Regarding the matter of awakening lightning abilities after transformation

Qin Kexin's "mental communication" has remained at B+ level for more than half a year. After a long period of training, its range of action has expanded from a circle with a radius of one kilometer to one and a half kilometers. No one in the entire Awakened Squad is more suitable for communication work than her.

"Sister Xi, are you alone?"

After greeting the others, Qin Kexin jogged over and sat down next to Su Wanxi, who gave a soft "hmm" in a calm tone: "Before you found me, I hadn't met any Awakened Ones."

I've seen quite a few different kinds of mutated creatures.

Qin Kexin sighed upon hearing this, her mood somewhat somber: "As expected... We searched along the coastline for almost a whole day, and only found this many people."

The first two teams, totaling 982 people, entered the rift. When Su Wanxi arrived, she glanced at the camp and found that there were just over 100 people, and the number of wounded was too many to count on two hands.

"And..." Qin Kexin lowered her voice, gently biting her lip. "Sister Xi, someone reported that there is a mole in the team."

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl pointed to a young man with a bandage wrapped around his arm not far away.

"A B-level Awakener, 'Adapted to Survival'. When the rebellion occurred, someone shot him in the back of the head. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and changed his body structure before his brain was damaged, transitioning from a vertebrate to an insect. Even if he loses his brain, he can survive for a period of time."

"The attacker saw the bullet pierce through his head and didn't think of finishing him off with another blow."

Hearing about such a peculiar ability for the first time, Su Wanxi couldn't help but take a few more glances at the other party, who was covered in thick bandages not only on his arms but also on his head.

"How did he survive?"

Qin Kexin tilted her head and lightly curled her braid with her index finger: "He lay on the ground pretending to be dead. After the rebellion ended, he instinctively hid in a city ruin and was not discovered by the carrion flies that followed him."

As luck would have it, Qin Kexin successfully scanned him on her second search. The accompanying physician used a Class C 'overdraft treatment' to prolong his life and also gave him a brief bandage.

"How many people know about this?" Su Wanxi pursed her pink lips and contacted Qin Kexin through the communication channel.

"There were a total of seven members in the search team at the time. When I returned to the camp, I immediately passed the message to Mr. Wu, who was in charge. Including you, Sister Xi, there should be more than ten people."

Qin Kexin bent down and took out a bag of cherry tomatoes from her purse. She ate one herself and handed two to Su Wanxi.

"I washed them beforehand and brought them in~"

Su Wanxi took the tomato, her gaze remaining quietly fixed on the spot.

"Ten people in the know are enough to spread the news a dozen times."

As soon as she entered the camp, she noticed that people were looking at her with a hint of prying. Not long after she sat down, whispers began to rise and fall.

“Every awakened one involved in the crack treatment passed the psychological assessment, so why are there still traitors…” Qin Kexin took a small bite of tomato, her arms slightly bent and wrapped around her knees.

Su Wanxi's eyelashes trembled, and her slender white fingers gently tapped her thigh.

"Perhaps it's related to supernatural abilities."

Song Shiyan can invade dreams to search for useful information hidden in the subconscious of suspects, so correspondingly, Han Ya also has other means of implanting consciousness.

Fabricating memories, subconscious suggestions, and even using supernatural abilities to control the secretion of human hormones—if the other party comes prepared, it is impossible to discern their stance based solely on written conversations and instrument measurements.

Ultimately, the Raven is far ahead in the field of mysticism, especially within the cracks weakened by mystical augmented reality, where this advantage will only grow.

"Oh, right, Qin Kexin..."

"Ok?"

"Have you noticed... that the terrain here doesn't quite match reality...?"

The Awakened Ones responsible for dealing with the Rifts came from all over the world and could not possibly be familiar with every city and every area. In order to ensure the mission could proceed smoothly, the military equipped each member with the most accurate satellite maps available at the time.

"When I woke up, I was on a barren beach with an endless ocean beside me. After determining my general location, I walked away from the coastline, but when I passed through the city, there was another sea in front of me."

The highway leading to the center of the capital city was submerged in the sea. Unlike Lanjiang, which is located on a plain with flat terrain, Beidu is surrounded by high mountains with intersecting mountain ranges. However, Su Wanxi did not see even a single mountain shadow along the way.

Qin Kexin was silent for a moment, then rested her chin on her knees and said softly, "It's more than just not a perfect match..."

"We are not on land at all, but on an island floating on the sea."

......

