Tracy released her ability, and its power was pretty impressive, but it used a lot of energy. She realized that using it once almost drained one-eighth of her energy.
Even though it cost a lot, the power was worth it. If it hit a normal person, it might not kill them, but it would definitely knock them out.
She didn't expect her ability to be something as strong as lightning. It seemed like she got lucky this time. This ability might help her escape the danger she was in.
Tracy hurried to get used to how her ability worked. There wasn't much time, but the better she understood it, the better her chances of survival. She didn't dare relax even for a second.
She could feel that she still had enough energy left to use her power four or five more times. She didn't stay in the dimension shop any longer and returned to the bathroom. The whole process took less than five minutes, so Huro outside didn't notice she had disappeared for a short while.
Now that she understood how powerful her ability was, Tracy felt much more confident. She thought that even if she fought Huro head-on, she might not lose. But to be safe, she planned to catch him off guard and strike when he wasn't expecting it.
If she failed, her life could be over.
Tracy didn't waste time in the bathroom. She stepped out and faced Huro.
"You came out quickly. Since you're ready, let's see what you've got," Huro said. "They say when people are in danger, their powers are easier to trigger. Maybe you have an ability, maybe not, but if you're in a life-threatening situation, it should show. You better figure it out soon, or I'll help you test it."
Tracy had already expected that Huro wouldn't let her go. She just didn't think it would happen so soon. Luckily, she had a plan now. So she wasn't too worried. She believed her power was strong enough to knock him down.
Still, she worried about the force of her attack. She had just awakened the ability and couldn't control it well yet. What if she ended up killing him by accident?
There was no other option. If she didn't use it, she would be the one to die.
"Give me a little time. I'll work on it," Tracy replied.
"I'll give you half an hour," Huro said. "Try to figure it out. If not, I'll take action. If you don't have an ability, you'll die for real."
Huro wasn't worried that Tracy might escape. He knew not all abilities were useful in a fight. And with her just awakening it, she probably couldn't control it well. Just being able to use it at all was impressive. Using it in battle? No way.
Plus, beginner abilities were usually weak. He was confident he could dodge anything she threw at him.
But what Huro didn't know was that due to a few lucky chances, Tracy's power was far stronger than a normal newly awakened one.
Half an hour was plenty of time. Tracy just needed to wait for the right moment and then strike.
She didn't attack right away. It was better to wait until Huro let his guard down. Her power might be strong, but if she missed, it would be useless.
She only had one real chance. Even if she could use the power a few more times, once she missed the first hit, Huro could easily overpower her.
If she made it through this, she needed to find someone to train her in self-defense. Otherwise, any thug could hurt her, and that wasn't safe at all.
Huro saw Tracy focusing and didn't suspect anything. He didn't think she'd dare try anything while her life was in his hands.
Ten minutes passed. Huro wasn't even watching her anymore. He sat on the sofa and closed his eyes to rest. He believed that with Tracy's skills, she couldn't do anything to him.
When Tracy saw that he wasn't paying attention, she didn't attack right away.
She waited a few more minutes.
Then, when she was sure he was fully relaxed, she gathered all the energy in her body and aimed at where he was sitting.
A bolt of lightning shot out straight at Huro. He sensed something was wrong. His scalp tingled, and he felt a deadly threat.
Without thinking, he rolled off the sofa, just barely avoiding a direct hit. But the lightning still struck nearby and shocked him, knocking him out cold.
The sofa was blown into pieces, and Tracy looked at it with a bit of fear. Her power was way too strong. Even the floor had cracks. If Huro hadn't moved, would he have been blown to bits?
She didn't want to kill anyone. This result was better. Tracy found some rope and tied him up. Still, she wasn't sure it would hold.
Huro was skilled. If he woke up and untied himself, she'd be in trouble.
So, she took a stick and hit him on the back of the head, just to be safe. Now he shouldn't be waking up any time soon.
Once she made sure he was tightly tied and unconscious, Tracy called the police.
No wonder they had been after Huro. He had stolen something really important — a formula that could help people unlock powers. That kind of thing was priceless.
She had injected the gene enhancement serum and awakened her power. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any bad side effects. After all, she was also a victim in all of this.
Tracy didn't really want the police to know about her power. But with Huro still here, she had no choice. She couldn't handle him on her own, and she didn't want to kill him or throw his body into another world.
