Abilities Everywhere

Tu Ran glanced at him. In the two days she'd known Qiu Jian, he wasn't one to start a conversation.

"What's his name?" she asked casually.

"God."

"Uh... that blunt?" Tu Ran raised an eyebrow.

Qiu Jian nodded.

Tu Ran: Fine. Rich people's minds, she'd never understand.

"What are you two whispering about back there?" Qi Tongda, who had been walking ahead, stopped and turned to look at them.

Qiu Jian passed him without a flicker of expression.

Qi Tongda let out a "tsk" at his back.

Tu Ran walked past him too, leaving a parting shot. "What's Mr. Qi muttering about back there alone? Aren't you going to catch up?"

Qi Tongda: "..." Utterly speechless.

The group split up on the third floor.

This floor held temporary lounges, with a spacious corridor running through it. On one side, a row of adjoining rest room doors; on the other, golden railings that gave a full view of the grand hall below. Their External Affairs Group Nine, along with two other teams, was assigned to watch over this floor.

First, they had to sweep every rest room on the floor for hazards before the banquet began—eliminating all possible threats.

Tu Ran pushed open each door, strolled around inside, then stepped back out.

After more than an hour of consecutive checks, all the rest rooms were finally declared safe.

Next came the matter of assigning each person a post during the banquet—who would watch which area.

That was left to Ye Qingcai and the leaders of the other two teams; none of the rank-and-file had any say.

The six of them gathered together.

Tu Ran ran her hand over the golden relief on the railing, then scraped at it with a fingernail.

Young Master Qi immediately craned his neck, glancing shadily toward the surveillance cameras around them, and lowered his voice. "Tu Ran, are you sick? Why are you scratching at that? They'll think we're thieves."

"Scrape a bit off and sell it," Tu Ran teased. She wasn't that broke, nor was she stupid enough to claw gold with her bare hands.

Qi Tongda's face flickered with complexity. "You're this poor?"

"That's right. I don't even know where my next meal's coming from," she said with feigned composure.

Young Master Qi thought it over. "Broke-ass. Next time you've got no cash for food, come find your young master. I'll graciously spare a bottle of nutrient fluid to tide you over."

"Thanks, sire, for your boundless grace." Tu Ran tossed off the line airily and went to touch the gold elsewhere.

Not for any real reason—just to feel the texture and soak up a little fortune.

Zhou Ming, still in place, shot Qi Tongda a sideways glance and sneered. "Truly rich but dim. Buys anything you feed him. No way a Pioneer Team member's so broke she can't keep the pot boiling."

He earned a glare for his trouble, and a knee that itched to strike.

Mindful that they were in the middle of a mission, Qi Tongda quashed the urge to kick him.

Tu Ran's post was in the corner by the staircase on the third floor. From there, everyone going up or down the stairs had to pass her, and she could reach any floor below in time if something went down. She also had a full view of the entire Wanle Temple.

It was a position practically custom-made for her.

At six in the evening, guests began trickling in.

Tu Ran received a real-time locator feed. As each guest appeared, her visor displayed their name, background, and position in the Federal Government. Everything was laid out clearly before her eyes without obstructing her view of anyone's appearance.

Zero had sent it over—far more reliable than Stephen Wells simply telling her to memorize everything.

Men and women in gorgeous attire and immaculate makeup filed in one after another, exchanging greetings and pleasantries. The vast banquet hall steadily filled, waiters weaving through the crowd to attend to their needs.

Tu Ran stood on the third floor, one arm draped casually over the ornate golden railing, tracing its patterns with her fingers.

[Eternal Youth]

Description: The owner's trillions of cells have their growth cycle extended to twice the original, meaning the owner can live nearly twice as long as an ordinary person.

Level: Basic.

Note: Everything comes at a price. The owner heals at half the normal human rate. There are other drawbacks, to be discovered by the user.

[Shadow Storage]

Description: The owner gains an external storage space, usable only in shadows. The owner may store or retrieve items only in areas of shadow, natural or artificial. No one but the owner will ever detect it.

Level: Intermediate.

Note: Space is limited. Store and retrieve frequently.

[Limb Regeneration]

Description: Ever seen a gecko? Ah, you may have seen the species in a museum. A gecko will shed its tail to escape danger and grow it back later. Congratulations—you now share that lizard's ability. You may sever any of your limbs and regrow them within three days.

Level: Basic.

Note: The level cap is strict. The gap between Basic and Advanced is vast. The owner should note and respect this—do not try it carelessly.

Not even half an hour past six, and she'd already spotted three different abilities. It was enough to show just how many inner cores these upper-class types had swallowed, and how many Pioneers who'd died in the field hadn't been lost to the Threshold—but to people like these.

Tu Ran swallowed her irritation and recited what she saw in a mechanical tone. "Song Yuling, Eternal Youth. Pang Zhongqi, Limb Regeneration."

"Recorded." Zero's voice sounded in her ear.

Tu Ran kept watching the hall, letting her gaze rest cautiously on the woman with Shadow Storage.

Xiang Dajun.

A member of the Xiang family—ranked tenth in the Federation, with fingers in every industry. Xiang Dajun was from a collateral branch, low on the family totem pole, managing one of their entertainment companies.

Shadow Storage was exactly what she needed right now.

Tu Ran mulled over how to get close to Xiang Dajun, obtain the ability, and avoid Zero's notice.

It wouldn't be easy.

Zero could offer her immense help, but she didn't want to reveal her abilities to anyone—least of all Zero and whoever pulled its strings behind the scenes, Xie Xu.

Every single ability could become a final trump card. She couldn't afford to be careless.

She'd plan for that later. Tu Ran tucked Xiang Dajun to the back of her mind and fixed her eyes on the hall's entrance again, letting no one slip past.

Seven o'clock arrived.

The guests grew more numerous, their statuses higher.

Tu Ran's eyes blurred.

"Wu Boya, Photographic Memory. Yan Shuiying, Enhanced Olfaction. Yin Shalin, Iron Wall. Domi Wells, Transmutation, Phase Shift..."

From initial shock to mechanical recitation, her mouth kept rolling off the abilities she saw without pause.

Then her nose began to itch, and a warm trickle ran down to her chin.