Chapter 10

The internet outside the country is actually very protective of information about people with superpowers. Sensitive videos that could reveal the true identities of people with superpowers are almost always deleted by relevant departments as soon as they are uploaded.

But for Chen Nan, her friends were all doing normal live streams at the beginning. Those people were all small-time streamers and internet celebrities with a certain number of followers.

When these people started their livestreams, nothing seemed amiss at first. They didn't openly label themselves as "superpowered individuals" in their streams. Besides, in this world, people are primarily interested in things like cockroach monsters, infected individuals, and superpowered soldiers. While a government can restrict the sharing of genuine information about superpowered individuals under the guise of protecting their privacy, it cannot prevent the public from discussing superpowered individuals altogether.

So, to everyone's surprise, the seven internet celebrities went live together to welcome their so-called "superpowered sisters" home, which immediately went viral online.

They might just be promoting and showing off within a small circle, and maybe gaining a few followers along the way.

However, they clearly underestimated everyone's curiosity and attention towards people with superpowers, and completely forgot what kind of impression their current profession would give others.

Female internet celebrities who flirt with the law become superhumans, and sexy dancers become superhumans—and the country accepts them all without question.

These days, people spend less and less time on the road. Unable to travel, most people are turning to the internet for socializing and entertainment.

So at this moment, everyone is furious after seeing the news that a female internet celebrity who is only on the fringes of the internet can also become a superhuman.

Actually, there are tons of online celebrities and content creators in this world. Due to the unique nature of our times, almost everyone shares their daily lives online. Even romantic relationships often involve chatting online for a month before deciding whether to meet in person.

But of all these people, it seems that everyone despises Chen Nan the most.

After people discovered Chen Nan's identity, they immediately searched for her online and found that she had posted many short videos. These videos were almost all of her showing her neck and thighs, and involved various suggestive dancing.

Suddenly, a wave of opposition arose online, with everyone opposing the state's attempt to co-opt Chen Nan.

In fact, there have been more and more trending topics and news about people opposing the state's recruitment of people with special abilities in recent years, and Chen Nan is not the first and certainly will not be the last.

For many years, many people have been discussing online whether, once a person evolves, the state can simply co-opt them regardless of their character or personality.

Countless netizens and members of the public felt that the previous policy of recruiting anyone with superpowers was clearly inappropriate, so they launched numerous discussions and protests online.

Generally speaking, if the person with superpowers was an ordinary person before, people would not object to it; most would simply offer their sincere blessings and envy.

If a person with superpowers was previously a police officer or military academy student, people would even feel that this is normal.

However, if the person who has undergone the transformation was a juvenile delinquent with a bad reputation, or an adult who has been imprisoned or committed a crime, people will despise them.

If the person who underwent conversion was previously a person with a special profession that was looked down upon by others, then countless people will find it absurd. They will post questions online, such as why such a person could be converted, and why the government would accept such a person after they were converted.

Previously, the opposition was directed at juvenile delinquents, morally corrupt individuals, those with criminal records, and those in "special professions." This time, however, it seems people are now also considering Chen Nan, who was previously known for skirting the line, as one of those "special professions."

"We didn't expect it to turn out this way. We just wanted to document our lives and maybe gain more followers."

"Why is it like this? What's wrong with internet celebrities? Aren't internet celebrities human too? Why was everyone so supportive and envious when other streamers had friends or people like this around them? Why is it like this when it happens to us?"

"Oh, this is actually trending? What, can't a country listen to the demands of its people? What does this have to do with the country?!"

"Nannan, I'm sorry, we really didn't mean any harm. We just really wanted to—"

From the moment Tang Ke got out of the car and raised her hand to stop everyone from live-streaming, the matter seemed to become extremely complicated.

Back in the room, I watched the situation escalate online. Several of my girlfriends, who had dreamed of trending on social media but never expected it to turn out like this, were all crying.

"Nannan, I saw what they were doing, but I—"

Seeing everyone's behavior, but with no one objecting, Chen Dong felt awkward. When someone else's family had a superhuman, they would set off firecrackers, post on social media, and make it into the news, practically wanting the whole world to know.

When others found out about this, they were almost all filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

But when it came to his sister, he never expected things to turn out this way.

He looked at Chen Nan apologetically, a rare expression of guilt and regret flashing in his eyes.

Seeing his expression, Chen Nan, who had been stunned for a moment but now understood everything, nonchalantly put away her phone: "It's okay, it's just nonsense being posted online, you don't need to worry, this will be over soon."

Since she had taken over the original owner's identity and replaced the other person's life, Chen Nan would accept all the consequences that came with this identity. This world can't offer you all the advantages; when you gain benefits, there will inevitably be some drawbacks along the way.

