Chapter 48: A New Path and a Dire Warning

Li Bai had been waiting for Liu Xingluo to utter those very words.

Swiftly, Li Bai produced the prepared contract and a pen, handing them over to Liu Xingluo.

With thoughtful attentiveness, she personally guided Liu Xingluo, indicating precisely where her signature was required.

Under Li Bai’s meticulous guidance, Liu Xingluo swiftly completed the contract, effectively “selling” herself to the government.

From that moment forward, she would be a Superhuman managed by the government, much like Bailu.

“As for the company you were previously employed with, we will dispatch someone to negotiate on your behalf.

There is no need for concern.”

Anticipating Liu Xingluo’s potential worries about her former workplace, Li Bai made a point of mentioning this.

In truth, many Superhumans before Liu Xingluo had also been ordinary office workers.

To ensure they could dedicate themselves to battling Evolved Beasts without any lingering concerns, negotiating with their previous employers fell to non-combat personnel like Li Bai and her team.

“I truly appreciate that then.”

Having someone else handle negotiations with her former company would certainly save her a considerable amount of effort.

Next, she would need to call her older sister again to explain her current situation, and she still had many questions of her own.

“Minister Li, I have a few more questions I’d like to ask.”

“Certainly, please ask.

I will answer anything within my knowledge.”

It was not uncommon for newly recruited Superhumans to have numerous inquiries.

Li Bai had addressed countless such questions before; thus, even before Liu Xingluo could speak, she had already anticipated the nature of her questions.

“Will my future place of work be here?

Or will I be assigned back to the city I previously resided in?”

Though she had signed the contract, effectively pledging herself to the government, she believed she should still retain some autonomy regarding her work location, shouldn’t she?

If given the choice, Liu Xingluo yearned to return to the city where she lived with her older sister.

“Ah, that will ultimately depend on the arrangements made by the higher-ups.

However, I suspect you will neither remain here nor return to your former city of residence.”

After all, the number of Superhumans remained exceedingly scarce, even to this day.

Consequently, whenever a new Superhuman emerged, the government would promptly secure a contract with them, taking them under their wing.

The very fact that they sought to enlist someone like Liu Xingluo, who had merely fused with an Evolved Beast, underscored the severe shortage of Superhumans.

With such a scarcity of Superhumans, it was naturally impossible to keep them confined to a single city.

Most Superhumans were dispatched to cities lacking sufficient combat strength to safeguard their security.

The only exceptions were Superhumans who were still very young and attending school.

In such cases, they would be permitted to remain in their school cities, simultaneously carrying out directives from higher authorities and continuing their education.

Neither this location nor Liu Xingluo’s former city of residence suffered from a dearth of Superhumans.

Therefore, Liu Xingluo would most likely be assigned to a different city, where she would live while simultaneously engaging in battle against Evolved Beasts as a Superhuman.

“Is that so?

Hmm… I suppose that’s acceptable.”

While the prospect of living separately from her older sister was somewhat difficult to accept, given that they had cohabited for such an extended period, their mutual presence had become an ingrained habit.

Upon reflection, however, she realized she couldn’t cling to her sister indefinitely.

Though her sister had never explicitly stated it, Liu Xingluo suspected that her own existence as a perpetual burden (TL Note: The original Chinese term ‘tuoyouping didi’ literally means ‘a younger brother who is a drag on others’, but here Liu Xingluo uses it metaphorically to describe herself as a hindrance to her older sister’s life) likely contributed to her sister, who was nearing thirty, still being without a boyfriend.

Perhaps it was best to seize this opportunity to live independently from her sister.

She could try living on her own without further burdening her.

It wouldn’t matter if it felt somewhat unfamiliar at first; she would eventually adapt.

Moreover, she recognized the need to endeavor to make more friends.

“Naturally, your accommodation and living facilities in the new location will be fully arranged and provided for.

You need not worry.

Do you have any further questions?”

“No, I have no more questions to ask.

However, there is one more matter I need to discuss.

It is of paramount importance, potentially concerning the very survival of humanity.”

“Oh? A matter of such grave significance?

What is it?”

Hearing Liu Xingluo describe the matter with such gravity, Li Bai’s expression grew serious.

Any issue pertaining to the survival of humanity demanded utmost attention.

“Could you please come a little closer?

I do not wish for anyone else to overhear this matter.”

“Rest assured, she is my assistant.

She is trustworthy, and there is no issue with her knowing.”

“No, I am not referring to this lady here.

It is a retinue of mine.

I do not wish for him to overhear, so I implore you, allow me to whisper it to you.”

A retinue?

Oh, indeed, now that it was mentioned, she recalled such a detail.

The report she had received from Bailu had mentioned Liu Xingluo possessing a retinue capable of emerging from and retreating into her shadow.

Moreover, that retinue emanated the presence of an Evolved Beast.

Unlike Liu Xingluo, who was originally human, this retinue was a genuine Evolved Beast.

If the forthcoming disclosure concerned the very survival of humanity, then Liu Xingluo’s reluctance to have him overhear was entirely understandable.

“I understand.

Let us then speak in whispers.”

Comprehending Liu Xingluo’s intention, Li Bai leaned forward, bringing her ear closer.

“When I previously ventured into the Evolved Beast world, I incidentally uncovered some crucial intelligence.

It appears that a formidable Evolved Beast will soon arrive in the human world.

However, I am unaware of her specific abilities or her appearance.

All I know is that, given her power, current humanity would be utterly incapable of matching her.”

“What?

Are you certain of this?

You don’t even know what that Evolved Beast looks like?”

The intelligence provided by Liu Xingluo was distressingly vague.

She knew nothing of the entity’s appearance or its powers.

The sole piece of information was that this Evolved Beast possessed immense strength—so immense that even with the current multitude of Superhumans, they would still be no match for her.

Frankly, the credibility of this information was exceedingly low.

Yet, given that Liu Xingluo had specifically confided it to her, it likely held some degree of truth.

“Indeed, for I have not personally encountered this Evolved Beast.

However, I can infer that she will likely resemble me, perhaps even appearing identical.

Her eye color, however, should differ from mine,”

Considering that the individual who had spoken with her previously was Yinlang (TL Note: The Fifth Princess), whose appearance was identical to her own, with the sole distinction being eye color.

It followed that Jidi (TL Note: The Sixth Princess), who was next to arrive in the human world, would likely also bear an identical resemblance, differentiated only by eye color.

“Hmm… Is that how it is?

Very well, I understand.

I will report this situation to the higher authorities.

Thank you for this intelligence.

By the way, you have ventured into the rift and the world beyond it, haven’t you?

What is that world like, and how vastly does it differ from our own?”

The report had, coincidentally, also mentioned Liu Xingluo’s accidental entry into the rift and the Evolved Beast world on the other side.

This presented a timely opportunity to inquire about relevant information, as humanity currently possessed too little intelligence on such matters, and any additional understanding would prove beneficial.