"But I didn’t see any description of you using this ability in your combat report. Did you hold back when fighting Shitang? This new ability is related to the energy source, right? It’s this new energy source that allows you to activate so many mechanical duplicates, isn’t it?" Gu Shenghui asked with a smile, watching Pei Yan, who was irritated by his own slip of the tongue and turned his head away. "Sigh!" Pei Yan let out a long sigh, licking his lips with his tongue, and said irritably, "Sometimes, people have their reasons for not wanting to say something, can’t you just not dig into it? Also, I didn’t hold back when fighting Shitang Longsi or Bals. The reason I didn’t use that ability is that I haven’t mastered it yet, and I don’t want to accidentally hurt others because of it!" Pei Yan paused and continued in a deep voice, "This is also why I don’t want to absorb new abilities. Everyone wants to become stronger! But I already have five abilities, not to mention the new one Jiumu granted me. I haven’t even thoroughly understood and easily used the previous four." Pei Yan wasn’t being modest; he was speaking from the heart. He had only truly awakened for a little over a year but had completed what others, like Xia Yu, took more than three years to achieve. Although he fought tirelessly during this period, there was simply not enough time for him to systematically learn and master his abilities. In the hall, Gu Shenghui nodded with satisfaction and opened his hands with a smile, "It’s good that you can remain calm in the face of temptation and reflect on the limits of your power. Before coming here, I was worried you might lose your reason due to anger, but it seems I was overthinking. However, you must accept this ability as it is one of the conditions for negotiation between the person within you and the Investigation Bureau. As for your concerns about mastering the abilities, don’t worry; you will have a very long training period coming up!" "Is there enough time? Isn’t the situation quite tense right now?" Pei Yan asked, startled by the words. "You’ll find out when the time comes." Gu Shenghui said, flipping through the folder he brought. After learning that he had to accept this condition, Pei Yan shrugged in acceptance, thinking that having one more ability couldn’t be a bad thing. Suddenly, a thought flashed in his mind, and he asked, "Can I choose who to absorb from?" Gu Shenghui looked up at Pei Yan and chuckled, "Is there an ability you want from one of the prisoners?" "Yes! Liang Guangsheng!" Pei Yan’s eyes revealed a greedy desire. Ever since he saw this ability, he had wanted to have it. Gu Shenghui licked his fingers to turn the pages, without raising his head, "I knew you would want that, but I’m sorry; that ability has already been allocated to Xia Yu." "Ah!" Pei Yan was stunned, then let out an "Oh." Gu Shenghui looked at Pei Yan’s changing expression and chuckled, "Oh, what! Did you think this was a card the Bureau left to balance your mechanical abilities? Don’t overthink it!" "I wouldn’t have thought that if you hadn’t mentioned it. If Xia Yu wants it, I would, of course, let her have it. I just don’t understand, clearly, I could unleash its greatest power!" Pei Yan said in confusion, resting his hand on the table. "Indeed, that’s what we thought too. But the person within you requested this specific ability after reviewing the prisoner files, so we must comply." Gu Shenghui said, handing Pei Yan a page from the folder. After reading the introduction in his hand, Pei Yan was amazed, "Are you sure? She specifically asked me to absorb this ability?" "I’m sure. What, do you not like it? Don’t be fooled by the plain surface of this ability, just like Jiumu’s camera and camcorder can develop into a superpower. This person once caused quite a stir and was one of the highest-security level prisoners in the Secret Prison." Gu Shenghui tapped the table with his finger and reminded with a smile. Hearing this, Pei Yan looked again at the name Wen Xuewu written in large characters on the file and then glanced at the helpless Gu Shenghui, knowing he wasn’t joking. He tossed the file back irritably, "I don’t know if you’re telling the truth, but I feel like the person inside me is messing with me. Oh well, never mind, since she specified it, I’ll take it!" The subsequent process of transferring the ability was astonishingly simple to Pei Yan. After being brought to a secret room in the Secret Prison, he saw for the first time the legendary Divine Artifact that could strip others of their abilities, which surprisingly took the form of an old-fashioned golden scale. Following the orders of a doctor in a white lab coat, Pei Yan, puzzled, removed his shoes and socks. When he saw the doctor brandishing a scalpel near his toes, Pei Yan couldn’t help but ask, "What are you doing?" "Cutting off your toe; it’s a necessary step for the ritual. Of course, you can choose other body parts instead, but hair won’t do!" The doctor, wearing a mask, shook the scalpel with a smile. Sensing Pei Yan’s shock, the doctor spread his hands in resignation, "Don’t be surprised; you’re just losing a toe. The other person, however, will pay with their life. Oh right, I forgot to tell you that you must remain conscious during the entire transfer, so we can’t use anesthesia on you. But I think, for someone like you who has undergone many battles, this bit of pain shouldn’t be a problem, right?" "Can the severed toe be reattached?" "No, that’s the price for acquiring an ability!" "Cut it then!" Pei Yan said, looking up at the ceiling. With his body already missing an eye and an arm, he didn’t really care about a toe. Dıscover more novels at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝗇𝗲𝘵 After a wave of excruciating pain, Pei Yan’s small toe was severed. Looking at the clean-cut wound and the busy nurse stopping the bleeding, Pei Yan couldn’t help but appreciate the doctor’s professional technique. "Quick! Quick! Quick!" After Pei Yan’s small toe was cut off, several people, also in white lab coats, rushed into the room carrying a medical box, urging loudly. Under Gu Shenghui’s direction, these people hurriedly took a bloody heart from the box and placed it on one side of the scale, while the doctor placed the small toe on the other side. Since the weights were not balanced, the scale naturally tilted toward the heart. At this point, Gu Shenghui picked up golden weights from the table and began to press down on the scale on the toe side. As golden weights were added one by one, the scale finally began to tilt toward Pei Yan’s toe side, and Pei Yan gradually felt an unusual sensation in his body. A force, accompanied by a wave of resentment and hatred, spread throughout him, and under its influence, Pei Yan’s eyes instantly turned red, and his breathing became heavy. The moonlit night recalled was that of the seriously injured Zhao Yuanhu leaning against the wall, the gruesome death of Shangxing, and the sight of Ye Jiumu fallen in the mud, scenes replaying endlessly before his eyes.