Chapter 167: From Today On, I Am Your Shadow
Pei Dong pointed at Sheng Yuqing’s file and said, “This kid is pretty good—sharp and quick-witted. She just recently awakened her ability called ‘Control.’ She can temporarily take control of 1-2 non-psychic ability users, which is actually quite useful.”
Su Tao waved her hand. “No. I may not fully understand battlefield strategies, but even I know that with an ability like Sheng Yuqing’s, if she can control an enemy leader in a large-scale battle, victory would be absolute.”
Pei Dong nodded. “You’re right. And if her ability evolves, she might not just be able to control humans—maybe even zombies.”
Su Tao was shocked. “Then why did you approve her application? If she doesn’t stay in the military, it’s a complete waste of talent.”
Pei Dong replied, “Precisely because she has such great potential, I approved it. Do you think I’d let an incapable ability user stay by your side? Besides, she herself really wants to follow you.”
Su Tao firmly refused again, her tone serious. “Sister Pei, I rarely leave my own management zone. Under normal circumstances, I’m perfectly safe. Compared to me, the people of Dongyang need a strong and promising ability user much more. If Dongyang falls, Taoyang won’t remain peaceful either. I can’t be this selfish.”
Pei Dong was silent for two seconds before nodding. “Alright, keep reviewing the files. I’ll talk to Sheng Yuqing later.”
Su Tao let out a breath and continued flipping through the documents. She eventually selected three ability users—two women and one man—all under twenty years old, with abilities focused on support and defense.
“How willing are these three to stay in Taoyang?” Su Tao asked.
Pei Dong reviewed the files. “Everyone on this list is willing to stay in Taoyang. The two girls you picked are very eager—since they have support abilities and are women, they weren’t too keen on going to the battlefield anyway. Staying in Taoyang is their best option.”
“As for the young man, he’s also willing—but he has a condition.”
“What condition?”
Pei Dong spoke slowly. “His younger sister was kidnapped a few years ago and has been missing ever since. His condition for staying in Taoyang is that you help him find her.”
Su Tao immediately made a decision but wanted to learn more about the three candidates. “What about their character?”
Pei Dong called over their teacher so Su Tao could ask questions in detail. Afterward, she summoned the candidates themselves.
The two girls entered first—one tall, one short. The taller one was named Bei Jiao, a fair-skinned girl with big eyes, quite pretty and lively. When she saw Su Tao, she froze for a second, then broke into a smile.
“Boss Su, you’re so young! You look younger than me. That’s great—I was worried Taoyang’s boss would be some old woman, and if we couldn’t get along, that would be awful.”
The shorter girl, Tong Qi, quietly curled her lips and muttered, “She hasn’t even chosen you yet…”
Pei Dong frowned slightly at that.
Su Tao didn’t mind and asked with a smile, “Why do you want to stay in Taoyang?”
Bei Jiao spoke up quickly, afraid someone else might take the chance. “Who doesn’t want to go to Taoyang now? The food is great, the housing is good, and we don’t have to go to the battlefield. My parents said if I can stay in Taoyang, I’ll have a stable life forever.”
Tong Qi nodded in agreement but didn’t say anything.
Su Tao changed the topic. “What if Taoyang is no longer stable? What if it falls?”
Bei Jiao laughed. “That’s impossible.”
Su Tao kept her smile. “But what if it really happens one day?”
Bei Jiao noticed the seriousness behind Su Tao’s words and stiffened, her smile fading. She didn’t reply.
Su Tao then looked at Tong Qi.
Tong Qi averted her gaze and remained silent.
Both of them understood—if Taoyang became just like Dongyang, or worse, then there would be no benefit to staying.
At that moment, the only male candidate, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke in a deep voice.
“As long as you help me find my sister, I’ll stay—no matter what.”
Su Tao looked at him. His name was Jiang Yu, a young man just over twenty. His facial features were ordinary, but he had a cold and resolute presence. He was on the lean side, and when he wasn’t speaking, his presence was almost eerily unnoticeable.
That was likely due to his ability—Shadow. As the name suggested, he could merge into any shadow, move freely within it, and remain undetected by both people and machines.
Su Tao remembered Pei Dong’s words—Jiang Yu’s ability allowed him to blend into her shadow, following her like a literal shadow, protecting her at all times.
She paused for a moment and asked, “Even if it means dying for me?”
Jiang Yu’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. “Of course. That would be my duty.”
Su Tao smiled and turned to Pei Dong. “I’ll take him.”
After the three candidates left, Pei Dong asked, “Are you sure? You don’t want to reconsider?”
Su Tao nodded. “No need. I’ve made my choice.”
