Regarding the matter of awakening lightning abilities after transformation

"Yes." Gu Chengyan did not deny it.

Song Shiyan nodded and stopped talking, focusing his attention on the road conditions and driving. Gu Chengyan also lowered his head, processing the information in Song Shiyan's words.

The meticulously planned dream, the supernatural abilities, and that monster. She recalled the flesh without skin, clinging to her, seeping into her very bones. Her slender fingers unconsciously bent and straightened before her, soft, delicate, white and long. She extended her index finger to her lips, her canine teeth lightly biting it, bringing a sharp pain.

"Heh." After a moment, Gu Chengyan chuckled and let go of her hand, half relieved and half helpless.

The black Volkswagen drove smoothly, with a constant stream of cars outside the window. Although Gu Chengyan grew up in Lanjiang City, she spent most of her time in an orphanage. Her knowledge of the city was limited to the small area of ​​the East District; she had only been to places further out a couple of times, and was far from familiar with them. They passed another tall building, its iconic billboards hanging on both sides. It was one of the few landmarks Gu Chengyan recognized: the city center.

"We're almost there." The car stopped in an underground parking lot. Gu Chengyan unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, following Song Shiyan to an ordinary office building.

The sky-blue office building was about six or seven stories high, not particularly noticeable among the generally tall buildings in the city. Two uniformed security guards stood at the entrance, and upon seeing them, they let them in.

The two arrived at the elevator in the building. Song Shiyan took out a black metal card from his inner pocket and swiped it lightly on the sensor, producing a beeping sound. A small section of the elevator dented, revealing a black camera underneath. Song Shiyan took off his glasses and pointed his right eye at the camera.

The searchlights turned green, and the buttons on each floor showed as available.

What kind of organization is this? The strict procedures made Gu Chengyan a little flustered; she felt like she had come to an extraordinary place.

The elevator slowly ascended and finally stopped at the top floor of the office building. "Please come in." At the end of the corridor, Song Shiyan pushed open the door on the right and entered the office.

The office's overall decor leans towards a Chinese style, with wooden desks, chairs, and coffee tables. A carved wooden screen separates the work area from the reception area, its openwork bamboo carvings exuding a rustic and elegant charm. An antique-style desk faces a teak bookcase, its red and black color scheme simple and sturdy.

Gu Chengyan sat on the sofa with her hands on her lap, leaning slightly forward, looking somewhat reserved. "Would you like some tea?" Song Shiyan asked her.

Looking at the exquisite ceramic tea set in front of him, Gu Chengyan shook his head. "Let's get straight to the point."

Song Shiyan didn't try to persuade him further. He pulled out a thin stack of papers from the bottom drawer of his desk and placed them on the coffee table. "No need to rush to look at them. You can ask me anything you want now."

Gu Chengyan had many questions, and after a moment's thought, she asked the most crucial one: "Why has my body become like this?"

"I don't know." Having gone from being questioned to being the questioner, Gu Chengyan finally understood that feeling of frustration. "However..." Song Shiyan continued, "Judging from the dream information, it's highly likely that something in the rift changed you."

"Crack?" Another word she had never heard before.

"It is an unnatural phenomenon, and it is something that the Hermit Bureau is primarily responsible for dealing with."

Song Shiyan patiently explained.

"The arrival of those things is usually accompanied by cracks that ordinary people cannot observe directly. Once you enter them, you become the nutrients that the descending creatures need."

"Is that disgusting thing a degenerate?"

“Yes. But it has clearly run into a tough opponent.” Song Shiyan smiled as he looked at Gu Chengyan.

"Me? Why?" Gu Chengyan never thought he was anything special, so why did he become the tough target in Song Shiyan's words?

"Hehe." Song Shiyan didn't explain, but simply told her to close her eyes and carefully recall the last part of that dream.

It was an elusive feeling, blurring the lines between reality and illusion, a fleeting moment in a haze, or perhaps eternity. "Open your eyes," Song Shiyan's voice came from a great distance, broken and intermittent.

Gu Chengyan opened her eyes, and everything before her seemed veiled in a golden gauze. Something... she reached out her hand, and blue electricity coursed through her fair palm. There was no pain as she expected; it felt more like a gentle caress.

"This is your ability." Hearing Song Shiyan's words, Gu Chengyan looked up. The man in front of him was bathed in golden light, which was more noticeable than anything else.

