episode_0061

“How was it detected?”

Xu Nian instinctively asked out of curiosity.

Leng Xiao turned her gaze toward Xu Nian.

That gaze was icy cold, as if she had just gnawed on ten pounds of ice in winter, or as though someone owed her a million yuan and still hadn’t repaid it.

But it definitely wasn’t Xu Nian who owed her.

Xu Nian shrank her neck slightly.

“Uh, I was just asking.”

“Actually, it’s nothing. This is an ability of the [Serenity] path. Wherever Emotion Beasts appear, the emotional fluctuations in the area tend to be extremely intense. As long as I detect that, it’s usually a safe bet.”

Leng Xiao paused briefly before explaining.

Her earlier cold demeanor was likely because her Serenity value had spiked too high.

As a four-star [Serenity] Emotion Wielder, her preference for quiet and silence was only natural.

Though she got her answer, another flicker of curiosity rose in Xu Nian’s heart.

“What if it’s not an Emotion Beast?”

“If it’s not an Emotion Beast, then it means there’s unrest, or something else. Either way, we still need to respond.”

“Would something like a concert count?”

“Events like concerts require prior reporting to the Public Security Bureau.”

“What if a [Serenity] Emotion Beast appears? Serenity against Serenity must be tricky, right? Do other squads also have Serenity Emotion Wielders?”

“You seem to have a few too many questions.”

A hint of impatience crept into Leng Xiao’s voice.

“Ah, I just finished the crash course, so I’m still a bit confused about these things.” Xu Nian scratched her head sheepishly—she really might have been asking too much.

Xiao Ge stepped in at the right moment to smooth things over.

“Serenity depends on the situation. With Leng Xiao here, Serenity Emotion Beasts below four stars wouldn’t dare enter this area. And anything above four stars… isn’t something we can handle.”

“What if a five-star Emotion Beast appears?”

“Do you know what it means for a five-star Emotion Beast to appear?” Xiao Ge asked calmly.

Xu Nian shook her head.

“Sorry, I don’t think I’ve covered that yet. After all, I don’t have much teaching experience, so oversights are bound to happen.”

Chen Qiu chimed in with an apologetic smile. “Xu Nian, if a five-star appears, it means the disaster would affect the entire city. Five-star beings can already be considered to have stepped into the realm of the inhuman.”

“Because of that, the ranking system can be divided like this: one to four stars belong to the mortal realm, five to eight stars are the divine realm, and then nine and ten stars. Don’t underestimate Captain Xiao for being just four stars—four-star Emotion Wielders are already incredibly rare and more than enough to oversee an entire region.”

Xu Nian nodded.

Chen Qiu had already explained nine and ten stars.

Those were realms no one had ever reached.

Nine-star wielders were perpetually on the verge of losing control, practically no different from being insane.

And ten-star wielders, with their emotions fixed at 100%, would become slaves to their emotions.

“Alright, no need to say more. You’ll learn in time. Are you coming along? It might mean some overtime, but it’s a good chance for real combat experience.”

“I’ll go, but I need to let my parents know I’m safe.”

Xiao Ge nodded in agreement. “Just tell them you’re volunteering at the Public Security Bureau.”

“Mm, thanks, Captain.”

He even prepared an excuse for her?

Admittedly, it was a pretty good one—enough to ease her parents’ worries and give her a legitimate reason for being at the bureau.

So Xu Nian confidently called her mother. “Mom, Qingya and I might be back late, so don’t save dinner for us.”

“What? How late?”

“Uh, I’m not sure. Could be really late, or maybe early.”

Xu Nian really couldn’t say for certain.

It all depended on how quickly they dealt with the Emotion Beast.

“Fine, fine. A couple’s date, huh? Mom gets it. Just come back soon.”

“It’s not a date! We’re volunteering at the Public Security Bureau.”

“Sure, sure, a ‘date’ at the bureau. Mom won’t tease you. Just be safe and don’t stay out too late.”

Xu Nian’s face burned.

Not that there was anything wrong with dating.

But why wouldn’t her mom believe the truth?

And here she’d been so confident in her prepared excuse.

Whatever. If her mom wouldn’t listen, fine. It didn’t matter.

She’d have a use for that excuse sooner or later.

After hanging up, she didn’t waste time on unnecessary chatter.

Xiao Ge called two more team members, and they were ready to leave immediately.

They didn’t change into uniforms—official Emotion Wielders seemed to operate in plain clothes, probably because their targets were Emotion Beasts.

No need for uniforms to intimidate.

Regular clothes helped them blend into crowds and avoid causing panic.

Though Xiao Ge’s squad had nine members aside from Xu Nian and Su Qingya, they didn’t mobilize everyone for every crisis.

Xiao Ge, Leng Xiao, a Joy Emotion Wielder, and a Sorrow Emotion Wielder were usually enough.

Both of the latter were women.

The Joy Emotion Wielder, Gu Tong, handled communication and intelligence gathering.

The Sorrow Emotion Wielder, Jiang Xue, used support-type Emotion Artifacts for emergencies.

Xu Nian had seen a Sorrow Emotion Wielder’s abilities before.

Their sobs could stir pity in others while also making Emotion Artifacts easier for them to control.

Though the Death Lantern was now in Xu Nian’s hands, the team still had other artifacts, so Jiang Xue could still provide support.

“Xu Nian, right? D-During the mission, stay with us, okay? Since you’re holding the Death Lantern, you’ll need to be ready for emergencies.”

From the back seat, Jiang Xue’s timid, tearful voice drifted over.

Xu Nian was in the driver’s seat, responsible for driving.

Normally, one car could fit four people, but with two extra, they needed two cars.

Coincidentally, aside from Leng Xiao, Xu Nian was the only other one who could drive.

Why hadn’t Xiao Ge learned to drive?

Weird.

“Got it, Senior.”

“S-Senior? I-I don’t deserve that… As for Su Qingya… Even though you’re on the combat path, you’re still a one-star Emotion Wielder. For safety, you should stay with us too.”

“Um…”

Su Qingya, sitting in the passenger seat, hesitated.

“I want to go with Captain Xiao. I’ve made up my mind to get stronger, so… I want to see the battlefield.”

“Is that so? But we should still get the captain’s approval first.”

Xu Nian stayed silent. As a support-path wielder with no real combat skills, she really wasn’t suited to charge into battle alongside Su Qingya.

But still…

“Maybe I should also—”

“No!”

Jiang Xue and Su Qingya spoke in unison.

Su Qingya was worried about Xu Nian’s safety.

Jiang Xue, meanwhile, needed Xu Nian—who controlled the Death Lantern—to stay on the perimeter, ready to trap any fleeing Emotion Beasts.

“Fine.”

Xu Nian’s hard-won courage was thoroughly doused by the two of them.

She’d just have to behave. Relying on others wasn’t so bad…

Staying on the sidelines wasn’t a big deal. Maybe she could even experiment with her artifact’s abilities while she was bored.

Damn it! What’s wrong with the support path?!

Why couldn’t it be the Joy path?!

Xu Nian’s car followed behind Leng Xiao’s, watching as Leng Xiao gradually slowed down. Xu Nian matched her speed.

Finally, the two police cars parked a short distance from a hospital.

“Let’s go.”