Chapter 225 – Thoughts of Killing
In addition, Xi Chunzhi wrote only two words in her notebook, even though she could clearly remember them in her mind. She insisted on writing them down, further proving that her ability [Seven Seconds] would cause her to forget this after seven seconds.
In any case, it was highly likely that this ability once belonged to Xi Chunzhi.
Tu Ran continued reading.
Nick Wells had many other abilities.
[The Well-Fed Don’t Know the Hunger of the Starving]
[Introduction: First of all, congratulations, you are the former. After consuming this inner core, you will never feel hunger again. You won’t need to replenish any energy because you’ll have an endless supply of it within you.
Level: Primary]
In addition to these three, there was also the primary ability [Sleepless Night], which allowed the user to stay full of energy without needing to sleep.
[Meticulous Sight], a primary ability, enabled the user to see small things that normal human eyes couldn’t detect.
Tu Ran figured it was something like a microscope.
To be honest, this ability was not of much use in the Federation.
Nowadays, even the most basic mechanical eyes installed by many people could perform the same function, and even more. Mechanical eyes could provide night vision, zoom in, and analyze data, among other things.
[Light Convergence], primary level, Tu Ran briefly glanced at its description and summarized that it allowed the user to absorb and store solar energy when sunlight was available, releasing it at any time as needed. Boiling water or cooking was no problem.
However, using this ability to launch attacks was out of the question. The energy simply wasn’t sufficient, and besides, this ability was inherently a support-type.
Tu Ran continued looking through the remaining three abilities, but they were all small, insignificant abilities, none of which were practical.
Nick Wells had a total of nine abilities, all of which were support-type, with not a single offensive ability.
Among the support-type abilities, only [Eye of Fortuna] and [Seven Seconds] were of higher level.
Nick Wells had consumed so many inner cores to collect so many abilities, and had secretly dealt with so many pioneers. Yet, all he had gained were these useless inner cores.
Tu Ran mocked him inwardly, thinking that his luck was truly terrible.
“I often experience hallucinations,” Tu Ran responded to Nick Wells’ earlier question.
“Hallucinations?” Nick Wells, fulfilling his role as a doctor, probed further, “Can you describe exactly what kind of hallucinations?”
“Hmm…” Tu Ran anxiously bit her finger, then quickly pointed to the table between herself and Nick Wells. “Right here. Can’t you see it? There’s a mushroom, a purple one.”
Nick Wells instinctively looked down.
At the spot where Tu Ran had pointed, a tiny drop of blood seeped into the table. Soon after, a minuscule spore emerged, at the micron level. With his ability [Meticulous Sight], Nick Wells could clearly see the tiny spore.
The spore rapidly sprouted hyphae, which absorbed moisture and gases from the air, forming the fruiting body of the mushroom. In a matter of seconds, the mushroom expanded explosively, transforming into a delicate, vibrant purple mushroom.
Nick Wells stared at the scene, nearly falling out of his chair. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, but the mushroom was still there, emitting a faint purple glow.
What was going on? How could he be seeing the hallucinations his patient had described?
Did something go wrong with his mind too?
Before he could think any further, a wave of dizziness hit him, and his thoughts grew muddled until he completely lost consciousness.
Tu Ran observed his gradually dazed eyes and cautiously thought, “Stand up.”
Nick Wells, in a trance-like state, obeyed her command and stood up from his chair.
The [Illusion Realm] had taken effect.
“Sit down,” Tu Ran said.
Nick Wells obediently sat back down.
“Are there any surveillance cameras here?” Tu Ran glanced around as she asked in her mind.
“There are,” Nick Wells responded in a daze.
“Turn them off.”
Obediently, Nick Wells manipulated his advanced communicator on his left wrist, then said, “They’re off.”
“Do you know Xi Chunzhi?” Tu Ran rested her elbow on the edge of the table, her wrist swaying rhythmically.
“No,” Nick Wells answered, his shoulders slumped and his eyes vacant, as if his soul had been drained from his body.
“You don’t?” Tu Ran smirked mockingly. “How many inner cores from pioneers have you consumed?”
“Seven.”
“Only seven, and you don’t remember? Forgetfulness must come easily to the powerful,” Tu Ran sneered coldly.
“Yes,” Nick Wells admitted.
He was a magnate. Whatever he wanted, there were people competing to deliver it to him.
Why would he need to get his hands dirty, and why would he bother remembering the names of his victims?
Tu Ran clenched her teeth.
She despised people like him.
She wasn’t exactly a good person herself, but that didn’t stop her from loathing those worse than her.
She wanted to kill him.
“Do you have a knife?” she asked icily.
Nick Wells replied, “Yes.”
“Take it out. Do it yourself. Cut out the inner core from the back of your neck.”
Nick Wells followed her command.
He pulled a dagger from a drawer, made of pure gold, with a sheath encrusted with multicolored gems. When he unsheathed it, the blade gleamed brightly, its edge razor-sharp.
Tu Ran muttered, “…” The aesthetic was so tacky.
But… she liked it.
She wanted it.
But once Nick Wells was dead, that dagger would become evidence. Taking it would only cause trouble for her.
“Hurry up and dig it out!” Tu Ran urged. The sooner it was done, the sooner she could leave, before she became too tempted by the weapon.
Nick Wells reached behind his neck with his left hand, positioning the dagger precisely, and without hesitation, stabbed it into his own nape.
The excruciating pain didn’t slow him down in the slightest.
He sliced open his neck without making a sound. Once he felt the cut was deep enough, he used the fingers of his other hand to reach inside, searching for the inner core.
The smell of blood gradually filled the enclosed space, and even Tu Ran could catch a faint whiff of it, causing her to wrinkle her brow ever so slightly.
Finally, Nick Wells found it. He placed a bead in the center of the table between them.
Behind him, blood continued to gush out, soaking through his clothes.
This was the power of an ability.
His sense of pain seemed entirely numbed, and he had become nothing more than a puppet, carrying out his master’s commands without question.
Tu Ran often felt fortunate that [Illusion Realm] had fallen into her hands. If someone else had used this superpower against her, she might not have been able to escape either.
She grabbed a tissue from a nearby box, folded it in her hand, and picked up the inner core from the table, rolling it into a bundle before tucking it into her clothes.
Glancing once again into Nick Wells’ vacant eyes, she prepared to cover her tracks.
“Tell your two bodyguards to remove their cameras and come inside.”
She needed scapegoats.
Even if she couldn’t fully clear herself of suspicion, she could at least shift some of the blame.
Nick Wells followed her instructions and made the call.
