Chapter 64: Chapter Sixty-Four
Regarding the plan Cheng Yunshao proposed, the school reacted quickly once it was reported.
They weren’t just supportive, giving it the green light; the school even found an Awakener to be their makeup artist.
Although the students hadn’t graduated yet and weren’t officially Guardians, they had already experienced firsthand just how ample the funding for Guardians was.
This Awakener was a refined young man named Lin Ke.
“My ability is disguise. Through ordinary makeup tools, I can make a personās face look like someone elseās, and it can last for three days.”
Lin Ke wasn’t an offensive Awakener, nor was his talent high. He wasn’t particularly affected by Qi, and his temper and way of speaking were close to those of a normal person. As he picked out clothes for Luo Shizhen, he told him about his situation.
“Even though I’m an Awakener, I have zero offensive power, so I didn’t join the Guardians. I just registered at Yongzhou. Iām currently running a studio, doing makeup for people and such.”
He even showed Luo Shizhen “before and after” photos of the makeup he used for advertising.
Luo Shizhen looked at the sets of photos. “But after the makeup, it’s completely different from before.”
“Of course it’s different. I use my disguise ability to do the makeup for clients. In essence, it’s changing a clientās face.”
Luo Shizhen: “In that case, the person being made up isn’t themselves anymore. Are the clients willing?”
“The clients are naturally willing, as long as they look good.” Lin Ke chose a mature suit and smiled as he held it up against Luo Shizhen. “Iāve only been in business for a year, and my savings are already enough to buy a villa in the city center in full.”
As he spoke, he gave Luo Shizhen a fawning smile:
“But compared to you Guardians, I’m still far behind. With anomalies running everywhere now, having money isn’t as good as having strength.”
The moment Lin Ke heard that Yongzhou was looking for him, he had come running eagerly to take the job, hoping to build a good relationship with the Guardiansāideally securing an external associate status.
When Luo Shizhen was still studying at the non-networked No. 3 High School, he had been brought back to school by Chen Heyan. Later, he was always under the protection of his teachers and wasn’t very clear on the outside world. Hearing this, he asked in confusion:
“Are there really that many anomalies outside now?”
“There are! Plenty of them. Significantly more than last year. And Iāve received word…”
Lin Ke looked left and right, leaned into Luo Shizhenās ear, and whispered:
“Recently, some anomalies that can suck away people’s abilities have appeared. They specifically target Awakeners and suck out their powers.”
Luo Shizhen didn’t know why he had suddenly become so mysterious and whispered, but he followed suit and lowered his voice, asking just as quietly:
“Why are you being so quiet?”
The colorfully dressed Lin Ke looked around once more and continued in a low voice:
“I heard that this anomaly spreads primarily through people talking about it. If someone discusses it, itās like being marked. Iām afraid if it hears me talking about it, itāll come to suck my ability.”
Luo Shizhen was bewildered. “But no matter how quiet you are, youāve still talked about it. If itās really like that, youāve already been marked.”
Lin Ke immediately put on an exaggerated expression of shock. “Oh right!! What should I do! If I get targeted, Iāll be killed by the anomaly!”
He didn’t even use a single punctuation mark, just rattled off a string of words:
“Wait I have an idea how about you recruit me as an associate I don’t want a salary and I’ll even pay you and do disguises for free how about it?”
Lin Ke spoke too fast. Luo Shizhen stared at him blankly, his mind still processing what Lin Ke had just said.
Seeing that Luo Shizhen was just looking at him without speaking, the man dressed like a showy peacock waited for a few seconds before his conscience inevitably failed him.
“Alright, since you saw through it, I’ll tell the truth. I discussed this with my friend beforeāthree days ago. Yesterday, my friend mutated into an anomaly and escaped the pursuit of Yongzhou.”
Lin Ke swore to the heavens: “My friendās temperament was exceptionally stable, and his pollution index had always been low. If it hadn’t been for meeting an anomaly, it would have been impossible for him to mutate!”
“Iām truly terrified and wanted to hide at Yongzhou, but they don’t let non-associates in. So when the school mentioned asking for my help, I came running immediately! I just want to bask in your light and hide out for a bit.”
He was truly at his wit’s end. Though he was an Awakener, he had zero offensive capability. He couldn’t very well just apply some makeup to himself and pretend to be a passerby when an anomaly came knocking.
Luo Shizhen finally reacted and gave an ‘oh’. “Sure. Ask the others; if no one objects, then you can stay.”
“But, didn’t you report that anomaly?”
Lin Ke was helpless. “I reported it, but everything I know is through hearsay. I don’t even know what that anomalyās ability is, what it looks like, or where it appeared. Surveillance also proved that my friend mutated on his own.”
