Chapter 14: The Outcome

“Ability used normally, plus 5 points. Reconstructed the general course of the incident, plus 10 points. Failed to notice the abnormal behavior of Jingyi and Kuna in time, minus 20 points. Physical performance insufficient, minus 10 points. Remained calm facing the simulated displacement, plus 40 points.”

“As for discovering the ‘truth’… plus 100 points.”

Xingyu snapped out of her daze—a white-haired girl was standing before her.

She was even shorter than Xingyu by a few heads and had to tilt her head upward to meet Xingyu’s gaze. Those pink eyes were fixed directly on Xingyu.

Before Xingyu could ask anything, the girl turned and walked away, the white hem of her clothes fluttering behind her like a wisp of light cloud.

She floated over to Kuna and Jingyi, raised her leg, and without any hesitation delivered a solid kick to each of them.

Kuna seemed quite accustomed to this treatment, smiling as she playfully pushed the girl, while Jingyi appeared somewhat embarrassed.

Xingyu watched this sudden turn of events, feeling as if trapped in a surreal dream.

Looking around, she realized she was in a vast, empty room bathed in silver-white light. There was no longer any trace of the abandoned factory.

Even that monstrous creature, pieced together from flesh and blood, seemed never to have existed.

“What… is going on?” Hill quickly regained consciousness and scrambled to her feet, instinctively touching her neck.

The spot where she had been shot was now completely intact. She scanned herself in disbelief.

“You two fools.” The girl slapped them each with a tone wildly at odds with her refined appearance. “Randomly reciting rating names? I’m impressed you even thought of that! And Kuna, didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on Raindrop’s agent? Yet you insisted on bringing her here?”

Jingyi awkwardly scratched his nose, attempting to explain, “After all, personally experiencing a heretic’s life is a rare opportunity.”

Hill instinctively felt a twinge of displeasure.

She irritably ruffled her disheveled hair and turned to Kuna, demanding, “Kuna, what on earth is going on? What are you two up to?”

“Oh dear, I forgot to explain! This is Xiaochao’s extraordinary ability—you can think of it as an illusion,” Kuna suddenly realized and awkwardly smiled as she explained to Hill.

Xingyu looked at Xiaochao’s personal information—

[Name: Xiaochao]

[Identity: Notary, Level One Agent]

[Ability: The Interplay of Reality and Illusion]

“The Interplay of Reality and Illusion…”

Xingyu softly repeated the term.

Her ability was to pull others into her own illusions before they even noticed.

In this virtual world, what happened was under her control, but it could also affect people in reality to some extent.

The only condition was that if the person pulled in realized it was not real, the constructed virtual world would quickly collapse. Unless rewritten with new logic, it couldn’t be maintained.

If her left arm hadn’t already lost the ability to bleed, Xingyu would have had no way to confirm everything was false during that brief moment.

Only now did she finally realize.

This was also a hint given by a mysterious presence.

Xiaochao turned to Jingyi and Kuna, her tone displeased. “This script’s progression far exceeded the anticipated test scope, and something that shouldn’t have appeared here showed up.”

“Clotho and I had to revise the script several times, but we still couldn’t steer it back on track. Whoever is responsible, you two better get some serious psychological counseling.”

Hearing this, Hill suddenly interrupted, “That’s not right… I remember the factory—it really was the site of the Flesh-Making Machine’s operations!”

Xiaochao explained calmly, “Raindrop’s agent, this is our reconstruction and replay of the scene, so it naturally contains real elements.”

She scanned everyone present and shifted topic: “How did the new supernaturals perform in their evaluations?”

Jingyi reported first: “The upper limit of mental strength is rated low. [Information Reading] is slightly below average. Ability fusion level is average. Control over abilities, thinking agility, adaptability, and insight are all rated high.” He spoke while curiously eyeing Xingyu, a trace of approval in his gaze.

Kuna cheerfully added, “Physical condition is low. Combat experience and teamwork awareness are slightly below average. But reaction and adaptability are above average! And calmness is top-notch!”

She winked at Xingyu, speaking in a lighthearted tone, “Oh, don’t be upset! Many supernaturals start out without much combat experience. I think you’re doing quite well!”

“…I’m not upset,” Xingyu interrupted, “I never had combat experience to begin with.”

“Is that so?” Kuna tilted her head but didn’t press further.

Xiaochao cleared her throat, cutting off their conversation.

Impatient with the small talk, her tone carried an unmistakable air of authority: “Well then, today’s evaluation ends here. Overall, Xingyu shows good potential. I think her final rating can be ‘good’ or ‘excellent.’ However, she still lacks combat experience and needs more training.”

“Looks like we’ve discovered another promising supernatural!” Kuna smiled and patted Hill’s shoulder. “Good eye, Hill!”

Hill responded half-heartedly, “Haha, I guess it was just luck.”

“Seems like our Bureau of Affairs has gained another talent to cultivate! Congratulations!” Kuna clapped enthusiastically, oblivious to the subtle tension between the two.

“But, little one, don’t get too excited. As an agent, you’ll need extensive training and real combat experience. This is just the beginning!”

Jingyi added in time, “Exactly. Once you accumulate enough combat experience, you can apply for early promotion to become a formal agent.”

Xiaochao’s expression subtly revealed impatience, as if she had reached her limit and was just about to ‘invite’ Hill and Xingyu to leave.

Just as Xingyu prepared to depart, Jingyi suddenly called out, “Wait, one more question—when did you awaken your supernatural ability?”

Xingyu’s heart skipped a beat.

The Council was searching for supernaturals who awakened their powers after birth. If Jingyi’s [Truth Verification] ability uncovered the truth…

Hill gave Jingyi a strange look. “What kind of ridiculous question is that? Who doesn’t have supernatural powers from birth?”

Seizing the opportunity, Xingyu quickly adjusted her demeanor and replied naturally, “Of course, I’ve had supernatural abilities for as long as I can remember. How could it be otherwise?”

Jingyi studied Xingyu’s expression carefully, seemingly trying to judge the truthfulness of her words.

After a moment, he slowly nodded, apparently satisfied with her answer.