Taoyuan Island.
Anju Construction Company.
In the top-floor office, sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and everything appeared to be in perfect order.
“Mr. A, good news!”
A young secretary pushed open the office door, her expression excited as she hurried to the desk.
“We won the bid! We’ve landed that massive reconstruction project in Yujing!”
Sitting behind the desk, Mr. A immediately looked up from his documents, a joyful smile spreading across his face.
“Really? That’s fantastic!”
“This is a huge contract! Your team has worked hard!”
“It was our pleasure, Mr. A.”
The secretary responded with a smile, then added with a sigh of emotion.
“I never expected a metropolis like Yujing to suffer a terrorist attack. I heard the damage was catastrophic.”
Mr. A’s smile faded, and he let out a sigh.
“Yes, it’s truly unfortunate.”
“Those lawless terrorists are a cancer on society.”
“However, being able to participate in the reconstruction and do our part to restore Yujing is both our corporate responsibility and an honor.”
“For this project, we must give it our absolute best!”
Mr. A’s tone grew passionate, sounding like a chunnibyou protagonist from an anime.
“We certainly will, Mr. A!”
The secretary echoed his sentiment with full confidence, without a hint of embarrassment.
Just then, the private line on Mr. A’s desk rang.
The secretary tactfully stepped back.
Mr. A picked up the receiver.
“Hello.”
“Oh, it’s headquarters.”
“Yes, yes, I just received the news. Our company won the bid.”
“Hmm? Go to Yujing for a field inspection right now? So soon?”
“I see. I understand. The reconstruction work cannot wait, and the schedule is tight.”
“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements and head out immediately.”
Mr. A hung up the phone and gave the secretary a helpless smile.
“You see? Headquarters is already pushing. They want me to go to Yujing immediately for an initial field inspection.”
The secretary was not surprised and smiled.
“Mr. A, I’ve already prepared the luggage and relevant documents you’ll need for the trip. They’re in the reception room outside.”
Mr. A wasn't surprised by the secretary's efficiency; whenever they worked with headquarters, the other party was always this swift and resolute.
“You’re as thoughtful as ever. I’ll head down now.”
Yujing had been hit by terrorists, and many places needed rebuilding.
By securing this reconstruction project, their company was sure to make a fortune.
Mr. A was quite accepting of the special requests from headquarters. In the past, they had often required him to go on early site inspections.
He grabbed his coat and walked to the reception room, where he indeed saw a suitcase and a briefcase waiting for him.
He picked up the luggage and took the private elevator straight to the lobby on the first floor.
A low-profile black sedan was already parked at the entrance.
A solemn-faced driver stood by the car. Seeing Mr. A emerge, he immediately opened the rear door.
Inside the car sat a sharp-looking young man—the external affairs specialist sent by headquarters to accompany him.
“Mr. A, please.”
Both the driver and the specialist appeared very respectful.
He nodded with a smile and leaned into the car. “Sorry for the trouble.”
“It is our duty,” the specialist responded briefly.
The vehicle smoothly pulled away from Taoyuan Island, heading toward Yujing.
Mr. A watched the scenery recede outside the window, feeling quite good.
He failed to notice that both the driver in the front and the specialist beside him maintained solemn expressions throughout the journey.
Their eyes frequently darted to the rearview mirror, monitoring the road behind and ahead.
Taoyuan Island was not far from Yujing.
Before long, the silhouette of the city appeared ahead.
Only, there was something unusual about it.
As the vehicle entered the Yujing city limits, Mr. A’s gaze was drawn to a massive object in the distance.
It stood in the city center, with ethereal green flames burning at its tip.
“Whoa, what is that? That’s one huge candle!”
“Is it some kind of performance art left behind by the terrorists?”
Mr. A’s face was filled with shock and curiosity.
As he observed the candle and exclaimed in wonder, the driver and the specialist simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.
Their tense shoulders finally relaxed.
That was no ordinary giant candle.
That was the 「Longevity Candle」, the result of the Longevity Demon’s out-of-control mutation!
Anything illuminated by that candlelight would rapidly age and die.
