Cooperation Between Both Parties

Although he did not understand why the esper squad had retreated, it did not hinder Hong Mo's goal of leaving this place. After the flames died out, Hong Mo headed back toward the exit of the corridor.

This time, he did not encounter any obstruction. Before long, Hong Mo returned to the hall where the battle had just taken place. The corpse of the esper named Zhu Yao had already been removed; aside from some lingering pale blue blood on the floor, there were no signs of change.

Hong Mo walked around and found a row of white lab coats inside a small, independent room.

These were the white coats unique to researchers. Hong Mo, whose clothes were in tatters, did not bother to be picky; he simply grabbed one and draped it over his shoulders.

During the time Hong Mo spent healing and extinguishing the flames, Luo Meiyue, up in the monitoring center, had already pulled up Hong Mo's file and quickly scanned through it.

After reviewing the data, Luo Meiyue was surprised to discover that this Hong Mo was not the type of person whose ambition swelled just because he had gained power. It could be said that Hong Mo had reached this point entirely due to a series of accidents. Since that was the case, Luo Meiyue felt more confident about negotiating with him.

Hong Mo walked slowly through the research institute, looking for a way to leave.

Just then, the screens of the numerous computers in the institute suddenly flickered, exiting their screensavers. A video window popped up on the computers, and a woman wearing glasses, who appeared highly capable, appeared on screen.

"Hello, Mr. Hong Mo!" the other party greeted him first.

"I trust Mr. Hong Mo can see the video. If so, please click the call button on the screen with your mouse. We would like to discuss some matters with you." The woman proposed something Hong Mo found hard to refuse.

Hong Mo pulled up a chair, sat down, and clicked the call button.

"Mr. Hong Mo, hello." The moment the video call connected, Luo Meiyue on the other side was slightly stunned before she reacted. She had not expected to make contact with Hong Mo so quickly.

"Just call me Hong Mo. I believe you know my background quite well, so what is it you want to say?" Hong Mo asked, propping his head up with his right hand and squinting slightly.

"I am the vice-director of this research institute, Luo Meiyue. To begin with, I would like to apologize for what happened just now..."

Hong Mo did not speak, a cold sneer appearing on his face. An apology? He had killed one of their people, yet they were apologizing. Could it be that the unlucky guy who died was worth so little? Seeing Luo Meiyue rambling on without getting to the point, Hong Mo finally grew impatient.

"What exactly do you want to say?" Hong Mo interrupted her.

Luo Meiyue was not angered by the interruption; instead, she revealed a meaningful smile. "Cooperation. We want to cooperate with Mr. Hong Mo."

"Cooperation?"

"Yes. I would like to invite Mr. Hong Mo to assist us with our research. In return, Mr. Hong Mo can receive certain assistance from the institute."

"Assist with research? As a lab rat?" Hong Mo said with disdain.

"Of course not. I am approaching this discussion with the utmost sincerity. A lab rat is absolutely out of the question. Perhaps we can exchange opinions first; if there are any points of disagreement, we can negotiate."

Hong Mo closed his eyes. This woman seems to have a point. Refusing outright would be too rash. Perhaps I should really understand the terms of this cooperation first.

"You are the vice-director, so what about the director? Can they make the final decision on this?"

"Oh, I apologize for not explaining clearly. I am indeed the vice-director, but the director here is my father, so I have full authority to make this decision."

"Since you are so confident, tell me: if I cooperate, what do I need to do, and what can I gain?"

Hearing Hong Mo ask this, Luo Meiyue felt a sense of relief. As long as there was an intention to cooperate, she was confident she could persuade him. She had been worried that Hong Mo would be an unyielding, stubborn stone who would refuse outright, leaving her with no options.

"There are many experiments, and I won't list them all one by one. However, I can guarantee that they will not cause any irreversible damage to your body. Before each experiment, we will inform you of the potential consequences, and if you do not agree, you may refuse. In return, Mr. Hong Mo can obtain data from the institute regarding espers to help perfect your own abilities."

"Is that all? I don't see how that is of any use to me."

"No use? Mr. Hong Mo, please don't joke. The benefits of you assisting in the experiments aren't just for the institute; wouldn't you also be able to familiarize yourself with your own power during the research process? Do you really think the resources of a research institute are inferior to you fumbling around on your own?" Luo Meiyue frowned and explained carefully.

"What is today's date?" Hong Mo suddenly asked an unrelated question.

"Huh?" Luo Meiyue was stunned for a moment before she reacted. "September 23, 2018. Is there a problem?"