In an instant, the golden light emanating from Song Shiyan faded, becoming roughly the same intensity as the surroundings. The electric current in Gu Chengyan's palm coiled around her arm according to her will, eventually disappearing into her body.

It would reappear whenever she wanted; she could sense the connection between them. Stopping the manipulation of the electricity, the golden veil before her vanished.

"Let's see now." Song Shiyan said calmly, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Gu Chengyan picked up the stack of thin paper, and a line of large characters immediately caught his eye.

Enlistment Agreement

Section 5, Chapter 5: Multiple Choice Questions

Inside the office, Gu Chengyan read the agreement on the table word by word.

Song Shiyan got up to brew tea, and soon the room was filled with the fragrance of tea leaves. By the time the tea was ready, Gu Chengyan had finished reading the last item.

"Is this what you call help?" She put the agreement back on the coffee table, her voice a little hoarse.

"Yes." Song Shiyan nodded, pouring himself a freshly brewed cup of tea. The agreement essentially stipulated that Gu Chengyan would respond to the national call and become a member of the Hermit Bureau to jointly handle supernatural phenomena.

"Are there many people like me?" As he spoke, Gu Chengyan's fingers unconsciously rubbed the fabric of his thigh.

"The total number of registered skilled workers in the country is just over ten thousand. Lanjiang City, excluding its subordinate districts and counties, has only six, and you are the seventh."

Official data shows that only a little over 10,000 people with special abilities out of a population of over one billion, which is a probability of one in several hundred thousand.

Of course, due to various reasons, some awakened ability users have not yet been discovered, and the actual probability is definitely higher than it appears on paper.

“Besides, there are many ordinary people who also have the potential to become ability users, they just lack an opportunity.” “What opportunity?” Gu Chengyan pressed.

Song Shiyan put down his teacup and spoke in a calm tone, yet with a profound impact: "A life-or-death opportunity."

The moment the words left his mouth, the scene froze briefly. Only after Song Shiyan took his second sip of tea did Gu Chengyan remember the question he was about to ask.

“What is this ‘Superpowered Person Management Law’?” she asked, pointing to a line in the agreement.

“I have this book on my bookshelf, and I’ll send you a copy later.” Song Shiyan pulled back the screen so that Gu Chengyan could see the bookshelf directly from the sofa. “This is it.” He took out a book from the middle that was several centimeters thicker than a brick.

Such a thick book... Gu Chengyan has had a bad memory since she can remember, so memorizing so much is indeed a bit difficult for her. "You don't need to memorize it all, just knowing the following points is enough." Seeing Gu Chengyan's increasingly gloomy expression, Song Shiyan put the book back on the bookshelf.

"First, do not disclose information about the supernatural to ordinary people."

"Second, one must not use superpowers to disrupt normal social order."

“The third and most important point…” His eyes suddenly sharpened, like a newly sharpened sword gleaming with cold light.

"All actions should be loyal to the country and the people."

Song Shiyan put down his teacup, and the water droplets that splashed slightly landed on the agreement, leaving small water stains.

"I understand," Gu Chengyan agreed, his voice trembling slightly.

So, to sign or not to sign? To be fair, the Hermit Bureau's benefits are quite good, in fact, extremely rare. There's a guaranteed base salary of 15,000 yuan per month, plus bonuses for each mission. All medical expenses are covered by the Hermit Bureau during employment, and a substantial pension is provided upon retirement.

However, this gift also comes with a price tag.

From the moment you join the Hermit Bureau, you are destined to leave behind a life of ease. The risks associated with frequent contact with supernatural phenomena greatly threaten the personal safety of the handlers. During your term of service, you may not leave the designated area without authorization; even in exceptional circumstances, you must report to the Hermit Bureau in advance and obtain approval before leaving. Resignation is not permitted; you may apply for retirement only after working for more than thirty years or accumulating sufficient merit points.

No, Gu Chengyan frowned slightly, as if he had thought of something.

"Do I have no choice?"

Song Shiyan pondered for a moment, then looked at the tea leaves floating in the cup and sighed deeply.

“We have suffered from poor management in the past, and forced enlistment is a last resort.”

"Moreover, the number of people with abilities is small, each one is extremely precious, and every bit of power should be united."

Lanjiang City, a large prefecture-level city, has only five people with relevant skills, not to mention the other counties and districts under its jurisdiction.

