Chapter 218 – The Obedient Captain
She deliberately kept her superpowers hidden.
What was she planning?
She was definitely after more than just him.
Ordinary people were no match for her.
Tu Ran asked, “What is your goal?”
The response came: “To kill me and to destroy the Songwu Research Base.”
Just as she had suspected.
“Was the doctor at the entrance of the Sankar Arsenal, who tried to inject me with a mysterious liquid, one of your people?” Tu Ran continued her interrogation.
“Yes.”
Tu Ran extracted this information from his mind.
The squad captain: …
“Ha, I knew it!” Tu Ran subconsciously tightened her grip. It was fortunate she had been cautious; otherwise, she might not have known how he died.
The squad captain’s face reddened even more under her grip.
Tu Ran eased up a bit to avoid killing him instantly. She still had many more questions to ask.
“Who ultimately received the inner cores extracted from the Pioneers’ bodies?”
The squad captain tensed up. Despite his efforts to avoid thinking in the direction Tu Ran was indicating and his repeated reminders to himself that she could read his thoughts, he couldn’t control his mind, and the answer Tu Ran wanted was already surfacing.
“Good, it’s still Nick Wells.”
The squad captain was having a heart attack and decided to close his eyes to avoid looking at Tu Ran.
He thought this might block her from reading his memories.
He underestimated Tu Ran.
“Did he consume them himself?”
“Some he ate himself, and some he gave to others in the Wells family.”
The squad captain: …
Was closing his eyes useless?! Why?!
Tu Ran deliberately asked and answered her own questions, aiming to make the man in front of her feel the futility and despair of his situation, no matter how much he struggled.
Tu Ran: “Do you know Xi Chunzhi?”
Tu Ran: “Yes.”
Squad Captain: …
Tu Ran: “Who consumed the inner core extracted from her body?”
Tu Ran: “Oh… Nick Wells ate it.”
Squad Captain: Why hasn’t she killed him yet?! He wants to die! Make it quick!
Tu Ran asked her final question, “Where is Nick Wells?”
The squad captain opened his eyes and said, “Xixin South… Hospital.”
This was his own admission.
Regardless of whether he spoke or not, Tu Ran would know.
He had given up.
He had ceased to struggle.
Tu Ran looked at him with satisfaction. “Want to die? Then I’ll grant you that.”
With a firm twist of her wrist, there was a crisp crack, and the squad captain’s head fell limply.
Tu Ran stood up, clapped her hands, and took one last look at his body before pushing open the laboratory door.
Outside, Shen Yunhe and Min Tao were approaching.
Tu Ran had turned off their communication during her interrogation of the squad captain. Xie Xu couldn’t reach her, and Shen Yunhe and Min Tao also couldn’t contact her.
They were looking for Tu Ran.
“All done?”
Through the slightly ajar door, Min Tao saw the scene inside.
“Yes, all done,” Tu Ran said, closing the door. “What about you?”
“All dead,” Shen Yunhe said, his eyes still glinting with residual excitement, and there was a hint of eagerness in his gaze towards Tu Ran.
He had previously thought that Tu Ran was kind, easygoing, adaptable, unassertive, and weak—qualities that made her seem like an easy target. Now, it all seemed like a huge joke.
She was the one who could be the most ruthless, avenge the most thoroughly, act on her whims, and kill as she pleased.
At this moment, he began to worry whether Tu Ran still remembered how he had once scorned her, disregarding her feelings and mocking her.
Tu Ran hadn’t realized that her image in Shen Yunhe’s mind had completely flipped. She glanced at the time—Federation Time 8:21 PM.
She had spent an extra minute interrogating him.
But she still needed to waste another minute.
“We only encountered…” Tu Ran looked at the two of them, elongating her tone to imply something.
“Only encountered the aliens,” Min Tao completed Tu Ran’s unfinished sentence.
Shen Yunhe added, “Those aliens were poisoned by the gas and were no threat. We easily escaped.”
Tu Ran nodded. The lives of these two were now tied to hers. If this matter was exposed, none of them would escape.
Shen Yunhe and Min Tao were smart enough to instantly understand her implication.
“Let’s go. In eight minutes, the bomb buried here will explode.”
“What? A bomb?” Shen Yunhe and Min Tao’s eyes widened.
As they spoke, the time on the communicator jumped to 8:23 PM.
“Seven minutes left. If you don’t want to be blown up, hurry up and leave.” Tu Ran brushed past them, reactivated her helmet, connected with Xie Xu, and the visor displayed the escape route.
“Why were you avoiding me just now? Don’t you trust me?” Xie Xu’s voice came through the earpiece.
Tu Ran quickened her pace and said, “The interrogation footage was too graphic. I was afraid it might scare you.”
“Tu Ran,” Xie Xu said her name with emphasis, clearly displeased with her dismissive attitude. “We are partners now, and I believe we should be transparent with each other.”
“I wasn’t hiding anything. The interrogation footage was indeed unsuitable for you,” Tu Ran replied with a clear conscience.
She had shifted the concept just slightly, allowing her to be so forthright.
Whether Xie Xu hadn’t noticed or simply chose not to pursue the issue, he shifted to another topic.
“What questions did you ask him?”
“Some related to Xi Chunzhi,” Tu Ran admitted.
“Did you find out who’s behind this?”
“Yes, someone named Nick Wells. You should know him.”
Tu Ran turned left and right and finally saw the elevator exit.
“I know him. He’s the director of Xixin South Hospital,” Xie Xu responded.
The three of them entered the elevator.
Tu Ran pressed the elevator button, and it began to rise slowly.
It was now Federation Time 8:27 PM.
In three minutes, the bomb buried here would explode.
Tu Ran calmly walked out of the elevator and continued her conversation with Xie Xu. “He has his own hospital, so why did he hide the Pioneers in the medical department?”
Xie Xu was silent for two or three seconds before answering seriously, “I wanted to strengthen our cooperation.”
Tu Ran frowned slightly and muttered, “Puzzling.”
Before Xie Xu could explain further, the elevator arrived.
The elevator exit was right next to the base entrance.
At this moment, the large square in front of the base had been cleared. The young masters and misses had all been sent back to their homes.
A circle of guards surrounded the perimeter of the square. They had been alerted to the escape of aliens from the Songwu Research Base and had rushed over to prevent any aliens from fleeing.
Recently, they had received another notice from higher-ups stating that explosives had been planted underground at the Songwu Research Base by unknown individuals and could detonate at any time. The guards also had to prevent anyone from approaching.
