Chapter 33: Sunlight, After So Long
Since this was just a test, Xu Zhi didn’t plan to use too many cores. After some thought, she decided to use 2 [Moth], 2 [Heart], and 4 [Cup] attribute cores to total 40 minutes.
It was neither a short nor overly long period—enough to test things without risking too much.
Still, Xu Zhi had some faith in her own luck; otherwise, she would’ve invested even less.
She opened the Spirit Body interface, loaded in the cores, and confirmed.
[You have input 8 attribute cores.]
[Spirit Body duration: 40 minutes]
[Randomly generating attributes…]
[Generation complete.]
[Spirit Body Stats:
Mind: 270
Body: 360
Traits: Craving Lv3, Regeneration Lv1, Chaos Lv2, Secret Lv1
Special Abilities: None]
“Looks decent,” she thought.
[Searching for random deployment location…]
[Deployment successful.]
Her vision went black, and then Xu Zhi realized she had entered the Spirit Body. She slowly opened her eyes. As her body materialized, she was immediately hit by sounds she hadn’t heard in over a month—the familiar noise of a bustling crowd.
The honking of cars, the murmur of people along the streets, store announcements… it all formed a lively picture of peace and prosperity.
It had only been a little over a month since she’d heard these sounds, but to Xu Zhi, it felt like a lifetime.
She stood still for two or three seconds, then lifted her palm to the sunlight. She hadn’t felt such bright, warm rays in a long time—it was nostalgic and comforting.
But there wasn’t much time. She quickly reined in her thoughts and focused.
First, she assessed her current state. Despite using four [Cup] attribute cores, she didn’t feel as agitated as she had in the last Spirit Body form.
It seemed at least one of [Moth] or [Heart] could suppress [Cup]’s unrest—an important discovery.
She then looked around. She appeared to be standing in front of an office building. The entrance was wide open, but no one was going in or out. A red sign stood near the door, bearing a badge similar to the Federal Police’s—though not quite the same.
Strangely, passersby on the street ignored the prominent sign completely. Not a single person even glanced at it.
Finding that odd, Xu Zhi stepped inside.
The moment she entered, the strangeness deepened. Office buildings in busy districts were always in use. Whether weekday or weekend, there should have been people working—at least some overtime workers. But now, the place was eerily quiet.
She climbed a few floors, but the lower levels were completely empty.
There could’ve been many reasons for this, but considering the warning sign at the door, Xu Zhi leaned toward the theory that something had happened here.
On the next floor up, she finally saw someone.
Before she could speak, the man—around thirty, dressed in plain clothes—looked startled and barked, “Stop! Who are you? How did you get up here?”
His shout alerted someone inside. A teenage girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen, peeked out from a room.
“What’s going on? Who’s that?”
Seeing Xu Zhi, she looked equally surprised and turned to ask the man, “Who is she?”
The man shook his head. “Don’t know. Just came out and saw her coming up the stairs.”
Xu Zhi stood still and silently observed them. The man looked proper and serious, while the girl had a lively, mischievous expression. They didn’t seem like they came together—but they both watched Xu Zhi warily.
The girl frowned and asked, “Are you sure the barrier is set up properly?”
Barrier?
Xu Zhi blinked. Probably some sort of supernatural ability?
The man nodded. “No way a normal person could come in.”
Hearing that, the girl’s eyes lit up. “So that means…”
Though the two were speaking softly, Xu Zhi could hear them clearly—possibly a trait of her Spirit Body.
“Hey!” the girl raised her voice. “Are you an ability-user?”
Xu Zhi paused. From what she’d overheard, the man had set up a barrier that normal people couldn’t pass, and yet she had entered unimpeded. Even if she didn’t have any active powers, this Spirit Body was clearly a ability-user.
So Xu Zhi nodded. “Yes, I am.”
“Are you registered?” the girl asked.
Xu Zhi immediately grasped what she meant, but deliberately played ignorant. Tilting her head, she asked sincerely, “What’s that?”
“What?! Sis, you don’t even know that?”
The girl didn’t seem suspicious—just figured Xu Zhi was a bit out of the loop. She was about to explain, when suddenly, a loud crash came from inside the room. A gruff voice shouted, “Cheng Zi! What the hell is taking you so long?!”
“Ah! Coming!” the girl yelped and dashed back inside.
Sounds of a scuffle—mild, not intense—filtered out, along with muttered curses, then things quieted.
Xu Zhi looked curiously toward the room but didn’t go in.
She felt her luck was pretty good—not only had she randomly appeared outside, she’d also encountered other ability-users.
Still, she was genuinely curious about what was happening inside. It had sounded like a fight, but the people outside didn’t seem alarmed. Was it a one-sided beatdown?
Soon, the two re-emerged—a boy and a girl. The girl was the one Xu Zhi had seen. The boy looked to be in his early twenties, with a fierce look—your stereotypical street thug, at first glance.
He carried a brown leather suitcase, which caught Xu Zhi’s eye. The case twitched, like something alive was trapped inside. Each time it moved, the guy would smack it, and it’d go still.
Xu Zhi: …
“Hey bro, I didn’t mean to ditch you. It’s just—someone showed up out here!” the girl said sheepishly, pointing to Xu Zhi.
Xu Zhi blinked innocently.
The guy frowned, his rough aura intensifying, but to her surprise, his tone was calm: “You’re an ability-user?”
“Ah… yes.” Xu Zhi nodded.
He repeated the earlier question. “Are you registered?”
Before she could answer, the girl cut in, “She doesn’t even know what registration is!”
His frown deepened. “There’ve been announcements everywhere this past month. You really didn’t know?”
“I live in a remote area, no neighbors, no TV or radio…” Xu Zhi replied honestly.
He scratched his head, looking annoyed. “Tch. Well, since we ran into you, come with us. We’ll take you to register.”
The girl remembered Xu Zhi’s earlier confusion and explained, “Once they confirm you’re an ability-user, you can register and receive federal benefits. There’s no obligation—you just can’t break the rules. You’ll see when we get there.”
Xu Zhi smiled and nodded, thinking to herself: People outside are surprisingly friendly. If this had happened inside Cloud City, the two parties would probably still be posturing and probing each other for weaknesses. This peaceful world… it’s really nice.
