Chapter 5

Xia Anping took a deep breath, stretched out his hand, and opened the security door. The face of the man in the black windbreaker finally appeared before him.

"Hello, may I ask who you are looking for?" Xia Anping asked calmly.

"Of course, I'm here to see you!" the man said from outside the door.

Xia Anping thought for a moment, then stepped aside to let the man in.

The man who entered the room looked around with great interest at Xia Anping's living space. Xia Anping closed the door and turned to face the man.

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Moyan Shao, and I am the director of the National Order Committee of Xianghe City. We met yesterday!" The man's eyes were sharp and bright, and his gaze, filled with professional scrutiny, gave an inexplicable pressure.

The National Order Committee of Yan Country is the most powerful institution in Yan Country. Its authority and reputation are well-known, not only in Yan Country but also globally, with significant influence.

In various films and TV shows, this institution and its members often appear, portrayed as strong, cold, and almost omnipotent, striking fear into the hearts of all criminals and the monsters that invade from other dimensions. The history of the National Order Committee of Yan Country can be traced back several hundred years.

"You are... a lamplighter!" Xia Anping's eyes flickered as he recalled the terrifying skills and summoner abilities of the man he had seen before.

"The term 'lamplighter' is outdated; we haven't used it for a long time. Yan Country is now a country governed by law. We are just a special group of civil servants serving the state and national interests. All our actions are within the framework of the law, and we don't kill people casually, unless they deserve it!" Moyan Shao smiled slightly at Xia Anping. "As an Awakened, your remote viewing ability is quite strong, but it's still easy to be detected by someone like me!"

Since the man had come to his door, Xia Anping became even calmer. He turned around, poured a cup of water for the man, placed it on the table in the living room, and then sat down in front of him. "I'm still not familiar with my abilities, and I didn't expect you to have remote viewing abilities as well!"

"Remote viewing is a rare ability among Awakened, but it's not unheard of. I happen to be one of them. May I ask when you discovered you had this ability?"

"Um, just a few days ago. I was also surprised to suddenly have this ability..." Xia Anping said calmly, not even bothering to fake surprise.

A few days ago? Don't kid yourself! Moyan Shao's lips curled up. He knew Xia Anping was lying.

According to Yan Country's laws, all Awakened must register their abilities with the Order Committee within half a month of confirming their awakening. Xia Anping had never done so.

If this remote viewing ability had awakened earlier, Xia Anping's concealment for so many years without registration would clearly violate some clauses of Yan Country's Public Safety Act and the Awakened Management Act.

However, if Xia Anping had just awakened a few days ago, it would be reasonable for him not to have registered yet, and the law would not hold him responsible.

However, Moyan Shao wasn't there to nitpick or educate Xia Anping. He didn't care about Xia Anping's past; what mattered was Xia Anping's future.

"Have you revealed your remote viewing ability to anyone else, or is there anyone else who knows about it? Please answer truthfully; this will affect your safety!" Moyan Shao's expression was serious.

Xia Anping thought for a moment and shook his head. "I just awakened this ability; no one else knows about it!"

"Do you have a sister named Xia Ning? Does she know?"

Xia Anping's eyes dropped, but he still shook his head. "She doesn't know either!"

Moyan Shao stared at Xia Anping. He knew Xia Anping was lying again. Xia Ning, his sister, should know about Xia Anping's remote viewing ability. They had lived together for so many years, and it was unlikely that Xia Anping could hide such an ability from her.

Xia Anping shook his head because he was confident that Xia Ning would not reveal his ability to anyone, even if questioned or in court.

Moyan Shao didn't dwell on this issue. He continued, "Awakened with special abilities should register with the Order Committee. You should know what this ability means. Do you need me to explain it to you?"

In Yan Country, those who awaken and possess special abilities must register with the Order Committee. The committee will then evaluate the ability. If the ability is useful to the state, the person will be forcibly conscripted to serve the country, similar to military service.

Awakened with special abilities generally join the National Order Committee of Yan Country or other national departments, becoming part of the state machinery and embarking on a unique path. This path is full of challenges but also extremely honorable, serving the country and the people—this is how it is often portrayed on TV.

Yan Country conducts physical examinations for all college entrance exam candidates before the exam to identify those who might awaken special abilities and then cultivate them.

This practice is not unique to Yan Country; other countries also do similar things, as Awakened are highly valued special talents.

Since Xia Anping dropped out of high school and started working, he avoided the college entrance exam physical examination, and his remote viewing ability remained undiscovered.

"I haven't had the chance yet. As a law-abiding citizen of Yan Country, I know what I should do. I was planning to register in a few days," Xia Anping said calmly.

"You don't need to be nervous. I'm not here to accuse you or discuss national laws!" Moyan Shao smiled. "I'm not interested in your past."

Xia Anping breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Understood. Can you tell me why you're here?"

"We need your help!" Moyan Shao said directly.

"To find those few escaped magic rats?" Xia Anping immediately understood. The reason the Order Committee sent someone to his door was because of his ability.

