NO.9 Top-tier Ability: Mastery
Leon Chen couldn't believe his luck. He never imagined that he would encounter his first top-tier ability so soon. It felt like the saying, "you find it when you least expect it."
Eagerly, Leon used the Assimilation ability, curious to see what kind of power a top-tier ability would bring. However, after the system confirmed the ability was successfully loaded, Leon felt a bit disappointed. He didn't feel any different. From the ability's code, he could only grasp a vague idea. Just as he was considering whether to ask Lina about it, Serena Su came out, having changed her clothes, and Leon temporarily gave up on asking.
On their way, Leon asked Serena about the purpose of their visit to Angelina Dream. It turned out that after Lily Lin signed the contract, Eason Chu had planned for Angelina Dream to write a title song specifically for Lily. This was excellent news. Angelina Dream's main achievement was her songwriting ability. She was known for producing ten hit songs for an album, a signature move.
Moreover, when Lily released her new album, Angelina Dream would help with the promotion. The influence of having Angelina Dream's backing was enormous. It was also Angelina's idea to invite them over today.
Leon and Serena drove to Star Dream Films in West Capital. However, they arrived a bit early. Angelina Dream was still busy with some engagement and wouldn't be free for another one or two hours. After chatting with the staff member who came to greet them, Leon and Serena sat on a sofa in a private room to wait.
The atmosphere between the man and the woman was a bit awkward. Leon decided to start a conversation. Seeing Serena's quiet demeanor, he suddenly remembered something. "By the way, Serena, how did you become a Saint Hunter?"
Serena's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, then relaxed. Her face still looked confused. "I'm not really sure. One day, it was just like waking up, and suddenly, I was like this," she said softly. "Then someone called 'Saint Hunter' found me and took me to the southern headquarters."
"Oh. Do you know where the Blood Clan's lair is?" Leon asked another question.
Serena stared at Leon with bright eyes, then sighed, "Do you want to join the Blood Clan?"
"Of course not!" Leon laughed bitterly. He had no interest in joining the Blood Clan; it was all about Lina. "I just want to know more about the Blood Clan."
Serena seemed to realize something, making Leon a bit uneasy. He wondered if she had misunderstood. "I can help you investigate. The headquarters should have information on this."
"Actually, hearing you say this makes me happy," Serena added.
Leon, who was drinking tea, was stunned, unsure of Serena's meaning.
"I thought you would defend your Pure-Blood identity…" Serena explained.
Leon understood. As a Saint Hunter and a Pure-Blood, their identities were fundamentally opposed. Serena must feel conflicted about this issue. Thinking of this, Leon remembered Jenkins.
After a while, Leon got up to go to the bathroom. Washing his face, he stared at himself in the mirror and took a deep breath. Chase Wei, Jenkins—he realized things were indeed complicated. He wondered if among the 108 abilities, there was one for manipulation. Leon realized he was quite cunning.
"Huh? Leon?" A voice suddenly sounded next to him.
Leon looked up and saw a refined young man washing his face. He was taken aback.
"Henry Sun?" Leon recalled. This refined guy lived in Room 302. He had knocked on the door during the second Red Beauty Hacker Battle.
"Dude, what are you doing here?" Henry Sun was surprised.
Leon laughed. He couldn't exactly say he was here with Serena to meet Angelina Dream. This matter was entirely confidential. More importantly, if Henry knew he was here with Serena, who knew what kind of rumors would spread at H University. Last time, when he and Serena beat up Chase Wei's bodyguards, it already caused quite a stir.
"What about you? Why are you here?" Leon countered.
Henry grinned. "I'm here for an interview…" Suddenly, Henry had a eureka moment. "Got it! You're here for an interview too, right? I heard Lily Lin is signing new singers. As her boyfriend, you're really dedicated," he said, thinking Leon wanted to take the chance to break into the entertainment industry.
Leon silently despised him but nodded. "Yeah."
As they left the bathroom, Leon wanted to say goodbye, but Henry dragged him in the opposite direction. "The audition is this way."
Leon helplessly followed. He was curious about what this audition was all about anyway.
When they arrived at the film company's audition floor, it was packed with people.
"So many people chasing their star dreams," Leon thought.
"Hey guys, look who I brought," Henry called out. A group of students from H University came out, both boys and girls.
Leon was apparently quite a celebrity. The students were excited to see him, greeting him with "Nice to meet you" and "I've heard so much about you." The girls were especially charming.
When Henry told them Leon was here for an audition, they were astonished.
"Leon, I didn't know you wanted to act," said a girl from the drama department.
"Lily is so lucky to have a boyfriend like you," another girl sighed.
The boys were sweating nervously, probably accompanying their girlfriends who had to go through a lot to get here.
Leon was speechless. Now he couldn't back out even if he wanted to.
"How long will this take?" Leon tried to find an excuse to leave.
To his amazement, being a celebrity did make a difference. Before he finished speaking, the girls enthusiastically produced an audition form from somewhere, assuring him they could speed things up.
Seeing their eager eyes, Leon resigned himself to going through the motions.
He picked up a small red pamphlet. Bored, he opened it to see what it was about. It contained summaries of stories and the roles to be cast.
One look, and he was stunned.
The play was called "Once Upon a Time, There Was a Eunuch…" Just from the title, you could tell how bizarre it was.
The story summary went like this: In the year 2000, a long-haired handsome man, handsome enough to shock the central government, suddenly found his manhood missing. Later, he learned that finding a certain flower and butterfly would restore his manhood, thus beginning a journey to find these items. However, because he was so handsome, even women felt inferior. His life became a banquet filled with tragedy and comedy.
Along the way, everyone, men and women, were enamored by his looks. He resisted, he struggled, and the process was as thrilling as any Jackie Chan movie.
Every time he escaped, he would speed away in a car, laughing maniacally, then stop and cry sorrowfully.
While the plot seemed crazy, it was still somewhat logical. But then it veered into the realm of the absurd.
The handsome man met a beautiful woman on his journey. She was the kind that could sink the Titanic. She seemed to know his secret and would help him in critical moments. The man was grateful and gradually fell for her aloof demeanor and exceptional skills. But she only appeared during crises.
To see her again, the man began to take more risks.
He single-handedly infiltrated the gang headquarters that wanted him, and just when he was about to lose his pants, the gang was wiped out by the woman. When he finally felt trust validated, he wept at a 45-degree angle. This was pure love, a trust so pure.
After eliminating the gang, the woman gave him a cold look and left. But that look gave the man hope. He believed she was his destined angel. For months, he continued to provoke gangs and even government officials, who were all taken down.
One day, he became a legend. No one dared to touch him. He sought other dangers. The woman continued to protect him.
One rainy day, the man confessed to her, "You must be my butterfly!" The woman pondered deeply, then left without a word.
Eventually, the man found his manhood restored. Overjoyed, he naturally wanted to vent his feelings on the woman. She let him do whatever he wanted, but he was horrified to find he had lost his manhood due to her constant protection.
Finally, the woman gave him a sinister smile, "I only like women!"
The man was devastated. He realized it was all a conspiracy to strip him of his manhood. He laughed, cried, and raised a knife…
The scene ended with the words, "Once upon a time, there was a eunuch…"
Leon was drenched in cold sweat!
"Don't underestimate this script. The male lead is the strongest in history. Even superstars can't play this role," a cute girl laughed.
Leon absolutely believed that. Anyone who could play this pitiful character deserved an Oscar. The male lead's emotions encompassed all traits of male actors: madness, melancholy, elegance, cunning, despair, hope, and more.
It seemed only someone with multiple personality disorder could play it well.