“Yi Nanye, what do you think?”

Jiang Yuan asked Yi Nanye straight out what they should do. There was no doubt that Li Xiaoyan was the kind of person Jiang Yuan had mentioned last night.

An Esper who hadn’t yet been exposed to the public.

The Superpower Management Bureau could use this chance to uncover the mole, then follow the trail to the people muddying the waters.

“But are you sure you want to expose her? Even if the Superpower Management Bureau protects her from now on?”

Espers who’d only recently awakened needed a certain degree of mental resilience to keep from going astray. Zheng Chengjie’s lack of it had led to a series of tragedies. And Li Xiaoyan’s timid, introverted nature made her like a porcelain cup already full of cracks.

One touch, and she’d shatter!

“It’s not good to leave her worrying all by herself, either!”

“It’s precisely because she lacks mental resilience that she needs proper guidance as soon as possible. We have to help her build it, or the Zheng Chengjie Incident could happen all over again.”

“I understand. I’ll get in touch with someone.”

“Can you trust this person?”

“Yes. She’s our direct supervisor. You’ve met her, too.”

“The one with glasses? The… uh, big sis?”

Jiang Yuan had almost called her an auntie, but then remembered that she was directly in charge of both Jiang Yuan and Yi Nanye. Better to show some respect. She was the female researcher who’d taken Jiang Yuan in after Jiang Yuan was arrested and brought to the military base. Jiang Yuan really hadn’t expected her to hold such a high position.

“Are you contacting her now?”

“Yeah.”

Yi Nanye nodded, not wanting to waste any time. Li Xiaoyan watched Jiang Yuan with a puzzled look. It seemed Jiang Yuan was already figuring out how to help her. She’d been quite troubled since awakening her Esper ability, unsure what she should do.

She was introverted, but that also made her far more sensitive than an outgoing person. She could tell that people generally viewed Espers unfavorably. And Jiang Yuan’s recent ordeal had happened just a few days ago—she’d seen it with her own eyes!

“Li Xiaoyan, have you told anyone else about this?”

“No. My parents don’t even know.”

“Why did you think to come to me?”

Li Xiaoyan’s excuse for coming to school to pick up her old textbooks was just a cover.

“After I awakened my Esper ability, I was at a loss. Somehow, you were the first person who came to mind. You were the first person I thought of.”

Li Xiaoyan had seen how open-minded and calm Jiang Yuan remained in the face of malice. She couldn’t do the same, so she needed to rely on someone she could trust.

“You have an Esper ability now, too?”

Qin Xin stepped over to join the conversation. Yi Nanye had gone to a corner to make a call and was too busy to keep an eye on Qin Xin.

“Yeah… Though it’s nothing compared to yours.”

“There’s no point comparing yourself to me. There aren’t many people in the whole world who can measure up to me.”

Qin Xin smiled faintly. She looked gentle, but there was a hint of unmistakable arrogance in her voice. She was one of the ten Doomsday Heroes, and even among them, her abilities ranked near the top. The power to freeze the ocean might not rival a god’s, but it probably wasn’t far off.

Of course, she had her reasons for saying that. She didn’t like competing with others—unless they were vying for something she cared about.

A woman’s intuition told Qin Xin that Li Xiaoyan clearly had “ulterior motives.”

“I definitely can’t compare… I’m just here to ask for help.”

Li Xiaoyan immediately assured Qin Xin that she wasn’t up to anything bad. Only then did Qin Xin nod in satisfaction. She then shot Jiang Yuan a glare, as if demanding to know when Jiang Yuan had managed to lure Li Xiaoyan away.

Jiang Yuan was feeling awkward now, and could only manage a warm, polite smile.

They waited a little longer before Yi Nanye finally hung up and came back over.

“The orders are in. I’ll be responsible for Li Xiaoyan for now, and I’ll coordinate any follow-up actions. We won’t register her as an Esper yet.”

Yi Nanye relayed the female researcher’s decision. She’d also realized there was a mole in the Superpower Management Bureau, and wanted to use Li Xiaoyan’s still-undisclosed identity as bait.

“Will this put Li Xiaoyan at risk?”

“A little…”

Yi Nanye answered honestly. The risk was actually considerable. But if they managed to uncover the mole and the terrorists’ intelligence network, it would be a huge win for both Espers and ordinary people.

“Also, Li Xiaoyan, you can refuse.”

Yi Nanye then made it clear that Li Xiaoyan was free to say no. This had been thrust upon her, after all. Not everyone—not every Esper—felt responsible for the safety of the world.

“Would this help Jiang Yuan?”

Li Xiaoyan didn’t ask what she stood to gain. She asked whether this would help Jiang Yuan.

“Of course!”

Yi Nanye nodded firmly. Li Xiaoyan had confided her secret because she trusted Jiang Yuan, and she was willing to cooperate because of Jiang Yuan, so Jiang Yuan would naturally deserve credit for this operation.

“Then I’ll do it!”

She answered without hesitation. She’d always felt guilty toward Jiang Yuan. The way she’d humiliated Jiang Yuan in class that day had genuinely weighed on her conscience. She hadn’t had a choice back then—but now, she finally had a chance to make it right.

Qin Xin watched from the side, feeling awful. Even though she ranked among the top ten most powerful people in all of humanity, she couldn’t offer Jiang Yuan any help right now. Jiang Yuan had even told her that the best way she could help was to stay out of the way.

“Can I help?”

After hesitating for a moment, Qin Xin couldn’t stop herself from stepping forward to ask. She couldn’t stand there watching while someone else helped Jiang Yuan. She was the one closest to Jiang Yuan. She should be the one offering the most help, and Jiang Yuan should rely on her more!

Instead, all she could do was watch Jiang Yuan laugh and chat with another woman!

“Sorry, but you can’t help with this. Too many people are watching you.”

Yi Nanye spread her hands apologetically. This wasn’t about going out to pick a fight. Qin Xin could make a good show of force as the big boss, but putting her on intelligence-gathering duty would only backfire.

“Anyway, thanks for offering.”

Jiang Yuan thanked her, but only for the thought. In other words, Qin Xin wasn’t getting involved.

“All right. I won’t get in your way, then. Talk it over. If you need me to help with anything later, just let me know!”

“Yeah!”

Jiang Yuan nodded. Qin Xin sighed and left the classroom, looking dejected. She felt like her presence in the room was ruining the mood. Still, she had faith in herself. There was no need for her to get involved in these little things.

But when Jiang Yuan was at his lowest, she’d be the one who could help him in the end.

As she left the classroom, she turned her head slightly and glanced back at Jiang Yuan and the others from the corner of her eye.

Li Xiaoyan was chatting with Jiang Yuan, smiling brightly. Yi Nanye looked gentle, and Jiang Yuan was smiling, too. It was as if it didn’t matter at all whether Qin Xin was there.

That warmth had already burned her.

“Tch…”

She gritted her teeth, unable to stop herself from wanting to snatch that warmth away—just like her Esper ability, which reduced heat to stillness.