As someone in sequence 001, I also want to give up today.

In the days following Director Li's "certification," Li Xian enjoyed himself immensely.

With the official endorsement of his "low-potential superhuman" status, he felt as if he were wearing an invisible layer of armor.

Even going downstairs to take out the trash seems to carry an air of self-righteousness, as if to say, "Don't bother me, I have a certificate" (although no one knows it).

As expected, editor Su Qianqian called again to urge me to submit the manuscript.

Li Xian said, "According to Article 5 of Chapter 3 of the Basic Code of Conduct for Superpowered Individuals, superpowered individuals have the right to be free from undue work pressure and mental coercion, especially newcomers like me with an unstable ability, who are around Sequence 7,800."

Speechless for a long time, Su Qianqian finally managed to choke out, "You...you wait! I'll deal with you when my mental strength improves!" before angrily hanging up.

Life was so beautiful until that afternoon.

In order to fulfill his promise to Fatty Orange to make "steamed exotic meat with extra ginger", Li Xian had to "go out to gather ingredients" once again.

He wandered to an abandoned factory area on the outskirts of the city, where small, strange creatures were said to roam.

This place is sparsely populated and has a chaotic energy field, making it a popular spot for newly awakened individuals to practice (or die), and also an ideal "marketplace" for "low-profile hunters" like Li Xian.

Soon, he sensed a powerful aura.

Following the trail, they found a... uh, a rabbit in a cluster of rusted pipes?

But this rabbit is clearly not normal.

It was about the size of a calf, with stiff, grayish-blue fur like steel needles, and blood-red eyes.

Two front teeth gleamed with a cold metallic glint as they crunched on a thick steel bar, as easily as chewing a carrot.

The energy fluctuations remained steadily at the A-level threshold.

"Grade A 'Steel-Toothed Giant Rabbit'... The meat is said to be very tough and has a metallic taste, so it's not highly rated."

Li Xian searched through the encyclopedia of exotic beasts that automatically popped into his mind (the Myriad Powers come with a bonus), feeling a bit disgusted.

But since we're already here, and that fat orange guy's appetite has grown recently, he's become quite picky, and he's starting to look down on ordinary E and F-level small beasts.

"Forget it, let's make do. I'll go back and simmer it over a low flame with [Flame Heart Control], then use [Consciousness Cutting] to remove the fascia and metallic impurities. Maybe that will give it some texture."

Li Xian muttered to himself, preparing to take action.

The resolution was lackluster. Sensing the threat, the giant rabbit's red eyes flashed, and with a burst of power from its hind legs, its massive body slammed into the ground like a cannonball, sending up a gust of foul air.

Li Xian didn't even bother to dodge; he simply raised a finger and lightly "tapped" the charging rabbit.

[Consciousness Segmentation], Targeted Activation – Target: The connection node between the motor nerve coordination center and the energy core.

The giant rabbit, which was running wildly, seemed to have all its strength suddenly drained away, and its limbs went limp.

Its massive body slid several meters across the ground due to inertia, crashing into a pile of scrap metal, before collapsing there, only its eyes still able to move in terror.

It made a hissing sound as it breathed air out of its mouth. Its supernatural abilities and brute strength were still intact.

However, the instructions issued by the brain can no longer be effectively transmitted to the body and energy core.

Li Xian walked over, examining the enormous "ingredient" and pondering where to start cutting.

Just as he was gathering his mental energy, preparing to perform "refined decomposition".

Not far away, behind a pile of collapsed concrete structures, came a very slight spatial ripple, but one that was exceptionally clear to him.

It wasn't the energy fluctuations of a strange beast, nor the energy dissipation of an ordinary superhuman; it was more like...

A small tear was made in a smooth piece of cloth, revealing a completely different atmosphere on the other side.

Li Xian paused, looking over warily.

Between the gaps in the concrete, the air rippled like water, and soon, a very unstable, dark crack, barely wide enough for a small child to squeeze through, quietly appeared.

Tiny sparks of electricity flickered at the edge of the crack, emitting a faint "buzzing" sound.

"A spatial rift?" Li Xian raised an eyebrow.

This is not a common phenomenon.

After the gray-clad man transformed the world, superpowers became ubiquitous, but abilities involving spatial dimensions still belonged to the extremely high order or were considered special talents.

It is extremely difficult to control, let alone form a stable channel.

The crack is so small and unstable that it looks more like it was forcibly torn open or caused by an accident.

Before he could think further, a rustling sound came from the crack, and then a small, dirty figure struggled to crawl out from inside, using both hands and feet.

She was a little girl who looked only five or six years old.

She was wearing a tattered dress covered in dust and unidentified stains, barefoot, and her face was streaked with gray and black.

But none of this could overshadow her delicate and lovely features, especially her big, round eyes that were now sparkling with the excitement of someone who had just survived a disaster.

However, what is most striking are the pair of fluffy cat ears on her head that twitch as she crawls!

