A Knock on His Door

Xia Ping'an took a deep breath. He reached out his hand and opened the door. The face of the man wearing a black windbreaker appeared in his view.

"Hello? May I know who you are looking for?" Xia Ping'an asked calmly.

"Of course, I came looking for you!" the man quickly answered.

Xia Ping'an pondered for a moment. He then stepped aside and allowed the man into the house.

When the man entered, he looked around Xia Ping'an's home with great interest. Xia Ping'an closed the door and turned to face the man.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mo Yanshao, the director of the National Order Council, Xianghe City branch. We met yesterday," the man said with a sharp gaze. He looked at Xia Ping'an with a look of professional scrutiny. He suddenly made Xia Ping'an feel pressured.

The National Order Council was the most powerful organization in the Great Flame Republic. This organization was famous and carried great authority. It not only had great influence in the republic, but also across various countries in the world.

In many movies, such an organization and its members regularly appeared. They were powerful, cold, and cruel. There was almost nothing that they could not do. They caused the criminals and the monsters that invaded this dimension to tremble in awe before them. The history of the National Order Council of the Great Flame Republic could be traced back a few hundred years.

"You are...the Lighter!" Xia Ping'an exclaimed as his gaze shifted. He recalled this man's terrifying movements and summoning techniques.

"The term Lighter is from way back. We have not used it in a long time. The Great Flame Republic is now a nation ruled by law. We are merely a group of special officers who serve the state apparatus and the nation's interests. All our operations are within the legal framework. We do not simply commit murder unless the person deserves death," Mo Yanshao explained as he looked at Xia Ping'an. A faint smile appeared in the corner of his mouth. "As an Awakened, your clairvoyance is very powerful. It is just that if you encounter a person like me, it is still easy to be discovered."

Since someone already came knocking on his door, Xia Ping'an instead calmed down. He turned around and poured the man a glass of water. He placed it on the living room table and then sat down in front of the man. "I am still unfamiliar with controlling my ability," he admitted. "I also never imagined that you had the same ability!"

"Clairvoyance is rare among the Awakened. However, it is not unheard of. Coincidentally, I am one of those who possess it as well. May I ask when did you discover that you had such an ability?"

"Hmm, a few days ago. I was also surprised when I suddenly had this ability," Xia Ping'an replied calmly. He was too lazy to even act surprised.

A few days ago? Such a lie! The corners of Mo Yanshao's mouth curled into a smile. He knew Xia Ping'an was lying.

According to the law of the Great Flame Republic, every Awakened had to report their ability to the National Order Council within two weeks of discovering it. Xia Ping'an had not done so all this while.

If his clairvoyance had been awakened before this and Xia Ping'an had kept it hidden without reporting it for so many years, he had clearly violated a few provisions in the Public Safety Act and Regulatory Act for the Awakened.

However, if Xia Ping'an had only awakened to his ability a few days ago, then it was within reason that he had yet to report it. The law would not hold Xia Ping'an accountable.

Anyway, Mo Yanshao was not here to find fault with Xia Ping'an and inform him of the law. He did not care what Xia Ping'an had done before this. What was more important was what Xia Ping'an would do in the future.

"Have you revealed your clairvoyance in front of anyone before? Or does anyone else know about this ability of yours? Please answer truthfully. This question might concern your own safety," Mo Yanshao stated with a stern look on his face.

Xia Ping'an thought for a moment and then shook his head and replied, "I just awakened to this ability. No one else knows about it."

"You have a younger sister, Xia Ning. Does she know?"

Xia Ping'an lowered his gaze and still shook his head. He answered, "She also does not know."

Mo Yanshao stared at Xia Ping'an. He knew that Xia Ping'an had lied for the second time. Xia Ping'an's sister, Xia Ning, should know that he possessed clairvoyance. The two of them had lived together for so many years. Xia Ping'an would not keep his ability a secret from Xia Ning.

The reason why Xia Ping'an shook his head was that he was certain that Xia Ning would not simply reveal his ability to anyone, be it under interrogation or before a court of law.

