Chapter 46

In a car parked on the roadside, three A-level ability user from the Science Society nervously stared at a fried pancake stall outside the school gates, anxiously discussing, “So, how did it go? Did she talk to you?”

“I’m telling you, don’t play the greasy, turn-off dude role the first time you meet her. Girls like upbeat, fresh guys these days!”

“Yeah, Chen Nan, tone down your Northern accent and, for the love of God, keep it lighthearted. You know, that bubbly voice like, ‘Do you want extra sausage? Want cilantro?’ Got it?”

“Dammit, Ni Wan, that’s terrible advice. If he did that, he’d get himself sliced by the S-rank master in under two minutes.”

“You’re insulting him, you know!”

The elite A-levels, known for their dark glasses and intimidating presence, jostled in the car, fighting to offer their “guidance” over the phone.

Their morale was high. “Come on, Nan! I just checked, and the Metaphysical Society and those Stargazers blew it – they didn’t even get to say one word to the S-rank master! But you, you’re different. How many sentences have you said now?”

“Let me count!” The purple-haired guy in the middle counted on his fingers, eyes serious. “‘Want sausage?’ ‘Any cilantro?’ … Four or five lines, Nan!”

A chorus of admiration filled the car: “An S-rank! Practically a demigod! Nan, no – Nan-bro – you’ve already won, right out of the gate!”

They were gloating. It had been a stroke of genius to learn that Yue Yin liked grilled cold noodles and send their best-looking guy, Chen Nan, to work a stall by the school gate.

And, indeed, opportunity favors the prepared.

Chen Nan sighed at his colleagues’ voices in his earpiece, eyes closed in frustration. “You guys, stop. She didn’t even look at me once!”

Chen Nan, blessed with good looks and charisma, had received countless love letters growing up and even had a viral moment online thanks to a schoolmate’s video. He’d even gotten casting offers from film companies. But as an A-level user with power and fame at his fingertips, he’d scoffed at any notion of an entertainment career.

His path was clear: to live in the shadows, embedded in society, heeding the call of gods and battling dark forces in the ongoing struggle against false gods to save the world.

At least, until last night, when he and his fellow A-rankers were ordered to City A to make contact with the rumored S-level user. In a hurry, he’d had to learn grilled cold noodles-making overnight, then show up, untrained, at dawn.

Standing there in his pink apron, spatula in hand, exposing his collarbone for “charm value” … Chen Nan shut his eyes, regretting every moment. If he’d known he’d end up selling grilled cold noodles, he might as well have taken that TV role!

Despite his best efforts to make lingering, soulful eye contact with Yue Yin, it was clear that he, a mere grilled cold noodles seller, didn’t even attract her attention.

An A-level user with strength, looks, and charisma, Chen Nan was used to being the center of attention. Now, he was questioning his very existence.

Things got even worse when Yue Yin, impatient with his clumsy cooking, finally stepped in, took the spatula, cooked her grilled cold noodles, and walked off with them.

After taking a few steps, she looked back and said, “Quit this job – it’s not for you.”

Then she left.

In Chen Nan’s earpiece, his colleagues shouted, “What happened, Chen? Did she say anything to you?”

Clenching his fists, Chen Nan gritted his teeth. “She didn’t pay for the griled cold noodles!”

Silence fell in the car.

Then a collective outcry: “No way!”

“She didn’t pay seven bucks for a fried pancake?!”

“Honestly, not surprising. Didn’t the Metaphysical Society try to win her over, only to be ignored? She walked past a lost kid without helping, didn’t assist an elderly woman at the crosswalk…”

“What a jerk! What a piece of work!” The A-rankers shook their heads.

“It’s clear now, this S-rank has a unique style.”

They gathered close, murmuring in disbelief. “No doubt, she’s even more shameless than we are.”

Across the street, other organizations reached the same conclusion.

A young man tossed aside his bike and said solemnly, “I was going to pretend to lose control and crash into her to strike up a conversation. But she saw through it in an instant, and just one look from her left me immobilized.”

His audience fell silent, their expressions grave.

As an A-rank, Zhou Xiaohai was no weakling, yet Yue Yin had made him feel powerless with a single glance.

No wonder they called S-ranks “demigods.” To them, even agents and regular people were mere insects, lives to extinguish with a whim.

“It seems our intel was accurate. Yue Yin truly is an S-rank user.”

Every agent stationed outside the school now knew it beyond doubt: Yue Yin was an S-rank, an absolute powerhouse.

In a nearby café, an elderly woman wearing sunglasses took off her necklace and remarked, “In my opinion, this S-rank user could use a little more… decorum.”

The room fell quiet.

Yue Yin was indeed strong.

But she was also rude, inconsiderate, a truant, and a jerk who’d just left without paying for her grilled cold noodles.

After reaching this conclusion, everyone fell silent.

