To begin the assassination, there was something crucial Sal needed, and only the anomaly, formed from the resentment of the original owner, would be willing to provide it.
If he woke Ann and asked about it, she would remain silent, even if he revealed his intentions and demonstrated his strength. Not to mention, he had no intention of doing that. He planned to keep his plans secret because he knew that was the only way he would survive what would come after successfully assassinating Big Joe.
He had no doubts that the more people knew of his deed, the higher the chance that he would be killed. In other words, he couldn't discuss his plans with anyone likely to be coerced into revealing them, especially Ann—a young girl who could easily be persuaded to tell the truth through simple interrogation or, if that failed, through basic torture.
To get what he needed, he could only speak to the anomaly. Although he disliked interacting with these entities, as they were in stark contrast to the living and he harbored an instinctual aversion to them like any other living being, he suppressed his instinct and decided to converse with it.
"Hey, are you there?" Sal asked in his mind.
"Yeah," the anomaly resting there replied without any hesitation after hearing his call.
All this time it had been silently viewing his action. So far it had liked everything it had seen. It had a favorable impression of Sal. Thus, wanting to be helpful, it asked, "You need something?"
From its tone, Sal could tell it was willing to help him.
'Looks like my actions after possessing this body have been to its liking,' he thought.
"Tell me where Big Joe lives," Sal demanded from the anomaly.
That was the crucial information he needed.
He had wandered the refugee camp from dusk to night, but he saw no signs of Big Joe. Without knowing where his target resided, how could he carry out the assassination? He had to know it
The original owner wanted Big Joe dead because that was the only way to keep Ann safe. After all, people like Big Joe, once they set their eyes on something, they would try every means to get it. As long as he was alive, Ann would never be safe.
The anomaly was formed to serve the original owner and fulfill his last wish.
Thus, Sal believed that the anomaly would act rationally and help him locate Big Joe immediately.
However, to his disappointment, instead of providing a direct answer, the anomaly posed a question.
"Why exactly do you want to know that?"
"You're questioning me?" Sal raised an eyebrow. His displeasure was clearly displayed on his face. He disliked being questioned, especially by a being he inherently despised. His irritation was entirely understandable.
"It's not like that. I want to tell you, but I am being held back by my own nature. I believe I can not be a active participant in something that would certainly cost you your life," the anomaly revealed.
Hearing its words, Sal's eyes gleamed with a flash realization. He understood what was going on. The anomaly wasn't being unhelpful or turning against him. It was truly helpless.
Anomalies weren't complete like humans. Not only did they lack the full spectrum of emotions and desires, but they also had no free will of their own. Instead, they were tightly bound to the source that propagated their birth.
For example, the source of this anomaly was the resentment the original owner left behind at his death, and the cause of that resentment was that he was cornered into a desperate situation with no means to protect his sister.
As a result, this anomaly's entire existence centered around avenging the original owner by extinguishing those who had forced him into a corner and protecting Ann.
Its actions could only revolve around these causes; it couldn't take any initiative on its own.
If Sal died, there would be no one left to protect Ann. So it couldn't do anything that would risk Sal's life even if it wanted to, and that meant he couldn't expose the location of Big Joe's residence to him unless it knew that Sal had the strength to overcome him.
"You're pathetically weak."
Sal had some knowledge of the rules surrounding anomalies, but this was his first time seeing one who was so tightly bound to the source of its existence that it didn't even have the right to give a simple reply. He couldn't help but hold it in contempt.
The anomaly felt his strong contempt and accepted it without complaint. As an anomaly, it had no means to deal damage. It could only be a voice in someone's head. It was truly pathetic.
"I have achieved some success in my cultivation, I am going to go kill Big Joe. Is that enough to loosen the force binding you from speaking out and telling me the location of his house?" Sal asked the anomaly after telling it what he was up to to help loosen the restriction on its speech.
The answer he got was disappointing to say the least.
"No it's enough." the anomaly said.