Promoted to Protagonist: Persecuted by the Meta-Narrative | Chapter 37 | A Moment of Respite | Novela.app

In the examination room, Yi Ting held the latest report, glancing back and forth between Leng Xianye and Xin Ye. "On what basis did you conclude that 'The Me in the Mirror' and 'Black Box' share a common origin?" She circled several values on her tablet, then scribbled over them in self-denial. "Even in my most imaginative phase, I wouldn't have dared to make such a guess." Xin Ye wanted to say it wasn't a guess but a spoiler, but since that was impossible to explain, he simply kept his mouth shut. In the ability rank assessment following the mission, Xing Yue’s "Unbroken Thread" had risen to A+, Lian Muyun continued to fluctuate at the lower end of A-rank, and Tang Qiuqiu had reached B-rank. The surprises lay with Xin Ye and Leng Xianye. Leng Xianye had leaped directly to A+, putting him on the same level as Xing Yue. Xin Ye, however, remained at D+, his various stats as stagnant as a pool of dead water. Yet, beyond these basic values, residual traces of an S-rank ability had been detected on Xin Ye. Given the physical anomalies during the mission, Leng Xianye found this result somewhat expected. He was more concerned about the "clear ripple" he had felt at the end; it seemed it was inextricably linked to the S-rank residue on Xin Ye. The three of them analyzed the data together, cross-referencing the time Xin Ye used the mirror shards to kill the Surinam Toad Mother with the approximate moment Leng Xianye felt his breakthrough. Finally, Yi Ting tapped her stylus against the desk, concluding that the "Pseudo-Evolution" on Xin Ye had influenced Leng Xianye during his own evolution, helping him successfully break through to A+. Yi Ting was half-convinced and half-skeptical of her own theory. "Based on your reports and the mission debrief, this seems to be the only answer that fits. 'Pseudo-Evolution' is a facade built by the survival instinct under extreme circumstances; it involves a certain overdrawing of one's own ability. However, the assistance effect of 'Pseudo-Evolution' usually only occurs between abilities of a common origin. For example, if Tang Qiuqiu’s ability is 'Cat Transformation' and another ability user in a team has 'Wolf Transformation,' then no matter what triggered their awakening, they are considered to be of a common origin." "But you two? One pulls people out of mirrors, and the other can swallow anything. What kind of common origin is that? It’s pure luck that any assistance occurred at all." Xin Ye remembered what Xun Yin had said during the Sparrow Vine mission: before an ability awakens, the Mirror Image lives on the back of the world, and the Black Box and mirror shards are the only two keys that can open that world. Perhaps his and Leng Xianye’s abilities really did share a common origin? "Maybe the two abilities are connected in some unseen way?" As soon as he finished muttering, Yi Ting rapped him on the head. A researcher’s rigorous attitude toward work didn't allow for nonsense, especially from a layman brat. "No blind guessing." The silver-edged spider plant behind her took the opportunity to gently swat Xin Ye twice as well. [It’s fine. You can keep the common origin thing to yourself,] after the "hair tie" incident, Xun Yin and Xin Ye had resumed basic communication. [It’s good that Leng Xianye managed to upgrade smoothly. You, on the other hand, should worry about why you’re stuck at D-rank and can’t move up.] Xin Ye: "Because of you?" Xun Yin: [No, because of yourself.] [Whether in the previous timeline or now, your mindset has never been 'using my own ability to fight mutants.' Before, you relied on your teammates; now, you rely on yourself. The Mirror Image isn't your weapon. If the master has no subconscious desire to upgrade, the ability will just slack off. It’s already a miracle it gave you a new skill.] [Look at Jian Weiwei over there. Her ability is similar to yours, right? She sacrificed two hundred cannon fodder to reach A-rank. She relies heavily on her ability during missions.] "My ability is coasting..." Xin Ye found the description strangely apt. "Let it coast then. Getting rich through hard work depends on oneself." Yi Ting analyzed the inertia of Xin Ye’s ability changes for a while but couldn't find anything special. Considering the main purpose of the checkup was to see if it affected mission survival rates—and since Xin Ye’s ability was easy to use even without upgrading—she decided not to delve deeper. "One last point. Little Leng, pay attention to your potential ceiling." Yi Ting turned the tablet toward Leng Xianye and Xin Ye as she reached the final issue. The screen showed a data analysis of the gaps between A and A+, and A+ and S-rank. They were worlds apart. "Currently, there are only eleven S-ranks belonging to Headquarters. Ten are directly under HQ, one is permanently stationed at the First Branch, and there is one in the Civilian Sector. In other words, there are only twelve S-ranks in the entire human population." "A+ ranks are all S-rank candidates. Once you reach A+, regardless of your previous status, the Eyes of Headquarters will truly begin to watch you. So... please be careful." * Other teams returned one after another, and it would take time for the reports to be processed. Before the final scores and rankings were released, they had plenty of time to prepare for the final competition. Thus, the team captain—Xin Ye, who hadn't taken second place since leaving the Training Academy—sent a message to the group. [The "Gonna Lose, Right?" Team] Xin Ye: Why don't we make up for the teambuilding we missed last time? Lian Muyun: !!! Everyone