Chapter 54: Emanating a newborn's innocent aura

Upon seeing the person approach, Su Yi paused. The man appeared full of care and bore no sign of ill intent, so after a brief hesitation, he respectfully offered a greeting.

"Elder Li."

"Oh? It seems Xidai has already spoken with you."

Li Chengyuan stroked his beard, nodded, and slowly walked to his side, speaking in an aged voice, "I figured the time school lets out should have arrived, yet you were nowhere to be seen. The old man was worried something might be wrong and came to check."

"Your safety is guaranteed by me, after all. If anything were to happen to you, this old man would have no face left to show before the Special Operations Unit."

As a veteran of the Special Operations Unit, Li Chengyuan still cared about his reputation. If the juniors assigned to his protection remained safe and sound while his own ward met with trouble, wouldn't that be a massive loss of face?

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the lunchbox in Su Yi's hand, prompting a sigh of pity.

According to the files, the young boy's background was quite rugged. He wasn't sure who the young girl was, but the two of them clearly shared a close bond, huddled together in the bitter winter at the bus station to share the cheapest meal pack, splitting a single boiled egg between them.

This inevitably reminded him of his own childhood during the less-developed years of famine, when he used to sneak out in heavy snow to steal roasted sweet potatoes from others.

Such a pitiable child. Back when he was just starting out, his sole wish had been to let everyone live a good life.

Seeing this scene truly stirred deep emotions...

Li Chengyuan was by nature a profoundly kind-hearted and sentimental man. What he could least bear was seeing the down-and-out state of the young, and naturally, his heart swelled with myriad thoughts.

If this youngster truly awakened an extraordinary ability, he wouldn't mind mentoring him properly; perhaps he would achieve something in the future, and even if he couldn't measure up to the highest standards, he would still make a fine soldier.

"Wait, why does this kid keep staring at me? Is he captivated by my imposing demeanor?"

Li Chengyuan noticed that Su Yi's eyes were fixed intently upon him.

Though he was old, he had enjoyed a modest reputation in his youth, and many members of the Special Operations Unit regarded him as an idol, so such gazes were hardly uncommon.

"......"

Little did he know, Su Yi was once again revolving that same question within his mind.

"This old man must be an ability user, right? What is his power? He looks only slightly stronger than the foreigner I killed yesterday....."

This fellow's strength shouldn't be enough to pierce through invisibility, so why had he been able to detect Lorishi back then? It was truly baffling.

He had been searching for the answer ever since, and today counted as their first formal meeting.

Aside from breathing with abnormal steadiness and almost no drastic fluctuations, there was nothing remarkable about his physical strength or energy volatility.

He looked slightly stronger than that foreigner, but only to the extent of someone who hadn't taken Type-T serum.

Following the school's buildup and Xidai's introduction, Su Yi now felt that the Special Operations Unit ought to carry a certain air of prestige. As the white-bearded elder leading the group, even if he wasn't some ancient forefather existence, he should at least be akin to a guardian elder.

Yet now, he truly failed to measure up to those expectations. Su Yi could only deduce that the opponent possessed some extremely powerful and mysterious ability that required no physical conditioning to back it up.

Otherwise, at such an advanced age, he wouldn't still be lingering on the front lines; even in the wasteland, he should have retired behind the scenes to enjoy his twilight years.

"If this old man's memory serves me right, your name is Su Yi, correct?"

"And what is the name of the little girl beside you? She doesn't look like a native of Great Xia."

Li Chengyuan had wanted to ask last time. Lorishi's skin was excessively fair, and her blue eyes and white hair were clearly not characteristic features of Great Xia.

Ironically, this was the exact opposite of what Su Yi had guessed.

The old man had actually not detected Lorishi's invisibility from the very beginning at all.

His ability was quite unique: it could pierce through all disguises and perceive the flaws of others.

However, because his ability to pierce disguises operated on overly rigid rules, an invisible Lorishi and a visible Lorishi looked virtually identical in his eyes.

Yet upon being named, Lorishi grew slightly restless; beneath the soft folds of her garments, a small dagger slowly slid out, grasped in a reverse grip within her hand.

What was this fellow trying to do? Su Yi could guess it with his eyes closed.

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That thing was definitely not something that should be brought out right now. Her identity was already problematic; flashing a knife on top of that would spell serious trouble.

He hurriedly gave two light coughs.

"Ahem, Elder Li, her name is Lorishi."

He nudged the girl's shoulder with his elbow.

"Quick, say hello. We'll be troubling Elder Li to take care of us in the coming days."

The surveillance work from the past few days had convinced her that the old man before them was an enemy, and her commanding officer's sudden instruction for her to act friendly left Lorishi somewhat confused. Nonetheless, she concealed the dagger away and timidly whispered in a tiny voice.

"Elder Li...."

"Actually, Elder Li, don't mind her strange appearance; she actually suffers from albinism! That's why she looks like this."

Su Yi once again resorted to his traditional skill, deciding to put up a front to see if he could bluff his way through.

If that failed, it would come down to raw force: pacify the opponent with a kind attitude, and then make them vanish in the shortest time possible.

However, he couldn't fool the elderly man before him the way he had fooled Old Zhang. Albinism was a fitting excuse, and Lorishi matched every single physical criterion perfectly.

"Albinism?"

Hearing this, Li Chengyuan scanned Lorishi closely a few times.

Had it been anyone else, he certainly would have investigated whether they were an undercover spy.

But the girl was simply too young, and her demeanor and behavior were thoroughly childish; standing there, her body instinctively leaned toward Su Yi's side, radiating a strong sense of dependency.

