Where can I test for an ability user's level?

For a moment, the hall fell silent.

In the distance, people seemed to be whispering among themselves.

The recent quarrel—and even the brief fight—had drawn some attention.

Yet they merely watched silently; no one seemed willing to interfere.

Most people even glanced once and then left.

"We have a duty to ensure that no one in the spaceport gets attacked—unless they're Federation fugitives," said a staff member with a stiff smile.

"If you're the first to attack someone, the drone will lock onto you as the primary target."

Su Xuan replied, "Alright."

It seems there's no such thing as compensation for mental damages after all.

Especially since that staff member's eyes were filled with exasperation, as if he'd become immune to this kind of scam.

Perhaps it had happened too many times.

After all, among the people coming to Dark Star, hardly any are law-abiding citizens; everyone wants to seize an opportunity to make a quick buck, though money isn't that easy to earn.

Dark Star is densely populated, and there's more than one spaceport. Behind these spaceports are different factions that even compete with each other, so the staff's attitudes aren't too bad.

But that doesn't mean they can be cheated out of money.

"By the way, these two—"

The staff member scanned the faces of the corpses with his light brain.

"They already have criminal records."

Then, seemingly to discourage Su Xuan from further demanding compensation, he added that there are many such people on Dark Star who hang around the spaceport.

"They snatch newcomers' chips to use as collateral for high-interest loans, or they even kidnap and sell people, depending on what kind of target they're after."

"But most of the time, they follow people outside to commit crimes. Perhaps this time—"

He paused.

It seemed that an outsider as frail as she, once leaving the spaceport, would easily be targeted by various people. Perhaps those two were in urgent need of money and, fearing that another trafficker might snatch her, impulsively decided to act inside.

The staff member didn't say this explicitly, but Su Xuan could somewhat grasp his meaning.

It was nothing more than taking a risk to pull off a scam—betting on whether she would resist, whether she could successfully fight back, and whether the drone could arrive in time.

"…Alright."

Su Xuan noticed that on the chest of the staff member's uniform was a white, spherical emblem.

Similar symbols appeared on various equipment in the spaceport, on work robots, and on armored drones.

Somewhat familiar.

This emblem had shown up many times even in the wasteland's garbage heaps.

Su Xuan abandoned the idea of demanding compensation, silently joined the exit line, and, after a herculean effort and several adjustments, finally managed to get her light brain to read the chip.

However, the signal was intermittent—on and off.

Behind her, people muttered a few remarks:

"Those two idiots had to start a fight in the spaceport."

"Tsk, forget it. Even if they fight outside, they still won't win."

"Indeed, that guy's moves weren't graceful—though he was quite decisive—"

They watched her slender back, estimating that for someone of her height and long arms, if she tried a single strike directly aimed at an opponent's heart, she might need to delay slightly.

That slight delay could very well result in her getting hit by an opponent's stun gun.

Gradually, the assorted chatter faded away.

Su Xuan successfully exited the spaceport and stepped into the noisy, dangerous city.

Perhaps because of her earlier display, no one bothered her for the time being, and she was able to drive off alone.

Her left arm, which had borne the brunt of the attack, still ached faintly—that man's knee had collided with her elbow, which had been very uncomfortable at the time, though the pain quickly subsided now.

As for the rest, in this world where human life is as cheap as straw, she had long been mentally prepared, so facing corpses evoked nothing more than the expected feeling.

Outside the spaceport stretched long streets, with some shops around—mostly selling parts and providing modification services, as well as a few vehicle rental companies.

It was late at night, and on the streets of the outer district, pedestrians still flowed continuously.

After a few blocks, she parked her vehicle in front of a fast-food restaurant and found an empty seat by a glass wall to keep an eye on the cars outside.

Muttering the balance in her account, Su Xuan had no choice but to temporarily give up ordering à la carte and purchase the most cost-effective limited-time combo:

A giant exploding chicken cutlet, a medium pack of roasted potato wedges, a small vegetable salad, and a cup of chocolate milk.

While waiting for her food, Su Xuan opened her light brain again.

Inside, unread messages scrolled densely.

Ninety percent of the messages were advertisements, welcoming her to Dream City while simultaneously trying to sell her something.

Spaceships, cars, weapons, bionics, mechanical implants of all kinds—even organs. Some even explicitly stated that if she was short on money, they were willing to buy her organs.

