“The power in Zhen Li’s brain is the same as the power that protected his ‘impressions’ from being written over by Huan Zixu.” Luo Huai looked at You Zhengping. “Only the power protecting the captain was stronger.” 

With Zhen Li there, Luo Huai couldn’t say You Zhengping’s real name. After all, Captain You’s husband was still working at Zhen Li’s studio. 

Everyone looked at You Zhengping. Cen Xiao said, “That day on the roof, the black-cloaked man personally healed the captain when he was injured.” 

Before the black-cloaked man had appeared on the roof of the mall, everyone had been able to follow the battle through the security cameras. They knew how seriously You Zhengping had been injured. Nearly all of his internal organs has been blasted to pieces by Destroyer 192. His right arm had been broken in more than one place. These were wounds that ordinary treatment measures couldn’t heal. 

Apart from Yuan Luori, no one knew how the black-cloaked man healed. Everyone had only seen the outcome of the healing in You Zhengping. 

“It’s possible that he left behind the mental energy that protected the captain then,” Luo Huai said, nodding. 

“It seems that the black-cloaked man is preventing us from learning his identity,” Director Xiao said. “When someone so powerful is hiding in the shadows, it’s hard to let down our guards…” 

Lian Yufan thought about it and said, “Director, I’ve analyzed the data about the black-cloaked man.” 

Seeing Director Xiao nod faintly, Lian Yufan gave his results. “The first time the black-cloaked man appeared was to deal with Yuan Luori. When he appeared then, he chastised Yuan Luori and used his power to frighten the Clearing League. He also healed the seriously injured Yu Hua. 

“The second time, he appeared on the roof. He killed Destroyer 192, who hadn’t listened to his warning, and destroyed 192’s neckbands. According to our research, Destroyer 192 could change bodies by relying on those neckbands. The black-cloaked man destroying the neckbands prevented 192 from escaping and rescued countless lives that may have been lost because of 192. And during that battle, he also saved me and the captain.

“The third time, with Feng Kui and Huan Zixu, to tell the truth, if he hadn’t come, then of the four of us taking part in the operation, at least half would have died, and Feng Kui and Huan Zixu are also unlikely to have survived. He prevented a loss for both sides from occurring.

“There have also been three times that he didn’t appear but rendered aid. The first time was when he took the power of Zhen Li’s System and ordered Zhen Li to establish the studio, attracting the attention of all the Destroyers, according with our views. The second time was when he made Yuan Luori lure Destroyer 192 to Xincheng Mall. Once again his plans were the identical to ours. Now there’s this time. He’s told us in advance of our possible future enemies. 

“Other incomplete statistics show that since the Zhen Li Studio was established, our colleagues in Protection Organizations in other areas have been able to located seventeen Destroyers solely relying on monitoring inquiries about the Zhen Li Studio. Only those Destroyers weren’t as fortunate as the ones in the Xuyang District. They were controlled by the System and either died in battle or self-destructed after being caught. The Protectors of other areas have also suffered twenty-six deaths and thirty-five injuries. Among the injured, twelve will be unable to fight again. There were also dozens of casualties among ordinary people caught in the fray. 

“The Xuyang District is at the heart of the battle, but up to now we haven’t had any losses. The black-cloaked man’s contributions in this cannot go unnoticed.” 

You Zhengping looked at Lian Yufan. All the data presented by this Protector he didn’t get along with was actually in favor of the black-cloaked man. 

After reporting the data, Lian Yufan gave his conclusion. “Based on the present circumstances, I personally believe that the black-cloaked man can be trusted. He is not only opposed to the System, he is also willing to extend a helping hand to the Protection Organization and ordinary people. I haven’t reached this conclusion in gratitude because the black-cloaked man rescued me twice. I’ve made it on the basis of analyzing his behavior on its own merits. I incline towards preserving a non-aggressive manner in working with the black-cloaked man.” 

“Preserving it in what sense?” Director Xiao asked. 

Lian Yufan said, “Not delve into his identity, not disturb his actions, and demonstrate our good faith.” 

Director Xiao looked at Lian Yufan’s young face and shook his head. “Looking from the point of view of a Protector, that’s impossible. Not delving, not disturbing, indicates that we’re handing over the initiative to him, leaving him in the shadows and ourselves in the open. He’s currently willing to consider the safety of ordinary people. If there comes a day when he changes, what should we do?

“And according to Huan Zixu’s information, the System’s goal is to absorb the natural law power of different parallel worlds. The black-cloaked man shares this ability.

“The situation now stands at a triangular balance of power. If we and the black-cloaked man deal with the System, it’s two comparatively weak parties being forced join hands with some strong opponent. If one day the System disappears, we can’t know whether the Protection Organization will conduct a war against the black-cloaked man. 

