Chapter 197: 196 Test

"You want a strand of my hair?"

Hearing the request from the rebel leader across from him, Li Ang immediately grew wary.

Although the other party's ability seemed to be related to "doors," the rebels had ties with the Pingdongshi Sect, and the Aquarius had created so many anomalous objects that he might well have left one or two on the man.

So, if this anomalous object could use a strand of hair to examine a person's condition, then with the identity he had "borrowed" through the photograph, was there a chance of being exposed?

……

"Little Bakens?"

Seeing that Li Ang didn't immediately pluck out a strand of hair but stood silently in place without making a single move, the fat uncle beside him couldn't help but grow anxious and hurriedly reached out to shove him.

"Come on! What are you waiting for?"

"Sorry, I... I got a little too excited!"

Going along with the shove from the fat uncle and staggering slightly, Li Ang quietly slipped his hand into his shirt, tapped the little mirror, crooked a finger at the young Ha inside, then said with a grateful face:

"Thank you, Chief, for the chance! I'll pluck my hair right now!"

After putting on the act of a boy who had been "frozen" by surprise, surrounded by a curious crowd of onlookers, Li Ang quickly pulled his hand out from his shirt, then reached back and yanked hard at the hair on the back of his head.

"Chief, is this enough?"

"That's plenty... actually you didn't need to pull out so many, one would have been enough..."

Looking at that small tuft of short black hair on the slightly trembling hand of "Little Bakens," the middle-aged man couldn't help but smile helplessly, then took one strand from it and, following the method of the Pingdongshi Sect, gently rubbed it against the inside of the wristwatch.

"Squeak~"

Accompanied by a faint sound like metal gears meshing together, a small gap suddenly opened on the side of the wristwatch the middle-aged man was wearing, revealing the mechanical structure inside.

Under the "shocked" gaze of Li Ang and the fat uncle, this oddly-shaped six-handed watch seemed to come alive — the brass gears, balance wheel, and rocking bar, like rows of tiny twisted fangs revealed in the gap, directly swallowed that strand of black hair.

"This is something a friend gave me. It can use a strand of hair to test whether a person possesses 'special' power. The more hands that move, and the greater their amplitude, the better your aptitude."

After briefly explaining the function of the wristwatch, the middle-aged man pressed the switch on the other side of the watch and gently flicked it.

"Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Accompanied by a series of extremely faint sounds, five hands almost instantly sprang into motion, beginning to sweep rapidly toward the anomalous range.

Past, body, soul, personality, emotion... Someone with old Bakens's experience had only triggered three hands, yet this child had so many areas deviating from a normal person?

After casting a somewhat surprised glance at "Little Bakens," the middle-aged man lowered his head to look at the watch with some anticipation, and when the hands all came to a stop, he couldn't help but reveal a look of regret.

Although three had passed, it wasn't three groups of hands each with one — it was past, body, and soul that passed; the final emotion and personality groups only stirred a little, still far from reaching the level of being anomalous.

Little Bakens had a painful past, but no great future; although his body and soul were both anomalous, his emotions and personality fell short of the mark, the amplitude barely amounting to a slight ripple.

It seemed just as he had judged before — although this child had also endured a painful past, with the old Owen family looking after him, he hadn't truly sunk into darkness; it was just that, due to the family upheaval, his personality and emotions were a little extreme.

What a pity — just like his father, old Bakens. Although it wasn't entirely impossible, in the end he still fell just short of that final kick across the threshold.

"I'm sorry."

Meeting the utterly expectant gazes of old Owen and the other, the middle-aged man shook his head slightly and directly gave a negative answer.

"Although Little Bakens isn't entirely without aptitude, compared to the minimum standard, he's still a little short —

at present, he doesn't appear to have any aptitude in that regard."

"..."

"I see..."

Hearing the answer the middle-aged man gave, the "Little Bakens" who had been personally judged by the chief to have no talent couldn't help but dim his gaze, and listlessly lowered his head.

The fat uncle, meanwhile, heaved a deep sigh, reached out to pat his back in comfort, then forced a smile and said to the middle-aged man:

"Sorry for the trouble, Chief. But even without that kind of miraculous ability, I believe that as long as we work hard, we can still do something!"

Hearing the fat uncle's words, the middle-aged man couldn't help but fall silent for a moment.

As long as we work hard... then why, before and after I crossed the Door of the Other Shore, despite trying so many times, did everything still keep sliding toward the abyss?

In this world, some things are destined not to be achieved through effort alone — no ability means no ability, no qualification means no qualification!

"Yes... as long as you work hard... it should be possible."

The middle-aged man, whose chest ached a little, smiled, told a lie he didn't even believe himself, then stepped aside to clear the door leading to the capital, and began to instruct Li Ang:

"Go back quickly. Although your money was probably drunk away by old Bakens, and what's left will probably have to go toward paying the fine for defacing the memorial wall, he didn't necessarily bring all his money on him — there might still be some left at home.

So you can go check whether there's any money left at his house. If you don't have enough money going forward, then go to the finance office to get an advance — just say I told you to."

"Thank you, Chief..."

Facing the middle-aged man's care, the "Little Bakens" whose dream had been shattered nodded, thanked him weakly, then followed behind the fat uncle who was quietly comforting him, his expression dim as he passed through the warehouse door and left the valley that served as a gathering point.

After their figures disappeared, whether out of regret at failing to obtain a new anomalous object, or out of lament at his own powerless fate so similar to the boy's, the middle-aged man also sighed, turned around, and walked toward the center of the valley, preparing to arrange the actions for the next stretch of time.

But he had only taken a few steps when he saw a sturdy figure hurrying over. The man was sniffing excitedly as he ran, and upon seeing the middle-aged man, rushed over with an expression of great delight.

"Nathan... Chief! Is this your scent? How did you get fragrant again?"

"???"

What scent? What does it mean that I've gotten fragrant?

Somewhat puzzled, he sniffed his own sleeve but didn't detect any special smell. The middle-aged man couldn't help but frown and ask:

"Tiger? What on earth are you talking about? Where on me is there any fragrance?"

"..."

Indeed there was no fragrance... or rather, it wasn't his fragrance, and it was getting fainter and fainter...

After leaning close to the middle-aged man and sniffing hard twice, the strange man covered in burns shook his head in disappointment, then asked with a look of disdain:

"Ch... Nathan, did you happen to run into a real powerhouse? Where is he?"