At the New York TV Station underground base, a young soldier on duty was puzzled: "Sergeant, did you hear Miss Olivia Brooks scream?"

The older soldier, who was dozing off, replied disdainfully, "You young lad always has women on your mind! Miss Olivia Brooks is the most famous ability user in our base. She's way out of your league. Give it up!"

Embarrassed, the young soldier said, "Really, I did hear her scream."

The older soldier snorted, "Enough! Everyone knows what you're thinking. Stop spewing nonsense and stand guard properly. Let me nap a bit longer. Wake me when the shift change arrives."

The young soldier was helpless. He glanced at the closed door of the lounge and decided to let it go.

He didn't dare provoke Olivia Brooks.

She didn't care for male ability users, let alone a mere soldier like him.

Time ticked by.

It was time for the shift change.

Kevin, a male ability user, arrived with two soldiers, chatting and laughing.

After a brief exchange with the outgoing team, Kevin wondered aloud, "Miss Brooks is usually eager to clock out. Why hasn't she come out yet? Is she asleep?"

He knocked on the lounge door.

Bang, bang, bang.

No one answered.

Curious, Kevin asked, "Is Miss Brooks not in?"

The older soldier replied with a smile, "Sir, Miss Brooks is inside. She hasn't come out. Maybe she's sleeping soundly today."

Kevin shrugged and knocked again: "Miss Brooks, it's Kevin. It's time for the shift change."

If it were a male ability user, he would have just gone in.

But it was Olivia Brooks, known for not being friendly to men, and she had a unique ability, highly valued by higher-ups. Kevin wasn't keen on provoking her.

Bang, bang, bang. Bang, bang, bang.

Kevin knocked harder, but still, there was no response from inside.

The group sensed something was wrong.

Even if someone were asleep, they wouldn't be this unresponsive.

The young soldier recalled hearing a cry for help and grew anxious. Could Olivia Brooks be in trouble?

The older soldier was also uneasy.

Kevin could no longer wait. He tried the door handle, discovering it was locked from the inside.

He quickly went to a window and attempted to peer inside.

The window was intact and locked from within.

The room's interior was dark, and he couldn't see much due to the curtains blocking most of the view, revealing only the table—Olivia Brooks was not in sight.

Could she still be asleep in bed?

The crowd grew tense and began banging on the window:

Bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!

"Miss Brooks!" "Miss Brooks!"

The room remained dead silent, with no response.

Anxiety crept into everyone's hearts.

The older soldier turned pale, collapsing to the floor. This was bad!

Kevin's expression changed, and he demanded: "Did any of you notice anything unusual?"

The young soldier, frightened, admitted, "Sir, about 15 minutes ago, I faintly heard Miss Olivia Brooks calling for help, but the sergeant said I was overreacting and wouldn't let me check."

He quickly passed the blame. This has nothing to do with me!

"Fifteen minutes!" Kevin glared at the older soldier angrily, "Good job!"

Kevin, being an ability user, was well aware of Olivia Brooks's importance.

Although she didn't have strong combat abilities, she could see the number of abilities other ability users possessed.

Sometimes, she could even discern the type of abilities, which was of immense strategic value to the base.

Moreover, she was the only one in the entire base with such an ability, and she was irreplaceable.

If Olivia Brooks disappeared, it would be a huge problem!

Soon, an alarm blared, causing the entire base to erupt into chaos.

Minutes later, a group of ability users and soldiers surrounded the lounge.

Teresa Taylor stood among the crowd, bewildered, unsure of what had happened.

Erics Peterson entered the lounge with several executives, silently surveying the scene.

A senior detective thoroughly examined the room and analyzed: "Looking at the bed, it seems Olivia Brooks noticed something, got up to check, and was then captured. Her slipper was left here."

"There are no signs of struggle in the room, and the guards at the door heard only a brief cry for help, suggesting Olivia Brooks was subdued instantly. Her captor must be quite formidable."

"Another odd thing is that the door and window were locked from the inside, yet Olivia Brooks is gone. In the past, this would be a classic locked-room disappearance. Now, it must be the work of a special ability user."

