Chapter Fifteen: Have I Mutated?

Chapter Fifteen: Have I Mutated?

“To put it simply, our organization is a group of ‘Watchers’—or perhaps you could call us ‘world police.’ Heh… I know you dislike that term, and I’m not fond of America either. Don’t look at me like that, I’m European. But at least we don’t use our powers to alter or interfere with the course of this world’s development. We prefer to quietly stand aside and observe, or…” Thunderfox suddenly smiled, a hint of humor in his expression. “You might imagine us as the kind of righteous organization that upholds world peace—even if that does sound rather melodramatic.”

This man’s command of Chinese truly was impressive; he even understood idioms that rarely appeared in textbooks.

“Our organization abides by two principal rules: first, never interfere with the world’s development. Second, prevent other ‘espers’ or ‘esper organizations’ from interfering with the world’s development.”

“It does sound a lot like ‘world police’,” Chen Xiao replied with a faint smile, though his tone was still tinged with suspicion. “But it seems you’re painting your group as far too noble and virtuous.”

He didn’t press further on that topic, though. After a pause for thought, he asked quietly, “And what about the organization my parents belonged to?”

“They’re a bit more complicated,” Thunderfox answered bluntly. “Compared to some reckless individual espers, these organized institutions are much trickier to deal with.”

As he spoke, Thunderfox deftly produced an object from his pocket, waving it before Chen Xiao’s eyes—it was the diary left by Chen Xiao’s mother. “I regret to inform you—and by now, I suspect you’ve already guessed. Your parents, they didn’t die in some accident.”

Chen Xiao’s gaze dimmed.

“That organization has been our adversary for many years. They call themselves ‘the Club.’”

The Club? What sort of name is that?

“Fortunately, they’re still far behind us. In our ongoing conflict, they’ve generally been at a disadvantage. The laboratory your parents worked in was involved in a very interesting project. Simply put, they gathered Bluebloods for research. Bluebloods are a known type of ‘evolved human,’ and from a scientific perspective, they’re quite representative. So the lab conducted various studies on them, analyzing the constitution and data of ‘evolved humans.’ Their ultimate goal, apart from profiting from this research, was to oppose us… or rather, to target all espers who defy them worldwide.”

Thunderfox sighed. “The blue serum your parents left you—that was their ultimate weapon.”

“Purification?”

“Yes, ‘Purification.’” Thunderfox’s expression grew somber. “Think about it—what’s the best way to neutralize an esper?”

After a moment’s reflection, and recalling the name ‘Purification,’ Chen Xiao’s eyes lit up. “Turn espers back into ordinary people?”

“Precisely.” Thunderfox’s sigh deepened, his expression growing graver. “We’ve been fighting the dark forces for a long time. Our history is longer, and we’ve gathered more and stronger espers, which naturally makes us a thorn in the side of many. But imagine if those people got hold of something this dangerous. Things would get even worse. And as I said, there are many espers out there who remain unaffiliated. If these shady organizations mastered ‘Purification,’ they could easily recruit independent espers—and for those who refuse, it’s simple: Purify them!”

Chen Xiao remained silent.

Thunderfox’s face was grim. “For decades, our ‘Service Society’ and the ‘Club’ have been locked in this struggle. They’ve been trying to develop weapons specifically against espers. They’ve made semi-finished versions of ‘Purification’ before, but those were limited in power. At first, we suffered some losses, but quickly found ways to neutralize them. That’s why the Club continued to pour resources into the project. It’s an arms race. We recently received intelligence that the Club has nearly perfected a ‘Purification’ serum. For us, that’s dreadful news.”

He sighed again, his tone shifting oddly. “There’s something else I need to explain. The woman who broke into your home and attacked you was one of my most capable subordinates, named Black Seven. I believe you’ve already met Red Seven as well. Originally, both were assigned to monitor you—or, to put it more kindly, to protect you. Unfortunately, Black Seven has a volatile temper, and when she saw you with the ‘Purification’ serum… She’d seen some of the earlier versions before, and some of our comrades died because of it. She lost control and lashed out, intending only to seize the serum—not to harm you.”

“If that’s an apology, I’ll accept it,” Chen Xiao replied after a moment’s thought. “After all, I do owe you all a favor. Red Seven saved me from those robbers—though she nearly killed me herself in the process.”

Thunderfox’s gaze became strange. “An apology isn’t necessary.” He spoke calmly. “We’ll compensate you for your losses, but… Black Seven has already paid a heavy price. During your struggle, the ‘Purification’ was released, and unfortunately, she was ‘infected’.”