Mo Yanshao also did not linger on this question. He merely continued, saying, "Once you awaken to your special ability, you should report it to the National Order Council. You should know what having abilities entails. Do you need me to explain it to you again?"

In the Great Flame Republic, those who awakened and possessed special abilities needed to report to the National Order Council. The council would then carry out an assessment. If the ability was useful to the country, then the person who possessed the ability would be forced to enlist and serve the country. It was like national service.

People who awakened to special abilities would basically join the Great Flame Republic's National Order Council or other government departments immediately. They would become a member of the state apparatus and walk a completely different path. This path was full of trials and tribulations, but it was also glorious. They were serving the nation and the people. At least that was how it was advertised on television.

Each year, the Great Flame Republic would carry out a physical examination for all candidates who were sitting for the national exams. From there, they might discover candidates who could potentially awaken abilities and cultivate them.

In reality, it was not just the Great Flame Republic. Other countries did similar things. The Awakened were special talents that the various countries placed great importance on.

Due to the fact Xia Ping'an had not completed high school and had dropped out to start working, he didn't go through the assessment during the national examination. Hence, his clairvoyance had not been discovered.

"I haven't had the chance to do so. As a law-abiding citizen of the Great Flame Republic, of course I know what I should do. I was preparing to report in the next few days." Xia Ping'an was still unfazed.

"You do not need to be nervous. I did not come here to examine your crimes or discuss the law with you," Mo Yanshao said with a smile. "I do not wish to ask about your past."

Xia Ping'an secretly heaved a sigh of relief. "I understand. Can you please tell me why you are here?"

"We need your help." Mo Yanshao cut to the chase.

"To search for the escaped demonic rats?" Xia Ping'an immediately understood what was going on. His ability was the only reason why a member of the National Order Council would be interested in him.

"That's right. Among the four escaped demonic rats, two of them are females. We must locate them as soon as possible and kill them. Once they hide in the wilderness and procreate, it'll be troublesome."

"I know. We have learned it in primary school before. It's everyone's responsibility to exterminate demonic rats," Xia Ping'an replied with a smile. "Demonic rats can eat almost everything aside from dirt and rocks. They consume plants, animals, rotten flesh, grasses, tree barks, worms, and even pollutants in the drains. Demonic rats can survive even in extreme environments like the South Pole. Moreover, their rate of reproduction is astonishing. They can give birth thrice a year and can give birth to three to six demonic rats each time. Furthermore, they are carriers of more than a thousand viruses from another world. More than a hundred viruses that they carry are transmissible to human beings. Some of the most deadly viruses that they carry are the zombie virus, plague, epidemic hemorrhagic fever, and mutated typhus."

Mo Yanshao nodded, impressed. "Yes. I'm glad that you're aware of it. It's very dangerous for such dimensional invaders to escape into the wild. They have no natural predators at all. They might even reproduce quickly. In the Special Forces Unit of the National Order Council of Xianghe City, I'm the only one with clairvoyance. Other summoners with the ability in the National Order Council are carrying out other missions in various places. It takes time for them to come over to assist us. The thing that we are the most lacking now is time."

"Did the four demonic rats escape towards two different directions?" Xia Ping'an raised his eyebrows.

"Yup. I'm leading a squad to hunt down demonic rats that escaped in one direction. As for the others that escaped towards another direction, another squad is hunting them. The squad needs someone with clairvoyance to accompany them. Coincidentally, you have this ability."

"Please allow me to say no," Xia Ping'an shook his head and rejected the quest without thinking. "Even though I have awakened to my clairvoyance, I'm just an ordinary citizen now. I lack the capabilities to defend myself against danger. It's a life-threatening task to hunt demonic rats, so I have the right to reject participating in such a dangerous mission. Right now, I'm still in the filing period. Before I officially report my ability to the National Order Council, you have no right to force me to do anything. If you think that I was lying and have kept my ability hidden, you can go through the legal procedures and place charges against me. I'll respond to that and be responsible."

