VAP - Chapter 23
Chapter 23: The Sleeping Beauty Whose Words Are Law (22)
Tap, tap.
The sound of heels lightly tapping on the ground.
Backlit by the evening sunset, a girl in a long black dress walked down the street. Her eyes were half-lidded, listless, as she moved forward in a straight line.
Behind her, a faint rustling came from the greenbelt. A plant with a short stem but long, wide leaves trembled slightly, then extended a blood-stained leaf in her direction.
The long, sharp-edged leaf slithered across the ground, inch by inch. Its tip slowly rose like a snake, resembling a predator lying in wait.
“There's a mutated plant.”
The moment that voice sounded in her mind, the girl, without turning her head, raised a hand and pointed behind her. “Kill it,” she said nonchalantly.
An invisible force spread out from her fingertip, perfectly executing the command. It shattered the plant's stem, leaves, and even its roots!
The girl yawned and continued on her way.
Behind her, shattered green leaves scattered across the mottled bloodstains on the ground—traces left from when the mutated plant had strangled its last prey.
The strong kill the weak, only to be killed by the stronger. Such was the law in this chaotic era.
Without a doubt, this girl was Qi Jiu.
She had only left after setting everything up at home.
For a “salted fish” who wouldn't move if she didn't have to, taking a walk outside was a rare event—especially now that she possessed the Word Spirit ability and could move herself anywhere, anytime.
The reason Qi Jiu had so readily gone out was, one, to see what things outside had become, and two, to complete her mission.
Yue Du had found the address of the lead bully from all those years ago online. That was their destination.
I thought the host would just teleport there directly, Yue Du thought.
But in truth, Qi Jiu was quite interested in the changes to the outside world. She walked at a leisurely pace, showing no intention of teleporting straight to her destination.
Perhaps this was progress for a salted fish!
Along the way, several mutated plants had attacked Qi Jiu, and the young lady had naturally used her “mouth cannon” skill—no, her Word Spirit ability—to turn them into dust.
This canna lily that tried to strangle her from behind was one of them.
Yue Du adjusted her perspective, observed for a moment, and said, “This canna lily, just like the orchid at home, is mutating in the direction of ensnaring and killing animals. If I'm not mistaken, most herbaceous plants are likely mutating this way.”
Qi Jiu couldn't be bothered to turn around and see what had become of the mutated plant, so she just gave a casual reply, “Wow.”
Yue Du could, of course, hear her perfunctory tone. “You're not interested in this?”
Qi Jiu said lazily, “It's alright. I'm more interested in when some mutated animals will show up.”
Meaning, she had no interest in flora.
“They don't dare to come,” Yue Du said, looking around and stating the facts.
From her perspective, she could see several enormous birds circling high in the sky not far away. They were likely mutated from some kind of small falcon, but they only circled from a distance, not daring to land.
In an alley behind them, a dog that could spit small fireballs was hiding, peeking in their direction. It had followed Qi Jiu the whole way but didn't dare to get close.
Unlike the dull-sensed plants, mutated animals had higher intelligence and keener senses. Their instinct to seek advantages and avoid harm kept them away from predators.
And in their eyes, Qi Jiu, who was max-level from the start, was probably a conspicuous beacon of light—her energy immense and dangerous, arrogantly warning all mutated animals: Approach and die!
Therefore, until Qi Jiu learned to restrain her energy aura, no animals like small falcons, cats, or dogs would dare appear near her... As for the more terrifying, larger creatures, they wouldn't be entering human cities just yet.
How lonely it is to be invincible.jpg
After hearing the system's analysis, the currently invincible Qi Jiu immediately felt bored. “In that case, I'll just grab one and take a look.”
She half-opened her palm and lazily intoned, “Move one of those big falcons from behind me over here.”
The moment she finished speaking, a heavy weight appeared in her hand. With quick reflexes, Qi Jiu closed her palm, firmly gripping the large bird's fluffy neck.
The mutated falcon, which had been circling with its companions: “...Scree?!!!”
The large falcon let out a miserable cry.
A bird flies in the sky, yet trouble comes from the ground!
Qi Jiu was unmoved, even moving her hand a little further away in distaste.
Even though the mutated falcon possessed extremely sharp talons and a beak that could peck through iron as if it were mud, easily capable of disemboweling an ordinary person, it was still just a bird that hadn't awakened human-like intelligence.
Faced with Qi Jiu, who could hold it still without even using her ability, the large falcon cried out in panic for a while before keenly sensing that she was growing impatient.
So, it wisely shut its beak and became as quiet as a chicken.
“This falcon looks more than ten times larger than before its mutation,” Qi Jiu said, dangling the large falcon by its neck and spinning it twice. “Its beak and talons are enhanced, the edges of its wing feathers are sharp, but it's actually gotten uglier. Look at the whites of its eyes.”
Yue Du observed along with her. Hearing this, her lips twitched. “I guess so...” It was a bit ugly.
