My setting is above yours!

Chapter 14 Patrol Bureau
Xia Zhi stared blankly at the scene before her.

She slowly stopped walking, finally standing still, staring in astonishment at everything that was happening before her.

It's hard to imagine that a person could suddenly transform into this...

Just like a watermelon that's been squeezed and burst open, the red, black, and white parts just exploded, splashing a spray of blood on the spot.

She looked at Ron in astonishment, only to see that Ron just smiled gently at her, and there wasn't a single drop of blood on him!
The blood gushing from the middle-aged man was inexplicably frozen in mid-air just before it touched Ron, hovering there for a moment before being blown away in the opposite direction as if by a strong wind...

—What kind of ability is this?!

Even the worldly-wise Xia Zhi felt only vigilance and confusion at this moment.

Looking at Ron, she couldn't help but wonder if this ordinary high school student, whom she had always regarded as a potential witness, was really just an ordinary high school student.
Was the message he just sent himself a plea for help after encountering a murderer, or...?

A mere notification?

Inform her that this patrol officer should come and collect the body immediately?
Is this person the murderer, or are you the murderer...?

A thousand thoughts raced through Xia Zhi's mind, and she frowned, asking Ron with some wariness:

"You...you're really Ron? A high school senior?"

She retrieved Artemis's personal file from her brain-computer interface:

"According to the records in the file, your ability test three days ago revealed that you possessed Lv.0 telekinesis..."

In other words, you must be incapable.

As she spoke, her tone became serious:
"I don't know how you did it... but judging from the destructive power alone, this ability has reached the level of Lv.2."

Furthermore, due to its unique form of expression, many Level 3 abilities cannot possess the lethality of this one.

She took out a game coin, and the space around her rippled slightly and trembled inexplicably.

“I won’t hurt you, but for the safety of the public, I need to find out your situation—”

Tell me, what exactly is the meaning of your ability?

Ron, who had originally intended to maintain a nonchalant and carefree persona, couldn't keep it up any longer—

This script is wrong. How can someone directly attack a good citizen who is trying to help others?

Just look at the tremors in the space around her.

A spatial ability user spoke in a threatening tone, and the space around them exhibited this state...

Ron immediately understood the situation.

Clearly, she sees herself as a high-risk individual with some hidden abilities!
"I'm innocent, officer!"

Ron immediately raised his hands, abandoning his usual nonchalant demeanor:
"I was acting heroically! I was defending myself!"

“I know you acted in self-defense. I will collect the prisoner’s body and take samples from the victim’s body as evidence, and at the same time report to the department to apply for a commendation for you… but there is a condition for all of that.”

Even on the summer solstice, the mood remained serious, with no relaxation in sight.
"You need to tell me exactly how you did it."

Okay, it seems she wants to get to the bottom of things.

"It was just a temporary control of his blood flow using mutated telekinesis."

Ron scratched his head and explained to Xia Zhi that he only fully awakened his abilities shortly after completing the ability test...

"...So you're a 'Primal Stone' with delayed awakening?"

After hearing Ron's explanation, Xia Zhi was somewhat surprised, but her wariness of Ron was noticeably lessened.

After all, as a top student at Tian Ting University, Xia Zhi is truly knowledgeable and well-informed.

There are actually quite a few "Original Stones" like Ron whose awakening is delayed, but many of them will collapse because they cannot control their abilities.

However, superhumans like Ron, who can still exhibit this level of power by controlling their ability model with a "power limiter"...

Well, all I can say is that he is truly gifted.

Her tone softened, but she still wasn't going to let Ron leave:

"In that case, you might as well come back to the patrol bureau with me... Your abilities are too dangerous, and your ability file needs to be updated."

it is as expected.

Ron didn't object and nodded in agreement.

After all, in Ideal City, registering one's abilities with the Patrol Bureau is the duty of every citizen.

"However, I'm not taking you back just for this... wait a moment."

As Xia Zhi spoke, she tossed game coins into the four corners of the corpse and ashes, muttering some incomprehensible coordinate data.

The next moment, she lightly snapped her fingers—

In an instant, transparent ripples spread through the space, and then the middle-aged man's body and the old sanitation worker's ashes, which had been burned, vanished into thin air.

Did Xia Zhi send the corpses back to the patrol bureau as evidence all at once?
Is this what spatial ability is...?

Ron couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for this.

Although it may seem that this ability is only powerful in terms of functionality and not as lethal as his vector manipulation, Ron knows that this is not actually the case.

