The sudden burst of Fiery Flames caught everyone off guard; those on the periphery of the crowd were swept away by the shockwave, while those in the center were engulfed in flames and thrown several meters.
Fortunately, Ren Suo and his friends were not too close, and although they were affected by the fire wave, their pants weren't even singed. However, they all ended up sitting on the ground, staring in shock at the fiery figure at the entrance of the cafeteria.
Yes, a fiery figure!
His clothing had all been burned away, his skin was cracked like parched earth, revealing magma-like bright red flames beneath. His hair and eyebrows had all turned to ash and dispersed, and deadly flames clung to him like armor!
Awakening!
Everyone immediately connected him with what Vice Director Yu Kuangtu had mentioned.
A student still in Qi Cyclone training had suddenly used such a terrifying Magic Technique—other than Awakening, there was no other possibility!
Up to now, although most students had gradually activated their Qi Cyclones, they still had doubts about it since Qi Cyclones didn't feel as powerful as the nuclear cores described in novels and comics; most people just felt like they had an extra organ that grew stronger during Cultivation.
But they couldn't control it at all.
For instance, Xie Qiansi activated his Qi Cyclone on the third night, too excited to sleep, shouting, "I'm going to discover my ace technique..."
Then he fell asleep faster than anyone.
Imagining oneself controlling an imaginary source of energy seemed to be a highly effective self-hypnosis skill.
Yet, in front of Ren Suo and the others, there appeared a guy who was just an ordinary student a few days ago but could now unleash powerful magic!
Although the Damage from his Spells didn't compare to hand grenades or mortars, he unleashed it himself, and it held unlimited Potential! Now he was a fiery figure; who was to say he couldn't become a Mars in the future!
"Running around naked in broad daylight!"
Hearing the shocked cry of Qiao Muyi from behind them, everyone lowered their gaze—he really was running naked, and his skin in *that* area also bore those cracked marks, disturbingly resembling a caterpillar about to break out of its cocoon...
"GAH... HISS..." The fiery figure clutched his throat. Seeing people screaming and running away from him, his eyes inexplicably showed sadness. He tried to approach the crowd, but as he moved, flames began to dance wildly!
His feet scorched deep black marks on the floor, and the heat from his body grew more intense, making Ren Suo and the others feel the air temperature suddenly rise.
While everyone quickly backed away from the fiery figure, Ren Suo stood out as he conspicuously took a few steps forward instead of retreating.
"Brother Suo, what are you doing?" Yuan Dang quickly came over to pull him away. "Let's go, this guy has blown a fuse!"
Caught up in an inexplicable surge of excitement, Ren Suo was suddenly jolted back to reality. He looked at the fiery figure, his face showing a hint of struggle—
He had found another Key!
Compared to Qiao Muyi, this fiery figure was clearly a high-risk creature. If he charged forward to knock down the fiery figure now, no one would say anything; on the contrary, they might even give him a thumbs up and go, "Bro, you rock!"
However, the problem was, he couldn't beat him!
Even though he already possessed Physical Fitness Optimization and Combat Basics, he was still clearly within the realm of a normal human. The fiery figure in front of him, however, seemed to have leaped from the technological era to a magical one. Unless he was given a gun, how could he possibly win?
At this time, several bald men appeared—
No, wait, crew cuts.
A few sturdy, strong military Cultivators pushed through the crowd and walked fearlessly toward the fiery figure.
"Stop!" one shouted. "Take a deep breath! Don't let the Spiritual Energy erode your brain!"
"URGH... AAAAAH!" The fiery figure straightened up and roared. As his voice boomed, a Fire Lotus blossomed at his feet, and sparks flew around the entire cafeteria!
"If only he were wearing clothes..." Qiao Muyi sighed, and everyone nodded in agreement.
It was then they realized why Superheroes always had at least one pair of custom-made underwear—otherwise, no matter how cool you were, you'd always end up in a very awkward situation...
The next second, instead of heeding the advice, the fiery figure, like a god of war bathed in fire, his skin turning from pitch black to searing hot iron, charged at the three soldiers!
"Has his brain fried?" one of them grabbed a nearby dining table with one hand and hurled it toward the fiery figure. "Subdue him first!"
