Turning the Tables with Telepathy

After Tang Xue left, the light in Professor Zhao's office remained on, casting his elongated shadow on the wall like a beast lying in wait.

"One-Eyed Wolf, huh... Fine. It's time that brat learned who's really in charge here." Professor Zhao muttered to himself, a trace of barely perceptible ruthlessness in his voice.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, something seemed off about the atmosphere in the base. An inexplicable sense of oppression hung in the air.

Lu Chen was as carefree as ever, as though nothing had happened the night before.

"Hey, Brother Chen, morning!"

"Morning! Have you eaten?"

As Lu Chen made his way along, he greeted the people he met from time to time, an innocent smile on his face. He looked like an utterly ordinary boy next door.

Of course, not everyone thought well of him.

"Tch, what an act."

"Yeah. Does he really think he's somebody?"

Some people saw Lu Chen,

Lu Chen paid them no mind. He had long since grown used to being shunned and envied.

After all, in this world where the strong preyed on the weak, strength was all that mattered. Everything else was meaningless.

Soon, Lu Chen arrived at the logistics team's meeting point.

"Lu Chen, over here!" A short, stout middle-aged man waved at him, his face covered in an obsequious smile. "Brother Chen, our job today is moving supplies. It's all physical labor, so please be careful not to tire yourself out."

The middle-aged man's name was Wang Pangzi. He was a minor leader in the logistics team and a man who changed allegiances with the wind.

After witnessing Lu Chen's strength yesterday, he had immediately changed his attitude, calling him "Brother Chen" with unmistakable familiarity.

Lu Chen smiled and patted Wang Pangzi on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Pangzi. This bit of work is a piece of cake for me."

Wang Pangzi's smile grew even brighter. "Of course, of course! You're an awakened one, Brother Chen. Your physique must be far stronger than ours as ordinary people."

As the two were talking, a lean man with short hair walked over.

He wore a black eyepatch over his left eye, giving him a sinister, cold-blooded appearance.

It was Professor Zhao's agent, One-Eyed Wolf.

"Wang Pangzi, stop chatting and get to work!" One-Eyed Wolf gave Wang Pangzi a cold glance, his voice edged with impatience.

Wang Pangzi shuddered in fright and hastily nodded and bowed. "Yes, yes, Brother Wolf. I'll get right to it, right away."

He then turned to Lu Chen. "Brother Chen, let's get started too."

Lu Chen nodded and followed Wang Pangzi to a mountain of supplies.

These supplies had all been gathered from outside and included food, drinking water, medicine, and other necessities indispensable to life in the base.

"Brother Chen, these boxes are pretty heavy. Please be careful," Wang Pangzi said, pointing to a huge wooden crate.

Lu Chen smiled, walked up to the crate, gripped its edges with both hands, and heaved.

"Hiss-"

He sucked in a breath, a pained expression appearing on his face.

"Ow, my back..." Lu Chen clutched his back, looking as though he could barely stand.

Seeing this, One-Eyed Wolf, who stood nearby, curled his lips into a sneer.

"Heh, I thought you were something special. Turns out you're all show and no substance." He walked up to Lu Chen and said mockingly, "Hey, can you do it or not? If you can't, get out of the way. Don't stand here getting in everyone's way."

Lu Chen looked up at One-Eyed Wolf, an aggrieved expression on his face.

"Brother Wolf, I... I didn't know the crate was this heavy," he said quietly, his voice trembling slightly.

The disdain in One-Eyed Wolf's eyes grew even stronger.

"Hmph, trash!" he cursed, then stepped beside Lu Chen, grabbed the edge of the wooden crate, and heaved.

Crack-

The crate didn't budge.

One-Eyed Wolf's expression immediately soured.

He took a deep breath and tried again.

The crate still didn't budge.

"I don't believe it!" One-Eyed Wolf roared. Every muscle in his body bulged, and veins stood out on his skin, making him look like an enraged beast.

"Get up-!"

He used every ounce of strength he had and finally lifted the crate.

"Huff... huff..."

One-Eyed Wolf was panting from exhaustion, beads of sweat covering his forehead.

Seeing this, the people around them couldn't help sucking in a breath.

"Brother Wolf is amazing!"

"Yeah, yeah! He really is Professor Zhao's ace agent."

"That strength is terrifying."

Listening to the praise around him, One-Eyed Wolf's vanity was greatly satisfied. He gave Lu Chen a smug look,

Lu Chen still wore that aggrieved expression, his head lowered as though he didn't dare look at him.