At the Qingpu District camp, in a makeshift shelter built from scrap materials, Wu Shaoqiu lit a cigarette and quietly gazed at the distant, gray, and desolate sky.

As one of only two S-rank ability users in the action group, the man should rightfully become the camp's management, overseeing all affairs.

“Mr. Wu, we have new Awakened joining the camp.” A burly man with a scarred face and a fierce-looking appearance walked in.

"Who?" Wu Shaoqiu asked calmly, his left hand gently stroking a disposable lighter.

"Su Wanxi, A+ level Awakener, gravity control."

The man remained composed and revealed all the information he had gathered.

"Gravity control?" Wu Shaoqiu repeated thoughtfully, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

After finishing one cigarette, he stood up straight and asked in a cold voice.

How many people are there in the camp in total?

“One hundred and twenty-one.” The subordinate moved his lips a few times and handed Wu Shaoqiu a paper list. “The ability information of all the awakened ones is recorded.”

Aside from Su Wanxi, who had just arrived at the camp, there were a total of seven A-level Awakened individuals capable of direct combat.

As he pondered, a gray-black vulture flew into the room, its flesh churning and bones cracking. In a moment, it transformed into a human form, took the blanket that Wu Shaoqiu threw to cover himself, and looked solemn.

"Observation complete. No path connecting to other sections was found. Unless you have the ability to fly, we do not recommend attempting to cross the sea."

He witnessed a giant fin, comparable in size to a destroyer, emerge from the water. If they were only on a raft, this behemoth could easily capsize them with a few waves.

"Continue the investigation and report any unusual activity immediately."

After giving the order, Wu Shaoqiu left the shelter with his pistol and headed alone towards the resting spot where Su Wanxi was.

A high-level awakened being... Su Changqing is really willing to spend...

Passing through the wounded area, Wu Shaoqiu saw two stunningly beautiful women sitting side by side. The petite one was Qin Kexin, while the other had dark hair and dark eyes and a noble air about her. He had seen her in the files before.

"Wu Shaoqiu, temporary commander of the Qingpu District survivor camp, welcome to join us."

Chapter 406, Section 414: Banishing the Darkness

Late at night, Qin Kexin, who had been busy all day, returned to the camp. She put her hands together to support her chin and crawled into her sleeping bag like a salted fish that had lost its dreams, occasionally making humming noises.

Su Wanxi stood quietly to the side, holding the Beretta 92F that she had brought back to Beidu from Lanjiang and treasured ever since. The firelight outside the tent shone faintly through the thin gauze, illuminating the woman's snow-white skin and delicate face.

“We had a search and rescue mission today, so we don’t have to be on night duty tonight. We can finally get a good night’s sleep.” Qin Kexin noticed Su Wanxi lost in thought and couldn’t help but pat her cheeks and ask her softly.

"Sister Xi... are you worried about Chengzi...?"

Upon hearing the familiar name, Su Wanxi's expression flickered slightly. After a moment, she turned around and nodded to the girl, her voice low and calm.

"Hmm...but I know she'll be alright..."

With his dual S and A+ level abilities, aside from the Black Dragon Nidhogg, other creatures pose almost no threat to Gu Cheng.

As for Wu Shaoqiu's side... Su Wanxi frowned slightly, put the fully loaded pistol back into her weapon belt, and slowly sat down next to Qin Kexin.

"Kexin, how much do you know about Mr. Wu?"

During the midday meeting, Wu Shaoqiu was quite enthusiastic. Perhaps because of her relationship with Qin Kexin, Su Wanxi did not face much scrutiny. The questions the man asked were all very basic, mainly about her experiences before coming to the camp, her specific abilities, and whether she had met other companions.

In terms of results, the negotiations went very smoothly. Even Su Wanxi's subsequent work was resolved through negotiation, without her putting on any arrogant airs as an S-level awakened person.

“Mr. Wu… I remember him as being extremely strong…” Qin Kexin extended two index fingers and gently touched them in front of her.

"The first Awakened I encountered when I entered the Rift was Mr. Wu. His ability was very special; he could copy a portion of the abilities of other Awakened."

When the "spiritual communication" was about to run out, Wu Shaoqiu took Qin Kexin's place in establishing a public communication channel to complete the subsequent search and rescue work.

"Ability replication..." Su Wanxi silently repeated these four words in her heart, while remaining outwardly calm.

