Chapter 253

Suddenly, without warning, everyone's gaze converged on Tu Ran.

"What's going on? Why is he pointing at you all of a sudden? Patriarch Pang wants you to go up?" Zhou Ming's puzzled voice came through the earpiece.

Tu Ran: ...I'd like to know that too.

"One million Federation credits, hold out for thirty minutes inside. Not a bad deal, is it? This guard, care to come up and give it a try?" Pang Shixi's expression was so benevolent it rivaled Xie Xieao's, as if he were encouraging his own child to perform on stage.

Xie Xieao, who had been locked in a lifelong rivalry with Pang Shixi and could read his intentions from a single twitch, found his fingers unconsciously curling on his lap.

Whenever this man wore that expression, it meant a scheme was about to succeed.

He'd gone through all this trouble to make a spectacle—was it all for this woman?

Xie Xieao looked up at Tu Ran on the third floor, silently wondering what reason Pang Shixi had to go to such lengths against a mere guard.

Xie Xu also turned his gaze to Tu Ran, his face still expressionless, but like his father, his fingers on his knee began tapping unconsciously.

He was thinking.

Stephen Wells, meanwhile, furrowed his brow deeply. The words "not happy" might as well have been written across his face.

He'd finally found such a useful subordinate, and now she was being lured to her death by someone else. How could he be pleased?

But under the public eye, he couldn't very well tell Tu Ran he'd give her several times that amount, as long as she refused Pang Shixi.

The moment Pang Shixi announced one million Federation credits, the entire Wanle Temple fell silent—even the mutant stopped roaring, licking the fur on its paws as it prepared for its next meal.

"No."

Tu Ran shook her head in refusal.

Young Master Qi silently gave her a thumbs up in his mind. Now that was backbone! One million Federation credits—he'd almost been tempted himself.

"Five million!" Refused, Pang Shixi only grew more determined, waving a hand and quintupling the offer.

Five million. An unimaginable sum. The guards present couldn't help but suck in sharp breaths, and the waiters standing at the edges of the hall, ready to serve at any moment, stared at Tu Ran with unconcealed envy, wishing they too were guards.

Tu Ran lowered her eyes in silence. Just as everyone assumed she was about to accept, she raised her utterly calm gaze and tossed out three words.

"I'm afraid of death."

Five million Federation credits was genuinely tempting.

She was also confident she could last thirty minutes in that cage.

But Pang Shixi's sudden pointing at her was far too suspicious.

And his escalating the offer to such an amount made it even more so.

She could defeat the mutant in the cage, but she couldn't outmaneuver the scheming behind these rich men.

So she decided not to take that risk.

Refused again, the smile on Pang Shixi's face turned a bit stiff. As the head of the Pang family, being rejected again and again by a mere guard was indeed hard to swallow.

In the eyes of the other wealthy attendees, Tu Ran was being somewhat ungrateful.

"Five million is enough for several lifetimes of luxury and honor. Young lady, you should seize the opportunity."

"That's right. An opportunity like this, ordinary people wouldn't encounter in eight lifetimes. You should cherish it."

These people were speaking up for Pang Shixi. Though their words urged Tu Ran to go up, the contempt in their voices and eyes was laid bare for all to see.

They couldn't even put on a decent show of civility.

Tu Ran shook her head inwardly, her face as composed as a meditating monk as she stood there holding her gun, unmoving.

Finally, someone couldn't stand her attitude any longer.

"Are you deaf or what? Having you perform up there is us doing you a favor! So what if you die? Five million—it's enough to buy your life!"

Oh, losing their temper already. These people were even less patient than she'd imagined.

Tu Ran glanced at the speaker—the Mu family, who only managed to barely hold their place among the top ten financial clans by clinging to the Pang family.

Tu Ran continued to play deaf and mute, saying nothing.

A mere guard like her, in such a setting, could only express refusal through silence.

Xie Xieao observed her performance. In this kind of situation, any other guard would have caved under the pressure and gone up to perform.

Going up to feed the mutant meant death; not going up meant that after the banquet ended, the lackeys of the Pang family would quietly deal with her anyway—Pang Shixi was hardly a magnanimous man.

Either way, death was certain. She might as well go up and gamble, maybe find a slim chance of survival.

But this guard stood there motionless, said not a word—a display of pure arrogance.

She wasn't afraid of the Pang family's retaliation.

That was the only thought in Xie Xieao's mind.

An ordinary guard—what gave her such confidence?

Xie Xieao glanced at Pang Xinting, seated among the crowd.

He was the deputy director of the Executive Department; he should know his own people.

Unfortunately, Pang Xinting only gave him his back.

Pang Xinting had already risen to his feet, looking up at Tu Ran on the third floor, and spoke in the tone of a deputy director: "I am the deputy director of the Executive Department. I now intend to assess your capabilities as a guard alongside the senior officials. I hope you will cooperate."

Tu Ran applauded him inwardly. What a grand and lofty excuse, what a silver tongue. Tsk tsk, the audacity of these people's faces—they didn't even bother to hide it.

"I am a pioneer, temporarily assigned to the Executive Department. My superior is Major General Xie Zhao."

Pang Xinting's face was visibly stiff, and he turned to look at Xie Zhao, who sat behind Xie Xieao.

Xie Zhao hadn't recognized Tu Ran as the guard on the third floor until now.

Only when he heard her suddenly mention his name did he remember that he had indeed lent Tu Ran out before.