Its ears were light gold with darker tips, and they stood erect with excitement, the downy hairs trembling slightly in the afternoon sun.

After the little girl had completely crawled out, the crack flickered behind her a few times and then disappeared with a "pop" like a soap bubble, as if it had never existed.

She looked around at the abandoned factory environment with a bit of a blank expression, then patted the dust off her little hands and stood up unsteadily.

Immediately afterwards, she did something that almost made Li Xian lose his composure.

She forcefully puffed out her small, barely-curved chest, put her hands on her hips, tilted her dusty little face up, and let out a loud "wahahaha" laugh—an attempt to sound dignified, but which sounded more like a childish whim—at the empty, abandoned factory area.

"Hahaha! It's...it's a success!"

I've finally escaped that damned place! Hmph! Those idiots, fools, and big bad guys who chased me! Just you wait! When I get stronger, I'll capture you all! Lock you all up...lock you all up in a room full of canned herring! So you can smell it every day! And! And this new world, from now on, will be ruled by me...cough, I, this great one! Wahahahaha!"

She laughed so hard she almost fell over, as if she could already see her glorious future of avenging her great enemy and ruling the world.

Completely unaware that a dumbfounded adult male was standing not far away, and a giant rabbit lying at his feet looking utterly hopeless.

Li Xian: "..."

He silently activated the deep perception of [All-Encompassing Power].

The little girl had obvious energy fluctuations, and... they were not weak.

More importantly, he clearly "saw" the sequence information emerging from her body—

It wasn't her self-identified "this great one" or "this cat," but rather cold numbers and words:

【Sequence 004 - Fission】

The ability description is ridiculously simple, yet astonishingly powerful: Squared basic mental strength.

Li Xian has a very clear understanding of mental power.

In this new era, mental strength is the foundation of those with superpowers, much like the internal energy in martial arts novels.

It determines how much energy of heaven and earth (or alien energy) you can mobilize, how long you can sustain the use of your abilities, and the upper limit of the intensity of your skills.

A high-ranking ability user with weak mental strength may be no match for a low-ranking but powerful opponent.

For example, a Sequence 9527 ability user with 10086 points of mental power could theoretically easily crush a Sequence 1314 ability user with only 520 points of mental power.

Even though the latter's ranking is over 8,000 places higher, this is a clear example of overwhelming superiority in basic attributes.

And this catgirl... her ability "fission" has a simple and brutal effect: it directly squares her "extremely low" basic mental strength!

Li Xian carefully sensed her current level of scattered mental energy—it was around 10 points.

For a creature the size of a five- or six-year-old child, this might not be considered low, but it's definitely not high either; it's at the level of a newly awakened ordinary human child.

But what if we square it? 10² = 100. That's an instant tenfold increase!

What if her base mental strength is 100? The square of that is 10000!

This is just the terrifying multiplication under the linear growth assumption!

"This isn't fission...this is practically cheating!" Li Xian thought to himself, clicking his tongue in amazement.

Sequence 004, truly deserving of its name.

This ability has no fancy features; it's just the purest and most brutal numerical crushing.

As long as her mental strength foundation is not zero, a qualitative change can occur after the square is formed.

Moreover, who knows if this "square" has any other limitations or hidden effects?

At this moment, the catgirl was still standing there with her hands on her hips, fantasizing about her grand revenge plan involving herring cans and her blueprint for unifying the world. Her little face was full of pride, and her cat ears were twirling happily.

Li Xian, however, fell into deep thought.

This little girl is clearly not an ordinary person (she might not even be human).

His origins are mysterious, he possesses top-tier sequence abilities, and his personality seems... rather unruly.

And it seems he's being chased by someone.

Why let her stumble into this already chaotic society so clueless and boisterous?

Li Xian could almost picture the scene: she might have gone to "take" something from the store because she was hungry (using her squared-up mental power), and the shopkeeper would mistake her for a thief;

They might misuse their abilities out of curiosity, causing damage to public facilities;

More likely, because of those cat ears, they would be surrounded on the spot by vigilant citizens or patrol teams searching for strange beasts... and dissected for research?

Given the current tense situation regarding non-humanoid monsters (even if they look cute), which is basically "killed or captured for research upon discovery," the possibility is not small.

Call the police?

Hand it over to the Special Abilities Bureau?

Li Ming's formulaic smile flashed through Li Xian's mind.

Given the General Administration's current attitude of being eager for and wary of high-sequence individuals, the best outcome for this cat-eared loli with Sequence 004 is that she will be strictly monitored and brainwashed into a war machine; the worst outcome... Li Xian didn't want to think about it too much.

"What a hassle..." Li Xian rubbed his temples. He just wanted to live a quiet life, earning food for his sister and cat, and didn't want to get involved in any troublesome matters.

But... looking at that tiny, dirty cat-eared loli who was still having unrealistic revenge dreams.

Li Xian's remaining shred of sympathy as an ordinary human being (and perhaps a little bit of instinctive fondness for furry creatures) stirred slightly.

