Chapter 146 – Encounter with a Human Again
Right now, she leaned towards staying in the Threshold.
But no matter where she stayed, she had to get the recording bracelet off her wrist first.
It was like a ticking time bomb; as long as she couldn’t remove it, Tu Ran couldn’t feel at ease.
Standing up, Tu Ran headed towards the cave.
She decided to sleep on it and come up with a solution the next day.
Early the next morning, before dawn, the Threshold was still enveloped in darkness.
Tu Ran reviewed and organized all her equipment, and by the time she was done, it was already light outside.
She woke Pangpang up.
She fed it a piece of compressed biscuit.
After they both finished their biscuit, they continued on their way.
“Pangpang, I need a type of superpower that can destroy this bracelet. Do you know which alien species has a racial talent related to destruction?”
Pangpang looked at the bracelet wrapped tightly with a cloth on her wrist and shook its little head, “All aliens cause destruction in this world. Even our Dang Hu tribe often dig holes here and there.”
Destruction was too broad a category, making it hard to pinpoint.
“Let’s just keep looking as we go,” Tu Ran sighed, “We’ll eventually come across something.”
Actually, she had another idea.
It wasn’t necessary to destroy the bracelet.
She had thought of this idea the moment she obtained the [Diamond Body] superpower.
She could simply chop off her hand. Not the whole hand, just half of it would be enough to remove the bracelet.
With her [Diamond Body]’s rapid healing ability, it might grow back in less than five minutes.
But pain was unavoidable.
Just thinking about it made Tu Ran shiver.
So she had already ruled out that option.
Today was relatively lucky. After only an hour of walking, Tu Ran and Pangpang came across a tree covered in red fruit.
Pangpang immediately pounced on it, getting fruit juice all over its head as it ate.
While eating, it also stuffed some into its flattened shoulder bag.
Tu Ran wasn’t hungry, so she left it there and wandered around nearby.
The area was full of trees, with trunks larger than any she had previously encountered, though the leaves were not very lush due to the lack of water.
After a round of exploration, she didn’t find any other fruit trees, indicating that the one tree they found was indeed very valuable.
Looking at the time, Tu Ran estimated that Pangpang was probably done eating and started to head back.
On her way back, Tu Ran heard a human voice.
She wasn’t mistaken; it was definitely a human voice, and a male one at that.
Due to the distance, she couldn’t make out what he was saying, but the direction of the voice was where Pangpang was.
Pangpang was an alien.
Especially in the eyes of pioneers, it was seen as a harmless alien that could be easily handled.
Tu Ran quickened her pace.
Recalling the previous situation, Tu Ran didn’t make her presence known immediately. Instead, she stealthily used the tree trunks for cover and moved closer.
The man’s voice grew clearer.
“I finally found some food, and you, you damn chicken, have eaten it all!” The man was very angry.
“Cheep cheep cheep, cheep cheep cheep cheep,” Pangpang was protesting.
“What the hell are you chirping about? I don’t understand! What’s in that bag of yours? Hand it over!”
“Cheep cheep cheep, cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep,” Pangpang was saying that it wouldn’t give it up; it was something its boss had given it.
“Throw it over now! Or I’ll shoot!”
“Cheep cheep cheep”
Pangpang: No! My boss will be here soon! Boss will blow you up!
Tu Ran thought to herself, at this point, it was just a bag; it was better to hand it over.
She was now very close to Pangpang.
From behind the tree trunk, she could see the man.
He was one of her kind.
The pioneer’s black combat suit was tattered, and his combat helmet was missing. The only things left on him were a submachine gun in his hands and a dagger on his belt.
Tu Ran reasonably suspected whether the submachine gun still had any bullets.
Given his current agitation, if he had any bullets, he likely would have used them by now rather than waste time.
What caught Tu Ran’s attention the most was the light screen above his head.
Yes, a light screen.
Tu Ran saw a light screen floating above him.
[Wheel of Time]
[The owner can turn the wheel of time on any object, bringing it back to a past state or advancing it to a future state.
Note: It can only be used on objects, not living beings, and using the Wheel of Time requires enormous energy. Make sure you are prepared to turn it.
Ability Level: Intermediate]
Tu Ran was astonished. With such an ability to freely manipulate time, why was this man in such a dire situation?
Wasn’t this equivalent to being able to revert spent bullets to a state where they were fully loaded or returning the tree’s fruit to a state where it hadn’t been picked yet?
Could it be that he didn’t know he had this superpower? Or was he reluctant to use it due to its high energy consumption?
Regardless of the reason, this superpower was right in front of her, and she couldn’t ignore it.
Tu Ran bit her finger and smeared the blood on her shoulder.
Although the [Wheel of Time] was an intermediate-level ability, it was an auxiliary type, and her own primary-level auxiliary ability, [Illusion Realm], could suppress any level of auxiliary abilities.
On her shoulder, a dazzlingly colored mushroom quickly emerged, forming into a fist-sized mushroom that continually changed colors and was visually captivating.
Tu Ran remained focused on the man’s back and silently chanted in her mind: Fall forward and press the bracelet beneath you.
The man instantly fell forward as if his soul had been drained, landing face down with his right hand, which was wearing the bracelet, pressed tightly against his chest.
Pangpang was startled by his sudden movement and backed away.
Simultaneously, it muttered, “Pangpang didn’t touch you; you fell on your own. Don’t blame Pangpang.”
It didn’t realize that Tu Ran was nearby.
Tu Ran continued to silently chant: You’re just too tired; sleep, and you’ll be fine…
The man slowly closed his eyes. He was indeed exhausted, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, and quickly fell asleep under Tu Ran’s hypnotic suggestion.
To ensure everything was perfect, Tu Ran then stepped out from behind the tree.
Upon seeing her, Pangpang excitedly jumped up, “Wow, Boss, you finally—”
Tu Ran made a gesture for it to be quiet, and Pangpang quickly swallowed the rest of its words.
Tu Ran crouched next to the man and examined the back of his neck.
Where would a human’s inner core be hidden?
Could it also be at the back of the neck?
But after consuming so many inner cores, each one turned to smoke at the throat and vanished, and it didn’t seem like they were stored in the back of the neck.
How should she search for it?
Use a knife to dig?
With that thought, she drew out her dagger.
As the blade descended, she hesitated.
She was unsure of her own skill; the back of the neck was so delicate. What if she accidentally killed him?
Moreover, what if the inner core wasn’t in the back of the neck? What if she ended up digging in the wrong place?
After much hesitation, Tu Ran placed her palm on his body.
