Chapter 001 Return to Zero

The clock ticked and a young girl stood in front of the mahogany door.

She wore a shell-colored headband, her long black hair was neatly tucked behind her ears, she wore a student uniform skirt, and her round-toed leather shoes were slightly raised and lowered.

"Come in."

The interviewer behind the door extended an invitation, and Chen Xiao'e took a deep breath. She raised her smile five degrees, reached out, grasped the metal doorknob, and turned it firmly.

The door clicked open. Xiao Ai raised her head and chest, facing the bright white light.

Dong, my left foot seemed to be tripped by something, maybe a plastic rope.

Chen Xiao'er kept smiling and continued to move forward. She stomped her boots lightly, jumped over the heavy curtains in front of the windowsill without looking back, and stopped in front of the seat in the center of the light source.

She placed her hands at her sides and rotated her ankles to the right of the interviewer.

"Hello, professors~"

Chen Xiao'er bowed 25 degrees, her standard movements exactly the same as she had practiced countless times in front of the mirror.

She glanced at the professors in front of her until she saw the blurry figures tremble twice, then she adjusted her skirt and sat down neatly on the chair.

Hiss...my butt is so cold!

She folded her hands lightly and looked straight ahead calmly.

The lights in the room were too bright, and the interviewers sat with their backs to the light, making their faces particularly blurry.

The men on either side were burly, their centers of gravity leaning forward as they sat, their hands draped in front of them. Their slightly aggressive posture reminded one less of a university professor than of a lion or tiger perched on a rockery.

The main interviewer - was a woman in her thirties, maybe younger or more mature.

She sat between them, her right hand resting on her thin-framed glasses, her left hand draped languidly over the armrest of the sofa, her long legs elegantly crossed at the ankles.

Judging from the length of her calves, this lady is probably about 1.8 meters tall when she stands up.

Phew~ Stop letting your imagination run wild!

Chen Xiao'er took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart. "I'm a big sweet potato, a big sweet potato. The teachers are big eggplants..."

Now it is the university special admissions interview, and its actual importance is comparable to the early admissions and college entrance examination in the previous life.

Chixing's schools are not only educational institutions, but also have extremely high status and influence at the social level.

It is said that if a teacher or even a principal leaves a very bad comment in someone's life file, everyone from multinational corporations to roadside shops will no longer hire this person, which is a true social death.

Fortunately, high school students can interview with more than one school…stop imagining it!

Chen Xiao'er forced herself to cheer up. She raised her face and smiled at the interviewer, and the corners of the other person's lips also rose slightly.

Xiao'er was a little dazed for a moment. She always felt that the professor's expression behind his glasses was a bit intriguing, as if he could see through her current nervousness and even read her inner thoughts.

Her hands folded in her lap trembled slightly, but her smile grew brighter.

"Hello, professors. My name is Chen Xiao'e. I'm 18 years old. I graduated from Changhe No. 12 Middle School with a score of 522, AA+BBA."

The interviewers showed no reaction, and her palms began to sweat.

Is it because of poor grades?

A score of 522 would rank him in the top 3% in Changhe City, and the five auxiliary subjects did not have any conspicuous letters like C, D or even F.

However, such a result is not even enough to catch the tail of Shenghua Taoli University, which ranks first in the country and among the top three in the world.

Why on earth would Taoli University send me a special recruitment invitation? With my grades, I'd be lucky enough to get into Changhe University in this city. But Changhe University's interview is this morning...

"continue?"

The interviewer's voice lingered in the bass range, exuding a special magnetism.

Unfortunately, Chen Xiao'er was too nervous. She felt like sandpaper was scraping across her cheek, and it was burning painful.

She curled her lips and continued reciting according to the routine: "In my daily life, I am helpful and have a good attitude. I never argue or fight with my classmates. I abide by the laws and regulations and have never violated curfew or traffic regulations..."

First of all, there are the must-say sentences that the head teacher specifically emphasized on the blackboard.

“…I enjoy drawing and writing, and some board games like Explorers and Outlander.”

Chen Xiao'er paused, remembering that the class monitor had mentioned that universities have very high requirements for "writing" and that only professionals can emphasize that they are good at writing, so she chose games as a starting point.

She secretly glanced at the main interviewer's expression and found that the lady was looking at her face, and the light cast a golden edge on her.