Speechless, Su Xuan immediately blocked the sender.

A portion of the messages were job listings.

She carefully browsed through them.

"Good evening."

A staff member approached with a tray.

The chicken cutlet was crispy on the outside, and the melted cheese inside was rich and steaming hot.

The roasted potatoes were sprinkled with black pepper and chopped parsley, making both their taste and texture exceptionally appealing.

Several condiments were placed on the table.

She picked out pepper salt, chili powder, and ketchup, then shook the Thousand Island dressing bottle for a long while, finally squeezing the last bit onto her vegetable salad.

—It was delicious!

She hadn't eaten a proper meal in three days, surviving only on nutrient solutions that tasted like water.

Those solutions could prevent starvation and keep her from developing deficiencies in trace elements, but they did nothing to satisfy cravings and barely provided any sense of fullness.

Logically, with her current financial situation, she should have been saving money.

However, after finishing the meal, she felt that even if this dinner had cost her one-seventh of her total savings, it was absolutely worth it.

As she ate, Su Xuan filtered through most of the job listings, discarding many that seemed unreliable or like outright scams.

Then, one particularly eye-catching ad appeared.

When she clicked on it, a dynamic holographic projection played automatically, accompanied by a voiceover:

"Perhaps you possess a special power. Perhaps you simply refuse to surrender to an ordinary life."

"Whether you seek adventure, crave battle, or simply desire wealth and luxury—"

"The Mercenary Guild of Star 233 welcomes your enlistment."

"Ah, the Mercenary Guild," a passing staff member remarked.

"If I were an ability user, I'd definitely try my luck there."

Su Xuan opened the map to check the guild's location and found that there were also some firearms and weapon shops nearby.

Perhaps she could take care of some business there as well.

However, the staff member's words raised another question:

What exactly was her ability?

At first, she had assumed it was self-healing—or some kind of enhanced physical constitution.

She thought back to Han Yu.

Back then, he had implied that even with severe injuries, as long as he had a safe environment, he could recover completely without even needing medicine.

Maybe self-healing was a fundamental trait? A power that all ability users shared?

If so, what other abilities did she have?

Searching online, she found a chaotic mix of information regarding ability users.

Many claims contradicted each other, making them seem unreliable.

Some people stated that ability users had diverse powers, but each person only had one unique ability.

Others called that nonsense, claiming they had seen people with multiple abilities—one moment breathing fire, the next spouting water, and then suddenly soaring into the sky.

The comments below ridiculed that claim, saying it sounded more like a circus performance.

Su Xuan couldn't help but laugh.

Originally, she had planned to extract some information from Han Yu, but his attitude had been too insufferable. Frustrated, she had stormed out instead.

Of course, there was also the urgency of the situation, but in that moment, she could have stayed a few more minutes to talk.

However, he had only seen her as a weakling who needed to be kept away from danger. Whether he would have been willing to lay everything out for her was uncertain.

Now, regret was useless. It was better to find another way to get the answers.

"Each person has only one ability? That's obviously impossible—"

After all, Han Yu could heal himself and had at least one combat-capable power.

She was more inclined to believe in the theory of multiple abilities.

And if it were her?

Would she prefer elemental abilities like fire, water, wind, and lightning, as if wielding magic? Or the power to snap her fingers and hypnotize hundreds, even thousands, of people?

—Both seemed to have their own advantages.

Su Xuan left the fast-food restaurant.

She passed through many long, sparsely populated streets, where towering apartment buildings stood densely packed. Countless narrow windows glowed with light, and sewage pipes crisscrossed the spaces between them.

The alleys were also jammed with various vehicles, blocking the roads almost completely. Many cars were secured with heavy anti-theft chains.

Driving along the outer streets, she occasionally caught glimpses of figures moving in the alleys, cigarette embers flickering and fading in the darkness.

After two or three hours, she reached the middle district.

The buildings here were more spacious, with commercial office towers beginning to appear, and pedestrian traffic gradually increasing.

The scene was starting to resemble the bustling cityscape she remembered.

People's attire varied widely.

Some wore work uniforms, some were dressed in sharp suits, while others sported trendy outfits or had modified their bodies—exposing metal prosthetics, their cybernetic eyes glowing with flowing light.

Some appeared to be hybrids of humans and animals.

