Regarding the matter of awakening lightning abilities after transformation

"Su Wanxi...is today a convenient day for the test?" Besides training, Gu Cheng had another purpose.

"...If needed, I can arrange it for you." Su Wanxi gripped the steering wheel, her long, dark hair cascading down her chest, a subtle fragrance wafting through the car.

"Yes, I'd like to test it." Gu Cheng nodded. After dealing with the previous crack, her control over electricity had become much more acute. Due to a lack of professional testing, the specific strength of her ability was still unknown.

The vast majority of awakened individuals in China have abilities between C and B levels. If Gu Cheng can cross the D level threshold, she will no longer be the novice she once was.

......

The office building has three underground floors. The first two floors are used for training in combat and shooting, while the last floor is used only for testing.

Since the abilities of the awakened individuals vary, the testing methods are naturally different. Su Wanxi booked a time for Gu Cheng, and when they arrived at the venue, the testing equipment had already been set up.

"First, test the current intensity and maximum voltage..." For the first test, Song Shiyan led Gu Cheng through the process, and she understood the relevant steps.

As I walked across the wide square, my heels made a crisp sound as they hit the ground.

"Director Song...and...that person?" Gu Cheng was about to prepare for the test when two familiar figures suddenly appeared in her field of vision.

Song Shiyan was wearing a gray-brown windbreaker and black-rimmed glasses. Standing next to him was a man in his mid-twenties, thin with dark circles under his eyes. If Gu Cheng remembered correctly, this was the man who had shot Su Wanxi in the warehouse earlier.

"How did this guy end up here..." A flash of lightning appeared in his pupils, but it quickly disappeared.

Su Wanxi held the girl's delicate hand and shook her head at her: "Director Song has the intention of inviting him to join the Hermit Bureau."

Su Wanxi seemed to have anticipated this, and Gu Cheng couldn't detect the slightest surprise on her face.

"...Qi Bei?" That sounds like that name? Gu Cheng murmured to herself.

"Yes, if nothing unexpected happens, he will become one of us." Su Wanxi nodded slightly, her tone neither sad nor happy. She knew more about this matter than Gu Cheng, and Director Song had also discussed Qi Bei's future with her.

The policy towards Awakened Ones has always been "lenient." As long as they are not heinous criminals, the Hermit Bureau will treat them leniently. Qi Bei had worked under Zhan Taiyi before, and Su Wanxi didn't think this Awakened One with a thug background could be clean. Besides, even if he hadn't done much dirty work, given his abilities, simply taking sides would be encouraging the growth of evil.

"Go and get tested first. We'll talk about Qi Bei later." Su Wanxi herself didn't like this idea of ​​"atonement," but she was willing to trust Song Shiyan's judgment.

"Okay." Releasing her hand, Gu Cheng walked into the room to begin the ability test.

Current intensity, voltage range, maximum operating distance, duration...

A slight tingling sensation in the head, accompanied by waves of drowsiness... these are signs that mental energy has been completely drained.

......

Su Wanxi sat on the steps with her legs together, her fingers twitching slightly as she carefully read through Qin Kexin's self-criticism report.

Suddenly, the light was blocked by a shadow, and she looked up at Song Shiyan.

“We should have met a few times, Su Wanxi—your future captain.” Qi Bei stood to the left and behind Song Shiyan, his facial muscles twitching involuntarily.

"Hello." Putting down the report, Su Wanxi politely extended her right hand.

"...Qi Bei." After a brief handshake and self-introduction, the man remained silent.

Su Wanxi stared at him for a long time, vaguely noticing the evasiveness in his eyes.

This guy seemed to be like this when we went to the hospital before, his shoulders were shaking non-stop... Is he scared of being beaten?

Su Wanxi will never know how much trauma that look in the warehouse had caused Qi Bei. To this day, his prolapsed stomach has not recovered, and he feels nauseous if he eats too much.

"The blood exploded, and the strength tested was C+." Song Shiyan said in a low voice, handing Su Wanxi a test report.

"...flowing blood is not easy to explode; the best detonator is coagulated blood plasma."

