Over the next few days, Yu Xian and the others quietly investigated various individuals throughout Mingzhu City.
At present, apart from Yu Xian, who was clearly set on roleplaying Wang Jieming, none of the others had settled on a target. Nor did they know what abilities the Awakeners in Mingzhu City possessed.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles without defeat.
Thus, everyone spent their time gathering information to prepare for usurping an identity.
Mingzhu City was practically a lawless zone—there was order, but very little of it. For instance, after they ransacked the clinic, the city patrol merely went through the motions the following day before leaving, showing no real intention of investigating.
Likewise, after Yu Xian killed the two man-eating foxes, the city only dispatched personnel to inspect the scene, then ordered sanitation workers to hose down the street.
Though the reasons behind the current state of affairs remained unclear, it unquestionably worked in their favor, flinging wide the doors of opportunity.
Five days slipped by in the blink of an eye, and the group gathered in a small inn.
"How did everyone fare these past few days?" Yu Xian asked, looking around the room as he sat down.
Throughout this time, he had been roleplaying Wang Jieming. Since he was already remarkably similar to him in appearance, combined with Niman's makeup that gave his skin the look and grain of timber, many who knew Wang Jieming had accepted him as the real deal.
Before long, he would likely gain Wang Jieming's abilities.
"I found a few fairly suitable targets. Have a look and see what you think."
Niman glanced around and was the first to speak. She retrieved a notebook she had prepared and began sharing the fruits of her investigation.
"Target number one: Wang Xiaohua. Female, Primary-tier Awakener. Her ability is 'Inconspicuous.' When active, she blends in like a weed by the roadside; ordinary people easily overlook her presence entirely. I lost her trail several times, and given my tracking skills, she nearly noticed me once. Her ability is exceptionally well-suited for assassination."
Reading straight from her notes, Niman turned to the second page and continued.
"Target number two: Chen Ruoxue. Female, Primary-tier Awakener. Her ability is 'Phantasmal Light.' She can manipulate light within a roughly five-meter radius around herself to create illusions. However, after studying her ability closely, I believe that if I wielded it, I could achieve optical camouflage and even mirror images. It is likewise ideal for assassination.
"Target number three: Wu Xin. Male, Primary-tier Awakener. His ability is 'Psionic Energy,' a highly versatile force capable of enhancing the physical body, boosting strength, increasing speed, and even projecting outward to a certain extent. Properly developed, this power is essentially a jack-of-all-trades, making him an excellent fit as the team's core."
Curious, Yu Xian chimed in, "This Wu Xin is a man. Niman, are you planning to play a male role?"
"I asked Yaoyao a few days ago," Niman replied. "Roleplaying makes no distinction between male and female. As long as the disguise is convincing enough not to be seen through, it will work. Wu Xin happens to have fairly delicate, feminine features, so with a little makeup, impersonating him won't be out of the question."
Yu Xian turned to Zhang Buyao, who nodded in agreement. "That's true. As long as no one sees through it, it's fine. It's not like someone is going to pull your pants down."
"Actually, Yu Xian, you could roleplay a woman too," Niman said with a teasing smile. "With your looks, nobody would ever tell."
Yu Xian hurried to decline. "No need. Impersonating Wang Jieming is more than enough for me. Besides, I should gain the world's recognition very soon. After all, Wang Jieming and I originated from the very same source."
"Must be nice. If only I had a counterpart from the same source," Shui Yuetian said wistfully.
Yet this was Earth, and she knew full well that no organism sharing her origin could exist here. She belonged to the Sea Clan, not humanity; if an alternate version of her existed in a parallel world, it would have to be one inhabited by her kind.
Shui Yuetian then turned to Niman and asked, "Niman, how did you find out what abilities they have? I trailed people for ages and couldn't uncover a single one."
Gathering intelligence was far from simple; in truth, it was tremendously difficult. Most Awakeners in Mingzhu City kept their abilities concealed. Only official channels kept records, and even those records were not guaranteed to be entirely accurate.
"It was actually quite simple: plenty of information can be gleaned by slipping into a hospital," Niman said with a smile.
Over the past few days, she had applied for a job as a physician at a hospital. Relying on her medical expertise, she quickly hit it off with the nurses and easily extracted a wealth of information from their casual gossip.
"You can do that?" Shui Yuetian asked in astonishment.
Niman chuckled. "Haven't you noticed? In Mingzhu City, let alone university students, there aren't even high schoolers. This is a world that values practical ability over academic credentials. Doctors don't need diplomas either—all they have to do is prove their medical skill."
"Now that you mention it, that's true," Shui Yuetian said. Though she had not unearthed much intelligence, she had developed a basic understanding of the city's conditions. "The whole city has only one school, and students can apply to graduate as young as sixteen."
Zhang Buyao corrected her, "Actually, fifteen is enough. Mingzhu City is far from safe; in its earlier years, it suffered frequent invasions by aberrant beasts—the magical beasts of this world. That rabbit we encountered before was one such creature. Under the pressure of survival, everyone has to start working earlier."
"All right, back to business," Yu Xian said, steering the conversation back on track. He looked at Niman. "Do you have information on anyone else?"
Niman nodded. "Yes. Target number four: Baodeluo. Primary-tier Awakener. His ability is 'Limited Creation.' His power refreshes every hour, allowing him to choose a single substance to manufacture. It is quite formidable; used properly, it can kill without leaving a trace."
"An ability like that could probably only be used effectively by you, Niman," Yu Xian remarked with a chuckle. "The sheer breadth of knowledge required is too immense."
In Niman's hands, such a power would make poisoning virtually impossible to defend against, drastically augmenting her combat prowess. Lacking her expertise, anyone else would at most conjure basic weapons or drop heavy slabs of metal from the sky to crush their foes.
In fact, that was precisely how Baodeluo used it—he favored spawning his creations high above to let gravity do the killing.
Niman went on to describe another dozen or so targets she had investigated, leaving everyone thoroughly awed by her intelligence-gathering capabilities.
As an ancient creature who had lived for countless ages, Niman possessed terrifyingly well-rounded competence. Makeup, poisons, tracking, medicine—she excelled in practically all of them.
Consequently, since arriving in this world, her contributions had been the most pronounced and indispensable, so much so that even Yu Xian seemed practically useless in comparison.
Chapter 335