Developing Superpowers in Another World

Chapter 333 – Her Wanted Notice

 

Xie Xu believed most of it.

Because, at his core, he was still influenced by the brainwashing that Tu Ran had done to him before, and he subconsciously trusted her.

“Speak, why did you want to kill Xie Zhao? What have you been hiding from me?” Tu Ran stared at the screen of the communicator.

Xie Xu on the screen furrowed his brows. He didn’t like the tone of Tu Ran’s voice.

“You’ll find out. First, deal with Xie Xie’ao,” he said, and then hung up.

Tu Ran pursed her lips at the darkened screen.

What does he mean by “you’ll find out”? Why not just say it directly instead of keeping secrets?

Since her disguise as a mecha-head had already been exposed, wearing a disguise would only attract more attention. So, she took out a dull grey hoodie from her space and changed into it, tying her hair back into a ponytail. She put on a hat and a mask, then checked herself in the car’s rearview mirror.

Tu Ran looked at her reflection and clicked her tongue. She looked even more conspicuous this way.

She lowered her head, opened the communicator, and casually searched for “Rebel Tu Ran Wanted Notice.” Her wanted notice immediately popped up.

The Federation had issued many different wanted notices for her, and each one was unique.

The one issued by the Executive Department had a photo of her in the Pioneer Team’s combat uniform, with her full face exposed and holding an assault rifle, captured at a flattering angle.

The private wanted notice from the Pang family had two photos: one distant shot and one close-up. In the distant shot, she was wearing a loose hoodie with a black baseball cap on her head, and a second hoodie covering it. A black mask covered her face. Due to the angle, she was hunched over, facing the camera, and she looked quite sinister.

The close-up was from when she was fighting at the Wanle Temple, looking fierce with a rifle that had only the stock left. Blood splattered her cheek, and her eyes were filled with murderous intent.

From these two photos, it was clear how much the Pang family hated her.

The Xie family also issued a wanted notice, with a photo taken when she entered the training base to sign her contract. It was a full-face, straight-on close-up shot, neat and proper. At the time, she was only fifteen, with a slightly chubby cheek and bright eyes, giving her a youthful look.

Comparing the three wanted notices, although the Pang family’s angles were tricky, they had precisely captured her favorite disguise.

Tu Ran pulled down half of her mask and studied her face in the mirror, wondering how she could make herself look different from before. That’s when she remembered Erica Eiffel, who could change her appearance at will.

As the Federation’s first successful genetically modified human, Erica Eiffel had extraordinary abilities akin to superpowers. The moment she touched someone, her features would instantly transform to match theirs.

Tu Ran couldn’t help but think how great it would be if she had similar powers—then she wouldn’t have to worry about this.

Her face couldn’t change for now, but her clothes could.

Tu Ran took out a black leather jacket from her space, changed her inner layer, and put on a heavy metal necklace. She paired it with leather pants and shiny studded boots, adding a few jangling chains around her waist. After changing, she applied a poison-colored lipstick, put on sunglasses, and topped it off with a bright red, wild wig.

She looked at her reflection in satisfaction. This heavy metal look might seem over the top in other worlds, but in the Federation, it was a popular trend, with street fashion often sporting this style.

While she admired herself, Zero finally completed its repair. Its voice came from the mecha-head she had thrown in the passenger seat.

The mecha-head’s eyes were facing Tu Ran, so Zero could clearly see her sitting in the driver’s seat.

“You…” Zero’s voice was rarely disconnected, “Are you… stimulated?”

Tu Ran heard Zero’s voice and glanced at it out of the corner of her eye while continuing to apply her lipstick. She felt the color was still not dark enough—it didn’t reflect her deep toxicity. Her voice was muffled as she spoke, “It’s a disguise.”

Zero struggled to accept it, “I can help you avoid surveillance.”

“You should protect yourself first,” Tu Ran said, capping the lipstick and tossing the miscellaneous items in the car back into her space. “If one Xie Zhao could control you, next time it could be someone else. You’d end up being used against me. I wouldn’t have anywhere to argue about it.”

Zero had no retort.

Tu Ran opened the car door, jumped out, and stood facing Zero with one hand on her hip, the other touching her head, legs spread, and chin raised in an exaggerated pose. She asked, “How does this look? Like one of those little fangirls of some heavy metal band?”

Zero: “…” It hadn’t experienced the feeling of speechlessness in a while.

Zero: “It looks like it.”

“Good enough.” Tu Ran lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head, climbed back into the car, grabbed the mecha-head from the passenger seat, and stuffed it back into her space. She closed the door, took a quick look around the surroundings, and drove away.

“Stop dawdling and get the information on Xie Xie’ao. It’s almost daylight,” Tu Ran urged.

“Give me ten minutes,” Zero replied.

Tu Ran left the parking corner, turned a few corners, and merged into a relatively wide street. It was already 4 AM, and the street was brightly lit. Not a single shop had closed, and the sidewalks were crowded with people. The noise was overwhelming, with lots of hustle and bustle.

Many people wore similar clothes to Tu Ran’s, with even more exaggerated hairstyles. They wore metal chains that clinked as they moved. Groups of three or five walked together, slinging their arms around each other’s shoulders, singing loudly, completely oblivious to anyone else on the street.

Of course, there were no “normal” people on this street.

Tu Ran briefly thought her outfit, which she had once considered bold, blended in perfectly with these people. It felt like a native entering a city.

But none of that mattered. The most important thing was not to be recognized.