This was the prelude to the wormhole opening.
Everyone snapped to attention, anticipating the arrival of the rookies.
After an unknown length of time, the chaotic gales gradually settled. The bottomless spatial wormhole shrank inch by inch until it vanished without a trace, leaving the crowd's vision crystal clear once more.
Lying crisscrossed on the exact spot where the wormhole had dissolved were a dozen young people. The youngest was roughly twelve or thirteen years old, while the oldest was barely in his early twenties. All of them were completely stripped of clothing, their skin mottled and covered in a faint layer of pale teal light particles.
When entering Creation Star from an alien world, every item not belonging to the planet was disintegrated, leaving only the human body. The body itself would undergo a drastic physical transformation; if the modification failed, death was the only outcome.
Having all gone through this exact ordeal themselves, the crowd was well-accustomed to such scenes. Rather than rushing forward immediately, they stood silently along the outer perimeter, waiting for the newcomers to adapt to their new bodies and environment before awakening their superpowers.
Before long, a frail boy of fifteen or sixteen began expanding at a pace visible to the naked eye. In just two minutes, his overall frame bulked up by two full sizes. Once the transformation halted with no further changes, it indicated a high probability that he had awakened an Enhancement-type ability.
Enhancement abilities were the most common type among all superpowers, nothing to write home about.
Shortly after, a second person began awakening, then a third... Most unlocked Enhancement-type abilities. But by the time it reached the seventh rookie, the disappointed crowd perked up instantly.
That was a brown-haired youth in his twenties. On the ground beneath him, tender sprouts of grass slowly emerged, spreading outward by several dozen centimeters.
A Plant-type superpower, and one with top-tier natural talent at that!
At once, the onlookers grew restless. Burning glares locked onto the young man, everyone poised to fight for him at a moment's notice.
Just as the crowd's attention was fully consumed by the youth, the surrounding temperature plunged abruptly. Chilling gusts of wind arose out of nowhere, swirling like a mini tornado around another figure.
It was a girl lying face down on the ground, her medium-length hair falling messily over her back. The skin exposed to the open air was covered in disease-like blotches. Yet the superpower she awakened was so peculiar that it caused the crowd to temporarily overlook her unsightly physical state, sparking immense curiosity instead.
At that moment, the girl twitched, sitting up slowly. Brushing away the hair blocking her vision, she exposed her face completely to the surrounding crowd.
A collective gasp echoed across the area.
"Holy shit, what kind of monster is that?!"
"First time I've ever seen a woman look this terrifying."
"My god! Looking like that, we wouldn't want her even if her superpower were god-tier!"
The girl's face looked as though it had been slashed repeatedly by a scythe, her flesh twisted, scarred, and uneven, her whole body covered in bruised purplish-blue blotches that inspired instinctive dread.
She sat alone on the ground, enduring the repulsive, alienating gazes of the crowd without a single expression on her face.
"Xiao Chu." Huo Yin called softly.
"Mm?"
"Help me bring that girl over."
"Mm." Yuan Chu produced a blanket and strode toward the girl.
By now, several Evolvers were approaching the rookies they favored. Every single one of them bypassed the disfigured girl, their intent to exclude her overwhelmingly clear.
The girl wrapped her arms tightly around herself, shivering in the cold wind.
Just then, a blanket was draped over her shoulders, followed by a gentle force lifting her to her feet.
The girl turned her head, meeting a pair of eyes as tranquil as still water, devoid of fear, free of disgust, and remarkably clear.
"Let's go." Yuan Chu's peaceful voice brought a touch of warmth to the girl's heart.
She obediently followed her back to the hovercar.
"I'll take her to clean up first." Yuan Chu said to Huo Yin, who gave a brief nod.
Once the two stepped inside the car, Feng Chenxiu couldn't resist asking, "You're really taking her in?"
"Mm."
"Are you serious? You'd take someone who looks like that? Don't you feel she severely drags down our team's visual aesthetic?"
Huo Yin gave him a side-eye. "Having you as our sole visual anchor is plenty."
"Hmm, fair point." Feng Chenxiu, forever narcissistically inclined, instantly lost all his complaints.
Inside the car, Yuan Chu waited outside the bathroom for the girl to clean herself up.
In truth, not all newcomers were fortunate enough to be recruited or taken in by a team upon arrival. With an immense number of spatial wormholes appearing, at least half opened in complete solitude.
Back when Huo Yin and his companions arrived, their landing zone was a desolate, uninhabited area with zero outside help, they relied entirely on their own grit to survive.
With a soft click, the bathroom door slid open. The girl stepped out enveloped in a cloud of steam, dressed in a fresh set of clothes.
Hearing the commotion, Huo Yin and Feng Chenxiu boarded the car as well.
"Are you from the Flower Nation?" Huo Yin asked directly.
The marks on the girl's body were clearly caused by prolonged radiation exposure, and the Flower Nation suffered the worst radiation on Blue Star. However, her facial features were deep-set, and her eyes were a distinct bluish-purple, untypical of the Flower Nation's demographic traits.
The girl went silent for a moment before answering, "No."
Huo Yin lowered his eyes, a flicker of disappointment settling in his chest.
Only for the girl to add, "My life was saved by a couple from the Flower Nation."
Huo Yin raised his head, staring into her eyes for a moment before asking, "What's your name?"
"Tali."
"Would you like to join us?"
"...I would." She didn't have any other options anyway.
"Don't worry, little sister. I'm a Healer! I can cure all those injuries on your body and make you look gorgeous." Feng Chenxiu guaranteed enthusiastically.
Tali offered him a cool, detached glance. "No need."
"Why?" Feng Chenxiu couldn't believe anyone would willingly walk around with a face like that.
