Shen Nian

"Speaking of abilities, I'm actually not quite clear on their origin myself. I was just about to ask what a scavenger's ability really is."

A sharp glint flashed through Lan Jing Shui's eyes; she was indeed a clever one.

She had effortlessly seized control of the conversation and even turned the tables on him.

Lan Jing Shui liked clever people, and he paused to consider his response for a moment.

"The training academy only mentioned it briefly, but it's rare for even one person in ten thousand to possess an ability. Those teachers don't actually know what an ability truly is either."

"To put it simply, an ability is your desire."

"Desire?"

This was the first time Nan Yue had heard such a description.

Lan Jing Shui nodded and leaned back, his hands clasped casually on the table.

"Those who obtain abilities must possess strong personal qualities and an intense will to survive during missions. You can view it as a manifestation of what a strong person truly wants most in their heart."

Lan Jing Shui spread his hands and looked at the lines on his palms, his voice soft.

"Some people have healing abilities because they fear death, pain, and instability."

"Others have attack-type abilities, which suggests they prefer to fight back during missions."

"Some have stealth abilities, meaning they want to clear missions by hiding and avoiding conflict."

Lan Jing Shui looked into Nan Yue's eyes. "The very first thought that enters a person's mind when they encounter despair and horror is the source of their ability."

Nan Yue had an epiphany. Gu Xiang Kai's ability was a critical hit, which perfectly suited his personality.

He trusted his fists and refused to hide; rather than healing, he preferred to punch his way to survival.

Zhu Xi Ning's ability was foresight because her offensive capabilities were mediocre, and she relied more on perceiving danger in advance to avoid it.

Lan Jing Shui smiled as he watched the contemplative Nan Yue.

"That's why I said your ability is very special. Although I haven't seen it myself, based on the descriptions..."

"I feel like the desire in your heart is destruction."

Nan Yue's heart skipped a beat. She looked up and met Lan Jing Shui's probing gaze, but that scrutiny vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"That's why I find it strange. You don't seem like someone who wants to destroy things at all."

Lan Jing Shui stroked his chin and looked up at the lush greenery above. "You're more like a worried busybody who fusses over everyone."

Nan Yue remained silent. He had spoken well, but she hoped he wouldn't do it again.

"So... are there exceptional abilities?"

Nan Yue wasn't particularly worried about her uniqueness being noticed. There were so many scavengers and abilities in the world that even an organization as powerful as Sharp Blade couldn't possibly track them all.

Furthermore, according to Lan Jing Shui's explanation, these were private matters of the heart, so it was only natural for any kind of ability to exist.

Lan Jing Shui nodded. "Some are also acquired through unique encounters during missions, though that's relatively rare."

He was likely referring to cases like Zhu Xi Ning obtaining the ant mask.

Those were matters of luck and fate; if one wasn't resilient enough, they wouldn't just fail to gain an ability—they might not even leave behind a whole corpse.

"I also wanted to ask about extreme missions."

Nan Yue admitted that the psychological shadow left by the last mission was quite significant, possibly because Wen Xiang Yuan had died there.

More importantly, there had been no so-called path to survival.

That scenario clearly wasn't designed to let people come out alive.

Lan Jing Shui's expression grew serious at the mention of this. He remained silent for a while before speaking.

"I've only encountered an extreme mission once."

"Only two people survived that time. The other was a top 10 expert, but I haven't seen him since."

Lan Jing Shui gave a bitter smile. "...We were put through hell in that mission. By the time I left, I only had one hand and one leg remaining."

"That expert had it even worse. His ability was stronger than mine, so the backlash he suffered was more severe."

"He went mad."

A trace of loathing appeared on Lan Jing Shui's face. He was usually so flippant that this expression seemed jarringly out of place.

"Extreme missions... they're essentially graveyards for many scavengers. We don't know exactly how many there are, but the number is likely substantial."

"Especially when you consider that most extreme missions end in a total team wipe."

"Why... do these things even happen?"

Lan Jing Shui lowered his eyes. His eyelashes were long, making him look like a very gentle person if one only looked at his eyes.

However, the words he spoke were not gentle at all.

"They say the pollution is worsening."

"We are fighting against the pollution for living space. Sharp Blade's theory is that when we enter a mission, we might actually be going outside the wall, entering the polluted world."

"If we purify enough areas, a space free of pollution will be cleared, allowing more scavengers to survive."

Nan Yue's heart beat a little faster when pollution was mentioned.

"Has anyone... ever gone out?"

She pointed toward the area beyond the vegetation. "I mean, outside the city states."

Lan Jing Shui was silent for a long time. "Do you know who is ranked Top 1?"

Nan Yue recalled the first name on the list.

"Shen Nian."

"Shen Nian actually left nearly ten years ago."

Nan Yue looked at Lan Jing Shui in surprise. His gaze was heavy as he continued, "She was the one who founded Sharp Blade."

"She wanted to build an organization that could protect more scavengers, a sharp blade that could cut through the darkness of pollution and allow everyone to see the light."

"Her ability was extraordinary. I've never seen anything like it."

"Her ability was called Optimal Solution."

Seeing Nan Yue's confusion, Lan Jing Shui explained, "She... was like a bug. Whenever she encountered difficulty or danger, she could determine the course of action that resulted in the fewest casualties."

"So, as long as she was present, the survival rate of a mission was incredibly high."

Nan Yue murmured, "...That's incredible."

While they struggled to survive using every method possible in their missions, Shen Nian was essentially taking an open-book exam.

"That's practically..."

Lan Jing Shui finished her sentence. "It's practically like having an immortal body."

When Nan Yue heard that phrase, she couldn't help but think of Wen Xiang Yuan.

"Then... does anyone have an immortality ability?"

Lan Jing Shui laughed. "Not as far as I know. And if someone really did, I think it wouldn't be an ability, but a curse."

"Because many times, death is a form of release for scavengers inside a mission."

Nan Yue toyed with the small spoon in her coffee cup and said nothing. She had to admit that Lan Jing Shui was right.

To Wen Xiang Yuan, the world had no meaning, and missions had no meaning; only pain made her feel alive.

It truly was... like a curse.

"Back to Shen Nian. She was powerful and possessed impeccable character, so Sharp Blade was established quickly and its reputation grew."

"Then, ten years ago, Shen Nian decided to leave the city state and enter the pollution to search for another path to survival."

"She believed that even if her ability couldn't bring her back alive, she could at least find something for those who came after her."

Nan Yue felt a strange warmth in her eyes—it was a sense of admiration and reverence for Shen Nian.

She knew very well that sacrificing oneself for the greater good was easy to talk about, but very few could actually do it.