Chapter 39
"W-what do you mean?" asked the thin youth, fear evident in his voice.
Confusion washed over Ray as he observed the other party's reaction. He couldn't understand what was bothering the young thief. Didn't he already know about the thief's talent from the beginning? Ray had oversimplified the situation in his mind.
Although the thin youth realized that his activities as a thief had been exposed, he never expected the other party to be aware that it was his innate talent. However, there were various techniques related to stealing that was commonly used, not solely reliant on talent.
Ray had fortunately made an accurate guess about the thin young man's talent. While Ray had his thoughts, the thin youth was plagued by doubts.
Recalling every interaction he had with Ray over the past few weeks, the thin youth wondered, "Is the research thing he mentioned earlier true?"
His thoughts spiraled out of control, and he unconsciously started sweating profusely. Fear grew within him as he entertained thoughts of being experimented on or locked up in a vibrating chamber as a guinea pig.
Growing increasingly scared, the thin youth remained silent, causing Ray to grow impatient. "Hey! What's wrong with you? Can you show me your talent?" Ray urgently asked.
"A-ahh, show me my talent?" The thin young man was scared and confused, unsure of what Ray wanted.
"Yeah, didn't I tell you I was conducting research? I need your help," Ray patiently explained.
Hearing this, the thin youth finally voiced the question that had been on his mind. "Then, how did you know that my talent is stealing?"
"Ehhh…" Now it was Ray's turn to be confused. He realized he hadn't checked the other person's active talent. He could only flinch foolishly, berating himself for his oversight.
"Isn't the Tesseract capable of detecting talents? Why did I only check for passive aptitude?" Ray asked, perplexed and blaming himself for his stupidity.
Although Ray momentarily felt distracted, he quickly regained his focus. He urgently needed to research the other party's active talent. Therefore, he resorted to maintaining a straight face and fabricating an explanation.
"The phenomenon of talent awakening has been known for a long time, right? Over time, various methods have been developed to identify someone's talent. However, even then, there is still an element of guesswork involved. That's why I want to see you demonstrate your talent firsthand," Ray lied convincingly.
The thin youth nodded in agreement with Ray's words, thinking, "Yeah, there are many things out there that I'm unaware of."
He couldn't simply reject Ray's request. If Ray wasn't satisfied with him, would he be killed?
"How should I demonstrate it to you?" Ray asked once again.
The thin youth hesitated, but after a few coaxing words from Ray, he reluctantly agreed. "Okay, I'll show you."
Ray's heart brim
Ray instantly activated his aura eye martial arts, passive [Eagle Eye Rank F], and the Tesseract simultaneously to conduct a scan. At that moment, he could see the thin youth's leaking aura condensing into a thin thread. The thread swiftly shot towards Ray's trouser pocket and tightened around the object inside before pulling it. However, the pull didn't last long as the object suddenly disappeared. Ray's eyes widened in confusion.
"How could this happen?" Ray asked, bewildered. He searched his trouser pocket and found nothing, confirming that the theft had been successful. Seeing Ray dazed, the thin youth took the initiative to reveal the stolen item. Ray was once again shocked when he saw the stack of papers in the other party's hands. Knowing something and witnessing it firsthand were entirely different experiences.
"How did it suddenly vanish?" Ray still couldn't comprehend. Ignoring the mechanics of the talent, the thin youth proceeded to blatantly steal three more times. Although Ray remained unsatisfied, the other party was already somewhat exhausted.
"Well, at least I recorded everything with the Tesseract," Ray conceded. Continuing to waste time like this would be pointless. Since the phenomenon had been recorded, it would be better for him to return home and examine it more closely. After some brief conversation and payment, Ray bid farewell and left.
The thin youth, abandoned by Ray, was left with mixed feelings in his heart. Ray arrived home safely, and his mother was overjoyed to see him. Her son had returned unharmed for two consecutive weeks.
...
The following day, Ray made a peculiar request to his mother. "Mom, are you busy?"
"No, what's wrong, Ray?" Yuvra asked, slightly curious.
"Hmmm, how about we go out for some fun?"
"Ehhh, what's gotten into him? It's rare for him to make such a strange request..." Yuvra was surprised.
