Jiang Jianxin stared at the prompt on the registration page, her brow furrowed.
After a long moment, she reluctantly gave in and went to the login screen.
Someone had registered her personal information, and she didn’t know the password.
Since she couldn’t get into her own account, her only option was an anonymous guest login.
Jiang Jianxin carefully read the terms for guest login on the Peace Forum.
It mentioned that the key permissions lost by guest users were the ability to post in public channels and appear on the rankings.
No big deal.
Jiang Jianxin clicked confirm, and the page quickly jumped to the Peace Forum’s main page.
After logging into the forum, the first thing that popped up was the [Forum Announcements].
It was crammed with over a dozen entries, but Jiang Jianxin didn’t have the patience to read them and immediately clicked the ‘X’.
The main page had a simple black-and-white color scheme.
At the very top was the [Real-Time Combat Power Rankings].
The list itself was gold, and without scrolling, it only showed the top ten names.
The first thing Jiang Jianxin noticed was the number one spot on the list.
It was an anonymous account with a blank white avatar.
Unlike the other ranked individuals, there was no information listed under this person, and their combat power was shown as an “∞” symbol.
That symbol guaranteed they would be number one forever, no matter how high the combat power of those below them became.
‘Interesting.’
Jiang Jianxin thought to herself as she continued scrolling down.
Among a sea of unfamiliar names, she immediately spotted Lin Xin’an’s.
He was ranked eighth.
His avatar was a selfie.
In the picture, Lin Xin’an looked much more boyish than he did now.
He was wearing a brown sweater under a white lab coat.
His long hair was half-down, framing his face, and half-tied back.
His long eyebrows were slightly raised, his eyes were narrowed, and the corners of his mouth were turned up in an unreadable, gentle smile.
Next to his avatar was some basic information, much more detailed than what she had seen at the police station.
[Lin Xin’an, Bright Camp, All-Knowing Sequence, Mind Reading Technique, Sequence No.
6, Pure-blood ability, Madhouse Physician Department Member, Codename “Hypnotist,” Current Total Combat Power Ranking: 8, Faction Ranking: 3]
Below the basic information was a grayed-out link that read “Public Reviews.”
Jiang Jianxin hadn’t expected something in the dog-eat-dog Superpower World to be so democratized.
Curious, she clicked on Lin Xin’an’s “Public Reviews.”
As one of the top ten powerhouses on the combat power rankings, Lin Xin’an had over ten thousand reviews.
The most-liked ones were:
[His ability isn’t as simple as you think.
It’s not Mind Reading at all.
The ranking is lying!]
[He’s from that Madhouse faction.
I don’t need to say more.
If you know, you know.
They’re seriously messed up.]
[Six evolutions of All-Knowing is the Mind Reading Technique?
My god, TV Station, you should take a look at the crap you’re writing!
Did he bewitch you too???]
[This is what powerhouses from the Bright Camp are like.
Their rank doesn’t go up, but meeting them in person is absolutely terrifying.
I’d rather cross swords with the guy at number one than play mind games with the All-Knowing at number eight.]
[This guy is terrifying!
Absolutely terrifying!]
…
Reading the stream of nothing but bad reviews and warnings in Lin Xin’an’s comment section, Jiang Jianxin was reminded of her own experiences.
Someone calling the police the instant the murder happened, the police casually showing her the rankings, having to enter a mental hospital to escape the death penalty, and now, after realizing it was all a trap, being stuck with this guy…
‘Wait, how is this starting to feel like an even bigger setup?’
Just as Jiang Jianxin was pondering this, Lin Xin’an emerged from the bathroom, his hair now styled.
He looked much more handsome after washing up.
He’d combed his hair back and washed the rain and mud from his face, though his clothes were still soaking wet.
He looked at her and said:
“Do you have any men’s clothes I can borrow?
I need to change.”
‘She actually did have some.
Her older brother had bought a bunch for himself while shopping for her when he visited for the Spring Festival.
They were all piled up in the closet now.’
Jiang Jianxin went into her room and found a shirt and a pair of pants for him.
Lin Xin’an took the clothes and frowned.
“They’re black?”
“Yeah.
My brother likes to wear black.
It’s all I have,” Jiang Jianxin said.
Lin Xin’an didn’t say anything else.
Instead, he examined the clothes with a cautious eye, then suddenly smiled.
“Can you introduce me to your brother next time he visits?”
“No.
My brother isn’t interested in men,” Jiang Jianxin answered quickly.
“Oh.”
Lin Xin’an just grinned, not at all annoyed.
He went into the guest room to change and then spent a moment admiring himself in the mirror.
The man in the full-length mirror had a stylish haircut, handsome features, and a sharp jawline.
He had wide shoulders, a narrow waist, and a lean layer of muscle.
The black shirt and pants gave him an inexplicable charm.
He gave his reflection a smirk, prompting a few coughs from Jiang Jianxin behind him.
“Alright, stop being so narcissistic.
Do you want instant noodles?”
“Yes!”
Lin Xin’an replied instantly, sitting down next to Jiang Jianxin.
He then saw a stack of nine empty instant noodle cups on the table.
He pointed at the small mountain of empty cups in surprise.
“You’ve already eaten nine of these?”
Jiang Jianxin gave him a slow glance.
“They’re my noodles.
You got a problem with me eating nine cups?”
Lin Xin’an waved his hands, accepting the new cup of noodles Jiang Jianxin handed him.
“No, I’m just a little surprised…
After all, the last person I met who ate this much was a superpower user.
His power came from food.”
Jiang Jianxin gave him a deep look.
The air grew inexplicably silent.
She knew Lin Xin’an possessed the Mind Reading Technique.
‘Had he picked up on her thoughts again?’
Jiang Jianxin didn’t know.
All she knew was that she was starting to find him dangerous, too.
She pulled out her phone and showed Lin Xin’an the page on the Peace Forum.
“Lin Xin’an.
Or should I call you the Hypnotist?
Eighth on the total combat power rankings, third-in-command of the Bright Camp.”
Jiang Jianxin locked her gaze on him, trying to see something deep within his eyes.
“Why are you really following me?
You know I’m not going to the Madhouse.”
Lin Xin’an fell silent, looking at Jiang Jianxin.
In his smile, she saw the same unreadable expression from his profile picture on the ranking list.
“Finish your noodles and leave.
If you don’t go, I’ll kill you.
You know what my ability is,” Jiang Jianxin said slowly.
Lin Xin’an didn’t seem surprised or flustered.
He just said:
“Don’t be so absolute.
It’s true I have designs on you, but you need me just as much.
We may not be able to be true friends, but we can be allies bound by mutual interest.”
Jiang Jianxin looked at him, surprised.
Lin Xin’an tapped her phone screen.
“I haven’t introduced you to the famous factions of the Superpower World yet.
This Peace Forum you’re looking at was created by a well-known faction from the Bright Camp: [TV Station].”
“And all this information on the rankings…
we didn’t provide it voluntarily.
So how do you think they know everything in such detail?”