Tao Ran was momentarily stunned before realizing that in this world, anyone had the potential to awaken superpowers at any given time. Furthermore, the more a person interacts with superhumans, the greater the likelihood of them awakening their own abilities. Contemplating this, Tao Ran naturally pushed the blame for his newfound powers on Kui Qingqing, assuming it must have been because he hugged her the last night.
Meanwhile, Kui Qingqing, who was far away in the gathering place of superhumans, sneezed while Qin Ke continued to ask her, "Pay attention and listen to me seriously. Why did you injure Lao Zhang? If he had done something wrong, it would have been enough to just hit him, but you went as far as to kick him... in that place? Do you know he doesn't want to live anymore?"
Kui Qingqing shrugged nonchalantly and retorted, "Well, he can't reproduce anyway. What difference does it make if he has that thing or not?"
Qin Ke responded with anger, "The mute can't speak either. So, should we just remove the mouths of all mute people as well?"
Rolling her eyes, Kui Qingqing replied, "You said it yourself, it has nothing to do with me."
Qin Ke: "You......"
Tao Ran still felt weakness permeating his entire body. Upon seeing him open his eyes, Chao Feng quickly reassured him, "Don't be afraid, Dad will protect you."
Although it was quite common for Tao Ran to awaken superpowers, he couldn't help but feel a headache. He had no clue about the mission so awakening his powers at this time was really not a good thing.
Despite Chao Feng's reluctance to be separated from Tao Ran, he was still taken away.
Tao Ran reassured himself that his life shouldn't be in danger for the time being. After all, in the later part of the novel, there were also superhuman warriors among the ordinary people camps. This meant that even though humans feared and sought to eliminate superhumans, they would still exploit their abilities.
When Tao Ran finally regained full consciousness, he found himself lying in a white room.
Upon seeing him awake, a man looked at him. Tao Ran sat up and asked, "Where am I? Where's my dad?"
The man, appearing to be around thirty years old with a scar above his left eye, glanced at Tao Ran and replied, "Get up. I'll take you somewhere."
Tao Ran got to his feet, feeling perfectly fine at the moment. As he followed the man, he asked Xiao Mei, "How long have I been asleep?"
Xiao Mei responded, "Host, you've slept for twelve hours, and that man has been watching you the entire time."
The thought of a man staring at him while he was asleep made Tao Ran break out in a cold sweat. It was too creepy.
The man led Tao Ran into a spacious house with metallic-sheen walls. Inside, several people similar to the man were present. Once Tao Ran was inside, the man said to him, "Let's begin."
Tao Ran remained silent for a moment before asking, "Begin what?"
"Show us your superpower," the man replied.
"My superpower?" Tao Ran widened his eyes. "What superpower do I have?"
Just then, the door opened from the outside, and the chief who had retreated with him earlier entered the room accompanied by a few people. He stated, "You awakened your superpower while you were unconscious. Now we need you to demonstrate your ability. Li Li, please give him a demonstration."
Li Li, the man with the scar at the corner of his eye, took a few steps back and stood motionless. Suddenly, Tao Ran felt the surrounding temperature plummet as a layer of ice crystals formed on Li Li's body. The ground beneath Li Li's feet also gradually became covered in ice crystals. Afterward, Li Li looked at Tao Ran, gesturing for him to proceed.
A slight twitch appeared at the corner of Tao Ran's mouth as he retorted, "How am I supposed to know how to activate my superpower if you just stand there motionless?"
Impatiently, Li Li looked at Tao Ran and replied, "Close your eyes and feel the power within your body, then let it out."
Xiao Mei scoffed, "Such primitive methods. Host, I can teach you how to control your superpower within a certain range and to regulate its strength."
According to Xiao Mei's instructions, Tao Ran quickly sensed the superpower within his body. With her guidance, he learned to manipulate the superpower within the vicinity of his own body.
As all the eyes in the room remained fixed on Tao Ran, he opened his eyes and found the chief questioning him, "Where is your superpower?"
Tao Ran felt perplexed and responded, "I released it just now."
Li Li took a moment to sense the surroundings and then remarked, "It's not a dispersal-type ability like water or fire. Could it be strength or speed mutation?"
Upon hearing this, disappointment flickered across the commander's face. Strength and speed-based abilities were considered the least useful. Nevertheless, he stated, "Regardless of the type of supernatural ability it is, as long as you truly possess a superpower, it is sufficient."
Tao Ran looked at him with a bewildered expression. Sensing his confusion, the chief pressed on, "The government has assigned a mission to you. Can you complete it?"
Curiosity piqued, Tao Ran inquired, "What kind of mission is it?"
"As an individual with superpowers, we require you to infiltrate the gathering place of superhumans and bring out Dr. Zhen."
Tao Ran clarified, "You mean Sister Zhen?"
"Yes," the chief replied with a smile, looking at Tao Ran intently. "Good child, are you willing to rescue Dr. Zhen?"
Tao Ran, who was actually worried about not having a chance to find Kui Qingqing, couldn't have been more eager for an opportunity like this. However, he still pretended to hesitate and said, "But what about my dad..."
"Don't worry," the chief said. "Your father will receive the best care here."
Looking at the seemingly benevolent chief in front of him, Tao Ran maintained his composure, pretending not to understand the underlying threat. He asked, "But can I really rescue Sister Zhen from that place?"
