Inside the bank.

Jiang Yuan carefully tucked the gun he’d taken into his pants pocket.

Captain Wang called in several SWAT officers to accompany Jiang Yuan.

“Take him inside to find Zheng Chengjie. Make sure he stays safe.”

“Yes, sir!”

The SWAT officers didn’t ask why. They saluted, then took their places behind Jiang Yuan and waited for him to move.

Jiang Yuan glanced at Captain Wang a few times, a faint trace of worry in his eyes. He didn’t want all this to be for nothing.

“One of the three officers Zheng Chengjie killed once saved my life.”

Captain Wang made no promises. He simply said that much. Hearing this, Jiang Yuan’s doubts vanished. He stood, saluted Captain Wang, then turned and left without hesitation.

Watching Jiang Yuan walk away, Captain Wang slowly pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket and lit one for himself.

“It’d be much better if I were the one supervising this kid. ‘Only Espers can supervise Espers’? What a joke.”

If Jiang Yuan were under his supervision, Captain Wang was confident he could turn him into an outstanding soldier. Anyone who joined the military, went through its trials, and forged bonds of comradeship would develop a sense of responsibility—to protect the lives and property of the people.

But what was that bunch at the Superpower Management Bureau thinking?

It made no sense at all!

If they wanted Codename Jiang to stay far away from those terrorists, they shouldn’t just leave him somewhere safe. They should send him straight up against those madmen wearing human skin, so he could learn about their madness and experience it firsthand.

Even if he happened to die in the process, what would they really lose?

That was the real reason Captain Wang had agreed to let Jiang Yuan help. It didn’t matter if Jiang Yuan died. But if he succeeded, everyone would benefit.

Inside the building.

Smoke and dust obscured their vision. Wearing dust goggles and a mask, Jiang Yuan walked alongside several SWAT officers.

The officers carried specialized chemical fire extinguishers. They put out the flames as they cleared a path for Jiang Yuan. Here and there, they saw people who hadn’t escaped in time and had passed out from inhaling smoke, as well as victims lying motionless with flames still burning on their bodies.

Even through his mask, the distinct stench of burning flesh made Jiang Yuan frown.

Jiang Yuan was experiencing it all firsthand, right at the scene of the terrorist attack.

Every so often, heart-wrenching sobs and cries for help rang out from the corridors.

“Someone, help me…”

“Is anyone there? Please, someone help me…”

“Help…”

Even the SWAT officers softened at those cries and wanted to rush to the victims’ aid. But the mission came first. Jiang Yuan understood that too. Even when they passed people trapped beneath collapsed walls, they had no choice but to act as if they hadn’t seen them.

Still, Jiang Yuan couldn’t help wondering what had happened earlier. Why had Zheng Chengjie’s Esper ability gone berserk again?

His goal was to escape, so he shouldn’t have needed to attack the hostages.

Had Yi Nanye failed?

That was certainly possible.

Yi Nanye’s ability was better suited to defense than offense. And fire wasn’t something you could dodge just by being fast. She was at a disadvantage against him. Qin Xin, on the other hand, could’ve kept Zheng Chengjie completely pinned down.

The problem was, they hadn’t confirmed whether the terrorists were also after Qin Xin. And Qin Xin really couldn’t be brought here.

After all, Qin Xin’s ability was still being developed.

With several SWAT officers protecting him, Jiang Yuan slowly made his way upstairs. A full scan by drone suggested Zheng Chengjie was currently on the sixth floor. The earlier firestorm had erupted on the third.

Before long, Jiang Yuan and the others reached the sixth floor.

“Be careful from here on. Try not to make too much noise.”

One of the officers patted Jiang Yuan on the shoulder to remind him to be careful. Jiang Yuan immediately nodded in agreement.

“Should we split up and search for him? We can—”

Boom!

Just as another officer was asking whether they should split up to search, a loud crash came from somewhere on the sixth floor. They didn’t hesitate. After exchanging glances, they hurried toward the sound.

As it happened, though, they ran into someone on the way.

A girl was leaning against the wall, catching her breath. Dust had blackened much of her body, and her face was covered in blood. Her clothes were scorched and full of holes, her hair singed and sticking up slightly. Even the bow in her hair had been burned into a bizarre shape.

Coughing, she glanced toward the approaching footsteps.

“Why… did you… come?”

The girl was Yi Nanye. Seeing the state she was in, Jiang Yuan immediately stepped forward to check her injuries.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m not dead yet!”

Yi Nanye was still putting on a brave face, and she looked thoroughly unhappy. She’d always acted superior around Jiang Yuan, and even with Qin Xin she never took a back seat. But on her very first mission, she’d ended up looking like this. Jiang Yuan would probably tease her about it for years.

“Zheng Chengjie’s ability must be pretty powerful, even by Esper standards, right?”

Jiang Yuan looked around. The walls along the entire corridor were blackened, and every visible surface bore traces of fire. That explained why the Superpower Management Bureau wanted to keep Zheng Chengjie alive.

He really was powerful. The firestorm he’d caused was no less destructive than an expensive chemical weapon.

“You still haven’t answered my question… You came here without permission. Be careful, or you’ll be punished. I’m the one who—”

“High-intensity exothermic reaction detected!”

Before Yi Nanye could finish, one of the officers suddenly went pale. Without a word, Jiang Yuan scooped her up and looked for somewhere to hide. They were in a corridor; if another firestorm erupted, there’d be nothing left of them.

“That room!”

Another officer quickly spotted a suitable hiding place. They hurried toward the room. It wasn’t far away, but those few steps felt to Jiang Yuan like crossing the ends of the earth.

Because a blaze of red-hot flames was already sweeping around the corner, accompanied by the heart-wrenching screams of countless survivors.

The flames were fast.

Very, very fast.

The blast’s scorching wind drove the flames forward at the speed of sound. Before the fire even reached them, the blistering heat was already burning Jiang Yuan’s body.

The flames were about to swallow Jiang Yuan. With someone in his arms, he couldn’t help slowing down.

At that critical moment—

Yi Nanye clenched her teeth and let out a painful groan.

Time slowed all around them.

They could see dust drifting slowly downward, and watch the flames roll and twist in gorgeous, wave-like surges.

“What are you waiting for?!”

Yi Nanye’s shout snapped Jiang Yuan and the other officers out of their shock. They hurried into the room.

And then…

Time returned to normal.

The raging fire rushed past. Jiang Yuan and the others watched helplessly as the heavy iron door they’d shut slowly turned red, then melted into molten metal. Only now did they truly understand, face-to-face, just how terrifying Espers could be.

Gulp…

Gulp…

The sound of people swallowing nervously kept ringing out.