But in Mr. A’s eyes, it was merely a “very large candle.”
The supernatural candlelight, which should have been devouring lifespans, had now become gentle and harmless.
“We aren’t quite sure either. It might be some kind of marker left by the attackers,” the specialist said smoothly, following Mr. A’s lead.
“They’re just leaving it here to burn? Isn’t that dangerous?” Mr. A asked with concern.
“Someone will be coming to deal with it shortly.”
“Mr. A, let’s stick to the plan and inspect the current damage in Yujing. The reconstruction work is the priority,” the specialist urged.
“Alright, no problem.”
Mr. A immediately nodded and shifted his attention away from the candle.
He began to seriously observe the ruined buildings on both sides of the street, his face showing a pained expression.
Over the following hours, the specialist guided Mr. A through the ruins of Yujing.
Their route always remained close to that candle.
Initially, the specialist was somewhat nervous, ready to react to any possible accident.
But gradually, he relaxed.
Mr. A was gentle and had a strong sense of responsibility.
He would carefully inquire about the load-bearing capacity and safety of building materials and think seriously about reconstruction plans.
This Mr. A seemed exactly like an ordinary person.
In reality, however, this seemingly ordinary construction company boss was the Investigation Bureau’s deepest hidden trump card.
Codenamed 「Blind Folly」.
Everything regarding Mr. A was classified as top secret.
No one knew when or where headquarters had discovered his unique nature.
In essence, Mr. A could perhaps be considered a transcendent.
It was just that his ability was far too peculiar.
The emergence of the supernatural had caused many supernatural disasters in this world.
Yet in Mr. A’s eyes, all disasters were natural catastrophes or man-made accidents, devoid of any supernatural power.
After discovering Mr. A and conducting numerous tests, headquarters had determined the effects of his ability, which could be summarized as:
【Blind】: Ignores all mystical phenomena and shields against all supernatural influence.
【Folly】: Ignores all anomalies and forcibly interprets all supernatural events using common sense that fits his cognition.
Any hint or evidence attempting to reveal the existence of the supernatural to him would be distorted into a rational explanation.
【Invalidation】: Within his observation range, all mystical and supernatural phenomena that do not conform to physical laws or his worldview fail to take effect.
To put it simply, he cannot see the mystical and supernatural, and the mystical and supernatural become invalid in his presence.
Transcendents and supernatural creatures cannot use any of their abilities in front of him.
Even if a video of a transcendent using their powers was recorded and played for him, he would automatically interpret it through a rational lens.
For instance, if shown a video of a fire-type transcendent creating fire out of thin air, Mr. A would state with absolute certainty that the person had a hidden flamethrower on them.
Mr. A’s ability countered all the supernatural and mystical forces in the world.
Yet he himself was merely a mortal of flesh and blood.
Supernatural powers could not kill him, but a single bullet or a car accident could easily take his life.
To protect Mr. A, the Investigation Bureau had spared no expense to build Taoyuan Island and settle him there.
The residents of Taoyuan Island—from passersby to neighbors, even his secretary and girlfriend—were all actors arranged by headquarters.
They would satisfy Mr. A’s every need and collectively maintain the illusion of a “normal world.”
All actors were under a strict prohibition: they were never to mention anything regarding the supernatural in front of Mr. A.
Although Mr. A would automatically distort information about the supernatural into rational explanations, the high-level officials at headquarters vaguely sensed that if Mr. A were ever to clearly realize that the supernatural truly existed, it might trigger some extremely dire consequence.
Therefore, they avoided mentioning the supernatural in his presence whenever possible.
Mr. A lived in the same world as everyone else, yet he seemed to inhabit a completely different one.
At this moment, the specialist’s mission was to coax Mr. A into temporarily sealing that Longevity Candle.
Under their guidance, the Longevity Candle remained within Mr. A’s observation range at all times.
The terrifying Longevity Candle was covered by a common sense filter, turning it into a harmless, giant candle.
Once it was confirmed that the threat of the Longevity Candle was temporarily suppressed, headquarters immediately sent people to eradicate the thing.
Rate on N.U.