Chen Xiao'er quickly turned her eyes away.

"...I learned a lot of valuable knowledge at Changhe No. 12 Middle School, and also developed a spirit of endurance and perseverance..."

The memorized passages flowed smoothly from her lips, and she was like a solo puppet, dancing gracefully in the stagnant air.

Finally—she finished her self-introduction according to the standard segmentation, and the puppet's dance came to an abrupt halt.

Are we going to have some free time next? Xiao Ai felt a little uneasy. The chair under her butt hadn't warmed up after sitting for so long, and her body was so tense that it was cold.

Fortunately, the man on the left stood up in time, took out a CD from his bag and put it into the computer case.

Click.

The desktop computer made a rustling sound while reading.

Chen Xiao'er curled her fingers nervously: This CD was sent by Changhe No. 12 Middle School, and it records the outstanding performance of the special recruits in the school... I wonder which clips the teachers will choose.

I hope the pictures are of me concentrating on the exam and actively answering questions. Please don’t take pictures of my handicraft class works, as those works are a bit abstract.

The interviewer was looking intently at the computer screen to the side, while Chen Xiao'er was also looking intently at her:

The professor wore thin black leather gloves, each knuckle visible. His long, beautiful fingers were tapping away slowly, drawing the eye away.

On the little finger of her right hand was a beautiful platinum ring, which reflected a gorgeous purple under the light.

Few people wore rings over their gloves, but the professor's personal aura was so strong that it was difficult for others to notice it.

"Student Chen."

"Here!" Chen Xiao'er was shocked. Fortunately, the interviewer was not reminding her of anything, but waved at her in a friendly manner.

"Come, please come and take a look."

"OK!"

The loud voice echoed in the room.

Chen Xiao'er's cheeks flushed slightly. She pretended to be unaware and straightened her chest. She almost marched to the main interviewer and turned her body sideways to watch her video with them.

Rustle, rustle.

The girl on the screen was wearing a school uniform, sweeping from the street to the corner with a broom in her hand. On the way, she encountered a kitten and handed it to its owner who came running.

The close-up of the kitten struggling and meowing cutely makes the video interesting and vivid.

That’s great! It’s a social activity I participated in during the summer vacation of my freshman year in high school!

Chen Xiao'er secretly clenched her fists in her heart. The experienced teachers had indeed chosen the most favorable scene.

The people of Chixing care a lot about charity activities. The homework assigned by the school is not heavy. Even the busiest senior high school students only need to spend about two hours a day to finish it and go to bed.

In contrast, there are a lot of practical tasks.

Each student will receive a blank "Holiday Practice Book" and must collect at least 30 public welfare activity stamps every semester.

The holiday practices here are very formal, and you must honestly connect with public welfare organizations to obtain stamps.

As an orphan adopted by a wealthy foster mother, Chen Xiao'er is very interested in these public welfare tasks that can stamp stamps and bring financial rewards, and has actively participated in them since junior high school.

Because Changhe City has good public security, she is also willing to take on public welfare tasks at night.

For example, riding a tricycle to transport medical waste, or coaxing boarding students to sleep in the kindergarten affiliated with Changhe Middle School, and one summer vacation, taking a bus with a group of uncles and aunts to a farm stay in the nearby mountains.

I didn't expect that it could be considered a mission, and the reward was particularly generous.

So, she filled two full "Holiday Practice Books"—it turns out Taoli University was impressed by my passion for public welfare! No wonder I was the only one in the entire university to receive an invitation for a special admissions interview.

Chen Xiao'er suddenly raised her head. She seemed to have guessed right. The interviewer looked at the screen with a very gentle expression.

After watching the video, the lady turned off the computer and turned around lightly.

She pushed up her glasses and her gaze fell on Xiao'er as if it were real.

"Student Chen, you are kind, hardworking, and courageous. You received 136 red badges in your freshman year, 151 in your sophomore year, and 103 in your junior year. Every evaluation Changhe No. 12 Middle School gave you is well-deserved."

"Thank you, teacher."

Chen Xiao'er's cheeks were red and swollen, and her eyes were a little sore.

She really likes those charity activities that are interesting, paid and can help others, but she didn't expect that these actions would be seen by the teachers bit by bit.

With a test score of 522, I was able to obtain a special admissions spot at Taoli University - you can imagine how strong the recommendation from the teachers was behind the scenes.

