Chapter 130: Transcendent Talent, Terrifying Panel!
Taking the nutritional paste handed over by Snake, Cheng Ye sipped it in small mouthfuls, the warm liquid sliding down his throat, slowly suppressing the restlessness in his heart.
Strangely, those shocking images experienced in the intelligence space, the life-level oppression brought by the Flame Eagle, the eeriness of the Corrupt Vine corroding flesh and blood, the ferocity of Liu Kun's maniacal roars...
All the images quickly faded after emerging, like having had a dream where you could clearly remember what happened in the dream but couldn't recall specific details, leaving only blurred outlines.
Especially the Flame Eagle. When he carefully recalled it now, he inexplicably felt like it wasn't particularly special, as if it were just a somewhat unique mutant creature.
"This is actually good. Otherwise, if the mental imprint left behind was too deep, it would inevitably show in expressions or actions, letting people see through the deception."
Cheng Ye finished one packet, then took another from the box Snake handed over and continued sucking, while silently calculating everything he had seen in the intelligence space and the key points revealed in Liu Kun's roars.
At this point, he was ninety-nine percent certain that Liu Kun's transcendent obsession, even if it was something deeper, was definitely deeply bound to the word "rules."
So when he conducted inspections according to the standards in the duty manual, Liu Kun's compatibility steadily increased.
Those meticulous registrations and patient, gentle inquiries exactly hit Liu Kun's basic expectations for "order."
But precisely because of this, the reason the compatibility was stuck at 80% became increasingly clear.
Cheng Ye's mind flashed through the densely packed list of editors on the last few pages of the manual. Although he hadn't counted specifically how many people there were before, the list filled four full pages, densely packed with at least close to two hundred names.
Many were information provided by inspectors from other sanctuary cities, with additional excerpts from suggestions by many outsiders with consultant titles, clearly a product compiled through collective effort.
Moreover, the layout was special, not sorted by contribution level but arranged in alphabetical order by first letter.
This made it very difficult for him to precisely judge which parts were personally written by Liu Kun and which came from others.
If the clauses he was strictly following happened to be redundant rules that Liu Kun looked down upon, or even content he had vehemently opposed when writing back then, the compatibility naturally couldn't break through the upper limit.
And there was an even more crucial matter. Even if his luck was extremely good and he perfectly hit all the rules Liu Kun had written, at most it would only satisfy him, never reaching 100% compatibility.
Because compliance is passive, like a student reciting standard answers from a textbook. The teacher might nod in approval but would never cooperate with the student as an equal because of it.
Full compatibility required recognition, acknowledgment from the heart of his rule logic, even being able to walk further along his line of thinking and propose extended solutions that even he himself hadn't fully articulated.
Just like what he had proposed to Ding Yishan, needing to open a skylight for the other party.
This meant the relationship between the two had to undergo subtle transformation, at least standing on similar levels.
He couldn't let Liu Kun think from the bottom of his heart that he was just a small fry, an ordinary inspector who only knew how to follow the manual. That would never yield 100% compatibility.
"That requires me to precisely identify the parts he wrote and extend from those parts."
"Or..."
Cheng Ye continued his deduction, his mind beginning to simulate conversation scenarios with Liu Kun.
If he only worked from the rules in the manual, in such a short time, even with the intelligence space extending analysis time, it would be very difficult to truly exceed Liu Kun's expectations.
Forcing extensions might backfire, making Liu Kun notice deliberate pandering, triggering wariness, causing compatibility to drop instead of rise.
He had to be clever about it.
And coincidentally, the intelligence he obtained from the intelligence space, besides Liu Kun's ultimate recognition of rules, had another even more important aspect.
Liu Kun extremely craved power, individual power!
This might sound like nonsense. Which transcendent wouldn't crave becoming stronger?
But Liu Kun was different. His obsession with power seemed to have reached a maniacal degree, actually daring to inject infection sources directly into his body for fusion testing.
This obsession definitely far exceeded other transcendents and had already affected his judgment about rules.
