Chapter 45: Activation, the power of twins!

TN - A few things will change from now on since I have upgraded my status from a student to a 9 to 5 worker. Chapters will be released on the weekends in bulk since I'm too tired on the weekdays to write.

...

"Boss, where did you get these glasses?" Xue Jing asked as he adjusted GOD-1280 on his nose, glancing at the panel.

[Divinity: 201]

"I borrowed them from another containment company," Wu Youqing replied, folding her arms across her chest.

Xue Jing was taken aback. "There are other containment companies?"

Wu Youqing gave him a curious look. "Did I not mention that?"

Xue Jing shook his head. "That's not what I meant... I just thought our company was quite mysterious and high-end. I assumed it was the only one of its kind in the country."

"You misunderstood," Wu Youqing said with a slight smile. "The God Relic Collection Company is unique, but it's not that high-end. If I had to describe it... it's more like a specialized street cleaning service."

Xue Jing blinked in surprise. "Street cleaners?"

Wu Youqing nodded, her ponytail swaying as she spoke. Her slightly purple pupils shone like amethyst. "As you know, all divine relics have the ability to randomly transfer locations. No matter how well they're contained, there's no guarantee they'll stay put. So, containment work is continuous, a never-ending cycle."

"There are thousands of known divine relics in the world. Considering that, they could appear anywhere at any time. The workload is immense. A single company can't handle it all."

Xue Jing thought for a moment. "If they keep relocating anyway, why not just leave them alone?"

Wu Youqing immediately dismissed the idea. "No, that's too dangerous. Divine relics possess unpredictable and often dangerous powers. Ignoring them would lead to chaos. Even if the containment efforts seem like a 'band-aid,' they're crucial and can't be stopped."

"I see," Xue Jing said, contemplating her words. He then asked, "Do we work in partnership with these other containment companies?"

"Not necessarily," Wu Youqing replied. "It depends on the situation. The containment work is essentially outsourced to us by the government. The government allocates funds annually based on each company's performance. Some companies engage in cutthroat competition to earn that money."

She added, "If you encounter people from other companies during containment work, be cautious."

Xue Jing nodded, understanding the implications. "Got it."

"Also," Wu Youqing continued, "if you encounter danger that you can't handle, retreat immediately. Safety comes first."

"Understood," Xue Jing replied, then suddenly said, "By the way, good sister, I want to test the effect."

Wu Youqing was slightly puzzled. "What effect?"

Without another word, Xue Jing removed his [ordinary glasses].

It was as if a dull, ordinary stone suddenly shed its dust and began to gleam brilliantly. Xue Jing once again radiated the aura of the innate soft rice holy body.

"…"

Wu Youqing didn't say anything, but she averted her gaze, a barely noticeable blush coloring her cheeks.

Xue Jing glanced at the panel: [Someone has developed a crush on you, Charm Experience +19]. He smiled to himself. It seems to be working well.

...

Holding a stack of documents about the wearers of [Crown of the Evil Woman], Xue Jing left the library, planning to go home and prepare. Wearing the frameless glasses, he sat on the bus, reviewing the information in his hands.

The name is... Lou Huiying.

The activity location is primarily in the southern part of the city...

"Bars, discos, gigolo clubs, KTVs... typical hangouts for a gang leader," Xue Jing muttered to himself.

According to the report, Lou Huiying had used the power granted by the Evil Woman's Crown to establish a small gang called the Rose Gang. She spent her days exploiting handsome young men and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her newfound power.

The malevolent aura from the Evil Woman's Crown was unrestrained, drawing the ire of surrounding gangs. However, her personal strength, amplified by the crown, had made her untouchable—at least for now.

Xue Jing studied the details on GOD-1105 again.

Crown of the Evil Woman... The stronger the wearer's evil thoughts, the greater the physical power boost... The upper limit is unknown. The highest recorded case involved an international criminal who, with the crown's power, reached a danger level of 4.2...

But once it's removed, the wearer's physical abilities gradually return to normal...

"I see..." Xue Jing mused as he formulated his approach.

Before he knew it, the bus had reached his stop. Xue Jing got off and walked home.

As soon as he entered his apartment, he called out, "Teacher Wan?"

No response.

He searched the house but couldn't find the cat.

"Out again?" Xue Jing wondered aloud. Lately, the cat had been going out more frequently, and he had no idea what it was up to.

Shrugging it off, he entered his makeshift gym and opened the panel.

[Divine power absorption completed]

[Divinity: 311]

"Hmm?" Xue Jing raised an eyebrow.

Compared to the nearly 500 divinity points provided by GOD-1391 Cat Tail Ring and GOD-1567 Sweet Water Kettle, this ordinary pair of glasses had provided just over 300.

"It seems the amount of divinity each relic provides can vary greatly," he noted.

With a sigh, Xue Jing navigated to the divine skill page and selected [Twins].

[Twins Lv1 (Divinity required for upgrade: 311/100, currently upgradeable)]

He clicked to upgrade.

[Twins Lv2 (Divinity required for upgrade: 211/300)]

[Passive: Possessing two lives, after death, you can freely choose the time of resurrection within seven days, cooldown time: 80 days]

[Active: Each Level can specify an ability related to your own body, which will produce a double effect when used]

[Currently activated: Physical speed]

[Currently available options: physical strength, physical defense, reaction speed, calculation ability, concentration, memory...]

"The passive cooldown time is reduced by ten days... If it reduces by ten days with each upgrade... does that mean I have infinite resurrection at Level 10?" Xue Jing speculated, impressed by the potential.

This upgrade was definitely worth it!

He then turned his attention to the active effect and weighed his options.

"Hmm... let's go with [Physical Strength]."

Xue Jing made his decision. Given his upcoming confrontation with the wearer of the Evil Woman's Crown, who had formidable physical abilities, enhancing his own strength seemed like the best strategy.

He pressed [Physical Strength] on the panel.

[Currently activated: physical strength, Physical speed]

Once the activation was complete, Xue Jing resisted the urge to test his new abilities immediately. Instead, he headed out of the house.

On the small garden track where he often ran, Xue Jing picked up a thumb-sized pebble from the ground.

He scanned the area and set his sights on a camphor tree about twenty meters away.

Taking a deep breath, he focused his energy, his eyes narrowing as he activated [Twin physical Strength].

Whoosh!

The pebble shot through the air like a bullet, whistling as it cut through the atmosphere, and slammed into the camphor tree.

Bang!!

The impact echoed loudly, startling nearby passersby. A young man who happened to be walking by was so frightened he stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Someone fired a gun?" he exclaimed, scrambling to his feet.

Others nearby were equally curious, rushing over to see what had happened.

"Wow, what was that?"

"Isn't this a meteorite?"

"No, it looks like a pebble?"

"How did you do that? Did you fire it from a sniper rifle?"

The camphor tree, which was more than 50 centimeters in diameter, had a circle of bark that had exploded outward, revealing the white wood beneath.

In the center, the pebble had shattered into several pieces, deeply embedded in the tree.