Coercion and Temptation

Tu Ran swallowed the food in her mouth, took a sip of tea to clear her throat, and then said, "Teach me what?"

She suspected she had misheard.

"I'll teach you everything Tu Ran once knew," Xie Xu said, leaning back in his chair, calmly watching her. "You've taken over her body, and her body's original abilities are yours too—they've just yet to be developed. I'll train you and make you an even stronger Pioneer than she was."

Tu Ran bit her lip, uncertain. "With all that time on your hands, why not find another Pioneer? The Federation's huge—plenty of people out there are stronger, more obedient, and easier to buy off than me."

Why did he have to fixate on her?

Though what he offered was tempting.

If she tried to explore the original body's abilities on her own, who knew how long it would take.

Like with shooting this afternoon—she couldn't hit anything no matter how she tried, but after a few pointers from him, she had direction and learned quickly.

Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that following him meant risk.

After all, running a private research institute was a violation of Federation law, and if it were ever discovered, she wouldn't make it out alive either.

"There's no one in the Federation more suitable than you," Xie Xu said seriously. "Your learning ability is strong, you have the foundation from before, and with my training, you can grow quickly. I can guarantee I'll bring you back to your former peak. In contrast, recruiting other Pioneers carries enormous risk—and they might never reach your level."

Tu Ran hadn't expected to carry so much weight in his estimation. The original body's ability to keep Xie Xu from developing feelings while being unable to let go of her—that was remarkable in itself.

Xie Xu paused, studying her expression, and read the hesitation in her face. He continued, "The secret of the private research institute can only be known to as few people as possible. You know this secret, yet you don't work here. Eventually, we'll have to make you a target for elimination. For now, we can't touch you, but you can't stay on guard forever—there will always be opportunities to strike."

Tu Ran clicked her tongue. So this was coercion and temptation, all in one.

She knew she had to make a choice today.

If she refused, she'd have to keep constant watch over the man before her.

From their interactions over the past few days, she could tell he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve. She'd only slipped through his fingers because he'd underestimated her in a moment of carelessness. Given enough time, she'd end up in his hands sooner or later.

If she agreed, she'd face dangers beyond her duties, but she'd gain his help, rapidly grow stronger, and wouldn't have to worry about him stabbing her in the back.

Weighing her options for a while, Tu Ran chose the latter.

But she still had one question.

"Why did you establish the private research institute?"

She found nothing in the original body's memories about that. The original body probably didn't know either.

And it was likely this man wouldn't tell her.

Sure enough.

"That's something I can't tell you."

Tu Ran poked at the rice in her bowl, lost in thought.

What if this man was researching these alien creatures to wipe out the species in the Threshold entirely?

She thought of the hook snake that had given her the inner core.

It had been through so much.

If she helped Xie Xu, wouldn't she be a killer too?

Xie Xu seemed to see her hesitation, though he sounded slightly uncertain.

"You're worried about the alien creatures?"

Tu Ran: She just had to wonder—how did this guy always see right through what she was thinking? Did he have mind-reading powers or something?!

"No," Tu Ran shook her head, lowering her gaze. "I'll join you."