Chapter 142: Their Deaths, All Related to You
“This matter… is very serious, almost unsolvable, unless we can suppress Qualcomm.”
Ceres took a deep breath. “But Qualcomm is a Level 9 ability user. I’m not sure I can defeat him… or rather, I’m not sure I can escape.”
“A Level 9 ability user… what’s the difference between Level 7 and 8?” Luo Xue asked.
“Miss Guijiao, you really don’t know anything about these things. It’s good to have talent, reaching Level 7 at such a young age.” Ceres looked at Luo Xue enviously. “It’s a pity, I’m more than ten years older than you, yet I’ve only just reached the threshold of Level 8.”
Unlike cultivators, who improved their realm step by step, ability users could directly reach high levels upon awakening.
Ability users were ranked based on two aspects: ability strength and ability control.
With sufficient talent, one could reach the level where they could transform upon awakening, instantly becoming a Level 7 ability user, lacking only combat experience.
After awakening, there weren’t many stable ways to improve, only through regular training to develop one’s potential.
But then, the Lingxi Laboratory developed the gene potion, which could optimize an ability user’s genes, increasing their upper limit.
Night Owl was originally a Level 5 ability user. After using the gene potion, he reached Level 6.
The achievements of the Lingxi Laboratory weren’t just the Lingxi Potion, known as “Devil’s Blood.” Their research on ability users was groundbreaking.
Otherwise, the impact of the Lingxi Potion wouldn’t have been so widespread, and the consequences wouldn’t have been so severe.
“Ahem…”
Luo Xue coughed awkwardly. She really didn’t know much about these things, and since they were two different power systems, it was difficult to compare them.
She could only make a rough estimate of their combat power, and due to the differences between abilities, this estimate was just for reference.
“To be precise, Level 7 ability users can transform at a cost—their abilities changing their physical state. In this state, they can hardly be called human, more like… deep space behemoths.”
Ceres explained, “Level 8 ability users can transform without any cost, and their abilities are more deeply integrated into their bodies.”
“As for Level 9… since there are less than fifty Level 9 ability users in the entire Federation, there aren’t many records. It’s said that… just a rumor, Level 9 ability users can transform into their abilities themselves, completely controlling them.”
Like Luo Yong, if he reached Level 9, his transformation wouldn’t be just metallization, but a complete transformation into an iron man.
Of course, this was just Ceres’s speculation. She hadn’t seen a Level 9 ability user in action.
Because most Level 9 ability users were either mayors or military leaders of the Suspended High Towers, representing the entire tower, so they rarely acted personally.
“In that case… things are indeed very troublesome.”
Luo Xue sighed. The fate of the entire Suspended High Tower 132 was now in her hands.
Her original plan was to learn Ling Ling’s whereabouts from Night Owl, and she had indeed found out, but she also learned an unexpected, deadly secret.
Luo Xue and Ceres had practically found Night Owl openly. Their disguises were just a formality, and everyone knew the truth.
Luo Xue didn’t expect Qualcomm to not see through their plan. If he couldn’t even see through this, he wouldn’t be the mayor.
Just like before, Qualcomm wouldn’t believe that Night Owl didn’t reveal anything before his death.
“Calculating the time, that assistant, Liu Yun, should be awake by now.” Ceres said in a deep voice. “Miss Guijiao, we have to make a decision quickly. The Suspended High Towers are very important to the Federation… no, to all of human civilization.”
After all, these were miraculous creations that the current human civilization couldn’t replicate. Even the lives of millions of Tower People weren’t as important as a single Suspended High Tower engine.
“Let’s find Ling Ling first.” Luo Xue said softly.
“That little scientist?” Ceres frowned slightly. “Do you really know her? Or rather, does she really know you?”
She hadn’t known Ling Ling’s name or true identity before, but because the incident of Suspended High Tower 132’s laboratory being fined for employing child labor was so well-known, Ling Ling was nicknamed “Little Scientist” within the Federation.
Now it seemed… the nickname was quite fitting.
“Well, we can at least talk.” Luo Xue said vaguely, not wanting to reveal everything. “That’s all Night Owl would know. As for the rest… we can only ask the person involved.”
She rubbed her temples, a bit of a headache. “We’ll probably have to face Mayor Qualcomm himself. Let me think…”
Luo Xue didn’t know Qualcomm well, but from their few encounters, he was clearly a difficult person to deal with, and he was also a Level 9 ability user, probably equivalent to Core Formation.
“He’s an amiable madman, who makes unreasonable plans with a gentle smile.” Ceres said faintly. “Even the Federation is wary of Mayor Qualcomm, calling him a once-in-a-century genius.”
“Being able to carry out such a crazy plan, he deserves that title.”
Luo Xue sighed, looked at the dead Night Owl on the ground, and her eyes flickered.
“Miss Ceres, is this emergency shelter important to the Suspended High Tower? Does it matter if it’s destroyed?”
“At least in the records I know, such structures have been used less than a handful of times.” Ceres replied. “After all, this is a shelter for the engine maintenance workers. The only disaster they would encounter… is an engine malfunction.”
If a Suspended High Tower’s engine malfunctioned, the entire tower would be in danger, and a shelter would be useless.
“That’s good.”
Luo Xue nodded, then walked out of the emergency shelter.
Ceres quickly followed, asking with confusion, “What are you doing?”
“Giving him a proper send-off.”
Luo Xue turned around and punched the emergency shelter, imbuing it with her sword intent.
Instantly, countless cracks appeared on the shelter.
A moment later, accompanied by the roar of the nearby engine, the shelter completely collapsed, countless debris burying Night Owl deep within the ruins.
“In your next life, may you be born into a better world.”
Luo Xue whispered softly.
“What did you say?”
