Chapter 49: Wait, Hold On!
Xu Zhi truly didn’t feel the atmosphere that Zhong Lingfan was trying to create. Whenever she was in her spiritual body, she always had a kind of mindset: “What can you even do to me?”—which made her almost entirely lack any sense of reverence.
After speaking, Zhong Lingfan looked at Xu Zhi, waiting for her response. What she didn’t expect was that the very first sentence out of this seemingly unremarkable girl’s mouth would shock her:
“Professor Zhong, have you finished your new research report on ability-users?”
What?
Zhong Lingfan, rarely caught off guard, paused slightly. How does this girl know?
She had never seen her at the research institute before. Someone who wasn’t part of the institute shouldn’t have any knowledge of that.
Xu Zhi’s abrupt question easily shattered the carefully constructed atmosphere, placing them on equal footing. In fact, Xu Zhi’s expression at that moment was even unusually sincere, like she was simply asking if Zhong Lingfan had eaten yet.
It was a peculiar feeling, but Xu Zhi noticed she could actually read the subtle expression on Zhong Lingfan’s face: She’s surprised.
Is this the power of Level 3 Insight?
“How do you know that? Let’s sit and talk,” Zhong Lingfan gestured politely.
Xu Zhi accepted the offer without hesitation and sat down. The white saker falcon shifted slightly and perched by her hand.
“Someone told me. Can I take a look at that research report? I can trade something for it.”
Xu Zhi wasn’t dumb—she may not have much experience in social interactions, but she knew not to bluntly ask “Have you finished writing it?” Instead, asking to see a supernatural research report was perfectly reasonable, especially considering the current chaos—who wouldn’t want to know more?
Zhong Lingfan didn’t find that suspicious either. What she was curious about was who that “someone” Xu Zhi mentioned could be.
She cast a meaningful glance at Zhen, then turned back to Xu Zhi and said, “It’s not that I won’t let you see it, but the new generation of ability-users differs greatly from the previous ones. I’m still researching that. The report is incomplete.”
“But even so, it’s quite valuable. I wonder—what do you have to offer in exchange?”
Zhong Lingfan kept her posture elevated—not out of arrogance, but out of caution. Xu Zhi’s background was already suspicious, and Zhong Linfan wanted to keep her guard up, maybe even give her a bit of a test. Too bad this girl didn’t play by the rules.
“Hm.”
Xu Zhi pondered for a moment and then, right in front of Zhong Lingfan, activated her ability—Eye of Secrets. She took a brief look and immediately closed it again, her expression shifting into one of mild surprise.
“What did you see?” Even as someone used an ability right in front of her, Zhong Lingfan remained calm and composed—not the least bit angry.
Xu Zhi didn’t hide it either. “I saw your stats, Ms. Lamp.”
That was what surprised her—Zhong Lingfan was the first person she had seen with the [Lamp] attribute.
“You don’t just have the ability to create clones—do you have two supernatural powers?”
Zhong Lingfan’s voice was calm, but the question itself showed how shocked she was.
Xu Zhi winked at her. “Maybe even more?”
Impossible.
That didn’t match the rules she’d discovered through her research.
Zhong Lingfan went silent for a while, lowering her gaze in thought. After a long pause, she finally said, “How about you trade me your real reason for coming here?”
“Ah, that simple?” Xu Zhi looked a bit surprised.
To Zhong Lingfan, Xu Zhi was both mysterious and powerful. If she didn’t make her intentions clear, it would only breed anxiety.
“Yes, just that simple.” Zhong Lingfan nodded and looked directly at Xu Zhi. Her supernatural power allowed her to roughly sense whether a person leaned more toward good, evil, or neutral.
In terms of alignment, she could categorize people as “Evil,” “Good,” or “Neutral.” Crude, but useful for filtering out threats.
Xu Zhi currently gave off a “Neutral” vibe.
If her ability level increased, she might be able to refine that sense of alignment further and understand Xu Zhi more deeply.
For now, she had used this ability—and her own tactics—to build this safe haven in the city. To keep it intact, she had to eliminate unstable elements.
“My purpose is very simple.”
The girl stroked the gyrfalcon on her hand and spoke in a relaxed tone: “First, I was curious about you and wanted to see that report. Now my curiosity is satisfied.”
That shouldn’t be considered a lie, right?
“Second, I want you all to move to a safer place.”
Basically, she wanted these people to go to the old residential district and… be her resources.
But of course, she couldn’t phrase it like that.
“A safer place?” This was the first time Zhong Lingfan showed clear doubt in her tone.
“Yep.” Xu Zhi nodded seriously. “Where I’m staying now—there are others too. I’ve been wondering how to get more people.”
It didn’t sound particularly scheming.
Zhong Lingfan even suspected Xu Zhi might just be rambling nonsense.
Or did this kid really not understand what she was saying?
Zhong Lingfan let out a helpless chuckle and asked, “How can I be sure this place you mention is truly safe?”
“I’ve got nearly forty people here—how can I guarantee their safety during the move?”
“If there are already others living where you are, how can I ensure there won’t be conflict between them and my group?”
She sighed.
“I can’t just make such an irresponsible decision based on your word alone.”
“I know that,” Xu Zhi suddenly responded in a tone very different from her previous flippancy.
“What I mean is—we can cooperate. I know you can sense whether people are safe to be around, but can you guarantee that people won’t change over time?”
“You don’t seem to have much combat power. How can you ensure that if people turn on you, you won’t be powerless to stop them? After all, this is an era where power decides everything.”
Those words struck a nerve with Zhong Lingfan. Her authority was solid for now, but only because most of the ability-users in the garden weren’t very strong yet. She had a few trusted aides—but what about when they grew stronger? Would they still accept her leadership?
“And I…” Xu Zhi smiled and pointed at herself.
“I’m very powerful. And I have no interest in management. I just need someone capable to handle things. You can treat me as your deterrent—I’ve got the strength, you’ve got the leadership and insight. We’re a perfect match.”
“Tomorrow, my real body will come here. You can have your people try to stop me—but I promise you, no one will be able to.”
“This room’s fine. When I walk in here tomorrow, completely unharmed, you’ll agree to my request—lead your people to relocate to my place. Deal?”
“I’ll ensure the move is safe.”
After Xu Zhi finished speaking, Zhong Lingfan fell into deep thought, then asked, “Do I have the right to refuse?”
“Of course,” Xu Zhi nodded seriously. “But even if you say no, I’m still coming tomorrow.”
“At worst, I’ll just kill off the ones who won’t follow me.”
After saying that, the girl chuckled. “That sounded scary—just kidding! I wouldn’t kill someone for no reason.”
“Anyway, you can’t say no. So, we’re agreed then?”
Zhong Lingfan wearily pressed her hand to her forehead. “Wait a minute!”
How is this ‘agreed’?!