Right now, she's just sending a corpse to the patrol office... but what if she chose to send that corpse into an enemy's body?
The scene that will likely be far more terrifying than when Ron reversed the flow of blood and burst the middle-aged man's head...

"All right……"

Xia Zhi clapped her hands, confirming that all the items involved in the case had been sent back to the patrol bureau, before continuing the previous topic:
"Taking you back is important, but more importantly, it's about applying for a reward for your act of bravery."

You're a senior in high school... if I remember correctly, the college entrance exam is just around the corner, right?

Ron nodded, then realized something:
"You mean... bonus points on the college entrance exam?"

“That’s right,” Xia Zhi snapped her fingers, “The wanted criminal you helped us arrest is no ordinary criminal; it might help you get a decent bonus point…”

According to you, you're going to apply to Moen University, right?
The Patrol Bureau and Moen University are both under the jurisdiction of the City Hall. This bonus should be a significant advantage in your entrance exams.

Unexpectedly, there was an unexpected surprise?

Ron's lips curled into a slight smile; he couldn't wait any longer.

"Shall we leave now?"

"Of course." Xia Zhi reached out her hand. "Come on, take my hand."

Ron obediently reached out his hand and grasped Xia Zhi's hand, only to discover that her fingers, encased in tactical gloves, looked slender but were noticeably strong and powerful, clearly the result of rigorous training...

They truly deserve to be called elites of the inspection bureau.

Xia Zhi took out a few more game coins and scattered them around, kindly reminding everyone:

"Hold my hand tightly, close your eyes... You might feel a little dizzy, just bear with it."

Feeling a little dizzy?
The thought had barely crossed Ron's mind when he heard a "snap"—Xia Zhi snapped her fingers.

The next moment, a feeling of freedom, as if enveloped by water and swimming in the waves, washed over me...

He opened his eyes and saw countless stars flying by, their vibrant colors painting his vision as if he had fallen directly into a sea of ​​stars.

But it only lasted for a moment.

Soon, he was back on solid ground, and an indescribable feeling of dizziness instantly swept over him...

Ron's legs went weak, but Xia Zhi, who was prepared in advance, helped him up.

"Right? Feeling a little dizzy?"

This is more than just a little... Ron pressed his slightly throbbing temples, steadied himself with Xia Zhi's help, and raised his head—

[Ideal City D District General Inspection Bureau]

Neon signs hung on the towering buildings, clearly indicating what this place was.

At the entrance of the building, there was a furry leather figure dressed in the classic black uniform of a patrol officer and wearing a police hat, seemingly a doorman to greet and see off visitors.

...Even the security guard is a dog in a leash?

Ron stared in astonishment at the doorman dressed in a plush, cartoonish costume modeled after a dog, his perception of the patrol bureau shattering slightly.

This place looks more like an internet company building than a law enforcement agency...

"Are you interested in 'Officer Barking'?"

Seeing Ron's slightly dazed gaze, Xia Zhi introduced him with great interest:

"This comes from a suggestion Xiaojin made a few days ago. She said that as law enforcement officers, we should be more approachable and go deeper into the community."

And so it was born—a chibi-style police officer character created for the D District Patrol Bureau, drawing inspiration from everyone in our C-112 squad…”

As she spoke, a hint of self-satisfaction crept into her tone:

"By the way, its image management has already achieved initial success, gaining several thousand followers on social media platforms. Some people have even asked us if we will sell 'Officer Barking' merchandise!"

That's actually pretty good.

Ron quite approves of this seemingly silly and adorable "Barking Officer".

In Ideal City, this kind of idol economy is actually quite common. Every day, countless IPs flood the market, only to be crushed in the competition and forgotten by people...

To generate this much buzz in just a few days is already considered an incredibly lucky start.

I never imagined the patrol bureau had this kind of side job. Is this really a law enforcement agency...?

Ron muttered to himself as he followed Xia Zhi into the police station building and took the elevator.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, eye-catching advertisements popped up on the silver-gray interior walls:
[I'll cover the cost of unlocking your potential! Still worried about not being able to afford your experiments? Your 200,000 yuan reserve fund has arrived! Click to claim →]

High-end ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods. Xumi Foods uses fresh ingredients prepared in advance; a mere three minutes of heating is all it takes to enjoy the finest flavors…

[KFC's Crazy Thursday: Prices start from just 9.9 credits!]

advertise?

At the patrol bureau?

