Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A Knock on His Door

1

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Xia Ping’an took a deep breath. He reached out his hand and opened the door. The face of the man wearing a black windbreaker appeared in his view.

“Hello? May I know who you are looking for?” Xia Ping’an asked calmly.

“Of course, I came looking for you!” the man quickly answered.

Xia Ping’an pondered for a moment. He then stepped aside and allowed the man into the house.

When the man entered, he looked around Xia Ping’an’s home with great interest. Xia Ping’an closed the door and turned to face the man.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mo Yanshao, the director of the National Order Council, Xianghe City branch. We met yesterday,” the man said with a sharp gaze. He looked at Xia Ping’an with a look of professional scrutiny. He suddenly made Xia Ping’an feel pressured.

The National Order Council was the most powerful organization in the Great Flame Republic. This organization was famous and carried great authority. It not only had great influence in the republic, but also across various countries in the world.

In many movies, such an organization and its members regularly appeared. They were powerful, cold, and cruel. There was almost nothing that they could not do. They caused the criminals and the monsters that invaded this dimension to tremble in awe before them. The history of the National Order Council of the Great Flame Republic could be traced back a few hundred years.

“You are...the Lighter!” Xia Ping’an exclaimed as his gaze shifted. He recalled this man’s terrifying movements and summoning techniques.

“The term Lighter is from way back. We have not used it in a long time. The Great Flame Republic is now a nation ruled by law. We are merely a group of special officers who serve the state apparatus and the nation’s interests. All our operations are within the legal framework. We do not simply commit murder unless the person deserves death,” Mo Yanshao explained as he looked at Xia Ping’an. A faint smile appeared in the corner of his mouth. “As an Awakened, your clairvoyance is very powerful. It is just that if you encounter a person like me, it is still easy to be discovered.”

Since someone already came knocking on his door, Xia Ping’an instead calmed down. He turned around and poured the man a glass of water. He placed it on the living room table and then sat down in front of the man. “I am still unfamiliar with controlling my ability,” he admitted. “I also never imagined that you had the same ability!”

“Clairvoyance is rare among the Awakened. However, it is not unheard of. Coincidentally, I am one of those who possess it as well. May I ask when did you discover that you had such an ability?”

“Hmm, a few days ago. I was also surprised when I suddenly had this ability,” Xia Ping’an replied calmly. He was too lazy to even act surprised.

A few days ago? Such a lie! The corners of Mo Yanshao’s mouth curled into a smile. He knew Xia Ping’an was lying.

According to the law of the Great Flame Republic, every Awakened had to report their ability to the National Order Council within two weeks of discovering it. Xia Ping’an had not done so all this while.

2

If his clairvoyance had been awakened before this and Xia Ping’an had kept it hidden without reporting it for so many years, he had clearly violated a few provisions in the Public Safety Act and Regulatory Act for the Awakened.

However, if Xia Ping’an had only awakened to his ability a few days ago, then it was within reason that he had yet to report it. The law would not hold Xia Ping’an accountable.

Anyway, Mo Yanshao was not here to find fault with Xia Ping’an and inform him of the law. He did not care what Xia Ping’an had done before this. What was more important was what Xia Ping’an would do in the future.

“Have you revealed your clairvoyance in front of anyone before? Or does anyone else know about this ability of yours? Please answer truthfully. This question might concern your own safety,” Mo Yanshao stated with a stern look on his face.

Xia Ping’an thought for a moment and then shook his head and replied, “I just awakened to this ability. No one else knows about it.”

Not only did he hide the fact that he had clairvoyance, he also worked hard, stayed in a cheap apartment, and ded himself to raising his younger sister. His maturity was not something ordinary youths had.

When faced with such people, it was useless to try to win them over with grandiose speech. Even the law had little control over them. Xia Ping’an clearly knew what legal consequences he would have to face for hiding his ability, yet he still chose to do so. It meant that he was prepared to face the consequences.

1

People like Xia Ping’an were matured, determined, and had their own set of moral principles and worldview. They were highly disciplined and had acute judgment. Ordinary methods were useless in winning them over.

Mo Yanshao took a deep breath. He extended two fingers and said, “Twenty thousand! I will reward you 20,000 for every demonic rat you find.”

1

Mo Yanshao spoke with confidence and went straight to the point. “I know you are in need of money. This is the bounty issued by the National Order Council. There are two summoners in the team that you’ll be working with. Experienced combat squad members from the National Order Council will be with you. They will ensure that you’ll not be in danger. You just need to follow them and point out where the demonic rats are. They will be in charge of the battle. You are not required to join in the battle.”

“Twenty thousand?” Xia Ping’an rubbed his face. In an instant, he put on a loyal and bold face, saying, “Director Mo, as a citizen of the Great Flame Republic, I am resolved to help the country and the people to stand against the dimensional invasion. I am always ready to contribute my ability to the country and society. Therefore, I have decided to help your team to locate the demonic rats.”

11

The corner of Mo Yanshao’s mouth twitched. He was somewhat surprised by how fast Xia Ping’an changed his attitude. Speechless, he stared at Xia Ping’an for a few seconds, then he said, “You’re really...”

At this instant, Mo Yanshao couldn’t find the right words to describe Xia Ping’an. Money-driven? Shameless? These words seemed to only capture part of Xia Ping’an’s personality. They couldn’t describe him as a whole. Mo Yanshao felt that Xia Ping’an was hard to comprehend.

Within these few minutes of interaction, Mo Yanshao had a feeling that Xia Ping’an was hiding another side of himself. He was elusive.

Xia Ping’an sighed and threw his hands in the air helplessly, saying, “Director Mo, it is very costly to raise a younger sister who loves drawing. Besides, it’s almost time to pay rent. The landlord will not take anything less than the amount agreed upon.”

“Can we go now?”

Xia Ping’an haggled, “Can you pay me 10,000 first? If I find the two demonic rats, you only need to pay me the remaining 30,000. If I fail the mission, the 10,000 will be used as compensation for my hard work and trauma. Your unit should have a fund for special missions and the sort, right? I’ll be able to work in peace with the money in my hands already. Otherwise, I will always be thinking about it, and it will distract me from focusing. After all, I’m risking my life to help you all. I don’t get paid regularly. I don’t even know when I will be able to come back after I leave the house now. I might not be able to go to work as usual too.”

4

Mo Yanshao was silent for a moment. “Erm... I don’t have any money with me now...”

“Let’s sign an IOU first then!”

3

Xia Ping’an turned around and conjured up a paper and a pen.

Mo Yanshao took a deep breath and quickly issued an IOU for Xia Ping’an. Then, he saw Xia Ping’an placing the document in a drawer. In a husky voice, Mo Yanshao asked, “Can we go now?”

“Wait a second. My sister will be home tonight. Let me leave a message for her.”

As Xia Ping’an said this, he wrote a note for Xia Ning swiftly. He then left the note on the table in the living room and used a glass as a paperweight.

After he left the note, Xia Ping’an looked at Mo Yanshao and said firmly, “We can go now.”

3