Being threatened by a burly man twice their size, gun in hand, was undeniably intimidating.
The gang leader raised his arm, pointing at the shop owner, cleared his throat, and barely managed to keep his voice steady.
"Y-you… mind your own business!"
“Get lost!”
The voice boomed like thunder, accompanied by the man thrusting the gun forward. The gang leader thought he was really going to shoot and instinctively ducked and covered his head.
The three underlings were visibly embarrassed seeing their boss like that. They quickly grabbed him by each arm, helped him up, and threw out a threat before making a hasty retreat.
Only Song Shi remained.
The man gave her a cold look, checked that the lucky cat was unharmed, stuffed the gun back into a drawer, and turned to her.
“Leave your brainlight here. When you bring me the money, I’ll give it back.”
"Thank you." She said solemnly, removing her optical computer and handing it to him with both hands.
Song Shi was momentarily stunned. What he meant was, he was letting her stay the night.
“Thank you.” she said sincerely, taking off her neural band and handing it over with both hands.
The man pocketed it and tossed a room keycard onto the counter.
Song Shi picked it up, glanced at the room number, and headed upstairs.
The inn wasn’t high-end, if anything, it was rather shabby. The staircase was wooden, creaking with each step, and narrow enough for only one person to pass at a time.
There were three floors in total. Her room was at the far end of the third floor.
After unlocking the door, she found the interior more spacious than expected. She closed the door behind her and glanced at the digital clock on the wall, it was already 3:00 AM.
Sitting on the bed, she let her mind go blank, the events of the past two days flashing rapidly through her head.
It had been more eventful than the first twenty years of her last life combined.
At least now, she had a basic understanding of this world.
Once she received the reward for her act of bravery and for reporting the direwolf’s location, her life would finally start to stabilize.
Next, she needed to rack up “Pain Tolerance” and “Counter-Abuse.” Once maxed out, she could awaken her ability and apply to the university for awakened individuals.
As for how to gain those values, she thought of the Hunting Group.
She had to join that organization. Even putting aside Qin Yi’s recommendation, the group’s operating model would definitely allow her to gain lots of experience points. If she performed well, she could even earn a decent living.
With a plan in place for the next year, drowsiness began to creep in. She decided to take a quick shower before sleeping.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
She paused, then headed for the door. Instead of opening it right away, she cautiously looked through the peephole.
It was the shopkeeper, holding a bag.
Song Shi opened the door.
The towering man, at least three heads taller than her, handed the bag over and said in a gruff voice, “These are my daughter’s clothes. You can wear them for a couple days.”
Song Shi accepted the bag.
“Thank you. I’ll return them tomorrow.”
The man said nothing and turned to leave, his footsteps making loud creaks on the wooden stairs.
She realized she hadn’t heard a thing earlier while upstairs, this place had surprisingly decent soundproofing.
Song Shi sat by the bed and poured the contents of the bag out.
Inside was a faded denim overall and a simple but soft shirt, embroidered with playful little flowers on the chest.
She folded the clothes and brought them into the bathroom. After a quick shower, she changed, locked the door, and headed downstairs.
It was now 4:00 AM.
The owner was still at the front desk, dozing off with his chin propped on his hand. The lucky cat on the counter waved its paw rhythmically.
Hearing footsteps, he stirred slightly and turned. Seeing Song Shi, he frowned.
"What are you doing down here again?"
Song Shi dragged a chair from the corner and placed it beside the counter.
"I need to check my brainlight. I think my money’s come through."
The man blinked in surprise but reached into his pocket.
"You’re honest, I’ll give you that. But no rush, what’s a kid like you doing up at this hour?"
Song Shi took the device with a faint smile but said nothing.
She sat in the chair and turned it on. Sure enough, there were two new messages.
After over four hours, the Hunting Guild had finally verified her report.
An official message asked for her payment details to transfer the reward.
Song Shi sent her account number. Within three minutes, 10,000 federal credits appeared in her balance.
