I’m not going (Chapter 142)
The sudden accident caused chaos in the service hall. People who had been queuing up for the transformation potion were now fleeing in all directions, while the staff responsible for administering the potion panicked and scrambled to find hiding spots.
Broken glass littered the floor, and the scene was a complete mess.
The leader, who had just seen off the Esper Squad 1 and was still feeling upset about not being able to curry favor with them, now had no time to dwell on such trivial matters.
With his life in danger, who could care about anything else?
He quickly made his way toward Gu Luoyu, trying to maintain a calm expression, though his trembling hands betrayed his anxiety.
"Guard Gu Luoyu, please step in and restore order!"
In this critical moment, the leader finally abandoned his usual roundabout way of speaking and got straight to the point, which almost made Ye Sheng, who was standing nearby, burst into laughter.
Hehe, what a coward.
Unlike the others who were panicking, Ye Sheng remained extremely calm.
This wasn’t her first time encountering such an emergency. She had full confidence in Gu Luoyu's abilities. Rather than worrying about the safety of the service hall, she couldn’t help but feel a bit of pity for the robbers.
Out of all places, why did they have to choose this one?
With an Esper like Gu Luoyu present, how could they possibly succeed?
It must have been a brainless move, probably made by someone who wasn’t thinking straight…
Even though the task of hiring Espers to maintain order and security wasn’t publicly known, it was common sense that the raw materials for the transformation potion weren’t cheap. The base authorities definitely wouldn’t just leave them out in the open without any precautions.
Although, Ye Sheng was also puzzled, what kind of person would want to rob low-grade transformation potion?
Aside from taking it home to refine it further, there didn’t seem to be any other use for it.
(๑°⌓°๑)
While Ye Sheng was lost in thought, Gu Luoyu took action. She didn’t even need to use her psychic abilities; her speed alone was enough to subdue the entire group of robbers, knocking them out one by one.
During the process, some of the robbers tried to fight back by pulling out guns or bombs, but they were no match for Gu Luoyu.
Their weapons were intercepted before they could even be activated.
They didn’t stand a chance.
Thus, the robbery ended in utter failure. From the moment they broke in to the moment they were subdued, less than two minutes had passed, and that included the time it took for the leader to run over in a panic to ask for help. The resolution was incredibly swift.
The crisis came and went just as quickly.
Afterwards, Gu Luoyu didn’t need to bother with the cleanup. Once the leader had regained his composure and stopped trembling, he immediately ordered his staff to fetch ropes and tie up the robbers.
Ye Sheng took a closer look and noticed that after their masks were removed, the robbers’ faces appeared normal.
They didn’t look like victims of the Black Spring Freemasonry’s insane experiments.
Instead, they seemed to be members of a recently emerged organization, the Shackles of Sin.
Members of this group had used transformation potions with severe side effects, causing them to deviate from the human species and develop bizarre mutations.
The base’s official transformation potion had a high fatality rate, but those who survived became bloodthirsty carnivores.
The Black Spring Freemasonry’s transformation potion caused grotesque mutations, transforming people into other species, like the beast-men or tree-people Ye Sheng had seen before.
"Wake them all up! I want to see who had the guts to rob the base’s official supplies!"
With the crisis averted, the leader quickly calmed down, only to immediately clench his fists in anger and slam one against the wall, barking out orders.
There were plenty of free potion distribution points in the outer city of the safe zone. Why did they have to choose his location to rob?!
It was infuriating.
Once the robbers were awakened, they blinked groggily, still dazed and confused. But as their memories quickly returned, fear flashed across their faces as they looked in Gu Luoyu’s direction.
They never expected that the base authorities would be so cunning as to station an Esper to guard the potion!
Damn it, who could possibly succeed in robbing this place?
Trying to snatch something from an Esper was practically suicidal…
Not only was the leader fuming, but the robbers were equally frustrated.
Both sides were in low spirits, though for entirely different reasons. With the Esper present, the robbers knew there was no escape, so they decided to come clean about their motives.
"We got our hands on some high-grade transformation potion through other channels. After becoming special Espers, we were initially excited and intrigued. But when we realized how weak our abilities were, we felt they were pretty useless. So, we thought about finding a way to enhance them."
The leader of the robbers wanted to wipe away his tears of frustration, but his hands were tied too tightly.
Still, he didn’t dare complain too loudly and continued, "We heard some rumors that those who successfully injected the transformation potion could use more potion to enhance their abilities, basically, to level up!"
"We have some secret group chats, and someone tested it out. It turns out it’s true! The higher the grade of the transformation potion, the stronger the effect. It can give your awakened abilities additional boosts and make them more powerful."
At this point, the robber leader sighed regretfully. If it hadn’t been for the Esper guarding the place, they would’ve succeeded!
With these ordinary people who only knew how to scream in panic, how could they possibly be a match for us?
However, after hearing the entire story, the leader’s face darkened. He asked in confusion, "Even if you obtained the transformation potion through other channels, since you’ve survived and become Espers, you could’ve just contacted us. We would’ve sent you to the research institute, where there’s an unlimited supply of potion."
"Cut the crap! Unlimited supply of potion? You’re just sending people there to be lab rats. No way I’m going."
"..."
The two sides couldn’t see eye to eye, and in the end, the robbers were sent to the research institute.
With their robbery record, they probably wouldn’t end up in a good place.
After witnessing Gu Luoyu swiftly deal with the robbers, the leader came over with a smile, trying to curry favor. However, Gu Luoyu impatiently shooed him away, bluntly stating that she preferred peace and quiet.
Her directness left the leader speechless, and he could only slink away in embarrassment.
Ye Sheng found the whole scene amusing. She didn’t particularly dislike the leader’s smooth-talking ways, mainly because he knew how to read the room… As soon as Gu Luoyu gave him a stern look, he immediately made himself scarce.
When only the two of them were left, Ye Sheng finally spoke up, "Will the research institute really treat these Espers like lab rats?"
As she spoke, Ye Sheng made a throat-slitting gesture with her hand, her cute expression bringing a smile to Gu Luoyu’s eyes.
Gu Luoyu shook her head and clarified, "No, the base’s transformation potion program isn’t going smoothly. They’re in desperate need of successful cases. The research institute won’t do anything inappropriate at such a critical time."
"Not only will they not treat them as lab rats, but they’ll also seriously help them level up and grow stronger."
"Pretty soon, the streets of the base will be filled with all kinds of Espers…”