Chapter 460

Chapter 460: “Superpowered Individuals”

Ain, with his messy, almost weed-like brown hair, is twenty-five years old and works as an ordinary worker on the third production line of the twenty-second factory in the outer city.

When he was fourteen, he neither passed the last superpower evaluation nor reached an intelligence level above the bottom half, so junior high school became his final diploma.

With such a high level of education, he chose the factory over the military without hesitation. After all, although he didn’t pass a test, he wasn’t a complete fool.

Since he wanted to live a bit longer, slowly dying on the production line was much better than one day losing his head to an extraordinary beast at the city wall.

Ain was also fortunate; just as he began his tenth year on the production line, two good things happened to him at the same time.

Earlier this year, a change he could hardly comprehend occurred in the inner city.

Though Ain went to a collective broadcast station with a projection, he completely fell asleep during the incomprehensible trials.

When patrolling soldiers woke him up, he learned that during the five or six hours he had been asleep, the "Speaker" had completely left the city.

Though he didn’t understand why there was still a Speaker without a member of parliament, it wasn’t a bad thing overall. Soon, new regulations were posted at the factory entrance, and everyone learned that there was such a thing as an eight-hour workday.

This was the first good thing of the year: working hours were reduced by three hours, while wages were raised by twenty percent. Ain initially planned to spend the rest of his life this way, but fate had more in store for him.

On a hot, sleepless summer rainy night, Ain unexpectedly awakened his superpowers.

He didn’t report this for various reasons:

First, he couldn’t be sure whether this was truly his superpower or if he was experiencing what those psychologists called “mental illness.”

Second, he had chosen to work in the factory to live longer, and he recently heard that most superpowered individuals had been reorganized; he didn’t want to face extraordinary beasts in a fight.

Besides, there was another very critical point—his superpower did not compel him to take action.

Yes, his superpower did not want to.

This was actually one of the reasons Ain struggled to describe his superpower even now—he had heard about the abilities of other superpowered individuals; some could fly, some could manipulate ice and fire, while others could travel through shadows.

And what was his ability?

Talking to himself in his mind? Who couldn’t do that?

Having good dreams every night? Who couldn’t?

So this matter remained hidden until now, as Ain, filled with doubt and hesitation, gradually accepted and began to explore his ability while keeping it concealed.

His ability was quite simple: Ain entered the same dream every night, where he could have conversations and exchanges with himself. After waking up, he could also recall what happened in the dream.

Although it could be described as magical, similar phenomena could be achieved through hypnosis or other methods.

Moreover, Ain genuinely did not know how this ability could be useful in Hope City, so the days passed like this.

About half a month ago, his ability showed a noticeable improvement.

Now, even without entering the dream, he could hold conversations with himself.

Just like now, as Ain walked alone into a narrow hallway, a voice echoed in his ears:

“You told a clumsy lie today. What do you mean you heard it on the road? That easily raises suspicion.”

“What should I say then?”

“You need to imagine, to enrich the details here, constantly strengthen that sense of imagery in your mind. Once you believe this event happened, then you’re not truly lying.”

“Can it work like that?”

“Of course, if you wish to try something similar, we can attempt it in the dream. It will render your lies incredibly real.”

“Alright.”

“Oh, and don’t forget to eat something before bed. I’ve been assisting you all day, and I’d rather not go hungry again.”

“You helped me? How so?”

“Naturally, I aided you with your work. Didn’t you notice that your tasks went flawlessly today? That was me ensuring you maintained your performance even when distracted, resulting in a one hundred percent yield today. Aren’t you going to thank me?”

“Well, I suppose I should thank you, even though I am you.”

“…Indeed. In any case, if you keep this up, you’ll soon eliminate your monthly defect rate entirely. Following the factory’s new regulations, you’ll then be eligible to run for the position of team leader on this production line.”

The voice continued to echo in Ain’s mind, but he didn’t dwell on it.

Since his ability could help him achieve all this, why not embrace it?

At that moment, Ain’s sole desire was to continue honing his ability, and he needed to reach that dream as quickly as possible.

After nearly swallowing an entire block of nutritional paste, Ain gulped down some water and burrowed under the covers.

Soon, he felt the furnishings in his bedroom liquefy, blending various colors together.

He knew, at that moment, he had fallen asleep.

Perhaps this was the extent of Ain’s imagination; the dream’s backdrop always resembled the factory manager’s office at their factory.

On the last day of the previous year, two stern-faced strong men in coats stormed into the twenty-second factory.

They halted the production line and barged into the factory manager’s office, pinning the once-dominant factory manager onto the desk like a rat.

The factory manager screamed, “I’ll report this violent law enforcement!” The strong man bellowed back, “Hand over the accounts, and we’ll spare you!” The two sides exchanged futile words until the one with the upper hand prevailed and seized what they wanted.

The office door remained open, so many workers rushed to witness the commotion after hearing the screams.

Some glimpsed a large amount of information coins, while Ain immediately memorized the office’s decor.

The reason was simple: this belonged to the factory manager’s office and fulfilled all his notions of “home.”

Before this, Ain hadn’t even imagined that right above his workplace, there existed such a dreamlike sanctuary.

Thus, his dream naturally took this form, with even the floor patterns completed to his liking.

Turning the doorknob and stepping into the room, Ain saw a young man sitting in a chair, appearing relaxed and at ease.

The young man had tousled brown hair, a slightly gaunt face that accentuated some angular features.

He wore formal attire, yet impolitely propped his feet up on the desk, gazing toward the entrance.

That was indeed him.