Thinking this, Cheng Ye paused, his thoughts becoming clear like untied knots.
Then, time to try!
Draining the second packet of nutritional paste in one gulp, Cheng Ye hesitated no more. He was never one to be indecisive.
Rather than standing in place speculating about ten thousand possibilities, better to take the first step.
And if this opportunity was lost, there would be a next time, many more times.
As long as Liu Kun remained in Happiness City, within this inspection station's sphere of influence, sooner or later he would search out the opponent's abilities completely.
Whatever Flame Eagle, whatever transcendent power, sooner or later, they would all become possessions in his bag.
And now, attempting to break through Liu Kun's compatibility was the most important link.
Do this link well, and future searches would only become smoother and smoother!
The ten-plus minutes of heating nutritional paste coincided with peak crowd flow. Several dozen more people poured into Quarantine Zone B. Nearly a hundred scavengers stood under the passage sheltering from rain, their purple-cold hands tucked into each other's sleeves, the white breath they exhaled instantly dissipating in the cold wind.
"Snake."
"Sir."
"For those who queued first, distribute according to the two-packet quota. For those who came later, one packet each. Don't heat too many, let them distribute themselves."
"Understood."
Snake nodded in acknowledgment. Actually, according to inspection station rules, those who came later didn't need to receive nutritional paste because nutritional paste was prepared for those queuing for inspection, considered compensation for taking up their time.
But Inspector Cheng's "kindheartedness" had become familiar to all duty personnel at South Station over the past two days since Cheng Ye distributed the beef leg.
Snake wasn't surprised by this instruction.
Soon, staff heated nutritional paste according to headcount, placed it in insulated boxes, and Snake delivered it through the window under the isolation net.
"Everyone follow the rules! Those who queued first take two packets, latecomers take one packet! Inspector Cheng considers you've been freezing hard enough. Don't fight, don't damage the boxes, or you'll compensate me at full price!"
The crowd erupted in suppressed cheers, like a frozen river suddenly opening a gap.
Some rubbed their hands and crowded forward, others stood on tiptoes counting the heads in front of them.
Initially, there was some order, but today's weather was really too cold. Everyone wanted to get warm nutritional paste into their arms early, and the queue gradually twisted into a knot.
"Stop pushing, you bastard! Don't you know how to queue?"
"Damn, who stepped on my foot!"
"Which son of a bitch poked me? Want to die?"
As soon as the cursing started, Cheng Ye suddenly stood up, waved at Snake, and turned toward the inspection area behind, looking like he was going to relieve himself.
At this, the last bit of restraint in the crowd completely collapsed.
"Damn, giving you face!"
Someone shouted, and the previously maintained formation instantly scattered.
Some spread their arms to push others aside, some directly lunged at the insulated box to grab what they could, and a few particularly sturdy ones charged forward like knocking down scarecrows.
Those who came later should have only taken one packet each, but a bearded burly man directly grabbed two packets in his hands, elbowed backward to knock a skinny young man staggering, then squeezed out of the crowd with the packets, leaning against the wall to tear open the packaging while grinning at the chaotic crowd, revealing yellowed and blackened teeth.
Even worse, some who already had two packets stuffed in their arms grabbed a third one during the chaos and hid it in their waistband, shrinking their necks and slinking away from the crowd.
The insulated box quickly emptied.
Liu Kun had been standing at the edge of the crowd, his hat brim pulled very low. Only when the shoving around him slowed down did he move forward two steps.
But when he reached the window, the box was already empty. He had been among the first batch to queue and should have received two packets according to rules, but now he hadn't even gotten dregs.
Not far away, several scavengers who had also queued earliest were cursing with red eyes, "I queued for half an hour and didn't get a single packet!"
"Those bad seeds took three packets! Where are the rules!"
The curses were full of resentment, but no one dared to actually confront them.
Those burly men who had taken extra were leaning against the wall roots drinking their paste, hearing the curses only lazily lifting their eyes to glance, some even showing slight smiles as if they had heard praise.
This was reality, this was the wasteland.