The large falcon let out a faint chirp in protest.
Qi Jiu ignored it and continued to spin the bird's neck for a 360-degree, no-blind-spot inspection. Finally, she concluded with a lack of interest, “Useless, and an eyesore. Let's toss it.”
With that, she flung her hand and threw the large falcon far away.
The large falcon, having survived the ordeal, tumbled in the air several times before finally regaining its balance. It flew off to rejoin its companions, its heart still pounding with fear.
“You must have left it with deep psychological trauma,” Yue Du commented, having watched the whole thing. She silently sympathized with the falcon for three seconds.
Qi “Great Demon King” Jiu was unconcerned. “That would be for the best.”
After that, Qi Jiu repeated the process, successively grabbing the fireball-spitting dog, a bizarre giant butterfly covered in beautiful feathers, a poisonous spider with indescribable patterns, a black cat that had grown three tails...
Being able to capture these mutated animals—which would relentlessly pursue weak ordinary people but flee with their tails between their legs upon sensing a strong presence—was all thanks to her Word Spirit ability.
Catch one, toss one. Toss one, catch another. Interest has an expiration date. Qi Jiu's expression went from intrigued to utterly bored in the span of just half an hour.
When she finally lost interest in mutated animals, Yue Du roughly estimated the energy her host had just consumed and frowned. “Maybe we should head back first.”
Qi Jiu: “Why?”
Yue Du: “You've used Word Spirit several times already. To make sure you're not outside when the forced sleep kicks in, it's better to go home first.”
“Hmm, true. Let's go, then. I've had a bit too much exercise today.” Qi Jiu smiled and let go of the rabbit ears in her hand.
The mutated rabbit did a somersault on the ground and scrambled to escape.
Yue Du: “...”
Host, what is your misunderstanding of 'exercise'? All you did today was walk a short distance, say a few words, and toss a few mutated animals!
Qi Jiu headed home, which is to say she used Word Spirit to teleport herself back. She still hadn't entered the forced sleep state, likely because the energy she'd consumed hadn't reached the critical point yet.
So, she leisurely ate her meal, washed up, changed into soft, warm pajamas, and comfortably snuggled into her bed.
With the blessing of her Word Spirit ability, the space within this house was probably the safest place in the world.
Qi Jiu had said that no living creature could intrude, and no force could destroy it—
She had said it, so for as long as the ability lasted, this home was an impregnable little fortress.
Yue Du once again sighed from the bottom of her heart. It really was a game-breaking ability... Once spoken, it became an established fact. Who wouldn't want such an illogical power?
In any case, she was green with envy.
While Yue Du was sighing, Qi Jiu opened her phone and began her nightly ritual of scrolling through Weibo.
“Looks like everyone is having a hard time,” she said, her dark eyes betraying no emotion.
Despite major events like 5% of humanity dying at the same time, 5% awakening abilities, and mutated plants and animals attacking people, human society hadn't descended into complete chaos.
The reason was that the information network was still intact.
It was 7:00 PM.
An official notice was posted in the most prominent spot on all major social media platforms.
First, please do not panic. In the face of this natural mutation, we are doing everything in our power to minimize the losses and will not betray the public's trust.
Please pay attention to the following points:
1. Individuals who have not awakened an ability and cannot protect themselves should remain indoors. Do not go outside except to find food. Avoid making loud noises or engaging in behavior that might attract mutated plants and animals. Please wait patiently for rescue;
2. If there are deceased individuals in your building who died during the awakening, please keep your distance from them and, if possible, separate them into a different space. We are conducting further experiments to determine if the bodies are safe. Until then, please do not act rashly;
3. Esper ability users are requested to fill out the form with their relevant information and upload it. We will assign you the most appropriate tasks based on your abilities to help save our families and friends;
4. If you experience a water or power outage, please click here 【Link】 to report it immediately. We will repair the utilities as quickly as possible to ensure the public's basic needs are met;
5. Helicopters will drop supplies, including food and medical items, at major residential areas every morning and noon.
...Finally, let us all unite. With one heart and one mind, we will surely overcome this disaster!
Attachment: EsperBasicInformation_Form.xls
This Weibo post had received tens of millions of comments and over a hundred million likes, and the numbers were still climbing rapidly.
Looking at the comments—some optimistic, some pessimistic, some serious, some just plain silly—Yue Du couldn't help but chuckle.
The Recovery Mist had brought much, but it had also destroyed much. In less than a day, the world had completely changed. But as long as the state apparatus was still functioning, things hadn't reached their worst.
“Are you going to fill out the form?” Yue Du asked her host.
Qi Jiu's gaze swept over the comments section. In a thread discussing abilities, the most frequently appearing word seemed to be... teleportation?
It seemed many people had this kind of ability.
“Of course. I should report it. Otherwise, it could cause trouble later even if I'm in the right.”
Qi Jiu tapped her finger on the screen, thoughtful. “I'll put down teleportation. The kind that can't carry other people, only for self-preservation.”
