The Dragon Group didn't release Zong Yan until the moon was bright and the stars were dim.
During that time, he met almost all the bigwigs of the Dragon Group, including the commander in chief. One by one they patted Zong Yan on the shoulder with proud smiles on their wrinkled faces, saying over and over that the younger generation was fearsome, and how optimistic they were about this junior.
Zong Yan had no idea how he was dragged onto such a pirate ship after revealing his superpower.
Because the Dragon Group was extraordinarily generous. Every one of them assured Zong Yan that all Awakened were a family. Awakened people who entered the Dragon Group could feel like they'd come home, and as soon as it was convenient for him, he could pack up his things and move into one of the Dragon Group's apartments. The state would pay all the utilities, central air, and heating costs, and there was no rent at all. He could even have his name posted on the door. He could take three meals a day in the Dragon Group's dining hall, be allocated funds directly from the Dragon Group's internal account, and basically would never have to spend another dime. And after joining the Dragon Group, there was a significant allowance every month, not to mention other benefits that flowed like running water.
As Zong Yan listened, dumbfounded, he struggled with the temptation of money.
Before he left, He Yuan warmly invited Zong Yan to have dinner at the base. Zong Yan, meanwhile, agreed to experience the Dragon Group's cafeteria with the mentality of never spending money if he could rub a meal for free.
The main location of the Dragon Group base was underground, while support facilities like the dining hall and dormitories were at ground level or above.
And this wasn't some rural suburb, but a busy commercial center in the middle of Jiangzhou. The land was so expensive that it made one click one's tongue, even rivaling the Third Ring Road in Yanjing.
A skyscraper in the business district, that was the Dragon Group's base.
The subterranean fortress was deep below the underground parking garage. Above ground, the first three floors were all shopping centers. From the fourth floor to the ninth, there were high-end restaurants and various elite private clubs. Further up was all Dragon Group territory. The tenth floor was the dining hall, and from the 11th floor upwards were the apartments of Dragon Group members. They said that when you opened the curtains in your apartment, you could see a gorgeous view of the Huangpu River, then make a phone call to the canteen downstairs to send up a glass of red wine and enjoy a relaxing sunset.
Now it was just about time for dinner. The people in the canteen all wore the black uniform of the Dragon Group. They'd come up by the internal direct access elevator, and as soon as they stepped into the dining room they attracted countless eyes.
They said it was a dining hall, but Zong Yan thought it would be no exaggeration to call it a high-end restaurant. When they walked in, waiters in tuxedos and waitresses in lace dresses came up to serve them.
Zong Yan sat at the long table and looked at the fully automated touchscreen in front of him. It was densely packed with French.
"Strictly speaking, the Dragon Group isn't a special operations unit. Ordinarily only the training and response teams have a militarized structure. When we're not on duty, everyone's as free as can be."
He Yuan introduced everything to him very readily. "Downstairs is a Michelin 3-star French restaurant. The Dragon Group's dining hall is outsourced to them. If you're lucky, you can enjoy the executive chef's own dishes.
"Below this floor is a shopping mall. There are also many fine restaurants nearby. It's all there on the tablet. If you want to eat something, just order it. When it's sent over from the kitchen, it will be plated and delivered together. Anyway, it's all reimbursed so feel free to eat whatever you like."
Just how rich was this Dragon Group?!
Zong Yan was deeply shocked.
"It's fine. They mainly do it because it's so profitable, and there are a lot of sponsors...
"Oh, that's right, I forgot you didn't activate a translation pattern."
After He Yuan skillfully ordered his own meal, he turned back and saw Zong Yan sitting there in a daze, so he leaned over. "What do you want to eat? Let me help you."
Zong Yan gave him a disdainful look and lowered his head again. He made a few quick taps on the tablet, then pushed it aside. "I'm done ordering. What's a pattern?"
"Oh, that's okay then." He Yuan didn't think about it much. After all, there were pictures on the menu. If Zong Yan couldn't read French, he could still see the pictures.
"Magic patterns are what ordinary people use to fight. A talented Awakened like you can just wave his hand."
Zong Yan thought to himself that really wasn't possible.
