Without any context, a random sentence, although Qiao Bai had doubts in his mind, he still translated it.
Maekawa Yumi was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.
Does it matter whether one is an Esper or not?
Those who can appear here are either newly awakened or not very powerful Espers.
Who wouldn't want to attend an Esper Academy if they could?
Ordinary people and Espers are from two different worlds.
She keenly sensed that the stunningly handsome boy before her wanted to confirm something through her words.
"What's wrong with her?"
Qi Yuan's unusual question didn't just catch Maekawa Yumi's attention, but also that of the others accompanying them.
With a shift in their thoughts, they immediately realized.
This girl had a high chance of having her mindset distorted by contamination.
"Why should we help you? Dealing with the monster first can help more people."
Soon, someone spoke up probing, and Qiao Bai, upon hearing this, also understood.
The girl's demeanor was hysterical, and their rejection seemed to be the last straw that broke the camel's back.
"But we asked for your help, didn't we? If asked for help, you should respond, right?"
"What should happen to those who don't respond?"
"Not friendly enough, need to undergo modification."
As soon as these words came out, the girls around her all took a few steps back.
The girl who uttered those words was also stunned, staring in disbelief with wide eyes.
"How could I..."
Qi Yuan analyzed the intelligence in his mind.
Without any specific targeting, the monster had already been able to subtly contaminate and distort the mindsets of Espers through its domain. Its strength seemed stronger than what was shown in the information.
Thinking of this, he reminded everyone: "Be mindful of your thought patterns."
With a living example before them, the others dared not be careless.
The contaminated girl also fell into doubt, not wanting to be abandoned, but now whatever she proposed would be met with rejection and suspicion.
Then Qi Yuan added: "If we need to observe her symptoms and changes, then we'll take her along."
The person in charge of logistics in the team nodded, asking Qiao Bai to explain the situation to her.
If she was willing to be observed, they would take her with them.
The girl nodded vigorously, having no better choice.
After dealing with this little episode, the group headed towards the dormitory building.
It was almost the agreed-upon time.
...
On the other side,
Near an entrance of Xiaosaka City,
The Dragon Country personnel had already cleared an entire building and heavily guarded a certain office building.
A suit-clad Dragon Country man approached the muscular man dressed as a superhero, holding a stopwatch facing Johnson.
"Mr. Johnson, it's about time."
Johnson looked up and met the stopwatch, which showed they had been in Xiaosaka City for forty-five minutes.
Only five minutes left...
"Got it."
He downed the rest of the cola in one gulp, crushing the can into a ball with one hand and tossing it into the trash bin.
The can bounced off the edge of the bin...
"Dammit!"
Another miss, Johnson cried out in anguish while clenching his fist.
A strange force enveloped the soda can.
It changed its trajectory midair and successfully went into the trash bin.
"Mr. Johnson, don't forget the camera."
Their company's partnership with Johnson helped promote his reputation as the Dragon Country's superhero, with fans all over the globe.
Although the footage captured this time couldn't be shared with fans, it would still serve as good research material.
Johnson waved at him from behind, holding a pinhole camera in his hand.
Ten minutes before the agreed time between the five countries, he used his Esper domain to tear open the connection between the monster's domain and reality, entering the monster's domain.
As soon as Johnson stepped into the monster's domain, he heard the sound of a massive battle.
Johnson immediately realized that the other three countries had formed a smaller alliance behind Dragon Country's back.
The reason they were ten minutes early was that Dragon Country had formed a similar smaller alliance behind their Dragon Country's back.
The justification was based on the information they had gathered – Qi Yuan from the Dark Nine, had unfathomable power and an incredibly short battle duration, so there was a small chance that they might not even get a grasp of the monster before it was defeated.
Dragon Country had already gathered enough information from the Shen City incident and, if their strength permitted, they were highly likely to pull such a move.
And Dragon Country's eagerness to organize other countries to support Sakura Island was suspicious.
In that case, they would have made a trip for nothing.
When dividing the spoils, one sentence like "the monster was killed by our Dragon Country" would allow them to take the lion's share as a matter of course.
By then, they wouldn't get much in spoils or information, and they would have even helped Dragon Country.
The four countries would essentially become laughingstocks.
But Johnson never expected that there were others wary of their Dragon Country.
His strength was evident; there was no way he could defeat the monster immediately.
So the answer was clear – they didn't trust Dragon Country, which was why they wouldn't act according to the time set by Dragon Country.
"Damn it!"
He cursed under his breath and rushed towards the battlefield.
On the way, Johnson encountered the Armored Man also heading to the battlefield. The two giants exchanged glances.
It was obvious which two countries had formed the smaller alliance.
...
A thick blackish-purple mist lingered in the monster's domain, like a curtain obscuring the situation within.
"Boom—"
A cursed energy slammed into a shield, emitting a deafening roar.
Saint Jeanna stood on a giant war chariot, the clash happening right above her head, yet she remained unafraid.
Behind her were countless Holy Knights.
The Holy Knights' bodies were masses of warmly glowing nothingness, with only their war horses and antiquated armor appearing real.
Within the area covered by the Holy Knights was a battlefield.
Saint Jeanna waved her flag, and they obeyed her command, firing a volley of arrows into the sky.
Countless golden-glowing arrows, unlike ordinary arrows, did not follow a parabolic trajectory but shot straight up towards the monster above.
The monster hovered in mid-air, appearing as an indistinguishable youth figure from the outside.
At first glance, it wore a black hooded robe, its body composed of floating lines of text with a hollow interior filled with blackish-purple mist swirling and churning within.
Upon closer inspection, the black hooded robe itself was also made of densely packed lines of text, just like its body.
Two blackish-purple flames flickered where its eyes should be.
Facing the volley of arrows, it didn't move its body.
Instead, the mist within extended outward, causing the text forming its outline to swell and distort...
Soon, it transformed into a spherical object, with countless lines of text encircling the blackish-purple misty sphere like rings around a planet.
The surrounding blackish-purple mist dispersed, condensing into a sturdy shield protecting the center.
As the mist scattered, the empty small town came into view.
The two figures on the ground, the Priest and Saint Jeanna, were also revealed.

he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...

't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.

ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"

with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!