Furthermore, his mental power could perceive that the cat-eared loli's current state was one of genuine joy at escaping a disaster, as well as a trace of fear or curiosity about arriving in a new world.

It's obvious that this cat-eared loli isn't the kind of terrorist who comes with dangerous ideas like destroying humanity.

Most importantly, she looks...so cute (scratch that)...like she's a real troublemaker.

If I release them to harm society, and things get out of hand, they might trace it back to me, a "low-sequence ability user in the vicinity," disrupting my peaceful, carefree life.

"Well, for the sake of social harmony and stability, and to avoid causing trouble for myself... let's take her back and interrogate her first." Li Xian found a perfect reason and nodded.

He removed his hold on the giant rabbit (which scrambled away without looking back), composed himself, and walked toward the catgirl who was still laughing.

The kitten girl finally finished laughing, wiped away the tears that had come out of her eyes (leaving two white streaks on her dirty face), and turned around to find herself facing Li Xian, who was standing in front of her at some point, looking down at her.

"Ha!" She was startled, and her cat ears instantly turned into airplane ears.

He took a small, wary step back, his eyes wide. "W-who are you? When did you get here? What...what do you want? I'm warning you, I'm very powerful!"

She tried to make a fierce expression, baring her little tiger teeth.

But with her cat-like face and trembling cat ears, she was not intimidating at all; instead, she looked more like a bluffing, puffed-up kitten.

Li Xian crouched down, trying his best to make his expression friendly (although he was usually so relaxed that this expression looked a bit stiff): "Little friend, where are you from? Why are you here all alone? Where are your family?"

"Home, family?" The cat girl's eyes flickered, a hint of sadness flashing across them, but she immediately straightened her chest.

"I have no family! I am a powerful figure who conquered the world alone! You...you weren't sent by those villains?"

"A bad guy?" Li Xian asked, following her question. "What kind of bad guy?"

"It's those bastards who were chasing me just now!" The catgirl gestured angrily, as if she had found someone to confide in.

"They wanted to capture me! Lock me up! They even tried to steal my... my treasure! Luckily, I'm smart. I found a loophole and ran straight into the spatial rift! Hehe, they must be furious!" She became smug again.

Li Xian was pretty sure the kid had fled from somewhere, and it was clearly not a peaceful place. He thought for a moment and decided to cut to the chase: "Are you hungry?"

The little cat girl's stomach promptly let out a long "gurgle~~".

Her face flushed, and she clutched her stomach, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards Li Xian, filled with longing and a hint of stubbornness: "Hmph! I...I'm not hungry! How can mere hunger defeat the future world ruler!"

Even so, the cat's ears honestly drooped down and trembled slightly.

Li Xian found it a little amusing, but kept a straight face: "I have food at home, hot and fresh, and lots of... fish?"

He tentatively said that he remembered cats seemed to like fish.

The kitten girl's ears perked up instantly, and her eyes lit up noticeably.

But she still insisted, "Fish, what's so great about fish! I've eaten everything... However, since you've sincerely invited me, I'll reluctantly go and see! Remember, it's your honor!"

Li Xian: "...Alright, it's my honor. Let's go then, future world ruler."

He stood up and extended his hand.

The cat girl looked at Li Xian's hand, hesitated for a moment, and then looked at his seemingly harmless face (and his languid demeanor).

Finally, she cautiously placed her little hand on it, muttering, "This...this is just a temporary alliance! Once I've eaten my fill, I'll still rule the world!"

"Alright, alright, I'll rule you." Li Xian led the stubborn little guy towards home.

She was already starting to think: How should she explain to Fatty Orange that a cat-eared little girl had suddenly appeared in the house? How should she explain it to Li Yu, who only came home occasionally?

Also, we need to find a way to conceal her identity and abilities... Sequence 004's "fission" is much more troublesome than Fat Orange.

However, looking at the small figure beside him, who was clearly very hungry and tired, yet still forced herself to stand tall and proud, occasionally glancing at the unfamiliar surroundings out of the corner of her eye, her little hand tightly gripping his finger.

Li Xian suddenly felt that this trouble... might not be entirely unacceptable.

At least, it's much more interesting than dealing with that scrawny, steel-toothed giant rabbit.

"Oh, right," Li Xian remembered something and looked down to ask, "What's your name? I can't keep calling you 'World Ruler,' can I?"

The kitten tilted her head back; in the sunlight, her dirty little face contrasted sharply with her bright eyes, and her cat ears twitched alertly.

"Hmph! Listen up! I, your humble servant, will never change my name—Lingdang! Remember that? This is the name that will one day resound throughout the entire world (and the herring can room)!"

Li Xian: "...Bell?" It's a cute name, but it doesn't quite match her "ambitions".

"That's right! Lady Bell!" The catgirl, no, Bell, nodded vigorously, as if the name gave her boundless power.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two figures, one large and one small.