"Yeah, I had some things to take care of yesterday," Qin Yan casually made up a reason.
"I see." Wei Zheng nodded and walked alongside Qin Yan. "Regarding the bio-modified humans you mentioned the other day, I asked my dad about it after I got back home. At first, my dad didn't want to tell me about it, but in the end, he did..."
At this point, Wei Zheng lowered his voice, looking mysterious as he said, "It's said that the people from these secret organizations that deal with bio-modified humans call themselves 'ability users.' They spread all sorts of nonsense outside, claiming that they, as ability users, are the future of humanity. They say that only they can save the world and ask others to worship them, provide money and support. Many people have been deceived by them, treating these so-called ability users as saviors. These organizations, relying on their unique abilities that ordinary people don't possess, are now secretly recruiting people, accumulating wealth, and have already formed a significant influence, starting to disrupt normal social order."
"Is it really that serious? How come I've never heard of this before?" Qin Yan remembered the ability user academy that Lin Shiqi took him to, feeling that although the academy had some issues, it didn't seem as bad as Wei Zheng described.
"Of course, all this information is kept under wraps. If it gets out, it would surely cause social unrest and panic."
"That makes sense."
"Also, it's said that the most powerful external force now is an organization called 'Chiyou' or something like that. This 'Chiyou' organization has many powerful ability users."
"Chiyou? What a strange name." Qin Yan thought Wei Zheng would mention the ability user academy, but he didn't expect there to be another organization even more powerful than the ability user academy.
"Anyway, you need to be careful. Your physical condition is unique, and you're likely to be targeted by these organizations, pulled into these so-called ability user groups."
Qin Yan forced a smile, thinking it was already too late, as he had already been pulled in.
"Oh, by the way, there's something I'd like to ask of you." Wei Zheng looked at Qin Yan, speaking earnestly.
"What is it? You seem serious."
"Oh, it's not a big deal." Wei Zheng scratched his head, vaguely saying, "Well, my dad got interested in you after hearing about your situation. He really wants to meet you. Are you... free after school today?"
"Today? I'm afraid not." Qin Yan remembered that Lin Shiqi would come to find him after school, so he had to decline.
"Alright, just let me know when you're free."
"Sure."
Wei Zheng was a year older than Qin Yan and would soon graduate. Due to the weakened magnetic field of the Earth, human lifespans had significantly shortened. After graduating from high school, most people would start working. When Qin Yan asked Wei Zheng what he planned to do after graduation, Wei Zheng answered without much thought that he would help out at home.
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Wei Zheng's family background was quite mysterious. Whenever Qin Yan asked what Wei Zheng's family did, Wei Zheng always gave vague answers, never directly responding. This time, when Qin Yan asked about Wei Zheng's family business, Wei Zheng hesitated before saying, "It's nothing much, just collecting some special information and intelligence."
Seeing that Wei Zheng was reluctant to talk about his family, Qin Yan didn't press further. The day passed uneventfully as usual. After school in the afternoon, as soon as Qin Yan walked out of the school gate, he saw a red car parked on the roadside by the school gate.
"When did you arrive? Don't you have anything to do normally? Don't you have to go to school?" Qin Yan got into the car, sitting in the passenger seat, while a long-haired girl in a red dress and black skirt was in the driver's seat. It was none other than Lin Shiqi.
"I was still in school during middle school. I've finished studying high school knowledge on my own," Lin Shiqi stretched lazily, as if she had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Qin Yan get into the car, Lin Shiqi started the car.
"Also, don't look at me as if I'm idle. I'm actually working. You probably don't know, but I'm an intelligence officer for the academy outside. My usual task is to gather intelligence and gather information outside," Lin Shiqi said proudly.
"I see. No wonder you're always wandering around outside with nothing to do."
"Oh, by the way, I have something to ask you," Lin Shiqi said as she drove, "Qin Yan, you mentioned meeting a strange vagrant nearby and that the black stone he gave you. I've been around here all day, but I haven't seen that vagrant. What happened?"
"That's strange. I used to run into him often. Maybe he left after giving me the black stone."
"I guess so. Let's forget about it. It's no use looking for him now that he's gone."
Thinking about what Wei Zheng had told him in the morning and the information about the ability user organizations outside, Qin Yan asked, "Shiqi, do you know about this organization called 'Chiyou'?"
"Chiyou?" Lin Shiqi's expression changed suddenly. She turned her head, looking tense as she stared at Qin Yan and asked, "How do you know that name?"
"I heard it from a friend. Don't be so nervous. Look ahead, be careful not to crash!"
"Your friend seems to know a lot," Lin Shiqi said meaningfully, shifting her gaze away from Qin Yan.
"So, what's the deal with this 'Chiyou' organization? Can you tell me about it?"
"Sure," Lin Shiqi said slowly. "'Chiyou' is a long-standing organization of ability users, perhaps existing longer than our ability user academy. I don't know much about this organization. Our academy has no connection with this 'Chiyou' organization. However, a few years ago, our academy had a spy infiltrate us. This spy stole a large amount of intelligence data from our academy and leaked it. Later, we found out that this spy was very likely associated with the 'Chiyou' organization."
"So, your academy has had such incidents in the past. No wonder you were so nervous when you heard that name."
Lin Shiqi nodded and continued, "This incident caused significant damage to our academy. You see, our academy is one of the top in researching abilities. Now, all the research data from decades has been leaked, allowing other ability user organizations to take advantage of it."
"Well, at most, others gained a little advantage. It's not a huge loss for your academy."
"I'm afraid they might use this information against us. You don't know, ever since that spy incident, many forces outside have been watching our academy, trying to scheme against us. Otherwise, why do you think I work so hard, gathering information outside all day?"
Hearing this, Qin Yan remembered how Lin Shiqi had mistaken him for someone from another organization and attacked him. At that time, he thought Lin Shiqi was unreasonable, but now it seemed there were deeper reasons behind it.