Meeting Cheng Ya Once More

“So, did you two actually go into the sewers to find the vials?”

Early a few mornings later, in the same café where she had previously met Cheng Ya, five neatly arranged vials sat on the table. Cheng Ya chuckled, “How dedicated. It seems my colleague had good reason to choose you.”

In contrast to Cheng Ya’s blooming smile, Ran Jiu’yi was in a foul mood, driven by two distinct factors.

The first was the fact that she and Meng Shan had spent the previous day digging through a literal cesspool. Neither of them had expected the city’s sewage system to be such a tangled mess, with many sections failing to meet design standards. This meant more locations to search, and environments far worse than anticipated. The sight of refuse and waste piled together was enough to ruin one’s appetite for days. The two unlucky souls had spent most of the day immersed in that revolting environment just to complete the commission.

The second factor was the woman sitting across from her. When the research institute requested a face-to-face meeting to settle the payment, Ran Jiu’yi had a hunch Cheng Ya would show up. She also knew she’d be angry. But now that Cheng Ya was actually here, Ran Jiu’yi found her rage far more intense than she had imagined.

“What the hell are you laughing at?” Ran Jiu’yi snapped. “Does the misery Meng Shan and I went through amuse you that much?”

“Sorry, sorry. I was being a bit much. I apologize; it won’t happen again.” It took a while for Cheng Ya to stop giggling. “But honestly, you’re much calmer than I expected. I thought you’d attack me without a word the moment we met again. After all, what I did to you last time was… rather excessive. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten?”

Cheng Ya was referring to their last encounter, where she had beaten Ran Jiu’yi into a pulp and extracted her spinal column for experiments. Ran Jiu’yi had certainly not forgotten; the grudge was etched into her mind.

“I’d love to hit you,” Ran Jiu’yi muttered, “but considering you’re a hardcore masochist, hurting you would probably just give you a thrill. The thought makes me lose interest instantly.”

“Don’t be a stranger. As superhumans whose abilities are both tied to pain, we should be helping each other out.”

Ran Jiu’yi wasn’t buying it. “Is your idea of ‘helping each other’ ripping out my spine?”

“Mm-hmm, exactly.” Without denying it, Cheng Ya reached out her right hand. “Look closely. This is the result of my research on your spine.”

As she spoke, a silver-white needle slid out from Cheng Ya’s palm. In appearance, it was nearly identical to Ran Jiu’yi’s Eclipse Needles, with one key difference: while Ran Jiu’yi’s needles were a deep purple-black with an obsidian texture, Cheng Ya’s needle was a metallic, lustrous silver.

Picking up the needle, Cheng Ya explained, “By studying your ability, I’ve gained a new power. I can now generate these needles from any part of my body. However, unlike you, I can’t control their movement freely. I also lack your ability to absorb or grant life force. Instead, I’ve gained a different trait I call ‘Pain Resonance.’ Describing it isn’t enough—stay still, let me demonstrate.”

Before Ran Jiu’yi could react, Cheng Ya grabbed her right hand and gave it a quick prick with the silver needle. Ran Jiu’yi didn’t resist, curious about what Cheng Ya had extracted from her.

“Now, activate.”

At Cheng Ya’s command, a twisted, brand-like mark appeared on Ran Jiu’yi’s hand. It was composed of irregular patterns that formed a distorted, screaming face.

“What’s the point of this? Just to be creepy?”

“Of course not. Its power is to share our sensations of pain. For example…” Cheng Ya suddenly snapped one of her own fingers. At the same instant, Ran Jiu’yi hissed and looked at her own hand, feeling the agonizing jolt of a broken finger.

“Not a bad ability, right? It might be useless to others, but for me… hehe, it’s pure bliss.”

Ignoring Cheng Ya’s perverse smile, Ran Jiu’yi asked, “So? What’s your point? If you’re just here to show off, I suggest you go to the Dark Web. Plenty of creeps there would love your little performance.”

“No way. Most of those guys are just posers. If you show them something truly ‘interesting,’ they run faster than anyone.” Reattaching her broken finger, Cheng Ya stared intently at Ran Jiu’yi. “I only enjoy sharing this with someone like you—someone who has felt pain beyond imagination and gained insight from it.”

“Thanks, but I’m not interested in you—especially like that,” Ran Jiu’yi flatly refused. “If you’re just here for this nonsense, I’m leaving.”

“Wait, wait. I came personally because I have something for you. Something you’ll absolutely love.” She placed a syringe on the table. Inside was a deep-red liquid that seemed to pulse and thrash with a life of its own.

“What is this?”

“I promised I’d make an enhancement serum from my own tissue to evolve your ability,” Cheng Ya said proudly. “It’s simple logic. Our abilities are incredibly similar, and our understanding of pain is different from ordinary people. If you could make my power evolve, I can do the same for yours.”

Ran Jiu’yi picked up the suspicious vial, eyeing it warily. “You want me to inject this? Why would you think I’d stick myself with something so obviously abnormal?”

“Because I know you want to get stronger. And I know your progress has been stagnant for a long time.”

Ran Jiu’yi frowned. “How do you know that?”

“How could I not know?” Cheng Ya countered. “It’s not hard to get combat records for someone of your level. In fact, I have files on all the top-tier powerhouses in the world, including the top Magical Girls. After you awakened your Ascension Form, your strength surged, but it hasn’t seen a significant jump since then.”

“Those other Magical Girls are the same. A huge spike upon Ascension, then… nothing. It’s not just you; other types of superhumans hit a ceiling too. To get any stronger normally, you’d need decades, maybe centuries of slow refinement.” Cheng Ya pointed at the syringe. “But right here is a shortcut to power. Do you want to try it?”

Reluctantly, Ran Jiu’yi had to admit Cheng Ya was right. In the three years since she reached Ascension, her growth had been glacial. She used to think she was strong enough, but her fight with Cheng Ya—one of the world’s true elites—proved she was still far too weak.

She hesitated. The hunger for power clashed with her deep suspicion of Cheng Ya. Cheng Ya didn’t push; she simply waited for the decision. To her, she won either way.

Finally, Ran Jiu’yi made her choice. She drove the needle into her neck and injected the entire thrashing, blood-red contents in one go.

Cheng Ya beamed. “Aww, so you did choose to trust me? I’m so happy.”

“I didn’t inject this because I trust you,” Ran Jiu’yi replied expressionlessly. “I did it because I trust my own ability. If this is poison, I have the confidence to survive it using my Ascension Form.”

“How could you say that? I like you way too much to kill you. Now, quickly, tell me if you feel any change. My research says it works fast.”

Ran Jiu’yi was already checking. For a long moment, she felt nothing. “Hey, is this stuff a dud?”

Cheng Ya scratched her head. “Impossible. My results showed it should work.”

“Then your results are wrong.” Ran Jiu’yi summoned an Eclipse Needle. “See? No change… Wait, what is this?”

Usually, no matter how much she tried to control them, her needles were exactly fifteen centimeters long. This new needle was thirty centimeters. Ran Jiu’yi gripped both ends and gave it a slight twist; the long needle split into two separate ones, identical to her old ones.

She understood. She had gained a form of ‘aggregation’—the ability to merge her needles together into any size she desired.

“See? There it is!” Cheng Ya said triumphantly. “Now that you’ve got a new power, let’s talk business. I want some of your brain tissue. Not much—half should do.”