Chapter 650: Powerlessness
"Is everything taken care of?"
In a dimly lit basement somewhere, a stern old man, seated amidst the surrounding crowd, was questioning a young man kneeling on one knee before him, a displeased expression on his face.
If Lun Heping were here, he would easily recognize that the young man kneeling on one knee was none other than the masked man who, back at the Hui family residence, had nearly killed him.
"Reporting to Mr. Mingluo, I already settled it with Detective Li Dawei of the New York City Investigation Department two days ago. They will pin both cases on Lunster's adoptive son and close them swiftly."
"Complete the mission as soon as possible. Once the Origin Stone in his possession is recovered, your punishment can be halved."
"Yes!" the young man replied excitedly, as if recalling something unpleasant.
Ever since the incident a few days ago, when he was supposed to retrieve the Origin Stone from Lun Heping but was disrupted by his suddenly deranged companion Youying, his mission failure—caused by his own showing off—had incurred a rather severe punishment from the organization.
Of course, the primary culprit was actually Youying, whose physical side effects had suddenly flared up. But since she was the leader's most favored daughter, and somewhat mentally unstable to begin with, he had to take the fall.
......
"Could it be that they've discovered some other use for the Origin Stone besides generating electricity, which is why they're so eager to recover it?"
The cat-masked young man was merely a low-to-mid-level cadre in this organization that served the Empire's shadowy side. His very life was controlled by the organization, yet this did not hinder his curiosity.
Unfortunately, his knowledge of the Origin Stone was limited to knowing that it couldn't be touched directly with bare hands, lest skin and muscle be corroded away without any pain.
As for what other miraculous properties the Origin Stone possessed, that was beyond the knowledge of a small fry at his level.
......
"Hey Cat, this week's PX-01."
As the cat-masked man walked down the street, pondering life, his only friend in the organization tossed him a bottle of murky, green-glowing liquid.
Upon seeing the concoction, the masked man's scalp tingled with dread, but he still had to accept it.
His original name was Zhou Tong. He was an orphan adopted by the Iron Hand Organization, which served the Empire's shadowy side, and was responsible for carrying out tasks that couldn't see the light of day.
A few months ago, as mere cannon fodder, he was conscripted by his superiors into a secret Imperial laboratory, where he and a group of other orphaned cannon fodder became guinea pigs for a new experimental drug.
It was an experience worse than death. Every time he recalled it, his legs would involuntarily tremble.
After pinching his nose and forcing down the nauseating, sapphire-blue substance, the piercing pain and terrifying, itchy allergic reaction almost drove him to a mental breakdown.
He banged his head against the wall, scratched his body heedlessly until it was a bloody mess, mutilating himself like a mad dog in the isolated room where he took the drug.
The torture of the drug's effects lasted perhaps two or three days.
He didn't know what happened to the others, but among the dozens of orphaned cannon fodder conscripted alongside him, only three survived and left the laboratory alive.
However, great misfortunes often lead to great blessings.
After that terrifying experience, Zhou Tong discovered that his physical capabilities had improved to an unbelievable degree, practically transcending the limits of human beings.
A hundred meters in seven seconds, a standing long jump of ten meters... all sorts of world-record-breaking achievements in the secret testing grounds completely overturned his worldview.
However, the price he paid was also immense. Now, every week, he had to drink a bottle of the green stabilizing agent PX-01, to suppress a portion of his immune system, thereby preventing his body from undergoing autophagy.
Without the stabilizing agent, these "little superhumans" would at most only live for two months.
Of course, after his power expanded like a rocket, his standing within the organization also rose accordingly.
From a piece of cannon fodder who might die in some forgotten corner any day, he became a squadron leader who might die in some forgotten corner any day, commanding dozens of cannon fodder who might die in some forgotten corner any day.
......
"How could it be such a coincidence that Sir Lunster's decreed uncle's son suddenly set his sights on the Lunster family's assets. . . ?"
He had originally only intended to frame Lun Heping for the death of the Hui family, but when he represented the organization in bribing Detective Li Dawei, he unexpectedly discovered another group of people with a similar agenda.
Detective Li Dawei, who now had money from two parties for one job, was naturally overjoyed, and both sides returned fully satisfied.
Now, the last remaining problem was to catch Lun Heping, send him to the gallows, and bring the matter to a perfect conclusion.
A high school student with hardly any money, and the Investigation Department's professionals deployed—wouldn't catching him be a piece of cake?
However, all of them had overlooked the fact that the Lunster family actually had an adopted daughter. Yet, this individual, who had been confined to a mental hospital for over ten years, was practically unknown to anyone as still being alive.
For the sake of appearances, and to prevent rumors of a "madwoman in the family" from spreading and damaging his reputation in aristocratic circles, Sir Lunster had publicly declared his adopted daughter's accidental death a decade ago.
However, the old lady, while valuing appearances, also cherished personal feelings. Although he publicly announced that his adopted daughter had drowned at sea and arranged a funeral for her, he actually used a pseudonym to secretly fund Lun Qin's life at Ziluolan Hospital every year.
And this was the true reason why, after she regained her sanity, she had remained indifferent towards the Lunster couple.
Lun Heping, the only one who knew the truth, had also been put under a gag order at a very young age, forbidden from speaking about the matter.
......
"The ones who killed my father and framed me are also nobles... Plus, they've already bribed the Investigation Department's detective. I won't stand a chance in court."
Through the conversations he'd overheard these past few days and his own deductions, Lun Heping, while still unable to confirm exactly who murdered his adoptive parents, had confirmed that the culprits were definitely among those minor nobles who had come to claim their share of the inheritance.
Lying in his room, a sense of powerlessness enveloped him. Without the support of his adoptive parents, how could he, a mere commoner with no cheat code, possibly overthrow the nobles who had colluded with the Investigation Department?
Despondent, Lun Heping didn't even take off the skirt he was wearing. He simply removed his wig and silicone mask, curled up into a ball under the covers, and escaped into denial.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
He roared powerlessly, deeply hating his own incompetence; even knowing the true culprits, he lacked the ability to bring them to justice.
PS: Chapter 666.
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