In an instant, the three soldiers, undeterred by the Fiery Flames, rushed forward. As the fiery figure raised his hands to block, the table shattered into pieces with a loud CRACK! The soldiers used the opportunity to close in on him.
Facing the wildly dancing flames, the soldiers seemed as if they were wearing invisible armor. As the flames met them, they automatically veered away, and the soldiers even dared to touch the fiery figure's skin, which was as hot as a branding iron!
"AAAAAH—"
The fiery figure roared furiously, his body bursting with boundless Fiery Flames, but the three soldiers, completely unharmed, pressed him firmly to the ground.
Before long, the flames dispersed. The fiery figure's cracked skin recovered, returning to normal. He no longer struggled and lay limply on the ground.
"Yikes, three big men in broad daylight pinning down a naked man like this..."
An ethereal voice commented from all around, drawing embarrassed looks from the crowd and the three soldiers. Had some clickbait journalist infiltrated the upstanding ranks of civil servants?
"What happened?"
Ren Suo was startled. Just then, Li Dan, wearing Black Body Armor and with grains of rice still stuck to the corner of her mouth as if she'd just finished eating, walked over. She looked at the scene of three men overpowering one naked man and was also shocked, but she quickly snapped back to reality. "An Awakening? Take him to the logistics department for processing."
Li Dan looked around. "Can someone explain what happened? ...I remember you," she said, turning to Ren Suo. "Do you know what just happened? Good heavens, didn't you eat? That drool is disgusting."
While everyone else was retreating, Ren Suo, who had stood still and watched, naturally stood out. Hearing Li Dan's comment, he wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. "Just finished eating... Oh, that guy seemed to be fighting someone, and then he just suddenly burst into flames."
"Fighting someone?" Li Dan looked around and saw the students who had been thrown outside, some still burning. "Oh dear, things have escalated quite a bit... You lot, help carry the injured and follow us to the logistics department."
Ren Suo and the others, directed by Li Dan, looked at each other. Ren Suo said, "Don't we need a stretcher? We haven't learned First Aid..."
"Those guys look like they're about to die. It's more practical to get them to the logistics department for treatment right now," Li Dan said. "Those Medical Officers in logistics are still eating. If we wait for them to come over here, these people will kick the bucket."
Ren Suo and the others didn't object. They organized a group of about a dozen people to carry the six most severely burned individuals, following the soldiers and Li Dan. Five other students who were a bit farther away but also burned tagged along.
Along the way, they carried six charred figures and one naked man, naturally attracting countless stares. Li Dan led the way, playing with her phone as she walked, looking just like those phone addicts in the city.
The logistics department was just inside the courtyard. Two people in Black Body Armor were inside a room, watching an American TV series and eating. Upon seeing the injured, they nonchalantly said, "Put them on the beds."
Li Dan said, "There's one who just had an Awakening."
"The one without clothes? Oh..." One of the people in Black Body Armor stood up, food still in their mouth, and smacked the naked man hard on the stomach.
An astonishing sight burst before everyone's eyes—the supposedly normal white hospital bedsheet suddenly sprouted strange Runes! Four chains shot out from the bedposts, securely binding the naked man!
They then patted the other injured people. Unlike with the naked man, their beds emitted a warm light and soon formed light cocoons that completely enveloped the patients.
"Let's go. Still watching?" Li Dan prompted the students. "It's been several days. Are you still startled by such a minor spectacle?"
The students couldn't help but smile wryly; most of them still hadn't quite transitioned from the era of technology to the era of Cultivation.
Ren Suo glanced at Qiao Muyi, then approached Li Dan and asked, "Uh...do you still remember me?"
"I remember," Li Dan responded. "You're always ghosting around in front of me..."
This woman must have skipped idiomatic expressions during her nine years of compulsory education! Ren Suo thought, a headache coming on. But, already considering Qiao Muyi as one potential Key and now Li Dan as another, Ren Suo naturally tried to build rapport. "By the way, is Mo Zhaolong also an Awakener?"
"Mo Zhaolong? Oh, that supernatural criminal." Li Dan glanced at Ren Suo. "Although this is technically confidential information not meant for ordinary people, you'll all come across it eventually, so I'll tell you..."
