Developing Superpowers in Another World

Chapter 236 – Complaint

 

Everything that happened on Tu Ran’s side reached Xie Xu’s ears.

He connected to Tu Ran’s earpiece and said, “Agree to his terms. Through him, you can easily gain access to those at the upper echelons of the Federation.”

Tu Ran wanted to ask, ‘Aren’t you also a son of the Xie family? Following you is so hopeless that I can’t even meet the higher-ups of the Federation?’

Unfortunately, Stefano was standing right in front of her, so she couldn’t ask.

Clearing her throat, Tu Ran hesitated and said, “I can indeed identify other people’s powers, and your offer is generous, but I’m a pioneer, and I’ve already signed a contract. I can’t work for you anymore.”

Stefano dusted off his sleeve. “I’ll handle that. You just need to agree.”

“Alright, I agree,” Tu Ran replied.

In truth, she no longer wanted to be busy every day with the pioneers, barely touching the ground. A change of environment, a shift in mood, and the opportunity to see what powers those in the upper echelons of the Federation possessed—all sounded appealing. If she found one she liked… she wouldn’t let it go.

Tu Ran’s agreement was exactly what Stefano had expected.

From his perspective, he had made a very generous offer.

He even came in person to negotiate, showing great sincerity.

In his eyes, a small-time pioneer with no real background would surely be moved to tears and vow to follow him loyally.

…

After watching Stefano’s private aircraft leave, the smile faded from Tu Ran’s face, and she contacted Xie Xu.

“Is Stefano really that dumb or just pretending? All his plans were exposed to Zhao Yan long ago, and he’s still clueless. Now, he’s trying to recruit me to do the same things Zhao Yan was doing before. Why doesn’t he just find someone to dig out our inner cores directly?”

Xie Xu paused for a moment before answering her seriously, “Compared to the heads of the other families, Stefano isn’t exactly bright, but he’s not stupid either.”

“He’s quite arrogant. He has no siblings and is the first in line to inherit the Wells family. Since birth, he has been groomed to become the head of the family. With the influence of the family behind him, he can achieve anything, and he himself possesses a natural business acumen, leading the Wells family to new heights.”

“Everyone around him is submissive, with no one daring to oppose him. He doesn’t need to manipulate people’s hearts to achieve his goals, so he lacks the ability to control them.”

“He thought that by offering you so many benefits, you would sincerely work for him. That’s what usually happens with people he encounters,” Xie Xu added, “except for Zhao Yan.”

After a moment, he added, “And now, there’s you.”

“Your presence, along with Zhao Yan’s, has given him a harsh lesson.”

“As for why he doesn’t consume the inner core himself, not everyone in the upper echelons of the Federation is willing to try it. A small portion of them are still observing. They collect the inner cores, but they don’t consume them because the mechanism of the core hasn’t been fully researched. It’s still unclear whether there are any side effects, and the higher someone’s status, the less willing they are to take unnecessary risks with their lives.”

“Stefano Wells gathers people with powers around him, essentially placing the cores right in front of himself. Once the mechanism behind the inner cores is fully understood and it’s confirmed that they pose no harm, he’ll have no hesitation in disposing of you. In other words, for now, you’re just a temporary container for his inner cores.”

Tu Ran was silent for a moment. “How far has the research on the inner cores progressed?”

“There’s been no progress. They’re just ordinary stones. Their composition isn’t any different from regular stones. Stefano won’t make a move on you for now.”

“Did you send me to follow Stefano just so I could broaden my horizons?” Tu Ran asked as she entered the Executive Department building.

“Mm, I also want to know how many inner cores the other families have collected,” Xie Xu’s voice remained calm and unaffected.

Tu Ran cut off her connection with him and walked into the meeting room.

One more person was missing.

“Senior, Diao Hongzhi came by again earlier. When he saw you weren’t here, he said he was going to file a complaint against you,” Le Qin said indignantly when she saw Tu Ran.

Tu Ran pulled out a chair and sat down, asking, “Since when did our Pioneer Team have a complaint system?”

Le Qin paused. “Uh… I don’t think we do.”

“Don’t worry about him. Recently, the frequency of genetic monsters appearing has noticeably decreased. We won’t be here for much longer. If you count the days, the Threshold should be opening soon,” Tu Ran leaned back in her chair, chatting casually with them.

Upon hearing the word “Threshold,” the eyes of the second-generation pioneers present lit up.

They existed for the Threshold.

None of them had ever entered the Threshold before, and right now, its allure was irresistible.

“Senior, tell us more about what’s inside the Threshold,” Le Qin scooted her chair closer to Tu Ran, her eyes shining. “The gate is about to open, and we want to know more in advance.”

Tu Ran glanced at the time—it was only noon. With nothing else to do, she decided to chat to pass the time.

And so, the entire afternoon was filled with questions and answers in the meeting room.

Besides Tu Ran, the other first-generation pioneers also joined in, helping to answer the second-generation pioneers’ questions.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was incredibly harmonious.

No mission alerts came in the whole afternoon. After dinner, when they returned to the meeting room, everyone was a bit drowsy and leaned back in their chairs for a nap.

Tu Ran didn’t sleep. After asking Zero for Diao Hongzhi’s current location, she quietly left the meeting room and headed straight to Diao Hongzhi’s house.

It was only nine o’clock, and that guy had already gone home after work.

With Zero on her side, Tu Ran didn’t even need to bother avoiding the security cameras. She casually made her way right up to the outer wall of Diao Hongzhi’s villa.

The two-meter-high wall was easily scaled by Tu Ran.

Over the past few days, she had studied the security footage of Diao Hongzhi’s house, so she was familiar with the layout. She made her way effortlessly toward his bedroom.

“Yes, yes… I overstepped… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… Mm-hmm… There won’t be a next time… Definitely no next time…”

As she approached the door, she heard Diao Hongzhi’s timid voice inside. He seemed to be speaking to someone over a call.

Tu Ran stood at the door, waiting for the call to end.

A sudden crash came from inside.

Then Diao Hongzhi’s voice, now furious and swearing, “She’s just a pioneer! So what if I filed a complaint? A bunch of %@#$…”

Tu Ran raised an eyebrow. So, he had tried to report her—but judging by the tone, it hadn’t worked.

With a smile, she pushed open the door and walked in.

The sudden sound of the door opening startled Diao Hongzhi, and he flinched. But once he saw it was Tu Ran, his fear quickly turned to anger. Pointing at her, he shouted, “Good, Tu Ran, you dare break into the head of security’s house! You think you’re above the rules? If I couldn’t report you for dereliction of duty, let’s see if I can get you thrown in jail for breaking into the security chief’s home!”

With that, he reached for the communicator he’d thrown on the floor.

Just as his hand touched it, Tu Ran’s foot came down hard on his hand, pressing it firmly into the ground.

The crack of his finger bones breaking was sharp and distinct.

Diao Hongzhi clenched his jaw, too pained to speak, pounding on Tu Ran’s leg in a desperate attempt to make her let go.