Outside the Tactical Bureau's conference room, Li Dan said to Yu Kuangtu, "You can go back to work; I've got this under control."

"No way," Yu Kuangtu shook his head. "That Mr. Chuan... if he causes trouble, you won't be able to withstand a single move."

Li Dan didn't care about this assessment at all. He saw himself as a Scout Cultivator, with his practice in Spells focusing primarily on gathering intelligence, with combat as a secondary concern. It could be said that the unsolved and difficult cases that had piled up in the Lian River Tactical Bureau were all solved by his investigations.

His ability to become the captain of the first team of the Lian River Tactical Bureau was only partly due to his combat capabilities. In terms of fighting, Yu Kuangtu typically held the front lines. With the assistance of other team captains, Li Dan mainly took charge of the bureau's performance.

Last month, during the first internal assessment within the national countermeasure system, Lianjiang City scored third in national Transcendent stability, largely due to the efforts of the first team led by Li Dan.

Of course, no matter how formidable Li Dan was, he couldn't shake the number one position held by Sky Capital—hardly any Transcendents dared to cause trouble there. The monthly incidents involving Transcendents were in the single digits, truly incomparable.

"So you think you could handle it?" asked Li Dan.

"I..." Yu Kuangtu pondered for a moment. "Even if he isn't an Awakener, he still possesses at least rare level affinity for Spells, plus a Cultivation of the Fourth Stage or above... As long as his Magic System isn't Water or Ice, I might not be able to stop him, but I can hold him off."

Certainly, there were strong and weak differences in Spell affinity, but the current countermeasure system lacked a comprehensive evaluation system for it. The bureau members classified Spell affinities based on their own experiences: Defective Affinity, Normal Affinity, Rare Affinity, Flawless Affinity, and Perfect Affinity.

Defective Affinity means that the Cultivator has extreme difficulty casting Spells from that system, manifesting as the inability to cast Spells of their own level. Only a High-Tier Cultivator can learn Low-Level Magic.

Normal Affinity means that the Cultivator can learn Spells of their own level.

Rare Affinity is when a Cultivator can learn Spells one tier higher and slightly strengthen the power of the Spells.

Flawless Affinity allows learning Spells one tier higher and significantly enhances the power of the Spells.

Perfect Affinity is that of an Awakener—who naturally possesses the corresponding Spells and can easily master other Spells within that system.

Take Li Dan, for example: he could quickly master any Spell related to the five senses, though these Spells might not be as useful as his own awakened Spells.

"I must keep an eye on him here; besides, it's an order from above," said Yu Kuangtu. "A Third-turn Cultivator has already entered a transcendent Non-Human state. For a Fourth-Stage Cultivator... I'm afraid Hot Weapons would hardly pose a threat to him. Only a barrage of collective gunfire could slightly suppress him—and that's if he doesn't know a Fourth-Tier Rank Protective Spell."

"If he really causes trouble, I'm the only one in the Tactical Bureau who could entangle him. At least, until I'm dead, I won't let him have the chance to hurt anyone else."

Li Dan laughed. "Didn't you just get a girlfriend? Why are you still always talking about death?"

Seeming to recall Qin Lian, Yu Kuangtu smiled faintly. "Yes, I got a girlfriend... But she just makes me cherish life more. This won't make me hesitate for a moment when I need to face death."

"Speaking of which, I might not be a good man, and perhaps not a good husband or father in the future."

"Don't be so pessimistic, Deputy Director," Qiao Muyi, having overheard their conversation, came over, patted Yu Kuangtu's shoulder, and comforted, "Maybe you'll be single for life?"

Yu Kuangtu felt a sharp jab in his heart and shook his head vigorously. "How could that be possible? I'll never end up like Ren Suo."

Li Dan, however, agreed. "I think it's quite possible. Both of you seem like the kind of people unsuited for marriage—lonely losers in life."

