[Main Quest 1: Investigate what your "brother"—Gu Qiye—is really hiding.]
[Quest Rewards: 1 Split Point, 1 Skill Point, 1 Attribute Point]
The sky was getting dark, the task panel hovered in the twilight, flickering softly, casting a glow that made Ji Minghuan's pupils brighten and dim alternately.
He calmly sipped his cola, his gaze passing through the panel to rest on Gu Qiye's face.
At this moment, Gu Qiye showed no particular reaction, as if he couldn't see the text panel floating in mid-air.
It seemed like this was a privilege exclusive to Ji Minghuan.
Ji Minghuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Even with superhuman psychological resilience, the instant the panel popped up, it would still be hard not to flinch.
But it inadvertently confirmed one thing: other people couldn't see the game elements derived from his superpower—this meant that in the future, even in public, he could use the panel's functions without worrying about attracting attention.
He took a sip of cola, his Adam's apple moving slightly, and thought to himself: "Let's put aside what this brother of mine is hiding for now. The main quest rewards a 'Split Point,' which can be used to create new characters. Does this mean I can control multiple game characters at once in the future?"
"I remember back in high school, I hated those teachers who dragged their classes, especially since I still had to go to the supermarket to buy groceries and then come home to cook for you two," Gu Qiye's voice rang in Ji Minghuan's ear, interrupting his thoughts.
"How about in college, are there still teachers who drag their classes?" Ji Minghuan asked as he walked into the house with his cola, passing by Gu Qiye.
He placed his backpack and jacket on the shoe cabinet, then took off his sneakers and swapped them for a pair of gray indoor slippers.
"College is different—you can just skip classes you don't want to attend without worrying if the class drags on or not."
"That sounds great. I want to go to college soon too."
After putting on the slippers, Ji Minghuan slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked slowly through the entryway, leaving Gu Qiye standing at the door.
"Where's the little sister? Didn't she come home with you?" Gu Qiye closed the door behind him and asked.
"She said at noon that she's staying over at a classmate's house tonight, so we don't have to worry about her, just buy dinner for the two of us."
Entering the living room, Ji Minghuan tossed his backpack onto the sofa and adjusted the standing fan to face him, then sat down and turned on the television with the remote.
The fan blades whirred as they rotated, sending a cool breeze to his face, while the television broadcasted last night's news.
"The Mutant codenamed 'Blue Arc' thwarted a superpower crime in the city center at Haiyinwei Building last night. The criminal, 'Giant Prouf,' wanted by the police, has currently been sent to the Mutants Association..."
The news anchor explained while enlarging the photo on the screen, which showed a man wearing a helmet and dressed in a metal suit with interwoven shades of blue and green, his body surrounded by a deep blue arc of electricity, standing motionless in the center of the square, with his feet atop a toppled giant.
The giant, towering four to five meters, sprawled across the shattered fountain. The man standing on its back seemed as if he was on a slightly raised hilltop. Enraptured pedestrians gathered under the neon lights, cheering for him as LED screens magnified his figure from all sides.
"Mutants" are another name for Superpower Users belonging to official organizations.
They typically work for the local Mutants Association, and naturally, the Mutant codenamed "Blue Arc" on television is no exception. He is one of the best among the Li Jing Mutants and has achieved remarkable feats over the years. Ordinary citizens in Li Jing may not know his name, but his popularity surpasses even that of trending idols.
"Could the organization that captured my real body for research be the Mutants Association?" Ji Minghuan thought as he stared at the figure on the television channeling currents of electricity.
"Remember to ask our little sister to text me back. I have something going on tonight too and I might be late. I've sent you money for dinner on WeChat, just order takeout at home for yourself and eat whatever you want," Gu Qiye walked into the living room, stopping behind the sofa, advising while lightly massaging Ji Minghuan's shoulder.
"Okay. You go ahead with your business."
Ji Minghuan glanced at the prompt on his phone and saw a notification from WeChat indicating Gu Qiye had sent a hundred renminbi. Even if it were half that amount, it would still be more than enough to order dinner. This brother is just too kind.
"Remember to eat."
Gu Qiye chuckled, ruffling his hair before putting on his shoes and heading out.
The sound of the door closing left the house so quiet that only the cicadas from the trees outside could be heard. On the TV, the host continued discussing the recently introduced superpower user monitoring policies.
"I must say, having a family is really... novel," Ji Minghuan absentmindedly muttered.
The fan blew directly on his cheeks, dispelling the summer heat from outside. After a while, he rested his head on the back of the sofa and glanced again at the task prompt floating at the edge of his vision.
[Main Quest 1: Investigate what your "brother"—Gu Qiye—is really hiding.]
"So what should I do?" He glanced sideways out the window, seeing that Gu Qiye's figure hadn't completely disappeared. "Am I really supposed to follow him? This body's superpower is well-suited for stalking, but given that I don't know if Gu Qiye is a superpower user or some kind of extraordinary person, getting caught midway while unprepared would be a huge loss."
As he thought, he pressed the gear icon at the lower right corner of his vision, and a system panel popped up.
Ji Minghuan selected the [Task Panel] option and clicked. In the next second, lines of text appeared before his eyes.
[Main Quest 1: Investigate what your "brother" Gu Qiye is hiding.]
[Main Quest 2: Investigate what your "father" Gu Zhuo's case is hiding.]
[Main Quest 3: Investigate what your "sister" Su Zimai is hiding.]
[Main Quest 4: Investigate what your "best friend" Li Qingping is hiding.]
The cascade of tasks on the panel left Ji Minghuan speechless, and after a moment, he silently mocked in his mind: "Wenyu, why are the people around you full of hidden depths? If my superpower really has self-awareness, it must have been malicious in designing this game character's background."
He shrugged and thought, "But since these people are all around me, finding a chance to learn their secrets shouldn't be too hard. Living together daily, they'll undoubtedly slip up. The key is how do I hide my superpower in front of them?"
"And when I finally get my real body out of that lab, I probably won't need this 'game character' anymore. Should I then tell them: 'The family member you see is actually just a puppet created with my superpower'? What would those years of memories mean to them—won't they chase me down for emotional debts?"
Temporarily setting aside this unsolvable problem, Ji Minghuan closed the task panel and clicked on the [Character Skill Tree] option instead.
[Character Skill Tree System Loaded. Below is the current development progress of each skill branch.]
[Branch 1 (Hidden): Restraint Sensing (Pending Learning) → Unknown (Learn the "Previous Skill" of this branch to unlock details) → Unknown → Unknown...]
[Branch 2 (Frenzy): Restraint Extension (Pending Learning) → Unknown (Learn the "Previous Skill" of this branch to unlock details) → Unknown → Unknown...]
[Branch 3 (Li): Restraint Detection (Pending Learning) → Unknown (Learn the "Previous Skill" of this branch to unlock details) → Unknown → Unknown...]
[Tip 1: Tap on a skill to see its detailed description.]
[Tip 2: You currently have 1 Skill Point and can select one skill from a branch to allocate the point. Once allocated, you will learn that skill and unlock information about the next skill in the branch.]