Chapter 21: Above it says our pattern is too small

"So, Waiter Two likes the proprietress, and he knows that once she takes your money, she will lose interest in running the inn, which is not doing well."

So, to keep this job that allows him to pursue the proprietress, he took your money, agreed to teach you martial arts, and even guided you as a master would?"

After Ji Tianqi has 'Returned after Transmigration', following some inquiries, Cong Wen asked this question.

"Exactly, that's right."

Ji Tianqi said happily, "I didn't expect such emotional entanglements, it's really a stroke of luck, otherwise, this adventure would have been really troublesome to come by."

[Luck? It's clearly that your 'Power of Thoughts' is too overactive, you're literally daydreaming!]

Everyone was at a loss for words.

Their real focus this time, after Ji Tianqi 'Returned from Crossing,' was on how he perceived the very realistic inn setting.

Surprisingly, yet unsurprisingly,

The entire inquiry took place at No. 9 Training Ground, but Ji Tianqi completely ignored the inn setting.

Only at the end of the inquiry did he curiously ask,

"What's up with this thing here? Looks bizarre, not realistic at all. Let me tell you, the inns I've seen in the Otherworldly realm are all..."

Although Cong Wen and the others were all ears, listening very seriously to Ji Tianqi's descriptions of the Otherworldly charm,

To them, what Ji Tianqi was describing held no reference value.

Because it all stemmed from Ji Tianqi's fantasy.

Similarly, the 'bizarre' appearance of the inn setting had no real meaning—it was merely a prop to make Ji Tianqi's fantasy logic consistent.

"We set this up to test your destruction capabilities."

After getting permission from his superiors, Cong Wen began speaking to Ji Tianqi in a serious tone.

"You know, once you cross into the Otherworldly realm, you leave behind a very realistic projection in our world. So, if you engage in conflicts in the Otherworldly realm, your projection can cause destruction in our world."

After this explanation, Cong Wen and the others grew tense because this claim was related to Ji Tianqi's 'condition' and could potentially stimulate Ji Tianqi in unpredictable ways.

But it had to be said.

In Ji Tianqi's fantasy, even Waiter Two in the small town had heard of Ji Tianqi's fame.

Thus, it was completely foreseeable that Ji Tianqi would soon be involved in battles in the Otherworldly realm.

Previously, when Ji Tianqi was at the Single Soldier Level without any weapons, the damage he could inflict was limited.

But now, Ji Tianqi was at the tactical level, and he was continually pushing toward the Battle-level.

His destructive power, even without weapon enhancement, was significant. Especially since Cong Wen and others were applying for authorization for him to use firearms.

...

...

The expression on Ji Tianqi's face remained unchanged, which slightly eased the tension of Cong Wen and the others.

"I see, that's indeed necessary," he said in a normal tone. "To be fair, I don't know how to control my projection and can only rely on you guys for help. If I cause any damage, please bear with me."

None debated with Ji Tianqi whether his projection 'was real or not,' from which it appears that their relationship with Ji Tianqi still resembled that of doctors to a mental patient.

Seizing the moment, Cong Wen said, "Of course, we will do our utmost to help you, but you should know, our funding isn't exactly abundant."

Everyone tensed up again.

From ancient times to the present, too many people have taken risks for money, especially those with martial capabilities.

"Ah? That, uh!"

Ji Tianqi looked at Bai Xiuchu and asked, "In this last month or so, have you received any bonuses from the Security Administration Bureau?"

[It's only been three and a half days.]

Bai Xiuchu didn't correct Ji Tianqi's confusion between 'reality and fantasy,' and nodded, "Yes, we have. Three hundred thousand yuan, it's in our team's account."

The heroes of the Hero Association, besides operating like internet celebrities to profit, primarily take on officially sanctioned tasks from government bodies like the Security Administration Bureau or corporations to earn bonuses.

Hearing about the three hundred thousand yuan, Ji Tianqi frowned.

"Wasn't it said that the criminal with Instantaneous Movement stole over one hundred million in wealth? Why is the bonus only three hundred thousand then?"

"Because the Security Administration Bureau was capable of capturing him, and it was an accidental capture, not involving any official task issue or offering of rewards and bounties,"

Bai Xiuchu explained cautiously, "If it's a criminal or demon that the Bureau cannot capture quickly or at all, the bonuses would be higher."

"Then, please help me find a suitable task; we need to make some money, otherwise, I can't afford any damages I might cause."

The attitude of Ji Tianqi greatly delighted Cong Wen and the others— a Superpower User willing to earn money through official channels, although relatively weaker, was easier for people to like.

"Sure, I'll arrange that."

Bai Xiuchu actually wanted to take the opportunity to discuss with Ji Tianqi about the costs of setting up the inn scenery and also the future expenses of building a Film and Television City as a base.

