"Miss Ning..."
When Scarlett Ning returned with her two companions, she found her sitting on a bench, with a young man sound asleep on her shoulder.
The pair exchanged curious glances. Though they knew Miss Ning was always kind to others, such an intimate scene was a first.
Who is this boy?
Despite their curiosity, they refrained from asking.
"In Xijing, he's my boyfriend, though it's just a facade," Scarlett said with a mischievous smile, knowing they'd eventually find out. She winked, "Don't tell the others..."
"Uh, understood." They nodded quickly, still taken aback.
"What happened with the Spiritualist?" Scarlett asked.
"He fled to a busy area. To avoid any commotion, we had to give up. But we've alerted others, and it's unlikely he'll escape."
Knowing that Jingbei City, the capital of the Red Country, had tight security, Scarlett was confident. A mere Spiritualist running into a restricted area would not be spared.
Scarlett glanced at the sleeping Leon, resting her chin on her hand thoughtfully.
...
Leon woke up with a heavy head.
What did Scarlett do last night?
Leon thought, trying to recall the events. Last night had been the most unexpected of his life. Spiritualists, Royal Clan—what were they? And then there was the blood breed...
"Did you sleep well in the military district compound?" Scarlett walked in.
"What happened last night?" Leon wanted to understand what a Spiritualist was. He had heard the term "shaman" among mercenaries before, and now it seemed harmless Scarlett knew a lot about such things.
"Oh, after we left the club last night, we were on a date, and you got too tired, so you fell asleep," Scarlett said, sitting beside him with a perfectly innocent expression.
Leon widened his eyes.
She's acting too convincingly. Could the Spiritualists and Royal Clan have been illusions?
Just as Leon was about to ask more, he noticed Scarlett's gaze filled with surprise and puzzlement. He suddenly remembered the kiss last night and her words in his mind... Could she have done something to make him forget what happened?
Hesitating, Leon asked cautiously, "Is that really all?"
"What else do you expect? This is Jingbei. It's not easy to encounter robberies or revenge," Scarlett waved dismissively.
"I feel like I've forgotten something..." Leon smiled. If she didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't push. But letting such an interesting topic as Spiritualists and Royal Clan go seemed a pity.
Leon considered using "mind reading" to hear Scarlett's thoughts, hoping to uncover her secrets. But the cost of that passionate kiss was daunting.
Unbeknownst to Leon, he had narrowly avoided a disaster due to his "consideration"—Scarlett had been worried her "hypnosis" hadn't worked on him. If Leon's shooting could surpass a Spiritualist's level and his "hypnosis" had no effect, it would mean Leon's thinking was nearly four-dimensional... If that were true, Scarlett would have to take him to "that place" for further examination.
After a brief silence, Scarlett, lost in thought, suddenly heard Leon's shameless request.
"Scarlett, could you do me a favor..."
"What?"
"Could I kiss you again later?"
"…"
...
"Oh my God, does my ability affect emotions? How could I ask such a shameless question?" Leon lay on the bed, touching his aching forehead, still feeling Scarlett's response—a flick on the head.
Beep beep beep.
As he was pondering, Leon noticed a communication prompt on his watch. He pressed the button.
In his mind, Lina's eternally pleasant and soothing voice came through.
"Hi, Leon, do you have time now?"
"Yeah, is there news about the Blood Clan?" Leon suddenly thought that the matter of the Spiritualists might be related to the Heavenly Realm as well.
"Alright. The 'Bloodline First Generation' you scanned has been modified by the Princess and will be sent to you now. Please check it."
As he thought, a mechanical prompt appeared in Leon's mind.
"No. 109 Holy Night Noble successfully loaded..."
Hearing this, Leon was embarrassed. The famous Blood Clan had been created like this.
"What's the price? Will it include things like sensitivity to sunlight?" Leon recalled a crucial issue.
Lina's answer reassured Leon.
"The Princess has considered your needs. The 'First Generation Bloodline' was an early, imperfect creation. The Princess now uses the latest 'Holy Night,' the Fifth Generation Bloodline, which eliminates all defects without any side effects..."
