Catastrophe Containment Facility

As soon as Wen Wen finished speaking, the printer beside the young man whirred into action, and two copies of the contract were printed out.

Wen Wen's eyes nearly popped out at this operation; he didn't see the young man make any movement, yet the machine started on its own?

The technology of the Earth Federation wasn't as advanced as that of the other Earth, so to Wen Wen, this seemed a little inconceivable.

"I've taken care of all the procedures for you. There are two copies of the contract; just sign and take one with you, and then you can leave," Ding Mingguang said with disdain, as Wen Wen's presence was interrupting his anime watching.

Wen Wen: "..."

When Wen Wen came out of the room, he was entirely baffled. He had never signed a contract so swiftly. The paperwork for his detective license had been much more complicated than what he had just gone through.

"What's the matter, did he scare you?" Lin Zheyuan asked with a smile as he stood by the door.

"Hmm... He's somewhat strange," Wen Wen sighed and said.

"His ability is called 'Programmer Ape.' It's an ape that lives in the virtual world and can freely manipulate all the electronic devices around him.

"This ability enables him to work with incredible efficiency for tasks like these. Many people from other districts are envious of us," Lin Zheyuan explained.

Programmer Ape...

"By the way, what's your choice?" Lin Zheyuan asked.

"Freelance Hunter," Wen Wen said after musing for a moment.

"What a pity. You're quite skilled and have experience as a detective; I was hoping you would join our Hunter team." A look of regret flashed across Lin Zheyuan's face, and for some reason, he felt somewhat relieved.

Although Wen Wen hadn't done anything bad yet, Lin Zheyuan always felt that Wen Wen did not seem like a good person; there was a certain air of a villain about him.

"It's all hunting monsters; what's the difference where I do it," Wen Wen said nonchalantly.

"If you encounter something you can't handle, be sure to contact us. Don't deal with it yourself; that usually invites bigger trouble," Lin Zheyuan cautioned.

"What kind of 'unmanageable things' are you referring to?" Wen Wen asked with a spark of interest.

"Any beings, monsters, you're not confident you can handle, and... be careful around superpower users who don't belong to the Hunters Association or other organizations. They can be dangerous," Lin Zheyuan emphasized to Wen Wen repeatedly.

"I'll keep that in mind. Moreover, the information that bald monkey gave me should have made that very clear..." Wen Wen waved his hand, ready to leave.

"It's an ape, not a monkey," Lin Zheyuan corrected seriously.

"An ape is a monkey," Wen Wen replied earnestly.

...

Upon leaving the psychiatric hospital, Wen Wen had gained a new identity: a freelance hunter with the Hunters Association.

This was like adding a layer of insurance to his hunting activities; he no longer needed to go to great lengths to hide many things and could also enjoy the resources of the Hunters Association to some extent.

It turned him from an unregistered superpower user into a legitimate one.

The efficiency of the Hunters Association surprised him; it was so fast it almost seemed hasty. He had expected this visit to the Hunters Association to be more complicated.

Back at the hotel, Wen Wen began reading the information Ding Mingguang had given him.

The strength between superpower users was difficult to distinguish due to serious counteracting phenomena, but, in general, mastery of Supernatural Power could be divided into five levels.

Exploration, Mastery, Assimilation, True Self, Transcendence.

Exploration was when superpower users had just gained their supernatural strength, unaware of their capabilities or the limits of their power, growing stronger as they explored step by step.

Even though he used gloves to access Supernatural Power, Wen Wen was probably at this level. Although he had explored to some extent, he still wasn't clear about the extent of what he could do.

'Mastery' meant that superpower users fully understood their own strength and could skillfully employ it, transforming it into their own personal power.

As for 'Assimilation,' the material did not elaborate, only mentioning that superpower users in the Assimilation Realm underwent a qualitative change, with most of the upper echelons of the Hunters Association at this stage.

However, the vast majority of superpower users were in the realms of Exploration and Mastery. Knowing about the Assimilation Realm was of little use at the present stage.

There was even less detailed information about 'True Self' and 'Transcendence.' 'True Self' represented the top combat power of the Hunters Association, while 'Transcendence' had hardly any explanation at all.

As for how to train Supernatural Power, there was no mention here. Since each superpower user's strength was different, there likely wasn't a universal method.

Now Wen Wen was more or less an extramural personnel, and perhaps the Hunters Association had training methods, but it was also uncertain whether they would share that with him.

Beyond the strengths of superpower users, there were other matters that caught Wen Wen's attention, specifically what Lin Zheyuan emphasized: the organized superpower users who were not a part of the Hunters Association.

These secretive superpower organizations were typically not easy to provoke. The document detailed some of the horrifying cases they had been involved in, yet detailed information was absent.

"As expected, the Hunters Association still keeps some things back from 'extramural personnel' like me." Wen Wen's lips curled upward; the more they held back, the more he wanted to find out.

Among the information were numerous other topics, too many to be read in one sitting. After Wen Wen had gotten a full understanding, he gained another layer of insight into the world of superpower users. Those details are omitted here.

...

Five days later

"Captain, are we really ending the investigation and surveillance on Wen Wen just like that?" A bald man in a pink sweater asked, frowning.

"Five days is enough. He's just a novice and his record seems clean. We'll leave it at that for now. We don't have the time to waste on constantly monitoring him," Lin Zheyuan said while attending to paperwork.

"That's true, we've been short-staffed lately." The bald man sighed. "These past few years, those things have become increasingly active. I have a bad feeling about this."

"But conversely, the number of newly awakened superpower users has also increased. Let those big shots handle these troublesome entities; what we need to do is to protect the city well," Lin Zheyuan said as he leaned back in his chair and gazed out the window absently.

To gain the trust of the Hunters Association and become a freelance hunter was certainly not as simple as signing a couple of agreements.

In these few days, the Hunters Association thoroughly investigated Wen Wen, checking every person he had had extended contact with, to ensure no potential dangers were associated with him.

This would normally be a tedious task, but with Ding Mingguang's ability, the process was greatly shortened.

Nonetheless, passing the vetting process in just five days was more due to the fact that Wen Wen appeared to be a newly awakened superpower user. If he had been a superpower user who hadn't emerged before, they certainly wouldn't have let him off easily.