Detecting Anomalous Functionality

Tu Ran was clearly a seeded contender, and Ye Hongci's gaze burned with admiration. Every move Tu Ran made was not only astonishingly fast; her angles were vicious—she didn't care about aesthetics, only about landing a decisive hit. Her strength was equally formidable. Ye Hongci had personally trained Tang Ying and knew exactly how much power she possessed. Yet when Tang Ying's leg collided with Tu Ran's, it was Tang Ying who seemed to be giving ground.

Ye Hongci had a vague sense that Tu Ran wasn't going all out. She was holding back her strength and speed. She was far stronger than Tang Ying! Ye Hongci's heart churned with emotion. Someone from Wasteland Star could be this extraordinary? But she couldn't understand why Tu Ran was hiding her full capabilities.

Curious to see what Tu Ran could do at full power, Ye Hongci called out, "The winner of this bout will receive a reward of ten thousand Mental Energy points!" The moment the words left her mouth, the entire training ground erupted in gasps. Not just because of the ten-thousand-point reward, but because Commander Ye was using this prize to force a decisive outcome between the two—didn't that mean she had high hopes for Tu Ran, believing she could match Tang Ying, and was looking forward to the result? Tang Ying was Commander Ye's adopted daughter, her right-hand woman, a blade forged by the commander's own hands. And now, this nobody from Wasteland Star was going toe-to-toe with Tang Ying. Though the outcome was still uncertain, the fact that Commander Ye had proactively added a bonus meant that even if Tu Ran lost, she'd win the commander's approval. Her future was bright.

Jealousy churned in the onlookers' hearts. Weren't they all new members too? Just moments ago, they couldn't last ten minutes under Tang Ying's assault, getting beaten black and blue. But Tu Ran could fight Tang Ying to the point where Commander Ye herself added a prize—why was the gap so huge?

Ai Meigui sat in the front row, an empty stool beside her. She kept her eyes locked on the intense battle between Tu Ran and Tang Ying, biting her lower lip, her hands clenched into fists.

"Bang!" Tu Ran's staff slammed into Tang Ying's left arm, and her entire limb went numb in an instant, forcing her to retreat quickly. Tu Ran didn't pursue—they pulled back, putting distance between them.

"Still want to go on?" Tu Ran asked, looking at Tang Ying. Tang Ying clutched and rubbed her left arm, her face frosty, her eyes glazed with ice. She bit out, "Yes!"

"Then why don't you pick a weapon too?" Tu Ran inquired politely. It felt unfair to be the only one armed.

"No need." Tang Ying's voice carried barely suppressed fury. She curled her right hand into a claw and charged at Tu Ran at full speed.

Tu Ran shrugged. This woman clearly had never tasted defeat. She knew she couldn't win without a weapon, but pride kept her from grabbing one, just like a stubborn kid. If it were Tu Ran, she'd pick the strongest weapon available to boost her chances of victory.

Tang Ying was almost on her, but Tu Ran casually lifted the wooden staff, blocking the attack. Then, without giving Tang Ying a chance to reclaim the initiative, Tu Ran struck first, whipping the staff toward Tang Ying's lower back. Tang Ying dodged to the side, but Tu Ran was relentless, attacking from left and right, above and below, front and back—a 360-degree assault. Her staff moved so fast it was just a blur of white.

Tu Ran loved this kind of fighting. Using that sniper rifle on Zhou Ming had felt oddly satisfying, and later, when she'd mowed down the Pang Family's bodyguards with an SMG at Wanle Temple, it had been even more thrilling. If she hadn't been pressed for time, she'd have beaten every last one of them. The solid, satisfying impact of strikes landing on an enemy—the way the sniper and SMG rounds sank into flesh—was a hundred times more cathartic than snipping enemies from a distance.

Of course, she wasn't fighting Tang Ying to the death now. She was, after all, living under someone else's roof, so she had to leave some room.

Against Tu Ran's full-throttle attack, Tang Ying could barely dodge at first, even squeezing in counterattacks when she found gaps. But then Tu Ran shifted up another gear, and Tang Ying's reaction speed visibly lagged. Legs, arms, waist... One blow after another, each strike sinking into flesh. Tang Ying's rhythm shattered completely. She couldn't think about counterattacking anymore—her only thought was dodging Tu Ran's staff. But the more she gave up on offense, the more Tu Ran could focus solely on attacking without needing to defend, pouring all her energy into the assault.

For a moment, the training ground was filled with nothing but the thwacks and cracks of wood against flesh. The watching trainees couldn't help but wince. Every sharp sound seemed to land on them, and they could almost feel Tang Ying's pain. Some glanced over at Ye Hongci, who was watching the entire match. Even as her adopted daughter was being pummeled, the commander's face still held a faint smile.