"Hmph, useless trash." One-Eyed Wolf snorted coldly, then shouldered the wooden crate and headed for the warehouse.

Lu Chen raised his head and watched One-Eyed Wolf walk away, a barely perceptible sneer curling his lips.

That evening, in the base's bathroom.

Mist filled the air, and steam rose all around.

Lu Chen stood under a showerhead, letting the warm water wash over his body as he enjoyed a rare moment of relaxation.

He closed his eyes, and the events of the day surfaced in his mind.

"One-Eyed Wolf... Professor Zhao... the talent extraction experiment..."

Lu Chen muttered to himself,

But he wasn't afraid.

On the contrary, he was a little excited.

"Since you want to play, I'll play with you to my heart's content." A wicked smile curved Lu Chen's lips.

Just then, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

His eyes snapped open, and he turned around to see One-Eyed Wolf standing not far away, watching him with an icy gaze.

"What are you doing here?" Lu Chen asked with a frown.

"Hmph, I just came to see if you're really that useless," One-Eyed Wolf sneered.

"Oh? Is that so?" Lu Chen raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his voice.

He slowly walked toward One-Eyed Wolf, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

"Since you're so concerned about me, Brother Wolf, I'll show you whether I'm really useless."

Lu Chen walked up to One-Eyed Wolf and, pretending it was an accident, suddenly swayed and fell toward him.

"Whoa..." he cried out, crashing heavily into One-Eyed Wolf.

"You..." The impact sent One-Eyed Wolf stumbling, and he nearly fell to the ground.

He was just about to get angry when he suddenly felt a strange energy surge into his body.

"What is this..." One-Eyed Wolf's expression changed drastically,

But Lu Chen gave him no chance to speak. He grabbed One-Eyed Wolf's arm and wrenched it hard.

A crisp crack of breaking bone rang out.

"Ah-!" One-Eyed Wolf let out a piercing scream and collapsed limply to the ground.

Lu Chen ignored him, instead closing his eyes and quietly sensing the new power that had appeared inside him.

"E-rank Telepathy... upgraded to SSS-rank Mind Domination... Sure enough, this feels amazing!" Lu Chen opened his eyes, a satisfied smile curling his lips.

He walked over to One-Eyed Wolf, crouched down, and placed a hand on his head.

"Now, let's see what secrets you have in that head of yours..."

The night grew deeper.

Early the next morning, a ray of sunlight shone through a gap in the curtains onto Lu Chen's face.

Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes,

He stretched, then jumped out of bed.

"Looks like today is destined to be anything but peaceful..." he murmured, a meaningful smile curling his lips.

He walked to the door and gently opened it.

One-Eyed Wolf stood outside, his face pale and his expression haggard,

"Did you sleep well last night? Did you dream about your crimes?" Lu Chen asked softly.

One-Eyed Wolf was scared out of his wits and backed away uncontrollably, only for Lu Chen to knock him unconscious with a palm strike and drag him away.

Lu Chen knocked One-Eyed Wolf unconscious with a palm strike and dragged him into an abandoned warehouse deep within the base.

Lu Chen casually tossed him onto the floor, then slowly closed his eyes and began silently reciting the incantation to activate Telepathy.

"Mind Domination, activate!"

In an instant, a jumble of images and sounds flooded into his mind like a surging tide.

One-Eyed Wolf's memories slowly unfurled like a scroll. A dim light flashed in Lu Chen's eyes, and a satisfied smile rested on his lips.

"Professor Zhao's plan... the talent extraction experiment..." A complete picture gradually took shape in Lu Chen's mind.

He felt the fear and struggle in One-Eyed Wolf's heart and could even hear his faint breathing and heartbeat, as though all of it were under his control.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the base, Tang Xue finally discovered that One-Eyed Wolf was missing.

She sprang to her feet, a trace of panic on her face, and quickly activated the alarm system.

The piercing alarm rang throughout the base, and everyone's expression grew grave.

"One-Eyed Wolf, you bastard, how dare you betray me..." Lu Chen's voice held a trace of coldness, but that wicked smile remained on his face.

He slowly bent down and placed his hand on One-Eyed Wolf's head again, preparing to read information buried even deeper.

"Professor Zhao, I'm about to uncover your secrets..." Lu Chen's voice echoed through the silent warehouse. Immediately afterward, his fingers moved slightly, and One-Eyed Wolf's consciousness was completely opened.