Speaking of this, he felt a sense of “the rabbit mourning for the fox”: “As you know, it’s all too common for Awakeners to mutate into anomalies. Some don’t even know they’ve awakened before they’ve already mutated.”
“I can’t provide evidence. My friendās mutation can only be called the least prominent example among a crowd of Awakeners. Actually, Iām not even sure if he mutated because of an anomaly. After all, it’s too easy for Awakeners to get polluted. Even if I mutated, no one would think anything was wrong.”
Luo Shizhen gently rested his chin in his hand, and after finding that his chināwhich looked a segment longer due to the makeupādidn’t fall off, he supported it more confidently with his hand.
“Can’t you go to Yongzhou and ask for help from an energy user to clear the pollution?”
Lin Ke looked at Luo Shizhen with envy. “You think everyone is like you lot, able to go to Yongzhou and get a queue number?”
The Guardians at Yongzhou also worried that the wait time would be too long and they would mutate before their turn.
But for unrecruited Awakeners, they didn’t even have a chance to get a queue number.
“Before, we could actually get in line. Ever since the number of anomalies increased and the frequency of Guardians getting polluted rose, they completely stopped opening up the queue to us external people.”
Lin Ke sighed:
“There are too few energy users. Just providing treatment to the Guardians fighting anomalies isn’t enough; how could they spare any to treat us ‘wild’ Awakeners who aren’t Guardians and have no offensive power?”
“Even in peaceful times, those who make a contribution are prioritized, let alone now when there are anomalies everywhereāit’s practically a state of war. Limited resources are definitely supplied to the Guardians; there’s nothing for small fries like us.”
The situation was understandable when spoken of, but it was very painful when one happened to be that small-fry wild Awakener who couldn’t make any wartime contribution.
However, as Luo Shizhen listened, his eyes lit up bit by bit.
“Exactly!”
“I couldn’t figure out what I could rely on to seem more powerful than Zou Tangzheng. After you said that, I know.”
“I can go on TV and run ads, saying I can treat pollution! I’ll surely become famous in no time!”
Lin Ke didn’t know of Luo Shizhenās status as a Purifier; he only knew they were high-talent students who had taken on a mission. Hearing this, he was practically at a loss for words:
“…You say you can treat pollution. In the current situation where everyone knows what pollution is, you would indeed become famous instantly and surely rake in funds, but… I think you should discuss it further with the others.”
As Lin Ke spoke, he sized up Luo Shizhenās build. He had a great figure, but his muscles didn’t look very firm; on the contrary, there was a strange sense of softness.
He didn’t look like he could take a punch.
The pollution brought by anomalies had become a public problem. Not only were Awakeners troubled by it, but ordinary humans who hadn’t come into contact with anomalies but touched the aura they left behind were also affected by pollution.
The latter wouldn’t die immediately like someone who had pollution directly injected into their body, but they would suffer for a long time. Some died after suffering, some clung to life, and some were at risk of mutating into a minor anomaly that wasn’t even Rank 1 at any moment.
This was far more painful than diabetes, heart disease, or infertility. At least those diseases had medication and doctors willing to treat them.
But polluted humans had no cure; they could only grit their teeth and endure through willpower.
There were even wealthy people who, after getting polluted, made high-profile announcements offering a hundred million for a cure.
Humans who hadn’t been polluted naturally grew anxious seeing others like that, worrying what they would do if they were unfortunate enough to catch it one day.
After all, no one knew if, on some ordinary day, an anomaly radiating the aura of pollution would suddenly pass by their doorstep and leave behind just a tiny bitānot much, but enough to disrupt the balance of a personās body.
In this situation, if a scammer doctor appeared saying he could treat it…
He would gain fame, but it was a lie. He would definitely get beaten up. Perhaps he would even have a hitman sent after him by some wealthy person.
Moreover, it was one thing to scam ordinary people, but if he scammed an offensive-type Awakener… Or was it that these students were fearless because of their good talent?
Lin Ke took a deep breath. For the sake of Luo Shizhen being a Guardian candidate, he said calmly:
“That idea is a bit impulsive. Why not discuss it with your teammates?”
Luo Shizhen deeply agreed and immediately said he would discuss it with them right away.
Two hours later, Luo Shizhen happily told Lin Ke that his teammates all thought it was a great method and a good idea.
Lin Ke: “…”
He had clearly looked at one or two of them, and they seemed quite intelligent and level-headed.
They could agree to such a heat-drawing method?
This was lying to people, saying he could treat pollution!
Lin Ke began to deeply doubt himself.
He had spent so much effort and been so thick-skinned just to become an external associate for the sake of saving his life.
Would he die even faster after getting the position?!
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