"This supernatural criminal's Awakening Technique is the Slumber Mist. It can affect people nearby with an odorless, colorless smoke mutated by Spiritual Energy, putting ordinary people into a deep Sleep within five seconds. He previously used this Ability to assault several women returning home late at night."
Ren Suo was somewhat surprised. "Then how did he dare to continue as a civil servant...?"
Li Dan explained, "Who would look for a supernatural criminal? The government. Who might research supernatural powers? The government. He thought that by infiltrating the government and becoming a civil servant, not only could he conceal himself, but he could also gain more intelligence through government channels. He even thought he could ally with the government for power and status if necessary."
Li Dan chuckled. "His thinking wasn't entirely wrong. If a Supernatural Being voluntarily joins us and hasn't committed crimes using their supernatural powers before, we still treat these Awakeners well."
"Now, though, hmph... just as the Vice Director said, those who use their Awakening Abilities to commit crimes are all sent to the research institutes." Li Dan looked at Ren Suo. "By the way... you're from Lianjiang, right? We might be colleagues soon. I'm Li Dan. 'Li' as in 'límíng' for dawn, and 'Dan' as in 'dānqīng' for traditional painting."
Ren Suo said, "I'm Ren Suo. 'Ren' as in 'rènxìng' for willful, and 'Suo' as in 'suǒyào' for claim."
Li Dan laughed upon hearing this. Seeing Ren Suo extend his hand, she shook it and then turned to leave.
Ren Suo followed the other students back to the dormitory. One of them asked, "Ren Suo, did you know that Black Cat before?"
"Yeah." Ren Suo shared the conversation he just had and the matter concerning Mo Zhaolong, prompting a lively discussion:
"There's such an Awakening Technique?"
"That Awakening Technique would be great for treating insomnia."
"Exactly! How could it be used to attack women!"
Qiao Muyi commented drily, "Yet why do you all look so excited about it?"
Xie Qiansi said righteously, "How could we possibly? We are Party members; we wouldn't entertain such reprehensible thoughts..."
Ren Suo remained silent all the way. Just before returning to the dormitory, he suddenly patted Qiao Muyi on the back of her neck. Meeting her puzzled gaze with a smile, he said, "There was a mosquito on the back of your neck. I swatted it away."
Qiao Muyi uttered a soft "Oh," but then the chatter from the others suddenly quieted for a second before returning to normal.
Ren Suo didn't notice these details. He went straight to his dormitory and lay on his bed, quietly mulling over the voice he had heard:
"Key detected."
"Key is in an unfamiliar Status, beginning acquisition."
"Key has formed. Acquisition will require 10,999 seconds. Continuous contact required during acquisition. 10,998, 10,997, 10,996..."
This was what he heard when he touched Li Dan.
"Key detected."
"Key is in a friendly Status, beginning acquisition."
"Key has formed. Acquisition will require 4,600 seconds. Continuous contact required during acquisition. 4,599, 4,598, 4,597..."
This was what he heard when he touched Qiao Muyi.
Previously, when he had contact with Li Dan, he had heard: 'Key is in a cautious Status, acquisition not possible.'
Now that it had changed to an unfamiliar Status, it indicated that Li Dan's perception of him could alter the difficulty of acquiring the Key. In other words, the better their relationship, the lower the difficulty of acquisition!
In terms of raw power, he surely couldn't beat Li Dan, a seasoned agent in Black Body Armor. But this change in her Status proved he had a very feasible way to acquire the Key without using Force—
Put them to Sleep!
Yes, as long as they could sleep comfortably in his presence, he could easily acquire their Keys.
As for the voice in his head indicating the Key Statuses and acquisition times, he could treat them like progress bars in a galge!
To validate his theory, he had purposely made contact with Qiao Muyi on the way back.
Previously, when he and Qiao Muyi were in an unfamiliar Status, it took over 9,000 seconds to acquire the Key. Now, in a friendly Status, it only needed 4,600 seconds, and the Status had progressed from 'unfamiliar' to 'friendly.' This confirmed that improving relationships could indeed shorten the Key acquisition time.
"Improve relationships, get them into bed!"
Ren Suo now had a clear goal in mind!