Morning.
Wang Xiaohua headed out just like any other day.
She had no job and no family. Ever since awakening her ability, she had become a ghost wandering Mingzhu City.
Every day, she would step out at six in the morning and eat breakfast at a grocery store. She could take anything she pleased; as long as no one's gaze was fixed directly upon her, she was practically invisible.
Thus, she never had to pay for a thing.
After finishing breakfast, she would wander aimlessly. Mingzhu City had many scenic spots, and she would visit wherever her mood took her to rest. Sometimes she would sit in a garden for an entire morning, quietly watching the clouds drift and unfurl.
At noon, she would visit a renowned restaurant to dine, swiping whichever dishes caught her eye right off other people's tables. All it took was a single blink from someone, and she could smoothly whisk the food away.
Even if the diners noticed a dish missing, all she had to do was sit in a corner with her head down, eating, and not a single soul would direct their gaze toward her.
In the afternoon, she liked going to schools, watching the students study diligently or observing them exercising out on the athletic field.
It reminded her of the days when she was still a student herself, making it a routine she kept rain or shine.
Lately, however, she felt a trace of unease—mainly because she had fallen ill. It was likely from accidentally falling asleep in the park a few days ago, when the weather refused to cooperate and a sudden downpour drenched her like a drowned rat.
Ever since visiting a doctor, she had a faint feeling that someone was watching her.
Due to her ability, she was exceptionally sensitive to gazes. Whenever anyone cast their eyes upon her, she would immediately perceive their spying eyes.
It was precisely this ability that allowed her to forever go unnoticed, constantly dining without paying and never being caught.
"Maybe I'm just scaring myself."
Having finished breakfast, Wang Xiaohua wandered aimlessly down the street, gradually making her way toward a small garden.
Several hundred meters away, Yu Xian had completely lost sight of Wang Xiaohua. He had been keeping watch on her from here, but the moment his eyes left her for a single second, he lost his target.
What was truly bizarre was that once he lost track of her, she became completely invisible.
Even though Yu Xian was actively searching for Wang Xiaohua, he still couldn't see her at all.
"What a strange ability," Yu Xian thought with a sigh after circling around without finding anyone.
In truth, Wang Xiaohua's ability was formidable. One had to look directly at her for more than three consecutive seconds to see her, and even after seeing her, one had to keep her constantly in mind to maintain that sight; otherwise, a single stray thought would cause her to vanish into thin air.
Yu Xian couldn't find her because he had lost sight of her, and it was exceedingly difficult to gaze directly at her for more than three seconds. The only reason he had managed to trail her in the first place was that he had kept his eyes glued to the door of her residence beforehand.
Wang Xiaohua invariably had to turn around to close the door when stepping outside, staying still for over three seconds—one of the few chances to spot her.
Once she began wandering freely through Mingzhu City, tracking her down became next to impossible.
"I lost the target," Yu Xian said into his walkie-talkie to the others.
Mingzhu City actually did have technological items like walkie-talkies. It wasn't an ancient era at all, but rather resembled Huaxia in the 1980s—complete with a somewhat skewed tech tree where certain technologies were even more advanced than Earth's.
"No problem. Today was meant for scouting anyway, to figure out where she likes to go," Niman replied casually.
When she had tracked Wang Xiaohua previously, she had likely harbored a bit too much intent, causing Wang Xiaohua to grow exceedingly wary. Because of that, Niman hadn't dared to act personally this time, instead letting the others give it a try.
Evidently, Yu Xian bore no ill will toward Wang Xiaohua, so his gaze hadn't triggered her vigilance.
Still, Wang Xiaohua disliked having anyone's eyes linger on her for too long. She would deliberately look for cover to block their line of sight, thereby rendering herself invisible to them.
It was entirely an instinctive habit, yet remarkably effective. Yu Xian had lost her precisely because of this subconscious maneuvering.
Over the next few days, Yu Xian and the others continued tailing Wang Xiaohua, but each time they lost the trail before getting very far. Left with no other choice, they decided to try their luck by setting up surveillance around her neighborhood.
The method was simple.
Since one had to stare directly at Wang Xiaohua to perceive her, they specifically chose nearby rest spots and watched one each. Sooner or later, Wang Xiaohua was bound to grow tired from walking and sit down to rest.
"Wang Xiaohua... wouldn't roleplaying her be a bit too difficult?"
Yu Xian sat in a tree opposite a bench for two. If Wang Xiaohua rested on the bench, he would be able to spot her right away.
Yet he felt Wang Xiaohua was far too hard to roleplay, given that hardly anyone even knew she existed.
From the other end of the walkie-talkie, Nora agreed. "It really does feel exceptionally difficult. How do you even roleplay someone nobody can see?"
"Don't worry. I'm quite good at stealing, so mimicking her behavior won't be hard," Niman chuckled.
Among all the targets, the reason she prioritized Wang Xiaohua was that her ability was truly extraordinary. Creation, psionics—Niman already possessed similar powers once she left this world and had no interest in them. Wang Xiaohua's ability was the only one that genuinely intrigued her.
This was a real world. If they succeeded in their roleplay, they would naturally acquire the target's ability. These abilities wouldn't vanish upon leaving this world either; they could be taken outside.
In fact, the abilities they brought out wouldn't just be the original versions, but Feng Laixian-enhanced versions—powers on par with the Mighty One level.
After all, this world was fundamentally a segment of Feng Laixian's memories; all power originated from Feng Laixian himself.
Precisely because abilities could be carried out, Niman chose Wang Xiaohua's ability over others with far greater offensive power.
"Killing Wang Xiaohua is only the first step, and even the first step feels so hard. Then we still have to roleplay her... Sister Yaoyao, isn't there any shortcut?" Little Nora crouched in the grass, watching a bench in the distance. When a bug crawled past, it couldn't resist snapping it up in one bite before speaking into the walkie-talkie.
Zhang Buyao stared boredly at the bench beside the fountain, yawned, and replied, "Nope. If there were, I would've used it long ago."
Just then, a figure suddenly entered her field of view.
Wang Xiaohua sat on the bench beside the fountain, pulling out a book she had casually swiped from a bookstore, intending to read it through midday.
She noticed Zhang Buyao's gaze, but paid it no heed. After all, the girl looked completely harmless—excessively pretty, in fact—and posed no apparent danger.
*Bang!*
Zhang Buyao glanced around to confirm no one was nearby, then stared at the bench for a few moments. Once Wang Xiaohua reappeared clearly in her line of sight, she whipped out an upgraded, extra-powerful shotgun and blasted Wang Xiaohua point-blank.
The blast was brutally bloody and violent; Wang Xiaohua's upper body was instantly turned into a hornet's nest.
"Get over here quick. I took out Wang Xiaohua," Zhang Buyao spoke into the walkie-talkie and rushed forward the next instant to begin cleaning up the scene.
Ten minutes later, everyone had gathered. Having cleanly disposed of Wang Xiaohua's corpse, they returned to their lodging. Niman stepped into a room, and when she emerged a short while later, gasps of astonishment broke out.
At this point, Niman looked nothing like herself; she was the spitting image of Wang Xiaohua.
"From now on, you must call me... Wang Xiaohua."
Niman looked around at everyone, twirled with a beaming smile, and beamed with deep satisfaction.
Chapter 336