The apartment was on the twelfth floor of the building, a two-bedroom unit.
It was small, but it had everything they needed: two separate bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and even a balcony that could barely fit a single chair.
The windows faced east, so they could see the sunrise in the morning.
Lin Xia handed her the keys, gave a brief introduction, and finally said, “The branch will provide a basic living allowance for you and me every month. If you need anything else, you can apply for it.”
“Mm,” Yin Qi pushed open both bedroom doors and took a look inside, then chose the one near the window.
“Can I take this room?”
“Sure. Then I’ll take that one,” Lin Xia pointed to the other door.
“Feel free to come to me anytime if there’s a problem.”
“Okay.”
Lin Xia nodded and turned to leave.
After two steps, she looked back and said seriously, “One more thing. I forgot to mention it.”
“Go ahead.”
“Tomorrow morning, a professional will come to install the suppression device on you,” she said.
“…It’s standard procedure. All newborn memes that can’t be confirmed as Friendly Type need to have one installed. It’s not targeting you.”
Yin Qi asked, “What kind of suppression device?”
“It’s for humanoid memes… a ring.”
Lin Xia pulled a small pouch from her pocket and placed it on the table.
“Something like this. You can take a look now, but we won’t install it until tonight.”
It was a silver ring with a simple design, no patterns, a smooth surface, and a cold metallic sheen under the light.
Yin Qi picked it up and weighed it in her hand.
She could feel it—there was something inside this ring, a special binding force.
It would draw power from the meme itself to suppress the meme’s “Non-Mundane Ability.”
She could sense that if she put it on, most of her abilities would be sealed off.
She set the ring back down on the table.
“How do you use this?”
“It depends on the level,” Lin Xia said.
“For humanoid memes, the weaker ones usually need three to five rings, and the stronger ones need up to ten. Beyond that, other suppressors are used. You…”
She paused.
“Should need… three.”
“Alright,” Yin Qi nodded.
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
The next morning, it wasn’t just one person who came, but a whole team, along with a set of professional instruments.
Yin Qi slept until after ten and woke up naturally.
When she came out of the bedroom, Lin Xia was already waiting in the living room, standing next to two technicians and a middle-aged man she hadn’t seen before.
He introduced himself as the Deputy Director, here to supervise the installation process.
“Okay,” Yin Qi sat down on the living room chair and held out both hands.
“Let’s start.”
The technicians began using instruments to scan her precisely.
After about five minutes of scanning, the two technicians exchanged a few words in low voices, then one of them walked over to the Deputy Director and reported quietly.
With Yin Qi’s current excellent hearing, she caught every word:
“The readings are still abnormal. We calibrated the instruments, but they still can’t measure accurately… I suggest we err on the side of caution and install more rings.”
The Deputy Director pondered for a moment.
“Install ten rings.”
Lin Xia was standing nearby, and she was clearly stunned.
“Ten rings… isn’t that the standard for A-Class?”
“To be cautious,” the Deputy Director said calmly.
“Abnormal readings are themselves an abnormal signal.”
Yin Qi watched the scene and said nothing.
‘Ten rings? Are they trying to make me into Amiya or something?’
The technicians started installing them one by one.
When the first ring was put on, she felt a slight sense of restraint, like a thin thread had wrapped around something inside her.
The second and third rings intensified that feeling of restraint, but it was still fine.
It didn’t seem like anything was actually being suppressed.
It felt like the rubber tourniquet they tied around your arm before giving you a shot.
By the time the tenth ring was installed, the technician stepped back and scanned her again with the instrument.
Result: Reading abnormal. No data.
The Deputy Director stared at the screen, his expression not looking too good.
He was silent for a few seconds before finally speaking.
“For now, register her as E2. Continued observation.”
Yin Qi lowered her head and looked at the silver rings wrapped around her ten fingers.
One ring on each finger, neatly arranged, gleaming with a cold light under the sun.
She flexed her fingers, feeling the sense of restraint—it wasn’t very strong.
For her, it was probably like wearing a pair of gloves.
She was confident she could take them off at any time.
It might just take a little bit of effort.
But she couldn’t be bothered to do it.
At least for now, wearing these rings didn’t seem to affect her at all.
She looked up and saw Lin Xia standing nearby, staring at her with a very serious look, as if she were thinking about something.
“What’s wrong?”
Yin Qi asked.
“Nothing,” Lin Xia snapped back to attention, letting out a soft cough.
“It’s just… ten rings… are you feeling uncomfortable?”
Yin Qi glanced at her.
“Not uncomfortable at all,” she said, standing up and heading towards the kitchen.
“By the way, can you cook?”
“…I… know a little—”
“Then you’re cooking lunch today.”
Yin Qi opened the fridge and took a look inside.
“I see you guys bought ingredients anyway. You can make a couple of dishes, and I’ll do the dishes.”
Lin Xia stood there, looking at her in silence for two seconds before finally saying, “…Okay.”
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