"The experimental subject experienced a severe explosion at twelve seconds... the explosion intensity was approximately less than that of an equivalent amount of ammonium nitrate bomb." Su Wanxi gently stroked the paper, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. The experimental subject reported was a small white mouse weighing one hundred grams, which was about ten meters away from Qi Bei.

"If the test subject has bleeding wounds, the explosion time will be reduced to five seconds... For test subjects who die naturally, the time will be less than one second..."

"Very good ability." There aren't many in the team who can directly cause damage. Gu Cheng's ability strength is too low to support a long battle. Zhou Li needs to be at close range to exert his strength, and Su Wanxi's own gravity manipulation is not very effective against descending creatures.

As for Qin Kexin... well...

"If the target is an ordinary person, how long would it take you?" Su Wanxi asked, her thin lips moving slightly before closing the folder.

Qi Bei swallowed a few times and slowly raised his head: "...twenty seconds to a minute, beyond thirty meters I can't control it."

Inside the warehouse, the special forces soldiers who had been lying in ambush were no more than fifteen meters away from Qi Bei, already within the detonation range.

"Then why only detonated a portion? Was it due to insufficient capability... or..."

"They showed mercy?" The operation to capture Zhan Taiyi resulted in only two minor injuries; one special forces member suffered an explosion in his hand, rendering him virtually unable to hold a gun. Judging from this document alone, if Qi Bei could detonate his hand, detonating other locations shouldn't be difficult, such as the heart or neck...

"..." Qi Bei didn't speak, but just stared at the ground quietly.

"Bang..." Just then, Gu Cheng pushed open the door. She held her forehead with one hand and rested her other hand on the wall, looking haggard. Su Wanxi went straight forward and carefully helped her.

"I think I... passed." Her voice was soft, but her excitement was palpable.

"Level C?"

"Hmm!" Without using a carrier, the electric current was released directly outside the body, striking the paper cup with a gun-shaped lightning bolt from a distance of ten meters and burning it to ash. With all other indicators basically meeting the standards, Gu Cheng's ability strength was officially upgraded to C-level.

"Well done~" Looking at the beautiful girl leaning against her, Su Wanxi's usually cold eyes were unusually gentle at this moment.

Section 79, Chapter Seventy-Eight: Intercepting the Spoils

"I examined Qi Bei's dream; it contained information about his experiences and motivations..."

"He himself had very little contact with the parchment, and most of the time he followed the arrangements of Zhan Taiyi, who was the real person who handled the parchment."

Su Wanxi leaned back in her chair, her fair wrist gently resting on her chin, her arm resting flat on the table.

"You mean, you want Qi Bei to join?" Her gaze grew deeper, her tone neither sad nor happy.

"I have similar plans. I will be leaving Lanjiang this afternoon to attend a meeting, and I will report the situation in Qibei to Director Cheng at that time."

Lanjiang does not include districts and counties, and only has five awakened individuals currently in office, while other city-level cities generally have eight to ten. During the period of frequent rifts, this number of people was somewhat insufficient, so Song Shiyan's eagerness to expand the number of awakened individuals is not hard to understand.

Su Wanxi remained silent for a long time before giving her answer.

"...I don't mind him joining." By "I don't mind," she meant she was neutral. She didn't like team members with too many dark histories, and certain investigative materials made her have a very bad first impression of Qi Bei.

Song Shiyan understood Su Wanxi's implied meaning, and a knowing look flashed in his eyes.

"If Qi Bei joins the Hermit Bureau, his working terms will be more stringent than those of the other team members."

We must never simply erase the criminal acts of those who have awakened; setting such a precedent would lead to endless troubles.

"Qi Bei's future profits from the Hermit Bureau will be split 30/70, with 30% retained and 70% turned over to the national treasury for the treatment of wounded police officers... More specific plans are still being drafted..." The remaining clauses are mostly related to the area of ​​operation. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Qi Bei will be confined to Lanjiang City for the rest of his life.

"Hmm." This proposal felt more like a consolation than a practical solution.

......