Seeing the zero turn into 10,000, Song Shi couldn’t help but feel a thrill.
"Got the money?" The owner, noticing her expression, eagerly pulled up his own brainlight.
"500 for the night. I’ll scan you."
Song Shi calmly extended her device. Just as he was about to scan it, she suddenly pointed outside, covering her mouth in feigned panic.
"I think those gang members are back!"
[Ding. Payment successful.]
The notification chimed, but the man didn’t bother checking. He immediately yanked the gun from the drawer and aimed at the door.
Outside was eerily quiet. Through the slightly scratched plastic curtain, not a soul was in sight.
"False alarm. Must’ve been my imagination." Song Shi said apologetically.
The man’s face darkened as he glared down at her. But seeing her in his daughter’s clothes, he softened slightly, after all, she was just a kid.
Song Shi seized the moment.
"Check your records. I sent the 500."
She’d researched this: the "High-Risk Individual" alert only popped up during the initial payment confirmation.
It didn’t appear in the transaction history.
"Don’t need to. I heard it go through." The man slumped back into his chair, stowed the gun, and rubbed his face.
"You’ve paid. Go get some rest."
Song Shi didn’t move.
"Do you rent rooms by the month here?"
He looked up.
“You want to rent monthly? What about your parents? You look underage, did they kick you out? Or was it a foster home? It’s illegal to abandon minors, you know. I can report it for you.”
The more he spoke, the more convinced he became that she was some poor abandoned kid. No wonder she had no money and nowhere to go at night. His face twisted with righteous indignation.
Song Shi quickly clarified, “No, I came out on my own. They gave me money for rent and living expenses.”
He gave her a puzzled look, clearly failing to understand why she’d do something like that.
“One night’s 500, a full day’s 900, monthly comes to 27,000. But since you’re renting long-term, I’ll give you a deal, 20,000.”
She had expected a high number but was still shocked.
Considering the inn’s proximity to her school and decent conditions, she gritted her teeth. "How about 7,000 at the start, 7,000 mid-month, and the remaining 6,000 at the end?"”
Though unconventional, the owner found the payment plan feasible and agreed.
"7,000 upfront," Song Shi said, then paused. "Let’s exchange contacts first, for future communication. I’ll scan you."
The owner handed over his brainlight. The moment Song Shi scanned it, a friend request popped up.
When he saw the message content on the request, his hand trembled slightly before hitting “accept.” He also sent her his full name.
“Wang Ding.”
“Song Shi.”
After updating the contact, Song Shi transferred the 7,000 credits.
She’d researched this too, peer-to-peer transfers between friends didn’t trigger the "High-Risk" alert.
With the payment sent, only 2,500 credits remained. Given this world’s cost of living, Song Shi couldn’t help but worry.
Food would be a major expense.
"You not sleeping? It’s almost 5 AM. Shouldn’t you be in school at your age?" Wang Ding checked the date on his brainlight. "It’s not the weekend."
“…I wish I could go to school.”
“My school uniform’s gone. I need to buy a new one.” She wasn’t even sure if she had enough left.
Song Shi ruffled her hair in frustration. Even if she did have enough, she’d be out of money for food.
And in ten days, she’d need to pay another 7,000.
The reward for her act of bravery hadn’t come through yet.
She was quite literally living day by day.
“Which school do you go to?” Wang Ding asked casually.
She remembered the badge she’d picked up and replied, “Renxi High School.”
“No way, same as my daughter,” he slapped his thigh. “She’s got a spare uniform. I’ll have her lend it to you when she wakes up.”
For a moment, Song Shi was at a loss for words. "Thank you," she said sincerely.
"Don’t mention it." Wang Ding waved a meaty hand. "You and my daughter are classmates. Classmates help each other—that’s how it should be."
Song Shi lowered her gaze, hiding the bitterness in her eyes.
Would he still say that if he knew she was from the Berserker class?
"What class are you in?" Wang Ding was naturally chatty, and after standing guard all night, he was eager for conversation now that he’d warmed up to Song Shi.
