Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 279 Routine
Lin Qing's heart skipped a beat.

This was not part of the plan.

Undoubtedly, this was Honglian's method of verification—she might indeed not understand the mechanisms as the other party claimed, but clearly she couldn't verify things she didn't understand. Currently, the only thing she was certain she understood was herself.

However, Lin Qing knew that transactions in the ability shop were fair trades, and if the other party did not agree, Chen Xuan could not take away any of her abilities.

Using pop-up notifications to trick Wang Baihu was a calculated move, but now that Honglian has brought it up, it's unlikely she'll fall for the same trick again; she'll probably consider every detail.

"This one……"

"Say yes," Chen Xuan said decisively.

"Are you sure?" Lin Qing reminded herself. "She's not easy to fool."

"Don't worry, I have my own way. Just repeat what I say."

“Okay, I’ll contact the World Capability Center for you right away,” Lin Qing said, spreading her hands.

"Wait," Honglian said, somewhat surprised, "Now? We don't have to leave this place?"

“The barriers of the conventional sense cannot stop the power of the human heart; it can transcend different worlds, spaces, and even time…” She took out her phone, switched to video call mode, and then placed it on the table.

"It is watching you now."

Honglian stared warily at the screen, but couldn't make out what was on the other side at all... It was like a pitch-black mirror, and if you looked closely, you could only see your own face up close.

"You have four abilities..." Lin Qing suddenly said, "They are 'Transposition,' 'Teleportation,' 'Mental Fortress,' and 'Knowledge of the Past and Present'... Hmm? You actually have two movement-type abilities?"

Honglian secretly gasped.

Good heavens! The legendary collective consciousness of abilities actually has the ability to see through all abilities at a glance! Her colleagues all thought that she could move objects around by using the "castling" technique, but in fact she uses two abilities. "Casting" is limited to her and a certain object, while the exchange of objects is "Shadow Shift," a fact she has never told anyone.

The Security Agency was certainly aware of this; the result of the physical examination at headquarters indicated dual abilities.

Honglian has always considered these two abilities as her everything.

Unexpectedly, the other party not only easily saw through her trump card, but also revealed two more abilities.

"Mental fortress... 'Broad knowledge of the past and present'?" she couldn't help but repeat, "What is that?"

“I’d call it a passive ability,” Lin Qing replied, following Chen Xuan’s explanation. “Most people are hard to detect its existence, but it’s widespread among humans. For example, if you know a lot about history, you’ll develop the ability to be well-versed in the past and present.”

"Is that so?!" Honglian found it utterly unbelievable. "Aren't human abilities... subject to mutation caused by erosion?"

How could it possibly be learned?

According to this theory, wouldn't all history majors be considered gifted individuals?
"Narrow-minded." Lin Qing snorted lightly. "Ability is talent, cognition, the accumulation of experience, and a gift from the universe. It is far more complex and vast than you imagine."

"Really?" she quietly asked as she finished.

"I made that up." Chen Xuan shrugged. "You can't exactly say that abilities are commodities to be traded, can you?"

Besides, he didn't make it all up.

Currently, Liu Shuyue's world, the angel's world, and his world... each have their own independent ability system, and all of these abilities can be identified by barcode scanners. It is obviously wrong to explain this solely using the erosion theory.

"By the way, your four abilities are Blue LV3, Blue LV5, Purple LV1, and Green LV2 respectively," Lin Qing added, following Chen Xuan's suggestion. "You're quite good at history, haven't you studied with professionals?"

There are even color and rank distinctions? Honglian was slightly shocked again. She had never heard of such descriptions in the organization, and the Limitless Organization was already the organization in this world that knew the most about abilities.

"...I've had tutoring from a history professor." Her answer carried an unconscious hint of respect. "Because when it comes to C-level intrusions, we must be careful to avoid historical disturbances." "Don't worry, Shixin said that historical changes will not spread to the other side of the intrusion point, so you don't need to worry about paradoxes. Besides, the organization's classification method is fundamentally wrong, and it won't be long before they realize it themselves."