Ceres strained her ears.
“Nothing.”
Luo Xue turned and walked towards the gravity elevator.
Ceres silently watched her receding figure and took out her digital terminal.
She looked at the screen, her lips pursed, as if pondering something.
Finally, Ceres put away the digital terminal and sighed.
“Fine, I’ll trust you this once.”
“…I wonder if that’s what the little sister called Guijiao would do.”
…
Liu Yun slowly opened her eyes, then a look of terror appeared on her face.
How could she… fall asleep while receiving Federal officers?
She only remembered talking to Luo Xue and Ceres one moment, then waking up like this the next.
No, that wasn’t right…
The content of their conversation was blurry, she couldn’t remember clearly. This definitely wasn’t normal for her.
As the mayor’s personal assistant, Liu Yun’s memory was impeccable. Even words she heard in her sleep, she would remember verbatim.
Someone had tampered with her memory…
Could it be those two visitors? What were they planning?
Liu Yun stood up, her expression anxious.
She had to find the two Federal officers immediately, but she froze after a few steps.
“Sister Liu, you’re awake?”
The ghostly pale and thin girl smiled at her, and the knowledgeable blonde woman beside her nodded slightly.
“You…”
Liu Yun was confused and sat back down.
Only then did she notice that the nearby guards and attendants were also unconscious.
After all, Liu Yun was also a Level 7 ability user, with some resistance to Ceres’s hypnosis.
It could be said that the reason she was unconscious for so long was because of Luo Xue’s punch…
This was Luo Xue and Ceres’s original plan. Liu Yun’s memory was a mess, and Luo Yong and Chen Ting had seen two different people.
Even with the many suspicious points, Qualcomm didn’t have any direct evidence that it was the two Federal officers who took Night Owl.
This was usually the case, but now Luo Xue and Ceres possessed a deadly secret.
In that case… Qualcomm didn’t need evidence, he just needed a little bit of suspicion.
With Qualcomm’s personality…
A little suspicion was enough to justify taking action.
While Liu Yun was still disoriented, Luo Xue said directly,
“I want to see Ling Ling.”
“Okay… huh?” Liu Yun subconsciously nodded, then was stunned after realizing what she had just heard. “You… you know her?”
Suspended High Tower 132’s protection of Ling Ling was comprehensive. Not to mention her appearance, even her name hadn’t been revealed, for fear of others suspecting her relationship with Lingxi.
The reason they reported her to the Federation was that they were worried that being too secretive would attract unwanted attention.
After staging a farce of being fined for employing child labor, others would just laugh it off and not investigate further.
Luo Xue had originally planned to approach this matter slowly after learning about Ling Ling, but now it seemed there was no time.
She had to see Ling Ling as soon as possible.
However, Ling Ling wasn’t the key to Qualcomm activating the “string vibration” device. Without her, Qualcomm could still activate it, just with a higher risk.
Therefore, finding Ling Ling wouldn’t solve this thorny problem.
“Miss Liu Yun, please introduce us. Lingxi’s daughter. As ability users, we admire him very much.” Ceres said with a smile.
Dr. Lingxi had created many groundbreaking works that changed the landscape of ability users, and before the “Lingxi Laboratory” incident, he was the most respected scientist among all ability users.
Even after his death, many ability users believed that he was coerced by the ruthless Qualcomm.
“Sorry, regarding this matter, Dr. Ling Ling… she can’t meet with people casually. I have to ask Master Qualcomm.” Liu Yun forced herself to stay calm, discreetly biting down on a small, sand-grain-sized emergency contact device hidden between her teeth.
This device was usually hidden in her back teeth. Once crushed, the tower headquarters would receive an alert, along with her last words.
Liu Yun wanted to stall Luo Xue and Ceres here and inform the headquarters so that Mayor Qualcomm would know about the current situation.
Unfortunately…
She couldn’t crush the device.
Just then, Liu Yun saw Ceres calmly using tweezers to remove something small and metallic, a smile in her narrow eyes.
“Sorry, Miss Liu Yun, I played dentist for a bit and removed a bad tooth for you.”
Ceres, having been in the Federation for many years, was very familiar with these little tricks. Luo Xue might have overlooked it, as she didn’t even know such a thing existed.
“If that’s the case…”
Liu Yun’s expression darkened, and she looked down at her fingers.
Her nail polish had been completely removed, neatly placed on the bedside table.
The miniature listening devices on them were all destroyed.
“I’m just a part-time manicurist, not very skilled.” Ceres said regretfully. “I originally wanted to give you a different style, but there’s no time.”
Liu Yun finally realized that they had come prepared. This was a premeditated ambush.
But she didn’t even have any memory of the ambush itself. There was no evidence left behind.
If not for the seriousness of the matter, Luo Xue and Ceres’s actions would have been flawless.
“Why do you want to see her?” Liu Yun calmed down slightly and asked in a deep voice. “She’s just Lingxi’s daughter. Master Qualcomm took her in to… take care of his old friend’s daughter…”
“To take care of his old friend’s daughter… was it necessary to kill an entire settlement of Wastelanders?”
Luo Xue interrupted her.
Liu Yun was stunned, her pupils constricting.
Why… did she even know about this?
Within Suspended High Tower 132, less than a handful of people knew about this.
“Xiao Hei, Ah Qi, Xingchen, Wang Lili…”
Luo Xue lowered her eyelids slightly, reciting one name after another.
Memories of the past flashed through her mind, blurry smiling faces.
Luo Xue looked up at Liu Yun, a hint of sadness in her eyes.
“Their deaths are all related to you.”
Liu Yun was silent for a moment, then sighed and said,
“She’s on the ninth level of the Suspended High Tower, personally cared for… or rather, watched over, by Master Qualcomm.”
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