"Exactly. Among those escaped magic rats, two are female. We must find and eliminate them as soon as possible. If they survive in the wild, it will be very troublesome!"

"I know. I learned in elementary school that everyone has a responsibility to eliminate magic rats!" Xia Anping smiled slightly. "Magic rats can eat almost anything except rocks and soil, including plants, animals, corpses, roots, tree bark, insects, and sewage. A magic rat can survive even in the Arctic or Antarctic. They have a strong reproductive ability, giving birth three times a year, with three to six offspring each time. They can carry thousands of viruses and bacteria from other dimensions, including over a hundred that can infect humans, the most dangerous being the zombie virus, plague, and hemorrhagic fever, as well as mutated typhus..."

"Yes, you know well. Such space-invading creatures are very dangerous if they escape into the wild. They have no natural predators and can reproduce rapidly. The Special Operations Division of the Xianghe City Order Committee only has me with remote viewing ability. Other members with this ability are scattered across various locations on missions, and it will take time for them to arrive. What we lack most right now is time!"

"The four magic rats escaped in two directions?" Xia Anping's eyebrows moved.

"Yes, I can only lead a team to pursue one direction and track the rats. The other team needs someone with remote viewing ability to accompany them, and you happen to have that ability!"

"Please allow me to refuse!" Xia Anping shook his head and said without hesitation, "Even though I have awakened remote viewing ability, I am just an ordinary citizen. I lack the ability to protect myself, and pursuing magic rats is dangerous. I have the right to refuse to participate in such dangerous tasks. I am still within the registration period. Before I officially register with the National Order Committee, you have no authority to force me to do anything. If you think I concealed my ability, you can follow legal procedures to investigate and prosecute me. I will respond and bear all consequences..."

Moyan Shao calmly stared at Xia Anping. He wasn't surprised by Xia Anping's refusal and stubbornness.

Before coming, Moyan Shao had reviewed Xia Anping's file and felt that Xia Anping was not an ordinary young person. If he were, it would be hard to imagine someone with remote viewing ability hiding it for so long and working as a repairman without telling anyone or showing off. Xia Anping had managed to do so.

A young person who could hide his remote viewing ability while working to earn money and live in a cheap apartment, protecting his sister, showed a level of maturity that was not common.

Dealing with such a person, talking about grand principles was useless, and even the law had limited constraints. Xia Anping clearly knew the legal consequences of concealing his ability but chose to do so, indicating he was prepared to face the consequences.

Such a person, with a mature mind and strong will, has his own worldview and values, strict self-discipline, and judgment standards. Methods that work on ordinary people are ineffective on them.

Moyan Shao took a deep breath and held up two fingers. "Twenty thousand. Twenty thousand for finding one magic rat!"

Moyan Shao spoke firmly and straightforwardly. "I know you are in need of money. This is the Order Committee's reward. The team you will be with includes two summoners and experienced special forces from the Order Committee's security department. They will ensure you are not in danger. You just need to point out where the magic rats are; the fighting will be their responsibility, not yours!"

"Twenty thousand?" Xia Anping rubbed his face, and his expression became righteous. "Director Mo, as a citizen of Yan Country, in the face of space invasion, for the country and the people, I am ready to contribute my share. So I have decided to help you find the magic rats!"

Moyan Shao's lips twitched, surprised by Xia Anping's quick change of heart. He looked at Xia Anping speechlessly for a few seconds. "You are really..."

Moyan Shao couldn't find the right words to describe Xia Anping. Greedy, shameless, and worldly... these words only partially described Xia Anping's characteristics, but not entirely. The Xia Anping in front of him was hard to grasp.

In the few minutes they had met, Moyan Shao felt that Xia Anping was hiding another side, making him hard to read.

Xia Anping sighed and spread his hands helplessly. "Commander Mo, raising a sister who likes to draw is expensive, and I need to pay rent soon. The landlord won't let me off by a single cent!"

"Can we go now?"

"Can you give me ten thousand in advance? If we find the two magic rats, you only need to pay me the remaining thirty thousand. If we don't find them, the ten thousand can be my hardship allowance and mental compensation. You should have some special operation funds, right? With the money, I can work with peace of mind. Otherwise, I'll be distracted, as I'm risking my life to help you. I'm not getting paid, and I don't know when I'll be back, which will affect my work and income..."

Moyan Shao was silent for a few seconds. "Cough... cough... I don't have money on me..."

"Then write me an IOU!"

Xia Anping turned around and magically produced paper and a pen...

Moyan Shao took a deep breath, quickly wrote an IOU, and handed it to Xia Anping. He watched as Xia Anping put the IOU in a drawer and then asked, "Can I go with you now?"

"Wait, my sister will be home tonight. I'll leave her a note..."

Xia Anping quickly wrote a note for Xia Ning, placed it on the table in the living room, and pressed it down with a cup.

After leaving the note, Xia Anping looked at Moyan Shao and said firmly, "Now we can go!"

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