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

The next day, in the rapid response team's office.

Li Xian strolled into the office, barely making it past his usual late mark (9:28).

The air was still filled with the familiar smell of coffee and paper.

"Hey, Brother Xian! You're back! How was the capital?"

Xiao Yuan was the first to peek out from behind the computer, greeting everyone warmly with half a fried dough stick in her hand.

"It's alright."

Li Xian tossed his backpack onto his workstation and expertly turned on the computer.

"It's just that there are too many people, things are expensive, and the kids are noisy."

Su Lin looked up; there were still faint dark circles under her eyes, but she seemed to be in good spirits. She smiled gently at him.

"Li Xian, good morning. Thank you for yesterday... Let me know as soon as you hear anything from Fatty Orange."

"Yes, I'll let you know if I have any news."

Li Xian gave a vague reply, adding in his mind: The news is that it is expanding its harem and is temporarily unavailable.

His gaze inadvertently swept across the workstation diagonally opposite.

Magnet String has arrived, still dressed impeccably.

He was intently looking at the data on the screen, his profile cool and aloof.

He seemed not to notice Li Xian coming in, or perhaps he did notice but didn't say anything.

Li Xian sat down and had just logged into the system when he heard Team Leader Wang Tao walk out from the inner room.

"Everyone's here? Perfect, let's have a quick meeting."

Everyone gathered in the small conference room.

Wang Tao briefly summarized the group's work over the past few days (everything was calm), and then looked at Li Xian.

"Li Xian, you just got back, so I won't assign you any specific tasks today. Take a look at the new notices and case briefings from the General Administration in Beijing and familiarize yourself with them. Also…"

He paused.

"In the northern suburbs, some residents reported hearing strange noises at night last week, like something gnawing on metal. Cixian, take some time today to go check it out. Take Li Xian with you; he hasn't been there before, so he can familiarize himself with the terrain and common situations."

Li Xian's heart stirred.

The northern suburbs? Again, that area with the abandoned factories in the northern suburbs?

Upon hearing this, Cixian finally raised his eyes, calmly swept his gaze over Li Xian, and nodded: "Okay."

After the meeting, Li Xian returned to his workstation and slowly browsed through the dry documents. His mind, however, drifted elsewhere.

Magnet String was quite frightened by himself (in his masked form) at the factory in the northern suburbs last time.

Although he had concealed it well, given Magneton's keen senses and the slight slip he had "accidentally" revealed during the last amusement park incident (which he had managed to cover up with by saying "good luck" and "extraordinary talent"), it was hard to guarantee that the other party wouldn't be suspicious.

"Let's deal with whatever comes our way."

Li Xian thought indifferently.

Anyway, his current persona of "B-level strong telekinesis with some spatial manipulation skills" has already been preliminarily registered with several S-level individuals (although the registrations may be a bit off).

They're not afraid that the magnetic string might reveal something.

As long as the true nature of the All-Encompassing Power and the true situation of the bell are not exposed, it will be fine.

In the afternoon, Cixian drove Li Xian to the northern suburbs.

The atmosphere on the bus was a little quiet.

Cixian focused on driving, while Li Xian leaned against the car window, looking at the scenery with a lazy air.

"Li Xian".

The magnetic string suddenly opened, and the sound became steady.

"Um?"

"Your daughter... attends a school for people with special abilities?"

"Yes, preschool, early childhood education class. What, you have a child there too?"

Li Xian casually replied, but inwardly he became wary. Suddenly asking about the bell?

"no."

The magnetic string shook its head.

"I've only heard that the school has excellent resources and the children there have great potential."

"It's alright, the child is trying his best."

Li Xian chuckled.

Another silence followed.

As they approached the northern suburbs, Magnet String spoke again, this time taking a more direct approach.

"You handled the Flame-Painting Artifact beautifully last time in Paradise. Your energy control was incredibly precise."

"Here he comes." Li Xian thought to himself, but on his face, he showed just the right amount of embarrassment.

"Luck, it was really luck. I acted on impulse, and now I'm scared thinking about it."

"yes."

