"Huh?"
Seeing this scene, the Black Vest Youth, who had been lazing about, suddenly perked up. He quickly pulled out his phone and swiped a few times, saying, "Your ability..."
"The night of March 1st, Middle Section of Jiefang North Road."
"The night of March 6th, Rongfang Lane."
"The night of March 19th, Languai Street."
"And last Friday, Dongxiao South Sub-district..."
"You should remember these dates and locations, right?"
Mo Zhaolong climbed up, clutching his stomach, his face twisted with ferocity: "I don't remember, I don't know."
"Ah, it would've been much easier if it were you; otherwise, it means there's another person in Lianjiang City with abilities similar to yours." The Black Vest Youth scratched his head, "Have a heart for us hardworking civil servants, will you..."
"Have a heart for your mom!"
Mo Zhaolong knew he didn't have much time left. The police might be on their way, and he had to escape before they arrived. After all, with his ability, he could live comfortably even if he hid in a small town or village!
A cold light flashed in Mo Zhaolong's eyes. Enduring the pain, he ran towards the Black Vest Youth, pointing at him from afar. There was no visible change in the air, but the Black Vest suddenly dodged and charged towards Mo Zhaolong again!
"Afraid of you? No way!" Mo Zhaolong thought to himself with glee. The closer the distance, the more likely the other person would be affected by his ability. Soon, there would be nothing to hinder his escape...
With a muffled groan, Mo Zhaolong saw the Black Vest's fist hit him right in the midsection, where the diaphragm separates the chest and abdomen. He knew this spot could cause a rapid blood rush to the heart due to external pressure, resulting in unconsciousness...
"It's done." After knocking down Mo Zhaolong, the Black Vest Youth quickly backed off, waving his hand in front of his nose as if to dissipate some bad smell.
He saw that there was only one man left watching in the hallway and called out loudly, "Hey, who's that?"
Ren Suo saw the Black Vest Youth and pointed at himself.
"Yeah, you. Wake those unlucky schmucks up... Never mind, just drag them aside so they don't block the way. Don't worry, it's not a virus; they're just asleep, they'll be fine," the Black Vest yawned and picked up his phone to make a call.
Ren Suo scratched his head; it was clear that this Black Vest was also within the system, and he seemed to hold a not-so-low position. Dragging a few people wasn't a big deal, so he obediently did as he was told.
He noticed that the material of the Black Vest's clothing seemed very impressive, feeling elastic and durable. After dragging the people away, Ren Suo turned his gaze to Mo Zhaolong, still on the ground. He noticed that the feeling of excitement Mo Zhaolong gave him was gradually lessening, but there was still a strange allure.
The Black Vest Youth was still on the phone. Ren Suo no longer hesitated and strode over to drag Mo Zhaolong away.
However, the moment he touched Mo Zhaolong, Ren Suo's body shook, and a distant voice echoed within him.
It seemed to be his own voice.
"Key detected."
"The key is in a state of unconsciousness, beginning acquisition."
"Key is not fully formed; it will take 39 seconds to acquire. Must maintain contact for the duration. 38, 37, 36..."
Ren Suo froze in place, listening to the countdown in his heart. Meanwhile, the Black Vest had finished his phone call and turned his head to see this, raising his voice harshly, "What are you doing!"
Ren Suo was startled but kept his hand on Mo Zhaolong, stuttering, "You, you said..."
"I told you to move them to the side, that doesn't include him!" The Black Vest Youth walked over, barking sharply, "He's a criminal!"
"A, a criminal!?" Ren Suo was startled, and it wasn't feigned, "Isn't he just trying to avoid a blood test by fleeing?"
"Blood extraction... oh, I see." the Black Vest Youth said coldly, "He does have a bit of insight after all, even guessing that drawing blood has the greatest chance of exposure…"
"By the way, how did he knock out the others just now?" As Ren Suo heard that there were only a few seconds left in the countdown, he quickly picked up the topic.
"Hmm?" The Black Vest Youth glanced at him, "If you qualify, you'll know... Hand him over to me, I'll—"
"Little Long, Xiao Suo!"
At this moment, Director Ye descended from the second floor, panting as she addressed the Black Vest Youth, "Hello, I am Ye Jiamin, the director of the Xianlin Sub-district Office. You are from that newly established..."
"The New Eighteenth Bureau of National Security, Li Dan," the Black Vest Youth presented his credentials and pointed at Mo Zhaolong, "Now this person is under our jurisdiction. The specific regulations and notices will be provided to you later."
Director Ye was quite surprised as she looked at the still conscious Ren Suo: "Then, Xiao Suo he…"
"He's just a bystander," Li Dan said lightly.
Just then, as Ren Suo finally reached the end of the countdown, he quickly stood up and said, "Then… leader, I'll continue with the physical examination."
As if compelled by some unseen force, Ren Suo reached out his hand to Li Dan.
Li Dan appeared slightly taken aback, shaking his hand. Ren Suo felt as though he was touching a piece of cool jade.
Li Dan turned away to wake up his companion and said, "I'm not any kind of leader."
Ren Suo quickly handed over his medical examination form and then approached Director Ye: "Then, Director Ye, I'll be taking my leave."
Director Ye nodded, her demeanor somewhat preoccupied. "It should be alright now, but I will notify you immediately if anything arises."
After a pause, Director Ye looked at Ren Suo again and said, "You'd better not leave Lianjiang City these next few days, understand?"
Ren Suo's mind was clear as a mirror, silently grasping that Director Ye thought his presence related to Mo Zhaolong's affairs. He shrugged and smiled, "No problem."
He immediately took the subway home, his heart pounding with excitement as he awoke the Mini-World Game Console with the game controller, his hands sweating with nervousness.
When the countdown had ended just before, Ren Suo had heard, "You have obtained a key, please check the Content Preservation Vault."
Then, when Ren Suo shook hands with Li Dan, he heard:
"Key detected."
"Key is in alert status, unable to retrieve."
At that moment, he was terribly afraid Li Dan would discover something, perhaps capture him like he did Mo Zhaolong, but nothing happened.
In the Content Preservation Vault on the game platform, amongst Ren Suo's displayed items was a strange, gray-white key.
'One-Star Sleep Key: Additional chance of acquiring sleep-related rewards +10%.'
Sleep?
Ren Suo immediately associated the key with Mo Zhaolong's inexplicable ability. Could this key have been derived from that ability?
There were only two items in the Content Preservation Vault, a key and a Treasure Box. What Ren Suo had to do next naturally went without saying.
'You use the "One-Star Sleep Key" to open this Treasure Box.'
'You have obtained the Skill "Combat Basics".'
'Key effect activated, you have obtained the Skill "Good Dream Technique".'