"Where are we going?"
"Let's go to the farm... or maybe the zoo... the two little ones will surely be thrilled, and they can also learn about various things."
Although it seemed a bit strange, Yuvra agreed with Ray's suggestion. After all, the two little boys were now five years old, and it was important for their development to learn about different things. Yuvra also longed to be closer to her children, especially Ray, who had changed a lot recently. Thus, Yuvra agreed to go after breakfast.
Ray, hearing the positive response from his mother, couldn't help but feel happy. At nine in the morning, the four of them set off for the zoo in the city center.
Upon arriving at the zoo, the little girl asked Ray to carry her wherever they went. Yuvra was slightly concerned, considering Ray had recently recovered from an injury. Despite the coaxing, Ray ended up having to carry his little sister. He also took the initiative to hold Esubi's hand as they walked. Due to this, Yuvra was often criticized by people for being too strict with Ray. However, Ray remained oblivious to the comments. His sole focus was on observing the animals in the zoo. He didn't suddenly decide to come here out of the blue.
Ray had been contemplating his plans carefully. He visited the zoo this time to study the animals. After all, he had made up his mind to create his martial art, and gathering suitable elements was essential for it to become a true martial art.
"Brother, look at that cat!" Haruza exclaimed, pointing in a particular direction. Ray frowned slightly as he observed.
"Ehhh, it's Haruza's fault. It's a tiger..." Ray tried to justify.
"No, brother, you're silly! The teacher's mom said in kindergarten it's a cat!" Haruza squinted.
Ray was starting to get impatient. He continued to explain to his sister, "No, Haruza, that's a tiger, not a cat!"
"No, silly brother! Silly brother!" Haruza giggled and mocked.
Ray now had a headache. "Is Haruza just behaving like a child, or was his kindergarten so incompetent? Maybe he needs to change schools..." Ray thought to himself.
Just as Ray wanted to confirm once again, they heard the sound of a child's laughter nearby. "Hahahah, look at that brother, he's dumb. A cat is a cat, he knows nothing more than his sister..."
Ray heard the mockery loud and clear. Doubt started to creep in. Not wanting to drag it out, Ray decided to get closer and search for relevant information about the animal.
After a while, Ray came across an article that explained the creature. Reverse-mutation domestic cats were ordinary house cats that mutated back to their ancient form. These cats appeared like tigers, but they still retained their docile nature. However, it couldn't be denied that reverse-mutation cats were more dangerous to keep than regular domestic cats.
Reading this information, Ray was taken aback. He never expected such a thing to exist. He subconsciously compared this world to his previous one, where he was fascinated by people in the Middle East owning real tigers. Here, the concept of domestic cats resembling tigers seemed extraordinary.
Ray's thoughts started racing. He was excited about the idea of having one of these "cats."
"Heheheh, brother, do you believe me now?" Haruza asked proudly.
"Well, my sister is the most beautiful, cutest, and smartest! She even knows things that her brother doesn't!" Ray responded.
"Hahahaha, great!"
Ray had to admit defeat, but he couldn't act so shamelessly in front of his sister. It would be embarrassing if she unknowingly followed his behavior.
They continued to explore every area of the zoo. Even though Ray was busy observing, he never neglected his family. He recorded the flow of aura, aura momentum, and the animals' intentions while still interacting with his family.
"Brother, look at those monkeys! They're fighting!" Haruza pointed at a group of people watching a show.
Ray paid close attention and sensed that something was off with the animals he had observed earlier. He suspected that the zoo wasn't properly addressing their needs, leading to their inappropriate behavior.
Ray sent several messages to the service center, describing the animals' agitation and other inappropriate behaviors. Although he couldn't guarantee that his observations were entirely accurate, at least it would inform the zoo staff about the current situation and prompt them to take precautionary measures.
Afterward, Ray accompanied his sister to see the fighting monkeys, which was quite an unpleasant sight. Since the two children were still young, Ray decided to find a more child-friendly show for them.
"Sister, look at that elephant! It's so big! It's going to run us over!" Esubi shouted fearfully.
Ray didn't take the boy's words seriously at first, but the next moment, he became alarmed. There was indeed a massive foot heading towards them!