Chapter 13: Two Extremes Between Forum and Reality
In the time she hadn’t checked the forum, a bunch of new fan-made posts had popped up.
Li Li picked out some posts with particularly interesting titles to read.
[PBC Fan-Made Content, Some Chibi Art]
1L Original Poster Dog-Head Rose
[Chibi Li with a tuft of hair, carrying a corgi, passing by.jpg]
[Old father Li squatting on the ground, picking up fur for the shedding corgi.jpg]
[Li looking at the floor full of dog fur with a thoughtful expression.jpg]
[Li shaving all the fur off the little corgi.jpg]
[Tearful, watery-eyed little corgi.jpg]
The chibi characters were incredibly bouncy and adorable, like little cotton dolls.
Li Li couldn’t help but laugh as she looked at them, her mood improving significantly.
As expected, the forum users were the best at creating fun content.
With that thought, she clicked on a popular power-ranking post.
Due to the introduction of new characters, the power-ranking post was a chaotic mess of arguments.
Most of the replies about ‘Li’ were along the lines of: ‘Li is obviously not a fighter, what’s the point of debating her power level?’, ‘No way, are people really so obsessed with power rankings that they’ll argue about anything?’, ‘With Li’s small frame, who could she possibly beat!’
Manga readers generally believed the character ‘Li’ wasn’t a combat type and was even somewhat weak.
This was likely because her debut was as a victim, and she pretended to be injured, which made her seem less powerful.
But when she thought about her treatment in the manga world, aside from Yiming, everyone seemed to treat her like a big shot.
The manga forum and the manga world were truly two extremes. She couldn’t help but sigh.
Of course, her ‘A-rank big shot’ status still firmly held the top spot in the power rankings, unmatched by anyone.
Time passed quickly while browsing the forum.
Li Li did a final search about abilities, but unfortunately, the manga never explained the process of naturally awakening them.
The protagonist, Yiming, already had his ability from the start.
So, she still had to figure out how to awaken hers on her own...
Li Li put down her phone and slowly closed her eyes.
No matter what, she absolutely couldn’t give up.
...
However, abilities weren’t something you could just obtain by wanting them.
When the time came for Li Li to return to Qing Tong as she had planned, she still hadn’t awakened an ability.
Now, only two days remained.
[Processing popularity value collection data.]
[Data processing...]
[Total popularity value: 1812]
Thanks to a lot of fan-made content, her popularity value had grown significantly over the past two days.
If Li Li didn’t use the shop, she could live for another eighteen days, half a month.
But she couldn’t afford not to exchange for items.
Li Li followed a C-rank ability user on the way to the apartment building, mentally calculating the time.
If nothing went wrong, she’d be able to see the next chapter of the manga updated after this trip.
If something did go wrong, the readers of 《Extreme Black and White》 would find their diligent manga artist suddenly announcing a hiatus.
During the day, the interior of Qing Tong was lit up, not as dim as before, but it still carried a gloomy atmosphere.
“Where’s Qing Yu Chen?” Li Li said unhurriedly as she followed the C-rank ability user.
She had thought that after her warning two days ago, Qing Yu Chen would come to greet her personally to pledge his loyalty.
“The leader isn’t here,” the C-rank ability user replied.
Not here? Li Li was somewhat surprised.
At that moment, the C-rank ability user stopped. They had arrived at Room 4.
Li Li adjusted her emotions, and the smiling expression on her face instantly cooled.
The tightly shut door, connected to the wall, finally opened again. In the light, the black-haired youth slowly walked in.
After the youth entered the room, the door behind him closed once more.
Yiming, who had been waiting there for a long time, exclaimed in surprise: “Li!”
He hurriedly stepped forward, circling the black-haired youth up and down, left and right, inspecting: “Qing Yu Chen didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
“I’m fine,” Li Li let Yiming circle around her, her tone flat. “No need to welcome me so enthusiastically, Little Corgi.”
As she said this, her face couldn’t help but look a bit pale.