Without crossing the isolation net, without passing inspection to step back into Happiness City's territory, this place still belonged to the wasteland.
The law of the jungle wouldn't disappear due to an inspector's mercy, but would become even more real because if they were robbed in the wasteland, they wouldn't even dare fart, only slink away.
It was only standing here that they could stretch their necks and curse a few times.
"Huh?"
"The compatibility didn't drop, it actually increased?"
Cheng Ye shook water droplets from his hands as he emerged from the back area, glancing at the chaos outside without needing to look closely to know what had happened.
He said nothing, just pulled out the chair behind the inspection desk and sat down, his expression slightly grim.
However, surprisingly, Liu Kun's compatibility jumped up again slightly, increasing by 0.7% to reach 81.4%, completely unaffected by the external chaos.
Could it be that he felt the outside chaos had nothing to do with him as an inspector?
That was indeed the case.
Liu Kun's gaze was indifferent, completely unconcerned with the farce that had just occurred.
He had led teams to even more chaotic areas, seen too many scavengers who would draw knives over a bite of food, and personally experienced even more brutal bloody killings. Realities a hundred times more cruel than this hadn't moved him, so what did this little scramble amount to?
From his perspective, if Cheng Ye, this trainee inspector, could easily handle the outside chaos, that would be the bad thing.
Newcomers who hadn't seen life and death needed to witness more of the outside chaos to see what the true color of this world was, to understand how fragile rules were when control was lost.
Only then would they understand the necessity of maintaining rules.
And when Cheng Ye had just returned, he hadn't turned a blind eye to the outside chaos. That flash of solemnity across his face was already very good.
Many slacker inspectors in the station wouldn't care about such things at all, not even thinking there was anything wrong with breaking rules. But when one day higher-ups broke rules and he became the victim...
Heh, who would stand up for him then?
"Snake, did you record the chaos outside just now?"
"Huh?" Snake was stunned, clearly not expecting Cheng Ye to suddenly ask this.
"If not, go check the surveillance, find the people who violated rules for me, and also..."
Cheng Ye nodded slightly, "Find out who didn't get any too."
"Yes!"
Snake didn't understand but as long as it was an order from Cheng Ye, the duty inspector, they had to execute it meticulously.
Less than three minutes later, surveillance review was complete, and several circled photos were delivered.
In the photos, people marked with red circles represented rule breakers, eight in total, all sturdy and strong, exactly those burly men who had grabbed nutritional paste and were still smug about it.
People marked with green circles represented those who hadn't received nutritional paste, six in total, with Liu Kun prominently among them.
"Call them all in at once to receive inspection."
Cheng Ye pressed his lips together and issued the command.
Snake immediately complied, stretching his voice to call in each person from the photos one by one.
Several burly men who were called showed slight changes in expression, with traces of unease and resistance in their eyes, but under Snake's cold gaze, they still lowered their heads and shuffled in reluctantly.
When pointed out by Snake, Liu Kun's expression also changed, his eyes slightly darkening. This was something he hadn't anticipated. If he had known, he would have taken one packet to save himself the trouble of being called in by Cheng Ye.
But beyond this thought, he was also somewhat curious, wanting to know what Cheng Ye would do next.
Was he going to use authority to punish those violators and protect those whose interests had been damaged?
Thinking this, Liu Kun deliberately slowed his steps when moving, following behind the other called scavengers into the inspection area.
He didn't stand at the back of the queue but positioned himself second, neither standing out nor arousing suspicion, his face showing just the right amount of bewilderment.
"All stand properly, form a line for inspection."
Cheng Ye pointed to the open space in front, his tone serious.
The isolation gate slammed shut with a "clang," encircling the fourteen people in the inspection area.
The scavengers outside immediately crowded against the net, craning their necks to peer inside.
They naturally knew those burly men had broken rules, and Liu Kun's group of six were the unlucky victims, but bringing both groups in together...
What did this Inspector Cheng want to do?
"Snake, collect weapons, begin basic data inspection."
"Yes!"
