Chapter 34: "Captain China" Exposed—The Ministry of State Security Steps In
"I'm still here, Host."
"You scared the life out of me! I thought you'd already kicked the bucket. How many more days can you hold out?"
"Host, I can persist for another two days. Please do not grieve for me; I am merely a residual echo—dissipation is my inevitable fate."
...
After a brief silence, Du Xin spoke up again.
"Alright, I certainly won't shed any tears over someone as boring as you. I just wanted to ask: when can I evolve the world?"
"Host, your current energy reserves stand at approximately thirty percent. To evolve the world, it will take a considerable amount of time to accumulate sufficient energy. Of course, if you were to set the time acceleration to its maximum limit, three days in the real world would be enough to gather the necessary energy."
The System explained to Du Xin.
"Forget it—using the acceleration takes the fun out of it. Let's just take things slow."
Du Xin sighed. He wasn't lacking in strength right now, so there was no need to rush the world's evolution just yet.
He chatted with the System for a while—mostly Du Xin doing the talking while the System answered his questions—and half an hour later, Du Xin stepped out of the System Space.
He took a shower. Having long since transcended the need for such mundane acts, Du Xin nonetheless indulged in the sensation of his former, ordinary life once more. Just then, the doorbell rang.
Wrapped only in a bath towel, Du Xin walked to the front door. Peering through the peephole, he saw Han Yawen—someone he had technically parted ways with only that very morning, yet whom he felt he hadn't seen in hundreds of years.
Opening the door, Du Xin invited Han Yawen inside. Upon seeing Du Xin's attire, she looked somewhat flustered, her pretty face flushing a faint red.
Noticing Han Yawen's reaction, Du Xin stepped back to change his outfit, swapping his bath towel for a proper bathrobe.
"Alright, out with it—what's up?"
Looking at the hesitant, tongue-tied Han Yawen, Du Xin asked. Having spent a few days together, he knew this wasn't just another request for him to help her climb the ranks in a video game.
"Um... Master? You know about 'Captain China,' right?"
Du Xin instantly realized what this was about. He had known all along that he couldn't keep the secret forever; he had been prepared for this moment—or rather, he simply wasn't afraid of the Ministry of State Security finding out.
"Yeah, I know him. He completely overshadowed me on the trending topics list."
"..."
After a brief moment of speechless silence, Han Yawen continued speaking. "Master, we've been investigating for so long—we've reviewed surveillance footage covering a one-kilometer radius around the area, yet we found no sign of 'Captain China.' In fact, no one was even seen leaving the hotel. That means he must be one of the people who were inside the hotel at the time. We conducted a physical comparison analysis and discovered that *he*... is *you*!"
Han Yawen slowly uttered those final three words, feeling a touch of nervousness. Although she knew Du Xin was a decent guy, she was currently exposing his greatest secret; there was no telling how such a powerful individual might react.
"So you figured it out? You're actually pretty clever! I thought it would take you at least another two weeks!"
Du Xin remarked nonchalantly. Han Yawen, however, was left feeling utterly bewildered. *I just exposed your secret identity—couldn't you at least act a little serious? Show some respect for my profession!*
Of course, that was merely her internal monologue; outwardly, she continued to speak with deference.
"You... aren't angry?"
"Huh? Why would I be angry?"
Du Xin looked genuinely puzzled. *Why would I be angry? I was performing a heroic act of public service! I even got a little certificate of commendation for it, you know!*
"Um... was it actually against the law for me to knock out those robbers? Did I end up stealing your thunder—or your jobs? Is that why you're here to arrest me now?"
Catching the innocent, wide-eyed look in Han Yawen's eyes, Du Xin decided to have a little fun teasing the cute young woman.
"No, no, no! We're not here to arrest you at all. We're actually..."
Just then, a distinct *thump-thump* of knocking sounded from outside the door.
The corners of Du Xin's mouth curled upward. He had long since detected the miniature listening device Han Yawen had brought in with her, so he knew exactly who was knocking. If they didn't show themselves soon, Han Yawen would end up spilling the beans on their entire operation.
"May I ask who you are?"
