Chapter 379: Chapter 379: Kindred Spirits
The crowd stirred with a wave of commotion.
Chen Xuan saw the station master raise his hand, pointing towards the direction of the camp, and then a group of people headed towards the base of the Fire Line Band.
Soon, Uncle Li, Lin Qing, and others also appeared within Chen Xuan’s sight. They stepped forward, exchanging greetings and handshakes. Standing in the center of the crowd, Director Du seemed to be introducing them to the Mechanical Officers.
If it were the old Lin Qing, she would never have amiably shaken hands with the Mechanical Men.
Chen Xuan’s gaze fell on the Ability User wearing the emblem of the Arbitration Court.
It was a woman.
Her nose was high-bridged, with her pale lips pressed into a straight line, as if all warmth was locked within her sharply defined lip peaks. Her jet-black eyes, though smiling, gave off a cold and distant impression. Her sleek black hair was tied into a single ponytail at the back, falling directly to her waist.
In terms of looks, her features were exquisite, forming a stark contrast with those around her, yet she seemed somewhat absent-minded, not standing at the forefront of the group. On the contrary, she deliberately stayed at the rear end of the crowd, casting only a brief glance over the band representatives before ignoring them.
She could be said to be the only outlier in the harmonious conversation atmosphere.
Even so, she still became the focus of many people’s attention.
Being good-looking was one thing, but her attire was also a significant reason. The onlookers were mostly clad in protective suits, which, combined with the wear and tear of the years, gave a uniform grayish appearance—a stark contrast to the conspicuous tight-fitting suits of the Mechanical Officers, which were vibrant and glossy. The woman even more so, her rubber suit perfectly outlined her figure, from her slender wrists to her curvaceous waist, all revealing the beauty of the human body.
To the residents of the outpost, it was undeniably a powerful visual impact.
"They are practically like aliens," Honglian remarked.
"Essentially, that’s not wrong." Chen Xuan chuckled. Living on the Moon base, coming from space, what else could they be but aliens? These outfits weren’t that daring, survivors weren’t unfamiliar; it was just that Earth civilization had rapidly regressed in these years.
Just then, the woman’s gaze suddenly shifted towards where the two of them were standing.
Chen Xuan’s eyes met hers.
The exchange was brief, less than a second, unlikely to attract her attention. After all, outside the outpost, there were hundreds of onlookers, and most were scrutinizing her; wherever she looked, she would encounter responsive gazes.
Unexpectedly, the woman detached herself from the conversing group and began walking towards them.
This change wasn’t anticipated even by her companions, who called after her a few times but couldn’t stop her.
The distance between them was not far, at most around a hundred meters. By the time Chen Xuan realized she was heading directly for them, it was too late to avoid her. Besides, walking away deliberately in front of everyone would seem even more unnatural, so he simply did nothing.
She soon stood right in front of Chen Xuan.
Now all eyes were on him.
Chen Xuan deliberately put on a slightly bewildered expression, "Uh... What brings you here...?"
Meanwhile, he appeared to unconsciously adjust his glasses frame.
Before, being far away, he couldn’t observe much, but now that an Arbitration Court Ability User had approached, he certainly needed to investigate her background.
"What’s your name?" she asked.
Honglian frowned, unable to help speaking up for Chen Xuan, "Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first before asking someone else their name?"
Unexpectedly, she wasn’t annoyed, instead nodding as if in agreement, "Apologies, my name is Lin."
Her courteous manner left Honglian momentarily speechless.
The surrounding crowd erupted into a buzz.
"Whoa, what’s going on?"
"He seems so unremarkable..."
"What do you mean unremarkable? Are you dumb? He is Chen Xuan... the very Chen Xuan who single-handedly challenged the Celestial Patrol!"
"So, your name is Chen Xuan." Even before he could answer, the woman already gleaned the information from others, "On behalf of the Dimensional Limit Mechanism, I invite you to join us. What’s your decision?"
"Pfft!" Honglian spat out a mouthful of water.