If this were North Station, this step would require the inspector to personally handle or supervise the scavengers themselves.
At South Station it was much more convenient. Cheng Ye only sat behind the desk, his gaze sweeping across those fourteen people in turn.
Liu Kun's acting was indeed flawless. Each time Cheng Ye's gaze swept over him, his face would show just the right amount of panic, eyes dodging downward, blending seamlessly among the cowering scavengers without a trace of flaw.
"Sir, data is normal."
Cheng Ye nodded slightly, raising his hand to point at the goods the group had brought in, "Open them yourselves."
The rain shelter was already narrow, cramming fourteen people made it cramped, let alone spreading out all the goods.
Those eight burly men almost instinctively stepped forward, elbowing outward to occupy the driest area under the shelter like staking territory.
Their waterproof cloth was spread quickly and steadily, electronic components, dried mutant plants, and tanned leather arranged neatly, not even the corners touching a drop of moisture.
The six scavengers who hadn't received nutritional paste were pushed back half a step, right to the edge of the rain shelter.
The drizzle that had been falling suddenly intensified, slanting down in sheets.
Some hastily pulled their supplies closer to their chests, others frantically looked for corners to avoid rain, their movements clearly showing visible unease.
Especially Liu Kun, who was half a beat slower.
When he bent down to place his sack at the edge of the waterproof cloth, the outermost burly man casually lifted his foot, stepping right on the cloth corner.
He paused, said nothing, just released his grip, letting the waterproof bag fall onto the muddy ground wetted by rain, shaking out the contents piece by piece.
Scrap metal dug up from who knows where, several damaged electrical appliances from the old era, instantly coated with a layer of wet, cold grime from splashing mud water.
Cheng Ye sat behind the desk, his gaze sweeping over this silent exclusion.
The burly men's goods were mostly well-organized, clearly indicating they were veterans who had made a living in the wasteland for years.
The supplies brought by the disadvantaged scavengers showed their hardship, all bottom-tier scraps dug from city ruins, the lowest grade of scavenging spoils.
Cheng Ye said nothing, lifting his chin to signal everyone back to the inspection area.
After everyone stood in position, his gaze fell on Liu Kun, his voice neither high nor low, just loud enough for everyone to hear, "Your goods got wet, is that okay?"
Liu Kun raised his head, showing appropriate panic on his face while stammering without daring to speak loudly, "It's, it's fine, worthless stuff..."
"What about you?" Cheng Ye turned to another scavenger.
The two beast pelts that man had brought were soaked, their fur color immediately becoming dull, their grade visibly dropping.
When questioned, the man's face went pale, hastily lowering his head, "Sir, I... I'm also fine."
Poor in wealth, short in ambition, thin horses with sparse manes.
Without real strength, even in the inspection area, even in a place with rules, they still didn't dare use those rules.
Cheng Ye's gaze swept across the panel in the upper right corner. Sure enough, the moment the man finished speaking, Liu Kun's compatibility jumped dramatically.
No longer tiny increases of decimal points, but a hard jump of over 5%.
At this moment, Cheng Ye could almost guess that Liu Kun's heart must be expecting him to strike hard.
Use authority, use fists to severely punish those burly men, maintaining the authority of rules.
Cheng Ye also believed that if he really did this, compatibility would definitely rise above 90% but wanting to reach 100% and trigger hidden benefits would be absolutely impossible because defining rules based solely on his preferences absolutely couldn't gain recognition from all fourteen people present, including Liu Kun.
This was a dead end. To find a way out, he had to... risk blazing a new trail!
"You, what's your name?"
Cheng Ye's gaze precisely fell on the first burly man on the left, then swept to the first cowering scavenger on the right.
"Niu Dacai." The burly man answered in a muffled voice, showing little fear.
The scavenger's voice was somewhat trembling, his head buried even lower, "Wang... Wang Sheng."
"You two come out, stand to my left, facing everyone."
Cheng Ye's voice wasn't high but carried undeniable weight.
After the two moved into position, he pointed to the second burly man and Liu Kun mixed among the scavengers.
