“The Landlord is busy. Once she's finished, she will come to see you.”
Lei Lie was stunned for a moment. “The Landlord is busy?”
“Yes,” Ah-Lan nodded without offering much explanation.
Lei Lie fell silent for a moment before finally nodding. “Alright.”
He turned and waved to the scarred-face man and the others. “Get up. We’re waiting in the warehouse.”
The group dragged the Shadow-Stalker Beast, following Ah-Lan toward the warehouse deep on the first floor.
The warehouse had been cleared out after the main building’s expansion, specifically designated for storing “special items.”
“This is the spot.” Ah-Lan pointed to an open area in the center of the warehouse.
“Leave the Shadow-Stalker Beast here. You all wait right here. Don’t wander around, and don’t touch anything.”
The scarred-face man muttered something about her being too bossy, but he still obediently dragged the Shadow-Stalker Beast to the designated spot and set it down.
Ah-Lan nodded and turned to leave the warehouse.
As she reached the door, she glanced back at Lei Lie, a faint, cryptic smile playing on her lips.
“Don’t worry. The Landlord will be ready soon.”
The door closed, leaving Lei Lie, the scarred-face man’s group of four, Liu Sen, and the still-faintly-struggling Shadow-Stalker Beast alone in the warehouse.
A brief silence fell over the warehouse, broken only by the occasional low screech from the beast.
However, the silence didn’t last long.
About ten minutes later—
“Vvmmmm—!”
A massive, heart-palpitating energy fluctuation suddenly radiated from deep within the building without warning!
The ripple was like an invisible tide, instantly sweeping through the entire warehouse!
The scarred-face man felt his scalp tingle and his hair stand on end as an instinctive fear surged from the depths of his heart.
It was the natural awe a Low-rank Ability User felt toward a higher-ranked existence!
“Wha... What is this?!”
The two Level 1 Ability Users turned pale and collapsed to the floor!
The scarred-face man barely managed to steady himself against the wall, his legs trembling uncontrollably!
Even the Shadow-Stalker Beast abruptly stopped struggling, its scales bristling as it let out a terrified whimper!
Lei Lie was Level 3, so his perception was the clearest—
It was mental power!
Massive, pure mental power carrying a hint of “Rule” aura!
“It’s... it’s the Landlord...” Lei Lie muttered, his eyes wide with shock. “Is she... is she advancing?”
The fluctuation lasted for about ten seconds before slowly receding and eventually vanishing without a trace.
It was as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
But the five people in the warehouse knew better.
The scarred-face man swallowed hard and looked at Lei Lie. “Old Lei... you’re Level 3. What rank of Ability User do you think could cause a commotion like that...?”
Lei Lie fell silent for a moment, slowly shaking his head.
“I don’t know...”
“But at the very least, it has to be Level 5!”
The scarred-face man’s face turned even paler.
After a long while, he finally muttered, “Just who... is this Landlord of ours...?”
No one could answer him.
Another ten minutes passed before the warehouse door was pushed open.
Su Wan walked in.
She was still wearing the same simple, dark tracksuit with her hair tied up casually, appearing no different than before.
Her aura was even more restrained; one could hardly detect any energy fluctuations coming from her.
But Lei Lie knew this was the state of returning to one’s true self.
The more powerful an Ability User was, the more perfectly they could conceal their presence.
At this moment, Su Wan felt like a bottomless ancient well to him—calm, deep, and impossible to see through.
“Caught it?” Su Wan’s gaze fell upon the Shadow-Stalker Beast wrapped in the alloy net, her tone flat.
Lei Lie took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart. “Yes, Landlord. The Shadow-Stalker Beast is here, captured alive and in stable condition.”
Su Wan stepped forward and crouched down, looking at the Aberrant whose crimson vertical pupils were filled with wariness.
The Shadow-Stalker Beast’s body trembled slightly as it let out a low, threatening hiss.
Yet, deep within those eyes, a flicker of human-like fear passed through.
It could sense that the woman before it was entirely different from the people who had captured it.
Su Wan reached out and gently pressed her hand onto the Shadow-Stalker Beast’s head through the alloy net.
The beast stiffened all over, not daring to move.
Su Wan smiled with satisfaction, stood up, and looked at Lei Lie and the others.
“Not bad.”
“You’ve done well. Lei Lie, you’re credited with a first-class merit and a reward of twenty thousand Star Coins. For the rest of you, five thousand each.”
The scarred-face man and his group were immediately overjoyed. Not only had they survived, but they were also getting rewards!
Lei Lie frowned slightly. “Landlord, how do you plan to handle this beast? Are you really going to sell it to the Deep Blue Research Institute?”
Su Wan smiled faintly. “Sell it? Of course I will. But not just yet.”
She looked at the black Aberrant in the cage, a thoughtful glint in her eyes.
A Level 3 Aberrant with a rare stealth ability, and a three-million-credit bounty from the Deep Blue Research Institute—
It was indeed a massive sum of money.
But before selling it, she had one more thing to do.
The system had previously stated that once an Ability User of a certain rank appeared among the tenants, the corresponding advancement potion would be refreshed in the shop.
Then... what if she captured a Level 3 Aberrant?
Could she squeeze something good out of it as well?
On the system interface, the 【Aberrant Research】 category, which had been locked and grayed out, was now flickering with a faint light.
With a thought, Su Wan clicked on it.
The interface expanded, presenting a brand-new module before her eyes.
In the most prominent position, the silhouette of a black Aberrant was now lit up—the icon for the Shadow-Stalker Beast.
Rows of text descriptions appeared beneath the icon:
【Researchable Aberrant Detected: Shadow-Stalker Beast (Level 3)】
【Special Ability: Shadow-Hide (Passive/Active) — Enables dual optical and aura concealment in shadows or low-light environments, making it nearly undetectable by conventional perception while moving. When actively triggered, grants complete invisibility for 3-5 seconds (consumes stamina).】
【Research Progress: 0%】
【Extractable Ability: Shadow-Hide (Fragmented Version)】
【Points Required for Extraction: 50,000】
【Extraction Success Rate: 78% (Affected by Aberrant status, Host strength, extraction environment, etc.)】
【Post-Extraction Aberrant Status: Alive (Permanent loss of ability, but can still be sold or researched as a regular Aberrant)】
Su Wan’s pupils constricted slightly.
Extracting abilities?
She carefully read the detailed description below.
As it turned out, the system’s 【Aberrant Research】 module allowed her to consume a large amount of Points to extract the core ability from a captured live Aberrant. This ability would then be integrated into herself in the form of an “Ability Seed.”
The extracted ability would exist in a fragmented form, making it weaker and more taxing than the original version, but it had the advantage of being controllable and usable by a human like her.
And the Shadow-Stalker Beast’s “Shadow-Hide” ability was an extremely rare and practical stealth skill.
Countless application scenarios instantly flashed through Su Wan’s mind—
Infiltrating and scouting or avoiding powerful enemies in the apocalypse; tracking, investigating, or escaping for her life on Blue Star...
This ability was incredibly practical!
Rate on N.U.