"One last question."

The professor's body turned towards her, leaning forward slightly.

Chen Xiao'er's eyes widened in surprise. The professor's eyes... looked like amber! Not the usual dark brown, light brown, or apricot, but a golden amber hue gleaming in the sunlight.

Now this pair of beautiful golden amber stared at her, shining brightly in the depths of her soul.

"How do you view the world, Chen?"

"Look at... the world?"

Is he talking about the country, society, or some personal concept? I'm a time traveler after all—no, don't overthink it. I'm just taking a psychological test for the interview. As long as I stay true to my heart and give positive feedback, the specific answer doesn't matter.

I like the peace and gentleness here, and I like this beautiful world that is no different from the Blue Planet.

Chen Xiao'er blinked, and her confused expression gradually became bright.

"I love this world. This is where I live. It's prosperous and peaceful thanks to the efforts of our predecessors. So, to make this world a better place, I'm willing to do my best, just like them. I'm still a student, so I'll start by studying hard!"

Is this answer okay?

It seems to be okay, the professor nodded with satisfaction.

She stood up, unknowingly picking up a pen with her right hand, and scribbled twice on the paperwork on the computer desk. "Very good, I like your answer. Student Chen Xiao'er, welcome to Shenghua Taoli University."

"Thank you, thank you!" Chen Xiao'er's face flushed with joy. She bowed deeply, ran two steps, and suddenly turned back uneasily.

Sure enough, the professor smiled helplessly and put on the glove on his right hand. "It's okay, you can go home first. Pack up and report to school within two weeks. It can only be reported early, not later."

"Okay!" Chen Xiao'er quickly returned the greeting. The professor just wanted to shake hands with me...but a feeling of embarrassment arose spontaneously.

Fortunately, the professor didn't care and even raised his hand to point at the door.

Xiao'er smiled apologetically and walked back to the door cautiously. Just as she was about to raise her hand, she heard a gentle voice behind her.

"Come on, tell me a lie."

"Huh?"

Chen Xiao'er turned around and found that the professor had his hands resting on his chin, as if he was making a very common request.

"Professor, to tell a lie means..."

She hunched her head pitifully, and the professor smiled. "Relax, don't be nervous. You go through a lot in life, and looking back, this interview won't be a big deal."

Is the teacher trying to comfort me?

Chen Xiao'er felt her ears itching, and her excited heartbeat gradually slowed down.

She cleared her throat, somewhat moved, and said loudly, "Our planet is square!"

“…”

"……Ha ha."

The atmosphere froze for a moment, but fortunately the professor quickly laughed and shook his head gently: "You really are not suited to lying. Remember to be an honest child in the future. Okay, next one."

"Yes, Professor."

The girl bowed lightly, slipped out from the crack of the door, and closed it half-closed.

…

Admitted, admitted, admitted, I was actually admitted directly - yay!

Chen Xiao'er walked faster and faster, her smile spreading widely. When she reached the stairs, she couldn't help but spun half a circle on her tiptoes and happily jumped to the next step.

Then I looked up and saw a lot of people standing in the hallway. Huh? The second floor was actually packed.

Dozens of young people were standing or sitting, each of them wearing a well-ironed suit and with a very serious expression.

They looked a bit like the specially recruited students waiting for interviews on the third floor, only with a more... solemn air? Reminiscent of soldiers or police officers.

Since they were interviewing on the same day and at the same venue as Taoli University, they couldn't be from an external institution. Could they be a branch campus? Or perhaps a special recruit from some military academy?

Chen Xiao'er thought for a few seconds and then put these fantasies behind her: No matter, I was accepted anyway~

She ran down a few stairs briskly, stood on tiptoe in front of the window at the top of the stairs and looked out: a large silver motorcycle was parked at the foot of the marble steps, and a tall girl was leaning against the side of the car.

The girl has shoulder-length hair with burgundy highlights.

She held a lit cigarette between two fingers, her pretty eyebrows slightly narrowed, like a great detective pondering the details of a case.

"Sister Lan——"

Xiao'ai screamed softly like a hamster and rushed down the stairs with a clatter.

…

Pasha.

A minute later, a pair of small hands came over excitedly, but due to their height, they only covered the older sister's face.

"Guess who I am~~"

"I guess—" The girl stubbed out her cigarette with her fingers, then turned around and held up the girl's hair. "You're accepted."

