Fortune's Eye

Still, the fact that Nick Wells could earn that much from a single consultation meant his daily take could easily buy a luxury car.

"This way, ma'am. We'll start with a comprehensive physical examination."

The nurse's voice broke through her wild imaginings.

Tu Ran followed her into a sealed room filled with all sorts of instruments.

"Please remove your mask, ma'am," the nurse reminded her.

Tu Ran paused.

"You can take it off safely," Zero's voice came quickly through her earpiece. "I've created a new identity for you. You're now Li Lin, an ordinary Federation citizen. Nothing in your facial features will identify you as Pioneer Tu Ran."

Relieved, Tu Ran removed her mask.

A green beam of light scanned her face from top to bottom.

"Hello, Ms. Li Lin. Please lie down on the bed, close your eyes, and remain perfectly still. We're about to scan your body."

Tu Ran did as instructed, lying down on a stretcher a meter wide. The stretcher automatically slid into a fully enclosed machine.

Tu Ran closed her eyes. From around her came a series of beeps—some high, some low, some long, some short—filling the silence.

After nearly a dozen minutes, Tu Ran was about to doze off when the stretcher beneath her began to move. She opened her eyes; she was out.

"The examination is complete, and your data is being uploaded. One moment, please."

Tu Ran sat up on the bed. The nurse, who had been waiting nearby, smiled. "Ms. Li Lin, all your physical examination data has been analyzed. You may now proceed to Director Nick's office."

Tu Ran's eyes lit up. Finally, the moment had come.

"Please follow me."

The examination room door slid open automatically. Tu Ran followed the nurse toward Nick Wells's office.

Along the way, Tu Ran observed her surroundings, silently memorizing the route.

The AI overseeing Xixin Nange Hospital's internal surveillance was Andre. Other than relaying a few messages to Tu Ran, Zero could do little else.

After dealing with Nick Wells, she needed to get out of here fast, and the route would have to come from her own memory.

They stepped into the elevator. The nurse didn't press any buttons or state a floor; the elevator rose on its own and stopped at the fifth floor.

That meant the elevator was fully under Andre's control. When she left, it would be safer to take the stairs.

At least it was only the fifth floor—not too high.

Exiting the elevator, Tu Ran followed the nurse as they turned left, then left again, and entered a long, dim corridor. At the far end stood a dark-red wooden door.

The nurse pushed it open and gestured for her to enter, remaining outside herself.

Tu Ran stepped inside and found an oversized entryway, its walls lined with oil paintings.

Tu Ran had no artistic sense, but she thought they were pretty. She gave them a brief glance and focused on the hall ahead.

This wasn't the doctor's office she'd pictured—the kind with a single desk and a doctor sitting behind it.

This was more like a luxurious presidential suite.

In front of her, gray-white sofas formed a rectangle around a dark-brown irregular solid-wood coffee table.

Tu Ran didn't see the man she'd come to meet.

Instead, just as she was about to step onto the pure white carpet in the living room, two arms crossed, blocking her path.

Tu Ran followed the arms upward and saw two men in black suits, a head taller than her, burly, with throat-mic headsets. Bodyguards, presumably.

"Hand over your weapons before going in," one of them said, eyeing her like a hawk, his voice deep and heavy.

Tu Ran didn't waste words. Reaching back, she pulled out her pistol and knife and tossed them onto the tray the other man held.

Tu Ran spread her arms. "Can I go in now?"

"Your earpiece too."

Tu Ran had no choice but to remove the hidden earpiece and drop it into the tray.

"And now?"

The two men said nothing, stepping aside in unison to clear the way.

Nick Wells wasn't in the living room.

Tu Ran's gaze swept the room, and through the translucent glass partition, she could just make out a figure in the study, seated at a desk, head bowed as if reading something.

That must be Nick Wells.

The glass was translucent—visible from outside but keeping the interior private—so that if anything happened to Nick inside, the guards outside would be none the wiser, while still preserving his privacy.

Circling around the central sofa, Tu Ran headed toward the study, mulling over how to handle Nick Wells.

First, she couldn't make any sudden moves—the guards outside would notice.

By the time she reached the study door, she had a plan.

The study door had a sensor and slid open automatically.

Tu Ran immediately spotted Nick Wells, dressed in comfortable loungewear.

Inside, a thousand alpacas galloped through her mind.

Did she walk into the wrong place?

Wasn't this supposed to be a hospital director's office?

Why was Nick Wells being so casual?

She'd shelled out 250,000 Federation credits—couldn't he show a little respect?

"Sit," Nick said with a casual tilt of his head, gesturing to the seat across from him.

Tu Ran took a deep breath, steadied herself, and sat down opposite him.

"I've looked at your physical exam report. You're very healthy, no major issues," Nick said, setting down his tablet and folding his hands as he regarded her. "The nurse mentioned you believe there's something wrong with your mind. Can you elaborate on why you think that?"

Tu Ran looked at him too.

Or rather, at the top of his head.

Through video or surveillance, she couldn't tell whether a person possessed abilities. It had to be face-to-face for her "ability identification" to work.

As she'd suspected, the abilities above Nick Wells's head were almost too many to believe.

【Fortune's Eye】

Description: See through the life and death of others. To the bearer, the bodies of those nearing death turn transparent.

Grade: Advanced

Tu Ran screamed internally, "Holy shit! What an ability!"

【Seven Seconds】

Description: You possess the power to foresee the future, and also the power to forget it. Opportunities often flash by in an instant—seven seconds, only seven seconds are given to you. Within those seven seconds, you can see certain events that will happen in the future, but you will also forget them after seven seconds. Cherish every second, and prompt recording is essential.

Grade: Beginner

Note: The name is for reference only. The foresight duration varies, with a maximum of seven seconds and a minimum of two.

Seeing this ability's description, Tu Ran couldn't help but suspect it might have belonged to Xi Chunzhi.

She distinctly remembered the hastily scrawled words "infected mutant" in the notebook Xi Chunzhi had given her.

At the time, there had been no infected mutants in the Federation—they only appeared after she returned from her mission in Regaken State. It was something that happened in the future.

And Xi Chunzhi had written it down out of nowhere, with no prior signs. It all happened suddenly, fitting the ability's description perfectly.