Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: What Happened on the Luxury Airship (3)
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It felt like standing on the edge of a precarious cliff.
My back was damp with a cold sweat, my tongue was bone-dry, and my heart hammered so loudly it was deafening.
Is this what a criminal feels like when they're caught red-handed by the police?
The fear that my life might come to an end at any moment seemed to choke the air from my lungs.
The only silver lining, if you could call it that, was having an excuse to keep my mouth shut in the face of his question.
I was glad I couldn't speak. My voice would have surely been a pathetic, quivering mess.
‘…That's not very comforting!’
Of course, exercising my natural right to remain silent did nothing to resolve the situation.
It only prevented things from spiraling in a worse direction.
The moment Tempest had pointed me out as a psychic, the situation had already hit rock bottom.
Damn it. When he asked about the Nexus Project, I should have pretended I had no idea what he was talking about.
But having reacted so clearly, as if I knew all about it, there was no way out.
Still, I couldn't help but let my guard down.
The original story never mentioned that Tempest could identify psychics.
Right after such a suffocating interview, it was only natural to relax a little.
‘What should I do? What in the world am I supposed to do?’
I hadn't really planned for a scenario where I'd be found out so quickly.
I'd never even imagined a situation where I'd be exposed as a psychic without even using my psychokinesis.
So what happens next?
Will the Association capture me and turn me into a test subject? Or will they see me as an enemy and eliminate me on the spot?
Either option was the worst-case scenario. Worse, Raven and Greg, who had taken me in, could get caught up in it.
‘I don't… want that. I don't want… other people to get hurt… because of me.’
Amidst the endless stream of thoughts, familiar faces suddenly flashed through my mind.
Raven, Greg, Alice, David, Sabrina... The people I'd met in this world, people who were so incredibly precious to me.
And with that came the nightmare that my precious people might be harmed because of my mistake.
A chilling sensation that seemed to freeze my emotions stabbed sharply at my heart.
‘Getting caught was unavoidable. So, I have to find a way through this crisis, no matter what.’
Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.
Until just a moment ago, I'd been so lost in confusion that I couldn't think rationally, no matter how hard I tried.
But having surpassed my emotional limit, my mind felt like it was about to break, which ironically forced me to regain my composure.
The old saying about surviving even in a tiger's den as long as you keep your wits about you wasn't just for show.
Of course, I wasn't in a tiger's den, but a dragon's.
‘Wait, if he can identify psychics… how are the Invaders hiding in Nighthaven? Shouldn't he be catching them? Why is he only noticing me?’
Thinking about it again, it felt incredibly unfair.
If he can distinguish psychics, he should be hunting down the Invaders hiding in Nighthaven.
Why is he bothering a trivial, insignificant citizen like me? Does he have some kind of grudge?
As that thought filled my head, a hot emotion akin to anger surged within me.
Added to that, the pride of never having done anything wrong fanned the flames of my weakening will.
If anything, I've helped the world; I've never harmed anyone.
In fact, you should be thanking me!
As I glared daggers at Tempest from behind my mask,
he stroked his beard, his expression unreadable, and spoke.
"Hmm, I see. The question is poorly phrased for someone who cannot answer. Let me rephrase. Miss Yuria… are you a psychic born from the Nexus Project?"
It seemed that while I was collecting myself, Tempest had been pondering his question.
Was he considering my inability to speak, trying to extract the information he wanted with a simple yes or no?
So, I listened intently to his words and furrowed my brow in deep thought.
I had a gut feeling that my answer here would change my destiny.
‘First off, I know all about the Nexus Project. I couldn't possibly not know. In many ways… it's a massive event that's central to the lore of this Fixer world.’
The Nexus Project was a large-scale, secret experiment conducted during the war with the Metahumans.
Its purpose was to transplant the power used by the dimensional invaders, the Invaders, into humans.
Just think about how much influence dragons and true-bloods have now.
Tempest possesses such immense power and influence that he's considered a one-man army.
And true-bloods are so dangerously unpredictable that even Tempest hesitates to provoke them.
But the Invaders are beings who destroyed the otherworlds that were home to such dragons and true-bloods.
It's no surprise that greedy humans wouldn't just leave such power alone.
‘Of course, the Nexus Project was an undeniable failure. The plan for humanity to wield the power of the Invaders only resulted in the invaders gaining more minions. In a way, it can be seen as one of humanity's greatest mistakes.’
However, the arrogant plan for humanity to wield the power of the Invaders ended in failure.
