Chapter 90

Chapter 90 Though unaware of teleportation, the others sensed something from her words. Ability users had endless tricks, as they’d seen. Since the kidnappers weren’t killing them, they’d be taken somewhere. That circle was likely a transport device. Once there, escape would be nearly impossible. The escape faction’s faces grew complex, eyes flickering, minds racing for a plan. The dozen or so people shuffled toward the cliff, urged by the buzz-cut man like herding sheep. When they reached the circle, everyone stood inside. Suddenly, the center-parted man who’d called women cowards shoved the ponytail woman and buzz-cut man off the cliff! But the next second, the scar-faced man subdued him at lightning speed, forcing him to the ground. Unfazed, the center-parted man shouted: “Only one left! Thirteen of us—can’t we handle one?” His words stirred both factions. Three was daunting, but one? They’d be fools not to try after living so long. Before anyone acted, a smiling female voice rose from the cliff’s base: “Really just one left?” Everyone shuddered, turning to the cliff. The ponytail woman floated up. A hand gripped the cliff’s edge—the buzz-cut man’s. He climbed up easily, his vertical pupils full of mockery, sneering at the center-parted man: “You’ll pay for your ignorance.” He strode over, smashing the terrified man’s head with a merciless fist. Screams erupted, followed by several people retching. The brutal scene, more shocking than the woman’s kill, would haunt their nightmares. The ponytail woman brushed her hands lightly: “Good. I trust there’ll be no more ‘chickens.’ Stand still—transmission starts now.” As she spoke, the surrounding items glowed. The light enveloped everyone, and I felt the familiar dizziness again. In a blink, we were in a lounge-like room. Ordinary people couldn’t handle teleportation’s discomfort and passed out. I pretended to faint, using Mental Energy to scan everything. Several people were already there—another batch of kidnapped guests. Notably, I saw Zhao Xiaoyu, also feigning unconsciousness. She wasn’t in her uniform, but her age screamed Academy student. How she’d ended up with ordinary people was a mystery. I knew she was faking because she’d peeked when we arrived, caught by my Mental Energy. Soon, she “woke” first. A man entered, holding a machine like the one used to test Abilities before enrollment. Seeing her awake, he handed it over: “Test your Ability. You better not have lied, or you know the consequences.” Zhao Xiaoyu nodded earnestly: “No lies. I’m just a Class F student.” It clicked. She’d claimed her Ability was useless, lowering their guard, so they hadn’t restrained her. They didn’t know that, despite her weak Ability, her physical training wasn’t for show. She was Class s’ hardest worker, now third in physical skills, behind only me and Mu Tieren. In close quarters, the ponytail woman and scar-faced man were no match for her. The test confirmed her Ability was useless—pure Class F. The man, satisfied, mocked: “Your school takes such trash Abilities.” Zhao Xiaoyu didn’t mind, shrugging helplessly: “I didn’t want to come. It delays my real studies. But no Ability license is inconvenient.” “Your country’s so troublesome,” he said, waving dismissively. “Stay here. Don’t cause trouble, or no one can save you.” Their talk surprised me. Monitoring with Mental Energy, I hadn’t noticed the man was foreign. A foreign group kidnapping so many officials meant big plans. After he left, Zhao Xiaoyu sighed, worriedly eyeing the unconscious group. These were influential politicians. Their abduction at the auction—would it affect the school, and thus us? But if we saved them, it’d be fine. This was a three-Academy auction, not led by Endless Ability Academy. Our school wasn’t even the main organizer, or they wouldn’t have sent only Student Council students. At worst, all three schools would take heat—shared blame meant little issue. The priority was keeping these politicians safe. She studied them, pausing on me. Where’d this kid come from? As a greeter, she’d memorized her list and mine. With only thirty-something names, it was easy. She was certain no kids were included. Her memory was sharp—she didn’t believe she’d forgotten a politician’s child. But an Ability user bringing a kid was possible. Since our Academy wasn’t the lead, our Student Council handled minor tasks like greeting ordinary people. Ability users were handled by others. So, this kid might belong to an Ability user bigwig. If so, she’d protect him—maybe even connect with the bigwig. She’d ask when he woke to avoid mistakes and wasted effort. Sensing her gaze, I knew she was guessing my identity. I hesitated about revealing myself to her. Revealing was fine—she was smart and wouldn’t slip up. But staying hidden might yield more. I couldn’t decide. I decided to wait. As a trickster persona, not revealing my identity was reasonable—more so than exposing it. As I thought, more people appeared, dropping to the floor. Three awake ones were kidnappers; the rest were the last ordinary guests from the auction. But among them was another unlucky soul. “Si—” Zhao Xiaoyu started, stopping herself. “—dead?” The three kidnappers turned to her, puzzled. A woman with a scorpion braid frowned: “Why’re you awake? Wait—student? Ability user?!” They grew wary. A water-formed blade appeared in her hand, aimed at Zhao Xiaoyu: “Who are you?” Zhao Xiaoyu was unfazed: “I’m an Ability Academy student, Class F. I’ve been tested. The guy who took me said to stay put.” Hearing she’d been tested, they relaxed, trusting their ally’s judgment. They’d heard of Class F—full of useless Abilities, just there for a license. The scorpion-braid woman asked curiously: “What’s your Ability?” Zhao Xiaoyu repeated her earlier spiel. Seeing their relieved looks, she casually asked: “Are these all ordinary people?” “Isn’t one not?” The woman pointed at the silver-haired boy sprawled unconscious. “Do you know him?” Zhao Xiaoyu’s eyes flickered, feigning caution: “I’ll wait for Brother Sun.” Before the woman could ask, a man beside her explained: “Brother Zhao’s probably the one who grabbed them.” “No way?” The woman gave Zhao Xiaoyu a mocking, incredulous look. “You won’t talk without him? Got a crush on Little Sun? Stockholm syndrome?” Zhao Xiaoyu was disgusted internally. Like these people? If not for covering her teammate, would she bother? She hid her disdain, showing shy annoyance: “No way! I just know his identity. I don’t know yours—how can I talk?” She knew acting dumber lowered their guard. Sure enough, the woman bought it. Too lazy to press, she said: “Call Little Sun. His [Eye of Truth] ensures she can’t lie.” Soon, Brother Sun arrived. Facing him, Zhao Xiaoyu said: “I know him. He’s in my class.” Brother Sun nodded: “She’s telling the truth.” The scorpion-braid woman was annoyed: “A Class F kid fought so hard for what? Like he could beat us.” The man beside her sneered: “No wonder he didn’t use his Ability—it’s too pathetic to show.” Only then did I grasp Zhao Xiaoyu’s plan. She knew Brother Sun’s Ability detected lies, so she waited to say Si Zhaohua was her classmate in his presence. Since her Ability convinced them she was Class F, saying Si Zhaohua was too made them assume he was Class F, lowering their guard. Why didn’t Si Zhaohua use his Ability during resistance? I guessed he knew using it would expose him. The Si Family was well-known. If the kidnappers learned his identity, they wouldn’t let him go easily. Unable to ensure escape, he didn’t dare use it. His caution let Zhao Xiaoyu cover for him now. “Who’s this kid?” The scorpion-braid woman noticed me. Despite my plain look, hair, and clothes, a small boy among adults stood out. Zhao Xiaoyu shook her head: “I don’t know.” She wanted to know too. The buzz-cut man who’d taken me entered, hearing her question. He answered: “He’s a politician’s kid, seated in that row, so we grabbed him.” “You sure he’s ordinary?” The woman questioned, hoping he was a powerful Ability user’s child for greater leverage. The buzz-cut man nodded firmly: “We had cameras in the hold. When we weren’t there, he said the same to them.” Disappointed, the woman sighed. An eight- or nine-year-old wouldn’t be so cunning as to lie even to allies, unaware of surveillance. A politician’s kid was still useful, given their influence. Zhao Xiaoyu’s heart stirred with doubt. Her memory was certain no brown-haired kid belonged to a politician. But the buzz-cut man’s words made sense. An eight- or nine-year-old could hardly lie calmly to hide their identity, or even grasp its importance. Was this kid unusually smart? Or was there something she’d missed? “Alright, let’s go.” With no one else waking, the scorpion-braid woman had other tasks and left impatiently. At the door, she warned Zhao Xiaoyu: “Keep them quiet when they wake, or you’ll regret it.” Soon after, Si Zhaohua “woke.” He hadn’t fainted, just pretended. Exchanging a knowing glance with Zhao Xiaoyu, he asked: “Where are we? Are we saved?” Zhao Xiaoyu explained the situation, then complained. Si Zhaohua joined in, grumbling about his bad luck. They looked like a pair of losers. Others woke, learning the situation from Zhao Xiaoyu. Some she’d greeted asked nervously: “Kid, when’s your school coming to save us?” Zhao Xiaoyu soothed: “Uncles, aunties, don’t worry. The school will save us. For now, we must wait patiently and stay safe until they arrive.” Seeing a fifteen-year-old girl comfort them, the thirty- and forty-somethings regained some composure, no longer seeking solace from a kid. But they remembered something else. The glasses-wearing man who’d tempted me with candy asked kindly: “What are your Abilities? Can you tell us?” Zhao Xiaoyu gave an obvious bitter smile: “I’m Class F, and he’s in my class. Class F is the worst. My Ability makes people laugh.” Fearing Brother Sun’s [Eye of Truth] was watching, she used careful wording. Without lying, she killed their interest in Si Zhaohua’s Ability. If her Ability was so weak, how strong could her classmate’s be? Without a strong Ability, they were like ordinary kids, not worth attention. The glasses man was skeptical, smiling: “I thought only top students got to join such events. Your school’s so fair.” Zhao Xiaoyu caught his meaning, replying calmly: “We both did well on midterms. It was our teacher’s reward.” Her excuse held. He didn’t press. I “woke” at the right moment, rubbing my eyes, cringing as I played a kid: “Uh... where are we?” The Transformation Mask (Fake) only changed appearance, not voice. I pitched my voice higher to sound younger. Zhao Xiaoyu looked at me, puzzled. After thinking, she asked: “Can you tell me your dad’s name?” I acted wary, as if she might be bad. Hesitating, I said: “Surname Yan.” Among the invited, a Mr. Yan wasn’t taken. I avoided his full name, leaving room to maneuver if checked. Hearing the surname, Zhao Xiaoyu recalled Mr. Yan. His answer fit—he could be Yan’s kid. Maybe he wasn’t on the lists given to her and me? Smiling at her overthinking, she ruffled my hair: “Don’t be scared. We’ll get out safely.” She shook her head at Si Zhaohua, signaling the kid was likely fine. Si Zhaohua tried to ruffle my hair too, but I dodged with a quick tilt. No way! I didn’t plan to keep this secret forever. Zhao Xiaoyu’s pat was fine, but Si Zhaohua too? When the truth came out, they’d laugh me to death. Seeing me dodge, Si Zhaohua asked curiously: “What? She can pat you, but I can’t?” I nodded perfunctorily, looking uninterested. My attitude amused him. He teased grandly: “Five hundred bucks to pat your head?” “No thanks,” I said, unmoved. To stop his pointless bidding, I added: “No amount works.” Zhao Xiaoyu’s eyes crinkled: “Wow, kid’s got taste and backbone.” To Si Zhaohua: “He’s from a family that can attend our auction. Would he bend for money?” I nodded seriously, agreeing. Then, generously: “I’ll give you five hundred and one bucks to let me pat your head. Deal?” If I could pat Si Zhaohua’s head for that, I’d profit. No photo proof, but with Zhao Xiaoyu as witness, I could brag later. Si Zhaohua: “...” The audacity! I wasn’t short on cash, but was the Si Family heir? Before he could refuse, Zhao Xiaoyu grinned: “If he won’t, I will.” Five hundred was a week’s living expenses—why not? Si Zhaohua, amused again, reached to grab my collar for some “forced affection.” I twisted, dodging again. This time, surprise flashed in his eyes. Dodging the head pat was normal—he hadn’t tried hard. But evading his intentional grab wasn’t ordinary. He’d moved fast—most adults couldn’t dodge, let alone kids. Yet this brown-haired boy did. Had his speed slipped? Before he could ponder, Uncle Liu, watching our antics, laughed: “You three almost made me forget we’re kidnapped. You seem so close.” His words stunned Zhao Xiaoyu and Si Zhaohua. They hadn’t realized how naturally they’d interacted with me, like old friends, with no boundaries. Note :