But she thought about it and decided not to say anything, as it was still uncertain whether Ji Tianqi truly thought he needed these 'props'.

Imposing it on Ji Tianqi would affect the relationship between the two parties.

Cong Wen was not worried about this because Ji Tianqi needed firearms, even those with extraordinary characteristics.

At that time, they could easily raise the price a bit to compensate for their extra expenses—of course, provided it was within the range Ji Tianqi could accept.

"Okay, you can rest easy now," Ji Tianqi patted Cong Wen on the shoulder and said with a smile, "From now on, if my projection breaks something, I'll compensate for it myself."

"That's great," Cong Wen pursued the advantage and asked, "To avoid financial losses, and since saving money is not easy for you, do you think we could change the location?"

"Change the location?"

Ji Tianqi raised his hand, rubbing his chin's stubble with his thumb and forefinger.

"I have no problem with it—it's just that I don't know if you guys will have any issues."

"As long as you don't have a problem, none of us do," Cong Wen suggested meaningfully.

"Fair enough."

Understanding the hint, Ji Tianqi laughed knowingly, then glanced again at the inn's setting.

"Let's not try it today; I haven't learned any martial arts with real attack power yet. I'll talk about it after I graduate from Waiter Two."

"No problem."

"Okay, I'm off to learn martial arts in the otherworldly realm. This time, I won't come back until I've mastered it."

Ji Tianqi nodded slightly and arranged, "As for you guys, try to bring over that instantaneous movement superpower user I caught, or I'll go there myself. I want to see if my Orchid Acupoint Skill and remote acupoint location can control him."

"Ah?" Cong Wen had heard about this from Bai Xiuchu before and hesitated, "This, it might not be appropriate? How about we bring someone with the same superpower for you to test on?"

"No, I want that criminal, any other criminal is fine too, but they must desperately want to escape."

"Why?"

"I'm afraid you guys might trick me—it's no joke, I'll depend on this to catch people in the future."

"…"

While everyone was at a loss for words, Ji Tianqi waved his hand to the crowd, then sat down cross-legged on the ground on his own.

No one stopped him, nor did anyone mention putting the Genetic Lock on Ji Tianqi—since Ji Tianqi had unlocked his Genetic Lock during the last field mission, he hadn't worn it in the past few days.

While everyone had a lot to say, they all refrained from speaking, silently retreating to give space to Ji Tianqi who was about to "cross" though he technically didn't need it.

Ten minutes later.

Ji Tianqi opened his eyes again, his gaze now had a vacant look.

"Shouldn't we get him a device to monitor whether he's using his superpower? Just looking at his eyes seems a bit unreliable."

"Isn't that impossible?" Wu Ya expressed skepticism about a colleague's proposal, "He practices in the real world too, and in a sense, practicing is using a superpower."

[Practicing? In a certain sense?]

Some team members were already giving Wu Ya a doubting look.

Bai Xiuchu spoke up, "I think we can directly ask Ji Tianqi's opinion, whether he's in his normal state or not, I think it's actually quite normal."

[Don't you think there's an issue with your wording?]

The individuals who were just doubting Wu Ya were now looking at Bai Xiuchu with the same skeptic eye.

Cong Wen decided, "Then let's just ask him, we need to maintain good communication with Mr. Ji Tianqi."

[Mr. Ji Tianqi? Weren't they calling him Tian Qi to his face and Patient No.9 behind his back before?]

Some of the research team members did not give Cong Wen a skeptical look.

After all, he was the person in charge.

So, they started seriously considering an issue—should we, like those three, also become a bit off to better integrate into this team?

While the team continued to observe Ji Tianqi in the otherworldly realm, practicing the "Orchid Acupoint Skill" with Waiter Two.

Cong Wen received a message, causing his expression to turn strange.

Noticing this, Bai Xiuchu curiously asked, "What happened?"

Cong Wen nodded, "The report we submitted three days ago requesting a professional instructor for Mr. Ji Tianqi was rejected."

"Ah?" Bai Xiuchu furrowed his brows, "That shouldn't be—wouldn't providing him with professional training and instructors allow him to better utilize the … abilities he has?"

Cong Wen spoke in a strange tone, "It's not that they don't allow us to hire an instructor, but they won't allow us to hire a professional instructor."

"Hm?"

"They said our request was too modest and asked us to draft a new one… for a team of professional instructors!"

When Cong Wen emphasized "a team of instructors," his tone was so raised and emphatic that everyone could hear it—except Ji Tianqi, who was in the otherworldly realm.

"…"

The few who had been hesitating about whether to alter their own 'mental states' to better fit into the team suddenly stopped hesitating.

Acting crazy—everyone can do that!