Boom!
With a loud noise, a big hole was punched through the wall of a bank.
Several fierce bandits rushed out from the wall, their firearms spitting sparks as if they were typewriters.
Opposite them, the cries, police sirens, and fire truck sounds gathered into a chaotic scene.
“Damn it! It’s the explosives maniac Sikov! This is already his third crime this month!”
Several patrol officers hid behind cover, nearly unable to lift their heads due to the enemy’s firepower. One officer even had blood seeping from his ear as he shouted in complaint: “Where did they get so much high-explosive powder? Are the customs officials of the Federation just shitting around, letting such a large batch of military hardware into the country?”
Not only was he frustrated, the patrol officer beside him was equally very frustrated.
The firepower of these bandits was just too intense; various bullets were being fired as if they were free, and their crimes were committed recklessly, as if they were not even taking the officers seriously.
“Never mind, request military support!”
A senior inspector gritted his teeth: “Even if it’s embarrassing, it’s better than letting the criminals escape!”
“Senior Inspector Austin?!”
Just then, more than ten black steam-powered cars arrived at the scene quickly, trailing flames. A cool-looking man in a black trench coat and sunglasses stepped down from one of them.
“Sikov will be dealt with by our Bureau; your patrol officers only need to cooperate!”
“What did you say?”
Initiating a request for help versus having someone directly intrude into your authority area are two completely different experiences. Austin immediately roared: “Do you know what you’re saying? According to the law, you don’t have that authority!”
“In fact, I do!”
The Bureau official pulled out an appointment letter: “Federal Constitution supersedes city laws. According to the President’s appointment, in the name of the Constitution, I temporarily take over your command authority!”
“Now, have your men withdraw. He is not someone you can handle!”
The trench-coated man smiled slightly, that condescending manner making Austin’s face flush with anger. But soon, the sound of tracks approached, and he turned his head in shock, seeing a huge vehicle moving forward on tracks, covered with many gun barrels, slowly advancing down the road like a mobile turret, mercilessly crushing the small cars on its way into piles of metal pancakes.
“This is… a Federal heavy tank!”
Austin’s face turned pale: “You actually brought the military directly into the city and used such a weapon… Goodness! Do you know how much destruction this will cause?”
“I only know how to catch criminals!”
The trench-coated man shrugged indifferently: “As for how to appease the citizens and handle the aftermath, that’s the mayor and his staff’s headache…”
Not far away, accompanied by the roar of the multi-turreted tank, the bandits on the opposite side were instantly plunged into a hell of blood and flesh…
…
The headquarters of the Office for Supernatural Phenomenon Handling.
It was set up in a massive underground bunker, where many researchers in white coats worked busily. Their leader was Professor Luther, who had once been destitute and down on his luck.
“Professor, how’s it going?”
In the main control room, Luxus, with a toothpick in his mouth, watched the nine-sectioned screen alongside Luther.
“Based on the previous intelligence from the Bureau, excluding some collateral damage, we have already confirmed and successfully captured three metahumans!”
Luxus spoke in an astonished tone: “This is only those who couldn’t hide and revealed themselves; there must be many more hiding in the shadows!”
“I’m working hard on studying these three samples, trying to develop a detection device so we won’t have to spend so much manpower and resources to eliminate them one by one!”
Professor Luther adjusted his glasses.
Since gaining support and recognition, not only his career but his entire being had experienced a second spring.
At this moment, he spoke with an enthusiastic tone: “Look! This is Sample One. The Bureau has checked his family and social relationships eight times over. He was completely an ordinary person, with no abnormalities at all three months ago. But now, he has gained supernatural abilities and used them to sweep over five million gold dollars from several casinos…”
“Your meaning is… metahumans are not born with their powers, but rather something or an accident later transformed them into what they are now?”
Luxus frowned.
“That’s not the key point yet; keep watching…”
Professor Luther smirked.
Luxus stared at the screen, which showed a prison cell where Lake was bound tightly, treated like a mental patient, only his neck and mouth barely able to move.
“Lake! We know everything about you. You’re just an ordinary person. Why did you become like this?”
