Although there was nothing particularly valuable in the backpack, if that set of equipment was exposed, it could put Yang Xi at a disadvantage.


    "If the thief has an invisibility ability, then scent is something he can''t hide."


    Yang Xi closed his eyes again. With his vision deceived, he could only rely on his sense of smell to track his target.


    "Strange, I can''t detect my backpack''s scent in this train car. Could this guy really have the ability to phase through walls? That would be troublesome."


    Unwilling to give up, Yang Xi tried to identify the thief’s own scent. During their brief encounter, he had noticed a lingering aroma of meat buns from the thief’s mouth. Given the distinct flavor, it had to be soup dumplings from Lao Tai Men, a well-known brand.


    "Got it!"


    Among the dozen or so passengers on the right side of the car, a sharply dressed financial professional with slicked-back hair carried the same scent in his breath. Although his demeanor was completely different, his build was only subtly distinct from the thief’s.


    "Could this thief have completed a full disguise in an instant? Is this some kind of ability or just an advanced magic trick?"


    If it was an ability, it would certainly be useful to Yang Xi.


    "Too many people around—this isn''t the right time to make a move."


    Yang Xi planned to strip the thief of his ability. After all, this guy wasn''t using his power for anything good. Taking it away would be a service to society.


    As the subway slowed to a stop, the financial professional adjusted his tie and leisurely stepped off the train. He looked dashing and composed—who would ever suspect him of being a thief?


    Yang Xi followed, keeping a five-step distance.


    Up the escalator. Out of the station. Through the corridor.


    The man''s leather shoes clicked rhythmically against the tiled floor.


    Gradually, his footsteps lost their composure. For the first time in his career as a thief, he was being followed this far by his victim.


    At first, he had thought it was a coincidence—even felt a slight thrill. But now, he realized something was wrong. Maybe today, he had targeted the wrong person.


    Sh*t, he had kicked an iron plate!


    Though he regretted it, he had always prepared for situations like this.


    Suddenly, the man accelerated and dashed into the restroom.


    The unexpected burst of speed caught Yang Xi off guard. By the time he reached the restroom, the financial professional had vanished.


    "You won''t get away just because you ran into a restroom!"


    Yang Xi charged into the men''s restroom but found no one.


    There was no back door, and the ventilation shaft was clearly too small for an adult male to escape through.


    Moreover, in his enhanced Super Brain state, Yang Xi’s hearing was significantly amplified—he hadn’t detected any footsteps leaving.


    Yet, the man had disappeared.


    No. Something wasn’t right.


    Yang Xi frowned. There was one place he hadn''t checked—next door. In the women’s restroom, he could hear faint, suppressed breathing.


    "Did this guy change into women''s clothing?" Yang Xi speculated.


    Glancing at the restroom sign, he sighed and silently apologized to all women before stepping inside.


    Filtering out the various sharp odors in the air, Yang Xi pinpointed the distinct Lao Tai Men meat bun scent.


    Would the thief be so frustrated knowing he was caught because of this scent that he’d swear off meat buns forever?


    "Come out, I know it''s you."


    Yang Xi spoke from outside a stall.


    "Pervert!!! What do you want?!"


    The voice from within was unmistakably female.


    But Yang Xi was certain. The scent was the same.


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    Without hesitation, he kicked the door open.


    Inside stood a woman in a pink trench coat. But upon closer inspection, "she" bore a 70–80% resemblance to the financial professional.


    Yang Xi chuckled. "Your ability is really something—can even change your voice?"


    "Too bad you can''t fully alter your figure and facial features."


    For a woman, her build was far too broad.


    Realizing he had been exposed, the thief dropped the act and reverted to his original form—a young man in a dark green flight jacket, Yang Xi''s backpack still slung over his shoulder.


    The thief tossed the backpack back to Yang Xi. "Alright, I give up! Take your stuff—just treat me like a fart and let me go!"


    Yang Xi checked the contents. Everything was still there.


    "What exactly is in here that made you go after me so hard?"


    The thief curiously tried to peek inside.


    Yang Xi zipped the bag shut and gave a friendly smile. "Remember, get a real job and be a decent person."


    Psychic Shock, Level Three.


    Since the guy was an ability user, Yang Xi worried that Level Two wouldn''t be effective, but Level Four or Five might turn him into an idiot. Level Three seemed like the safest bet.


    Sure enough, the thief''s body trembled before he collapsed limply onto the toilet seat.


