Highly Proficient

Ren Yi finally managed to rein in his chaotic perception. Enduring the intense discomfort, he struggled to "see" the owners of the voices clearly.

Two boys in blue and white school uniforms—clearly high schoolers from the academy with the lingering air of childhood on their faces—were standing not far away, looking around.

One of the boys was scanning the area in his direction, his eyes filled with confusion as if searching for the source of the loud crash from a moment ago.

Ren Yi's heart tightened. He instinctively used his perception to "take a look" at his current appearance.

One look was all it took to make him want to look away. It was an eyesore.

Now, he truly lived up to that nonsense online handle he'd picked for himself, "Slime Flight Edition."

At this very moment, he really did look like a glob of slime that had been tossed from a great height, splattered across a patch of shattered floor tiles.

Oh boy, I'm screwed.

【Please maintain a form that fits human cognition in public places.】

Ren Yi "watched" as the two high schoolers walked toward him suspiciously, and he instinctively shrunk his True Form.

The scene was a bit too gory; it wasn't suitable for teenagers.

To make matters worse, his energy was completely bottomed out. He wouldn't be able to pull himself back together for a while.

Wait, why did this scene feel so familiar?

Soon, Ren Yi became certain that he was fully within the line of sight of those two students.

He had already braced himself, waiting for the two of them to let out a terrified scream and attract a crowd of onlookers.

However, the two boys continued to look around with confused expressions, showing no reaction at all, as if he didn't exist.

It was only then that Ren Yi's dazed brain finally registered what was happening.

That's right. High schoolers in the academy were still "children" who hadn't awakened their Anomaly perception. They couldn't see an Anomaly in its uncontained form like him.

He instinctively expanded his perception to observe his surroundings.

He suddenly realized that the sunlight around him seemed much brighter than usual, carrying a faint, gentle warmth.

He "looked up" and saw several rings of sunlight with a faint, iridescent glow enveloping him, slightly obscuring the fragments of his True Form.

It wasn't an illusion.

Was it the light, or the sun itself?

Whatever the effect was, Ren Yi breathed a slight sigh of relief.

These unawakened students were being protected by The Alliance's cognitive barrier.

Within their "cognition," they simply couldn't see his Anomaly True Form.

Why did this feel so familiar?

Ren Yi quickly recalled the beginning of everything.

It was the afternoon before the Professional Allocation Test. He and Lu Zihan had also heard a strange sound in the school.

Just as they were about to discover the anomaly, Ms. Zhang had suddenly appeared.

Then, along with a few seniors, she had tricked him and Lu Zihan into leaving by claiming "someone jumped from the second floor."

The location was right, the characters were basically the same, and the situation was identical...

But! Why wasn't anyone here to cover for him?!

Ren Yi tried to wiggle his True Form to retreat, but it was currently the time for the students' morning exercises.

The plaza was filling up with more and more people. With everyone walking back and forth, he could easily be stepped on.

If the essence of the cognitive barrier really was light, then he absolutely couldn't let these "children" touch him.

Ren Yi instinctively imagined what he would feel like right now, and then imagined the scene of being touched by these "children."

The mental image was too much; he had to make sure it didn't happen.

At that moment, the "child" who had first heard the strange sound started walking straight toward Ren Yi.

At the critical moment, a familiar figure suddenly rushed over, firmly blocking Ren Yi from the two students' view.

"What are you two sneaking around and peeping at?"

Ren Yi looked up and instantly felt a wave of relief.

The person who arrived was actually Lu Zihan!

This was perfect. The characters, location, and plot all matched up.

Lu Zihan stood there, staring at the two students with a serious face, but his eyes surreptitiously glanced in Ren Yi's direction, filled with shock and confusion.

In the next second, the Anomaly Web connection vibrated instantly.

【Stool? Holy crap, are you okay? Why did you turn into this ghostly mess?】

Ren Yi looked at his shattered True Form, his heart full of grief and indignation as he quickly replied.

【Do I look okay to you?】

【Don't even ask. I got blasted away by a desk.】

He hadn't expected things to turn out this way either.

【I need a moment to recover. I'll explain to you later. Old Lu, help me hold off these two students first!】

【Copy that! Leave it to me!】

Lu Zihan replied immediately, his tone turning stern. He turned back to the two suspicious students, putting on the air of a "campus big brother."

One of the students was a bit stubborn and frowned defiantly. "Do you own the school? We just want to walk this way. What's it to you?"

The other student pulled on his companion's sleeve, signaling him not to be impulsive.

But he didn't back down either, his gaze still lingering suspiciously behind Lu Zihan.

"What are you doing? Why are you all gathered here?"

Just then, a sharp shout rang out.

Ms. Zhang and Zhang Qiuqiu finally arrived at the "battlefield," panting for breath.

Ms. Zhang's hair was a bit messy, clearly from running too fast. Zhang Qiuqiu, on the other hand, looked guilty, her eyes darting around and avoiding Ren Yi's direction.

Ms. Zhang quickly scanned Ren Yi on the ground, then shot a look at Zhang Qiuqiu and Lu Zihan.

"Uh, sorry about that, guys," Zhang Qiuqiu reacted immediately, stepping forward with a forced, awkward smile.

"We were playing with a ball upstairs and accidentally dropped it. The noise might have been a bit loud. It didn't hit you, did it?"

The student who had first heard the noise frowned, asking with suspicion.

"A ball? What kind of ball can smash the floor like that?"

"Look at the floor. It's completely shattered."

Zhang Qiuqiu didn't even blink, her tone perfectly confident.

"Uh... we're just really strong. We accidentally used too much force. Sorry, sorry."

Ren Yi, the "ball" on the ground, silently wiggled his True Form and took the opportunity to shrink back further.

In the sky, the sunlight seemed to become even more intense, and the iridescent glow enveloping Ren Yi grew thicker.

The questioning student's eyes turned a bit dazed. He seemed to be convinced by Zhang Qiuqiu's lie and finally nodded hesitantly, not pressing further.

"You kids, clean up the mess you made immediately! Don't disrupt the other students here!"

Ms. Zhang barked a stern reprimand at Lu Zihan and Zhang Qiuqiu.

Then, she turned to the two students, her tone instantly switching to a gentle one as she expertly entered "homeroom teacher lecture mode."

She hit the two "children" with lines like "class is about to start," "you're both good students," and "don't pay any mind to these slackers."

As she spoke, she gently took the two students by their arms and skillfully led them toward the teaching building in one smooth, practiced motion.

Ren Yi, Zhang Qiuqiu, and Lu Zihan stood there, silently watching them walk away.

It wasn't until their figures disappeared into the entrance of the teaching building that they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

So young. They were tricked just like that.

Ahem, I mean.

Ms. Zhang is really a pro at this.