Although she had rested well in the real world, these past two days in the manga world had been almost nonstop troublemaking for her.
As long as it wouldn’t kill her, she pushed herself to the limit.
The aftermath was hitting her hard.
But she noticed Yiming's attitude towards Qing Yu Chen, and her gaze paused for a moment.
It seemed Qing Yu Chen hadn't been idle while she was away.
Hearing this, Yiming looked up at Li Li, his eyes somewhat accusatory: “You wanted to hide it from me again!”
That gaze was like a corgi questioning its owner why they lied, why they wouldn't give the dog chocolate.
Li Li felt her credibility with Yiming was zero, even though dogs really couldn't eat chocolate because it was poisonous to them.
“Alright, but it doesn't really affect my mobility anymore,” she showed a bit of fatigue at the right time.
Currently, her identity was a deadpan cool guy with weak combat power, possibly with a cowlick swaying on his head, named ‘Li’.
...
The black-haired youth in front of her lowered his eyelashes, a hint of weariness in his eyes.
His black fringe fell, covering the sharpness of his brow, his face gentle yet cold.
Like a piece of cool, cold jade.
Yiming's eyes paused. He felt he couldn't stay like this any longer.
He could come back today, but what about in the future? What if one day he couldn't see him at all?
He looked directly into those tired black eyes and said with a firm tone: “Li, let's escape!”
Yiming felt he couldn't let this go on. He had to do something.
It didn't matter if he went hungry here, but he couldn't let Li suffer here.
Hearing this, the black-haired youth's expression changed: “Are you serious?”
Yiming said firmly: “Serious.” He spoke of his plan, “We'll go get Tang first, then leave together.”
“We?” Li repeated.
“We,” Yiming said again.
After this sentence, the air seemed to suddenly freeze.
The black-haired youth walked past Yiming, went to the wall, turned around, leaned against it with his arms crossed, and looked at him expressionlessly.
“Your original purpose was just to take Tang away, right? There's no need to take me along,” the youth's voice was clear and pleasant, just with a touch of coldness.
As if laying out the things that hadn't been said before, speaking of them in detail.
“Your goal from the beginning wasn't to save everyone, just to take Tang away. What made you change your mind, wanting to take me with you?” His words were cold yet held a hint of confusion, “You clearly don't know me, do you?”
“It's true that I don't have enough ability to save everyone,” Yiming explained in a muffled voice.
“Buyan said, don't be impulsive when you don't have the ability, it will only make things worse.”
Buyan, full name Shuang Buyan, was the adoptive father Yiming was looking for.
Yiming had always acted according to what his adoptive father had taught him, including this time when he infiltrated Qing Tong.
From the beginning, he only planned to leave with Tang. Exactly as the black-haired youth had said.
Hearing this name, the black-haired youth leaned forward slightly.
“But,” the brown-haired youth clenched his fists, his azure eyes shining with a resolute light, “although you might have been unintentional, you did help me back then. You helped me, so I will definitely get you out. This is my promise.”
And this time, the black-haired youth's silence was exceptionally long.
Yiming looked at the youth with expectant eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, the youth lowered his hands, as if persuaded: “Let's make it clear first, if we get caught, I'll rat you out directly.”
“That's fine,” Yiming breathed a sigh of relief, then broke into a smile. “I'll protect you!”
The youth spoke lively, as if he had received affirmation.
For a moment, it seemed as if little flowers were floating behind him.
The black-haired youth blinked, as if looking at the floating little flowers. After a while, he threw cold water on him, saying: “Think about how to get out first.”
“Actually, I tried to get out yesterday,” Yiming said, “and then I ran into Qing Yu Chen.”
He didn't say anything else, but it probably wasn't anything good.
The youth looked Yiming up and down, just as Yiming had done earlier, then said: “That's his ability, mental control. He marked you before, that's why he knows your movements and can control you directly.”
“You were marked too?” Yiming quickly reacted, “No wonder Qing Yu Chen quickly detected our movements that night and rushed back to Qing Tong. He should have been later.”
