability Control Bureau, albeit in logistics.

Ye Jiang already knew that the Ability Control Bureau was one of the most selflessly dedicated organizations in this world. Now, looking at Yu Qingyi, she felt that the other woman suited the organization no matter how she looked at her. Gentle and kind, she could practically be its spokesperson.

Yu Qingyi finally noticed someone beside her. She turned to look, and delight lit up her face. "Jiangjiang!"

Ye Jiang took the supplies from her hands and passed them to the waiting vehicle, replying, "Mm, it's me."

Yu Qingyi hugged her, then remembered something and let go, inspecting Ye Jiang from head to toe.

Ye Jiang let her feel her all over. She did not remain idle during the inspection, helping hand out supplies to the vehicles pulling up in turn. Yu Qingyi checked several times, confirming that Ye Jiang was still in mint condition with no obvious wear and tear, and her anxious heart finally settled back into her chest.

The smile on her face grew several degrees calmer. As she distributed supplies alongside Ye Jiang, she asked what she had encountered on the way, whether she had run into any powerful Polluted, and how she had made it through the difficulties.

"There were Polluted," Ye Jiang answered. Yu Qingyi's heart tightened, and Ye Jiang added, "But they were all trash."

Yu Qingyi breathed a sigh of relief. "Then you really were lucky."

Ye Jiang nodded. She really was lucky.

If the ability system had not listed her ability as that "Sewing Box" thing, she would have thought her ability was actually luck.

Ye Jiang did not know whether other ability users shared her confusion. She could not distinguish how strong ability users or Polluted were, even when they demonstrated their abilities in front of her. She thought this was a little dangerous, because what if she squandered all her luck one day?

At this thought, her expression grew a little serious. She had promised to stay alive together with her friend Yu Qingyi, after all.

Yu Qingyi did not know what her friend was thinking and was simply delighted by her good fortune. Just then, the two Ability Control Bureau members guarding the area walked over. Yu Qingyi broke off and looked at them. "Can I help you?"

The two Ability Control Bureau members nodded repeatedly, looking at Ye Jiang with excitement written all over their faces. "Big shot, are you with Part-Time Cat?"

Ability users who passed the offline screening to join Part-Time Cat were members of Part-Time Cat, meaning they had voluntarily joined the civilian ability-user organization as a faction. This faction offered considerable freedom and had always been quite popular with some ability users. Ye Jiang had not passed the offline screening; she had exploited a bug to get in. She was not a member of Part-Time Cat, only a special user.

But Ye Jiang did not know any of this. Hearing the familiar app name Part-Time Cat, she agreed with what they said. "Yes."

The Ability Control Bureau members exchanged a glance, their smiles widening.

They were smiling because they had discovered a rising star.

Whether this rising star belonged to the Ability Control Bureau or not, the appearance of a powerful ability user who could lend humanity a hand in its hour of crisis was cause for celebration.

The two Ability Control Bureau members said warmly, "Thanks for your hard work escorting them. Want some water?"

One of them produced a bottle of water from somewhere.

Ye Jiang silently accepted it.

Yu Qingyi had been working with her head down the whole time and did not know that her friend had single-handedly escorted over a hundred vehicles safely to this intersection. She was quite happy to see Ye Jiang being treated with respect, and a smile lingered at the corners of her eyes.

The harmonious scene was broken when one of the Ability Control Bureau members received a phone call. After he finished the call, the smile vanished from his face, and his brows furrowed deeply. The other nudged him and asked, "What's wrong?"

The member said, "Old Hu's in danger. He wants me to go help."

But this place desperately needed guards too. He could not leave, and neither could his colleague beside him.

Ye Jiang was drinking water. At those words, she paused and looked at the bottle she had already taken a sip from. Suddenly, it became a little hard to swallow.

She should not have opened it so quickly...

Fingering the bottle, her eyelids drooping slightly, she asked listlessly, "Where is he?"

The two members looked at her.

Ye Jiang drank with a wooden expression. She had already drunk it, anyway.

"Thank you, big shot!" Catching her implied meaning, one member excitedly clasped her hand. "Having you is a blessing for humanity!"

Ye Jiang did not want to speak.

Watching this scene, Yu Qingyi wanted to speak several times, but in the end could not bring herself to. She only

lowered her head and clenched her hands.

She pulled her hand free, thinking that her good luck absolutely had to keep watching over her this time, because she was no big shot, merely a frail F-rank ability user. That was all.

She lowered her eyes, hiding the emotions in them.

As it happened, she had other things to do. Staying with Yu Qingyi, she had found it difficult to bring up leaving, but the Ability Control Bureau's support mission made a good excuse.

Ye Jiang settled the arrangements with the Ability Control Bureau. She had little sense of direction, but the bureau had a way to locate her, which was convenient.

Just as Ye Jiang left the intersection and headed back into the city, the observer monitoring Mushroom Man at the city gate looked puzzled. He was an eyesight-enhancement ability user. In his field of vision, Mushroom Man, who had been moving slowly all this time, suddenly assumed a strange pose, stepping one leg forward, lowering its body, and positioning one arm ahead and the other behind.

"Is that..."

Something occurred to him, and his eyes flew wide. Sure enough, the next second, Mushroom Man suddenly abandoned its previous leisurely posture and broke into a fast run!

"...Does it really have to do this?"

His heart pounded so hard it felt ready to burst. He turned and sounded the alarm.

"Attention! Attention! Mushroom Man... it's running!"

Perhaps it had sensed that the humans were evacuating, or perhaps there was some other reason. Mushroom Man was running rapidly toward City A!

The alarm ringing throughout the city drew the attention of the citizens who had not yet evacuated. Everyone raised their heads to look into the distance. Xiao Pei, who was fighting the black-scaled A+ Polluted, looked up. Seeing Mushroom Man running, her expression changed, and she attacked faster. In one corner of the city, the suited Mr. Mobster took off his suit jacket, killed an approaching low-level Polluted with a single move, and headed out of the city in his leather shoes. The captain of Team Two, elsewhere in the city, set off at the same time.

Chapter 30: Waiting for the big shot, I really need you.

Outside City A.

[It hurts.]

[My body hurts.]

[Have to go...]

[Have to go...]

[I have to go...]

Mushroom Man uttered barely distinguishable murmurs. Its enormous body resembled a swollen white cloud as it ran across the desolate land, its mycelium writhing. Its body was snowy white, yet the pollution flowing from it was pitch-black, like snow stained with dust.

It hurt so much.

It was in so much pain.

It ran, its body light. Whenever it encountered an obstacle, its body automatically broke apart, leaving every blade of grass and tree beneath it unharmed.