Ron turned around in surprise, meeting Xia Zhi's somewhat awkward gaze:
"Uh... Our D District Patrol Bureau doesn't have enough funding, so we didn't buy a membership to skip ads."

She coughed lightly, "But that's not important... Come with me, I'll take you to update your ability profile first."

Soon, they arrived at the aptitude testing room.

The testing room was almost empty, except for a petite, pink-haired girl in a white lab coat who was drinking milk tea and watching TV dramas on a holographic screen.

Hearing someone enter, she looked up in confusion and saw Ron holding Xia Zhi's hand tightly. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and a sly smile appeared on her lips.

She put down her milk tea and casually joked:
"Wow, senior, so intimate? I never knew our famous ice queen from Tianting University liked dating younger guys..."

"roll roll roll."

Xia Zhi's face darkened: "Others may not know, but you certainly do."

As she spoke, a hint of seriousness crept into her tone, implying:
"His abilities don't match his profile, so I brought him here to update his abilities..."

Upon hearing this, the pink-haired girl's expression immediately turned serious, and she stopped watching TV with her legs crossed.
"Is it related to what was just teleported over?"

"Ah."

"understood."

The pink-haired girl immediately put on white gloves and turned on the device.

Ron obediently followed her instructions to complete the tests. After a simple verification of Ron's identity using fingerprints and iris scans, and a brief test of Ron's abilities, his profile was updated.

"No problem, senior... It matches the information recorded during the previous test, and even the ability models have obvious similarities."

The pink-haired girl thoughtfully scribbled on the file:

"It can be basically concluded that the ability he is currently using is indeed a mutation of the [telekinesis] he previously kept on file—"

It must truly be a 'raw stone' that has only just fully awakened.

At this moment, Xia Zhi finally let go of Ron's hand completely, no longer keeping him under her control as before.

Does this clear him of suspicion that he was a serial killer disguised as a high school student?

Seeing Xia Zhi's obvious differential treatment, Ron understood.

"I never imagined that such a powerful ability would actually be a mutated form of telekinesis..."

Looking at Ron's updated profile, Xia Zhi couldn't help but feel a little emotional:
"With your abilities and achievements... with your background..."

Her gaze toward Ron held a hint of scrutiny, which quickly turned into approval.

"You've decided on Moen University? Don't you really want to consider Tian Ting University?"

Xia Zhi's tone was quite serious:
"Tian Ting University is no worse than Moen University. If you are willing to apply to Tian Ting University, I can introduce you to my teacher."

In Ideal City, the three universities have always had a habit of vying for students.

After all, truly valuable students are few and far between, and no one would want to hand over a gifted student to someone else...

“Thank you, but I’ve already made up my mind.” Ron shook his head. “I have a friend waiting for me at Moen University.”

"Then I won't try to persuade you."

Xia Zhi shrugged, her tone light:
"This case was pressing from above and bothered me for two days, but I didn't expect you to handle it... You really helped me a lot."

She smiled broadly and looked very happy.
"It doesn't matter if you don't go to Tianhe University. Come find me when you get into Moen University, and I'll give you a big gift."

Send a big gift?
Ron was a little curious, but Xia Zhi didn't seem to want to talk to him too much and simply led him away from the ability testing room.

"Regarding the wanted criminal you killed, his warrant should already be in the process of being closed. It's unlikely we'll see a result today..."

As she spoke, she led Ron into the elevator that went up to the top floor of the police department building:
"However, while the bounty on the wanted poster cannot be settled, the reward for acts of bravery can be applied for."

"Next, I'm going to take you to see the director of our D District Patrol Bureau. The application for the award for bravery needs his approval, so it'll be faster if I take you directly to him, before the process is even finished after your college entrance exams..."

So there was a back door?

No wonder he's a key member of the inspection bureau; he has so many connections...

Ron sighed inwardly as the elevator doors opened, and a group of people dressed in black robes, completely covered up, walked in.

...Who is this person?

Ron couldn't help but wonder how there could be someone in the patrol bureau who was wrapped up so tightly and dressed in such a retro style.
Judging from what Ron just saw, the working environment of the Patrol Bureau should be quite relaxed, right?

He looked at these strange people with suspicion, then suddenly his eyes narrowed.

Unaware, a strange man in black reached out his hand from his wide sleeve.

Even in the shadow of his sleeve, Ron could still clearly see a glimmer of light—

A ruby ​​ring was on his hand, shimmering with a soft glow.

Its style,
And the old magician's ring,
It's exactly the same!
(End of this chapter)