Magnetic String remained noncommittal, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

"I later studied the energy residue report from the site. That level of energy collision and structural damage cannot be achieved by simple 'luck' or 'a moment of impulse.' It requires an extremely precise grasp of energy nodes, and even... a 'comprehension' of the target structure that transcends common sense."

His tone remained calm, yet carried the rigorous inquiry of a technician.

Li Xian sighed inwardly.

This guy is definitely not easy to fool.

"Perhaps... the direction of my 'strong telekinesis' mutation is more inclined towards perception."

Li Xian continued to play dumb.

"I am indeed more sensitive to things like energy flow and structural stability than the average person. That's what the bureau's test reports say too."

That's true.

During his onboarding test, in order to fit the persona of "B-level strong telekinesis," he deliberately demonstrated a sensitivity to energy structures.

The sensitivity is simply kept within the "excellent B grade" range.

In retrospect, this move was quite the right one.

Magnet String glanced at him, but didn't press further. He simply said, "A very useful talent. In the fast-response team, being able to accurately sense energy nodes and structural weaknesses is often more useful than sheer strength."

"Right, I think so too."

Li Xian followed the pole.

"So Team Leader Wang had good judgment in hiring me."

During the conversation, the car stopped on the outskirts of the old industrial area in the northern suburbs.

Before me lay a familiar desolate scene: rusted factory buildings and overgrown weeds.

The magnetic string is taken out of the portable detector.

"The energy response is very weak and intermittent, in the direction of the B3 factory... It's similar to the place where the stray dog ​​was found last time."

The two got out of the car and carefully walked towards the target factory.

Pushing open the rusted iron gate, the factory interior remained dark, filled with abandoned machinery.

The air was filled with the smell of rust and dust, but this time, there was also a faint, fishy smell, similar to a mixture of engine oil and some kind of biological secretion.

There's something there.

The ripples on the detector screen flickered slightly in the low-frequency channel of the magnetic string.

They followed the scents and energy responses, bypassing a pile of rusty steel frames.

Then, I witnessed a scene that was both laughable and pathetic.

In a corner of the factory, next to a pile of old cables and metal parts, huddled three animals... larger than a regular house cat, with grayish fur, short, thick tails, and round ears.

They were happily nibbling at a piece of bare copper wire.

The teeth made a "crunching" sound as they rubbed against the metal, occasionally producing a few faint sparks.

"This is... a 'Gold-Eating Rat'?"

Li Xian raised an eyebrow.

A common type of beast ranging from F to E grade, it likes to gnaw on metal, especially copper-containing metal, and can extract trace amounts of energy from metal. Its teeth are also equipped with a weak electric current.

It poses little threat, but stealing electrical wires and cables is annoying.

"It seems so."

The magnetic string retracted the detector and breathed a sigh of relief.

"It must be a small family that recently migrated here. No wonder there have been strange noises around here lately."

The gold-eating rats also noticed them, immediately stopped gnawing, and alertly pricked up their ears.

It made a threatening "squeak" sound, but did not run away immediately.

Magnet took out a specially made metal cage and several baits (special energy blocks rich in copper ions) from his tool bag and skillfully set them up.

"Catch this little guy, assess him, and if he's not a threat, send him to the 'Harmless Beast Observation Zone' outside the city, or give him to relevant research institutions as a sample."

He explained as he operated the equipment.

"Although it's annoying for them to chew on electrical wires, they're not particularly aggressive, and they're actually somewhat helpful in purifying metal scrap."

Li Xian watched from the sidelines without interfering.

This is a small matter that MagnetString can handle by himself.

Sure enough, the gold-eating rat was quickly attracted by the bait and crawled into the cage.

The magnetic string closed the cage door, lifted the cage, and the three little guys inside squeaked and frantically bumped against the bars.

Task completed, easy and simple.

On the way back, Magnet String seemed to be in a good mood and took the initiative to talk about the habits of the gold-eating rats and how to deal with them.

Li Xian listened attentively, occasionally asking a question.

When the car passed by that familiar abandoned factory again, the place where Li Xian had met his "Sun Wukong version" self.

Magnet String seemed to glance over there unintentionally, and the car slowed down slightly.

Li Xian's heartbeat quickened slightly, but his expression remained unchanged; he even yawned.

"This place is quite remote. Wasn't that litter of dogs found around here last time?"

