194: Chapter 194 What is the purpose of graduation?

Lin Shiyao froze for a moment and turned to look at Wang Lin.

Wang Lin stood beside her, his right hand hanging loosely at his side, fingers moving slightly as he controlled his Wind Ability.

"Is this what you meant by 'carry'?"

"What else? I don't actually want to carry you."

Lin Shiyao was silent for a moment, then asked, "Isn't your Superpower the Blade God? How can you also use the Wind Element?"

Wang Lin extended his right hand and spread his five fingers.

On his five fingers, five different colored lights lit up simultaneously.

Blue lightning danced on his index finger, the steady and heavy glow of the Earth Element rested on his middle finger, cyan wind swirled on his ring finger, red flames flickered on his little finger, and black shadows flowed on his thumb.

Five Superpowers, five colors, blooming simultaneously on his single hand like five stars of different colors.

Lin Shiyao's eyes widened.

She had never seen a person possess so many Superpowers at once.

At Holy City Academy, most people only had one Superpower, while those with good talent had two.

Even a genius like Shen Junlin only had the Sword God.

But Wang Lin had... she counted... five, not including the Blade God.

Lin Shiyao's voice carried a hint of disbelief: "How can you have so many Superpowers?"

Wang Lin didn't answer, instead asking, "How about it? Do you want to join my organization?"

Lin Shiyao froze. "Organization?"

"Yes. My organization."

"If you join, you will also have many Superpowers..."

Lin Shiyao was silent.

Join an organization, gain multiple Superpowers, become stronger, make money.

These conditions were very tempting, so tempting that her heart was wavering.

But she didn't answer. She remembered what her mother had said: "Yaoyao, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

"If someone gives you something, they must want to take something from you in return."

"You must see clearly whether you can afford what they want to take."

What did Wang Lin want to take from her? She didn't know.

Her life? Her loyalty? Her freedom?

Lin Shiyao didn't know anything right now, so she couldn't agree.

Besides, who exactly was Wang Lin?

What kind of organization was his?

Why did he want to recruit people?

What was his purpose?

She had no idea at all.

Lin Shiyao remained silent for a long time, never answering.

Wang Lin wasn't in a rush; he didn't care whether Lin Shiyao joined or not.

He wanted to recruit people, but it didn't have to be her.

He helped Lin Shiyao because this woman's resilience had moved him.

But Wang Lin's organization didn't necessarily need Lin Shiyao.

Because once Wang Lin became strong, he would be an organization in himself.

Recruiting now was just to make it easier to manage the organization later.

And the core of the organization, the strongest fighting force, would always be himself.

The two of them walked quietly like this.

The Wind Ability carried Lin Shiyao, allowing her to float silently above the road surface.

Wang Lin walked beside her, hands in his pockets, his pace casual.

Neither of them spoke.

As they walked, they arrived before a door.

It was a dilapidated single-story house, with a large patch of wall plaster peeled off, revealing the red bricks underneath.

The windows were covered with newspaper, and the door was made of wood, with several cracks in the door panel through which the darkness inside could be seen.

There were no lights at the entrance, only a little light filtering over from a distant streetlamp, barely illuminating the outline of the door.

Lin Shiyao descended from the wind, stood before the door, and fished out her key from her pocket.

The door opened; it was pitch black inside, and a damp, musty smell wafted out.

Wang Lin stood at the entrance without going in.

His expression didn't change at all; there was no contempt, no sympathy, no pity.

He was simply looking at a house.

Lin Shiyao stood at the doorway, turned to look at Wang Lin, and suddenly asked: "What is the name of your organization?"

Wang Lin looked up at the moon in the sky and said: "Dawn." He said, "The dawn of daybreak."

Lin Shiyao also looked up at the moon in the sky.

The moon was very round and bright, hanging in the gray night sky like a lantern before dawn.

Lin Shiyao was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I understand."

She didn't say she would join, nor did she say she wouldn't; she just said she understood.

Wang Lin didn't press her, turned around, and walked toward the outside of the alley.

After a few steps, he waved his hand: "Meet at the school gate at eight tomorrow morning. I'll take you for an interview."

Lin Shiyao froze. "Are we not going to class?"

Wang Lin didn't turn back: "What is graduation for?"

Lin Shiyao was stunned.

What is graduation for? She had never thought about this question.

In her plan, she would graduate, get her diploma, then join a bounty hunter organization or a mercenary group, take missions to make money, get medical treatment for her mother, and pay off debts.

This was the path she had planned for herself, a clear path without any forks.

But now, Wang Lin had given her another path.

A path she had never thought of.

No need to wait until graduation, no need to join a dangerous organization, she could make money immediately, she could treat her mother immediately.

This path was too close, so close that she couldn't believe it.

Lin Shiyao leaned against the doorframe, watching the direction Wang Lin left in; there was no one at the alley entrance anymore.

The dim yellow light of the streetlamp shone on the empty concrete ground, dragging out a long shadow—that was her shadow.

Lin Shiyao lowered her head to look at her shadow; the shadow was very thin, very frail, like a withered branch that could be snapped by the wind at any moment.

"'Dawn'?" Lin Shiyao murmured.

Then she shook her head, shaking the thought that had just risen in her mind away.

She turned and walked into the house, closing the door.

The house was very dark, very dim, and also very quiet.

Moonlight filtered in through the cracks in the window paper, casting a thin white line on the floor.

Lin Shiyao fumbled through the dark to the bedside, lay down, and looked at the ceiling.

Dawn.

The darkness before dawn, the very last moment before daybreak.

When the darkness is thickest, it is also when the light is about to come.

Lin Shiyao closed her eyes, trying hard not to think about other things.

Because, tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, at the school gate. She couldn't be late.

That night, Lin Shiyao slept very deeply.

She had no dreams, didn't wake up in a start, and didn't wake up in the middle of the night to stare blankly at the ceiling.

This was the most peaceful night she had slept since her mother fell ill.

It wasn't because she had an interview tomorrow, but because she knew that starting tomorrow, everything would be different.

The next morning, Lin Shiyao woke up before dawn.

It wasn't because she couldn't sleep, but because her body was accustomed to waking up at this time.

She got up, washed her face, combed her hair, and put on her clean school uniform.

The school uniform was the one washed until it had faded to white; it had no holes, no patches, and was the most presentable one among her few school uniforms.

She tied her hair into a low ponytail, fastened it tightly with that black hair tie, and looked at herself in the mirror.

Her complexion was still a bit pale, but much better than yesterday.

The wound didn't hurt anymore, and her Mental Energy had also recovered quite a bit after one night.

When she left the house, the sky was just barely brightening.

There was no one on the street, only a few sanitation workers sweeping the ground.

When she arrived at the school gate, it was seven-fifty.

Ten minutes early.