Chen Xiao was startled. “You mean…”

“She’s been ‘Purified’,” Thunderfox said, sounding somewhat frustrated. “Her life isn’t in danger. But as I said, she’s lost her abilities—she’s become an ordinary person.”

Hearing this, Chen Xiao frowned. In that case, it seemed the other side had suffered more.

“Black Three acted on your parents’ instructions, although the Service Society hadn’t officially authorized the task. Still, you can’t deny we mean you no harm.”

Chen Xiao nodded.

“Afterward, Black Three was punished internally, but in truth, your parents are worthy of our respect. Clearly, they managed to create a finished version of ‘Purification,’ and fortunately, they destroyed it. For us, that’s good news. Once Black Three became involved, our group obtained some information. Over two years, we owe your parents a debt of gratitude. Because we discovered their connection to ‘Purification,’ we assigned a small team to quietly monitor—and, in effect, protect—you. We meant no harm, only to ensure your safety. As for that young Blueblood woman, while she’s one of our own kind, your parents’ dying wish was to entrust her only to Black Three. So we won’t forcibly take Miss Yaya away… By the way, her name is lovely. Thus, Black Three handed her to you.” Thunderfox’s voice was calm. “In all things, we’ve respected your parents’ wishes and won’t make any unreasonable demands.”

Chen Xiao nodded again. “Seems I owe you my thanks, then. If Black Three hadn’t handed over my parents’ keepsakes, I’d never have learned the truth.”

“We won’t quibble over Black Seven’s loss—after all, it was a misunderstanding, and she acted on her own.” Thunderfox’s expression was still a bit sour, but his tone was mild. “But when Black Three and I arrived, something unexpected happened.”

“Unexpected?” Chen Xiao thought for a moment, then glanced at Black Three, who had been silently standing aside. Suddenly, a memory surfaced: during the struggle, some of the blue serum had splashed onto his own wounds, and he had fallen into a state of extreme weakness. When Black Three arrived, in his dazed state he’d mistaken her for an enemy, and then…

He remembered now—he’d injured Black Three in a bizarre way!

“Do you remember now?” Thunderfox’s eyes twinkled.

Chen Xiao couldn’t help but raise his hand, examining his palm and forearm—the strange blue traces beneath his skin were gone. Yet he clearly recalled, in that moment, he’d swung his arm toward Black Three, and she’d been flung away! Could it be…

“Black Seven was a member of the ‘SEVEN’ squad, and the most powerful among them. Her primary talent was manipulating air—but after being Purified, she lost her abilities. When Black Three arrived, you attacked her before falling unconscious, using a technique that was…” Thunderfox sighed, his eyes bright as he stared at Chen Xiao. “An air-manipulating shockwave attack. That’s precisely Black Seven’s specialty.”

“You mean…?” Chen Xiao had already begun to guess.

“Yes, we suspect that you’ve ‘gained’ Black Seven’s power.” Thunderfox’s tone was peculiar, and his smile even more so. “This has never happened before, so I’m just as surprised as you.”

Chen Xiao vaguely recalled that after smashing the vial, the blue serum quickly vaporized, turning into a blue mist. Some of the liquid had gotten into his wounds, infecting him. Later, after Black Seven’s body changed, the blue mist seemed to surge toward him…

Fragments of memory flashed through his mind, but he said nothing.

“Please forgive us, but while you were unconscious, we examined your body without your permission. We have reason to believe this perfected Purification serum is different from what we expected. We suspect that when the serum entered your body, it… may have granted you powers you didn’t originally possess—such as Black Seven’s ability, transferred into you.” Thunderfox rubbed his nose. “The semi-finished versions we’d seen before never had that effect.”

“So you’re saying I’ve mutated?” Chen Xiao’s expression was grim.

“I’d call it ‘evolved’—it sounds better.” Thunderfox offered a gentle smile, then sighed. “Unfortunately, after a thorough examination, we found nothing. Your body, blood samples, brainwaves—everything is indistinguishable from a normal person’s. We strongly suspect Black Seven’s power was somehow absorbed by you, but curiously, our post-examination found no anomalies. To be honest, I was quite worried.”

Chen Xiao instantly understood his concern.

What these people feared most was ‘Purification.’ But the results of that research had been destroyed by his parents, and the last vial had been destroyed by himself.

Yet Thunderfox seemed worried that he had become a living ‘Purification.’

A living, breathing ‘Purification’ would be far more terrifying than any serum.

(For all the brothers and sisters who voted for me, three words for you—you’re wonderful!)