"Niu Xiaocai." Apparently Niu Dacai's brother, respectful in expression but defiant in gaze.
"Liu Shen." Liu Kun omitted half his name's radical.
Under Cheng Ye's direction, the two stood on the right side.
The remaining people were also paired by Cheng Ye in "burly man + scavenger" order.
The last two extra burly men formed a group by themselves.
Fourteen people divided into seven groups, standing face to face under the rain shelter, the damp, cold air suddenly carrying more tension.
"The purpose of having you stand like this isn't hard to guess."
Cheng Ye's gaze swept across the scene, "When distributing nutritional paste just now, some people took more than their share, some didn't even get a warm sip. You all know this in your hearts, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the burly men's faces visibly tightened, flashes of panic in their eyes.
The disadvantaged scavengers quietly straightened their previously hunched shoulders, their eyes actually showing some excitement.
Was this Inspector Cheng going to stand up for them?
"Don't think about making excuses." Cheng Ye lifted his chin toward Snake, "Show them the photos."
Snake immediately walked around holding printed surveillance screenshots, the images of grabbing paste packets in red circles painfully clear.
The burly men's faces instantly turned ashen, while the scavengers' breathing quickened several beats.
However, everyone soon calmed down. Over two packets of nutritional paste, was it worth making such a big fuss over accounting?
Cheng Ye's peripheral vision caught the panel in the upper right corner, compatibility dropping unexpectedly by 3%.
Clearly, Liu Kun was already somewhat dissatisfied with his somewhat "weak" approach.
"Don't be nervous, I don't want to punish anyone, and it's not worth using authority to pressure people. What I want is fairness."
"Some people drank more, some drank less, so this account needs to be balanced."
"This is a rule I, as an inspector, have set, and it's the rule the inspection station should have. But how to balance it, how to compensate, this needs to be decided by yourselves."
"Listen clearly."
Cheng Ye's voice suddenly rose half a pitch, "Each group, I'm giving you one minute to discuss. After discussing, raise your hands and write your discussed results on paper."
What song was this?
Liu Kun's brow furrowed imperceptibly, compatibility directly dropping below the 80% mark, sliding all the way down to 75%.
But before he could think further, Niu Xiaocai beside him had already turned around, his face carrying a trace of barely detectable fierceness, "Brother, you wouldn't really want me to compensate something over two packets of nutritional paste, would you? How about this, I'll give you two happiness coins and we'll call it even. How's that?"
"That's... acceptable..."
Liu Kun was somewhat speechless but still pretended to hesitate for a moment, putting on a timid appearance as he agreed.
However, the moment he accepted, he also imperceptibly clenched his fists, an inexplicable fire suddenly surging in his heart.
This scene was too familiar to him.
People with hard fists could indeed trample rules at will, without truly following anything.
And the weak could only be forced to accept, obediently fulfilling this unfair oppression.
Snap.
Compatibility plummeted again cliff-like, actually dropping below 50% and heading straight toward 30%.
Cheng Ye's expression remained calm, but his heart quietly surged with joy.
The dramatic changes in compatibility precisely showed he was on the right path.
Although the numbers were dropping, as long as he could precisely stir Liu Kun's emotions like this, he wasn't far from his goal.
"Finished writing?"
Cheng Ye turned his head, and Snake immediately stepped forward to collect the paper slips with everyone's written results.
After receiving them and glancing over, the results were as expected.
All compensation in happiness coins, the generous ones giving ten coins, the stingy ones only giving two.
The last two burly men grouped together gave the most generous terms, besides 10 happiness coins, they also added two packets of nutritional paste, clearly afraid of trouble.
"Who wants to see the results you submitted?"
Cheng Ye called out loudly. The scene was dead silent, the scavengers' expressions dark, clearly holding no expectations.
So what if they saw? Could they make additional demands?
Even if the other party agreed, once they entered the buffer zone later, there would be no shortage of trouble.
"Perfect that no one wants to look."
Cheng Ye pulled out a meaningful smile, "Snake, take these slips over there and let the queuing scavengers come vote."