After the long conversation they'd had previously, Zong Yan now possessed a preliminary understanding of the Awakened. He knew the mistake he'd made.
The Awakened were ranked according to the types of elements they could manipulate. For example, Zong Yan was uniquely honored because as soon as he'd awakened, he was Monarch level.
But at the same time, Zong Yan had learned that a true Monarch level was a formidable existence that could manipulate nine elements at will. According to He Yuan, the ninth Monarch who'd just ascended the throne, whose name was Si Yan, could create a wall of fire with a wave of his hand and pull a lightning bolt down from the sky.
Counterfeit Monarch Zong Yan: ...
With his E-rank abilities, when we waved his hand he'd toss a glass of water at the enemy. Why was the gap so big?
"Don't worry, you just woke up and haven't had Secondary Awakening yet. It's normal for the power to be unstable now."
Earlier, when they'd done detailed testing of his abilities, He Yuan had consoled Zong Yan.
"When you're eighteen or nineteen, you'll experience Second Awakening. That's when you'll become a genuine Monarch level. Although you could announce it to the world right now and claim the throne of the tenth Monarch, the commander thinks it's better to keep a low profile before your Second Awakening."
"Low profile? Does that mean there are different camps of Awakened based on country?"
"Quite the opposite," He Yuan denied. "Having a low profile is a kind of protection... Sometimes it's not just humans who look human. There are also creatures cloaked in human skin.
"Alright, well, wait until you go to Miskatonic University. The senior investigators there will teach you everything, including the use of magic patterns and the types of beings we're fighting as Awakened."
"... I'm still a high school student, and you want to send me to college? It's summer vacation."
Zong Yan felt like he'd been struck by lightning.
It hadn't been easy for him to finally get to summer vacation, and he wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. But now they were telling him to go to some Miskatonic University or something. After he filled out the Awakened paperwork for the Dragon Group, the fax machine automatically spat out an admission letter for Miskatonic University. Zong Yan's name was neatly handwritten on it, just like a notice from Hogwarts' owl.
"Miskatonic University is open year-round. Senior investigators are always on the front line of fighting against otherworldly beings."
He Yuan chuckled a little. Zong Yan, who heard it, felt this laughter was full of schadenfreude. "It's the cradle of all Awakened. Every member of the Dragon Group graduated from there, but it's not just the Dragon Group. Awakened from all over the world basically have to go there.
"The courses taught at Miskatonic University aren't quite the same as those at ordinary universities. As for college... who made you so gifted? You woke up at the age of seventeen. You're probably the youngest student in the history of MU."
Zong Yan's heart was filled with sorrow. "How many years does it take?"
"Graduation isn't based on a yearly system. Aside from required courses, you can graduate whenever your advisor agrees."
Zong Yan was still putting up a desperate struggle: "But I can't afford to pay the tuition."
"You don't have to worry about that. The Dragon Group will cover the expenses."
Well, since that had now been said, Zong Yan knew the matter was set in stone.
He knew it—free room and board and such a high standard of living, how could there be no conditions? And just like he thought, here they were.
"... My dream is to go to Tsinghua."
"It's okay, I understand. Who didn't want to study at Tsinghua when they were younger." He Yuan patted him on the shoulder. "There's no conflict between studying at MU and going to Tsinghua University. You can even prepare for your college entrance exams while studying happily at MU. You can also apply to the leadership to see if you can get bonus points on the exam as an Awakened. For an Awakened to take the college entrance exam is unprecedented. I think the probability of passing is quite high.
"But you really don't have to be so obsessed with going to Tsinghua right now. After you graduate from MU, with that diploma, any university in the world will welcome you to study with them for a master's degree. It won't be too late to go there when the time comes."
"..."
Zong Yan was speechless.
What did this guy who went to MU for his master's know about anything? Studying at Tsinghua is the religion of all science students, okay? How can you understand this faith!
A chicken talking to a duck, tsk tsk.
Zong Yan didn't live far from Qingyang High School, but it was a long way from the Dragon Group base.
The Dragon Group paid extra attention to this promising Monarch-level seedling and sent a special car to take him home.
"Make sure to tidy up tonight. A car from the Dragon Group will pick you up at 10 AM tomorrow."