"..." Honglian remained silent. Here we go again, as if she knew nothing and the other party was the real agency agent.

"The world will now grant you a new ability... Be prepared, it won't be comfortable."

As soon as Lin Qing finished speaking, a pair of invisible hands seemed to grab her by the throat!

"Uh--"

Honglian instinctively covered her throat and took a deep breath.

However, the feeling of suffocation was only slightly relieved and did not completely disappear.

Is it an illusion?

No… she really felt like she couldn’t breathe, as if half of her lungs were missing. Every inhale and exhale required all her strength, otherwise she would suffocate. In just a few seconds, a thin layer of sweat had appeared on her forehead.

"This ability is called 'Respiratory Weakness'... It won't kill you immediately, but it's enough to ruin the rest of your life." Lin Qing's calm voice seemed to come from a great distance. "With your physical condition, you might be able to last three or four years, but don't even think about fighting. Just running a few hundred meters would leave you breathless. It's not a disease, so modern medicine is helpless against it..."

"It's strange, isn't it? There are abilities that have purely negative consequences. Now you've seen it for yourself. If you've had enough, remember to let me know."

Honglian gasped for breath, staring at Lin Qing and gritting her teeth, "How...how do I know it wasn't caused by your power?"

"Me? Using my abilities on you from a great distance?" She raised the corners of her mouth. "Miss Honglian, have you forgotten that this is just Elori's consciousness space? Abilities are bestowed upon the body, not the mind... Right now, there is only Wang Baihu in the room you are in."

In other words, if someone is using their power on her to prevent her from breathing, then that person can only be Wang Baihu.

Her reasons for doubting it were indeed illogical.

Honglian nodded. "Alright... then what about stripping it?"

"Please look at the screen." Lin Qing pointed to the phone.

The moment she turned her gaze away, the intense discomfort vanished without a trace, and her breathing returned to its previous ease. This process truly had nothing to do with her will; regardless of whether she agreed or refused in her heart, the other party did exactly what Wang Baihu had described.

Incredible! This completely overturns the Dimensional Authority's understanding of abilities!
It actually separated ability from the individual...

"How did you do that?" Lin Qing asked quietly. "Doesn't taking away an ability require the other party's consent?"

"I didn't take it away, I just gave her a few more abilities," Chen Xuan said with a smile. Since the one-way demand mode requires consent, then a secret transaction will suffice—once "weak and sickly" and "deficient in both qi and blood" are also given over, the three abilities will merge into "living dead," and she will naturally not feel the side effects of individual abilities.

"You're really something," Lin Qing couldn't help but praise him, then said to Hong Lian, "So, now you believe that there are powers in this world that neither you nor the mechanisms can comprehend?"

Honglian nodded slightly. "Although I hate to admit it, this phenomenon is indeed unprecedented. What exactly is the purpose of the World Ability Center? Is it just to save Elori? What I want to know is... there are tens of thousands of ability users in our world alone, and countless more in other worlds. Is it watching over each and every one of us?"

This is obviously not realistic.

The Limit Authority has eliminated Wanderers before, and there have been many deaths caused by the fighting between ability users. However, the World Ability Center has not made a sound about it, otherwise the Authority would not be completely unaware of it.

From this perspective, it shouldn't care about the life or death of the person with the ability.

"The fact that you've thought of this means you're already very close to the answer." Lin Qing paused for a moment, deliberately drawing the other person's attention. "The World Heart doesn't focus on individuals, but on countless intertwined worlds... It only intervenes when a world shows signs of destruction."

Honglian's brows furrowed immediately. "Could it be that you mean—"

“It’s not my intention, but a warning that Shi Xin conveyed to me,” Lin Qing emphasized. “It tells me that this world is already on the verge of destruction.”

(End of this chapter)