Patterns curled across their cheeks, or gills emerged from their necks, or round and triangular beast ears stood atop their heads, with fluffy tails swaying beneath their coats.

Su Xuan even saw a giant cat sitting in the passenger seat of a nearby car, slowly transforming into a human while lazily yawning.

"?!"

In just an hour, she had witnessed all sorts of astonishing sights. The initial shock and curiosity gradually faded into calm acceptance.

She weaved through the crowded traffic, surrounded by dazzling neon lights. Giant screens towered above, playing advertisements in a chaotic blur of colors and images.

The uneven skyline of buildings cast dense, ominous shadows, resembling a steel jungle hiding black holes, waiting to devour their prey.

Above, aerial tracks crisscrossed the sky, with winged vehicles zipping past like fleeting illusions.

Yet she knew the truth.

Beneath this seemingly thriving and beautiful façade lurked countless dangers and treachery.

From her memories, she recalled her foster father's description of Dark Star, calling it a place where "you could be robbed and killed just for walking down the street."

He said the people there thrived on plundering and preying on the weak. He also mentioned a relative who had been stripped of everything in Dark Star—even their corneas and kidneys had been taken.

"You must never, ever go near such a place."

Her foster father had warned, "You have no idea what kind of people live there."

While waiting at a red light, a large billboard across the street began playing a commercial.

"Do you feel lonely? Are your nights filled with solitude?"

On-screen, a man and a woman appeared, their features so exquisite that every contour and proportion seemed meticulously calculated.

Their figures were near perfect—flawless skin, sculpted muscles—every gesture exuding elegance and allure.

"If you need companionship, if you desire a confidant, a perfect lover, choose Aimeer Corporation and customize your own exclusive bionic partner—"

Su Xuan had just received a promotional message from this company, seemingly advertising these bionic beings.

Her gaze lingered on the flashing screen until a honk from behind jolted her back—she realized the light had turned green.

Even though she was still far from the inner city, the closer she got, the more congested the streets became, with increasingly dense crowds.

There were more patrolling drones, 360-degree rotating surveillance cameras, and even small automated turrets stationed near banks and ATMs.

A massive transport truck rumbled down the street, with heavily armored mechanical soldiers seated atop it.

Above them, a heavily armed winged vehicle hovered, encased in thick bulletproof plating designed to withstand heavy artillery fire.

The surrounding pedestrians—and even the drivers and passengers inside their vehicles—kept casting furtive glances toward it.

It seemed they were all guessing what cargo the truck was carrying, and whether they had the means to seize it.

The next second, chaos erupted.

A fiery explosion burst into the sky, engulfing the armored winged vehicle.

A chain reaction of crashes and human screams followed.

The mechanical soldiers immediately switched to combat mode, raising their weapons. But before they could even lock onto a target, another thunderous explosion shook the air.

A blinding white light detonated overhead.

Su Xuan instinctively shut her eyes.

Even with her eyelids closed, she could feel the intense heat and pressure spreading like a tidal wave, surging across thousands of meters.

A few seconds later, she forced herself to open her eyes despite the overwhelming discomfort.

Most of the people around her still had their eyes tightly shut, some even collapsing to the ground.

At the intersection, a crater fifty meters wide had formed.

The mechanical soldiers, the armored winged vehicle, and the massive transport truck—all had vanished.

Or rather, they had been reduced to dust, drifting away like scattered ashes in the wind.

For a brief moment, everything fell into an eerie silence.

Then, Su Xuan abruptly realized—someone had just ambushed the transport truck and wiped everything out in an instant.

About thirty seconds later, a swarm of drones arrived belatedly, their sirens piercing through the streets. One by one, armored winged vehicles rushed in from all directions.

Yet, they had no target to track.

They could only hover aimlessly, circling in confusion.

The damaged road was handed over to repair robots, and traffic quickly resumed as vehicles maneuvered around the deep crater.

Turning a corner, Su Xuan entered an exceptionally crowded district.

Men and women of all shapes and sizes stood on both sides of the street, dressed in revealing clothing, their hair dyed in vivid colors. Their skin reflected the glow of neon lights, shimmering with an inorganic, cold sheen.

Some pedestrians stopped to exchange a few words with them before leading their chosen companion into a nearby bar or disappearing into the shadows of an alley.

It was only then that she realized—they were all bionic beings.

