The Suppressor That Failed

They were holding hands, swaying awkwardly from side to side as if performing a shamanic dance.

Jiang Mian rubbed her eyes and looked again. The floor was so clean it gleamed. There were no little dancing figures anywhere.

"Tsk... The suppressor stopped working this fast?"

She stared at the floor, where nothing seemed to have appeared at all. But she knew those dancing little figures might come bouncing back at any moment.

Aberrants went through three stages: first came hallucinations, then murmuring voices by their ears, and finally partial Calamity Transformation of the body.

Once the process began, the only way to stop and reset it was with outside intervention.

When she had first arrived in this world, she had gone a long time without finding a suppressor and had already reached the second stage.

Only after using that dose of suppressor had things quieted down for a few days.

She hadn't expected the suppressor to fail outright less than two days after she reached the Second-tier.

"This stuff is such poor quality... And it cost me over ten thousand, too..."

The thought made Jiang Mian grit her teeth. That was enough to cover how many months' rent?

"Creak..."

The sound of a wooden door being gently pushed open came from the entrance to the hospital room.

Lin Yun walked in carrying an Insulated Bucket. When she saw Jiang Mian awake, she visibly relaxed.

"Jiang Mian, you're awake? How are you feeling?"

Seeing Jiang Mian's vacant gaze, she leaned down and asked carefully.

Jiang Mian had been through so much, and had finally awakened after all that hardship. At last, things seemed to be looking up for her.

If something was wrong with her mind now, then...

"Teacher... I-I'm fine."

Jiang Mian's voice was weak, as if she hadn't fully recovered yet.

She shifted her gaze from the floor to Lin Yun's face, full of concern. Her eyes were a little unfocused.

Everything in front of her seemed a bit blurry... Oh no, where had she tossed her glasses yesterday when she'd casually thrown them aside to make her act more convincing?

Jiang Mian instinctively felt around the bedside.

It seemed... this was her last spare pair of glasses.

"My glasses..."

At that, Lin Yun remembered that she had rushed Jiang Mian here yesterday and completely forgotten about that detail.

"I'm sorry... Things were so chaotic at the scene yesterday. They might have been left at the warehou—"

She quickly stopped herself, afraid that the word "warehouse" might upset Jiang Mian, and changed what she was saying.

"We couldn't find them. Once you're feeling better, I'll take you to get a new pair, okay?"

"No need, Teacher. I can manage on my own."

Jiang Mian seemed unwilling to trouble Lin Yun, and looked much the same as before.

But in Lin Yun's eyes, yesterday's Elemental Storm had been so violent that it spoke volumes about Jiang Mian's emotions at the time.

Her calm now probably meant she had swallowed her feelings again and was silently trying to work through them.

Lin Yun sighed inwardly. The best she could do now was help Jiang Mian work through things and take care of her as much as she could.

"Don't think about what happened yesterday for now. Getting plenty of rest is what matters most. I brought you some porridge. Would you like some?"

Jiang Mian nodded obediently and let Lin Yun adjust the height of the head of her bed.

She lowered her eyelids, her long lashes hiding the light in her eyes.

Losing her glasses was a nuisance, but now she could sense her surroundings through the "wind," and from quite a distance, so she didn't need to rely entirely on her eyes.

Still, her glasses were an important prop for reinforcing her persona. It was true that she felt a little unaccustomed to being without them. She could get another pair when she had time.

She'd also have to find a way to get more suppressors... Her wallet was going to suffer again.

Meanwhile, inside the North District Public Security Bureau.

Li Tian sat on a cold Metal Chair, his expression grave.

He had just finished an escort mission in the early hours of the morning and returned from neighboring Base City No. 143 when the Public Security Bureau summoned him. The message had been vague, saying it was about Li Hao.

At first, he thought Li Hao had gotten into some minor trouble again and needed him to smooth things over. He was already simmering with anger.

That brat had only just gotten out two days ago, and he was already acting up again!

This time, he would teach him a serious lesson, then lock him at home and put him through brutal training.

But when Li Tian stepped into the Public Security Bureau, he sensed that something was wrong. The staff receiving him also seemed to have something to say but couldn't bring themselves to say it... It was obvious that something serious had happened!

His heart gave a sudden lurch, and he felt an inexplicable foreboding.

"Mr. Li, please stay calm. We're going to take you to identify... your son's remains."

The middle-aged Security Officer handling the reception spoke solemnly, but with a hint of caution.

Even the North District's Field Duty team leaders were only Second-tier. If Li Tian lost control and started a scene here, there would be no one who could hold him back.

"Remains? What are you saying?!"

Li Tian's gaze was like a blade as he stared at the Security Officer.

"Early this morning, while we were out on patrol, we were in North City when..."

The Security Officer briefly explained what had happened, deliberately leaving out any information about Jiang Mian.

"That's impossible!"

After hearing him out, Li Tian could hardly believe it.

"My son was a First Order Awakened, and his ability was [Steel Bones], focused on defense. How could he just be gone like that?!"

Li Hao was a good-for-nothing who loafed around all day, but he was still Li Tian's son. Now that Li Hao was dead, Li Tian couldn't possibly remain indifferent.

The Security Officer shook his head without arguing.

That was simply what had happened. Arguing with Li Tian would only risk provoking him.

After a while, Li Tian's emotions settled somewhat, and only then did the Security Officer continue.

"Mr. Li, my condolences. We've completed all the examinations. You can take care of the paperwork now and claim Li Hao's remains."

His voice was rigid and perfunctory, betraying no personal feelings.

Truthfully, he looked down on people like Li Hao.

The events of last night had been clearly laid out. With three Awakened—Chen Qing, Chenyang, and Lin Yun—witnessing it in person, the matter was essentially settled.

In all his years working at the Public Security Bureau, he had seen plenty of spoiled young men like Li Hao.

But this was the first time he had seen one kick an iron plate. Most of their victims could only let the matter go...

Li Hao already had several prior offenses. He had been killed after getting himself into trouble this time. In short, he had brought it on himself.

Li Tian knew what the Security Officer was thinking, but paid him no mind.

Although he had done his best to stay calm, he still couldn't help trembling when he saw Li Hao's remains.

There were wounds all over his body, packed with all kinds of debris. Some of it had even pierced deep inside him and cut into his bones.

Even though he had been dead for some time, his skin and the bones showing through it still reflected faint metallic glimmers, proof that Li Hao had been pushing his ability to its limits before he died.

But in the end... he hadn't made it.

"High-tier Sequence, huh..."

Li Tian had learned from the Security Officer that Li Hao had died in an Elemental Burst.

In the world of Awakened, a Sequence's ranking made it easy to see an Awakened person's potential.

Sequence Abilities ranked in the top fifty were already rare, and a versatile ability like [Eye of the Storm], capable of both offense and support, was rarer still.

As Head of Security Section at the Construction Bureau, he knew better than anyone the value of an Awakened with a High-tier Sequence.

The Base City would never allow anyone to harm a talent like that. What was more, the New Law had already come down from above...

But even if the other person had a High-tier Sequence, they had only just awakened.

Li Tian couldn't touch them, but that didn't mean some kind of accident couldn't happen...

His expression unreadable, Li Tian fell silent for a long time, no one knowing what he was thinking.

At last, he rasped:

"Let's do the paperwork."