Scratching his head, Zhou Xiaohai murmured, “Something doesn’t feel right. Isn’t she supposed to be an S-rank?”

Even if she were an irredeemable villain, like the False God’s wicked cultist, plotting endless schemes of malice, it’d make more sense than this miserly grilled cold noodles-ditcher!

Zhou felt as though his perception of S-ranks had shattered completely.

“Maybe… she’s onto us and playing with us on purpose?”

His colleague replied glumly, “No idea. Even if she’s just messing with us on purpose, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Just then, Zhou Xiaohai’s phone rang. He picked it up, looking troubled, but his expression quickly turned serious. “Huai’an is awake? He says he knows who released that A-level malevolent entity near First High School?”

…

Since Yue Yin arrived late without her bag, she wasn’t surprised when the homeroom teacher scolded her and made her eat her breakfast outside the classroom before entering.

As she ate her grilled cold noodles, she sighed to herself, “Being human is so exhausting.” Dealing with so many bizarre people was a chore, but at least she got free grilled cold noodles.

Of course, Yue Yin saw through the attempts of those trying to get close to her, but she was too busy playing games to pay them any mind.

Even if humans were nothing but ants in a god’s eyes, sometimes she’d get curious and want to see what the little bugs were up to.

After finishing her breakfast, Yue Yin dusted off her hands and cheerfully walked into the classroom. She had been planning to chat with Jiang Suliu about the game she was currently stuck on, but to her surprise, he wasn’t there.

Strange.

Jiang Suliu was the model student in the eyes of teachers and classmates. He never skipped school, and even after a near-death encounter with an malevolent entity, he’d still come to class the next day, his dedication to academics so intense it would impress even the most wicked deities.

And yet, today, Jiang Suliu was unexpectedly absent.

The two students in front of her, Zhang Baishui and Chen Le, were also talking about it. Noticing Yue Yin’s confusion, they couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t you know?”

“Jiang Suliu requested leave. The teacher said he asked for a half-month break because of some family matters.”

Yue Yin blinked. “Half a month?”

The Zhang family was somewhat close to the Jiang family, so Zhang knew a bit more than the others. Nodding, he said, “Yeah. Word is that it’s because his grandfather is ill, but we don’t know any details…”

After learning that Jiang Suliu would be absent for half a month, Yue Yin sat back in her chair, crossing her arms and furrowing her brow, feeling a bit targeted.

What was going on? If Shen Xiaodi didn’t want to attend school, that was one thing, but now Jiang Suliu was skipping too!

Seeing her scowl, Zhang Baishui and Chen exchanged curious glances and couldn’t resist asking, “You didn’t know? He didn’t tell you he was taking leave?”

That didn’t seem right!

It was common knowledge that Jiang Suliu liked Yue Yin. Coming from an elite family, he was not spoiled in the least. He’d cater to Yue Yin’s every need: breakfast, snacks, transfers, passing her water, doing her assignments, tutoring, and taking meticulous notes, all with a patience and gentleness that never wavered.

Jiang Suliu went to such lengths that classmates jokingly called him Yue Yin’s “devoted fan,” even likening him to the ideal boyfriend.

Logically, if he suddenly planned to take such a long leave, there was no way he wouldn’t tell Yue Yin… unless they’d had a falling-out?

With that thought, Zhang and his desk mate’s eyes lit up with gossip.

Yue Yin picked up her phone and saw that Jiang Suliu had, in fact, messaged her. She just hadn’t checked her phone since yesterday, being too absorbed in her video game.

His message matched what Zhang and the others had said, explaining that he needed to go abroad for family reasons.

Reading the text, Yue Yin scratched her head, feeling a bit let down.

Without Jiang Suliu at school, how was she supposed to get through her game? Who would bring her lunch? No one would be there to pass her snacks during breaks…

With a sigh of disappointment, she realized for the first time how inconvenient it was to have only one loyal follower.

Luckily, she’d soon receive her official certification from the Paranormal Incident Management, meaning she could recruit new “lucky” followers soon.

At that moment, the physics teacher entered the classroom.

He set down a stack of papers and announced, “There’s a test today. Clear off your desks.”

Yue Yin, who had been brainstorming recruitment ideas, looked up in disbelief.

Wait, just like that?

She instinctively looked to her side, where Jiang Suliu’s desk was conspicuously empty. Unsurprisingly, she’d have to manage her assignments and this test on her own today.

…

Without Jiang Suliu’s help, Yue Yin handed in a rather unimpressive test paper, securing last place in the class.

When the dismissal bell rang, Yue Yin left the classroom, hanging her head.

As she exited the school and passed by the tree outside, she kicked it angrily twice. “Humiliating! Absolutely humiliating!”

She, an illustrious evil god, had actually scored the lowest on a school test.

A group of ability users observing her from a distance with binoculars exchanged baffled looks: …What on earth is wrong with her?