They were standing on the streets, soliciting clients.

"..."

A few minutes later, Su Xuan arrived at her destination.

The headquarters of the 233rd Star Mercenary Association, located at the border between the middle district and the inner district.

Nearby was an expansive plaza, and from a distance, a towering landmark was visible.

Two massive crossed swords, at least a hundred meters tall, loomed over the night like two slanted skyscrapers.

Around the plaza, there was a parking lot filled with rows of flamboyantly decorated vehicles.

Beside it lay the entrance to the underground streets.

After parking her car, Su Xuan descended the steps, passing through the densely packed crowd. It didn't take long before she reached the main entrance of the Mercenary Association.

People were constantly coming and going.

Most moved with urgency, yet the noise never ceased.

Someone was dragging a cage inside, and the beast within let out continuous, enraged roars.

It resembled a lion but had two heads, each one violently ramming the bars, its claws scraping against the metal with an ear-piercing screech.

"Keep your damn beast quiet!"

Someone shouted from the side.

"Piss off!"

The person dragging the cage removed their face guard and snapped irritably.

As soon as the surrounding people saw his face, they immediately stepped aside, clearing a path—except for two individuals who remained unfazed and walked past him without hesitation.

Moments later, someone entered carrying a corpse.

Another person arrived, dragging along a sobbing child.

Then, two groups broke into a fight.

One person was kicked into the air, landing in a heap of bodies outside on the street.

Another was sent staggering backward by a punch—colliding directly into Su Xuan.

The crowd was packed shoulder to shoulder, leaving her with no room to retreat.

To avoid getting hit in the face, she instinctively raised her hand to block.

A sharp pain shot through her fingertips, a numbing sensation crawling up her arm, as though every nerve and blood vessel were violently convulsing.

"Damn."

She gritted her teeth and let out a muffled groan.

Then, she saw the person's arm—wrapped in crackling blue electricity.

The thin, snake-like arcs of lightning slithered over their skin, sparking with soft, popping sounds.

That was what she had just touched.

"…Sorry."

The person apologized hastily, straightening up before lunging back into the fight.

"You son of a bitch, are you trying to die—?!"

"—Like hell you've got what it takes to kill me."

The other opponent raised his hand, summoning rings of fire that flickered and pulsed, the intense heat warping the surrounding air.

"Come on, then."

Without hesitation, Su Xuan turned around and stepped inside.

She glanced down at her hand.

The pain had yet to subside.

But from her fingers to her forearm, there were no visible injuries—only a slight redness at her fingertips.

The automatic doors shut behind her, sealing off the curses, screams, and the sharp cracks of gunfire that followed.

The hall was packed with people, despite the spaciousness. It felt incredibly crowded, and the noise was constant—shouts and commotion echoing everywhere. At first glance, it almost resembled a stock exchange.

Screens of various sizes hung everywhere, displaying task information that was constantly scrolling.

"Type 1 Task: See ID k18092437, Requirement: Level 2 Ability User."

"Type 2 Task, Requirement: Level 3 Ability User, Elemental Ability, Negotiable."

These were tasks posted by employers.

There were also mercenaries standing in the hall, with text projections floating around them, seemingly trying to recruit teammates.

"Type 2 Task, Level 3 Ability User, Mental Ability, Negotiable."

"Grizzly Beast, two more people, Level 2 Ability User, Level 3 Ability Users must demonstrate abilities."

The place was chaotic, with people constantly shoving and arguing. Su Xuan squeezed through the crowd and made her way to the wall.

There was a row of self-service machines there, with only a few people using them, while most were busy operating their lightbrains.

Su Xuan found an empty machine, and sure enough, it offered the option to register as a mercenary.

The process was simple enough.

All you needed was an identity chip and a fee of 5,000 Star Credits to become a mercenary recognized by the association, and then you would have the right to download and use a software for task queries.

Su Xuan: "......"

5,000 Star Credits.

Wasn't that a little excessive?

Wait.

She suddenly remembered that she still had some valuable items on hand, all taken from Han Yu's pockets.

And there were weapon shops near the mercenary association—maybe she could sell those items.

Just as she was about to head out, she noticed a line of text scrolling across the screen below.

"Ability Users of Level 1 or higher may register for free."

"Excuse me."

Su Xuan stopped a passing staff member. "Where can I test my ability level?"