Chapter 174 – Head of the Family
Tu Ran cautiously sensed Mira Wells’ position. By determining the direction from which Min Tao and the other were shooting, she navigated around the pillar to get to the opposite side.
The thick pillar completely concealed her body.
Tu Ran felt frustrated; she had so many superpowers but couldn’t use them. Even when escaping from the fire dragon earlier, she had only dared to use a little bit of [Teleportation] to slightly increase her speed.
The area was covered with surveillance cameras, and her actions were shared in real-time with the guards outside. It was even possible that her movements were being broadcasted in Stephen Wells’ office.
If she exposed herself, she would be surrounded and captured like those genetically modified individuals and then sent to the research institute for study.
However, without using her abilities, it would be extremely difficult for the three of them to handle this genetically modified being.
So, she needed to find a place to avoid the surveillance and where Min Tao and the other couldn’t follow.
Tu Ran already had a plan in mind.
The moment she saw the lake, the idea had formed.
Humans who consumed the divine medicine might have powerful physical abilities, but their intelligence would drop to an animal level.
Mira Wells, who had been circling the pillar for four or five rounds, was now thoroughly disoriented. It anxiously circled the pillar, occasionally spewing fire to vent its frustration and continuously banging against the pillar.
Its reduced brain capacity, the size of a thumbnail, did not allow it to think about whether the human on the other side had already left. It stubbornly continued to circle the stone pillar, searching for the human who had provoked it.
Tu Ran had long since left the pillar and quietly infiltrated the third level of the tower supported by the pillar.
Min Tao and the other received Tu Ran’s instructions and ceased firing.
“Hide,” Tu Ran said over the headset.
Although Min Tao and the other pioneer didn’t know what Tu Ran was planning, they cooperated by returning to the floor where Mira Wells had been sleeping. They hid behind a door and observed the situation through the door’s crack.
*
Meanwhile, high up in a luxurious office in a skyscraper over three hundred floors tall, a massive screen displayed everything happening in the castle.
The footage came from various angles, smoothly switched by dedicated personnel. Every frame focused on Tu Ran and the flying monster in the sky.
In a comfortable sofa, a man in a neatly tailored suit leaned back, holding a glass of red wine and watching the events unfold on the screen.
“What’s her name?” he asked.
“Tu Ran. She is a junior pioneer from the Pioneer Team’s first batch. Graduated with top honors in several subjects and has performed well in the Pioneer Team.
During the last outbreak of infectious aliens on a train, she cooperated with Xie Xu of the Xie family to prevent a large-scale spread of infection and received commendation from the Federation,” the elderly man with white hair said fluently.
He didn’t hesitate or search for information in a communicator; it was as if he had the information memorized and spoke as soon as Stephano Wells asked.
Stephano tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass.
“I haven’t heard of Xie Xu recently. Is he still at the research institute?”
“Yes,” the elderly man said, walking mechanically towards Stephano. He took the empty glass from Stephano and refilled it with red wine. “This is the third glass today, reaching your set maximum intake. Please adjust your mindset to avoid addiction.”
Stephano Wells calmly swirled his glass of red wine, his gaze returning to the screen as if he hadn’t heard.
“What’s she trying to do standing up there?”
“From her trajectory and line of sight, she seems to intend to jump from above.”
“Jump? Does she plan to smash that clumsy bird?” Stephano took a sip of his wine.
The elderly man did not respond.
From his tone, it was clear that Mr. Stephano Wells was being sarcastic. Based on experience, when Mr. Stephano Wells was sarcastic, one should not agree with him.
“I really don’t understand how my aunt, such a sharp person, turned into such an idiot after becoming a monster.”
“Certain components in the divine medicine can damage the brain’s nerves, causing atrophy and a significant reduction in cognitive functions, lowering them to a sub-animal level,” the elderly man explained.
“Uncle Wei.” Stephano turned his head, casting a cold glance at him.
“Sorry, sir, I was wrong,” the elderly man bowed his head.
His understanding of human behavior was rarely mistaken.
Firstly, Mr. Stephano Wells did not like others to agree with him when he was being sarcastic.
Secondly, Mr. Stephano Wells disliked having his family members ridiculed.
Stephano Wells stood up from the sofa, walked to the desk, placed the remaining wine glass on the table, and put on the watch from the desk before turning and leaving the office.
He said nothing throughout the process.
Leaving the elderly man alone in the empty office.
He walked to the desk and quietly looked at the remaining wine.
Thirdly, Mr. Stephano Wells never wasted good wine, unless he was very angry.
“Clean up,” he said to the empty office.
Then, a square metal object in the corner of the office behind him buzzed to life, extending a few wheels from its base and moving towards the elderly man.
It stopped at the elderly man’s feet, and its top lid opened to swallow the remaining red wine.
*
Meanwhile, on the large screen, Tu Ran kicked open a window and leaped down from above.
She landed on Mira Wells’ back.
This was her most frequently used tactic.
Mira Wells began to struggle violently, as did any other alien species she had encountered.
Unlike other alien species, Mira Wells had arms that could fold and twist, allowing it to scratch at the human on its back.
Tu Ran gripped its white hair with one hand to prevent herself from falling off, while the other hand held a gun aimed at Mira Wells’s arm.
The outer layer of its arms had also developed a hard exoskeleton similar to its wings, and bullets only sparked and deflected off its surface.
They could not penetrate.
However, the sensation of pain was still present. Under the concentrated gunfire, Mira Wells’ arms were unable to reach Tu Ran.
Its scalp was one of the few vulnerable areas on its body. Tu Ran tightly pulled its hair, causing pain in its scalp. It spun its body rapidly in an attempt to throw Tu Ran off.
But the faster it spun, the tighter Tu Ran gripped its hair due to the body’s inertia, increasing the pain in its scalp.
Frustrated, it could only vent its anger by spewing fire in all directions before stopping its spinning.
Realizing this, Tu Ran immediately grabbed the base of its hair with both hands, controlling its direction.
This was just the surface view.
