The Disgusting Man

Tu Ran kept scrolling. Many of the comments were about the genetically modified humans that had appeared in their area recently.

Some had three heads and six arms. Some had sharp fangs and claws. Some had grown bird wings. Some could control objects with their minds. Some could even ignite themselves into a ball of fire, emerging from the flames completely unharmed.

A dizzying array of varieties, one after another.

They really were no different from the aberrations in the Threshold.

This could be considered another manifestation of abilities.

No wonder the Federation had to deploy the Pioneers. Dealing with these people was no different in essence from dealing with aberrations. These people could no longer be called human.

Tu Ran shut off her communicator.

The images of those bizarre human forms kept flashing through her mind. Just then, she noticed a man gradually closing in on her.

She remembered that when she'd boarded the train, this man had been at the other end of the car, seven or eight meters away. His flashy red hair had been so bright that she'd noted him at a glance. Now, he'd moved to just two seats away from her.

He was still approaching.

Tu Ran looked at him.

Sensing her gaze, the man sat down right across from her.

Tu Ran narrowed her eyes, regarding him warily.

The man sniffed, then ran a hand through the red hair that nearly covered his eyes, striking what he clearly thought was a charming pose. "Pretty lady, remember me?"

"Who the hell are you?"

The man ran his hand through his hair again. Tu Ran watched in revulsion as a large flake of dandruff fell from his scalp onto the seat between them.

Tu Ran scooted away, disgusted.

"Doesn't matter if you don't recognize me. You will soon. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Wang Hui. I've been keeping an eye on you for a while." He extended his hand, offering a handshake.

Tu Ran looked at the hand that had just been running through his hair and chose to ignore it.

Wang Hui felt snubbed and his face darkened. "Don't push your luck!"

Tu Ran found him utterly absurd. She looked at him with disdain. "What's wrong with you?"

She hadn't deliberately lowered her voice. The other passengers in the car immediately turned to look.

Under so many people's stares, Wang Hui's earlier bluster evaporated. He lowered his voice. "You're a Federal Government official, right?"

"Yes, so what?"

"I've seen you at the Black Market. You deliberately changed into men's clothes to go there." He stared at her, grinning lewdly.

"Oh, is that so?" Tu Ran's lips curled into a faint, unreadable smile. "So did you see which shop in the Black Market I went to?"

"Doesn't matter which shop. The Federal Government doesn't allow officials to visit the Black Market on their own. You've broken Federation regulations. If I report you, you can kiss your career goodbye!" Wang Hui spat viciously.

Tu Ran put on a look of being intimidated. "So what do you want me to do to keep you from reporting me?"

"Heh heh heh." Wang Hui chuckled smugly at her reaction. He rubbed his chin, his greasy gaze raking over Tu Ran's body. "I'm in need of a bedmate tonight. If you serve me well—"

Tu Ran's hands clenched tightly. She was worried she'd lose control and slap this disgusting man to death on the spot.

This was a rail car! There were cameras! She couldn't act rashly! Couldn't act rashly!

Tu Ran calmed herself internally, suppressing the fury rising in her chest.

"Fine, let's go to my place." Tu Ran smiled a fake smile.

Let's see if I peel your skin off!

But Wang Hui, lost in his fantasies, didn't notice the murderous look in her eyes. He tossed his red hair and said in a sickly sweet tone, "Inviting me to your place so soon? Are you afraid you'll miss me after tonight?"

Ugh!

Tu Ran wanted to vomit.

"Do you know which department of the Federal Government I work for?"

She was genuinely curious. During that infectious aberration incident on this very train, was this disgusting thing not on board?

Hadn't he seen the news afterward?

She'd been on the front page of Federation news! She was a Pioneer! Did this guy never watch the news?

Well, that was possible. With his presence, he probably couldn't even afford a communicator.

The greasy man draped one arm over the back of his seat and ran his other hand through his hair. "You? A little desk clerk running errands, probably. Doesn't look like you make much. Come with me, and I'll buy you a nice, expensive outfit."

Tu Ran glanced at her casual outfit.

The original owner of this body valued comfort above all else in clothing.

This outfit had cost three thousand Federation credits, which was an average citizen's monthly salary in the Federation.

This wasn't expensive enough?

Where did this guy get his confidence?

From his dandruff?

"Have you ever heard of Pioneers?"

"Of course I have. I'm not bragging, but I almost made the Pioneer Team back in the day. If it weren't for some people who couldn't stand seeing someone too outstanding and secretly sabotaged me, I'd be a Pioneer by now. Then you little desk clerks would be scrambling to suck up to me. Wouldn't even be your turn."

Tu Ran was completely speechless. She couldn't believe that in a world like this, there were still people like him—the dregs of society, worthless scraps.

Well, she could only blame her own lack of worldly experience.

The people she usually dealt with were elites like the Pioneers, and at worst, people of Zhou Ming's caliber.

She'd never had contact with the lower rungs of society.

Encountering this disgusting piece of trash today was certainly an eye-opener.

"Liming Station has arrived. Passengers alighting here, please remember to take your belongings. Next stop, Yongchang Station."

"Get off. We're here." Tu Ran stood up and stepped out of the car first.

The disgusting man, afraid Tu Ran might slip away, immediately followed close behind her, even reaching for her hand.

Tu Ran sidestepped, dodging easily.

The disgusting man didn't realize that Tu Ran's reflexes were beyond ordinary human capability. He reached out again, trying to grab her waist.

Tu Ran quickened her pace, stepping forward a few feet and evading him without a trace.

She desperately wanted to get back to her shabby, run-down neighborhood.

There were no cameras there.

She could deal with this man however she pleased.

The disgusting man's grab had failed, and he was displeased, but he reasoned that she was bringing him home, and it was only a matter of time before he got what he wanted. There was no need to rush.

He licked his lips and followed close behind her, his gaze roaming over her body without restraint.

Finally, after turning a corner, the flashy neon signs along the road were gone. Only a few old, dim streetlights stood along the roadside, casting a murky glow.

They were here.

Tu Ran stopped.

The disgusting man was still lost in his fantasies. When he noticed Tu Ran stop, he immediately halted too. He wiped the drool from his mouth and glanced around. "Why'd we stop? Are we gonna—"

The dagger slid from its sheath, its tip pressing against his neck in an instant.

The disgusting man's unfinished words died in his throat. He stared at Tu Ran in terror.

"Go on! Why'd you stop talking? I've been putting up with you the whole way! If you don't want those eyes of yours, I'll gouge them out for you!"

"Ah, no, no, no—" Wang Hui trembled in fear. "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! I-I-I didn't mean it like that... Please, spare me..."