Chapter 206 – Brainwashing
Tu Ran’s voice, carrying a bewitching tone, drifted into Xie Xu’s ears.
“The reason I was able to defeat Zhao Yan was simply because I was faster. I have the ability to move faster, and Zhao Yan was too slow to react. So, even though he had so many abilities, I still killed him… Do you understand?”
Xie Xu nodded blankly.
Tu Ran curled her lips. How could she allow anyone besides herself to know what abilities she possessed?
Each of her abilities was her trump card, something that could become her life-saving ace in a critical moment. If others knew about them and used that knowledge against her, it would bring her misfortune.
She wouldn’t let that happen—not even the slightest possibility of it. She would eliminate it in advance.
Looking at Xie Xu, who was now completely under the control of the hallucinogenic mushroom, Tu Ran decided to go all the way and brainwash him.
“You’ve never thought about killing me, do you understand? You need me. You will do everything in your power to help me. Whatever requests I make, you will do your best to fulfill them. You won’t doubt me, and you’ll be willing to do anything to ensure my safety.”
Tu Ran shamelessly chanted these words.
Knowing that Xie Xu was clever, and that such thoughts suddenly appearing in his mind might arouse suspicion, Tu Ran tried to make her suggestions more logical.
“I’m a very trustworthy person. Since I’ve agreed to be your partner, I won’t easily betray you. I’m someone you can rely on, even more than Li Wenchuan, more than your—”
Oh wait, what if he doesn’t trust his mother?
“More than the person you trust the most, understand?”
Xie Xu nodded mechanically.
Usually, he had a contemptuous attitude toward everything, but seeing him so obedient now, Tu Ran felt a bit uneasy.
However, her goal was achieved, and Tu Ran was in a good mood.
After blowing Zhao Yan’s body to pieces, Tu Ran was about to crush the hallucinogenic mushroom when a thought suddenly occurred to her.
Had all the surveillance here really been cleared by Xie Xu?
He was such a cautious person; could he have been worried about being silenced and left a recording?
She looked at Xie Xu suspiciously and asked tentatively, “Did you keep a personal record of everything that just happened?”
Xie Xu nodded.
Cunning fox! Tu Ran cursed silently.
“Where is it?”
Xie Xu pointed to his right eye.
Tu Ran squinted, leaning forward to examine his right eye. His deep blue pupil didn’t seem unusual. “What do you mean?”
“I have a chip implanted in my right eye. It automatically records everything I want to see.”
Tch, that’s a bit tricky.
“Is there a way to erase the recent recordings?”
If not… then I’m sorry.
Xie Xu closed his eyes, his eyeballs moving. After at most three seconds, he opened his eyes. “It’s erased.”
“Just like that?” Tu Ran tilted her head, studying his right eye, which looked no different than before. “You’re not bluffing, are you?”
“The chip has limited storage space and needs to be cleared regularly, so it’s equipped with a brainwave interference function for quick memory clearing,” Xie Xu explained.
Tu Ran sighed inwardly, impressed by the technology.
“Listen, you’re a person who keeps your promises. You promised not to leak anything about the eastern zone, so you didn’t record anything with your right eye, got it?”
Xie Xu nodded.
Tu Ran crushed the hallucinogenic mushroom with a slap. “Wake up.”
As she spoke, Xie Xu’s consciousness returned.
He stared blankly at Tu Ran in front of him.
She was holding a silver-glowing inner core, staring at him intently.
He had a vague sense that this scene was somehow familiar, as if he had seen someone holding something and looking at him like this before. But in that memory, the person had been smiling, whereas Tu Ran in front of him now was expressionless.
But he couldn’t remember where he had seen it.
“What are you spacing out for?” Tu Ran frowned, raising her hand higher, almost right in front of Xie Xu’s eyes. “Zhao Yan’s inner core—how are we dividing it?”
Xie Xu raised a hand to rub his temples, trying to dispel the strange feeling.
Glancing at the inner core, he said, “Destroy it.”
“What?” Tu Ran’s eyes widened, looking at him in disbelief, wondering if she had misheard.
“You didn’t want to give it to me, right? This kind of ability isn’t good for either of us if one of us consumes it. Destroy it.”
With that, he turned and walked away, completely unconcerned about whether Tu Ran might secretly keep the inner core for herself.
Tu Ran blinked in surprise. Although Xie Xu had just said exactly what she had planned in advance, and it was indeed the best solution they could think of, the fact that Xie Xu said it so calmly, without even trying to negotiate, left her feeling a bit unsettled.
Could it be that the brainwashing she did on him was working?
Tu Ran quietly accepted this explanation.
Holding the inner core in her palm, Tu Ran clenched her fist and activated [Mountain Collapse and Earth Crack].
When she opened her palm again, the inner core had been crushed into a pile of powder, which she casually scattered on the ground before following Xie Xu out.
As the two of them exited through the east gate, they encountered a team from the Inspection Department.
The officers compared Tu Ran’s appearance with the photo on their communication devices, confirming that she was the person they were there to arrest.
“Please come with us.” The leader of the supervision team made a gesture for her to follow.
This was right at the east gate, in a wide-open area. A temporary rest area set up by the medical department was nearby, and with the officers in their bright yellow uniforms, many people in the vicinity noticed what was happening.
People around began speculating about why the Inspection Department was there.
What did capturing genetic monsters have to do with them? Were they overstepping their authority?
When they saw the officers making a polite gesture towards Tu Ran, the crowd started guessing whether she had committed some crime serious enough for the Inspection Department to chase her down here.
Especially Ding Naiqing, who craned his neck to get a better look. He couldn’t see much, let alone hear anything, but he still tried to move closer.
Yao Bei stopped him and shook her head. “The Inspection Department is performing official duties; no spectators allowed.”
Ding Naiqing sighed, “…Alright.”
…
Tu Ran didn’t move. “What’s the reason?”
One of the officers tapped his communicator, and a projection appeared showing the gruesome image of Xie Hong’s dead body. He was lying face down, his helmet missing, with his neck brutally slashed open, blood pooling around him.
“You’re suspected of killing General Xie Hong. We’re taking you back to the Inspection Department for further investigation.”
Tu Ran exchanged a glance with Xie Xu, who gave a slight nod.
He would handle the rest. The charge of killing Xie Hong wouldn’t fall on her.
“Let’s go,” Tu Ran said, leading the way toward the Inspection Department’s vehicle parked not far away.
The officers quickly followed, surrounding her as if she might flee at any moment.
Once inside the vehicle, Tu Ran was seated in the suspect’s chair, with guns pointed at her from all sides. Cameras monitored her every move with no blind spots. Any slight action, and she’d be shot instantly.
Tu Ran found it absurd. If she had wanted to escape, she would have done so already—why would she voluntarily get into the vehicle?