2018. Four years had already passed. Had he really been in a coma for four years? Four years had passed silently, without leaving a single trace in his memory.

"I've been in this institute for four years now, haven't I? Do you mean to tell me you haven't conducted any research on me during that time?" Hong Mo didn't believe it, and even they wouldn't believe that.

"Of course we did, but at that time, you were already dead. We only extracted some cells. Because there were very few espers back then, we kept your body in a secure room, even though it didn't have much value." Luo Meiyue did not shy away from the topic.

"Wait, you said I was dead?" Hong Mo interrupted her.

"Yes. The test results at the time confirmed that you had died." There was nothing to hide, so Luo Meiyue gave a definitive answer. Being told to your face that you had already died—the feeling was quite surreal.

"Then what about this left hand of mine?" Hong Mo extended his intact left hand.

"Your left hand? What about it?" Luo Meiyue did not understand what he meant.

"My left hand, if my memory serves me correctly, was blown to pieces. I want to know why it grew back."

"Is that so? Let me check your file. One moment." Luo Meiyue was slightly startled and began reviewing the research data on Hong Mo. Before long, she looked up again.

"I found it. It should be for this reason: your body possesses a certain regenerative ability, similar to a lizard regrowing its tail. I believe that is the reason, though the specific mechanism would require further testing."

So that was it? Hong Mo thought for a moment. Perhaps he really should cooperate with them; it would allow him to understand the changes in his body much faster.

"That is the situation. We previously judged you to be dead, so we are very curious about how you came back to life. You must understand, life has always been a secret that everyone wants to explore." Luo Meiyue knew that to conduct research, she had to move Hong Mo.

Hong Mo thought about everything that had happened and shook his head.

"I have things I must do. I'm sorry, but I cannot assist with your research." Four years. His parents, Mu Siyu's parents, and her younger sister, Mu Siyue—he didn't know how they were doing. And, of course, there was Mao Shaohui.

"I just reviewed some information regarding Mr. Hong Mo. I can roughly guess what you intend to do. So, would you be willing to hear my opinion?" Luo Meiyue said with a confident smile.

"Go ahead." Listening wouldn't hurt. It was clear this woman was very intelligent, not someone an ordinary person like Hong Mo could easily fathom.

"I just looked into the reason why Mr. Hong Mo appeared here. I believe that once you leave, your goal is simply to seek revenge on Mao Shaohui. Aside from that, it would be to visit your family and Mu Siyu's family, correct?"

Hong Mo nodded.

"That's exactly right. I must warn you, Mr. Hong Mo, that with your current strength, it is impossible for you to have any impact on Mao Shaohui. As for your and Mu Siyu's families, if you'll pardon my bluntness, it would be better not to see them until you have gained sufficient power."

Without strength, he couldn't even see his own family. Exposing his information would only bring enemies upon them that they couldn't hope to resist. Hong Mo closed his eyes.

"Has Mao Shaohui's power grown to this extent? I recall that four years ago, he was nothing special." Hong Mo posed a question.

Luo Meiyue extended a fair, slender finger and shook it in front of her.

"No, that's not what I meant regarding Mao Shaohui's strength. As a researcher, it's impossible for me to know his capabilities in such detail. What I meant was the national situation."

"Then, please, explain it clearly." Hong Mo straightened his posture.

"The current national situation is not what it was four years ago. I've reviewed your file. Four years ago, superpowers had just appeared in the world, and neither the state nor society had much data on them. That's why, with your power at the time, you could trigger such astonishing events. But things are different now. The state's precautions against superpowered individuals are extremely strict. Various types of heavy weaponry have been put into service. Even as a superpowered individual, it is impossible to act as freely as you once did."

"Could you give me an example?" Hong Mo frowned.

"Very well, I'll give you an example. You and Mu Siyu fought against other superpowered individuals at a police station in Mountain Orange City, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Then I can tell you with certainty that if that happened now, the state wouldn't let superpowered individuals fight you directly; they would simply crush you with heavy weaponry. Do you think you could withstand a few missiles?"

Missiles?

"Now you understand. Nowadays, various types of heavy technological weaponry have become standard, and even missiles are not off-limits." There were other things Luo Meiyue didn't mention; missiles were just a name ordinary people were familiar with. In reality, there were many new types of weapons with even greater destructive power that the average person didn't even have the chance to learn about.

In other words, going to find Mao Shaohui now would be like a moth flying into a flame. Hong Mo thought for a moment before speaking, "Let's discuss the specific terms of cooperation."

Luo Meiyue secretly clenched her small fist, a triumphant smile appearing on her face.