Chapter Fifty-Five: There Are No Useless Awakened Ones

Ye Chen was a man who used his head—he would never risk his own life or Ye Shanshan’s just to vent some pointless anger.

He understood how much information and authority was contained in that reprimand from the leader of the black-clad men.

Ye Chen saw, surrounded by a crowd of prominent elites, a strikingly handsome man draped in a white cloak. With one arm around a flamboyant woman dressed entirely out of season, the man strode out of the grand entrance, beaming with delight. The woman’s radiant smile matched his easy confidence.

Snowflakes drifted down, settling on the man’s white cloak and making it appear even more plush and voluminous.

Even though Ye Chen had never met the young lord of Mosa in person, the man’s aura and the way he was fawned over by everyone left little doubt as to his identity.

It wasn’t just this man—those sycophants trailing behind, vying for his favor, were not people someone like Ye Chen could afford to cross.

As the young lord of Mosa passed by Ye Chen, he turned his head—unfortunately for Ye Chen—and his gaze fell upon Ye Chen’s modest figure.

The moment the young lord noticed what Ye Chen held in his hands, he burst into loud, undisguised laughter.

“Oh? So he’s a patrolman from the outer city who loves reading and enjoys cooking?”

“With such shabby airs, do you really think you can get into the Emerald Crown?”

The glamorous woman at his side chimed in with a sweet, mocking tone, “His outfit is so outdated. Even one of your lackeys would outshine him.”

Mosa and Ye Chen had already passed each other, but the young lord’s laughter still rang out behind him: “Indeed, he’s not even worthy to carry my shoes!”

Ye Chen stared at Mosa’s retreating figure, his fists clenched tight with anger.

Just then, his communicator vibrated in his pocket. Taking it out, he found, as expected, a message from Qiao Mucao:

[Are you still in the business district? I’m almost at the gate of the Transcendents’ Residence, it’s about time to head back!]

[The business district is huge, and there are several famous shops. If you’re getting food, I bet you’re at… ]

[If it’s clothes, then you’re probably at… ]

[Just tell me where you are, I’ll come find you. Don’t want you to get lost.]

Sure enough, it was typical Qiao Mucao—each message was long-winded and full of digressions, not to mention the sneaky product placements.

Ye Chen smiled faintly and replied simply:

[I’ll be right there. Wait for me at the gate of the Transcendents’ Residence.]

In that moment, Ye Chen felt that no matter how many lofty dignitaries you might know, it could never compare to having a friend by your side who truly cared about you.

---

Ye Chen jogged toward the Transcendents’ Residence.

The evening wind carried flecks of snow, stinging his face like tiny blades. Under the streetlights, the snowflakes looked like shimmering fragments of silver swirling in the air, drifting down in waves.

They piled upon rooftops and blanketed the ground.

When Ye Chen finally reached the front gate, he saw Qiao Mucao approaching from a short distance away, waving as he walked.

He was now carrying a sleek, all-black metal case, which hadn’t been there before.

Seeing Ye Chen returning with his hands full, Qiao Mucao grinned. “Looks like you’ve had quite a haul today!”

Ye Chen chuckled inwardly… much more than you’d ever imagine!

On the way out of the inner city, Ye Chen asked tentatively, “Do you know what’s inside the case?”

Qiao Mucao looked aggrieved and grumbled, “I’d love to know too! First, Captain Lu warned me not to open it. Then, when I tried, I saw there’s a combination lock…”

Ye Chen found this amusing. Clearly, only a real lock could restrain Qiao Mucao’s curiosity—verbal warnings just wouldn’t cut it.

Why had Captain Lu chosen him to pick up the item? Was it just because he was a D-rank Awakened, or was his ability especially useful?

Seeing that Qiao Mucao was still grumbling, Ye Chen quickly changed the subject. “Qiao Mucao, what other Awakened have you met? Tell me some interesting stories!”

This question was right up his alley, and Qiao Mucao immediately brightened, forgetting his earlier displeasure.

“I once met a little girl whose awakened object was her stuffed toy dog. When her skill is active, the stuffed dog’s combat power rivals that of a mutated wild hound. But she can’t use the skill at home—otherwise, the dog would tear the place apart…”

Ye Chen was about to exclaim, “Impressive!” when Qiao Mucao rattled on:

“There’s an Awakened in the inner city patrol whose object is a bar of soap. He can restore any stains that were previously washed away! That’s why he’s kept in the inner city to work on tough cases.”

Ye Chen was stunned… was that a form of time reversal?

---

At this point, Qiao Mucao paused, a rare moment of reflection in his voice.

“In our Group Four, there’s someone whose awakened skill never really developed. It’s a shame.”

“How so?”

“His awakened object is a kitchen knife, but it can only cut vegetables—never meat. If it had been the other way around, it’d be a real weapon…”

Ye Chen thought to himself… isn’t that always the way? There are no useless Awakened, only impractical abilities.

The two walked and chatted along the way…

At last, they passed through the heavily guarded inner city gates and returned to the outer city within the allotted time.

The scenery changed again, and Ye Chen found himself among familiar streets.

A single gate divided two worlds.

No one bothered to clear snow from the outer city streets. After a day’s accumulation, it was already up to their ankles.

Continuing their earlier discussion, Ye Chen asked, “Qiao Mucao, since your ability is to turn objects you touch into rubber, what practical skills have you developed? Care to share a bit?”

To Ye Chen, this was a fair question—one Awakened discussing skill development with another, not prying into secrets.

Qiao Mucao pulled on his gloves, reached into the air, and made a grasping motion.

The few snowflakes he caught instantly turned black—not floating anymore, but dropping straight into his palm.

Qiao Mucao smiled. “I told you before, anything I grab can become rubber—including the human body, or parts of it.”

“Huh?!” Ye Chen’s mind raced, and he asked, half in shock and half in envy, “Wait… does that mean… there, too?”

Qiao Mucao nodded proudly, leaning in to whisper, “Yep, there too. Impressive, right? As long as you time it right, you know what I mean!”

Ye Chen was genuinely envious this time.

And you couldn’t even call it cheating—it was his natural-born ability.

Just as Qiao Mucao was basking in his pride, a sudden sharp “crack” sounded beneath his feet.

The noise was so abrupt that Ye Chen found it oddly familiar.