He Yuan nodded to the young man in the school uniform and watched him disappear inside the narrow staircase.
He waited for a moment, then made a gesture to the driver and quietly got out of the car.
For the future tenth Monarch, the Dragon Group had already established a special discussion group. It could be assumed that Zong Yan's life had been distilled down to a sheet of black and white paper on the desks of some very important people. He Yuan, as his guide, was under high expectations. He'd accepted a permanent assignment that bordered on surveillance.
This was a rather dilapidated tube-shaped apartment building. The stairwell at the corner was filled with black coal piled up all over.
He Yuan stood at the corner of the first floor, listening to the footsteps of the boy walking up.
Tube-shaped apartment buildings weren't uncommon in Jiangzhou.
Large cities always had places recognized as rich areas and poor areas. And there were deeper recesses known as urban villages or slums.
Such was the case around this tube-shaped apartment building. Many elderly poor people lived there. They survived on the low income allowance they received each month. They had no extra money to buy appliances or pay high heating bills. In winter they still preferred to burn coal for heat. Fortunately, it was summer and life must be a lot easier than winter, but he didn't know how much.
The way of life for people at the bottom was far, far away from He Yuan.
He Yuan was the only child in his family, and he'd lived a good life from birth. When he grew up he became Awakened and smoothly joined the Dragon Group. He ate in the canteen overseen by the executive chef and slept in an apartment with a breathtaking river view. If he wanted to talk about hardship, when fighting alien creatures, things sometimes got sticky, but it wasn't really that bad.
The Awakened received the best treatment in every country in the world. After fighting with extraterrestrial monsters, he would either lie down in a coffin or return to the presidential suite of the local five-star hotel to sleep.
He wasn't sure why, but He Yuan suddenly remembered the moment Zong Yan had fallen silent that afternoon.
High school was a confusing time. Young people shed the ignorance of primary and middle school and gradually prepared to enter society.
A high school student overflowing with useless passion faced mountains of books and test papers every day, sitting in the last row of the classroom, looking up at the sky.
Young people at that stage of life were the most powerless but had the strongest drive for self-esteem. They didn't seem to be needed by anyone. They just studied day after day, pinning all their hopes and dreams and fate on a pale sheet of test paper, three years in the future.
While sitting inside they dreamed so many times about soaring into the sky, becoming a hero who commanded the wind and rain.
Compared with a dream about becoming a hero who was needed by the world, money was indeed an unpleasant, vulgar thing, difficult to talk about.
For a teenager who didn't have any family and relied only on himself for all aspects of life, it was an embarrassing thing to discuss.
He Yuan thought of his own high school years, competing with other students over who had better sneakers. Looking back on it now, those scenes seemed to be covered with a layer of translucent film. Compared with the dilapidated tube building in front of him, it all seemed so juvenile and naïve, and for no real reason he suddenly felt unwell.
"Little Yan? You're back?"
"—I'm back, Grandpa Zeng. Hold on, don't bail any water, I'll do it."
This was followed by a series of stomping footsteps.
After a long while, the door squeaked open. "Oh, Little Yan is out of school. Come to Grandma's place for dinner. You're just in time for a meal."
"Grandma Wu, please go ahead and eat. I ate near the school today."
"You ate already?" The old voice carried a clear note of reproach. "You're still growing. Eat less junk food at those street stalls by the school gate..."
"I know, grandma, I'll pay attention."
From afar came the young man's clear response, mingled with the old voice on the first floor, echoing in the cramped stairwell.
The member of the Dragon Group tightened his fingers. For a long time he stood there, silently in the dark.
---
Zong Yan was carrying two buckets. After helping several grandparents fetch water, he ran down again from the top floor.
Grandma Liu, who lived opposite Zong Yan, was very old. She was now over eighty. Every day she liked to drag a stool over and sit at the entrance of the stairs. She occasionally chit-chatted with people who came and went, talking about their worries. When she saw Zong Yan descending, she quickly took out a parcel made of old newspaper and handed it over. There was some dough inside.
"Little Yan, grandma made steamed buns at home. Here you go, I saved two for you. You can heat them up and eat them."
"Thank you, Grandma Liu."