Chen Xiao'er pursed her lips and deliberately frowned, trying to look angry, but unfortunately she couldn't hold back her laughter after a few seconds.

"Pfft, alright alright~ You guessed it right, I was accepted into Taoli University."

"Congratulations." The girl pushed her sunglasses back onto her nose. She readily climbed onto the seat, leaned her shoulders forward, and motioned the girl to get on top quickly.

Chen Xiao'er lifted her boots and kicked hard, then jumped onto the back seat like a deer. She wrapped her hands around the girl's waist and rubbed her ears against her back.

"Sister Lan~ Hey, have you prepared any other gifts?"

"I'm ready." A hoarse voice vibrated softly through my spine, and I could hear that he was holding back a laugh. "I'm ready for you to treat me to cake."

"Sister Lan!! Shouldn't you treat me to a meal at a time like this?! You should also give me something occasionally..."

"Oh, who told me I was poor? Next time, definitely next time~"

The engine hummed and the motorcycle started up in bright blue flames.

…

Professor Milo stood in front of the window, watching Chen Xiao'er's back as she pedaled her bicycle until she completely disappeared behind the gray fog.

"Turn on the light."

The professor pulled down the curtains, and the lights suddenly changed in the next second.

The purple suppression lamp was turned on at full power, and a "temperature" different from cold and warm enveloped the whole body, leaving a tingling pain on the skin.

A young man walked in from behind the door and approached the high stool where Chen Xiao'e had sat. He was wearing a full-face protective suit and x2 isolation gloves.

The young man bent his knees and half-knelt, carefully dragging out a brown leather suitcase from under the high stool.

The shape of this suitcase is very simple. It looks similar to the suitcases commonly used by travelers, but it is covered with a layer of soft transparent material on the surface.

"Open it and take a look."

Miroku walked over to the box, his high-heeled boots slightly apart.

The young man nodded slightly, then carefully used the metal protrusions on his gloves to pry up the soft glass-like film on the surface.

After the film was torn off, the lid of the box did not open, but the box suddenly made a loud clicking sound, as if something was rapidly freezing from the core outwards.

The ice-blue particles immediately spread outside the suitcase. The young man quickly lifted up the red carpet underneath and wrapped the blue particles and the suitcase inside.

"It's activated. Treat it with insulating glue." Milo took a step back and turned to walk towards the computer desk.

The two strong men lifted the assembled spray barrel, and large balls of transparent glue spurted out, completely burying the carpet wrapped around the suitcase.

The young man slowly retreated at the crowd's signal, and only then did he dare to take a deep breath: the feeling of being stared at by a strange existence finally disappeared.

That box must be a numbered treasure... He shuddered and walked behind Milo.

The professor spread out a thick stack of files on the table and examined the text on each page one by one.

[Name: Chen Xiao'e]

[Species: Pure-blooded Human*]

[Gender: Female]

Age: 18

[Superpower: Presumed to be a corrosive superpower, with the potential for severe contamination. See File No. 12 for details.]

Seeing this, the young man quickly stepped back.

He was only an intern and had no authority to view the file. Furthermore, the [Strong] level of contamination mentioned above was a level that could distort human concepts.

Although the possibility of contamination being transmitted indirectly through file bags is extremely low, the world is full of wonders, so it is better not to challenge your luck with your only life.

Miroku opened file bag No. 12, and his expression behind the glasses remained unchanged.

Chen Xiao'er...The investigation and regular physical examinations of this child began in 2006.

There was no birth record for her. She was found by patrolman No. 2113 next to a trash can on the outskirts of the city on January 2, 2000. She had no clothes, diapers, or personal belongings and was presumed to be an abandoned baby.

The physical examination report shows that Chen Xiao'er is in good health and has no frostbite.

How long can a newborn baby survive on a cold winter night without clothing? [Without frostbite.]

On December x, 2006, when she was only 6 years old, she was discovered by the director of the orphanage [suspected of having super powers that could resist abnormal beings].

Because Chen Xiao'er had successfully brought back the children from the Gray Fog Zone despite violating numerous regulations, all five children underwent rigorous inspections, and none were found to contain contaminants.

After multiple tests, the inspectors found that the Pasteur value within 1 meter around Chen Xiao'er was -

【0】

This is a value that only exists in the laboratory and in theory, which means "no strange or bizarre effects have been detected."