"Hello, Mr. Du. We are colleagues of Officer Han Yawen. May we come inside and have a seat?"
A man with a square, resolute face—the kind often described as a classic "national face"—nodded toward Du Xin as he asked the question.
"Oh? Sure, come on in."
Sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, Du Xin narrowed his eyes as he observed the four people standing before him. Han Yawen kept her head lowered, her pretty face flushed crimson; Du Xin couldn't help but feel amused. The square-faced man remained completely composed, showing not the slightest sign of intimidation by the aura Du Xin was subtly radiating; his two younger colleagues, however, were visibly breaking out in a sweat. "Is it getting hot in here? Shall I turn on the air conditioning?"
"No need, Mr. Du. My subordinates were rather inept; please forgive us for making a spectacle of ourselves."
In truth, it wasn't that the two young men were incompetent; it was simply that Du Xin was overwhelmingly powerful. Finding the situation rather pointless, Du Xin withdrew the oppressive aura he had projected into the air; the two young men immediately breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"What brings the three of you to my place at this hour? Surely you didn't come all the way here in the middle of the night just to share a cup of tea?"
Seeing that his visitors were taking their time getting to the point, Du Xin decided to broach the subject himself.
"You jest, Mr. Du. We came today specifically to confirm one thing: you are the 'Captain,' are you not?"
"Didn't you already figure that out just now?"
Du Xin remarked, casting a sidelong glance at Han Yawen, who was seated nearby.
The middle-aged man, far from appearing embarrassed, offered an apology:
"My apologies, Mr. Du. You must understand that when dealing with extraordinary individuals such as yourselves, it is always prudent to exercise a certain degree of caution. Fortunately, Mr. Du, you strike me as a most reasonable man."
Du Xin paid no mind to the middle-aged man's flattery; instead, he latched onto a specific detail: the man had used the word *"yourselves"*! Could it be that there were other indigenous super-powered individuals on Earth? Or perhaps other System-bearers? Unable to contain his curiosity, he quickly asked:
"*Yourselves*? Who else is there? Are there many 'superhumans' out there?"
"Indeed, there are quite a few. However, most of them are not nearly as approachable as you are, Mr. Du; for the most part, they are an arrogant and imperious lot."
"In that case, what exactly is your purpose here? I haven't broken any laws, have I? I certainly haven't killed anyone—if anything, I acted as a Good Samaritan!"
*Besides, Adam died of old age,* Du Xin added silently in his mind.
"You jest, Mr. Du. On the contrary, we are deeply grateful to you for saving so many lives. My visit today has but two objectives."
The middle-aged man paused in his speech, and Du Xin listened intently; he knew that the State's true agenda was finally about to be revealed—and how this played out would directly determine how he would navigate his life in the real world from here on out.
"Mr. Du, we would like to request that you formally register yourself in our 'Superhuman Registry'—this is a mandate from our superiors. Secondly, we would be honored if you would consider joining our ranks. We represent the State—specifically, the Superhuman Emergency Response Unit under the National Security Bureau. This is our official invitation."
Du Xin took a moment to weigh his options. Having the State's backing certainly wouldn't hurt; after all, he had no intention of becoming a criminal.
"What would be required of me?"
Du Xin asked. "This concerns your specific capabilities. We have categorized superhumans into seven tiers, ranging from the lowest—Class D—all the way up to Class 3S. Class D operatives are required to complete ten missions annually; Class C, seven; Class B, three; and Class A, one. For those at Class S and above, there is no requirement to complete a fixed number of annual missions; they need only step in to assist the nation in weathering crises whenever a corresponding threat arises. Naturally, the Ministry of State Security enjoys significant privileges—particularly for its most powerful superhuman assets—and, of course, comes with a handsome annual remuneration. Though, I imagine Mr. Du would likely find such sums beneath his notice."
The middle-aged man offered a lighthearted jest—a remark that seemed somewhat incongruous coming from a man with such a stern, archetypal "square-jawed" face.
"What rank would I be?"
"That requires specific testing, but our preliminary assessment places you no lower than Class B!"
Du Xin nodded; that was acceptable. After all, he knew exactly how little of his true power he had actually exerted that day.
"Very well. I'll join you."
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