Chapter 5: Clean Sweep

The Qiming Association was Jintian’s largest underground ability organization—openly and secretly opposed to the Ability Bureau.
The bureau had sent people into Qiming many times—either empty-handed or discovered and killed on the spot. A nasty enemy.
Looking closely, Jiang Ran and Jiang Ci didn’t resemble each other at all—personalities opposite. Full sisters, worlds apart.
Abilities alone dug a chasm between them that could never be bridged.
“Qiming claims their tech can give ordinary people abilities—stronger than regular ability users.” On the way back to SI, Jiang Ran spoke slowly.
“How were things between you sisters before this?”
“Before this happened,” Jiang Ran sighed long, “I at least believed we were fine.”
Whether someone had abilities was decided by genes—and genes set both floor and ceiling.
Without the ability gene, no matter how hard an ordinary person tried, they could never become an ability user.
No matter how Jiang Ci strove, she could only excel in worldly terms—never fight beside her sister.
“Qiming’s bait sounds tempting.” Yi Ke frowned. “If gaining abilities is such a good deal, what do ordinary people pay? An org that big shouldn’t need money.”
“Qiming’s trade venues are well hidden. The trail dies there.”
Now they could only wait for Jiang Ci to wake and squeeze out more leads.
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Let ordinary people have abilities… a dream that didn’t fit reality.
Yet people would chase miracles for a lifetime—or with their lives.
That made her think of the alley robbers: “The city’s ability-tool trade—their work too?”
Jiang Ran nodded and handed over files still being sorted.
The records weren’t thorough. Private investigation—no backup officers, no SI network support. Getting this much was already hard.
Qiming had some method to extract abilities into tools—sold at high prices so ordinary people could use powers briefly.
What shocked her more: so far no side effects from something so unnatural.
All gain, no pain—no wonder crowds chased it.
“Leader, Jiang Ci’s awake.” Lin Qingzhu reported.
Lin Qingzhu was SI too—healing-type abilities, younger than Jiang Ran, one of the newer members.
Jiang Ran was family—recused. Yi Ke took only Lin Qingzhu to interrogation.
Across the table Jiang Ci sat, eyes filmed with gray.
Her flame still swayed—outside interference traces remained. Mood low. She looked like she’d shatter at a touch.
Yi Ke started the recorder, straight in: “Jiang Ci, where did you trade with Qiming?”
She’d thought sister ties would smooth the process.
Jiang Ci pressed her lips shut—not a word.
“Don’t obstruct official business.” Yi Ke tapped the table. “Again—where? What exactly did you trade?”
Jiang Ci finally looked up, cold laugh: “Give up. I won’t say one word.”
“Qiming did this to you—you still believe in them?” She pushed a file forward. “The medical report says you’re still ordinary. You never got abilities.”
“Don’t lie to me—nothing from the Ability Bureau is true!” Jiang Ci resisted with her mouth—hands grabbed the report anyway.
Black on white stabbed her eyes. She tore it to shreds. “Impossible… impossible! I have abilities! It’s you—you and Jiang Ran are lying to me!”
The power Qiming gave her came from a bracelet-shaped ability tool.
Yi Ke set the bracelet on the table, flat: “Still don’t see it? Qiming was using you. After the trade—were you stable? Was fake strength worth this?”
Long silence.
At last Jiang Ci seemed to wake from a dream, wrote an address, handed it over—no more words.
Yi Ke scanned the slip. “Take care of her.”
Outside she asked Lin Qingzhu: “What did you see?”
Lin Qingzhu’s brow tight: “Some force affected her emotions—but I can’t find the source.”
Even Lin Qingzhu couldn’t pierce it.
Jiang Ci’s flame color was filthy—hard to stabilize—no wonder she’d climbed the roof.
Flame bound deep to emotion.
When color got that polluted, you lost the ability to govern feeling.
Until that outside force was cleared, she couldn’t be released casually—might be on the roof again any day.
Yi Ke gripped the slip. The address—a abandoned teaching building at Jintian University.
A college student her age—if someone offered a chance to become an ability user—who wouldn’t grab it?
“Post people nearby. Suspicious persons—bring them in. No need to report to anyone.”
Back from SI she tossed her bag, collapsed half-dead on the sofa.
Didn’t care if Bai Yanci listened—staring at the ceiling she sighed: “I feel like I’ve been waiting… waiting for someone to piece me back together from fragments.”
“…You were dismembered?” Bai Yanci—blunt, no detour.
“So unromantic!” Helpless glance. “It’s imagery. You know imagery?”
Bai Yanci tilted her head—real confusion in her eyes.
Fine. This alien… rabbit truly didn’t get it.
No cram school for rabbits on Earth—or she’d enroll Bai Yanci in human slang. Generational gap in conversation!
Too tired. She only lay there eyes closed.
Rare quiet when she came home—Bai Yanci was unused to it: “One trip out and you’ve gone quiet?”
Eyes closed, soft “mm,” nothing more.
Half a beat later Bai Yanci looked away, casual: “Take me out tomorrow.”
Maybe felt the request abrupt—fast add-on: “Staying home all the time is boring.”
Yi Ke’s mouth curved, teasing: “You just want to go out with me.”
“…Think what you like.” Bai Yanci looked away. “So yes or no?”
That hooked Yi Ke’s interest. She propped up, eyes bright: “Sister really wants to come with me?”
“Forget it then.” Bai Yanci turned her head.
“Okay okay, I’ll take you.” She laughed and agreed fast.