She just wasn't the kind of person who could do something so cruel. Even if he was a dangerous criminal, she still believed the law should punish him.
The police took her call seriously and quickly sent someone over to her place.
At the same time, Cris also got the news. His heart tightened with worry.
Tracy was surprised to find that Huro had come to her house. Cris realized it was his mistake. He had thought Huro and the others were too busy running for their lives to come after Tracy. So, he didn't send anyone to protect her. But now he saw how wrong he was. These spies were still able to hurt others even while being chased. That meant they weren't being hunted hard enough.
Tracy was very important to his family. He couldn't let anything happen to her. As soon as he got the news, Cris went to her house with the police.
"You're not hurt, right? It's our fault you were put in danger," Cris said.
"I'm fine. It was scary, but I wasn't hurt. That criminal is knocked out and tied up. You better take him away and make sure he doesn't escape again," Tracy replied.
"Don't worry, no matter how skilled he is, he won't get away this time. We won't make the same mistake again," Cris said.
Although he was relieved Tracy was safe, Cris felt something was strange. Tracy was just an ordinary person, but she managed to escape from Huro and even knock him out. That was hard to believe.
But when he looked at her living room and saw the broken sofa and damaged floor, he understood. Tracy had awakened a power.
Normal people didn't know about people with special powers. Cris pulled Tracy aside and asked quietly, "What happened to the sofa and floor? Did you awaken a special ability?"
"You know about powers too? I thought only regular people existed. I just found out today there are people with powers. I guess I was really clueless if even you know," Tracy said.
"Only a small number of people know about it. I know because of my family background. I've seen people with powers before. Usually, when someone first awakens, their power is weak. But yours is already so strong. That means your talent is very good. Especially with lightning powers — those are naturally powerful," Cris explained.
"Do people with powers also have different talents?" she asked.
"Of course. Those with good talent can grow stronger faster if they get the right resources. But if someone's talent is poor, they might never improve, no matter how hard they try," he said.
"So, you need resources to grow your power?" Tracy asked.
"Yes. To level up, you need to absorb energy from crystal mines. I'm not a power-user, so I don't know all the details. If you're interested, you could join the country's special department. There are many power-users there. They can guide you and provide regular resources. It's much better than figuring it out alone. Most independent power-users can't find those resources. But of course, some people who awaken still choose to live normal lives. It depends on what you want," Cris said.
"You seem to know a lot. Is someone in your family a power-user?" Tracy asked.
"No, it's just because I work in that special department. Since you haven't joined yet, I can't tell you too much. But you don't need to worry. Whether you join or not, as long as you follow the law, the country won't treat you unfairly just because you awakened," he said.
"That's good to hear. I'm curious about crystal mines, but I want to live like a normal person," Tracy said.
She didn't need the government's help to grow stronger. She had crystal cores from the post-apocalyptic world that could help her level up. So, she had no reason to join the secret department, especially since she had too many secrets herself.
"When you do the police report later, don't mention you awakened a power. That kind of thing has to be kept secret from regular people. All power-users need to be registered. I'll come get you tomorrow to register. But don't worry, it's just paperwork. You don't have to join the department. After registration, you can go back to your normal life. As long as you don't break the law, no one will bother you," Cris said.
"I understand. Actually, the reason I awakened is that the criminal injected me with a gene-enhancing drug. He was testing it on me. If not for that, I wouldn't have had the strength to beat him," Tracy said.
Cris's expression changed. This was serious. If the drug worked, that meant Huro's team had figured out the formula. That was very dangerous.
He regretted handing Huro over to the police. If their team had kept him, he wouldn't have escaped. But now, it was too late. They had to find a way to fix this.
"That information is very important. Huro still has two partners on the run. Since you just awakened, you might not be able to fight them. I'll send someone from our team to protect you. Once we catch them, it'll be safe," Cris said.
Tracy hesitated. It would be safer with someone protecting her. But if that person stayed with her all the time, she wouldn't be able to enter the small shop in the other world.
Cris worked in the special department, and his teammate probably did too. If they saw something unusual, it could be dangerous.
Still, she didn't have a good reason to refuse. And honestly, she was scared. Business could wait. Her life was more important.
"Thank you," Tracy said.
Since she was the victim, the police didn't give her a hard time. They took her statement and then took Huro away from her home.