Chapter 31: The Gifted

Lying in bed, Ye Luo was still wrapped in a thick down jacket, the heavy quilt pressing over her. Only like this could she feel a trace of warmth. But this time, she actually began to feel hot. Ye Luo threw off the quilt and went to the window. She took out her phone, its screen completely dimmed, and, borrowing the moonlight, struggled to make out the time.

"April 10th, five o'clock sharp."

Ye Luo narrowed her eyes. She had entered the instance at exactly noon, April 10th. Now it was five o’clock. Five full hours had passed. So, she had spent about five hours in the instance as well. Did the time inside the instance synchronize with the real world? Or perhaps, just this instance was synchronized. If it were another one, things might be different.

Ye Luo stood by the window for a while. Usually, no matter how thick her clothes, she wouldn’t dare linger near the door. But now, she only felt a faint chill, which was actually rather pleasant. She considered for a moment, then took off her down jacket. The cold deepened, but it was still bearable. She kept trying, eventually changing into summer clothes—and still did not feel unbearably cold.

A quiet joy stirred in Ye Luo’s heart. This resistance to cold was truly useful. It should be enough to see her through this month’s rules.

In Jiang City, a figure suddenly appeared in a room.

Lin An was dazed for a moment, then overwhelmed with joy. He had survived! And not only that—he’d clung to the expert all the way, and even though he’d lost consciousness towards the end, he’d actually managed to earn an A-rank score!

Unable to contain himself, Lin An showed off his new ability, holding out his hand to reveal a tiny flame in his palm. The power he’d drawn was A-rank: Fire Specialization. At first, he could conjure fire out of thin air; as his experience grew, his power would only increase.

"Son! You actually came back alive!"

At the door, a middle-aged couple was already in tears.

At midnight, that voice had come without warning. Every person had to decide within seconds whether or not to join the instance—there was no chance to discuss with anyone else. Both of them had chosen not to enter, but when they reached Lin An’s room, he had vanished. They’d panicked on the spot. Their naive, sweet-tempered son had dared to enter the instance? Wasn’t that courting death?

At last, Lin An had returned.

Seeing his parents like this, Lin An felt a little embarrassed and cleared his throat. "Not only did I come back, but I also got an A-rank score."

"A-rank?" Lin Xiong narrowed his eyes, clearly interested. "Come, explain in detail."

Lin An gave them a brief overview of the ability rankings. "Anyway, A-rank abilities are already very strong. At this stage, getting an S-rank is almost impossible." He spoke with the air of one explaining the world.

Jiang Yun covered her mouth in disbelief. Was her foolish son really this powerful?

Lin Xiong looked skeptical as well.

Lin An cleared his throat again, then said nonchalantly, "The reason I got an A-rank score this time was mainly thanks to an important skill of mine."

"What skill?" his parents asked expectantly.

Lin An replied solemnly, "Clinging to an expert!"

His parents: "???"

Lin An looked quite proud. "From the very first challenge, I could tell Ye was no ordinary person, so I latched onto her right away. After that, everything could be summed up in two words: effortless victory. Given my keen eye for talent, I think this A-rank was well deserved."

His parents: "…"

Was shamelessness hereditary?

But Lin Xiong’s eyes flashed. "Xiao An, now that this instance is over, a huge number of people have gained extraordinary abilities. The real world is going to get more chaotic. In the five hours you were gone, the government has already enacted emergency protocols. Those who cleared the instance are officially called 'Paranormals,' and they’ve decided to manage Paranormals with Paranormals. The task of forming a Paranormal squad has been assigned to me. You’re my son, and you have an A-rank ability. I plan to use you as a figurehead to recruit more Paranormals. You don’t object, do you?"

Lin An: "???"

Did he really have a choice?

Without waiting for Lin An’s reply, Lin Xiong continued, "By the way, about that expert you mentioned—can you get in touch and try to recruit her as well?"

Lin An immediately became guarded. "Dad, I’m your son, so I have no choice. But don’t even think about dragging the expert into this."

His father was excessively upright. If the expert joined the Paranormal squad, she’d probably have to work nonstop. Lin An was sure Ye Luo wouldn’t like such a life without freedom.

"All right," Lin Xiong relented, though he was still unwilling to give up. "Can’t you at least tell me her name?"

"No," Lin An said resolutely.

He knew the expert’s name—that was a mark of her trust in him! He would never tell anyone, not even his own father.

What Lin An didn’t know was that even if he gave the name, it would be useless. In all the official records, Ye Luo’s name did not exist. If Lin Xiong tried to investigate under that name, he would find nothing.

But Ye Luo wasn’t really deceiving him. She simply disliked the name in the official records and couldn’t be bothered to change it. Ye Luo was just the name she used in daily life.

Lin An wore the look of one who would die before yielding, and Lin Xiong showed a hint of regret. "Forget it, then. Come with me; we need to report the situation of this instance to the top leadership. You can give a firsthand account."

This time, Lin An did not refuse. He knew what should and shouldn’t be said. At the very least, he would never reveal any information about the expert.

April 10th, six o’clock sharp.

Lin An was still reporting at the temporary base. Ye Luo was already preparing to go back to sleep in peace.

Outside, however, the first signs of chaos were stirring.

That night, countless people gained supernatural powers. They found all sorts of ways to vent their excitement. In just one short hour, there had already been multiple fights and even grotesque murders. Ordinary police were no longer able to cope.

At this moment, a voice rang out in the minds of all.

"All players have returned to reality. Instance statistics: Number of survivors: 203,500,674. S-rank clearance: 1; A-rank: 3,440; B-rank: 12,323,169. Death rate: 91.32%! This death rate far exceeds the average. Earth humans, strive harder to clear instances. A final reminder: if you fail the assessment, all humans on Earth will be wiped out."

Just as many were lost in the euphoria of their newfound powers, this sudden announcement poured a bucket of cold water over everyone’s hearts.

When the instance began, they’d been told the death rate was around 77%. In the end, Earth’s first attempt had a death rate of 91%.

Out of 2.1 billion participants, only 200 million survived.

Such a death rate was terrifying.

And the assessments would continue. Even with extraordinary power, could they really survive?

Countless people fell into confusion and despair.

Ye Luo, too, was woken by the system’s voice. She listened patiently, then raised an eyebrow and rolled over to go back to sleep.

Of all the things in the world, sleep was the most important.