"Mmm~" The girl lying on the mat curled up her legs and made a soft moaning sound that could be easily misunderstood.

Su Wanxi awoke from her reverie, the soft touch still lingering on her fingers.

She was asleep... A gentle smile played on her lips.

After completing the test, Gu Cheng was exhausted, and the previously scheduled training tasks had to be temporarily put on hold. Su Wanxi helped her back to the rest room.

The lounge had cushions, but lacked anything like a pillow, making it very uncomfortable to sleep on. Su Wanxi wanted Gu Cheng to rest her head on her lap, but the other woman refused.

Was it because it was uncomfortable to use as a pillow...? After thinking for a moment, Su Wanxi did something she would never normally do—she carefully massaged her legs.

The fair skin flushed slightly from the movement, and the smooth, delicate surface of the stockings felt incredibly textured to the touch.

It's quite soft... Realizing this, Su Wanxi became even more frustrated.

It's okay for her to act cute with me occasionally... I turned my head and quietly looked at the girl. She was simply lying on her side, her long flaxen hair cascading down the mat like a waterfall.

Su Wanxi loved to ruffle Gu Cheng's hair. It felt a bit like petting her Ragdoll cat. The cat would snuggle in her arms and meow, while the cat would just blush and remain silent.

They were all very interesting reactions.

My fingers unconsciously ran through my hair, smoothing out the messy parts little by little.

As if sensing something, Gu Cheng stretched out her fair arm and gently pressed her eyelids down.

Su Wanxi thought she had woken up, and her hand paused. After a moment, the girl's soft, long breaths returned.

Too bright... She slightly raised her head, and the glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling was particularly dazzling.

She stood up lightly, her high heels making no sound as she stepped on the ground. She pressed the switch, the lights went out, and the rest room was left with only the faint glow of her phone screen.

"The meeting is at 4:30..." Because she had muted her phone earlier, Su Wanxi only saw this message now.

"Tsk..." She had originally wanted to take a nap, but now it seemed like she wouldn't have the chance.

Su Wanxi took off her coat and draped it over Gu Cheng's shoulders in the dim light. The temperature difference between the basement and the street was too great, and Gu Cheng was still wearing a light tank top; it would be too easy for her to catch a cold if she fell asleep like that.

Smoothing out her clothes, Gu Cheng seemed to be whispering something, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. Su Wanxi leaned forward, trying to hear clearly, but the moaning stopped again.

"Get a good night's sleep..." Su Wanxi pursed her cherry blossom-colored lips and walked out of the room, turning her head to look at the doorknob.

With a "click," the metal block was pressed down by gravity, and the door locked from the inside.

......

After a long while, Gu Cheng slowly opened her eyes.

"So dark..." It's that dream again... The girl licked her dry lips and struggled to sit up.

"Sizzle~" The coat draped over her shoulders slipped off with the movement. Hearing the sound, Gu Cheng was startled. She took out her phone, turned on the flashlight, and a beam of light appeared in the darkness.

A thin white jacket lay scattered on the ground; it was almost transparent and felt very soft to the touch.

"This is... Su Wanxi's coat?" It wasn't a dream, but reality. Gu Cheng realized belatedly as she held the coat.

"Is Orange awake? I'm in the room next door~" With her eyes slightly narrowed, Qin Kexin pressed the switch, and along with the light came Qin Kexin's mental communication.

Where did Su Wanxi go...? In her memory, Su Wanxi helped her to the rest room. Gu Cheng sat on the cushion for a while, gradually adjusting to the bright light.

"Hmm, just woke up..." After a nap, the soreness that had been lingering in my head disappeared without a trace.

"Open the door for me, it's locked from the inside..." Qin Kexin's voice came from outside after the mental communication was cut off.

"It's here." Locked from the inside? The girl frowned slightly as she looked at the lock.

"Did you do this?" You came out while she was sleeping, and this isn't in the apartment...

Gu Chengyan: "Don't blame everything on me. This was locked by your Captain Su."

After a moment's thought, Su Wanxi... Gu Cheng had almost figured it out.