With no reason to remain seated, Xie Zhao stood, facing everyone's gaze, and said unhurriedly: "Indeed, she's one of my Pioneer Team members." Recalling how these people had just been urging Tu Ran to fight the mutant, he added: "A pioneer's life and interests come above all else. They shouldn't be wasted on spectator sports. You all should stick to the principle of mutual consent and find someone else."

Tu Ran shot him a grateful look.

The faces of everyone else present turned sour, especially those from the Pang family.

"Second Young Master Xie is quite good to his subordinates," Pang Xinting said with a hollow smile.

Pretending not to catch the insinuation, Xie Zhao replied, "Thank you for the compliment, Young Master Pang." With that, he adjusted his clothes again and returned to his seat.

Pang Xinting nearly ground his molars to dust. He'd finally had a chance to show off in front of the Pang patriarch—whether he could rise from deputy to full director was a single word from the patriarch—and now this hard-won opportunity had been ruined.

Pang Shixi silently cursed him for a fool, his face now dark with unconcealed displeasure.

"She's just a pioneer. There's no need for our two families to fall out over such a trifle," the eldest son of the Xie family stood, patting Xie Zhao's shoulder. "Zhao, go tell her to come down."

Xie Zhao sat straight as a ramrod, not moving.

Xie Heng leaned in slightly, murmuring something in his ear.

From Tu Ran's angle, she could clearly see Xie Zhao's face darken.

She rarely saw this stoic major general wear such an expression.

Xie Zhao probably couldn't stop her fight with the mutant today either.

Tu Ran averted her gaze, speaking in a low voice only Zero could hear.

"Found out his purpose yet?"

"No."

Tu Ran paused, as if making up her mind. "How long until the Threshold gate opens?"

"Estimated three to seven days."

Three to seven days. Not too long.

Below, Xie Xu suddenly stood. "Patriarch Pang, the Research Institute needs this mutant."

Everyone present was stunned, and they all turned to look at him in unison.

Xie Xieao also turned back to gaze at his third son, who had always been a wallflower at banquets.

Pang Shixi's behavior was already abnormal enough.

And now both of his sons were defending this guard.

Just what was going on that he didn't know about?

"There are plenty of mutants at the Research Institute. You're telling me you're missing this one?" Pang Shixi said meaningfully.

"Yes. From my observation, this mutant has a strong capacity for learning. In regard to the Research Institute's current focus on whether mutants can evolve, it holds significant research value. I hope the patriarch will be generous and part with it. Afterwards, we'll send you one more to your liking," Xie Xu said seriously, looking every bit the obsessed scholar.

If Tu Ran hadn't been beaten black and blue by him, hadn't witnessed his ambition firsthand, she might have been fooled by his appearance.

The reason Xie Xu offered was a good one, hard to refuse.

Unfortunately, the Xie family didn't seem to be at peace internally.

Just as Pang Shixi seemed ready to back down, Xie Heng suddenly spoke up: "Patriarch Pang, don't listen to him. He's just too absorbed in his research and thinks every mutant is special. Keep this one, and watch the show you wanted to see."

With that, he looked up at Tu Ran. "What are you standing there for? Come on down. Your Pioneer Team commander has already agreed. Whether you like it or not, you're going up today."

Tu Ran: I'm so done.

"Are you sure he's the eldest son of the Xie family, the future heir?"

Zero: "Yes."

"Such a bootlicker?! If I didn't know better, I'd think he was Pang Shixi's errand boy."

Zero: "..."

"Can I shoot him?"

Zero: "..." Was that his call to make?

"Go ask Xie Xu, quick." Tu Ran dawdled her way down the stairs, muttering hurriedly.

Her sixth sense told her Pang Shixi wasn't simply looking for a beast fight spectacle—he wanted her dead.

The reason was uncertain, but nine times out of ten it was the inner core. That was the only valuable thing she had on her.

There was no way she'd walk out of here clean.

Before she fled, she had to take care of these infuriating people once and for all. Otherwise, all her patient suffering would have been for nothing.

By the time she stood before the iron cage and surrendered her weapon, Zero responded.

"Kill him."

OK!

The cage door opened, and the mutant began to roar inside, welcoming its next meal.

Tu Ran stood at the cage entrance, her palm resting on the iron bars, which were nearly thirty centimeters in diameter.

Seeing Tu Ran hesitate to enter, Pang Xinting couldn't help urging: "What are you dawdling—"

His words were cut short as crackling sounds rang out in rapid succession. The enormous iron cage began to shake violently. Centered on Tu Ran's palm, massive cracks spread outward, covering the entire cage.

The wealthy attendees, who had been sitting gracefully in their chairs ready to watch a show, immediately panicked. Their eyes went wide with disbelief at what they were witnessing. For a moment, everyone forgot to react.

The mutant inside sensed the cage's change, and with all its might, it charged headfirst.

"Crash! Splinter!"

The iron cage exploded into pieces, metal shards flying in every direction and landing among the rich.

The mutant burst into the crowd of wealthy attendees right behind it.

Food was everywhere, and it helped itself without the slightest courtesy.

"Aghh—!"

The rich began to scream, to run, to flee in utter panic.

Those who were too slow, those tripped by their gowns, inevitably ended up in the mutant's jaws.

One bite and they burst, scalding blood splattering everywhere. The God lamp hanging above the temple halls once again fell from its pedestal, drenched in blood.

The guards stationed all around moved with lightning speed, training their guns on the mutant and firing relentlessly.