Tokyo Metropolis, Adachi Ward. An old apartment building so obscure that even Google Maps requires maximum zoom to find it.
This corner forgotten by prosperity. A two-story wooden structure named “Fortune Village,” as unfortunate and insignificant as every cheap rental with such a name.
The walls were peeling like a skin disease, revealing blackened wood beneath.
The hallway carried a permanent musty smell mixed with the burnt scent of salted fish being fried by the neighbor uncle.
Squeak——
The door of Room 203 let out a dying groan as it was pushed open slowly.
Jiang Jian Yue, holding a bucket and a rag, stood at the entrance. Behind her thick round glasses, she expressionlessly surveyed her “new home.”
Six-and-a-half tatami mats, stained an unpleasant deep yellow from moisture.
In the corner was a pile of non-flammable trash left by the previous tenant. The ceiling had unspeakable liquid stains—nice, like an artillery shot.
A cockroach as big as a thumb strutted across the center of the room, antennae twitching, asserting its dominion over the new arrival.
“…”
Jiang Jian Yue took a deep breath, then nearly choked on the dust.
‘Is this… where I have to stay?’
She didn’t blame Xiaoquan for renting such a place—after all, he had already emptied his pockets.
But… compared to the mansion in Seoul, it was quite a drop. At least she didn’t have to wait for daily supply deliveries.
Jiang Jian Yue hypnotized herself: ‘You are now Sato Ai, a literature major who failed the entrance exam and just came from the countryside to work in Tokyo. You have no connections, no money, and certainly no superpowers.’
Jiang Jian Yue was a method actor. To avoid slipping up when meeting acquaintances later, she had written a long character profile for Sato Ai and tried to immerse herself in the role as much as possible.
‘So…’ She rolled up her sleeves. ‘I’ll use these hands to clean this place!’
The rag was harshly slammed into the bucket, sending up a cloud of murky water.
For the next three hours, the residents of “Fortune Village” experienced a small earthquake.
That frail-looking girl who had just moved in worked like a human bulldozer.
Jiang Jian Yue kneeled on the floor, scrubbing the tatami vigorously.
Each swing of her arm carried enough force to pierce steel plates—of course, she held back, or the old building would have collapsed.
That cocky cockroach, under Jiang Jian Yue’s “ordinary rag throw,” didn’t even have time to leave a final message before it became a two-dimensional creature plastered on the wall.
“Whew…”
When the glow of the evening sun spilled through the window, Jiang Jian Yue slumped onto the newly spotless floor.
Her body wasn’t very tired, but this pure physical labor gave her a rare sense of… peace?
Jiang Jian Yue touched her empty stomach and pulled out a cracked-screen secondhand smartphone from her pocket—also a “work phone” sponsored by Xiaoquan Junjie.
‘No Wi-Fi, have to leech off the neighbor.’
She skillfully cracked the neighbor uncle’s Wi-Fi password, set as “12345678,” and finally connected to the pulse of this era—the internet.
Jiang Jian Yue sat cross-legged on the tatami, pushed up her glasses, and flicked her fingers across the screen.
She searched for “Japan today.”
The first keyword that came up was “reconstruction.”
Countless images popped up: giant cranes standing like an iron forest on Tokyo’s skyline.
Scaffolding everywhere, “Under Construction” signs everywhere.
To welcome the new era and to repair the wounds left by war and alien disasters, Tokyo had become one giant construction site.
And right next to brand-new glass curtain walls often stood abandoned, charred black buildings.
Prosperity and ruins, rebirth and decay, fused together in stark contrast.
‘What a vibrant and chaotic era.’ Jiang Jian Yue commented.
She continued scrolling. Suddenly, a few news items caught her attention.
The Ultimate Pilgrimage for Supernatural Enthusiasts—Private Dexun High School!
Exploring the Legendary Club Room Where the “Strongest High School Student” Was Born!
Join This Club and You Could Awaken an S-Rank Ability?
“Pfft—”
To be honest, Jiang Jian Yue almost lost it.
Although the anime had mentioned the Supernatural Club’s status becoming “extraordinary,” still…
She clicked on the article, which included a few photos.
At the gate of Dexun High School, there was actually a long line of young people in all sorts of strange outfits taking selfies.
Even foreigners.
And that old school building activity room, once theirs, full of dust and clutter, had become a small museum.
They even kept the leftover chocolate from back then as one of the exhibits!
The article wildly exaggerated their past deeds.
Including ridiculous stories like Kaori Onishi’s grandmother shooting down a Curtain Cluster satellite with a stone.
As Jiang Jian Yue read, the smile at the corners of her eyes faded.
‘A holy land, huh…’
What had once been a small club founded on a whim by Kaori Onishi, dragging the two of them along, had now become a legend in others’ eyes.
She had to admit, it was kind of… thrilling.
‘Things change, people move on.’
Jiang Jian Yue shook her head, swiped away the article, and forced herself out of that sticky nostalgia.
She continued searching for useful intel.
Soon, another headline caught her eye.