Zong Yan dutifully said thanks and took the parcel. While pulling out the key from his pocket he came to his own room at the end of the corridor.
Most of the people living in this apartment building were poor families or elderly. There was only one young person like Zong Yan.
When Zong Yan's grandmother was alive she was recognized as an intellectual in the tube building. Any elderly person who wanted to send a letter had to call on her. Later, after she left, everyone more or less took care of Zong Yan, often giving him some of their homemade pasta or rice.
Zong Yan had taken these favors to heart. Although he couldn't help them much, some of the elderly had difficulty with their legs. He would help bring back their groceries when they went out to buy vegetables.
When he turned the key in his hand, the rusty iron door creaked open, and there seemed to be some choking dust that fell along with the noise.
Zong Yan was used to it. He ducked down and squeezed inside the askew door frame without any hesitation.
The room was tiny. There was no bathroom, only an empty bed and a dirty table. The small kitchen was full of clutter, cramped and messy.
Zong Yan dragged the door shut and put the newspaper-wrapped bundle on the table. Boom. He threw himself onto the narrow wooden bed and stared straight up at the gray curtains.
The bed wasn't very big. He was in high school now, the age when boys shoot up the fastest, and Zong Yan had to curl up half of his legs to lie down.
Too many things had happened in one day. The amount of information he'd received today was greater than everything he'd managed to gather on the topic in the past ten years.
He didn't really want to go back to the Dragon Group base that much.
The Dragon Group's treatment was very good, and it was nice to be able to eat and live well, and everyone regarded him as a treasure. But in Zong Yan's heart, "home" was still this small and shabby room.
Home is a very emotional word. It's not like any other word. Only when a person subjectively believes a place is their home, does it really become their home. Zong Yan had lived here for more than ten years. He and his elderly neighbors here were like family to each other, inextricably linked.
And yet—
"After all, you're now Awakened. When a person awakens, their insight ability is enhanced, which means it's easier to attract monsters. If you don't want to put everyone around you in danger, it's better to move to the Dragon Group."
He Yuan's words echoed in Zong Yan's ears like an alarm bell.
How much of a choice did that leave? None at all!
The young man on the bed rolled around restlessly in annoyance, raised his hand and scratched his hair, and then casually reached his hand into the void.
He was still too weak.
If he had enough strength, he wouldn't have to be so passive.
But whether he could become stronger wasn't really up to Zong Yan. His luck determined everything.
Zong Yan paid close attention to the Awakened matters that He Yuan explained to him today.
Awakened were able to control the elements and use magic patterns and ancient spells, but there was nothing in the rules that said Awakened could also extract cards from the void and, by the way, use them as alternate identities to play with.
It seemed his memory hadn't deceived him. He really was the only superpower in the world.
He just didn't know where all these Awakened people came from.
Zong Yan pondered it deeply and casually drew a card from the void.
The luminous fissure in space closed under his fingertips, and the card he drew had a mysterious streamer of light, glowing brightly in the dark room.
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
It was a new A-rank daily disposable persona card.
---
The author has something to say:
Zong Yan: My luck just changed!!!
...
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
---
TL Notes:
counterfeit - 西贝货 - counterfeit goods, fake goods. Online slang based on a homophone for "fake" (西贝 -> 贾 -> 假). Sometimes used in online novels to describe a young woman who pretends to be a man, or a character with a different soul after transmigrating
筒子楼 - tube-shaped apartment - dormitories off a long corridor.
Little Yan - 衍娃儿 - Yǎn wá er - Yan child
Grandma / Grandpa - It's very common in Chinese to refer to people of your grandparents' generation as grandma/grandmother etc.
alternate identities - from 马甲 - vest, horse armor. Slang which refers to alternate user accounts owned by one person at the same time (Wikipedia)
My luck just changed! - from 忽然变欧
Glossary of world terms—new in this chapter:
magic pattern - 魔纹 - Alternatively: magic lines, marks, mage weave
insight - 灵感 - inspiration, Promethean fire
You can find the master list of transliterated names and titles in Chapter 0 - TL Notes. New in this chapter:
MU - 密大 - Abbreviation for Miskatonic University