Having understood these principles, Chen Nan acted indifferent for the rest of the time.

Chen Dong and his team prepared food and drinks, and everyone shared their experiences over the past month inside the house.

Knowing that Chen Nan had not yet been able to detect any specific superpowers, Chen Dong and the others all told her not to worry and to take it slow.

Chen Nan knew that because of her, she had recently received significantly more attention and was earning more money than usual. Hearing this, she smiled and didn't say anything that sounded like blame or criticism.

Because they used to live off the internet, dancing online, chatting with people online, and riding the wave of online trends, all in order to survive in this world.

Because of the existence of cockroach monsters outside, venturing out carries the risk of inexplicable infection. Therefore, many people try various ways to make a living online. The original owner of this body used to work with her brother, desperately seeking attention online and earning money through that attention and traffic. Given this situation, Chen Nan couldn't simply stop everyone from doing what she was doing just because her identity had changed.

Anyway, because Chen Nan and her friends suddenly started a live stream, which made Chen Nan a trending topic, Chen Nan's planned trip home ended very quickly after an hour and a half.

After adding her brother on her new phone, Chen Nan quickly returned with Tang Ke. When they arrived, the sun was shining brightly and the weather was fine, but when they returned, the sky was dark and gloomy, as if a storm was brewing—a rather fitting description of the weather.

"Chen Nan, don't overthink it. Actually, before we came to bring you here, the system did some screening and analysis. If you're an infected person with a criminal record, a vicious one, then you'll be taken directly to the border's ability testing facility from the moment you're infected. In those places, if they can successfully transform, then all their masters were transformed there before. Although they have a one-year protection period for new recruits in that place, once they come out, they have no choice; they'll spend almost their entire lives on the border. Do you understand what I mean?"

Seeing that Chen Nan was in a low mood, Tang Ke, who had been silent at the Chen family's house, offered some words of comfort.

Tang Ke explained where juvenile delinquents and criminals would stay after becoming superhumans.

However, he didn't mention where those with special professions should go after evolving. Clearly, the country itself is rather vague on this matter. After all, whether someone engages in a particular profession sometimes has nothing to do with their character or morality.

And most importantly, Chen Nan has never been a true professional in a special industry.

She wore revealing clothes while dancing and spoke ambiguously during her live streams; you could say she was skirting the line. But to say she actually went too far and committed a crime seems inaccurate, since it hasn't reached that point yet.

Anyway, now that things have come to this, Chen Nan can only be thankful that the company run by the original owner's brother is relatively legitimate.

The most outrageous thing the people in his studio did was that the female anchors dressed a little more scantily and spoke a little more ambiguously than others, but it wasn't anything too outrageous. If it had gone too far, they would have been called in for questioning by the cyber police long ago, or their various accounts would have been banned directly.

Knowing that the Institute of Supernatural Abilities had already helped deal with the online issues, Chen Nan nodded obediently, not taking it too seriously.

In her past life, she made a living by drawing comics and making videos, essentially living entirely off the internet. She spent all her time online, knowing that online topics typically lose their popularity within three days, and many only stay trending for half a day or a few hours. Therefore, Chen Nan didn't care about anything online.

“Starting tomorrow, you will run and exercise with me. Before your superpowers truly emerge, improving your physical fitness is also essential.”

Seeing that Chen Nan seemed unaffected by the internet, Tang Ke quickly devised an exercise plan for her.

Chen Nan nodded, and soon, starting the day after she returned, she began training with Tang Ke.

In large cities, people tend to stay home as much as possible due to the high population density. Many gatherings and similar activities are met with spontaneous resistance and rejection from the public.

But behind the Superpower Institute, there is a large open-air training ground.

An ultra-long running track encircles the mountains and the facility, with rows of neatly arranged training equipment below the back mountain. Soldiers in camouflage uniforms, with sandbags strapped to their arms and legs, run up and down the back mountain.

There were also young soldiers who were being herded by their instructors and instinctively raised their hands in salute as they passed by.

Looking at these people, Chen Nan came up with the idea of ​​establishing the headquarters of the Superpower Institute. It wasn't just about infected people; most of the people here were soldiers.

The Superpower Institute does have underground training rooms, but clearly everyone here still prefers the primitive training methods used above ground.

"I'll teach you how to fire a gun first, so that you can protect yourself if you encounter any danger!"

Tang Ke, who had said she would take Chen Nan for a run, changed her mind after arriving here and took Chen Nan to the open-air shooting range at the foot of the mountain first.

Chen Nan's heart wasn't as open-minded as she appeared these past two days, but at this moment, after actually seeing a real pistol...

Feeling a sense of wonder, she forgot all the unpleasant things happening outside. She then picked up the pistol and listened attentively as Tang Ke taught her how to fire and shoot.