This was because the humans implanted with the special factor—the psychics—were reduced to slaves of the Invaders.
Mesmerized by the immense power from beyond their dimension, they went mad, seeking to lead Earth to its ruin.
They even went so far as to attempt to summon an incomplete Invader to Earth.
Fortunately, it was discovered beforehand and stopped in its early stages, but…
since the roots were never completely burned away, the same thing could happen again at any time.
In fact, in the future, psychics who have regained their power do succeed in summoning an Invader.
"…"
So, how should I answer?
If I think about it carefully, Tempest's question can be interpreted like this:
The Nexus Project was an experiment that ended up creating psychics who worship the Invaders.
So, he's asking if I, as a psychic, am also tainted by the Invaders.
Essentially, he's saying that if he were to eliminate me here, I'd have no excuse. That must be what he means.
Alright, now that I understand his intention, let's think calmly.
Unlike what he might think, I have no connection to the Invaders.
In fact, I'm on the side that thinks the world would be better off without them.
Therefore, my answer here should be no.
The Nexus Project itself happened years ago, and I only woke up a few months ago.
No matter how I looked at it, it was unlikely that I was a psychic created by the Nexus Project.
But if I answered no, I'd have no way to explain myself.
How am I supposed to explain that I'm a reincarnator with memories of a past life?
Right. So the best I can do here is…!
"…"
"Hmm? That reaction… surely you don't mean you don't know."
"…!"
I stared at Tempest persistently, until he began to look puzzled.
After a long silence, the perplexed Tempest finally seemed to grasp my intention.
My answer was neither yes nor no, but 'I don't know.'
I have no way of knowing about my past before I woke up, so it wasn't even a lie.
Tempest was a magician skilled enough to distinguish lies just by looking at someone.
It seemed he quickly realized I had no intention of deceiving him.
But if that were the case, there was something that would raise questions.
How did I know about the Nexus Project, a secret buried in the world's shadows?
‘This is my chance.’
I discreetly gripped the Tesseract hidden inside my chest, through my clothes.
Then, I slowly stood up and lifted my shirt slightly, revealing my stomach.
At the sight of my abdomen, which had been hidden beneath my clothes, Tempest reacted with clear surprise.
The reason was simple: my exposed stomach was covered in all sorts of scars.
"Those scars… surely not…"
"…"
Without a word, as if to ask if that was enough, I swiftly pulled my shirt back down.
But was my action alone enough for him to understand something? His face contorted.
Well, Tempest's mind was probably painting a picture of me suffering all kinds of abuse at the hands of the Invader faction.
And then somehow managing to find an opening and escape the organization.
For me, it was a very convenient series of assumptions on his part.
Naturally, this was all a trick. However, the scars weren't fake; they were real.
I had simply used the Tesseract to momentarily swap myself with a version from a timeline where my body was covered in scars.
In a way, it was an extension of how I'd erased the wounds on my body before.
If I could erase wounds, I should be able to create them too.
Creating scars, in particular, wasn't that difficult. The energy consumption was a bit painful, though.
‘I won't give a direct answer. If I answer precisely, he'll find out it's all a lie.’
Despite being a dragon, Tempest had a personality that was quite benevolent, even by human standards.
If he didn't have that kind of personality, he wouldn't be serving as the city's mayor or trying to suppress world wars…
Most would find it too troublesome. If it were me, my head would have split in half from the stress.
Therefore, all I did was lead him to misunderstand and make his own assumptions.
A mute psychic with a body covered in scars—wouldn't that sway his heart, even just a little?
And it seemed my very wicked plan had worked successfully.
Tempest groaned as if faced with a troublesome matter, his tone much softer than before as he spoke.
"Hah, signs of abuse…. I thought from the start that you were a bit different from an ordinary psychic…. Tsk, then let me ask you directly, Miss Yuria. Are you… on humanity's side?"
"…!"
"I see. So you know about the Nexus Project and possess psychic powers, yet you use that power with caution…. I can't trust you completely yet, but I can at least be certain that you bear no ill will."
This… it worked!
I somehow suppressed the urge to jump up and down in celebration and calmly sat back down in my chair as if nothing had happened.
I couldn't risk revealing my emotions rashly, lest Tempest have a change of heart.
I had to maintain my composure as much as possible until I could get out of here.
And so, one minute, two minutes, three minutes passed…
After staring out the window for a long while, lost in thought, he finally turned to me and said,
"Then let's do this. Miss Yuria, have you any thought of receiving 'protection' from the Association?"
The offer he finally made was one that gave me much to ponder.