else, don't reply yet! Let me go first! Yes! Leng Xianye: ? Tang Qiuqiu: I just saw the Captain writing competition site hypotheses yesterday. This person is not our diligent Captain! Xin Ye: (Uploads file) Xing Yue: Downloaded and saved. Thanks. Tang Qiuqiu: Sorry, you are the Captain. Leng Xianye: +1 Lian Muyun: Don't let the file distract you! Let's go out and play!!! [The Botanical Garden?] Xun Yin, who had been happy about padding the word count, fell silent upon hearing the location. [Other people who return to the past use their experience to do something big. You’re just taking your little teammates out to play?] "It’s not exactly playing. Didn't Leng Xianye use to take us to the Botanical Garden to gain experience before the HQ finals?" Xin Ye sat at his desk, sipping the instant coffee the Mirror Image had brewed for him. "You can learn about hundreds of plants in a day. It makes your head throb, but it’s about balancing work and rest." Xun Yin: [You troll captain.] Xin Ye: "I said it’s balancing work and rest." Xin Ye placed the cup, made of an unidentifiable material, on the desk. "Is the final site confirmed to be the Breeding Ground?" [Confirmed. The HQ Breeding Ground,] Xun Yin’s voice became cautious as the topic shifted back to the main plot. [In the original timeline, your preliminary site was a Branch Breeding Ground, but I don't need to tell you how massive the difference is between HQ and a Branch. Be careful.] Xin Ye nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is that 'Pseudo-Evolution' thing..." Xun Yin swore to the heavens: [No, really, no. The keyboard moved on its own.] Xin Ye nodded in satisfaction. The teambuilding was set for the following day. The Mirror Image followed along to push Xin Ye’s wheelchair. Tang Qiuqiu arrived earliest and, thinking of a lazy shortcut, turned into a cat and curled up on Xin Ye’s lap. Xin Ye didn't reveal that the destination was the Botanical Garden until the gathering was complete. Lian Muyun had topped up quite a bit of money on his employee card, acting as if he were going to treat everyone today. Leng Xianye and Xing Yue weren't particularly interested in leisure for its own sake; they were just going along for the ride. Having spent much more time at HQ than Lian Muyun, they quickly recognized that Xin Ye was heading toward the Botanical Garden. [Private Chat] Leng Xianye: ? Xin Ye: ……→？！√ Leng Xianye: OK Leng Xianye turned and whispered to Xing Yue, "Xin Ye mainly wants to study the special plants in the garden to avoid being caught off guard by unknown species in the Breeding Ground." Xing Yue, who had seen the chat logs from the side: "?" How strange. The biggest differences between the Botanical Garden and the Breeding Ground—aside from the fact that it only housed plants and its sheer size—was that it was open to HQ employees all day. Besides the experimental subjects planted by researchers for study, there were many purely aesthetic results and non-mutated plants. Some employees loved coming here to take photos for their social media feeds. Xin Ye’s focus was naturally on the experimental subjects and dangerous plants. This area was restricted to ability users and specialized personnel. He had the Mirror Image distribute specialized recording tablets he had prepared to his four teammates. "Don't waste time just because we're out. By the end of the day, everyone must record at least a hundred types of mutated plants they’ve never seen before. Hand them in to me before dinner." Lian Muyun, who had already pulled out his employee card, saw his face fall when they reached the Botanical Garden. Now that there was even field trip homework, he immediately tried to slack off in front of the Captain. "Leng Xianye, let me copy yours later..." Xin Ye: "Lian Muyun’s records must not duplicate anyone else's." Lian Muyun: "Ye!!!" Xin Ye met Lian Muyun’s resentful gaze for two seconds before he couldn't help but laugh, urging the Mirror Image to push him along quickly. The experimental subjects and dangerous species were deep within the garden. They had to walk for quite a while. The Mirror Image hadn't been pushing the wheelchair for long when Xin Ye called for a stop, pointing to a small patch of grass nearby. It was catnip. The orange-and-white kitten had already lunged in and rolled around. Xin Ye enjoyed watching the cat get high on the mint. "Let him play for a bit. Pick him up in ten minutes; any longer and his stomach might get upset." The childhood friend trio took a different route to the danger zone. Xin Ye had set out early but ended up a step behind, though this delay turned out to be a coincidence as he ran into Yi Ting at the entrance. Yi Ting was carrying an orange watering can, her eyebrows slightly raised. "So you chose this place?" Xin Ye nodded. "Sister Yi Ting, what plant are you looking after?" Yi Ting walked ahead, leading Xin Ye to a camphor tree. An emerald green vine clung to the thick trunk. Amidst the dense camphor leaves hung many plump purple grapes, and a faint sound of birdsong could be heard upon closer approach. "The cleanup crew brought back an offshoot after your mission. I heard Xing Yue was involved, so I snatched it up to raise myself," Yi Ting said, watering the Sparrow Vine. "It’s a good kid; very quiet as long as you don't touch the grapes." Xin Ye looked up at the fruit hanging from the tree. A few grapes swayed slightly as if sensing his gaze. Afterward, he spent the entire day recording, seeing many interesting mutants. Snakeberries, originally only the size of a thumb tip, had swollen to the size of yoga balls, their interiors filled with undigested animal remains. The white fluff of dandelions, no longer