A skilled interrogator was carefully asking.
“I can’t say!”
Lake seemed to want to give in, but after saying this, he immediately closed his mouth and refused to speak again, no matter what torture he endured.
“This is a video recording, right?”
Luxus asked uncertainly. In the Federation, various advanced technologies were at least a dozen or so years ahead of the outside world: “What happened to that prisoner later?”
“Later, I authorized the use of truth serum on Sample One!”
Professor Luther pressed the fast-forward button, his tone filled with regret: “It’s about to happen…”
On the screen, Luxus saw Lake being forced to drink a large amount of the potion, his entire being appearing dazed and confused.
“Now, tell me!”
A burly white man grabbed his hair: “How did you get your ability? Where did you obtain it?”
“Not enough dosage! Increase it further!”
By the time several large bottles had been administered orally and by injection, Lake was already foaming at the mouth, finally mumbling a few words: “The cycle of the world…”
Suddenly, right after saying those words, his eyes bulged, his whole body convulsed, and he stiffened.
“He died…”
Professor Luther sighed: “I had tested his physique. That amount of truth serum should only have burned out his brain, not been fatal.”
“And with the other two samples, I reached similar conclusions! They weren’t unwilling to speak, but rather unable to. This is indeed a very interesting situation!”
…
“Your meaning is, some kind of restriction?”
Luxus frowned: “A restriction beyond our imagination, like a curse, that if they reveal the truth, they die?”
“Exactly that meaning!”
Professor Luther was excited: “Luxus, we have to admit we know almost nothing about supernatural abilities, so we have to start with assumptions…”
“If there really is such a being that can grant ordinary people supernatural powers, what exactly is it?”
Luxus rubbed his chin: “The cycle of the world?”
The language used by the Federation still differed from that of the Kingdom of Golden Oak; the wording was different, and the meanings often varied greatly.
He thought carefully, as if a lightning bolt had struck his mind: “The cycle of the world? Infinite worlds… Reincarnation!!!”
Suddenly, Luxus shouted: “That book! That novel! Damn it! Goodness! The clue was so obvious, right under our noses, but I never noticed it!”
“Lucius, what did you discover?”
Professor Luther frowned, clearly unable to understand Lucius’s excitement.
“Professor, I’ll explain this matter to you later, but right now, I must immediately set out to monitor a certain writer… He’s too important, practically the root of everything!”
As he said these words, Lucius’s whole body was trembling.
If, as he suspected, there really was such a mysterious being capable of easily bestowing power upon others, what exactly was He? A true god, or a demon?
Could the power of the Purple Carnation Federation deal with such a being?
Thinking that even in a small city like Eagle City in the Kingdom of Golden Oak, there existed secret societies of the favored ones of the other party, Lucius’s previously excited and enthusiastic mood suddenly cooled.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Professor Luther asked in confusion.
“Professor… I mean, if… if one day a real deity descended, do you think our Purple Carnation Federation has the power to resist?”
Lucius remained silent for a long time before finally asking in a dry voice.
“A real deity?”
Professor Luther obviously hadn’t expected Lucius to ask this question. After a moment of daze, he replied: “I don’t know…”
“Exactly…”
Lucius gave a bitter smile, looking very dejected.
“But I do believe one thing: our science is the greatest miracle! The reason we can’t explain the mysteries now is simply because our understanding hasn’t reached that level yet!”
Professor Luther then firmly answered: “A true deity? Perhaps just a being we can’t understand. As long as we continue climbing the path we’re on, one day we will fully understand Him. Perhaps by then, each of us would be considered the so-called ‘true god’ in history…”
“Thank you, Professor!”
Lucius sincerely thanked him: “After hearing what you said, I feel much better!”
“And… with the current strength of our Federation, even a real deity might be something we can contend with!”
Professor Luther suddenly had a mysterious expression on his face: “You know, I have many classmates and good friends who not only work in the Kingdom of Golden Oak and the Empire of Pandorn but also serve the Purple Carnation Federation. Plus, the security clearance level of our current work is sufficient to access some of the Federation’s true secrets…”
“What secrets?”
Lucius was completely confused.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage