Chapter Fourteen: The Second Test Subject?

“Damn it, how could this happen?” June’s face was twisted with displeasure.
He was a psychic, more precisely, his ability was mental detection, the same as Gu Yue’er’s. That was why he kept a distance of more than two hundred meters from the battlefield.
His two companions were entangled with a level-two demon, struggling desperately to hold their ground.
The companions—a green-haired youth and a scarred young man—were using special guns designed to restrict movement, hoping to limit the demon’s actions.
But the demon could break free in mere moments.
Both of them looked grim, never imagining they would encounter a level-two demon. Such a powerful being was not something a small squad like theirs could hope to hunt.
Even among those with abilities, only an elite few could defeat such an enemy—and even those elites could find themselves in peril.
It wasn’t that they were weak; level-two demons were simply too strong.
“What do we do?” The green-haired youth gasped for breath. “Should we try to run? If we’re slower than the demon, it’ll chase us down and kill us.”
“We can’t run. Hold your ground,” the scarred young man barked. “If we run, we could all die. But if we hold out, Lady Gong Kui will send reinforcements.”
“Rescue… But those coming to rescue us might not be able to handle a level-two demon!” the green-haired youth fretted.
“That’s right. The demon’s strength means that reinforcements might not be the strongest either—they’re at risk, too.”
“All we can do is hold on.”
“Grit your teeth and endure,” the scarred man said.
They kept fighting with their guns, barely hanging on. Their greatest worry was that the reinforcements would be too weak; after all, the mission was theirs, and any mistake would be on their heads. If someone died rescuing them, guilt would haunt them forever.
“Hmm? Someone’s coming.” June’s expression brightened. He sensed two people approaching from hundreds of meters away.
He wanted to use telepathy to communicate, but he could no longer do it; his mental domain had dropped to thirteen percent development.
Back when Gu Yue’er communicated with Wei Guo during her flight, she hadn’t used her neural link but rather telepathy.
Every ability could grow stronger, just as Tao Lu’s mind control had evolved.
At first, she could only paralyze an enemy’s body, but at greater mastery, she could truly control someone, and at the highest level, it was almost like brainwashing. With a single thought, the victim was utterly enslaved, becoming a puppet that would obey forever.
Xia Yan’s fire elemental ability was similar—initially simple, but at higher mastery, he could turn his body into flame, fly at will, and eventually, a single thought could turn an entire space into a sea of fire.
Mental detection, at first, only allowed one to sense the surroundings, but with skill, it could enable telepathic communication…
June had barely managed it before, but now it was impossible.
He gritted his teeth and ran toward the location of the approaching duo.
“Here… Here!” June waved, shouting to Xia Yan and his companion, “Friends, please help my two companions—they’re just ahead!”
“Hmm…” Xia Yan immediately sensed the urgency and didn’t dare delay, quickening his pace like a roaring wind.
“So fast…” June was stunned. This member’s ability must be speed-enhancing; his movement far exceeded ordinary humans.
“Quick… save them—please, you must save them!” June prayed silently.
Yet he worried as well: could a speed-enhancer really defeat a level-two demon? Speed meant little to such monsters.
This person was reckless, leaving his companion behind.
He hoped, desperately, that Xia Yan wouldn’t die at the demon’s hands. Otherwise, the three of them would be consumed with guilt.
In moments, Xia Yan arrived at the battlefield.
The green-haired youth and his scarred companion rejoiced at the sight of reinforcements. With this newcomer, the three of them had hope.

“You two, fall back,” Xia Yan ordered.
The pair were momentarily stunned—what? Retreat?
Would this black-haired boy face the level-two demon alone? Such arrogance—it was a level-two demon!
Was he sure about this?
They exchanged glances, but ultimately obeyed, quickly retreating some distance.
The demon lunged forward, its gaping maw snapping at Xia Yan as he charged in.
A flash of fire appeared—flames danced in midair before Xia Yan, swallowing the demon’s black vapor.
The demon let out a series of howls, the sound chilling to the bone, like the cries of a sinister soul from the depths.
“Fire ability?” The green-haired youth and scarred young man were astonished; they hadn’t expected the black-haired boy to possess such a rare elemental power.
This ability was super strong—especially against demons, it was a crushing force.
Any elemental power was a deadly counter to demons, allowing those with abilities to challenge monsters far above their level.
Xia Yan extended his hand, his right covered in flames, and reached out to seize the demon’s body.
“What? Is he insane?” The green-haired youth nearly cried out—this was recklessness beyond belief. If the black vapor invaded, a flood of negative emotions could overwhelm the mind, possibly damaging the brain.
“To approach a level-two demon so closely—never seen anyone like him. Isn’t he afraid?” The scarred young man was terrified, but silently prayed that Xia Yan wouldn’t be killed.
In an instant, the demon lunged at Xia Yan.
Now, Xia Yan was shrouded in a layer of flames, like burning armor. The fire roared around him, causing the demon to screech wildly, unable to get close.
“My God…” Seeing this, the green-haired youth and scarred young man finally realized the strength of their rescuer. He could defend against the demon’s invasion in ways they’d never imagined.
Then Xia Yan closed his right hand, and a crisp, ringing sound echoed through the space, like shattering glass…
The demon’s energy core was crushed into fragments, vanishing from the world.
“So strong… unbelievably strong.” The two were dumbfounded—a level-two demon, a foe that even elite ability users treated with caution, had been dispatched with a simple squeeze of the hand.
This wasn’t an ant—it was a level-two demon!
Their own team, even with everything they had, could only survive by relying on restricting guns. But for the black-haired youth, a level-two demon was nothing but a bug to be crushed.
He needed no weapons, barely moved his body—just walked up and crushed it. Such boldness was astonishing.
“Are you alright?” Xia Yan asked the two.
“We’re fine… we’re fine.” They were stunned for a long moment before they replied, exchanging helpless smiles and thanking Xia Yan.
June and Tao Lu arrived at the scene then. Tao Lu was unfazed—she knew Xia Yan’s strength well.
June wiped his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating.
Where was the level-two demon? How had it vanished so suddenly?
Could it be… the black-haired youth had defeated the demon in about ten seconds?
June wasn’t unwilling to believe, but the possibility seemed absurdly small.
Ten seconds—how could anyone kill a level-two demon in ten seconds? Just who was this guy, and how strong was he, really?
“Thank you, brother. We don’t even know your name yet,” the scarred young man said gratefully.
“I am Xia Yan. Lady Gong Kui requested support, so I hurried over,” Xia Yan replied.

Xia Yan? June and his companions were stunned. They hadn’t met him, but had heard of the transfer student.
“So you’re Xia Yan—the one who challenged the ‘administration’ members. No wonder you’re so strong.”
“Indeed, you’re a real contender for first place in the upcoming agency competition.”
“I thought so. Someone who dares challenge the administration must be powerful, but I didn’t expect it to be this much.”
All three admired him. They had spent years in the agency and knew how hard it was to develop abilities. Xia Yan was much younger, had only been with the agency for a few months, yet possessed such strength and had developed his power.
Originally, they thought his bold words were nothing but a joke, but now it seemed possible. Still, it would be very difficult—after all, the administration was no bunch of nobodies.
Xia Yan smiled at June. “By the way, I have some questions for you, Mr. June.”
“Ask anything you want,” June replied, grateful.
“Let’s talk back at the agency. It’s dangerous here; we should discuss privately,” Xia Yan suggested.
“Alright,” June agreed.
…
Inside the agency, in a café in the leisure area.
June seemed uneasy. His seniority was actually greater than the two before him, but strength mattered most here, and he felt insignificant beside them.
“Mr. Xia Yan, Miss Tao Lu, what would you like to ask?” June inquired.
“I reviewed your file,” Xia Yan got straight to the point. “Your mental domain development dropped suddenly—apparently after some trauma.”
June’s expression changed slightly. He was reluctant to discuss the past—it was his psychological shadow.
“Could you tell us? It’s important to us,” Tao Lu urged.
“Alright.” June smiled bitterly. “Over two years ago, I joined the agency as a first-tier rookie, and within half a year developed my ability—mental detection.”
“After becoming an ability user, I served under a certain superior and began my mission assignments.”
June’s face grew darker. “The first time, my partner died during a mission.”
Xia Yan and Tao Lu’s expressions shifted.
“It was hard for me, felt like my fault…” June forced a smile. “But as an ability user, I couldn’t stand still. Soon I recovered and continued my missions.”
“My second partner died right in front of me,” June sighed softly. “I was truly afraid. Many said I might have been the cause.”
“And then, I met her!” June’s expression became intense. “She became my partner—a beautiful, outstanding woman. I fell in love with her, and soon we became a couple.”
“She died before my eyes…” June laughed with a hint of madness. “Just died, reached out to me as she passed, but I couldn’t save her.”
“In that moment, I nearly lost my mind, barely wanted to live. My brain felt as if it would split apart, and so my mental domain development dropped from nearly twenty percent to thirteen, and never increased again.” June sighed. “After that, it took me a long time to recover. The missions that followed were much simpler, with little danger.”
Xia Yan nodded and asked the most crucial question, “What was your superior’s name?”
“He was…” June tried to speak, but pain shot through his head. “My memory is always confused—I can’t recall right now.”
“A terrible aftereffect,” Tao Lu said sympathetically.
“Can’t remember?” Xia Yan’s expression changed. He desperately wanted to hear that name!