"No, no, no, my life is definitely a bit better than Ren Suo's. For example, I have a girlfriend now. And him?"

"That doesn't prove anything. After you break up, you'll still be at the same level as Ren Suo. I actually think Ren Suo's life might be a bit better than yours. At least he has more free time than you, so he can spend it with a girlfriend, unlike you, who's always busy with work."

Yu Kuangtu shook his head. "He may have free time, but he's got to make good use of it. Anyway, I'm at a higher level than he is now. Even if Ren Suo finds a partner later, at best, he'll be about the same as me—unless he gets married and has children...

"Even having a son won't do. Based on my experience as a son, a son might even decrease one's happiness in life.

"Unless he has a daughter, it can't be said that his life is happier than mine.

"Though, that's probably something for the far-off future."

Li Dan nodded. "True enough..."

Hm? Is the premise of the conversation now assuming that Ren Suo's future will be one of lifelong loneliness?

Listening to the idle chatter of these two senior officials of the Tactical Bureau, Muyi held back her laughter and enthusiastically agreed, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you guys make sense."

All of a sudden, the conference room door opened from the inside. Yu Kuangtu and the others immediately reined in their relaxed demeanor, directing their Qi Cyclones as they watched Mr. Chuan and the man in the suit emerge.

"Pazhou," the man in the suit said. "We need to head to Pazhou now!"

Yu Kuangtu asked, "May I ask for the reason?"

The man in the suit glanced at Mr. Chuan, who uttered two words in a deep voice:

"Immortal Palace."

Yu Kuangtu's pupils dilated sharply.

***

"Is this the power of your Gauze Clothing?"

Ren Suo looked at Little Jiu squatting in front of him, his face full of amazement.

Little Jiu's nine tails gently swayed, her two beast ears perked up, and a special pressure different from a Qi Cyclone erupted from her. She placed her small hands on his body, her palms glowing faintly with a milky-white sheen. Then, a barely-there layer of Gauze Clothing gradually spread over Ren Suo's entire body.

Sitting on the ground, Ren Suo glanced at the floor-length wall mirror beside him and found his reflection unclear: How did sausage lips appear next to this hook nose? Why did a right foot suddenly stretch out from the left side of this left hand? And why was there no hair on this head...

"Amazing!" Ren Suo immediately thought of the uses for this ability and gently pinched Little Jiu's cheeks. "Thank you, Little Jiu! You've been a huge help!"

"Hehe." Little Jiu grinned, showing her small white teeth. "Little Jiu made this piece of Clothing fit a bit tighter, so I can lend its special effects to Big Brother!"

By now, Ren Suo could tell that Little Jiu's Clothing was indeed the "Phantom Girl's merging Supreme Treasure" described in the game, but he had never expected Little Jiu could actually help him.

When Ren Suo and Little Jiu left later, they would inevitably be caught on the convention center's surveillance cameras.

Although officials might not have noticed the two of them through the surveillance footage—they looked just like any other attendees in cosplay, and there were plenty who looked much stranger.

However, hoping that others would overlook their presence was wishful thinking with no guarantees. If anything went wrong, Ren Suo would have no one to blame but himself. But now, with Little Jiu's ability to help, even if they were captured by surveillance cameras or someone noticed them, there would be absolutely no way to trace their True Forms through the images.

This Blur ability slightly distorted the reflection of light off their bodies. So, without changing their True Forms, it made all observers see a significantly altered appearance of the Spellcasters.

"Little Jiu, can you use this special effect to become completely invisible?" Ren Suo asked with keen interest. If they could distort light, then naturally they could bend light around themselves and have it continue in its original direction—that would be Optical Camouflage.

Little Jiu shook her head. "I've tried, but if I become invisible, I can't see anything!"

That makes sense, Ren Suo thought. It seems both monsters and humans observe the world by absorbing light through their eyes. If one were completely invisible, it would mean the eyes don't absorb light, and naturally, nothing could be seen. If only the eyes absorbed light, then others would just see a pair of eyeballs floating in mid-air…

This ability really is scientific.