Ability user... Erics Peterson narrowed his eyes: "Officer Morris, did the surveillance cameras pick up anything?"

Detective Morris replied, "I've checked. From the time Olivia Brooks entered the lounge to when Kevin broke in, no one was seen approaching."

Erics Peterson's expression darkened: "Then it's very likely an ability user! What kind of ability could silently take Olivia Brooks? Was it past enmity or unresolved feelings?"

He was furious.

Olivia Brooks's ability was crucial, but more importantly, her mysterious disappearance would severely damage Erics Peterson's credibility.

If he couldn't even guarantee the base's safety, how could other ability users trust his leadership?

Everyone silently watched Erics Peterson.

Suppressing his anger, Erics Peterson continued, "Have the numbers been counted?"

A person reported: "Yes, all 5,531 people in the base have been accounted for, except Olivia Brooks. All entrances have been checked; there have been no entries or exits in the past hour."

Brigadier General Martin Stewart suddenly stepped forward, circling the room.

He stopped at a particular spot, crouching down to sniff the air and touch the ground, bringing his hand to his nose thoughtfully.

The crowd fell silent.

Martin Stewart was one of the base's four Alpha-class ability users and the soldiers' commanding officer—highly respected.

Erics Peterson knew one of Stewart's abilities was super smell. Eagerly, he asked: "General Stewart, have you discovered anything?"

Martin Stewart sniffed the air again carefully before calmly saying, "I've detected an unfamiliar scent. It's definitely not someone from our base! The person last vanished here!"

He confidently pointed at the floor.

"The floor? An underground ability?" The crowd looked at the floor in confusion.

The cement floor was undamaged.

An underground escape without damage?

Burrowing? Passing through walls? Teresa Taylor suddenly thought of James Lone.

That man had such abilities.

Could it be James Lone?

She dismissed the thought.

James Lone was comfortably enjoying life at Sunshine Garden Apartments.

Surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women, he was living a luxurious life. There was no way he'd venture far into danger.

Yet, thinking of all the women around James Lone, Teresa Taylor couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy— a feeling she hadn't realized she had.

Erics Peterson said coldly, "Abilities nowadays are endless. Digging without damaging the ground is possible. However, he can't have gone far!"

"No oxygen underground means even the strongest can't go long without breathing, so he must surface to breathe at intervals."

"From experience, stronger abilities consume more stamina. Plus, he abducted Olivia Brooks, so his stamina consumption is significant. I suspect this person is hiding somewhere within the base!"

Inspirited, Martin Stewart's eyes lit up: "So, he might still be inside?"

Erics Peterson sneered, "Quite likely. Good! Since he came, he can stay! General Campbell, seal the entire base."

In the crowd, a silent soldier raised his head—it was Rock Campbell. Once an ordinary soldier, he gained a powerful spatial sealing ability after consuming an ability fruit.

The greatest effect of this ability was to isolate internal and external spaces.

Nothing from the outside could enter, not even flames.

Nor could anything inside escape.

"Yes, sir!" Rock Campbell pressed his hands together.

A pale blue, semi-transparent cube appeared, quickly expanding, passing through everything—people, buildings, ground...

Seconds later, sweat beading on his forehead, Rock Campbell weakly said, "The whole base is sealed, for eight hours."

"Eight hours? We won't need that long!" Erics Peterson quickly ordered: "General Stewart, I'm assigning you this capture mission. All ability users will be under your command temporarily. In three hours, I expect you to find the perpetrator!"

Martin Stewart confidently replied, "Rest assured, as long as he surfaced anywhere, I'll sniff him out. An hour is all I need!"

The others shared confident expressions.

Catching a rodent hiding within a closed environment with over a hundred ability users?

How could they lose?

Victory was assured!

Erics Peterson nodded in satisfaction: "Go. Act immediately!"

"To dare behave so boldly in our base, I'll make sure he regrets ever being born!"

Teresa Taylor watched the crowd move with determination, feeling a surge of nervousness.

Could it... really be James Lone?

And if it were him, what should she do?

Should she help him?

Teresa Taylor's mind was unsettled with questions.