“Senior Year, Class 2.”
“My daughter’s a senior too, in the Ability Users Class 2.”
“She’s awakened already?” Song Shi looked up.
Wang Ding beamed, pride written all over his face. The tough aura around him softened. “Yeah, Pyrokinetic.”
Song Shi recalled the Guide to Human Differentiation.
Pyrokinetic: Elemental Class.
This category included abilities like metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
Elementalists had wide-ranging destructive potential, with some even rivaling Berserkers in combat. But they had a critical weakness: rapid energy depletion.
Without substantial reserves, their abilities were severely limited.
Top-tier Elementalists could annihilate entire packs of mutant beasts with a flick of their fingers, while those with meager reserves could barely light a birthday candle, no matter their talent.
Thus, Elementalists relied more on training than innate ability.
"She’s gifted. Awakened at sixteen, rated B-class by the Superhuman Bureau." Wang Ding puffed up with pride.
Drawing from her limited knowledge, Song Shi replied, "A Pyrokinetic rated B at sixteen will reach at least A-class as an adult. With enough training, maybe even S-class."
Ability rankings were reassessed annually, starting with initial potential evaluations. Meeting upgrade criteria allowed for progression.
Her words hit the mark. The 300-pound man beamed like a sunflower.
Their conversation carried on until 7:00 AM.
Wang Ding’s replacement was a gray-haired old man. After a brief handover, Wang Ding led Song Shi upstairs.
His daughter also lived on the third floor, a few doors down.
Wang Ding had Song Shi wait outside while he woke his daughter. Soon, he returned with a uniform.
"Here. No rush to return it."
During their two-hour talk, Song Shi had subtly hinted at her financial struggles.
Though Wang Ding hadn’t commented then, his offer now showed he’d taken it to heart.
Song Shi accepted it with thanks and headed to her room.
She changed quickly, adjusting the tie.
The bathroom had a full-length mirror. Studying her reflection, Song Shi took a pair of scissors and trimmed her bangs to eyebrow level, clearing her obstructed vision.
Instantly, her face looked brighter.
She ran a hand through her waist-length straight black hair, searching the dresser for a hair tie. Finding none, she gave up.
Better take it slow. Drastic changes might raise suspicions.
Once ready, she stepped out.
Downstairs, Wang Ding was stuffing snacks into his daughter’s backpack.
The girl had a round, youthful face, her hair hastily tied into a low ponytail, with one stray lock escaping. Half-asleep, she swayed slightly, clutching a milk carton in one hand and a hard-boiled egg in the other.
Her appearance was nothing like what Song Shi had imagined.
The Guide to Human Differentiation described Pyrokinetics as bold, domineering, quick-tempered, and tsundere.
Spotting Song Shi, Wang Ding eagerly pulled his daughter over.
"Xiao Song, this is my daughter, Tang You. Xiao You, wake up, your classmate. Now you’ll have company to school."
Tang You blinked drowsily, then jolted fully awake the moment she saw Song Shi’s face.
"Xiao You, you know her?" Though rough around the edges, Wang Ding was sharp enough to notice his daughter’s reaction.
Tang You shook her head, eyelids drooping again.
"We’ve seen each other around. Don’t know her."
"Same school, bound to cross paths." Wang Ding glanced at the time and gasped.
"7:25! Hurry or you’ll miss the bus!"
Tang You adjusted her backpack and left without a backward glance. Song Shi followed her out.
Tang You walked briskly, making no effort to wait.
Song Shi sensed her hostility, Tang You clearly didn’t want anything to do with her.
Puzzled but undeterred, Song Shi kept a respectful distance as they headed for the bus stop.
At 7:30 AM, Bus 901 arrived right on schedule.
Tang You boarded and took a seat immediately.
Song Shi paid her fare and scanned the bus. Most passengers were Renxi High students in uniform.
The only empty seat was behind Tang You. After a brief hesitation, Song Shi opted to stand, gripping a handrail across the aisle instead.
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