“Of course we don’t hope for that day to arrive, but we must plan for the worst in everything. Learning the black-cloaked man’s identity beforehand will increase our ability to avoid risk.” 

Director Xiao’s speech rendered everyone silent. But You Zhengping raised his hand. 

If even Lian Yufan could speak in favor of the black-cloaked man, then he shouldn’t remain silent. 

Having received a sign from Director Xiao, You Zhengping said, “Captain Lian has used data to speak from the rational point of view, so I’ll discuss instinct. Huan Zixu mentioned before that if too strong a power came to our world, the world law would even engage in a life and death struggle to prevent them from invading. The black-cloaked man arrived fifteen years ago, and the world law didn’t prevent him.” 

You Zhengping brought up a previously unthought of point of view. This point of view surprised everyone. 

Lian Yufan was taken aback by You Zhengping upholding his point of view. This was the first time the two of them had reached a consensus. 

“True, your view makes sense.” Director Xiao, who had been unconvinced by rational data, was moved by You Zhengping’s words. 

“Also, he has always protected us,” You Zhengping said. “It’s been fifteen years. If it wasn’t that he couldn’t protect us any longer, that he had come to the end of his strength, he wouldn’t have let Destroyers come to this world. It’s our good fortune to have encountered him.” 

Director Xiao couldn’t avoid being visibly moved. He remembered the battles of the first half of his life and the peace of the second half. It had been the black-cloaked man’s existence that had bought this world fifteen years of breathing room. 

“I’ll try to convince my superiors,” Director Xiao at last relented. “In fact, the leadership level is also divided between two view points. We were missing compelling evidence. You’ve provided me with a good line of thought.” 

You Zhengping and Lian Yufan looked at each other and smiled. Since training, they had competed against each other in open strife and veiled conflict. Neither had been able to change the other’s views. 

But in reality, sometimes you didn’t need to change each other for your views to be the same. 

Because their goals were identical. 

“Also, I propose permitting Zhen Li to join the Protection Organization,” Lian Yufan said. “He’s never hurt anyone, and he’s always helped us. The world law has also acknowledged his contribution.” 

Director Xiao recited the Protection Organization’s regulations. “For a special ability user from civilian life to enter the Protection Organization, the recommendation of three or more Protectors is required, and one of the recommenders must be of captain rank. They must then undergo a three month observation. Special ability users with faulty histories also have to render meritorious service.”

“I recommend Zhen Li,” Cen Xiao said, raising his hand. 

“Me, too,” You Zhengping said. He had always been somewhat jealous of Zhen Li because of his face and his little secrets with the black-cloaked man, but when it came to recommending him, You Zhengping wasn’t about to call Zhen Li’s contributions into question. 

“Adding in that I made the proposal, that makes three,” Lian Yufan said. “Zhen Li’s performance at the Xincheng Mall attracted countless observers. He also ate the bomb Destroyer 192 placed in the lottery box, saving hundreds of customers at the mall that day. That counts as a meritorious service, doesn’t it?” 

“It does,” Director Xiao said. “Is Comrade Zhen Li willing to join the Protection Organization?”

“Can I?” Hearing that the two captains and Plain Face Number 1 were speaking in his favor, Zhen Li was so happy that tears came to his eyes. He said excitedly, “I’m willing! I’m part of this world, too. I want to calmly live my future life here. I’m willing to contribute my strength!” 

“After the meeting, fill out a form. If there are no unfavorable signs during the three month observation period, you can become a Protector and enjoy all the remuneration given to Protectors by the state,” Director Xiao said. “Are you still living in a basement? I can request a temporary apartment near the studio for you ahead of time. An ordinary Protector has the right to an 80 square meter apartment in any region. When you’ve been working for ten years, all the rights in the apartment will belong to you.” 

“An 80 square meter apartment in the Xuyang District?” Zhen Li recalled the housing prices in the Xuyang District and was happy enough to faint. 

He really was a lucky person. Ever since coming to this world, his luck had been great! 

Director Xiao saw Zhen Li’s happy look and couldn’t help smiling, too. 

In his era, how could such a thing as a Destroyer becoming a Protector have happened? There had been no communication between the two sides. When the Protectors discovered a Destroyer, they would do everything they could to eliminate them. And the Destroyers only wanted to complete their missions. They believed themselves a cut above others. They had no empathy for ordinary people. 

Today’s situation had come about because the black-cloaked man had given the new generation of Protectors fifteen years, let them grow up healthy and without hatred. He had also removed Zhen Li and the others’ Systems, allowing some of the Destroyers to experience the commonplace. 

That there were a few Destroyers who could become Protectors showed that the age truly had changed. Director Xiao was slightly emotional. 