    Yang Xi placed a hand on him and activated his Stripping ability.


    "I just said I wasn''t collecting abilities anymore, but here I am again. The ''smells good'' law never fails."


    With a wry smile, he withdrew his hand, now holding an orange ability pearl.


    Ability: DisguiseDescription: Can complete a full outfit change in 0.01 seconds. The Personal Wardrobe Slot can store up to 22 outfit combinations, slightly altering voice and appearance to match the clothing style.Rating: ENote: With this, you no longer need courage to get out of bed on cold winter mornings!


    Yang Xi explored the Personal Wardrobe Slot—it was just like customizing a character in a game. A single thought and the transformation was complete.


    Currently, two outfits were stored: the financial professional’s suit and the pink trench coat disguise. Even the accessories, shoes, and bags were included.


    Yang Xi’s own backpack had been stored as part of the thief’s flight jacket outfit. In essence, the ability doubled as a small storage space.


    To determine its full capacity, more testing was needed.


    Activating the Disguise ability, Yang Xi instantly swapped into the financial professional’s suit, his hairstyle adjusting to match.


    "Pretty convenient."


    Picking up a sleek leather briefcase, Yang Xi thoughtfully closed the restroom door behind him.


    As he stepped out of the women''s restroom, a middle-aged lady entering at the same time froze in shock, staring at him in disbelief.


    With his new disguise, he looked every bit like a well-dressed scoundrel.


    Wearing someone else''s face really thickens your skin.


    —


    One week later.


    Life had returned to normal. Yang Xi visited the hospital a few times to sit with his sister, Yang Feifei, but spent most of his time developing his abilities.


    Excluding his innate Stripping ability, he now possessed three stolen powers: Super Brain, Fire-Resistant Shell, and Disguise.


    Super Brain was a fusion of his sister’s Psychic Shock and Lin Naixue’s Brain Overclocking. After evolving to a D-rank ability, it granted him powerful mental attacks while significantly enhancing his cognitive functions, memory, perception, and even reflexes.


    The Super Brain ability was a fusion of Mental Shock, Feifei Yang’s power, and Brain Overclocking, Lin Naixue’s ability. After evolving, it reached Grade D, allowing Yang Xi to unleash mental shockwaves to attack enemies and significantly enhance his cognitive functions, vision, hearing, smell, and touch.


    In Super Brain Mode, Yang Xi’s learning ability and memory skyrocketed. Within just a few days, he had absorbed vast amounts of knowledge—microexpression recognition, investigation techniques, counter-surveillance methods, and everything else that could benefit his upcoming operations.


    Although Super Brain was only Grade D, it had already become a core ability for Yang Xi.


    The Fireproof Shell ability, on the other hand, was a Grade B power. After days of practice, Yang Xi finally managed to attach the shell to his clothing. Otherwise, whenever facing fire-type ability users, his body would be immune, but appearing stark naked in public wasn’t exactly an ideal scenario.


    Moreover, activating this ability enhanced Yang Xi’s physical defense, indirectly boosting his close-combat capabilities. With some martial arts training, he could easily handle Grade D melee ability users, and with the enhancement from Super Brain, he might even hold his ground against Grade C close-combat users.


    As for Disguise, there was nothing more to say. Yang Xi had prepared two outfit slots—one for each identity.


    The first was the "Janitor Set." It included not only the uniform but also a trash cart, broom, and mop—a complete professional kit for infiltration and escape.


    The second, naturally, was "You Rooster." A platinum-colored rooster mask, black robe, black gloves, and a carefully adjusted voice—a husky, middle-aged tone resembling a seasoned smoker in his forties. He looked every bit like a top expert from a secret organization.


    From now on, all dirty work and high-risk missions would be handled under this alias.


    At that moment, Yang Xi received a notification from TaoTao Mall:


    "Your Mental Gauge has arrived."


    He frowned. "This shop’s delivery service is really subpar."


    Heading downstairs to the parcel pickup point, he ran into Fan Peng, who had just stepped out of a taxi.


    Fan Peng sneaked up to him mysteriously and whispered, "Guess who I ran into at the nightclub?"


    He smirked, savoring the moment before delivering the punchline:


    "That girl you’ve been chasing—Lin Naixue—she was working there as a hostess!"


    Seeing Fan Peng’s gossipy "bro, you’ve been played" expression, Yang Xi was speechless.


    How long had it been since he last saw Lin Naixue.