Chapter 696: It Seems Like a Superpower

“I… I…”

I hesitated.

The adults I’ve met have always been like this—volatile in their moods.

“Tell Uncle, and I won’t hit you,” he said.

Hearing that only made me more afraid. Every time adults started a conversation with those words, I *knew* I’d get beaten.

Like when Mom would say, *”Tell me your test score, I promise I won’t hit you.”*

When I admitted I got a little over seventy, she wouldn’t just hit me—she’d sob and wail, *”Why is my fate so cruel? Even a son with a future isn’t a dragon.”*

Or when Dad would say, *”Tell me who broke this, and I won’t hit you.”*

When I said it was me, he’d thrash me without mercy.

Suddenly, I thought of Washington.

There was a story in our textbook—Washington chopped down a cherry tree in the yard, but when he confessed, his father didn’t scold him.

I envied Washington so much.

So when Uncle Wan said he wanted to form everyone into one big “family,” I almost cried. Why did it have to be a “family”? Why couldn’t it be something else?

“Wan-ge,” my sister finally stepped in front of me. “You’re in no state to talk to Hero properly. This kid grew up in a bad environment—he’s got no sense of safety. You’re just making it worse. Maybe you should calm down first?”

“*Sense of safety*…?” Uncle Wan only got angrier. “I’ve watched people get gutted in front of me… and you’re telling me *this kid* has no *sense of safety*…? Should I be worrying about *his* safety right now? Who the hell’s giving *me* any safety?!”

“Let *me* talk to him!” My sister blocked Uncle Wan’s advance. “Wan-ge, just let me handle this!”

Uncle Wan sighed and turned his head away.

Seeing him calm down, my sister pulled me aside. Her scent was still so comforting.

“Hero, what’s really going on?” she asked softly. “Why did you say Uncle Wan smells like *‘Amplify’*?”

I kept my head down, unsure how to answer. Every time I told the truth before, I got yelled at.

So I was scared when adults questioned me. It always meant I had to lie just to make them happy.

“You’re safe right now,” she said. “Hero, this is just a conversation between equals. I have questions, and you might know the answers. You can choose to speak or stay quiet—either way, I respect your choice. There’s no need to be nervous. And no matter what happened, none of this is your fault.”

I’d never heard words like that before. And her scent smelled even sweeter now.

I didn’t trust adults, but I *really* trusted my sister.

After hesitating, I told her about the strange scents I could smell. Uncle Wan, listening nearby, widened his eyes in shock.

I said Uncle Wan had suddenly given off a weird fragrance—one that made the word *”Amplify”* pop into my head. I’d just repeated what my mind told me.

I also told them *I* had a scent like that, but mine wasn’t *”Amplify.”* Mine was called *”Spirit Scent.”* After hearing that, both of them fell silent. I had no idea what they were thinking.

“*Spirit Scent*…?” My sister frowned, deep in thought, then picked up a stick and wrote two characters on the ground. “Hero, is this *‘Spirit Scent’*?”

I shook my head. “Sister, I can’t read those. It’s just a *thought* in my head, not actual words.”

She nodded slowly, as if piecing it together.

Uncle Wan, though, stared at the characters for a long time before pointing at the more complex one. “This *‘scent’*—isn’t that just ‘smell’? Xiao Li, are you saying—”

“I’m not sure…” My sister’s expression darkened, her scent turning doubtful. “But this is… way too metaphysical.”

“Not just metaphysical—it’s hard to believe. *I* have a superpower?” Uncle Wan blinked. “And it’s called *‘Amplify’*…?”

“Hero,” my sister turned to me, “do I have a superpower scent?”

“I don’t know about ‘superpowers.’ It’s just a *fragrance*,” I said. “But you don’t have it, Sister. You still smell nice, though.”

Uncle Wan suddenly looked suspicious. “Kid, you *knew* I had a superpower this whole time, and you’re only telling me now?!”

“Huh?” I flinched. I hated being accused. “No, Uncle Wan! You didn’t have this scent before—it just appeared!”

“Just now…?”

His face darkened as he pondered that.

Soon, he pulled my sister aside and whispered things I couldn’t understand—words like *”god-making,”* *”superpowers,”* and *”fragrance.”* The more they talked, the more confused I got.

In the end, they decided to find more people for me to sniff.

That’s when I finally realized—those strange scents? Only *I* could smell them.

The next day, Uncle Wan really did bring back a man from outside. Without explanation, they made me sniff him—but the man only smelled like *”confusion.”*

Uncle Wan still thought I was lying. He *really* didn’t like me.

But my sister didn’t give up. She soothed Uncle Wan and took me out to the streets, telling me to sniff the passersby.

It was my first time stepping outside in days, but the place hadn’t changed since I last saw it.

She explained that people here fell into two groups: *”Drifters”* and *”Participants.”* My job was to sniff out the *”Participants.”*

Masked figures stood scattered along the road. My sister warned me—those masks meant dangerous games. I was *not* to go near them.

But after nearly a whole day of searching, we found *no one* with that fragrance. All I smelled was *”heartbreak”* and *”despair.”*

This place was weird. *Everyone* smelled hopeless.

For a moment, I even doubted myself—maybe that fragrance *was* just my imagination?

Then, just as we were about to give up at dusk…

I smelled it again.