"Besides Blur, what other abilities does your Clothing have?" Ren Suo asked curiously.

Little Jiu blinked, stretched out five small fingers, and started counting, "Blur Shadow, Flickering Shadow, Enchanted Shadow..."

"What do Flickering Shadow and Enchanted Shadow mean?" Ren Suo asked.

"I don't know." Little Jiu shook her head. "I haven't made the Clothing tight enough yet. I can only feel that there are many fun special effects inside it."

So it hasn't fully merged yet, which means she only knows the names but can't use the abilities yet, huh...

Ren Suo nodded slightly. Feeling that his Healing was almost complete, he calmly stood up, dragged the third Pallbearer into a toilet stall, and left him there. He moved swiftly, with an ease that made him look like a healthy young man.

However, his red trench coat looked like it was about to ooze blood.

Leaving the Pallbearer, whose back of the head was now swollen, Ren Suo couldn't help but marvel. Five minutes ago, he definitely hadn't expected to find himself embracing a "Born from Death" mentality only five minutes later.

When Ren Suo had Stunned the second Pallbearer, he was manipulated like a ragdoll once again by the "Mage's Death-Defying Feather," leaving him battered and bruised.

He felt as if he had been ravaged by dozens of Rich Ladies with their Wealthy Lady's Pleasure Orbs, leaving him sitting helplessly in the ladies' restroom.

Because he had defeated the Pallbearer, Ren Suo felt the warm Energy within him grow stronger again; his Determination Value had reached a new maximum.

Then, Ren Suo had an epiphany.

You can't become prosperous without experiencing Rich Ladies... No, no, it's that without experiencing a brush with death, how can one appreciate the beauty of life?

Two consecutive near-death experiences, especially those resulting from self-harm, had refined and transformed Ren Suo's resolve.

He was no longer his past self!

He was going to dominate his own soul!

Therefore, he used his spirit and determination for self-transformation:

Pain is just an old friend.

It doesn't hurt, not at all.

Actually, you're a masochist…

In short, Ren Suo hypnotized himself with incredible willpower and relentless Effort. He suppressed the pain in his body and even found it quite comfortable.

At that moment, Ren Suo also remembered that in the game, when a Rebel's Determination Value reached 150%, they gained a "Born from Death" buff:

"Born from Death: Rebels, crushed by life and Destiny, have forged a tenacious resolve. Throughout the game, the Rebel's Determination will rarely drop below 100%."

So "Born from Death" means becoming a masochist. Lesson learned.

Seeing Little Jiu about to hide again, Ren Suo called out to her, "No need to hide anymore. Let's get ready to leave."

Little Jiu blinked, clapped her hands happily, and said, "Did you chase away all the bad guys, Big Brother? Can we really go now?"

"Yeah. One more step, and all the baddies chasing you will be dealt with."

Ren Suo turned to face the mirror and beckoned with his finger. "Come out."

Little Jiu curiously watched Big Brother. Then, the next second, she saw a whirlpool of energy suddenly appear in front of Big Brother, and a Big Brother Number Two appeared, identical to the original—right down to the painted face!

"How embarrassing!" Little Jiu said, covering her eyes with both hands. But the gaps between her fingers were wide enough to fit an egg, and her crimson eyes stared intently at the naked Big Brother Number Two.

Ren Suo took the bloody coat off his body and handed it to the Clone, speaking with mixed emotions, "I'm sorry."

The Clone was embarking on a one-way journey.

The Clone silently put on the bloody coat and walked out of the ladies' restroom.

"Don't worry," Ren Suo said, his tone extremely firm, as if stating a fact. "I will never mistreat you in the future. I'll make sure to summon you every day! You can take over my home!"

It seemed the Clone stepped on something; he stumbled and nearly fell flat on his face.

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