The indistinct figure approached the fallen tiger with astonishment, his form gradually sharpening into clarity. After confirming the beast's demise, he turned to Xiao Feng, regarding him with a mixture of awe and suspicion, as if beholding a creature from another world. "Brother, what kind of gun is that of yours? It's remarkably powerful."
Xiao Feng glanced at the youth but did not reply directly, instead asking Pandora, "What level esper is he?"
Pandora shook her head. "Like you, he shows no level."
Xiao Feng was momentarily stunned. "No level displayed..." Then, compelled by a sudden, powerful intuition, he reached out to grasp the boy's wrist. This was the very youth he had been searching for.
Yet the boy resisted, asking warily, "What do you want?"
"Let me see your wrist," Xiao Feng stated firmly.
"No way! Why should I show you?"
Surprised, Xiao Feng retorted, "What harm is there in letting me see?"
"Why should I?" the boy repeated stubbornly.
Quickly reacting, Xiao Feng rolled up his own sleeve, revealing a tattoo. "I'll show you mine first..."
The boy froze, clad in worn clothes with a dagger at his waist. Beneath his black bangs, his dark eyes brimmed with astonishment. "You... you... you have the same tattoo?"
Xiao Feng smiled. "You do too, don't you?"
The boy nodded, then rolled up his sleeve to reveal an identical tattoo on his wrist.
Xiao Feng seized the boy's wrist, scrutinizing the barcode etched there. The final digit was indeed a 6.
"See that? Yours is 6; mine is 9," Xiao Feng said with a grin.
The boy's eyes widened. "You're number 9, and I'm 6? What does that mean? Am I senior to you, or are you stronger?"
Xiao Feng chuckled softly. "Probably the latter. You look much younger than me. By the way, what's your name? Qin Tian, right?"
Qin Tian's surprise deepened. "How do you know my name?"
"Heh, I'm Xiao Feng. We came looking for you this time. We met your grandfather back in the protection zone, so naturally we sought you out. What a coincidence..."
"Yeah, quite a coincidence. That gun of yours is incredible—one shot took down that huge tiger." Having established a rapport, Qin Tian reached out to touch the Black Angel.
Xiao Feng smiled. "This gun is a modification of three Black Angels merged into one. Do you know what a Black Angel is?"
Qin Tian shook his head, curiosity painted across his face. He was shorter and thinner than Xiao Feng, with long black hair partially obscuring his eyes. He bore no trace of eccentricity, just the fragile air of a shy youth.
"No idea. But your gun feels really powerful. Can I hold it?"
Xiao Feng laughed and handed over the Black Angel. With a loud thud, the weapon slammed onto the ground. The combined weight of three Black Angels plus a laser gun was immense. Xiao Feng himself could barely carry it when his powers were suppressed—let alone Qin Tian.
"Wow, that heavy?"
"Yeah, very heavy. You won't be able to use it..."
Qin Tian steadied the weapon, examining it carefully before returning it. "Number 9, huh? You never introduced me to those two friends of yours."
Xiao Feng blinked in surprise. "You call me 9?"
"Yeah, I'm 6, so I call you 9. What's wrong with that?" Qin Tian shot him a disdainful look, then sauntered over to Tugou. Eyeing the strange figure, he tapped the armor on Tugou's fist. "Hey, what's all this stuff you're wearing? Heavy, isn't it? You don't even look Asian."
Knowing the boy's connection to Xiao Feng, Tugou paid him no mind, letting Qin Tian marvel over his array of gear.
As if eager to impress, Tugou clicked open his armor to reveal an array of miniature missiles. Qin Tian was utterly dumbfounded. "What... exactly are you?"
Tugou chuckled, "I'm not human. I'm a robot."
Startled, Qin Tian took a step back and turned toward Pandora. With her cold demeanor, purple hair, and sunglasses, she exuded an aura of lethal detachment, dismissing the naïve boy entirely.
Yet Qin Tian was captivated. "Sister, why are you so beautiful?"
Pandora shot him a sharp glare—unseen beneath her shades was a look of pure disdain. Even she barely tolerated Xiao Feng; Qin Tian was far less welcome.
Coldly, Pandora said, "Sorry, I'm a robot too." She extended her right arm as a long blade slowly slid out—a terrifying sight to the innocent Qin Tian. "Hello, Qin Tian. My name is Pandora." Her voice bore a faint edge of menace.
Seeing this, Qin Tian quickly distanced himself from Tugou and Pandora, returning to Xiao Feng. "Why are your two friends so strange?"
"Heh, my friends are all a bit odd—just like you. So, what kind of esper ability do you have?" Xiao Feng asked.
Qin Tian chuckled. "I can simply make myself disappear. It's not very strong, though. Watch..." He began to blur, fading slowly before Xiao Feng's eyes.
"But I can still see you," Xiao Feng said in surprise.
"Really? You can see me?" Qin Tian's form grew even more translucent until he vanished completely from sight.
"Damn..." Xiao Feng reached out to where Qin Tian had stood, only to realize the boy had truly disappeared. "So this is your power— invisibility."
From the shadows, Qin Tian's voice echoed softly, "Heh, yes, invisibility. I feel more like a ghost."
"Ghost," the word sparked a notion in Xiao Feng's mind, and he finally grasped the essence of Qin Tian's ability. Though potent, it might not be as overwhelming in combat.
Qin Tian glanced at the fallen tiger and asked, "Can you retrieve the beast's magic crystal?"
Pandora smiled slightly, stepping toward the carcass. With a swift flash of her blade, she cleaved the tiger cleanly in two.