Yue Du hit the nail on the head. “You just don't want to be sent out on missions, do you...”
Qi Jiu replied, full of self-righteousness, “What else?”
In truth, claiming to be a teleporter was a good choice.
Before long, Professor Xing Qingcang and two other biological researchers would develop an ability detector. It could determine whether a subject had an ability and which category it belonged to.
The Elemental category was for abilities that manipulated natural elements, the Enhancement category was for those that improved one's senses and physical attributes, and the Special category was a hodgepodge of everything else.
The Word Spirit ability was currently unknown to the public, but like teleportation, it would be classified under the Special category.
The key was that Word Spirit could perfectly mimic the effects of teleportation, so there was no risk of her cover being blown!
Yue Du: “Then let's go with teleportation.”
Qi Jiu read the comments for a while longer, then changed her mind. “Wait, I want to change it.”
“To what?”
“Can't be woken up once I'm asleep.”
Yue Du paused, thinking she must have misheard. “Which one did you say?”
Qi Jiu calmly repeated, “Can't be woken up once I'm asleep.”
Yue Du was dumbfounded. “...”
Qi Jiu even analyzed the pros and cons for the system. “Look, if I put down teleportation, they might make me deliver messages or supplies. But with this ability, they won't. It's useless, but it also doesn't cause trouble for anyone. Don't you think it's perfect for me?”
Yue Du's expression was complicated. “...”
My dear young lady, you're really willing to go to any lengths to be lazy!
In the end, she successfully registered the teleportation ability. It wasn't because Qi Jiu had given up on her idea, but because her first form, which listed her ability as “The Sleeping Beauty Who Cannot Be Disturbed,” was rejected by the reviewers.
Not only that, but she also received a stern lecture from the person in charge of reviewing, who said that young people shouldn't joke about such serious matters and that there would be severe penalties for a repeat offense.
“...” Qi Jiu, quite dejected, uploaded the form for the teleportation ability. “This is discrimination against sleep-related abilities.”
Yue Du muttered, “I think they were being polite by not calling you out for your terminal case of chuunibyou.”
Qi Jiu raised her eyes and sneered, “Hm?”
Yue Du immediately adopted a solemn tone. “Yes, yes! This is discrimination against sleep-related abilities! It's outrageous!”
That night, after using Word Spirit to teleport an apple from the living room, the energy Qi Jiu had consumed finally reached its critical point.
Unsurprisingly, forced sleep.
Her long hair spread out beneath her like black satin, her hands resting at her sides, her slender form a pleasing sight. The summoned apple had rolled to one side, its exposed part a luscious, tempting red.
Qi Jiu's face was turned slightly to the side. In her sleep, she looked worldly-unaware, pure and innocent.
Yue Du watched from a bird's-eye view for a long time before silently opening the screenshot function. Click.
Caption:
Sleeping Beauty guest-starring as Snow White.
Quite fitting, isn't it? ~
Qi Jiu woke up the next morning. This time, the forced sleep had lasted for seven hours, three minutes, and fifty-one seconds.
According to yesterday's plan, today was the day to teach a lesson to the “bear child” who had once bullied Qi Jiu.
Of course, he used to be a bear child; now that he was grown, he should be called a “bear youth.”
Even that term was too light for him. Yue Du had found information about him online—a post from a girl accusing him of harming her.
That information was from three years ago.
The news of a girl on a poverty scholarship being bullied by a rich second-generation classmate had been smoothed over by the bear youth's parents before it could even cause a stir.
And that girl... according to the scattered bits of information, she had already taken her own life in despair, while the bear youth continued to live as if nothing had happened, with a bright future ahead of him.
But.
The internet has a memory. As long as something leaves a trace, it can always be found!
So Yue Du found that post, and by following it, she found the bear youth's current location.
He had moved to a different city. After being forced to transfer schools by the “weak little girl” he used to bully, Qi Jiu, the scoundrel hadn't turned over a new leaf. Instead, he had learned a lesson: if you're going to bully someone, don't pick someone with connections.
As a result, he never messed up again. He went to university without a hitch and continued to party wildly with his degenerate friends.
When Yue Du gave the relevant information to Qi Jiu, the young lady scanned it in an instant and came to a conclusion: “I wasn't harsh enough back then.”
If she had been harsh enough, the mere thought of the word “bullying” should have made this bear youth tremble in fear. Then there wouldn't be this side mission.
“It seems I have to clean up the mess from a few years ago...”
Author's Notes
The "Can't be woken up once asleep" ability upgrades to—The Sleeping Beauty Who Cannot Be Disturbed!
You can never wake a person who is pretending to be asleep [shrugs]
Yue Du: Today's host is also finding creative new ways to be lazy.
Note:
The country depicted here is unrelated to reality!
It is not a commentary on anything, please do not draw parallels to reality!
If my beloved and great Party encountered this situation, they would certainly handle it better, much better!!!
I love my motherland, looking forward to National Day.
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