"It's unnecessary." Tali sat down right next to Yuan Chu, keeping her head low in a clear stance of avoiding further conversation.
"You..."
Feng Chenxiu wanted to say more, but Huo Yin cut him off: "Tali, what is the current situation in the Flower Nation?"
"The radiation zone is continuously expanding. It's almost reaching the perimeter of the safe zone."
Huo Yin pressed his lips into a tight line, turning his face toward the window. Though his expression remained flat, his tightly clenched fists betrayed the deep anxiety surging within him.
"Ah, distant water can't extinguish a nearby fire. Worries won't help." Feng Chenxiu turned back to Tali.
"I'm more curious, what superpower did you awaken?"
Tali shook her head blankly, signaling that she didn't know either.
Huo Yin suggested, "Try connecting with the energy inside your body and see if you can channel it."
Tali gave it a try, but aside from feeling a subtle chill, no distinct changes occurred.
"Strange. Wasn't it looking super flashy outside earlier? How come there's zero reaction now?"
Feng Chenxiu scratched his chin, muttering, "Did we pick up a dud?"
Huo Yin ignored him, telling Tali, "No rush. We'll try again in a few days."
"Mm, thank you." Tali remained wary of the two men, keeping her demeanor distant and reserved.
"Should I prepare something to eat first?" Yuan Chu stood up, intending to whip up a quick meal inside the car.
It was far from peaceful outside right now. To secure that Plant-type rookie, several teams were engaged in a tense standoff. By standard procedure, they would hold one-on-one challenge matches in a best-of-three format.
As for the rookie's personal preference, that was entirely outside anyone else's consideration.
Feng Chenxiu sat by the vehicle's window, munching on a savory pie while watching the drama unfold with great enthusiasm.
Huo Yin was interested in the rookie as well, but their vehicle was packed with the sick, injured, and frail, confronting those teams head-on was out of the question.
Yet while Huo Yin didn't want to stir up trouble, trouble had a way of finding him.
Knock, knock. A sharp tapping sound echoed against the vehicle door.
"Who is it?" Huo Yin brought up the security monitor, revealing a young man in his mid-twenties holding a badge representing Dawn Wind.
The young man called out clearly, "Pardon the intrusion. I'd like to meet the Healer, Feng Chenxiu."
Huo Yin turned a dark, lingering gaze toward Feng Chenxiu: ...
Feng Chenxiu raised his hands in a gesture of innocence: "I don't know him."
"He's clearly here for your status as a Healer."
Huo Yin handed the choice back to him, "Are you seeing him or not?"
Feng Chenxiu leaned in close, shooting him a playful wink: "So, do you want me or not?"
Huo Yin turned his head away in disgust and looked at Yuan Chu: "Do you want him?"
Yuan Chu: For the sake of the Child of Luck, taking him in is a hard pass.
So she said, "Send him away."
Feng Chenxiu stared at her in utter disbelief, looking thoroughly heartbroken.
Huo Yin opened the car door. Rather than inviting the man inside, he blocked the entrance and asked, "Can I help you?"
"I'd like to invite Brother Feng Chenxiu to join Dawn Wind. I wonder what he thinks?" The youth stared directly at Huo Yin, a hint of arrogance on his face.
"Thanks for the offer, but I already have a team." Feng Chenxiu declared with righteous loyalty.
"Are you sure you guys count as a team?" The youth swept a amused, disdainful gaze across the group, making zero effort to hide his contempt.
His disdain was hardly surprising. Looking at their lineup, a crippled man in a wheelchair, a frail woman with zero presence, and a disfigured girl whose superpower was an unknown variable, they didn't look like a legitimate team by any stretch of the imagination.
"Whether we're a team isn't for you to decide." Huo Yin replied coldly.
"Since he's not interested, you can leave now."
The youth narrowed his eyes. "Without a team badge, he's a free agent. We'll play by the rules and hold a challenge match. Whoever wins gets the Healer."
"The Healer is already on our team. If we lose, you get him, what if you lose?" Huo Yin didn't fall for his trick.
"30 Enhanced Source Cores, 1 Spiritual Source Core, and 2 Intelligence Source Cores." the youth quoted.
Huo Yin countered, "Too little. Add at least another 20 Enhanced Source Cores or 1 Propagation Source Core."
The youth frowned, casting a glance at Feng Chenxiu before asking, "What's his healing capability?"
Huo Yin: "As long as there's a breath left, he can pull them back from the brink."
The youth: "Deal."
Feng Chenxiu: ! Hey, hey! Is it really cool to sell me out right to my face like this?! Did you even ask for my opinion?! And besides, a magnificent, gorgeous Healer like me is only worth a few dozen Source Cores?!
Tali: ... Did I accidentally join a human-trafficking ring?
After the youth departed, Feng Chenxiu couldn't help venting: "You're the only combat unit on our team! How are we supposed to compete? You might as well just hand me over to them directly."
"Even if I give you away, it has to be done with dignity." Huo Yin said placidly.
"I don't hand over my teammates just because any random guy comes over and babbles a threat." Besides, if he didn't agree, the other party wouldn't bother playing by the rules anyway.
Feng Chenxiu noted, "Well, saying it like that sounds pretty badass, but strength is what actually matters."
"Dawn Wind's combat power is average. I'm confident I can take on two of them by myself, we only need two consecutive wins." Huo Yin had already recovered fifty to sixty percent of his strength; in a one-on-one duel, even Dawn Wind's team leader wouldn't necessarily be a match for him.
Yuan Chu, seeing through everything: A fight is definitely going to happen, but it's probably not going to go down the way you think it will.
Hello TL! I don't know how to contact you, but I wanted to ask, its been a while since you last updated this and so I've thought of picking it up (the novel) to translate, but then I saw that your translator group was still active so I wasn't sure if I should proceed. Thank you
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