He paused, adding, "There should be over a hundred people queuing now. If each result can get 10 votes, it passes, and I won't pursue the matter further."
"Yes!"
As his words fell, the expressions of everyone present changed drastically, including Liu Kun who had been coldly observing. The continuously dropping compatibility suddenly braked, freezing at 36% without movement.
Snake took the slips to outside the isolation net, briefly explaining each group's compensation terms to the queuing scavengers.
The crowd first showed slight surprise, then erupted in low murmuring.
For this kind of exciting drama, no one wanted to miss out...
But just at first glance, many directly marked × on the slips, and some who feared the world wasn't chaotic enough, even if they thought the compensation was reasonable, unhesitatingly filled in ×.
When the seven voting results were collected, Cheng Ye spread them out and couldn't find a single √.
"Let them see."
Snake followed instructions, taking slip after slip and slowly waving them before the seven groups' eyes.
The papers full of × marks of various sizes hurt to look at, especially for Liu Kun. The fire in his heart seemed doused by a basin of cold water, actually bringing a trace of long-lost calm, replaced by complete puzzlement.
What did he want to do?
What exactly was this trainee inspector trying to accomplish?
"Alright, I'll give you another chance to discuss compensation. After discussing, fill the results on paper."
Cheng Ye clapped his hands, crumpling those × -marked papers into a ball and casually tossing them into the nearby trash bin, signaling Snake to give each person a new slip.
"Pay attention, if the discussed results still can't get 10 votes this time, I'll hand the compensation terms over to the people outside for voting. Whatever they say goes."
What? Hand compensation terms over to outside people for voting?
The burly men's faces instantly changed dramatically, pupils constricting one by one. With their understanding of human nature from struggling in the wasteland, if they really let those outside spectators vote, ninety-nine percent probability they would award all their supplies to these scavengers.
This was human nature's evil, unable to stand seeing others do well, especially unable to stand seeing those who had bullied them or their kind do well.
They even considered the reverse situation, if they were voting, they would probably be delighted to see such results.
The six scavengers, including Liu Kun, fell into stupor, their minds unable to process because the burly men paired with them had actually restrained all their arrogant attitude, no longer threatening or intimidating, but honestly turning around to sincerely discuss compensation with them.
"Brother, how about this, I'll give you several more happiness coins, plus share one of the beast pelts I just collected?"
Niu Xiaocai's face no longer showed half a trace of defiance, only sincerity.
Just a moment ago he had carried bullying arrogance, but now he was like a child who had done wrong, even speaking with careful probing.
Why would these people follow rules?
Boom.
Something seemed to explode in Liu Kun's mind, countless chaotic thoughts flashing rapidly through his brain.
He instinctively nodded, and before he could think further, saw Niu Xiaocai's face tighten sharply, his posture becoming even lower, almost humbly leaning forward half a step, "If you're not satisfied, two pelts, how about two pelts!"
"Two pelts?!"
Liu Kun was completely stunned because Niu Xiaocai had collected only three beast pelts total, but now he was willing to use two as compensation. This wasn't concession at all, but going all out.
But why would he have such a transformation?
Normally, given Liu Kun's position, he wouldn't think about things at this level.
But today's disguised identity, switching to a scavenger's perspective, let him see a different world.
A world more real than sitting in meeting rooms listening to high-level officials bickering.
Screech!
The Flame Eagle circling in the air cried out sharply, and Liu Kun's head cleared a bit.
But just then, his right arm wound transmitted an unprecedented surge of obsessive emotion, rapidly expanding in his chest cavity, burning through his entire body like wildfire.
Those once vague thoughts suddenly became crystal clear, making his eyes suddenly brighten.
It was because of this Inspector Cheng sitting behind the inspection desk.
He was like a scale, bringing the strong and weak back to the same level.
It was because he was strong enough, strong enough that without roaring, without throwing punches, he could make those accustomed to speaking with force restrain their claws and fangs.
Even without obvious rules displayed, he could use his own deterrent force to make the strong learn to respect the weak, to let the weak no longer live in fear.
