51. The Prophecy of the Great Collapse

Wearing black glasses, Qin Lan stood on the street opposite Ma En.

“This is his address,” Qin Lan said into the air.

Through the lenses, directly across from Qin Lan stood her biological sister—Qin Luan.

Qin Luan was dressed casually, but faintly visible beneath her clothes were beautifully sculpted muscles. Aside from that, she looked simply like a charming girl-next-door.

It was hard to imagine that she was the imposing director of the Supernatural Coordination Bureau.

Of course, the reason why high-ranking federal officials spoke softly in her presence had nothing to do with her appearance.

Anyone standing before this Level V ability user—who could withstand missile strikes with her body, effortlessly obliterate several city blocks, and casually sink large fleets—would instinctively lower their voice.

She was also the sole reason the Supernatural Coordination Bureau could be established.

From the miniature earpiece embedded in the temple of the glasses came Qin Luan’s curious voice:

“I’ve never met an eraser of memories before. Some high-level psychic abilities can achieve similar feats, but as long as there are other telepaths, the memories can be unearthed again.

“If the principle behind his ability differs from those telepaths, it could have significant strategic implications.”

Qin Lan agreed:

“But now those fools want to stall his approval process, all because of some ridiculous political infighting. We don’t care about any of that, so why can’t they see it?”

Qin Luan replied:

“They actually understand our thoughts, but the problem lies in the differing perspectives of the world we see.

“It’s like looking at the same mountain peak—someone viewing it from dozens of kilometers away might think it’s nothing special, unworthy of concern.

“But only when you stand at its base can you truly appreciate its majesty.”

Qin Lan shook her head and said to her sister:

“They won’t understand.”

“They don’t need to,” Qin Luan said indifferently. “That’s one reason these bastards dare to act so nonchalantly—because we exist.

“Come on, take me to meet this Ma En.”

Knock, knock.

A brief knock on the door.

Ma En opened the door and looked at Qin Lan, who had suddenly put on glasses.

“You’ve made some progress,” she said, producing a pair of glasses and handing them to Ma En. “But this matter must be discussed privately. Ren Shizhi can’t see this. Although I don’t want to get involved in these political issues, one must play the game in this world.”

Ma En took the glasses:

“What is this...?”

“One of the Coordination Bureau’s research achievements,” she explained. “It’s half a technological product. You’ll understand once you put them on.”

Ma En donned the glasses.

***

A woman appeared in his field of vision.

“Hello,” she greeted with a smile. “I’m Qin Luan, Xiao Lan’s sister and the overall leader of the Coordination Bureau. She specially sent me to meet you.”

“Hello,” Ma En nodded slightly. “Is this about the contract?”

Qin Lan stepped back a few paces and quietly observed their conversation.

Qin Luan replied:

“That’s right. To put it simply, the Coordination Bureau isn’t as stable as it appears. Xiao Lan and I have elders who are officials in the Federation, which is why I can lead the bureau. But many politicians from other factions like to play dirty tricks.

“This time, Huang Qingfeng, who’s blocking your approval, is one of them.

“Normally, I could directly approve your application, but politicians from other factions will seize any opportunity to cause trouble for me. Still, I don’t really care about those issues...

“Besides, Xiao Lan rarely asks me for help.”

She smiled at her sister as she said this.

Ma En asked:

“So you came here because...?”

Qin Luan shrugged:

“I’ve actually already signed off on it. I’m here just to talk.

“As I said, there’s a lot of political struggle involved, but to me, it’s a tragically shortsighted approach. You’re an ability user too, so you should understand this feeling, right?

“They always fail to see the world as we do. No matter how hard you try to explain it, it’s useless.”

Though he couldn’t recall if he’d ever felt that way, he nodded affirmatively.

Qin Luan asked:

“How long do you think our society has before it collapses?”

Ma En paused and answered honestly:

“I don’t know.”

Qin Luan smiled:

“Good answer.”

Ma En looked at her in surprise.

She explained:

“That’s also my conclusion.

“Five thousand years? One thousand years? Five hundred years? Thirty years? Five years? Three years? Two months? Or tomorrow?

“I don’t know when society will collapse, but I know that when it does, there will be tragedies beyond imagination, crimes will become commonplace, and the weak will no longer be able to maintain their dignity or lives...

“I also know society is already on the brink of collapse—not within years, but not so distant as thousands of years either. The great collapse is inevitable—unless someone stops it.”

***

“I don’t expect you to understand the future I see, but I hope you trust me.

“Trust the judgment of a Level V ability user.”

Ma En nodded:

“All right.”

Qin Luan continued:

“I’ve told those politicians the great collapse is imminent, but they don’t believe me. They think it’s just an excuse for me to make demands and seek resources. So I’ve decided to ignore those fools and handle this myself.

“Regardless of whether it was Xiao Lan who mentioned you, I will find a way to approve your application because these dirty politics shouldn’t be your burden. I created the Coordination Bureau to delay and prevent the collapse.

“So here, I formally invite you to join the Coordination Bureau. I will revise your contract so there are no constraints. If necessary, you can leave at any time. But before that...

“I hope you will help me stop the collapse. This is not some noble ideal or grand pursuit; it’s a vital and important task—to prevent our own apocalypse, or rather...

“Your apocalypse.”

She looked at Ma En, hoping he would understand her words.

“If the current society really collapses, it will be a disaster for all the weak,” Ma En asked, “but it won’t be your apocalypse, right?”

Qin Luan smiled and nodded:

“Yes, the proper way to say it is this: except for the strongest ability users, the status of low-level users and ordinary people will drastically decline. Today’s Level III ability users already have high status, but by then, maybe only Level IV users will survive with dignity.

“If there are no constraints, the exploitation of the weak by the strong will be unrestrained. The oppression will become unprecedentedly bloody and cruel in a short time.

“That’s one of the rewards I offer you.

“Before the great collapse arrives, you won’t have to worry about troubles from the Federation government or others. You just need to carry out tasks that pose almost no risk to you.

“Stopping the collapse is the best outcome, but if the great collapse really comes...

“Then no matter how chaotic and dangerous the world becomes, all Coordination Bureau members who tried to stop the collapse will receive my protection.”

If the world really collapsed, Qin Luan would be among those no longer bound by any constraints.

And since she was striving to prevent the collapse...

Anyone would believe Qin Luan would keep her promise.

Qin Luan asked:

“If I continue to uphold what Xiao Lan once promised you, would you be willing to temporarily stand with my side and help save a society already gravely ill?”

Regardless of whether they were kind or evil, idealistic, ambitious, or selfish ability users, no one would refuse her after hearing this.

“Of course,” Ma En answered.