Chen Xuan chose this moment to discreetly press the scan button, revealing the abilities of the woman on the lens.
"Frostblood" LV3, Gold.
—"Turn frost into blood, accumulate blood into ice."
"Icy Body Shield" LV5, Purple.
—"It’s not armor, yet surpasses armor; forming a domain with wind and frost can both protect oneself and harm the enemy. Note: it will also make you feel very cold, remember to dress warmly before using it."
"Unyielding" LV2, Blue.
—"Nothing but death can bring you death! Stand up, even if you’re battered and bruised, and roar defiantly at fate!"
"A Bit Chilly" LV1, Green.
—"You’re more sensitive to cold than others and more prone to catching colds. Naturally low body temperature, don’t bother trying to cure it, it won’t get better."
"Birthright Protocol" LV1, Purple.
—"Carrying a mission from birth, growing and dying, one’s life’s trajectory is like an arrow that cannot turn back."
No wonder she is an Arbitration Court Ability User, Chen Xuan thought to himself as he observed, her abilities were not only numerous but of high grade, and there was even a golden ability, which was quite rare among wild Ability Users.
Yet, these ability descriptions... seem somewhat familiar. He hadn’t received a guest like this before, had he...
As for her invitation, Chen Xuan found it a bit amusing. It’s already 2108, the organization had been pushed to the Moon, wasn’t it too late to sincerely invite someone to join now?
It could be understood if someone was attracted by the flashy attire and the relatively closed yet stable environment to ally with the organization, but the problem was, here in Jiang City, one could only enter and not exit, and hostile Evangelicals were everywhere, being a temporary non-vetted member of the organization was practically akin to seeking trouble.
As he was about to refuse, the ability panel finally slid to the bottom.
Seeing the last ability, Chen Xuan was suddenly jolted!
This ability... he had seen it on Lin Qing before!
The refusal he was about to voice suddenly stuck in his throat, "...Why me?"
Of course, joining the organization was out of the question, or it would mean betraying Lin Qing. Yet, he couldn’t reject outright, as he hoped to gather more intel from her.
"Isn’t it obvious... ha... ha-choo!" Lin began to say, but then suddenly sneezed, and afterwards rubbed her nose, pretending nothing happened, "You pose a threat to me, which indicates your exceptional strength. Ability Users like you are rare now, if you’re willing to join the organization, everything is negotiable, but if you remain unvetted, there’s a possibility you might align with the Evangelical Association in the future, which I must prevent... ha-choo!"
Her nose had turned red.
"Your temperature control is off." Another Mechanical Officer finally arrived, pressing a few buttons on the control at her waist, "It’s better now..."
The crowd exchanged looks, and a peculiar awareness crept into their glances towards Lin.
Ordinarily, the physical attributes of an Ability User should surpass the average person, yet she, a top-notch organization Ability User, seemed rather frail, causing the onlookers to doubt her prowess.
Only Chen Xuan understood what was happening.
"Is not joining equated to elimination?" He prepared himself for any sudden aggression from her, "You guys are overly domineering."
"Eliminate? No, that’s not what I mean." Lin waved her hands repeatedly, "Unless you’re already an Evangelical, I would not choose to eliminate you. Before that, my colleagues and I will mainly observe. Greeting you now is also a reminder not to take the wrong path; the Evangelical Association is humanity’s enemy now."
Chen Xuan raised his eyebrow.
He sensed some puzzlement; if she were a go-getter, her actions were indeed direct and decisive, yet within this decisiveness was an element of rashness and naivety, unlike a battle-hardened Arbitration Court Warrior.
"First of all, I’m not with the Evangelical Association. You should know that the survivor outposts wouldn’t harbor any Evangelical members," he stated.
Lin nodded in agreement.
"Secondly, I don’t know much about your organization, so I can’t give an immediate answer." Chen Xuan stroked his chin, appearing deep in thought, "How about... I tell you when I have an answer?"
Beside him, Honglian was astounded.
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