This kind of power was the best rule.
This kind of balance was the future he wanted!
Crash.
His thoughts had never flowed so smoothly.
Before this, he had been confused for a moment, somewhat unsure whether his path was correct but now, all hesitation, uncertainty, and self-doubt had vanished into smoke.
The path forward seemed to have no more obstacles, only smooth passage.
Wasn't this exactly what he wanted?
To let rules constrain everyone, instead of transcendents having extra privileges, being able to trample the lives, dignity, and everything of the weak at will.
Even Yuan Gang had to lower his attitude, put away his arrogance, no longer relying on power to crush others arbitrarily.
Let them know that doing wrong required paying a price, not just laughing it off.
Even needing to bow their heads and beg forgiveness from the weak they once despised.
This was exactly the world he wanted!
?
The compatibility in the upper right corner of the panel was madly soaring at a visibly perceptible rate, jumping upward by 10% increments every second.
Cheng Ye watched in stunned amazement.
This... this wasn't right, was it?
The carefully planned scheme he had arranged, the core logic he had hidden, hadn't even had time to be displayed.
He had originally wanted Liu Kun to witness firsthand how collective supervision systems, opposed to individual force supervision systems, clearly defined everyone's behavioral boundaries and ensured rules were truly followed.
To demonstrate that after malicious incidents occurred, solving problems couldn't rely solely on force, but had to depend on collective supervision.
Systems collectively executed to fairly determine right from wrong.
To let everyone understand that today's dramatically changed burly men could be tomorrow's version of themselves, and could also be tomorrow's judges standing outside.
This was meant to make Liu Kun think, to make Liu Kun feel he had different considerations about rules, to bring the two to the same level.
But Liu Kun's reaction...
What had he thought of?
Cheng Ye was somewhat dazed, but a name in the upper right corner suddenly burst with brilliant gold.
Success?
Indescribable joy instantly exploded in his mind. He almost instinctively clicked on the search menu.
[Liu Kun, 100%, searchable range: Intelligence (quality fixed increase 0.5), Items (probability: guaranteed hit*1), Skill Lv1 (probability: 15%), Skill Lv2 (probability: 1%), Skill Lv3 (not selectable; please continue improving rank)]
"Two guaranteed hits?"
Cheng Ye's breathing hitched slightly.
If it were probabilities with percentages, he might still weigh and hesitate...
But now, he had no hesitation at all, his intent steadily falling on the "Skill Lv1" option.
The thing of his dreams had happened, arriving in such an unexpected way.
The panel flickered.
[Search Successful!]
Countless tiny flames poured out from the panel's depths, like scattered sparks swirling and gathering in the air, gradually condensing into clearly visible lines of text.
Cheng Ye's heart raced wildly. Even though he had made full mental preparation, he still felt dizzy.
[Liu Kun (Transcendent Symbiotic State)]
[Lv1 Skills]:
Super·Talent: Body-Consuming Fire** (Transcendent, gain power to manipulate external flames; probability: 75%)
Super·Talent: Heart-Protecting Fire** (Transcendent, gain a special flame that protects oneself; probability: 100%)
Super·Talent: Soul-Extinguishing Fire** (Transcendent, gain power to attack another plane; probability: 45%)
Skill: Flame Eagle Repulsion* (Perfect, can gain short-term fire resistance ability)
Skill: Flame Eagle Guidance* (Perfect, can gain short-term ability to guide flame direction)
Skill: Flame Eagle Devouring* (Perfect, can slightly devour flames to recover from injuries)
Skill: (27 ordinary skills hidden)
[Note]: Detection shows searcher affected by special power, skills undergoing mutation. Collector has issued * note warnings and will follow these rules:
1. Single '*' noted skills: If collector lacks corresponding special power, skill rating will significantly decrease (Perfect→Rare)
2. Double '**' noted skills: If collector lacks corresponding special power, will automatically gain that special power (this special power is only embryonic form, supplying normal skill operation, cannot match searcher's current level)