"Now, I'll explain the abilities of 'Holy Night' in detail. It will significantly enhance your capabilities, providing superhuman speed, strength, reflexes, and endurance, along with several auxiliary abilities."
Lina's detailed explanation left Leon stunned. This No. 1 ability was practically an amalgamation of superpowers.
"Of course, as long as your watch level is sufficient, no other Blood Clan in the mortal realm will pose a threat to you," Lina concluded her long-winded explanation.
"Wait, what's the price for such a great thing..." Leon asked seriously.
"That, I'm not too sure about. Maybe there isn't a price!" Lina hesitated before replying. "After all, the 'Holy Night Noble' doesn't follow traditional power routes..."
"Is that so?" Leon was still skeptical.
"Try it out and see. The Princess is very serious about this."
Leon wondered why the first-generation Blood Clan had evolved to the fifth generation. There must be a reason. "What does 'this matter' refer to?"
"Oh," Lina thought for a moment, then replied, "This Blood Clan was detected to be produced after the treaty, and it uses the latest 'Spirit Source' energy from the Heavenly Realm, meaning someone in the Heavenly Realm violated the treaty and continued research in the mortal realm..."
Leon: "..."
"Though it sounds unpleasant, the Princess hopes you can find more Blood Clan specimens and trace their origins."
Leon: "..."
"Anywhere, villains always ignore treaties and rules, right? Haha..."
Leon thought Lina's laugh sounded guilty.
"Hey, dear Leon, are you listening?"
"Yes," Leon organized his thoughts. "Lina, you mean I need to find the mastermind behind the Blood Clan?"
"Right, the Princess said someone might be conducting covert rebellious activities in the mortal realm."
"This sounds complicated," Leon scratched his head.
Lina said, "Not at all. Just find the source of the Blood Clan's creation. That way, the Princess can persuade the 'Royal Council' of the Heavenly Realm to break the rules and descend to the mortal realm."
"The Princess of the Heavenly Realm descending to the mortal realm?" Leon didn't realize how excited he sounded. Perhaps it was curiosity about the Princess, or maybe he felt she was kind to him. Leon also thought that if he met the Princess, he might get a chance to visit the Heavenly Realm.
Honestly, Leon was curious about winning the good guy prize.
This windfall seemed too big.
Lina's light laugh interrupted his thoughts. "However, the Princess might just send 'Enforcers' to the mortal realm to handle it..."
"Are you saying the organization I'm investigating comes from the Heavenly Realm?" Leon frowned. If so, it would be a suicidal mission.
"That's why, dear Leon, you should quickly recover those lost abilities. It will make things easier."
"Dear Lina, the world is vast, alright? It's not that simple." Leon felt helpless at her casual tone.
"Haven't you found 'Spatial Movement' yet?"
"In such deep waters, how could I? But I have some leads..."
"I see," Lina mused.
"Lina, why not tell me everything at once? Finding them one by one is troublesome."
Lina's tone was regretful. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, but this matter is complex and involves deep connections. The Princess has already done a lot to reach this point!"
Who knew what the Heavenly Realm was like? Since Lina said so, Leon didn't press further. He had enough abilities for now. "Alright, thank her for me..."
Lina chuckled. "The Princess considered dealing with the Blood Clan troublesome for you, so she selected three abilities to help you."
"Go ahead."
"No. 25 Advanced Ability: Seamless Healing. The watch record is lost, and the ability chip is located at..."
"No. 79 Intermediate Ability: Time Reversal. The watch record exists."
"No. 50 Intermediate Ability: Thousand Faces. The watch record exists..."
"What are these abilities? They sound strange." Leon laughed.
"They'll be very helpful for your investigation and execution."
Lina explained some related matters and finally ended the communication with many reminders.
Leon pondered while looking at his watch.
Scarlett entered the room, seeing Leon in a "thinking" pose, she couldn't help but laugh. "What are you thinking about? Still last night? You must have done something beyond your limits and passed out."
The girl dismissed it lightly, "Relax, it's common. Let's go, we have to catch the Falcon later."
Leon smiled, suddenly remembering he hadn't asked Lina about the Spiritualists.
Oh well, another time.