After three years of continuous observation, the investigation team was able to confirm that Chen Xiao'er possessed an extremely special superpower, which gave her a [strong] suppression power against [anything strange and bizarre that was not instantly lethal].

At the same time, Chen Xiao'er herself seemed unable to perceive anything strange or weird because the superpowers first acted on herself.

At this time, her superpowers were suggested to be classified as resistance, temporarily named [Gift of Suppression].

The previous test report was overturned in 2010, when the 10-year-old Chen Xiao'er's superpowers evolved naturally.

She still couldn't correctly perceive the strange and bizarre, but she could react instinctively as if she had "observed something" and deal with the abnormal existence, rendering it temporarily harmless.

This harmless form of expression seems to be related to Chen Xiao'er's subjective emotions.

She was later adopted by [——]. Judging from the monthly observation reports, her superpowers are still in the process of evolution.

According to a 2014 report, when Chen Xiao'e "harbors some kind of ill will or malice" or has a "clear purpose," she can temporarily transform an anomalous entity into another "safer, lower Paster value" form.

The transformation results include objects, animals and humanoids. No cases of transformation into pure-blooded humans have been found so far.

But Chen Xiao'er had had human-like communications with abnormal creatures many times. During the communications, she obviously regarded them as humans, but failed to successfully transform their essence.

This transformation is temporary. We obtained experimental specimen A103 (Cat - No Aberration Attributes) from her. After A103 remained away from Chen Xiao'er for three hours, it transformed back into a weaker Aberration. An autopsy revealed no traces of a cat.

Because of these test reports, her superpowers were redefined as erosion type.

The principle is no longer suppression, but the use of some extremely special means to change the nature of abnormal things.

Miroku's eyes flickered.

This superpower is always interesting no matter how many times I see it.

This child cannot correctly understand the world, but he can change the world's understanding of abnormalities... The professor's lips curled up slightly, and the tip of his tongue gently licked the sharp canine teeth.

She looked at the tentative title "Fantasy Erosion" on the last page of the report and tapped the pen in her hand.

rustle.

Milo picked up a blank page and added the observations of the interview at the end according to the established format.

Countless fragmented messages were simplified into lines of cold text.

[No. 196 - Frozen Soul, completely suppressed. Left for more than 8 minutes - reactivated at a distance greater than 100 meters.]

[No. 1121 Artificial Imitation - Bondage, damaged.]

[The rest of the artificial imitations have not been directly touched, and subsequent test reports will be supplemented]

[Level 4 Superpower - Judgment of an Honest Person]... [No Effect]

Milo put the observation results into file bag No. 12, and then opened another file bag without a number, which only had a tearful triangle.

Controllable on x/x/2006. Continuous observation is recommended.

Controllable on x/x/2007, continuous observation is recommended

Controllable on x/x/2006. Continuous observation is recommended.

…

Controllable as of x/x/2010, transferred to [——]

The following records are updated once a month. There is only one record of [temporary loss of control, has been restored to control], and the rest are all controllable.

For a erosive superpower, this level of personality stability is simply incredible. Combined with its rare ability, it's no wonder no one has suggested erasing it or conducting irreversible destruction experiments.

Miroku took off the ring and glove on his little finger, pierced his ring finger with the ring, and pressed his finger hard on the blank space on the page.

A clear fingerprint appeared in the golden border of the registration box. She signed her name with a rustling sound and then started a new line.

[Controllable as of June 6, 2018, transferred to the church-Shenghua Taoli College. It is recommended to observe for more than one semester to determine its specific value.]

Another suggestion

She paused and continued writing

It is suggested to modify the name of its super power, tentatively

【Return to Zero】

A satisfied smile flashed across his face before Miroku sealed the file bag and handed it to the young man behind him.

Brush——

She threw her coat over her shoulders and walked quickly towards the door.

The professor's heels tapped in the corridor, and her voice broke through the bass range and spread out heartily.

"Other matters have been taken care of. I will lead the next excavation operation. All hands on deck!"

Brush, brush, brush.

Rows of young people who had been sitting in silence stood up in an orderly manner. Wearing protective clothing and carrying translucent shields, they walked up the stairs with a fearless expression on their faces as led by the professor.

The door to the basement swung open, like the gaping maw of hell.