I’m Really Scared
Chapter 42: Not Even a Human

In the office of the Special Security Group.

Xia Lei turned on the computer, displaying a map of the recent experiment site, and said, "This mission's location is the cast iron factory on Bin Yi Road. It's near the southern suburbs of Hang City, so we don't have to worry about restrictions, but be cautious of the enemy using the equipment in the cast iron factory."

"According to the latest intelligence, the 'Death Hive's' activities, though scattered, show signs of moving southward. 'Worker Bee One' has appeared nearby. If they plan to conduct large-scale experiments there, the number of people gathered won't be small, and there might even be drone bees present, making it very dangerous, so..."

Chen Yunpeng's eyes lit up, "So you're going to personally take action?"

As the instructor of Unit You, Xia Lei had B-level strength and was once a member of the Ten Groups of the Special Security Group, reputed for his significant achievements, with even his abilities classified.

He had to retire to the second line due to physical disabilities.

Their three-member team often speculated about Xia Lei's abilities, wondering how strong a B-level Esper would be in action.

Xia Lei smiled slightly, exuding the calm aura of a reliable middle-aged man.

"No," he said, "I'm only responsible for command and support. Other squad members will assist you. If you unfortunately die, your bodies will be secretly and safely returned home according to regulations. Don't worry, a large sum of condolence money will be immediately delivered to your families."

Tang Zhi wailed, "Instructor Xia, do you have to be so blunt? At least comfort us a little."

Xia Lei laughed, patting his shoulder, "I can comfort you, but no one can comfort the victims. Prepare quickly, 'Death Hive' gathering is also a great opportunity for us to strike a heavy blow."

He turned to Gao Ye and said, "Leaf, give it your all."

Gao Ye was startled, "But..."

Xia Lei smiled, "I borrowed a domain-type Esper, so don't worry about harming ordinary people."

Gao Ye nodded and tightened his grip on his long knife.

Xia Lei explained some more intelligence and action details, then sent the three to familiarize themselves with the domain-type Esper.

Left alone in the office, Xia Lei took a sip of tea and suddenly asked, "How are you adapting to your C-level ability?"

Lin Shuman, who had been standing by, was startled and replied nervously, "It's going okay... but I can't seem to retract my ability for now."

Given her ability level, the C-level Gao Ye should have been able to detect her, but because of the influence, he subconsciously ignored her most of the time.

D-level Tang Zhi and Chen Yunpeng could only discover her presence if Lin Shuman actively observed them.

Yesterday, after completing her mission, Lin Shuman, still shaken, intended to report about Shen Dinghua, but gradually realized that Gao Ye couldn't detect her.

She was also ignored when speaking in the channel.

After panicking for a while, Lin Shuman confirmed that her ability had upgraded! From D-level directly to C-level!

Realizing this, Lin Shuman was stunned for five minutes, pondering why she had upgraded.

Five minutes later, she understood.

During the Special Security Group's Esper orientation, experts mentioned that spiritual-type abilities, especially characteristic ones, have a common trait: they are highly subjective.

While other abilities might require constant training to upgrade, this type didn't.

As long as you want it badly enough, anything is possible!

So, what was she thinking at the time that caused her to upgrade directly?

Lin Shuman spent another five minutes contemplating her life.

Finally, she remembered, it was because of Shen Dinghua's glance... She was so scared that her only thought was "don't see me."

Combined with the recent social death incidents, her desire to attain a higher level of "Invisible Presence" deepened.

She broke through the bottleneck in an instant.

In short... she was scared into an upgrade.

"Good, this indicates that your ability has great potential. Remember to re-register and see a psychologist for counseling. You should stabilize in a few days."

Xia Lei had to keep his eyes on Lin Shuman to avoid suddenly ignoring her. He poured her a cup of tea and pondered, "Speaking of which, your breakthrough case is quite classic. It's a good reference for other spiritual-type Espers."

"...?"

Lin Shuman had a bad feeling.

Xia Lei continued, "I'll talk to Old Liu in a few days and add your example to the training courses."

Lin Shuman's eyes went blank.

Who was Old Liu? He was the expert who conducted orientation for all registered Espers. Every registered Esper had to take courses he designed.

Ordinary people broke through by: fighting the enemy for three days and nights, exhausting their strength, reaching the brink of collapse, and then, in a burst of determination, breaking through and counterattacking successfully!

Lin Shuman broke through by: being looked at, getting so scared that she upgraded.

All Espers would know about this, wouldn't they? Hahaha...

Seeing her expression, Xia Lei kindly said, "Don't worry, you'll be credited as the contributor, and there'll be a reward."

Lin Shuman's face remained expressionless, thinking she wasn't worried about the money... she was worried about whether there were still train tickets available today.

Could she still buy one now?

"That's settled then," Xia Lei said seriously. "By the way, your timely report on Shen Dinghua's anomaly was very helpful. To avoid alerting her, you don't need to follow Guan Shan for now. Take the time to adapt to your ability."

Lin Shuman was stunned, then felt a sudden relief, nodding quickly and leaving happily.

Not having to follow those two was wonderful! Even social death didn't seem so scary anymore.

Xia Lei closed the deployment information on the computer. Another screen showed a more detailed investigation into Shen Dinghua.

At the top were four photos.

They were of Shen Dinghua in kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, and high school.

It was clear that from kindergarten to junior high, Shen Dinghua was quite beautiful, with a quiet temperament, like a pretty literary girl in class.

But in high school, her entire demeanor changed.

Her eyes and smile exuded a strange charm, making it hard to look away.

However, Xia Lei knew this change was far from simple.

After having the photos analyzed by the logistics department, the conclusion was that although Shen Dinghua's appearance hadn't changed much, in reality—

Even her bone structure was completely different...

In other words, the high school Shen Dinghua and the Shen Dinghua from kindergarten to junior high were not the same person at all.

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