Chapter 337 – Delivering Something for Your Son
Huo expanded the walls around the two of them a little, giving them more space to move, though the air remained stifled. They wouldn’t be able to hold out here for much longer.
The smell of decaying soil and bacteria lingered in the air, making Tu Ran wrinkle her nose. She took a helmet from her space and put it on, completing her full set of pioneer team combat gear.
The two of them leaned against the wall, facing each other. Tu Ran quietly waited for Zero’s message to come through.
Her arrival outside Xie Xie’ao’s office was part of the second step of their plan.
The first step was to destroy “Jie’s” mainframe, a task entrusted to Huo’s brother, Zhuo.
The location had already been sent to him. Armed with a laser gun, he transformed into “Void,” silently infiltrating the area where the mainframe was located. He then partially materialized and fired the laser to cut through “Jie’s” mainframe.
Although this wouldn’t permanently kill “Jie”—as it could be repaired by replacing the damaged parts—it was enough to put “Jie” into a brief sleep. During this time, Zero would take full control and consume it entirely.
Once “Jie’s” mainframe was destroyed, Zero would notify her immediately.
Time ticked by, second by second, while Huo kept her gaze fixed on the far side of the wall.
The [X-Ray Vision] ability also consumed a lot of energy, and Huo rubbed her temples with both hands to ease the headache caused by the expenditure of her powers.
Xie Xie’ao still hadn’t appeared.
Huo furrowed her brow and lowered her hands.
“I’ll go look elsewhere.”
After giving Tu Ran a quick nod, Huo dashed off along the wall.
The dust she kicked up covered Tu Ran, and her black combat suit was visibly coated with a layer of yellow earth.
Tu Ran remained where she stood, brushing the dust off her helmet before she stayed still again.
She was now more than twenty meters underground, the air nearly stagnant. The ventilation function of her helmet would only accelerate the consumption of the oxygen in this confined space, so she couldn’t turn it on. She could only rely on her willpower to endure, trying to relax her mind and steady her breath to reduce oxygen consumption.
Her forehead and the tip of her nose began to sweat.
Another three minutes passed.
Just when Tu Ran was on the verge of fainting from the lack of air, the good news finally arrived.
Zero’s mechanical voice sounded in her ear:
[Permissions restored.]
This was, without a doubt, the most pleasant version of Zero’s voice that Tu Ran had ever heard.
At that moment, Huo, who had left, returned.
Without a word, she grabbed Tu Ran’s hand and pulled her into a sprint.
Tu Ran obediently followed behind her, offering no resistance.
She had seen Xie Xie’ao’s figure in Huo’s memory.
Thirty seconds later.
Huo pulled Tu Ran to a wall that looked nearly identical to the one they had just passed. She pointed to the other side and looked at Tu Ran. “Xie Xie’ao is here.”
Tu Ran’s expression grew serious as she scanned the wall and touched its outer edge.
“You should leave now.”
Huo nodded, took a few steps back, and turned to leave.
Tu Ran placed her palm on the wall.
The display on her visor showed the interior of the room, with Zero transmitting the room’s surveillance footage.
Inside, there were several rows of display cabinets, each containing boxes of varying sizes—some as large as a human head, others as small as a fist. The corners of each box were intricately decorated with flowing, complex patterns, and the colors ranged from deep to light, all in a retro brown hue.
Xie Xie’ao stood between the first and second rows of display cabinets, the glass door at chest height wide open. In his hand, he held a deep brown wooden box, the lid partially open, revealing a square stone placed in the center. It was only the size of a fingernail, gray and dull, and aside from its neat cut, it looked no different from the stones one might find by the roadside.
[This is Xie Xie’ao’s collection room, filled with items he has gathered from various states.]
Tu Ran’s eyes lit up. “A treasure room?”
She hadn’t expected such an unexpected surprise on this mission.
Zero corrected her. [A collection room, most of the items here are Xie Xie’ao’s personal preferences, and have little value.]
Tu Ran ignored the correction. “Value can only be determined once we see it.” She hadn’t gone through all the trouble to dig herself out from underground, endured all that dirt, just to return empty-handed.
Seeing that Tu Ran had made up her mind, Zero stopped trying to persuade her and instead added, [This collection room uses the most primitive security measures. Any communication devices will fail once inside. Xie Xie’ao hasn’t received the news that “Jie”’s mainframe was destroyed yet, but the bodyguards outside have already been informed. They will be able to open the door and enter in fifteen seconds. You need to hurry.]
“I know.”
Tu Ran’s hand had been pressed against the wall for a full minute, cracks now spread across the entire surface, even deep within. If Xie Xie’ao turned around at this moment, he would undoubtedly see the metal wall covered in intricate patterns. Unfortunately, he was too absorbed in the “treasure” inside the wooden box.
Tu Ran sensed that the timing was right. She withdrew her hand, lifted her leg, and delivered a powerful kick. The wall collapsed with a loud crash, leaving a hole behind.
The sudden noise startled Xie Xie’ao, causing him to tremble. The flesh on his face quivered for a moment, and he hurriedly closed the wooden box and stuffed it into his jacket pocket. He pressed the alarm on his left wrist and then turned around, his face already returning to a calm expression.
Tu Ran couldn’t help but think, No wonder he’s the head of the largest conglomerate in the Federation.
She faced Xie Xie’ao directly, her back turned as her fingers slid over the blade of the dagger tucked at her waist. A sharp, subtle pain pricked her skin, and a surge of warmth spread through her hand, gathering in her palm.
The hallucinogenic mushroom grew rapidly.
Xie Xie’ao looked at Tu Ran, his gaze briefly scanning the secret passage behind her. A smile of concern appeared on his face. “It seems I’ll need to replace the security at the entrance of the manor. How could they not let Xiao Ran enter through the front gate and had to force her to come in through a tunnel?”
Xie Xie’ao took a seemingly casual step forward, appearing to approach Tu Ran, but in reality, he was positioning himself between the display cabinets, ensuring the bodyguards outside would see him as soon as they entered.
“This journey couldn’t have been easy, right? I’ll call Xie Xu over in a bit and have him show Xiao Ran around here. But Xiao Ran is indeed extraordinary, to have come up with such a method to enter.” Xie Xie’ao spoke like a kind elder.
Tu Ran, who was being treated like a child, couldn’t help but feel irritated: Is this how little threat I look? Even after I’ve come all the way here to confront him, he still calls me ‘Xiao Ran’ as if I’m some child.
Tu Ran swore to herself that she would set up a terrifying reputation for herself.
“Master Xie, it’s been a while. I’m here to deliver something for your son.”
Hearing the word “son” from Tu Ran’s mouth, Xie Xie’ao’s expression faltered for the first time. The flesh on his face twitched slightly, and he took a deep breath, visibly struggling to suppress his anger.
He only had three sons! Yet they had all fallen into her hands.
She must have said that on purpose—deliberately trying to provoke him. She was clearly not afraid of him.
Where were the bodyguards outside? Why hadn’t they come in yet?
What he didn’t know was that “Jie” had already been replaced by Zero, and his alarm button had no effect at all.
[They’re here.]
That was the last message Zero transmitted to Tu Ran.
At the same moment, the hallucinogenic mushroom finished growing.
Tu Ran held the colorful mushroom and exposed it to the other pair of eyes within the room.