After a period of happiness, Zhen Li anxiously said, “Director Xiao, if the natural law ability user that the great master talked about really does come, what should we do?” 

“Your line of thought has changed pretty rapidly. So soon, and you’ve started thinking from the point of view of a Protector,” Director Xiao said. “Don’t worry, the Protection Organization has persisted for so many years. We still have some cards in our hand.” 

“But that all comes at the cost of Protectors’ lives!” Zhen Li thought of what he had heard from Yuan Luori about how the handsome uncle Protector had been injured, and he felt afraid. “How many people will be sacrificed if such a powerful person comes?”  

“If they really are strong to a certain degree, not too many people will die,” Director. Xiao said. “It’s all right to tell you about this. Captain Lian, you explain.” 

Having received permission, Lian Yufan explained the World Protection Organization’s ‘source project’ to Zhen Li. Around fifty years earlier, a very strong Destroyer for the time appeared. A number of Protectors who thought they were certain to die had a sudden thought just before death. They merged all their powers together, releasing a power far exceeding what they had imagined, defeating the Destroyer. Apart from being exhausted, the Protectors had been intact. 

This had attracted serious notice from the Protection Organization. After several studies, the organization made a stunning discovery. When Protectors’ powers were combined, one and one made far greater than two, especially when powers with the same property were combined; the force was unimaginable. A Protector skilled in calculation had believed that if the power of all the Protectors in the world was gathered in one person, that person would have been able to destroy the world in one blow.  

The Protection Organization experimented constantly. They started by combining the same properties, then added similar properties, then followed with different properties. Everyone found that as long as they followed some mysterious order, even abilities with totally opposed properties could be perfectly combined. 

For example, if you combined a fire type power with a fire type power, then added the similar wind, having the wind attribute, you could go on to add wood, earth, metal. In the end, even water types could be combined with a fire property power. 

Then an elderly Protector who was also a physicist and philosopher had come up with an idea—the source project. 

He had thought that the origin of all the Protectors’ power was identical. Perhaps everyone’s powers began at some identical mysterious source and would only gradually separate into different properties in each person’s body. So when all the world’s Protectors were put together through some medium, in the end, all the power would concentrate in a single person’s body, and that person could defeat all the Destroyers. 

According to this belief, every country had begun to research methods for combining power. Countries with advanced technology had developed fusing weapons, while the countries with long histories had researched energy fields. 

The repulsion field was a by-product of this project. 

“That’s amazing!” Zhen Li said excitedly when he had heard. “Then we don’t need to worry at all! But then why…didn’t you use the source plan when dealing with a Destroyer like 192 and used the repulsion field instead?” 

Lian Yufan said gravely, “Two reasons brought this project to a halt. First, who would be that person? Who could grasp all that power, far exceed humanity, and then be willing to be an ordinary rank and file Protector? I don’t think I’m that enlightened, and I wouldn’t request it of other people. Even if someone could do it, what country and what organization would allow such a powerful person to appear? 

“Second, the source project has a boundary point. Forty years ago, there was a country that managed at last to combine all its power into the strongest Protector. But when the power reached a certain threshold, this Protector’s power went out of control. He was unable to control his rapidly increasing power or his mind. In the end, his power was exhausted, and he died at the bottom of the sea. He even caused a small-scale tsunami. 

“This made everyone realize that humans have a limit. Humans aren’t gods. Each country’s Protection Organization wondered, where was that boundary? Then the black-cloaked man’s words made us realize that it was natural law power. Without grasping natural law power, even if you combined that much power in a single person’s body, he still wouldn’t be a suitable receptacle to contain it.” 

“After that Protector lost control and died, the World Protection Organization stopped the source project,” Director Xiao said. “Several countries’ leaders signed an agreement saying that if they encountered a Destroyer with extremely powerful destructive force, they would choose one Protector with the greatest potential and provisionally use the source project once. Up to now, the source project has been activated three times. Each time, when it was over, the Protector who assumed the power would either die or be unable to keep fighting. A human can’t assume the power of a god.” 

“So that means that if a super strong Destroyer does come, our choice would be…” Zhen Li had already guessed the outcome. 

Lian Yufan expressionlessly said, “Essentially it would be a story of sacrificing one person to protect everyone.” 

“But if we restricted the power to what was within the scope of that person’s endurance, then no one would be sacrificed,” You Zhengping contradicted him. 

---

Author's Note

Lian Yufan: Yu Hua is an asshole. I’m ashamed that we’re both human! 

Lian Yufan: The black-cloaked man has helped us time and time again. I’m willing to trust him and establish an equal cooperative relationship with him. I would vouch for him with my life. 

Yu Hua: Oh, humans.