Chapter 186 – Another Way of Communicating with Zhao Yan
The words “telepathy” were glaringly visible above his head.
Tu Ran paused for three seconds, cleared her mind, and got into the car.
As Ding Naiqing steered the vehicle, he remarked, “Sister Ran, your luck is something else. Attending a party and still running into something like this.”
Tu Ran herself was at a loss for words.
Riding a hovercraft and encountering infected mutants, attending a graduation party and facing a genetic monster, finally gaining some abilities, only to run into someone with “telepathy.”
Her fate was indeed bitter.
Zhao Yan, who was indirectly insulted: “…”
Tu Ran glanced at him through the rearview mirror and raised her eyebrows in a cocky manner.
‘See, see? You got this superpower, and you can’t even talk back when you are scolded.’
Zhao Yan looked out the window.
He really didn’t want to see Tu Ran’s smug face.
“Drop me off up ahead; I need to return this gun to Yao Bei,” Tu Ran said, still holding the laser gun.
Ding Naiqing glanced at the laser gun resting on her lap and remarked in surprise, “So it was Sister Yao who borrowed the laser gun. I was wondering who could have taken it when we went to the equipment room, and they told us that one had already been borrowed and no more could be lent out today.”
“Sister Yao is worthy of it. She got the message asking for support and acted faster than we did by quite a bit.”
Tu Ran looked at him. “Zero notified you to come over?”
“Yeah,” Ding Naiqing said, pressing a series of buttons to prepare for landing. “All the pioneers near the base received the message saying there was a genetic monster at the base, impervious to regular weapons, and support was needed. Brother Yan and I happened to be nearby, so we came over.”
“You just happened to be nearby?” Tu Ran narrowed her eyes as she glanced at Zhao Yan in the rearview mirror. “I remember your assigned area was Luqing City.”
Luqing City was quite far from the Pioneer Training Base.
Zhao Yan immediately sensed what she was suspecting.
“A genetic monster from Luqing City fled to the Pandalin District. We were handing it over to the pioneers there,” Zhao Yan explained.
He certainly had no habit of eavesdropping on others’ thoughts.
The ability to hear thoughts within a ten-meter radius was something he found frustrating. Ever since he gained this ability, there hadn’t been a moment of peace for his ears, constantly bombarded with all sorts of random thoughts, especially in crowded places—it felt like his head was about to explode.
Even worse, at night, while lying in bed, he could sense the thoughts of people moving around upstairs and downstairs.
He couldn’t even sleep properly.
Now, he wished he could find a place with no one within ten meters just to enjoy some peace and quiet. He had no interest in coming over just to eavesdrop on her thoughts.
The patrol car landed smoothly on the ground.
Tu Ran opened the door and got out, just as Yao Bei walked over.
“Here you go, thanks,” Tu Ran said, handing the laser gun back to her.
“You’re welcome,” Yao Bei replied with a slight smile, quickly returning to her usual serious demeanor.
“Sister Yao!” Ding Naiqing called out from inside the car, sticking his head out of the window. “Why don’t you get in too? I can give you a ride back.”
Yao Bei shook her head, politely declining. “No need, I have to stay behind and help clean up the genetic monster’s corpse.”
“Alright then, we’ll head out.”
“Sure, stay safe.”
Tu Ran got back into the car, and the patrol vehicle began to lift off.
“Sister Yao really is a top-tier pioneer, staying behind to assist the research institute with the cleanup. Folks like us just get to leave as soon as our job is done.”
Yao Bei was indeed a top-tier pioneer, one of only two from their batch.
Now, the Pioneer Team had two top-tier pioneers—one was Li Wenchuan, and the other was Yao Bei.
Li Wenchuan had already secured his position as the deputy commander of the Pioneer Team.
Yao Bei didn’t hold an official position yet, but her reputation was widespread—there wasn’t a single person in the Pioneer Team who didn’t know her.
Compared to now, Yao Bei hadn’t attracted much attention in the past. During those five years at the training base, she showed balanced development in all areas—everything was good, but nothing stood out.
In contrast to the flamboyant Tu Ran, the sniper prodigy Xi Chunzhi, and other pioneers who excelled in specific areas, she remained relatively unnoticed.
But things changed once she left the training base. Her well-rounded abilities began to shine through, allowing her to easily establish herself within the Pioneer Team. Her progress in earning points outpaced everyone else, quickly making her one of the top-tier pioneers.
On the other hand, Tu Ran had become just another face in the crowd.
The instructors who had once held high hopes for her could only shake their heads.
Many of the pioneers who had once stood beside her in formation had advanced to become mid-level pioneers, while she remained stuck at the lower ranks, unable to move forward.
This had led to some overt and subtle mockery directed her way.
Ding Naiqing suddenly realized that discussing pioneer ranks in front of Tu Ran might be inappropriate. He sneaked a glance at her and, sure enough, saw that her eyelids were drooping, seemingly out of annoyance.
He bit his tongue, cursing himself for being so tactless.
Awkwardly, he changed the subject. “Sister Ran, guess who we ran into while handling part of the handover task in the Pandalin District?”
“Who?” Tu Ran lifted her eyelids to look at him.
She was feeling a bit tired.
It was already 3 a.m., and she hadn’t slept a wink since getting up at 7 a.m. the previous morning. After fighting so many battles against the monsters, she could barely keep her eyes open.
“We ran into this really annoying guy. He claimed to be some kind of security officer and started mocking us. He kept questioning why a genetic monster from Luqing City ended up in the Pandalin District and even accused us of doing it on purpose, threatening to report us,” Ding Naiqing said, growing more and more agitated as he spoke.
“Oh, the guy with the dead fish eyes? We ran into him on our first day there. His name is Diao Hongzhi,” Tu Ran replied casually. “He wasn’t happy with our attitude and told us to wait and see. Seems like he’s planning some kind of revenge.”
“Revenge? From him?” Ding Naiqing scoffed, his tone full of disdain.
“But, Sister Ran, that nickname is perfect. His eyes… hahaha… I’ve never seen someone with eyes like that,” Ding Naiqing mocked without holding back.
Tu Ran smirked in response.
In the back, Zhao Yan, who had been quiet the whole time, suddenly spoke up.
“He’s close with the wealthy people in the Pandalin District. Don’t underestimate his ability to retaliate.”
Tu Ran lifted her eyelids and glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
Their eyes met.
‘You saw what he’s planning?’
Zhao Yan leaned back in his seat, his chin tilting up slightly.
He did see!
Tu Ran suddenly felt more alert.
‘What’s he planning to do?’
Although she didn’t think much of Diao Hongzhi, she wasn’t entirely sure what he might be capable of.
Still, she didn’t put too much hope in Zhao Yan.
His ability was a threat to her, and she had the urge to kill him.
Likewise, she knew Zhao Yan’s secret, making her a ticking time bomb for him too.
“Brother Yan has a point. You should be more cautious, Sister Ran,” Ding Naiqing chimed in, supporting Zhao Yan’s warning.
Up until now, he hadn’t realized that the other two in the car were communicating in a completely different way.
