Chapter 88
by Need_More_SleepChapter 88: Ability Nullified
Though the first floor housed a chaotic bar, the building itself was a 33-story office tower.
In the heart of the city, skyscrapers like this were commonplace—precisely why movie Spider-Men could swing between them so effortlessly.
Imagine if “Spider-Man: No Way Home” had been set in the countryside, forcing the hero to patrol on foot…
Even in the warmth of May, the rooftop was bitingly cold. Aside from maintenance workers and potential jumpers, no one would come up here.
The height didn’t evoke grandeur—just vertigo so intense it made your legs buckle. The knee-high guardrails at the edge offered little reassurance.
But for Mi Xiaoliu, who scaled heights fearlessly, this was routine. She’d even sprint-jump between buildings dozens of meters apart.
“Now what?” Perched on the ledge, she gazed down at the city’s nightscape.
Tomorrow, window cleaners would surely puzzle over the fist-shaped dents trailing up the facade.
“Open your system storage again, and look up,” Sasha instructed.
Mi Xiaoliu obeyed. Still nothing.
Her monochrome vision couldn’t even appreciate the starry sky—a rare urban spectacle.
“Master, focus on that tiny dot.” Sasha guided her. “To the right… yes, that one.”
There it was.
Almost perpendicular to the building, suspended at an extreme altitude.
So faint that blinking nearly made it vanish—impossible to discern what it was.
“No wonder Easter’s evaded detection for so long,” Sasha sighed. “Their labs exist in parallel spaces created by espers, stabilized at high altitudes with thrusters.”
Invisible to the world. Even if an esper somehow perceived the pocket dimension, spotting that speck would be near-impossible.
Landbound, Mi Xiaoliu couldn’t reach it.
Annoyed, she closed her system—yet the dot remained visible.
Blinking, she sensed something odd.
“Ah, Master’s eyes are… special.”
“Special?” Mi Xiaoliu recalled Sasha mentioning “fiery golden eyes.”
“Yes, but it involves something that frightens you. Best not ask.”
“Mmm… nngh~”
A simple hum morphed into a flushed whimper as external force slammed her face-first onto the ground. Immobilized.
Yiwen, having struck like lightning, snapped cuffs onto her wrists and stamped a shoe print on her rear. Instead of further restraints, she retreated to maximum ability range, observing warily.
As predicted, the cuffs vanished. Not a malfunction—this girl truly nullified ability, suppressing gear.
Regardless of past successes, imprisoning someone who could teleport was futile. Rumor said she’d once manipulated a 30-meter windmill to pummel an enemy, leaving blood traces 20 meters underground.
Yet her restraint was telling. She’d never used spatial powers against Yiwen.
Not that this earned forgiveness.
“Don’t move. Struggle, and I’ll crush you harder.” Yiwen kept the pressure steady. “You’ve contracted Black Element, haven’t you?”
Past encounters proved this brat’s cunning.
“Hospitals can suppress it now. We’re searching for a cure. But recklessly using your abilities accelerates your death.”
Teenage serial killers usually had handlers.
Silent, Mi Xiaoliu lay still, blinking rapidly. Her eyes burned feverishly.
“Squeak if you understand. Minors like you get leniency—trust the police.” (Private retaliation doesn’t count.)
Mi Xiaoliu: “Squeak.”
“Careful—feigned surrender,” the liaison officer warned. “Backup’s en route. Ninja’s downstairs.”
“I know.”
Yiwen approached but stayed taut. Last time, this viper had struck mid-surrender.
When Yiwen reached out, Mi Xiaoliu mistook it for re-cuffing and activated her system—accidentally storing something else.
To free space, she retrieved it.
From Yiwen’s angle: The brat now held familiar pink fabric.
The curled white strands atop it were unmistakable.
“GODDAMMIT!” Yiwen stuffed the camera into her pocket, hiding the scene as she lunged for her underwear.
This scheming little—!
“White Whale! Your feed is cut out!”
“In close combat!” (If yanking underwear counts.)
Overcompensating with gravitational force, Yiwen ripped off Mi Xiaoliu’s coat—
—and froze.
(゜ロ゜)
Beneath it: Just a swimsuit.
Black. (Somehow non-lewd.)
No shame! At her age!
(The swimsuit was standard-issue for beginner combat gear.)
Sasha wanted to curse Yiwen’s vagrant act—until spotting the panties. Words failed her.
Then Mi Xiaoliu sprang up and ran.
Yiwen gaped. She’s seriously fleeing half-naked?!
More baffling: Her ability had stopped working.
She hadn’t released the pressure.
Was she holding back this whole time?!
It felt like watching your winning racehorse get overtaken by one that suddenly stood on hind legs and sprinted like a man.
Yiwen gave chase—
—only for the girl to U-turn, meekly offering the underwear back while eyeing her confiscated coat.
“Master! The suit auto-returns!”
“……”
Yiwen debated granting a 30-second head start.
(Then remembered she was in law enforcement.)
Locking onto those faintly glowing eyes, she reactivated her power.
Nothing. Not resistance—total nullification.
Predictably, the girl escaped.
Without her ability, Yiwen couldn’t match her speed. Two blocks later, she lost sight of her.
Coat gone. Underwear unrecovered.
What do you even WANT with my panties, you shameless brat?!
Perched on a rooftop, Yiwen muttered, “Is there an ability that blocks other abilities?”
Why had she never encountered this before?
“You okay?” liaison asked.
“My power just… failed against her.”
Unless…
Was their ability the same?
How many LW-1204 doses had that brat taken?
(Why would someone with innate powers need enhancers?)
Her slender frame showed no muscle augmentation. Maybe they were counterparts.
“Besides suppressor cuffs, only meteorite zones nullify powers,” Liaison offered.
“No shit.”