"Don't worry," the commander reassured him. Now that Tao Ran had agreed, the chief smiled and said, "We're not asking you to directly rescue Dr. Zhen. Instead, we want you to gather information from inside and transmit it out. We will send our team to cooperate with you and rescue her together."
Tao Ran solemnly nodded and declared, "Alright. Sister Zhen has been kind to me, and I am willing to go on a mission to rescue her."
The chief, who had prepared a plethora of persuasive words, felt a subtle sense of disappointment upon the matter being resolved so easily. Perhaps this was the so-called sorrow of not encountering a worthy opponent?
Given the highly confidential nature of the mission, even Chao Feng couldn't be informed, and Tao Ran was swiftly escorted away without another glimpse of his father.
During the journey, he was accompanied by several superhumans affiliated with the government. Tao Ran couldn't help but wonder why they would serve the government that sought to eradicate superhumans.
Later, his curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn't help but ask.
As Li Li sat in the car, his gaze fixed on the distance, a hint of confusion appeared on his typically stern face. He replied, "Aren't you also serving the government?"
Tao Ran thought, how could this be the same? Does that mean that your father is also detained by the government?
Li Li said, "I know that one day, after we help the government eliminate all superhumans, we will become their next targets for elimination. Yet, I still chose to do it."
Li Li's gaze shifted to a few leisurely floating white clouds in the clear azure blue sky. A smile appeared on his lips as he spoke, "But what other choice do we have? If every human becomes a superhuman, it would spell the end of our race. Since everyone is destined to perish, I'd rather sacrifice myself to ensure the continued existence of human beings."
Tao Ran admired this kind of spirit, yet he couldn't help but feel that if such a scenario truly unfolded in his real world, he wouldn't be the type to selflessly give up his life for others. Most likely, he would seek a hiding place, avoiding causing harm to others while also evading detection.
After several days of traveling in circles, they finally reached a dilapidated town.
Although the town wasn't particularly far, Li Li and the others intentionally took a roundabout route, so much so that it took them several days to arrive.
Li Li instructed Tao Ran to exit the car and pointed ahead, saying, "The gathering place of superhumans is right there. From this point forward, you'll have to rely on yourself. We'll be stationed outside the town. If you come across anything noteworthy, find a way to inform us."
Tao Ran stood in place, observing their departure. To evade detection by the superhumans, he alighted from the vehicle in a nearby forest. However, before fully parting ways, he couldn't resist asking a final question, "Why did you select me? After all, you are all superhumans and have the ability to enter the gathering place as well."
Li Li, displaying a rare display of patience, responded, "The rest of us have had frequent encounters and clashes with them, making us easily recognizable. However, you're different. You are a true newcomer to the world of superhumans, and they won't suspect you."
Tao Ran acknowledged with a nod. Stepping out of the woods, he was quickly spotted by the superhumans in the town.
A group of superhumans encircled Tao Ran, their attention piqued by the fluctuations of his powers. Were it not for these emanations, they might have mistaken him for an ordinary person.
"Kid," a man with vibrant red hair addressed him, "What are you doing here?"
The calmness in Tao Ran's eyes dissipated, replaced by a pitiful expression. He uttered, "I'm here to find someone."
"Who are you looking for?"
"Big sister Kui Qingqing."
"Shit..."
Initially, looking at the kid's wimpy face, the red-haired man was ready to bully him. Little did he expect that the boy actually knew the female Shura, Kui Qingqing. This…
So in the end, he dutifully escorted Tao Ran to Kui Qingqing, who received Tao Ran with an undisguised astonishment evident on her face.
"Why are you here?"
Tao Ran replied, "Didn't you say that if I also became a superhuman, I could come to find you?"
Kui Qingqing scratched her head and replied, "Yes, I did say that, but how did you manage to arrive here?"
"I walked here," Tao Ran lowered his head, examining his worn-out shoes. He whispered, "After I hugged you that day, it didn't take long for my powers to awaken. My dad urged me to leave immediately because staying there would mean death. So, I sneaked away. Lost and unsure of where to go, I came to find you."
Kui Qingqing's lips twitched. So is it my fault that you ended up like this?
Helplessly, she circled around Tao Ran and asked, "What kind of powers do you possess?"
"I... I don't know," Tao Ran replied.
"Damn it." If it were anyone else, Kui Qingqing would have taken action long ago. But this teenager seemed like he would crumble with just a light touch. Suddenly, she was unsure of how to proceed.
Kui Qingqing said, "How can you not know? Try using your powers and let me see."
Obediently, Tao Ran unleashed his powers, but there were no visible changes in his surroundings. Kui Qingqing wondered, "Could it be strength or speed mutation?"
While speaking, Kui Qingqing approached Tao Ran, intending to touch his shoulder. However, suddenly she felt her feet give way, causing her to lose balance. Unexpectedly, instead of falling, she found herself suspended in mid-air. Tao Ran looked at Kui Qingqing, who resembled a flailing duck in mid-air, and felt the urge to laugh but restrained himself. With the assistance of the system, how could he not know his own powers? His ability was telekinesis—he could manipulate objects.
Kui Qingqing yelled in the air, "Lower me down right now!"
Tao Ran inquired, "How do I bring you down?"
Kui Qingqing angrily shouted, "You fool! Just withdraw your powers!"
"Oh," Tao Ran obediently retracted his powers.
With the sudden loss of power support, Kui Qingqing fell to the ground with her butt in the air. "Ahh!"