The brown-haired youth frowned in annoyance.
This kind of ability was simply unreasonable: “In that case, as long as we're discovered, we'll be controlled...” He scratched his hair, “This is too hard to counter!”
And just as he was racking his brain in frustration, he heard the black-haired youth speak slowly.
“But he's not in Qing Tong right now.”
Yiming: “...”
Yiming: “You should have said something like that earlier!”
He had been seriously thinking about how to escape with Qing Yu Chen around!
...
Teasing Little Corgi was really interesting. Li Li found it hard to resist teasing him.
Although she still held back some of the information she revealed—for example, even from hundreds or nearly a thousand meters away, Qing Yu Chen could still directly control the ability users he had marked.
It was just that Qing Yu Chen wouldn't stop them from leaving.
In fact, he probably wanted her to leave long ago.
Thinking of that troublesome B-rank ability user, Li Li's gaze paused.
She still felt something was off, although Qing Yu Chen seemed to have been bluffed by her...
But leaving early certainly wouldn't hurt.
After discussing what to do, Li Li watched as Yiming placed his hands on the alloy door.
Ability, Metal Heart.
The next second, his arms assimilated into the same material, his palms sticking firmly to the door.
He designated the entire door as a part of his body.
The next second, a crack appeared at the edge of the door.
Yiming directly dismantled the door, then rushed out in a single stride with the huge alloy door panel.
By the time Li Li leisurely followed him out, Yiming had already knocked down all the outside guards with the door panel.
The group in charge of guarding the merchandise rooms inside the Qing Tong organization was ‘Can Zu’, and the black-robed men without abilities didn't have golden patterns on the corners of their robes.
Li Li took a careful look.
At this moment, only one leader among those lying on the ground was an ability user.
After all, this was Qing Yu Chen’s territory, so ability users were all under his control, including every item.
Seeing her come out, Yiming gently put down the stone slab, his arm and palm reverting to their original form.
“Come with me,” he said softly.
They headed to the place where Tang was originally held to find her.
The Qing Tong organization had long repaired the power, and dim lights illuminated the long corridor.
Yiming and Li Li walked one behind the other, moving cautiously.
Holding the identity card of a vulnerable patient, Li Li followed Yiming with ease.
As a D-rank, Yiming had launched a surprise attack among F-ranks, E-ranks, and ordinary people, with a success rate of nearly one hundred percent.
That was how he had infiltrated Qing Tong to reach Tang.
Soon, they passed the third corner, where a fork in the path lay ahead, branching left to right, with no path straight forward.
Yiming poked his head out to check both sides, confirming no one was there, then gestured to leave to the right.
But just as Yiming stepped out from the corner, a whooshing sound pierced the air.
“Swoosh!”
A streak of blood appeared on his cheek, and his blue eyes widened.
It was a needle.
He turned back, and in the corridor he had just confirmed was empty, a black-robed figure suddenly appeared, staring at him with eyes that seemed to lack whites.
“Run!” Yiming reached back, grabbed Li Li’s wrist, and bolted toward the corner without looking back.
The next second, several strands of brown hair fell, transforming into sharp blades that stabbed densely into the left corridor.
Li Li heard the clinking of metal clashing.
During this, she turned her head and saw, behind a net-like array of blades, a black-robed figure standing.
Hooked nose, slightly square jaw.
It was that C-rank!
One of Qing Tong’s only two mid-rank ability users!
In that instant, Li Li’s eyes met the C-rank’s.
Li Li gazed coldly, and in that fleeting moment of eye contact, the black-robed figure showed a startled expression.
He took a step back, instantly lowering his head, his movements so swift it was as if he feared disturbing the person ahead.
At that moment, Yiming pressed his hand against the metal wall beside them, using his door-opening technique to slide the metal wall between them and the C-rank ability user.
Yiming pulled Li Li and sprinted forward, while the wall behind them remained unmoved.
After all, the C-rank behind them hadn’t pursued.