Having fought against hostile overseas forces for so long, he had never seen such a powerless little doll sent on a solo infiltration, especially when her target was merely a youth whose ability awakening had yet to be finalized.

If that were the case, those foreign forces truly must have run out of usable people.

Of course, this alone didn't completely rule out all risks. Most importantly—

Backed by his ability, and coupled with the rich experience of living for so many years, Li Chengyuan's discernment was already remarkably sharp.

During their last meeting, he had already felt that the girl's every movement, tone, and micro-expression resembled a fledgling chick just hatched from its shell, completely ignorant of the outside world.

Such unworldly, innate innocence and blankness were something no matter how famous an actor could ever fake.

Purity was the hardest thing to disguise.

Not to mention the fact that the girl before him somehow carried a sense of newborn purity...

At this thought, a sudden, inexplicable conjecture surfaced in Li Chengyuan's mind.

"Could it be that this girl is actually Su Yi's awakened ability? That would also explain why Su Yi's test results kept fluctuating back and forth!"

It was as if Newton had discovered gravity; Li Chengyuan felt as though he had hit upon a profound realization.

He had once seen people with avatar-type abilities; perhaps Su Yi's was simply more unique.

He stroked his beard and smiled kindly.

"Let's go. This old man has plenty of tea and pastries at home—enough for the two of you to have a hearty meal. It's far too cold out here."

"Huh? Just like that... he bought it?" Su Yi was still preparing to offer more excuses, but the old man dropped the inquiry entirely, making it feel too easily unbelievable.

He exchanged a glance with Lorishi and temporarily followed behind the other party.

Upon returning to the residential compound, Old Zhang was already asleep, leaving only a large yellow dog to bark a couple of times before recognizing familiar faces and quietly scurrying back to its kennel.

Under Li Chengyuan's warm invitation, Su Yi found it inconvenient to refuse and followed him into the small courtyard.

The interior decoration was quite ordinary—no expensive red sandalwood or huanghuali furniture, no excessive hanging scrolls or calligraphy. The only chess table placed in the room was extremely old; aside from being meticulously maintained and polished to a bright sheen, much of the red lacquer had naturally peeled away.

This level of simplicity was no different from the living quarters of other elderly residents in the complex.

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Just as he had surmised, the old man before him was indeed skilled at concealing his true self.

To be respectfully addressed as "Elder" by those fellows in the Special Operations Unit, to be capable of mobilizing helicopters and vast resources to construct a massive underground laboratory, his private life ought not to be this austere.

Although Su Yi also favored concealment, in territory he completely controlled, he always prioritized comfort above all else.

On the table sat many small pastries resembling mooncakes called golden crisps, dried persimmons, and numerous varieties of preserved fruits.

As soon as they stepped inside, Li Chengyuan picked up a black wumei (smoked plum) and handed it to them, though both Su Yi and Lorishi remained extremely cautious, taking it without touching the food.

Su Yi could already immunize himself against the vast majority of toxins, but he wasn't completely invulnerable. In the wasteland, those madmen frequently concocted utterly absurd poisons that, even if non-fatal, would bring endless trouble.

He had no way of knowing whether anything had been added to the food, and since he wasn't entirely sure his previous excuse had worked, he simply couldn't set his guard down.

"Since you're here, let's test it out."

Li Chengyuan retrieved a sharp, dragon-carved treasured sword from the inner room and handed it to Su Yi. "Some abilities only manifest when you make physical contact with a weapon. You can try to sense it."

"Uh... alright."

Su Yi hesitated for a moment before reaching out to accept it.

"This sword is the finest weapon currently forgeable in Great Xia, and it has even been reinforced by an ability user. Be careful not to hurt yourself."

Li Chengyuan stroked his beard as he spoke, though a small conjecture lingered in his heart.

In truth, what he desired most of all was a youth gifted in the dao of the sword, and seeing Su Yi prompted him to let the boy give it a try.

While people with dual abilities were rare, they weren't entirely nonexistent; Cheng Sanli was one such example.

"Get a feel for it first; I'll go brew a pot of red tea for you two. The process of awakening an ability takes quite a while and might take a good while longer, so having some tea beforehand will benefit what comes next."

With that, he turned and walked toward the kitchen.

Looking at the long sword handed over to him, Su Yi inexplicably felt the uncanny sensation of playing a video game and receiving a newbie weapon from an NPC. This appeared to be the very weapon the old man had wielded on that night in the research lab.

Based on its description, this should count as a fine item in the Blue Star world, and he was quite eager to test its quality.

Su Yi drew the sword from its scabbard. Dazzling, chilling light flashed everywhere, and a layer of dark green radiance seemed to cling to the blade.

It looked decent enough.....

He subconsciously exerted a bit of force.

"Crack—"

However, no sooner had the blade cleared the scabbard than it snapped cleanly into two halves.

"What the heck, he's scamming me!" Su Yi's eyebrows twitched, and the corners of his mouth pulled downward.

Was this... truly a treasured sword?

How could it possibly be less durable than his kitchen cleaver at home!?

Though Su Yi possessed great strength, his control over his output was extremely precise, and as a veteran sword-wielder, how could he possibly commit the amateur mistake of snapping a blade right as he drew it?

Could the old man have deliberately handed him a broken sword while calling it a precious artifact, all to wait for him to break it and then extort hundreds of thousands out of him?

He must have figured that given his status as a student with a broken family background, he could never afford to pay it back.

By doing so, he would force Su Yi to work as an ox and a horse for the Special Operations Unit, laboring for the rest of his life just to clear the debt.

So that was what he had been plotting all along.

What a truly terrifying scheme......

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