Chapter 152: Lin Fangzhi’s Ability Evolution
Su Tao was a bit puzzled.
Shi Zijin signaled the driver to stop the car, then got out and helped Su Tao open the door.
“Come on down. It looks like it wants to take you to see its buried treasure.”
Only then did Su Tao remember that the retrocognition ability user had mentioned Black Sesame burying something—and even urinating on it.
…Right, she had been so focused on finding the cat that she had completely forgotten about that.
The group followed Black Sesame through twists and turns until they arrived at the spot where it had hidden its stash.
Black Sesame sniffed around carefully, pinpointed the exact location, and began digging rapidly with all four paws.
It had buried it quite deep. After a lot of effort, Su Tao finally saw a crystal-clear energy core amid the dirt.
She was stunned. She picked it up, brushed off the dirt, and sure enough—it was real.
Shen Wencheng, who wasn’t wearing glasses, squinted for a long time before finally seeing it clearly. He exclaimed in surprise,
“This little guy is quite clever, actually hid it here.”
This energy core was most likely the one he had given to Xiong Tai.
Somehow, the little furball had snatched it away and hidden it.
Turning to Su Tao, Shen Wencheng apologized,
“Miss Su, I have to take some responsibility for this. I stayed with Xiong Tai for a while. A few nights ago, he brought this little black cat home. I tried to tell him that it belonged to someone, but he wouldn’t listen. At the time, I could barely protect myself, so I didn’t push too hard. I had no idea the cat was yours. I sincerely apologize.”
Su Tao waved it off. “It’s fine, really, no need to apologize.”
The moment she found Black Sesame, she stopped blaming anyone.
As they spoke, Black Sesame dug up another item—a delicate jewelry box.
At first glance, it was obviously something that belonged to a wealthy woman. The box was made of velvet and suede, with gold-plated clasps.
Su Tao held her forehead. “Little troublemaker, who did you steal this from?”
What now? Should she return it?
Shi Zijin nonchalantly opened the clasp, revealing five luminous energy cores inside. His eyes narrowed slightly as he tossed the box to Su Tao.
“Keep it for yourself. Unless I’m mistaken, it likely belonged to Tan Yong or one of his high-ranking subordinates. In a small place like this, only a few people could have gathered so many cores.”
The moment Su Tao heard it was Tan Yong’s, her hesitation disappeared. Still, she asked Black Sesame, “Can I have them?”
Black Sesame rolled over at her feet, showing its rare white belly in an affectionate manner.
Su Tao understood immediately—this was its way of agreeing and seeking praise.
Her eyes curved into a smile, and without caring about its dusty fur, she scooped it up and gave it several kisses.
“My precious little fortune-bringer.”
Black Sesame kicked its legs against her face in protest.
Overjoyed, Su Tao quickly handed the five energy cores and the jewelry box to Lin Fangzhi for safekeeping in his storage space.
Lin Fangzhi took them with trembling hands, closed his eyes, and attempted to store them.
But then—a deep craving surged within him.
It was as if the energy cores were growing into his hands, refusing to be put away.
He froze, his body trembling.
Su Tao didn’t notice his reaction and was still inspecting a separate energy core in her hand.
“This one doesn’t seem to belong to the set. Where did it come from?”
Shen Wencheng awkwardly stepped forward.
“I gave it to Xiong Tai. Since I already handed it over, it’s no longer mine. Miss Su, you should keep it.”
Su Tao felt a bit embarrassed and was about to refuse, but Shen Wencheng quickly grabbed the energy core from her and stuffed it into Lin Fangzhi’s hands.
“Brother Lin, put this away for Miss Su. Consider it my way of repaying Major Shi for rescuing me. Otherwise, I’d be stuck suffering in this godforsaken place for months…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Fangzhi suddenly let out a startled cry.
The energy core in his hands erupted in a dazzling light. The radiance quickly concentrated into a single beam and surged into Lin Fangzhi’s body.
Everyone was stunned.
By the time they snapped out of it, the once-lustrous energy core had already lost its glow, crumbling into fragments before vanishing completely.
Lin Fangzhi’s legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground, his face filling with panic.
“I’m sorry, Tao… I’m so sorry… I—I ate it.”
Su Tao was speechless.
Shi Zijin’s eyes widened slightly, clearly shocked.
Even Shen Wencheng, despite his nearsightedness, had seen the dazzling light. He immediately rushed forward to check on Lin Fangzhi.
“You actually evolved… Do you know how rare that is? The chance of an ability evolution is one in ten thousand, and you just happened to hit the jackpot! Quick, check what aspects of your ability have changed!”
But Lin Fangzhi wasn’t listening. He only looked up at Su Tao, eyes full of guilt, silently pleading for her forgiveness.
He knew how much Su Tao valued energy cores.
Yet, he had accidentally “eaten” one.
He felt like he had betrayed her.
Seeing his pitiful expression, Su Tao quickly squatted down, patting his head and face to comfort him.
“It’s okay, don’t blame yourself. This is a good thing. Even if it were two or three, I’d willingly give them to you to ‘eat.’ It’s really fine.”
Shi Zijin took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.
As Lin Fangzhi gradually calmed down, he finally started noticing the changes in himself.
Shen Wencheng couldn’t wait to ask, “How do you feel?”
He even pulled out his little notebook, ready to take notes.
Lin Fangzhi racked his brain to describe it and came up with three words: “Slept well.”
Shen Wencheng: “?”
Su Tao translated, “He means he feels very energetic, like he just woke up from a great sleep. His overall physical functions have likely improved.”
Lin Fangzhi nodded in confirmation.
As expected, Tao understood him best.
Shen Wencheng’s mouth twitched, but he quickly jotted it down.
“And what about your ability?”
Lin Fangzhi reached out his hand toward Su Tao.
She thought he was about to demonstrate his space ability like before, so she cooperatively extended her hand. “Holding hands?”
Shi Zijin, who had been staring at the sky, immediately took two long strides forward, extending his own hand with sharp, intimidating eyes. “Use mine.”
Su Tao smacked him. “You’re in the way! What difference does it make whose hand he uses?”
Shi Zijin was unwavering. “Use mine.”
Lin Fangzhi was visibly intimidated, his face full of reluctance and grievance.
Shi Zijin stared him down, holding out his hand silently.
Lin Fangzhi got scared. In a small voice, he said, “I don’t need your hand. Just… just look at mine.”
Oh, so it wasn’t about holding hands.
Shi Zijin calmly withdrew his hand.
Everyone turned to look at Lin Fangzhi’s hand.
The next second, a miniature, holographic room floated above his palm—his storage space.
The items inside were clearly visible.
Su Tao immediately understood and explained to Shen Wencheng, “After evolving, his space expanded to about 1,500 square meters. Plus, he can now let others see inside without needing to touch them.”
Lin Fangzhi nodded and added, “There’s one more function.”
He originally intended to draw on Su Tao’s clothes, but after receiving a sharp glance from Shi Zijin, he quickly withdrew his hand and instead traced the outline of a pocket on the hem of Shi Zijin’s military uniform.
A miraculous thing happened—once the outline was complete, a hyper-realistic pocket appeared on Shi Zijin’s uniform.
Everyone’s mouths fell open.
Shen Wencheng was thrilled. “What can it do?”
Shi Zijin reached into the newly created pocket.
The moment his hand went inside, his pupils slightly dilated. A second later, he pulled out a can of cat food.
Su Tao was stunned. “I get it now—this pocket is connected to his space!”
