Chapter 67 – Coercion and Temptation
Tu Ran swallowed the food in her mouth, took a sip of tea to clear her throat, and then said, “Teach me what?”
She suspected she had misheard.
“I will teach you everything Tu Ran once knew,” Xie Xu said calmly, leaning back in his chair and looking at her. “You occupy her body, and the abilities her body originally had, you also have. They just haven’t been developed yet. I will teach you and make you an even greater pioneer than she was.”
Tu Ran bit her lip and said uncertainly, “With all this effort, why don’t you find another pioneer? The Federation is so big; there are plenty of people stronger, more obedient, and easier to recruit than me.”
Why was he so fixated on her? Although the conditions he offered were very tempting.
If she relied on herself to explore the body’s abilities, who knows how long it would take.
Just like this afternoon when she was shooting; no matter what she did, she couldn’t hit the target. But after a couple of his pointers, she quickly got the hang of it.
However, she always felt there was a risk in working with him.
After all, his private research institute violated Federal law. If discovered, she would be done for.
“There is no one in the Federation more suitable than you,” Xie Xu said seriously. “Your learning ability is very strong. With the foundation you have and my training, you can grow quickly. I guarantee I can restore you to your former peak state. In contrast, recruiting other pioneers is not only very risky but they might never reach your level.”
Tu Ran hadn’t expected she held such weight in his eyes. The original owner managed to make Xie Xu rely on her without developing any feelings for her. That was quite an accomplishment.
Xie Xu paused for a moment, studying the expression on her face. Noticing her hesitation, he continued, “The fewer people who know the secret of the private research institute, the better. You know this secret but don’t work here. Eventually, you will become a target for elimination. Although we can’t act against you now, you can’t stay vigilant forever. There will be many opportunities to strike.”
Tu Ran clicked her tongue. This was both coercion and temptation at work.
She knew she had to make a choice today.
If she didn’t agree, she would have to be constantly on guard against this man.
From her interactions over the past few days, she could tell he was very shrewd. She had only managed to exploit his momentary carelessness. Over time, she would inevitably fall into his hands.
If she agreed, she would indeed face dangers beyond her responsibilities, but she could receive his help, quickly improve herself, and not have to worry about him stabbing her in the back.
After weighing her options for a while, Tu Ran chose the latter.
However, she had one more question.
“Why did you establish a private research institute?”
She hadn’t found this information in the original owner’s memories, likely because even the original owner didn’t know.
Sure enough, the man in front of her wouldn’t tell her either.
As expected.
“I can’t tell you that.”
Tu Ran thoughtfully poked at the rice in her bowl.
What if this man was researching these creatures to completely eradicate the alien species within the Threshold? She thought of the hook snake that had given her its inner core.
It had suffered so much.
By helping Xie Xu, wouldn’t she become an executioner too?
Xie Xu seemed to sense her doubts and was somewhat uncertain.
“Are you worried about the alien species?”
Tu Ran was curious. How did he always seem to know what she was thinking? Did he have mind-reading abilities?!
“No,” Tu Ran shook her head, lowering her gaze. “I will join you.”
