Bai Xue's awakened ability had poor practical combat effectiveness, but on normal days, she could see the vague silhouettes of anomalies without the aid of props. This was something Jiang Tingqiu and the other investigators were aware of.
"Great terror?"
"It was a very, very great terror, but it only appeared for a moment before disappearing, along with the anomaly's traces."
Bai Xue was confused.
Jiang Tingqiu, however, suddenly understood. "I get it. Miss An already knows we're here. This is a show of force!"
"A show of force?"
"After all, we represent the Investigation Bureau. Awakened individuals like Miss An, who operate independently, probably don't want to be recruited by the Bureau. Moreover, the clues that led us here were deliberately leaked by Miss An."
"She must have her own reasons for contacting us. Giving us a show of force might be her way of wanting to gain the upper hand in the subsequent discussion."
As expected of him!
He had analyzed so much in such a short encounter, and Jiang Tingqiu was quite impressed with himself. But how could someone so brilliant fail to awaken?
Compared to the dull-witted woman next to him, he was more like a special-class investigator, wasn't he!
Alas!
Bai Xue glanced around, wondering why this guy's face seemed a little punchable. How strange?
She was confused.
The group walked forward, and a female investigator among them, Yu Su, stepped up and rang the villa's doorbell.
...
Inside the villa, An Jianyou no longer dared to experiment with her awakened abilities, but she was still getting accustomed to her post-awakening body and all the changes it brought.
It was miraculous.
Once awakened, she felt as if she had broken free from restraints, her entire body incredibly light, comfortable everywhere.
This power, in fact, was still a gift from her mentor. With a mere gesture, her mentor had guided the changes within her, making her undergo a complete transformation.
Even though this was not the first time she had witnessed such wondrous power, An Jianyou was still shocked, shocked for a hundred years.
Such wondrous power that could grant strength from afar, just how powerful was her mentor!
An Jianyou felt that with her current meager knowledge, it was difficult to imagine... However, she also knew that her mentor's bestowment of power came at a cost.
Every easy gain in strength was marked with a corresponding price.
She still didn't fully understand it, and could only hope she was worthy of the price her mentor paid.
She did a set of yoga, several sets of broadcast gymnastics, and then, while drinking and laughing, practiced Taekwondo, which she had taken classes for. Every punch and kick carried immense power... An Jianyou felt she could install a punching bag at home.
At times, she practiced anomaly control, and at other times, the Eye of the Mystic.
Her mentor had said that a strenuous mission would occur in two days, urging her to seize the time to improve herself. The mission might be very challenging, but An Jianyou's focus was on another of her mentor's words.
Her mentor had said that other torchbearers would also be present.
Others!
Due to the scarcity of torchbearers and their individual missions, they rarely met. An Jianyou herself had never met any torchbearer companions.
She was curious about their identities, appearances, and strength.
And if this mission was so challenging, would her mentor be present? She had never seen her mentor before. She imagined her mentor to be a gentle and handsome young man, or perhaps a gentle and handsome middle-aged man.
Oh, she was so looking forward to it!
"Ding-a-ling~!"
The villa's doorbell suddenly rang. An Jianyou stopped her workout, glanced around, and saw that Xiao Hei One and Xiao Hei Two had already been recalled. She then looked up at the ceiling, where the cracks and holes were still visible.
An Jianyou: Emmm.
There was nothing she could do about that. She'd find someone to fix it later... Hey, could she catch a repairman anomaly? Many anomalies' behavioral logic was tied to their roles; perhaps a repairman anomaly would actually fix things.
An Jianyou tidied her clothes and went to open the door. At this time, the only people who would visit her home were her best friend. But recently, her movements had been 'suspicious' as she secretly guarded Baijiang City. This kind of thing required absolute discretion, and she couldn't let others get involved with anomalies. According to her mentor, the more people interacted with anomalies, the more likely they were to be targeted by them.
She also wished her best friend would visit her less often.
Out of caution, An Jianyou glanced at the monitor. The moment she did, she froze. There were several people outside, and two of them were wearing black attire... While that wouldn't normally be a problem, she had seen similar attire before!
How did they find her house!
I-I-I... An Jianyou froze, standing at the door, unsure whether to open it or run, her heart in turmoil.
If her identity were discovered, what should she do? Help me!
...
Taiping Residential Area, Fang You's home.
The mobile phone placed on the table emitted a beeping sound. Fang You exclaimed in surprise.
This phone was an old device that hosted the Salvation Game. A ringing sound could only be related to the game. He quickly picked it up and saw a conspicuous red dot on the Apostle list, an insistent red dot that a perfectionist like him couldn't ignore.
As soon as he tapped it, he saw An Jianyou's character icon shaking, looking very anxious.
He glanced at it and fell silent.
This girl was invited for tea by the Investigation Bureau? Oh, not yet, she was about to be... How was she discovered?
Fang You's mind raced.
He had observed An Jianyou's missions several times. While this girl couldn't compare to him in terms of caution, she was very discreet when eliminating anomalies. Her combat methods were also concealed; she would deliver precise strikes to anomalies and then quickly withdraw. From his perspective, the entire process was quite careful.
If she was found even like this, it wouldn't be... by a chance encounter, would it?
Fang You paced back and forth.
He had harbored a bold idea before, and as the thought circled, he realized, "It might not be a bad thing. The investigators are just coming to my door. Isn't this the opportunity I've been seeking?"
This was a suitable chance.
Fang You felt it was not a big deal... Perhaps it was because An Jianyou, not he himself, was the one being cornered. As the mentor of the torchbearers, Fang You was not flustered at all. At most, he would just think about being more careful when eliminating anomalies in the future.
He calmly replied to An Jianyou's message.
...
"Representing the torchbearers to negotiate with the Investigation Bureau, you can reveal some information appropriately."
Her mentor's words echoed in An Jianyou's mind.
The girl immediately calmed down. Her mentor was watching! But she still had a slight concern: what did "appropriately reveal" mean? She was just a new member of the organization. If such an important matter was entrusted to her, would she really mess it up?
An Jianyou patted her cheeks, striving to calm herself down. Then, she adopted a poker face, honed during her practice when anomalies were all around.
She pushed the door open.
...
"She's here! She's out!"
Jiang Tingqiu, of course, recognized An Jianyou. He had also looked up some photos of An Jianyou during his investigation over the past two days.
The girl in the photos looked frail, always on the verge of tears, making it impossible to imagine that she was a powerful awakened individual with wondrous abilities.
The An Jianyou who appeared before them now was different.
Her face was expressionless, and a faint, ethereal blue light seemed to emanate from the depths of her beautiful eyes, subtly exuding a powerful mental pressure.
She had just awakened and had mostly familiarized herself with her body, but the surging mental power was still active.
It was far from affecting reality, but to the eyes of Jiang Tingqiu and the other investigators, the current An Jianyou exuded a powerful aura, like a queen.
"As expected of someone from that mysterious organization."
"As expected of someone who can command anomalies."
"So strong!"