Knowing the outcome, Gu Chengyan was not angry. As a child who grew up in a public welfare home, her food, clothing, housing and transportation were all provided by the state. It was the comprehensive social security system that prevented her from becoming homeless.

When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when prosperous, one should benefit all under heaven. Now it's her turn to give back. Gu Chengyan took the pen handed to her by Song Shiyan and turned to the signature column at the end of the agreement.

She originally intended to sign her name "Gu Chengyan" directly, but hesitated at the last minute.

Gu Chengyan filled in the blank after a moment's thought.

"A new name?" Song Shiyan asked her.

"Hmm." Dean Xu had told her before that no matter what, she should never abandon her surname, as it was a legacy of history. Gu Chengyan didn't know the origin of her name, but she was obedient. Cheng was a homonym for Cheng, which also suited her current identity as a woman.

"It sounds great." Song Shiyan's generous praise made Gu Cheng a little embarrassed.

"The Hermitage Bureau will handle your new identity; given their efficiency, it should be ready by tomorrow." As he spoke, Song Shiyan took out a black card identical to the previous one. "Keep this safe, don't lose it. The rainbow model recognition will be entered after your physical examination."

The front of the card featured a dragon with dark gold patterns, its body poised for flight, disappearing into the pitch-black background. Gu Cheng couldn't help but glance at it a few more times before putting it in her pocket and putting it away.

"Come on, I'll take you to see someone."

"Who?"

"Your future teammate and captain."

The two returned to the elevator. Song Shiyan pressed the button for the second basement level and then silently looked at Gu Cheng. Ever since leaving the office, she had been somewhat uneasy.

After much deliberation, Gu Cheng decided to confess to Song Shiyan: "Someone knows about my transformation..." She revealed it herself.

"Is that so?" Song Shiyan's tone was as calm as ever, making him hard to read.

"It's an open rule in the industry not to disclose anything unrelated to the natural world to ordinary people." Song Shiyan looked away from Gu Cheng, as if explaining or talking to himself.

"But things that have happened will eventually leave traces, so I don't expect you to be able to hide them perfectly."

There was once a case of a person whose supernatural abilities awakened after marriage, but his wife discovered his contact with the Hermit Bureau less than a week later. Through this incident, the higher-ups realized the problem: hiding the truth from one's spouse was simply unreasonable. Ultimately, they decided to relax the relevant regulations.

"You don't need to tell me who it is. Just handle it yourself, and pretend this never happened." Since she's already in the Hermit Bureau, she'll inevitably come into contact with related matters sooner or later. Knowing how to behave early is not a bad thing for Gu Cheng.

After hearing Song Shiyan's words, Gu Cheng finally felt relieved.

"The second basement level will also be where you do your firearms training." The elevator doors opened, revealing a spacious area outside.

"Wow, it's huge," Gu Cheng exclaimed softly. Compared to this, the office buildings on the ground floor were just the tip of the iceberg of this colossal building.

She followed Song Shiyan to one of the training platforms that was in use. The user was a young woman in her early twenties with shoulder-length black hair, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and clean, crisp denim shorts. Her long, slender legs were exposed to the air, white and delicate, like unadorned jade. She gripped a gun with both hands, leaned slightly forward, and aimed intently at the target in front of her. From Gu Cheng's angle, she could only see her fair neck and slender wrists.

"Bang!" The last bullet left the barrel, and the pistol went into bolt hold-open mode. The girl stretched her wrists and turned to face Song Shiyan.

She stood quietly, her skin as white as snow, her breath as delicate as an orchid, her clear eyes reflecting their figures.

Gu Cheng's heart skipped a few beats, and a weak electric current surged uncontrollably from it, spreading a tingling sensation throughout her body.

"A new member? Their ability is...electrostatic discharge?"

She noticed the faint electrical currents flickering around Gu Cheng and asked with some confusion.

Section 6, Chapter Six: Future Colleagues

In her twenty years of life, Gu Cheng felt her heartbeat so strongly for the first time. She gently covered her chest, the vibrations of her heartbeat traveling through her chest to her palm.

Before I could fully appreciate it, the feeling vanished, and the tiny arcs of electricity surrounding me flowed back.

"Discharge...hehe, it seems so for now, but we'll have to wait and see how it develops." Song Shiyan smiled as he corrected Su Wanxi's statement.

The latter nodded almost imperceptibly, placed the gun on the table, and extended his hand towards the girl in front of him.