The testing playground was divided into four major testing areas, with a giant electronic screen standing in the center, displaying real-time score rankings.
Ling Ling stood in the Class 2C queue. Her gaze passed over the crowd and landed on the podium.
Ishida Sanae stood there, wearing a dark blue Countermeasures Section uniform, thin-rimmed glasses reflecting the morning light. Beside her stood Sergei Volkov, a tall, robust Slav with a height close to two meters, sharp gray hair, and gray-blue eyes like those of a hunting brown bear.
Ling Ling’s gaze slowly swept across the crowd. There were staff members, invigilators, Junior High Division students who had come to watch, and Senior High Division contestants in sportswear.
On the surface, everything seemed perfectly normal. But she had a feeling—Ling Ling felt that from the moment she stepped through the school gate, she had already been watched.
If it were an ordinary person, they might not notice this feeling at all. But she was Ling Ling—No. 0 of the “Angel of Slaughter,” who had been instilled with a vast amount of combat knowledge by the “Cradle.” Her sensitivity to “gazes” had been ingrained into her instincts.
Someone was watching her.
And—
The source of this gaze was not on the podium. Nor in any conspicuous location.
“…Interesting,” she said for the second time.
“Next group, Class 2C, Lin Lingling.”
Strength test: 87kg. Pass. Speed test: 13.47 seconds. Pass. Superpower power test: C-level flame, A-level stability, overall C-level. Pass.
For every test, Ling Ling precisely controlled her results to an “ordinary” level—neither too high nor too low, not attracting attention but not appearing deliberate either.
And that gaze was always there.
When she stood in front of the dynamometer, a gaze came from her left. When she crossed the finish line on the 100-meter track, that gaze came from her right rear. When she gathered flames in her palm, the owner of that gaze was staring straight at her hand without any attempt to hide it.
Ling Ling put away the flames, gave a slight bow, and walked out of the testing area expressionlessly. She swept her peripheral vision around. On the podium, Ishida Sanae was writing on a record board, while Sergei Volkov stood with arms crossed, his gray-blue eyes watching the other students on the field.
Neither of them. The source of the gaze was not them. It was another person—a person she couldn’t see, a person who had concealed their form.
‘Was it a superpower using a Camouflage function?’
The word “Camouflage” surfaced in Ling Ling’s mind. She had seen records of this type of superpower in the “Cradle” database—it could change appearance and physiological characteristics, even mimic the fluctuations of others’ superpowers. The highest-level Camouflage users could even perfectly blend into any environment, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.
The Countermeasures Section had indeed sent this kind of person to observe her and confirm the identity of “White Night.”
Ling Ling lowered her eyes and walked toward the waiting area for the practical combat simulation.
“Sister.”
Lin Jiu appeared beside her at some point, holding a bottle of water.
“Your expression is colder than usual.”
“…Is that so.”
“Mm, like when we were in the facility.”
Ling Ling did not respond.
In the “Cradle” facility, her expression had indeed been like that—like a cold stone. Because back then, she didn’t need to pretend or play the role of an “ordinary student.” She only needed to do one thing: survive and escape with her sister.
And now.
She reached out and took the water bottle from Lin Jiu’s hand. When her fingertips touched Lin Jiu’s fingers, she felt a slight tremor in her sister’s fingertips. It wasn’t fear; it was excitement.
Lin Jiu had also felt that gaze.
“Sister.” Lin Jiu’s voice was lowered very low, only the two of them could hear. “Do you want me to find it?”
“…No need.”
“But…”
“I’ll handle it.”
Ling Ling unscrewed the cap and took a sip of water. The cool liquid slid down her throat, taking away a bit of the heat.
“This is my concern.”
Lin Jiu was silent for a second, then smiled.
“Okay, then good luck, Sister.”
Her tone was as light as if she were asking what’s for dinner tonight. But in those blue eyes, a cold-colored flame was clearly burning.
Practical combat simulation test.
Third Training Ground.
The electronic screen displayed the lineup: “Lin Lingling (Class 2C) vs. Victoria Wang (Class 2B)”
Victoria stood in the center of the arena. With mixed Flame Nation and French features, amber eyes, and long dark brown hair tied in a high ponytail, she saw Ling Ling enter the arena and the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
“Class 2C? Sorry, but I don’t plan to go easy on you.”
“…Do as you please.”
Ling Ling stood at the designated spot, hands naturally at her sides. Her crimson eyes calmly looked at her opponent. But her real attention was outside the arena.
That gaze was still there. At a certain spot in the spectator stands, behind the onlooking students, at a place she couldn’t see but could clearly feel. Constantly watching her.
“Both sides, prepare—”
The examiner raised his hand.
Ling Ling took a deep breath.
‘First, finish the test. As for the rest—’
“Begin!”
‘—I’ll deal with it later.’
Victoria struck first. Three semi-transparent wind blades flew in a triangular formation, the sound of slicing air sharp. But Ling Ling charged forward, passing through the gap between two wind blades. The blades grazed her shoulder and waist, leaving shallow cuts on her sportswear.
“Nice reflexes!”
Victoria waved her hands repeatedly, and more wind blades flew.
Ling Ling kept moving among the wind blades, each movement clean and precise, perfectly evading the attacks. Her trajectory constantly changed, making it hard to predict.
Murmurs arose from the sidelines.
“That Class 2C student, her movements are so fast.”
“And so accurate, she dodges perfectly every time.”
Victoria’s attacks grew denser. Ten wind blades flew simultaneously, almost weaving into a net.
Ling Ling’s dodging began to deliberately show “flaws.” A wind blade cut across her calf, tearing her pants. The second grazed her left upper arm. The third skimmed her shoulder. Her movements became “slower,” and her breathing started to feign “rapidness.”
Victoria saw an opportunity and gathered a huge wind blade half her height with her right hand, swinging it fiercely.
Ling Ling charged forward, her right fist gathering a flame the size of a fist.
The wind blade and flame collided in midair. The flame was sliced through, and Ling Ling was hit by the residual force, flying backward. She rolled twice on the ground and lay still.
“Winner—Victoria Wang!”
Ling Ling lay on the ground, burying her face in her arms. Not because she was hurt, but because lying face down made it hard for others to see her expression.
“…I lost,” she said quietly.
She then slowly got up. Her sportswear was covered in dust, and there were a few shallow cuts on her calves and arms. Her white hair was a mess, and her face was smudged with dirt, making her look very disheveled.
Victoria walked over and extended her hand.
“You fought well. Your martial arts are impressive. If not for the gap in superpowers, the outcome wouldn’t be certain.”
Ling Ling took her hand.
“…Thank you.”
Her peripheral vision swept across the surroundings. On the podium, Ishida Sanae was writing, Sergei Volkov remained expressionless, and in the spectator stands, students were cheering for the next match.
And that gaze—
vanished.
Ling Ling’s pupils contracted slightly. He hadn’t left; he had vanished, perfectly blending into the environment like a chameleon, hiding himself.
She let go of Victoria’s hand and limped out of the arena. At the same time, she silently noted something in her mind.
The source of that gaze was a person who could vanish without being noticed at all, and also a holder of the Camouflage function superpower—the Countermeasures Section’s “technical support.”
And that person had already observed her long enough.
Now, it was her turn to observe them.