The Death of Xie Hong

Tu Ran looked frail, slumped in her chair with her eyes shut tight. The strain of using "Wheel of Time" had left her face pale, which only made her story more convincing.

A nurse from the Medical Department handed her a bottle of nutrient solution. Tu Ran unscrewed the cap and took a few sips.

Another person in a doctor's coat approached, holding a syringe filled with a clear liquid. He made a move toward her arm.

"What are you doing?" Tu Ran jerked her arm back, eyeing him warily.

He explained calmly, "This is a recovery agent. It repairs wounds and restores energy. Everyone who comes out of there gets a dose to get back to peak combat condition. It's provided free by the Medical Department."

Tu Ran waved him off. "I don't need it. I'll be fine after I rest a bit."

"The recovery agent is expensive. If you don't use it now, you won't get another chance," he said disdainfully, trying again to inject her.

"I said no," Tu Ran refused firmly.

She hadn't forgotten that the Wells Family had put her on their hit list. Their reach was vast, and she couldn't be too careful about where they might interfere.

The man stared at her, gritted his teeth, and turned away.

Tu Ran watched his retreating figure, noting the name tag on his chest: Li Shigu. She'd have to look into him when she got the chance.

She leaned back in her seat, narrowing her eyes, letting her mind settle.

Once the others finished clearing out all the gene monsters inside the Sankar Arsenal, she could return to the Pandalim District.

First, she needed to go back to the hotel to reassemble the laser gun parts. Then she'd have a brand-new laser gun.

High-powered laser guns were registered with the Federation, and there were strict rules about who could use them. The Pioneer Team's three laser guns, for instance, required a detailed application specifying the reason for use, duration, initial energy cells, estimated energy consumption, and so on—a tedious process.

Even if she used "Wheel of Time" to restore the laser gun to its original state, it would remain unregistered in the Federation, impossible to use openly. But having it was better than not; since she couldn't use it in the Federation, she'd take it into the Threshold.

No one governed her there. She could use it however she pleased, and she wouldn't even have to worry about batteries.

When the power ran out, she could use "Wheel of Time" to rewind a dozen or so seconds, and the laser gun would be back to full charge. It was like having an endless supply of energy and infinite laser beams.

Tu Ran was in high spirits, reclining in her seat, almost humming a tune.

Until a spoil-sport walked over.

"General Xie Hong is dead."

The cold, emotionless voice—she knew who it was without opening her eyes.

"I didn't kill him," she said flatly.

If Xie Xu hadn't suspected her, he wouldn't have come to ask.

"You need to provide evidence that proves you had nothing to do with it," Xie Xu said.

Tu Ran sat up straight and looked up at him. "He went to support the West District. Everyone knows that."

"True," Xie Xu nodded, adding, "but you told everyone that. Apart from you, no one heard General Xie Hong say those words."

Tu Ran paused, suddenly realizing. When she'd gone to the West District for support, she hadn't seen Xie Hong at all!

He had left for the West District but never arrived.

"The surveillance from the East District to the West District..." Tu Ran's voice held a note of uncertainty.

"It didn't capture General Xie Hong," Xie Xu said, knowing what she was about to ask, and answering definitively.

Tu Ran's heart sank. She realized a serious problem.

Xie Hong was dead, and the last person he'd seen before dying was her.

The final footage Zero captured showed her walking into thick smoke. Then her communicator and helmet were violently destroyed, and so were Xie Hong's. Both of them had disappeared into the smoke.

What happened afterward—the East District had no surveillance, so no one knew.

Tu Ran had claimed Xie Hong went to the West District, but the West District's cameras didn't catch him. Xie Hong had died in the East District.

Tu Ran steadied herself and met Xie Xu's gaze. "How did he die?"

"His inner core was cut out from the back of his neck," Xie Xu said, his eyes fixed on her, scrutinizing every flicker of expression on her face.

He had suspected her at first. Not only was she the last person to be with Xie Hong, but she also had the ability to sense others' supernatural powers. She could see the inner core within Xie Hong's body. That had increased his suspicion.

But from her current expression, it didn't seem like she was the culprit.

"I'm not stupid enough to do something like that," Tu Ran said coldly.

She didn't feel like lying down anymore. She got to her feet. "With all those cameras from the East District to the West District, not a single one caught him?" she asked Xie Xu again for confirmation.

"None," Xie Xu affirmed.

"What about the other districts? Maybe he went to support elsewhere on a whim?"

"Zero analyzed all surveillance in the Pandalim District. General Xie Hong never left the East District."

Tu Ran pressed her lips together. This wasn't going to be easy.

Without surveillance, the Inspection Department would investigate Xie Hong's death, and they'd likely put her through a memory reader. She hadn't harmed Xie Hong, but summoning the hallucinogenic mushrooms, touching the back of his head to read his memories, and the things she'd said were all highly suspicious.

Moreover, this time a general had died. The Federation would take it seriously, and since investigations fell under the Inspection Department, Xie Xu couldn't tamper with the memory reader.

"The Inspection Department hasn't arrived yet. You're stalling for me?" Tu Ran tilted her head slightly, looking at Xie Xu.

He didn't deny it. "In half an hour, the Inspection Department will come to arrest you."

He'd bought her half an hour.

He still believed in her, or perhaps he didn't want to lose the partner he'd worked so hard to secure.

Tu Ran headed toward the East District, with Xie Xu following close behind.

"Zhao Yan was in charge of searching for survivors in the East District. He has the ability 'Telepathy.' If he encountered Xie Hong while Xie Hong was using 'No Ears,' he would have immediately sensed that there was a superpower user inside Xie Hong's body," Tu Ran said quickly. "When Xie Hong parted ways with me, he wasn't injured. His combat suit was highly resistant, he had attack-type abilities, and a laser gun to back him up. Ordinary people couldn't harm him. The most likely suspect is someone with abilities similar to his."

"You suspect Zhao Yan?"

Tu Ran nodded. She didn't just suspect him; she was certain.

"It was Zhao Yan who found General Xie Hong's body," Xie Xu said.

Tu Ran snorted. "There's no harm in crying 'thief' when you're the thief himself."

They entered the East District and were about halfway through when they ran into Zhao Yan and his group coming their way.