For a moment, neither of them speaks. The only sound is Jang Yu drinking.
After a long silence, Uncle Li finally speaks. "There's something I want to ask you."
Jang Yu looks over, curious.
Uncle Li turns to face him. "Have you had your awakening?"
Jang Yu's heart jumps. His grip tightens on the bottle. A quiet tension begins to creep through the room.
Jang Yu looks away quickly and pretends to drink, scrambling to hide his nerves. "Awakening? What are you talking about?"
Uncle Li gives him a sideways glance. "I've been with the Night Watch for twenty years. I know what those injuries mean the moment I see them. So talk. When did it happen?"
Jang Yu has no comeback for that. Twenty years. There's no fooling this man. With no way out, he comes clean. "About three weeks ago."
Uncle Li presses further. "How?"
Jang Yu stares at him. Is this an interrogation?
Uncle Li takes a slow breath. "Relax. Take your time."
Jang Yu props his chin on one hand, making a show of thinking hard. "Honestly, I'm not sure. It just happened."
Uncle Li's hand goes still. A natural awakening. That's extremely rare. Maybe a handful of cases a year.
Jang Yu waves it off. "Probably. Guess I'm just built different."
Then Uncle Li stares at him. Really stares. Look closely and you can see a faint shimmer flickering in his eyes. He holds the gaze for a long moment, then sinks back into the couch.
Jang Yu's pulse quickens. Was that Uncle Li's ability just now?
Silence fills the room. The clock on the wall ticks on.
Uncle Li is the one who breaks it. "This year, anyone who tests positive for awakened potential, as long as their willpower and aptitude clear the minimum threshold, will be required to sit the combat exam. No exceptions."
Jang Yu nods slowly. "I know. Yaoyao told me."
Uncle Li looks at him. "The Night Watch has been under enormous pressure lately. Casualties climb every year. I can pull some strings, get you out of the combat exam. You just take the regular entrance exams like everyone else."
Jang Yu blinks. Is he really just saying this out loud?
Uncle Li continues. "Any of the majors, your pick. You like drawing comics, right? Arts program is on the table. Or any other faculty you want."
Jang Yu thinks, This man is incredible. He grins. "Can I skip the study and just get the diploma?"
Uncle Li stares at him for a moment, then smacks him on the back of the head. "Want me to send you to the moon instead?"
He clears his throat and continues. "Lingong Academy has a good environment. Graduate. I'll line up a stable job for you. Settle down with Yaoyao. Live a quiet life."
Jang Yu rubs his head and says quietly, "Uncle Li. Thanks, but no."
Uncle Li frowns. "What's wrong? Want a different academy?"
Jang Yu meets his eyes, steady and clear. "I want to become an awakened. For real."
The words land like a spark. Uncle Li is on his feet in an instant. "Absolutely not. On this, you will listen to me."
Then he catches himself. Too much. He points at Jang Yu, about to say something.
Jang Yu cuts him off, face completely serious. "No. If you pull strings for me, I'm going straight to the Night Watch to report you."
Uncle Li stares at him, thrown completely off balance. "You're going to report me?"
Jang Yu holds his gaze without flinching.
Uncle Li's expression goes dark. "I'm not joking with you. The awakened world is far more dangerous than you think. Study. Stay safe. I'll still be here to look out for you."
Jang Yu doesn't budge. "Neither am I. Danger is everywhere, Uncle Li, and you can't watch over me forever."
Silence. The air between them turns cold.
Uncle Li exhales. "We'll see if you still feel that way once you know the full picture. But listen. Anytime before your third year, if you change your mind, you come find me."
"Uncle Li, you really should stop bending the rules like that. One day you'll get caught."
Uncle Li, already turning to leave, waves him off irritably. "Get out of my sight. I'm heading home."
But Jang Yu stops him. "Is it possible for an awakened, someone who's already dead with no power left, to still transform into an aberrant?"
Uncle Li looks at him with an odd expression. "It's possible. An unusual ability or some form of external interference could both cause that. But why are you asking?"
Jang Yu laughs it off. "Nothing. Just curious."
Uncle Li puts on his shoes. "If you're going down the combat exam path, you'll run into all of this eventually." He turns back one last time. "Get some rest, and stop picking fights out there."
Jang Yu nods along dutifully.
Then Uncle Li pauses, as if remembering something. "Oh. I forgot to mention. The combat exam has been moved up this year. Assessments start right after the new year. You'd better get ready."
After seeing Uncle Li out, the apartment is quiet again. Jang Yu sits on the couch, his mind turning.
Was it an unusual ability that turned Lin Mo into that, or some kind of outside interference? But Lin Mo was taken by the Night Watch. Even with a special ability, how could he have turned into an aberrant and slipped out?
Lin Mo's face beneath that black shroud keeps flashing through his mind. Did I see it wrong? Or does that aberrant have some kind of ability, one that makes people see things that aren't there?