Qin Kexin did not have the same strong family background as the Su family, so she naturally did not know what position Wu Shaoqiu had held. He was the captain of the A-level special operations team before the dissolution of the Hermit Bureau, and the superior of "All-rounder" Lin Shusheng.

"To be more specific?" Su Wanxi asked her in a gentle voice.

The Su family has no close relationship with the Hermit Bureau, and there is very little information about Wu Shaoqiu. All that is known is that he is one of the top combatants among awakened individuals in China, and is ranked alongside another awakened individual surnamed Liu as an S-class twin star.

Qin Kexin stuck out her tongue upon hearing this, feeling a little embarrassed: "I don't know anything else. Mr. Wu has never mentioned it on his own initiative."

"Sister Xi, you suspect him..." The girl blinked, then switched to encrypted communication for the second half of her sentence.

Two years ago, Qin Kexin probably wouldn't have been so cautious; she would have just spoken out directly. Startled by the sudden dull pain, Su Wanxi brushed aside her dark hair, her watery eyes calm and deep like a still pool.

"It's not a matter of doubt... it's just that the current situation is unclear, and any unconditional trust carries risks."

Untying her hair tie, her beautiful hair wafted out a cool fragrance. Su Wanxi got up and sat down at the tent entrance, still wearing the same thick combat uniform that completely concealed her stunning curves.

"Go to sleep, I'll keep watch."

......

On the other side of the sea, Gu Cheng walked slowly on the dark subway tracks, a cold and sharp Tang sword resting steadily in her palm, and her hard-soled tactical boots making a soft tapping sound as they struck the ground.

"Hiss..."

The continuous roars grew louder as they approached, and the damp, cold air inside the tunnel relentlessly tickled her skin. Gu Cheng walked steadily, her fair wrists fluttering as she turned, pulling at several strands of silver hair.

The sound grew closer, and at the edge of their field of vision, a swarm of bloodthirsty bats with scarlet eyes flapped their wings and charged toward their target like fish attracted by a fishy smell.

The girl remained unmoved upon seeing this; only a faint electric current lit up where her delicate hand met the long sword. The next second, a flash of blue light appeared in her tea-colored eyes, and Gu Cheng raised her hand to unleash a dazzling sword aura. The moment it touched the swarm of bats, the energy carried by the light blade stimulated the bioelectricity flowing inside the target's body. The thin blade tip suddenly widened, forming a viscous electric grid that spontaneously adhered to the bats' wings.

In an instant, the smell of burning protein filled the entire tunnel. Gu Cheng swung the hilt of his knife, slightly clearing the air, and the lightning that was wrapped around him gradually subsided.

As the sound subsided, several team members in combat uniforms peeked out from behind cover. Upon confirming that the other party was a high-level awakened individual in charge of the rescue, they all greeted them excitedly.

Gu Cheng put down her knife and looked at the men and women in front of her, whose bodies were bruised but whose faces were filled with excited smiles. Her pink lips unconsciously curved into a smile.

With such a large number of people, some unlucky ones will inevitably be transported to strange and unusual places.

Gu Cheng remembered that she was even more unfortunate than them before. The crack she entered was in the sewers instead of the subway. At that time, she had not reconciled with Gu Chengyan, and was unable to fire a gun due to the swamp gas. Her ability strength was also low, and she was chased all over the map by several mutated rats.

Finally spotting the ladder felt like finding home; they quickly climbed up, pried open the manhole cover, and in doing so, startled Su Wanxi, who was searching for any creatures that had fallen to the ground.

Thinking of his wife, Gu Cheng's eyes softened, and the murderous aura that filled his body finally dissipated a bit.

"Thank you so much for saving me. I am Zhang Xue, a B-level Awakener, and this is a C+ level Awakener..." The young woman at the head of the group introduced the team members one by one. When her gaze fell on Gu Cheng's face, she suddenly paused for a moment, and then a shy look appeared on her face.

"May I ask who you are?" His tone became a little hesitant.

Gu Cheng nodded slightly and told the other party her name and ability strength: "Gu Cheng, ability strength A+".

“There is a temporary camp about 500 meters away from here. I have cleared out the mountain of meat and the pack of wolves blocking the subway entrance. If you don’t mind, you can come with me to the camp.”

Forty minutes later, in a building on the outskirts of the city, a dozen awakened individuals were drying their clothes by a campfire, discussing the dangers that had occurred. Gu Cheng sat on the outer railing, holding a knife in one hand and a compressed biscuit in the other, gazing absently at the wilderness.