Mo Yanshao stared at Xia Ping'an calmly. He was not at all surprised by the rejection of Xia Ping'an.

Before Mo Yanshao came here, he had roughly read Xia Ping'an's data. He felt that Xia Ping'an was not an ordinary youth. If an ordinary youth discovered that they had clairvoyance, it was hard for them to remain hidden for so many years and be satisfied with being a mechanic like Xia Ping'an. It was hard for them to keep it to themselves and not show off in front of others. However, Xia Ping'an managed to do so.

Not only did he hide the fact that he had clairvoyance, he also worked hard, stayed in a cheap apartment, and devoted himself to raising his younger sister. His maturity was not something ordinary youths had.

When faced with such people, it was useless to try to win them over with grandiose speech. Even the law had little control over them. Xia Ping'an clearly knew what legal consequences he would have to face for hiding his ability, yet he still chose to do so. It meant that he was prepared to face the consequences.

People like Xia Ping'an were matured, determined, and had their own set of moral principles and worldview. They were highly disciplined and had acute judgment. Ordinary methods were useless in winning them over.

Mo Yanshao took a deep breath. He extended two fingers and said, "Twenty thousand! I will reward you 20,000 for every demonic rat you find."

Mo Yanshao spoke with confidence and went straight to the point. "I know you are in need of money. This is the bounty issued by the National Order Council. There are two summoners in the team that you'll be working with. Experienced combat squad members from the National Order Council will be with you. They will ensure that you'll not be in danger. You just need to follow them and point out where the demonic rats are. They will be in charge of the battle. You are not required to join in the battle."

"Twenty thousand?" Xia Ping'an rubbed his face. In an instant, he put on a loyal and bold face, saying, "Director Mo, as a citizen of the Great Flame Republic, I am resolved to help the country and the people to stand against the dimensional invasion. I am always ready to contribute my ability to the country and society. Therefore, I have decided to help your team to locate the demonic rats."

The corner of Mo Yanshao's mouth twitched. He was somewhat surprised by how fast Xia Ping'an changed his attitude. Speechless, he stared at Xia Ping'an for a few seconds, then he said, "You're really…"

At this instant, Mo Yanshao couldn't find the right words to describe Xia Ping'an. Money-driven? Shameless? These words seemed to only capture part of Xia Ping'an's personality. They couldn't describe him as a whole. Mo Yanshao felt that Xia Ping'an was hard to comprehend.

Within these few minutes of interaction, Mo Yanshao had a feeling that Xia Ping'an was hiding another side of himself. He was elusive.

Xia Ping'an sighed and threw his hands in the air helplessly, saying, "Director Mo, it is very costly to raise a younger sister who loves drawing. Besides, it's almost time to pay rent. The landlord will not take anything less than the amount agreed upon."

"Can we go now?"

Xia Ping'an haggled, "Can you pay me 10,000 first? If I find the two demonic rats, you only need to pay me the remaining 30,000. If I fail the mission, the 10,000 will be used as compensation for my hard work and trauma. Your unit should have a fund for special missions and the sort, right? I'll be able to work in peace with the money in my hands already. Otherwise, I will always be thinking about it, and it will distract me from focusing. After all, I'm risking my life to help you all. I don't get paid regularly. I don't even know when I will be able to come back after I leave the house now. I might not be able to go to work as usual too."

Mo Yanshao was silent for a moment. "Erm… I don't have any money with me now…"

"Let's sign an IOU first then!"

Xia Ping'an turned around and conjured up a paper and a pen.

Mo Yanshao took a deep breath and quickly issued an IOU for Xia Ping'an. Then, he saw Xia Ping'an placing the document in a drawer. In a husky voice, Mo Yanshao asked, "Can we go now?"

"Wait a second. My sister will be home tonight. Let me leave a message for her."

As Xia Ping'an said this, he wrote a note for Xia Ning swiftly. He then left the note on the table in the living room and used a glass as a paperweight.

After he left the note, Xia Ping'an looked at Mo Yanshao and said firmly, "We can go now."