Su Wan knew he must be using his ability, but she didn’t dare investigate what exactly he was doing.
She was just an ordinary person now.
Watching Gu Huaian whisper something to Zhou Yuanqi, Su Wan moved a few steps closer inconspicuously.
Her hearing had been enhanced, far exceeding that of an ordinary person; she could vaguely hear what Gu Huaian was saying.
But to hear more clearly, she needed to get a bit closer.
She lowered her eyes and tilted her ear slightly toward them.
“Mr. Zhou, this plot runs east to west. The terrain is flat, and the geological conditions are excellent.”
“We hired three professional agencies for geological surveys, and the conclusion was unanimous—the foundation’s load-bearing capacity fully meets the project’s requirements, with no need for extra reinforcement.”
“What about the surrounding roads and supporting facilities?” Zhou Yuanqi asked.
“They have all been sealed off and renovated.” Gu Huaian pointed toward the temporary road in the distance, cordoned off by corrugated iron fencing.
“Except for this designated construction access road, no outsiders can enter this area.”
“Water and electricity lines are in place. Site leveling and clearing are mostly complete, with the rest being primarily those...”
He pointed toward several building ruins in the wasteland that hadn’t been leveled yet, pausing briefly.
“...some remaining structures that need to be demolished.”
Zhou Yuanqi gave a noncommittal hum, his gaze sweeping over the wasteland. His expression revealed nothing.
While calm on the surface, undercurrents only he knew about were swirling in his heart.
He was one of the Twelve Abyss Seats within Yuansou, ranked last.
The words “ranked last” were like a thorn that had been lodged in his heart for many years.
Above the Abyss Seats were even higher existences, levels he couldn’t even dream of reaching yet.
And within the rank of Abyss Seats, he was the one at the very bottom.
In terms of seniority, he fell short.
In terms of strength, he had been stuck at Level 4 Early Stage for nearly ten years without making a single step of progress.
In terms of resource allocation, the higher the rank, the more resources one received; he always got the least.
He had seen the Abyss Seats ranked above him; some were already at Level 4 Late Stage, and some had even touched the threshold of Level 5.
They sat in higher positions, enjoying more resources and receiving more respect.
Meanwhile, he could only sit at the end of the table, watching their backs.
He refused to accept this.
Blue Star’s energy was sparse—a fact known to all Ability Users.
Once one reached Level 4, taking even a single step further was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Ordinary people could go their whole lives without even touching the threshold of an ability, yet he had stood out among countless others to reach this stage.
But he had spent ten years at this stage without being able to move forward.
So, when news of the “Jiangcheng variable” reached his ears, his eyes lit up.
Liu Junnan, sent by Hunter Nest, had been captured by the Special Abnormal Affairs Bureau, but that didn’t matter to him at all.
A Level 2 Sensory-type Ability User—if he was caught, he was caught; the organization didn’t lack people like him.
What truly interested him was the “variable” that Liu Junnan had chased for over a month without even finding a shadow of.
On all of Blue Star, no Ability User with strength exceeding Level 4 was a nobody.
Every one of them was on record with various factions, each with their own origin, background, and lineage.
But this variable had appeared out of thin air, with no records and no background.
There was only one possibility...
This was a newly ascended Level 4 Ability User.
The reason for this deduction was that during the “Control Variable” plan, this variable had escaped unscathed from an ambush by over twenty Ability Users, vanishing right from under Yin Ji’s nose.
Such methods, such precise control over energy fluctuations, and such an elusive nature were things a Level 3 Ability User could never achieve!
But how did this person ascend?
Blue Star’s energy was so sparse; so many people found it impossible to advance even an inch on this path.
Since this person could break through to Level 4, it meant that where they were, there was something capable of providing a massive amount of energy.
Most likely, some kind of treasure!
And there was a high probability that such a treasure would appear near an anchor point. As it happened, Jiangcheng had an anchor point!
Jiangcheng likely held the opportunity for Zhou Yuanqi to break through his bottleneck!
He had accepted the mission to come to Jiangcheng and capture the variable almost without hesitation.
Capture them? That was secondary.
What he was looking for was the opportunity that could allow an Ability User to break through to Level 4!
Looking at the land enclosed by the blue corrugated iron, he felt a surge of excitement.
This was one of the candidate anchor points selected for Yuansou’s Guixu Project in East China.
He knew far better than people like Yin Ji what an anchor point truly was.
It was a passage between Blue Star and another plane, a place where energy was at its densest and most active.
If he could find the anchor point, he might find that treasure!
Just then—
The sound of hurried footsteps came from the distance.
Su Wan’s ears twitched slightly.
The footsteps were fast and heavy, creating muffled thuds against the muddy ground, carrying an irrepressible sense of anxiety.
She turned her head slightly, her peripheral vision catching a middle-aged man in a construction uniform walking quickly from the direction of the fencing.
The middle-aged man looked frantic, his forehead drenched in sweat. He looked around as he walked, as if searching for someone.
The bodyguard spotted him first and stepped forward, blocking him with an outstretched arm.
“What are you doing?” the bodyguard asked.
The middle-aged man halted and spoke hurriedly, his voice low but his pace rapid:
“I’m looking for Manager Liu! It’s an emergency!”
Liu Peng was the general manager in charge of the preliminary preparations for this plot of land and was Gu Huaian’s assistant.
At this moment, Liu Peng was following behind Gu Huaian, accompanying the group hosting Mr. Zhou.
The middle-aged man’s gaze darted over the bodyguard’s shoulder and spotted Liu Peng immediately.
“Manager Liu is right there! Let me through—”
“Wait,” the bodyguard interrupted, remaining motionless.
The middle-aged man grew desperate, sweat rolling down his cheeks.
He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, ultimately just standing there, wringing his hands anxiously.
The bodyguard was listening to what the middle-aged man had to say.
“It’s that temple...” The middle-aged man’s voice carried an irrepressible urgency.
“The villagers are back! Nearly a hundred of them showed up today, surrounding the temple completely. They won’t let the excavators move an inch!”
“Our people talked to them for ages, but it’s no use. A few old ladies sat down right in front of the excavators, saying if we dare to demolish the temple, we’ll have to run over them!”
The bodyguard’s brow furrowed.
“Didn’t we tell you to handle it yourselves?”
“We can’t!” The middle-aged man stomped his foot in frustration.
“The village cadres are here too. They’re saying the temple is the root of their village, and demolishing it would be like severing their roots. They absolutely refuse to agree!”
“We can’t just use force, can we? If someone dies...”
He trailed off, but his meaning was clear.
Rate on N.U.
