Chapter 22: The E-Class Anomaly

“…So, what do you mean a D-class High-tier Aberrant Beast was smashed apart with a shovel?”

The Weichangzhe members patrolling nearby, who had rushed to provide support upon receiving the alert, found themselves utterly dumbfounded.

A D-class High-tier Aberrant Beast—what kind of existence was that?

Their branch, at least publicly, boasted only one C-class esper, the branch chief, and she was the sole individual in Tiangong City capable of single-handedly defeating such a formidable creature.

Forget C-class; even E-class espers were considered promising talents, while D-class represented captain-level strength.

The disparity between minor stages at the D-class level alone was equivalent to, if not greater than, the entire progression from F-class to E-class.

Indeed, an entity of D-class caliber would demand significant effort, even sacrifice, from all the arriving Weichangzhe members just to neutralize it.

Yet, they were now being told that such a powerhouse had been smashed to smithereens by a student wielding a casually picked-up shovel?

It would have been far more believable to claim the Aberrant Beast had self-destructed due to an internal conflict between its powers and abilities, compounded by various complex chemical reactions!

“Excuse me, colleague, does your identification have a recording function active?”

“Ah, yes, it does.”

Lin Xi retrieved her Weichangzhe identification from her spatial storage and handed it to one of the members.

Much like the police and other law enforcement personnel of old, the official esper organization also possessed devices that recorded mission processes.

This ensured that official espers would not abuse their authority or be falsely accused, while also serving the purpose of reviewing events, as was currently needed.

Naturally, technology had advanced to the point where an external camera was no longer necessary; simply carrying the identification allowed for automatic recording during missions.

Even after adjustments, it could function perfectly, even when stored within a spatial pocket.

This kind of black technology (TL Note: A Chinese slang term referring to advanced, almost magical technology), including the new holographic recorders Bai Li had previously ordered her Aberrant Beasts to purchase, seemed to originate from a certain renowned organization.

“…Hm… such an ability… such power… it wasn’t merely D-class High-tier; one could even say it had reached the peak.”

A seasoned-looking Weichangzhe member, observing the Aberrant Beast’s displayed strength in the recording, couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

The distinction between High-tier and Peak-tier was far more than a minor stage difference.

Peak-tier, simply put, meant having touched the threshold of the next higher rank but not quite crossed it; in some respects, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to consider it C-class.

Incidentally, these minor stages typically appeared or became more pronounced at D-class and above, precisely because the power curve from this level onwards ascended with an incredibly exaggerated trajectory.

“It was more than just that, wasn’t it? That eerie ability was specifically tailored for urban environments. If it had been allowed to develop even slightly further, I fear our entire branch, even working together, might not have been able to handle it.”

“That’s true. Even if the clones were weaker than the main body, once their numbers swelled, that would have been an entirely different matter. And it possessed a degree of intelligence, too. Thankfully, it was discovered early.”

“Given all that’s been said, then where did this master come from, someone capable of resolving the situation entirely on their own?”

The final remark caused all the Weichangzhe members to turn their gazes towards Bai Li, who stood to the side, arms crossed, exuding an aura of aloof, untouchable divinity.

With her JK sailor uniform paired with black stockings and a slender figure of delicate limbs, it was genuinely difficult to imagine she possessed such formidable power.

A slight comparison would reveal that while Lin Xi appeared a bit more petite than Bai Li, she was still curvaceous and not quite as slender.

It was likely Lin Xi weighed a little more, and anyone unaware of Bai Li’s background might have assumed she had suffered from malnutrition since childhood.

Yet, despite her slight build, her beauty was undeniable, and the subtle aura she exuded truly made others hesitant to approach.

“Xiao Bai, it seems they have some questions for you.”

Unlike the somewhat hesitant Weichangzhe members, Lin Xi waved Bai Li over as if summoning a pet puppy.

‘That nickname,’ the Weichangzhe members couldn’t help but muse, ‘truly sounded more like she was calling her pet dog.’

“What do you want from me?”

Bai Li, indeed, came when Lin Xi called, yet her demeanor remained utterly indifferent towards everyone else.

Still, that was irrelevant; the current priority remained how she had managed to eliminate the D-class High-tier Aberrant Beast.

“Ahem! We’d like to inquire about your rank…”

“E-class esper. Just awakened a few days ago.”

“…?”

Upon hearing Bai Li’s preemptive answer, everyone was dumbfounded.

They had been prepared for someone who was a naturally born D-class esper, or even higher, so to hear she was merely E-class?

“With the right techniques and conditions met, it’s quite easy.”

Facing her statement, everyone inwardly thought, ‘This person is a bit too ‘Versailles’ (TL Note: A Chinese internet slang term, originating from ‘Versailles literature,’ used to describe someone who subtly shows off their wealth or superiority while feigning modesty or complaint).’

Sensing their suspicious gazes, Bai Li inwardly groaned, ‘This isn’t good,’ and quickly scrambled for a way to gloss it over.

She realized she had indeed lost a bit of control when she saw Lin Xi in danger earlier; she should have restrained herself and waited for others to arrive.

“I’m just an E-class esper. Wasn’t there an intern who just awakened their innate ability and was already D-class?”

“That’s beside the point. More importantly, I want to know how you managed to wield D-class power with an E-class ability!”

For most people, a D-class ability, while a rarity, was still just that.

However, the technique Bai Li demonstrated—an E-class esper exerting D-class power—was tantamount to elevating everyone’s strength by an entire rank.

In comparison, Bai Li was far more valuable.

“About that…”

Bai Li adopted a hesitant expression.

Although she was not, in reality, merely E-class, she had indeed managed to exert D-class equivalent power while suppressed to E-class.

However, it was not something easily done; she had only achieved it through years of training combined with memorizing Yu Menghua’s sword arts, and she was still far from proficient.

If she were to explain it, it would undoubtedly become even more troublesome, and she had no desire to waste time she could spend cuddling with Lin Xi on instructing these people.

‘…Oh, right, there’s also this method!’

“These are all things Branch Chief Yu Menghua taught me. I’m not very proficient myself, so you can just go ask her directly.”

‘Yes, it’s not a lie; I truly did learn it from her.’

“Is that so… then it all makes sense!”

“In that case, we’ll go speak with the Branch Chief about it!”

After Bai Li’s very clever guidance, the other Weichangzhe members shifted their attention to Branch Chief Yu Menghua, no longer pressing her further.

“That problem is temporarily resolved… hm?”

Just then, Bai Li once again felt a familiar gaze upon her.