"Um."

Magnet String responded, withdrew its gaze, and sped away.

"It used to be much more chaotic here; lone superhumans and wandering monsters liked to use this place as a temporary base. It's become much quieter recently."

His tone was calm, but Li Xian could sense that beneath that calmness lay a trace of unresolved doubt and... obsession.

This guy is still thinking about how he was scared by "Sun Wukong" last time.

Li Xian decided to play dumb to the end and chimed in, "It's better to have some peace and quiet; it'll make our work easier."

Magnetic String didn't say anything more.

After returning the gold-eating rat to the station for handover, it was time to leave work.

Li Xian immediately slipped away to pick up Lingdang from school.

At the school gate, Lingdang and Lin Wanwan walked out hand in hand, the two little girls huddled together, excitedly discussing something.

"Old Deng!"

Upon seeing Li Xian, Lingdang immediately released Lin Wanwan's hand and pounced on him.

"Hello, Uncle Li."

Lin Wanwan greeted them politely, her small face bearing its usual seriousness, but her eyes sparkling.

Good evening.

Li Xian also greeted him with a smile.

"What are you chatting about that makes you so happy?"

"We're talking about tomorrow's live-fire exercise!"

The bell rings to answer the question.

"Wanwan said she's prepared super-powerful 'observation equipment'! I need to prepare some too!"

Lin Wanwan nodded, and solemnly took it out from her little schoolbag printed with stars and moons...

A children's telescope, a plastic "energy detector" (toy) that changes the color of its light depending on the volume of the sound, and a thick notebook with mysterious runes drawn on the cover (presumably drawn by her).

"This is the 'Full-Band Astronomical Observation Mirror', the 'Psionic Wave Sensor', and the 'Combat Record Bible'."

Lin Wanwan introduced it in a very serious manner.

"At that time, we will fully record the collision trajectory and energy dissipation pattern of high-level supernatural abilities, laying an unparalleled foundation for our future cultivation!"

Li Xian suppressed a laugh and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, very professional, very capable."

Lingdang looked at Lin Wanwan's "equipment" with envy and shook Li Xian's hand.

"Old Deng, Old Deng, I want one too!"

"We have binoculars at home, I'll bring them to you tomorrow. As for the notebook..."

Li Xian thought for a moment.

"I'll give you a small notebook and a pen, you can draw it yourself?"

"Good!" Bell was satisfied.

Lin Wanwan's mother, Su Wenjin, also arrived. She greeted Li Xian gently and took her daughter away, who was still immersed in her fantasy of "observation."

On the way home, Lingdang was still excitedly making plans.

"Old Deng, I need to draw all the powerful moves I see! And I also need to note down roughly how much mental energy they have! Wanwan says her 'sensor' can detect it!"

Li Xian chuckled and patted her head.

"Don't have too high hopes; the toy might not be accurate. Just observe carefully and remember. Remember, observe more, listen more, and speak less, especially don't reveal your true situation."

"I know! I'll be a good girl!" Bell promised.

During dinner, while cooking, Li Xian casually asked, "By the way, did your teacher, Ms. Li, say which grade level we'll be observing? And what skill levels are most relevant?"

Lingdang chewed on her chopsticks, reminiscing.

"They seem to be senior students in their second year of high school! Their sequence... Wanwan said they seem to have all kinds of elements! Fire, water, wind, and even enhancement! The most powerful one is Uncle Chen Zhe's 'Blazing Flame Class,' which has several students in the top 500 of their sequence! That senior who broke through to C-level, I think his sequence is... 188! His name is something like 'Flame Fist.'"

Sequence 188, "Flame Fist"?

Li Xian went through it in his mind.

The ranking is quite high, and to reach C-level at this age is quite impressive considering both talent and hard work.

This kind of practical exercise can indeed broaden the horizons of children like Lingdang who have just awakened.

"Watch carefully and learn well."

Li Xian placed the golden-brown fried fish into the bell-shaped bowl.

"But don't blindly imitate others. Everyone's abilities are different, and practicing haphazardly will cause problems."

"Uh-huh!"

Lingdang shoveled rice into her mouth, giving a mumbled reply, her mind clearly already on tomorrow's training ground.

……