With the final strike, Tu Ran's wooden staff flew in at high speed, aimed at Tang Ying's temple. If that landed, Tang Ying would be dead. Tang Ying sensed the danger coming, but her mind was blank, her movements sluggish—she couldn't possibly stop it. Tu Ran moved too fast, and her eyes too resolute. Everyone in the stands believed she was actually going to kill Tang Ying. All their faces turned white in an instant, their hearts leaping to their throats. The supervising instructors had even sprung to their feet, charging at Tu Ran.

The staff stopped abruptly a centimeter from Tang Ying's temple. The gust of displaced air stirred Tang Ying's hair, veiling one of her eyes. Seeing this, the instructors who'd rushed forward dug in their heels, exchanged awkward glances, rubbed their noses, and quietly shuffled back to where they'd been.

"You lose," Tu Ran said, lowering her arm and tossing the staff back into the cart. A flicker of disbelief crossed Tang Ying's eyes; the pride of the past was gone. She lifted her gaze and stared at Tu Ran blankly. "You... are very skilled." She admitted her opponent's excellence, gracefully.

Tu Ran smiled. "You're not bad yourself." Tang Ying really was strong. Without any abilities, she'd held out this long against Tu Ran—more than most ordinary people could ever manage.

Off to the side, Ye Hongci clapped her hands, the sound cutting through the sudden silence of the training ground. "Tu Ran wins. The ten thousand Mental Energy points will be delivered to you this afternoon." The applause snapped everyone out of their daze from that terrifying final strike. They let out long breaths of relief and joined Ye Hongci in applauding. The entire training ground erupted in thunderous applause.

Tang Ying walked back to Ye Hongci without a word. Ye Hongci glanced at her, then patted her shoulder. "Stand tall. It's just one match. You've won too many before; it wouldn't hurt to lose once. I hope you take away something useful from this besides embarrassment." Tang Ying lowered her gaze and said nothing.

The morning's bout ended with Tu Ran's victory.

As Tu Ran was heading to the cafeteria with the crowd, Ai Meigui grabbed her hand and yanked her into a quiet corner. Ai Meigui's face was serious, her gaze intent. "Sister Tu Ran, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" Tu Ran looked at her, puzzled.

"Will you forget me someday?"

Tu Ran: "???" What kind of mushy question was that?!

"Just tell me—when you make it big, will you forget me?" Ai Meigui hugged her arm tight and wouldn't let go. Because she was a head shorter than Tu Ran, she had to crane her neck up to look at her. "Sister Tu Ran, we're good friends, right? And good friends share each other's burdens, right? I've been through all that grueling training with you. Once you rise to the top, you can't just cast me aside."

Tu Ran: So she was just latching onto her coattails? She'd never seen anyone do it so shamelessly out in the open.

"Got it, I won't forget you," Tu Ran said, slipping her arm free. "Let's go eat first. I'm starving after fighting all morning."

Ai Meigui trotted after her like a little tail, chattering away. "Sister Tu Ran, you're so strong and you manage not to brag about it. If it were me, I'd make sure the whole Haendeng Galaxy knew my name, get everyone to recognize me, hehehe, and maybe I could even become Assistant Tang..." They made it to the cafeteria, and Tu Ran shoved food in her mouth to shut her up.

Halfway through the meal, Tu Ran suddenly paused and looked across at Ai Meigui. "Besides piloting mechs, what else can Mental Energy do?" Ai Meigui hurriedly swallowed her food, cleared her throat, and said, "Mental Energy has tons of uses. Piloting mechs is the main one, but people with strong enough Mental Energy can develop hyper-perception—they can sense things ordinary people can't, like a danger instinct, or the location of alien beasts. It's all detectable. Plus, physical fitness improves with abundant Mental Energy—strength, speed, reaction time, all above normal. You even get healthier and live longer. That's why rich folks buy others' Mental Energy."

"So... Assistant Tang is that fast because of Mental Energy?" Tu Ran realized belatedly.

"Exactly. Assistant Tang was born with powerful Mental Energy. That's why Commander Ye chose her as her adopted daughter," Ai Meigui said, curiosity creeping into her voice. "Sister Tu Ran, is your Mental Energy even greater than Assistant Tang's?"

Tu Ran shook her head. "I don't know. I've never been tested." She suspected her Mental Energy wasn't particularly high. The reason she'd beaten Tang Ying was purely because of the inner cores—and those belonged to one system, while Mental Energy belonged to another. The two only overlapped in how they boosted physical attributes, with no real connection between them.

[Congratulations, the owner of this inner core has comprehended the distinction between Mental Energy and inner cores. A new functionality has been unlocked.]

A line of green text flashed before Tu Ran's eyes, and her hand holding the chopsticks trembled.

What is this?!

[I am a sub-functionality of the ability "Ability Detection," operating under the Mental Energy system on its behalf. You may call me the "Counter."]