Liberal Democratic Party’s Gaojian Zongyilang Pushes Forward! “Ladder Project” Officially Launched, World’s Tallest Tower to Be Built in Tokyo Bay!
Not Just Energy! The Ladder Will Be the Absolute Barrier Protecting Kanto!
Jiang Jian Yue’s eyes instantly sharpened.
She opened the detailed report.
It was a construction brief about the “Tokyo Bay Wide-area Superpower Diffusing and Energy Conversion Tower.”
According to Gaojian Zongyilang’s vision, the tower would be over a kilometer tall, using the latest superconducting technology to directly extract electricity from the diffused energy in the atmosphere.
More crucially, it housed a massive “Resonance Amplifier.”
The tower could amplify an esper’s ability by thousands of times, covering the entire Kanto region.
Its uses were many, depending on the ability of the core user.
If completed, Japan would experience a productivity explosion and a technological boom, as if unlocking some tech tree.
‘Amplify… coverage…’
Jiang Jian Yue pushed up her glasses; the screen’s faint light reflected off the lenses.
‘Isn’t this exactly what I need?’
She had been worried earlier. Even if she obtained the Shock Core and used her Trading Ability to reverse its properties, turning it from “creating Heart Worms” to “eliminating Heart Worms,”
The power of the Shock Core was limited. To make this “insecticide” effect cover the globe, she needed a giant broadcast tower.
The Light Extinguishers had done the same—they collaborated with GPRI remnants in Australia to build Diffusing Towers that covered almost the entire world.
She had been wondering if she would have to build one herself, but the cost in manpower and resources… Jiang Jian Yue couldn’t afford it for now.
But Jiang Jian Yue had a plan: either build her own faction from scratch again, or achieve her goal through her invincible conceptual ability trading.
There were more ways than problems.
Unexpectedly, Gaojian Zongyilang had so thoughtfully prepared it for her.
‘Ah, Mr. Gaojian, you’re such a kind person.’
A playful smile curled at the corner of Jiang Jian Yue’s lips. ‘Since you’re being so generous, I’ll gladly take it.’
If she could infiltrate this project…
She began searching for recruitment information about the plan.
Such a national-level megaproject would definitely need a lot of manual labor and low-level technical staff.
And as she had just seen, Tokyo was a giant construction site, desperately short of people.
Just as she was about to delve into how to submit a resume, an international news alert popped up.
Phenomenon Over Seoul Disappears, Remains of the Insect God Missing?
PTO Special Investigation Team Enters Seoul, Sky Changed from Purple to Red, Aliens Gone!
Experts Say: This Could Be an Unknown Natural Purification, or a Harbinger of an Even More Horrifying Disaster.
In the comments section, netizens from various countries were arguing.
Some said it was a divine miracle, some said it was done by the aliens who just left North America, and others said it was a secret weapon from Oris or the United States.
Jiang Jian Yue watched those self-important analyses and curled her lips.
‘There’s nothing there anymore.’ She said softly, her tone cold.
She had eaten it all clean.
As for the red sky… that was just the overflow of mental energy from Jiang Jian Yue devouring the Godhood. It would return to normal blue sky in a while.
‘I’m so environmentally friendly.’
‘Go ahead and investigate.’
Jiang Jian Yue turned off her phone and lay on the stiff tatami, staring at the water stains on the ceiling.
‘By the time you find out the truth, the gates of the new world will have already opened.’
Gurgle~
Before the gates of the new world opened, the new world’s Sato Ai needed to solve the problem of dinner.
One week later.
In front of the Tokyo Metropolitan General Hospital.
The warm spring sun shone on the ground, but couldn’t dispel the lingering chill of early spring.
The automatic doors slid open on both sides, and a slightly gaunt figure walked out.
Kazama Yin wore the navy blue uniform of Tokiwagi High School.
Although the cast on his left arm had been removed, it was still wrapped in thick bandages, held in a black sling around his neck.
“Kazama! Over here!”
Kagegaya Tsubaki stood on the steps, waving her arm vigorously, her voice deliberately energetic.
She had put on light makeup today to cover the dark circles from taking care of Kazama and crying during this time.
Yu Sheng Jinluo stood beside her, carrying Kazama’s school bag, with a gentle smile on his face, but the smile held a hint of caution.
Kazama Yin stopped and looked at these two companions who had been by his side all along.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No problem!”
Kagegaya Tsubaki put down her hand and walked over to pat his shoulder like before, but her hand stopped halfway when she saw his bandaged arm, then retracted.
“Are the discharge procedures all done?” Kazama Yin didn’t mind her action and turned to Yu Sheng Jinluo.
“Yeah, all done.” Yu Sheng Jinluo pushed up his glasses. “The doctor said just come back for follow-ups on time, and… don’t engage in intense superpower activities.”
“Let’s go, back to school.”
Kazama Yin started walking, heading straight for the subway station.
Kagegaya Tsubaki and Yu Sheng Jinluo exchanged glances, seeing deep worry in each other’s eyes, but they quickly followed.