The White Mist Forbidden Zone: I Have the X-ray vision

"Anthony, it's time for lunch," Belinda called as she appeared in Anthony's room at noon the next day, dressed to the nines.

As soon as she entered, she noticed Anthony doing push-ups. His shirt was off, and sweat was dripping down his face. Having just Espers his powers, Anthony was working on strengthening his body to better integrate his abilities and enhance his strength. Even in a safe zone, his years of survival instincts hadn't faded.

Belinda's eyes widened with admiration. She had initially thought Anthony was just a pretty boy, but now she saw that he was quite muscular. His physique, combined with his looks, nearly made her swoon.

Embarrassed by her stare, Anthony quickly pulled on a shirt. "Sister Belinda, do you need something?"

Belinda grinned. "Hehe, I came to call you for lunch, Anthony. I didn't expect you to be so well-built."

She reached out to touch him, but Anthony quickly dodged, wary.

"Pfft, what are you afraid of? Oh, right, you're not a real man yet. Want to become one?" she teased.

Anthony quickly retreated in defeat.

A short while later, they began their lunch. Anthony never held back when it came to food; he ate more than twice as much as both Belinda and Christine combined. But instead of being concerned, the two women were happy to see him enjoying his meal so much. As they ate, they chatted.

"Anthony, where are you from? Why are you here alone?" Belinda asked.

Anthony was silent for a moment before replying, "I'm from Drakes Town."

"What?!" Belinda and Christine exclaimed in surprise. "You're from Drakes Town too?"

"Too?" Anthony asked, puzzled.

"Yes, both Christine and I are from Drakes Town. We fled here when the White Mist Zone suddenly appeared," Belinda explained.

Christine nodded, her eyes misting up. "This place is close to the White Mist Zone. When it suddenly appeared all those years ago, many people died. The survivors mostly fled to Kasnia Town."

As she spoke, Christine 's eyes turned red, clearly recalling the past. The disaster had claimed a million lives, and even seven years later, it was impossible to forget.

Belinda patted Christine 's shoulder. "It's all in the past now, and we're doing fine, aren't we?"

"But so many people became orphans. If Martina hadn't taken us in, we might have starved to death," Christine replied, her voice tinged with sorrow.

Anthony was curious. "Aren't you both espers?"

"espers abilities vary by talent level. Christine and I are both D-rank, which is pretty average with little potential for development," Christine explained.

While many people dream of becoming espers, not all will become Watchmen. Of the espers who awaken each year, less than a third are admitted to academies. Of the remainder, only a small number join espers squads. Without sufficient strength, hunting monsters in the danger zones is akin to suicide.

"Wait, how did you know that?" Belinda suddenly asked, realizing she didn't remember using her abilities in front of Anthony. Even most of their regular customers didn't know this secret, yet Anthony had noticed on his first day.

Anthony rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Well, I'm also an espers. My eyes can distinguish between espers and regular people."

Though he liked the two women, he decided it was best not to reveal too much.

"You're an espers too?" Christine asked, surprised. "What a coincidence!"

Anthony nodded. "Yeah, I Espers not long ago."

Belinda's eyes sparkled. A pale-skinned, clear-eyed pretty boy with a toned body and an espers's abilities—Anthony's value just shot up. Vision-based abilities were generally supportive, and their talent levels weren't usually high.

 If Anthony's talent were exceptional, he wouldn't be working here; he could easily find a better-paying job elsewhere. Still, even with a modest talent level, the title of "espers" added significant value. With a little grooming, he might catch the eye of a wealthy female espers. He could be a real moneymaker.

Moreover, even E-rank espers had physical capabilities far beyond ordinary people. If...

Belinda's cheeks flushed as her thoughts wandered, and she subtly squeezed her legs together.

"Anthony, if you just Espers your powers, why are you out here? Are you planning to join an espers squad?" Christine asked curiously.

"Uh… I got separated from my sister and my grandfather due to some trouble," Anthony said, suddenly thinking of something. He asked tentatively, "By the way, Sister Christine, can I borrow your phone?"

He still remembered being refused the day before and wasn't sure what the problem was.

"You don't even have a phone?" Christine 's maternal instincts kicked in. "Come on, I'll take you to buy a new one."

Anthony was overjoyed. "Thank you, Sister Christine! I'll pay you back when I get my salary."

He had thought he'd need to work for several days to afford a phone, but now someone was giving him one for free.

A short while later, after leaving the phone store, Anthony excitedly dialed the number he had memorized long ago.

"Hello, who's this?" a cold voice answered on the other end.

"Hey, Amy, it's me, Anthony."

"Anthony, my dear brother! You finally called me. I've missed you so much!" Amy's tone made a complete 180-degree turn upon hearing Anthony's voice, clearly indicating that she had a soft spot for the sweet, clean-cut younger brother.

Anthony awkwardly rubbed his nose. "Amy, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Hmph! You're asking for a favor right away? You didn't even say you missed me!"

Anthony: ...

"Go ahead, since I'm in a good mood, I might just help you out. Oh, and let's add each other on facebook later. I'll send you some pictures and videos."

"Sure, no problem." Anthony quickly agreed, trying to get to the point. "Amy, could you help me find someone?"

"Find someone?"

"Yes, I've lost contact with my sister and my grandpa. They don't have phones, and I don't know how to reach them."

Upon hearing this, Amy frowned slightly. "Only Watchmen captains or Demon Hunter captains have the authority to access civilian information. I don't have that kind of clearance. The captain is currently out on a mission, and I'm not sure when he'll be back."

Anthony felt a bit disappointed, but not overly so—this was more or less what he had expected. It didn't seem right to ask Amy to wait for Captain Irvin to return and then inquire on his behalf. They were just casual acquaintances; why should she waste such a favor on him? Moreover, these kinds of things aren't easily done just because you ask.

Sensing Anthony's disappointment, Amy suddenly said, "I might not be able to help, but you could try the local police station. They can look up people's information, but they can only access data for ordinary civilians. They can't check government officials or Watchmen."

Upon hearing this, Anthony was overjoyed. Sister Angela and Grandpa Alan should be considered ordinary civilians. If that's the case, he might be able to find their whereabouts at the police station!

"Thank you, Amy!"

Anthony was about to hang up when Amy quickly added, "Hey, don't get too excited. The police can look up information, but it's not free. I can't remember the exact amount, but it's probably in the hundreds of thousands."

Hundreds of thousands...

Anthony's face fell. He didn't even have money to buy his own phone—Christine had just bought one for him—let alone that kind of cash. He regretted not collecting some monster corpses back in the White Mist Zone; maybe he could've sold them for some money.

...