Chapter 140: My Ability Is Just a Little Odd
Chapter 140: My Ability Is Just a Little Odd
“Elder Snake really is quite good, very generous.”
Sitting in the passenger seat of the Off-road Vehicle, Lu Xin mused with some feeling.
Gecko was driving seriously, lips tightly shut, eyes fixed straight ahead.
After a moment, Lu Xin spoke again: “I used to hear people in The Wilderness are straightforward and generous. Makes sense now.”
Gecko’s neck seemed immobilized; he didn’t move a muscle. He mechanically shifted gears, like a numb wooden puppet.
He’d maintained that expression since leaving Blackwater Town.
That man in the Crimson Suit, who had looked so handsome and dashing, had turned into that terrifying apparition after less than half an hour alone with Lu Xin in the warehouse. Anyone witnessing it might feel a wave of pity rarely stirred in The Wilderness.
But him… no, them… he’d been trapped in the same vehicle with them this whole time…
After another moment passed, Lu Xin said: “If everyone in The Wilderness is as reasonable as Elder Snake, it sure would make things convenient going forward…”
“……”
Gecko finally couldn’t hold back anymore, slowly opening his mouth: “All this praise for Elder Snake… just because she gave you a Motorcycle?”
“Not only that…”
Hearing Gecko finally speak, Lu Xin secretly breathed a small sigh of relief.
Ever since leaving Blackwater Town, Gecko had been like this—unnaturally stiff.
He was a bit worried about Gecko.
He quickly answered with a smile: “Elder Snake didn’t just give us the Alliance Currency, the gold, his Motorcycle, and all his valuable stuff we took off the guy. She was also kind enough to promise to deliver our message back to Qinggang City. Plus, she waived the fine for us firing guns in Blackwater Town! And she filled up our tank for free, topped up our water and food supplies, and gave us some local specialties…”
“Also, she said when she comes to Qinggang City for business, she wants to work with me…”
“Such a pity, though. Rules meant I couldn’t give her my contact number…”
“……”
“Yeah, I feel kinda bad about that too…”
Gecko echoed the sentiment with a sigh, but then snapped back to alertness—how had he started chatting with him like that again?
But since the awkwardness barrier was broken, he didn’t dare freeze up again. Gecko stole a glance at Lu Xin in the passenger seat.
He saw Lu Xin smiling at him, teeth white and even: “Glad you’re finally able to chat again…
“You haven’t said a word since leaving Blackwater Town. I thought you might have been affected by something, and I was quite worried about you.”
Gecko paused, taken aback: “You were worried? About me?”
“Of course.”
Lu Xin replied: “Doesn’t the regulation say teammates experiencing a Loss of Control should be ‘cleaned up’?”
Shua!
Gecko’s hair stood on end. His body went rigid once more.
For a Spider-Type, proficient in twisting and controlling the body, this amounted to a reverse display of his ability.
“I was joking.”
Lu Xin quickly clarified: “Actually, I noticed you seemed down. I wasn’t sure if it was because I gave you orders in Blackwater Town as the Captain, which might have upset you. I just wanted to help you relax. If I didn’t handle it well…”
He paused slightly, adding genuinely: “… I really wouldn’t mind apologizing to you.”
“……”
“No, you misunderstood, I… well, I actually hate joking around with others!”
Gecko responded gravely at first, then his tone softened slightly, a hint of surprise coloring his expression.
He snuck another look at Lu Xin, testing the waters cautiously: “You… care that much about my feelings?”
“Enough to want to apologize over something so minor?”
“……”
“Yes.”
Lu Xin answered plainly. “You were the first colleague at my level I met at the Special Clean-up Department. You’re the teammate I’ve gone out on Field Duty with the most. You’ve taught me a lot, and you’ve treated me very well. I consider you a friend, so of course, I care.”
Pausing briefly, he smiled. “Honestly, I didn’t have many friends back when I was at the company.”
“……”
“That certainly wasn’t something I expected…”
Gecko was visibly moved by these words, turning a somewhat astonished look towards Lu Xin.
Seeing Lu Xin’s calm and sincere expression, Gecko’s mood gradually improved. Then his voice abruptly shifted, suddenly pumping with excitement, like he’d been revitalized. He laughed loudly: “But bro, you sure can be wordy—why even bother saying all that?”
“We’re not just friends, we’re brothers!”
Slapping the steering wheel a couple of times in excitement, mixing smugness with delight, he laughed with forced hearty bravado: “Going out on Field Duty together, doing clean-ups together, even figuring out how to cook the books when we get back this time… that kind of bond? That’s leaving our backs to each other, you know?”
……
Lu Xin felt his words made a lot of sense. Seeing him finally perk up a bit, Lu Xin gradually relaxed.
He thought to himself: “That’s true. Though I have family watching my back… but…”
“…I could watch Gecko’s back!”
……
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Gecko’s previously excited voice suddenly shifted, becoming lower:
“About us being friends…”
“…would Uncle, Auntie, and Little Sister mind?”
……
Lu Xin glanced at the rearview mirror. Mother sat poised and elegant, applying makeup with a vanity case. Little Sister had a piece of Chocolate in her mouth, her small feet dangling out the window, sleeping soundly on Mother’s lap.
When his family first appeared, Lu Xin had wondered if Little Sister might be a ghost. But now he was certain she wasn’t, because ghosts couldn’t bask in the sun. Little Sister could bask in the sun, though doing so made her lazy and utterly lacking in energy. Conversely, she became unusually excited in dim or oppressive places…
…
…
“When making friends, you cannot truly tell them everything…”
Noticing Lu Xin’s glance in the mirror, Mother kindly reminded him: “…Otherwise, they’ll only drift further apart.”
“…Actually, that was my little joke with you.”
Lu Xin gave a slight nod and smiled at Gecko: “It’s just that my ability is a bit strange.”
“Huh?”
Gecko’s expression was genuinely perplexed, but he didn’t press further. After a moment’s thought, his expression relaxed again. He didn’t delve deeper, just laughed heartily and said: “No need to tell me! I heard about it a long time ago. Besides, there’s always been a professor at the Research Institute saying your ability isn’t Spider-Type; it’s Family Jubilee…”
“And since it is Family Jubilee, it’s perfectly normal for it to be a bit weird, right?”
“Besides…”
He stole a glance at Lu Xin: “…if you really had that many family members, how could you still seem so normal?”
Lu Xin nodded appreciatively: “Thank you for understanding me. Actually, I know sometimes people don’t understand me, might find me not quite normal, or even a little afraid…”
“Not me, I’m definitely not like that!”
Gecko said solemnly: “I think you’re completely normal. At most, you just have a couple of family members who aren’t quite normal…”
In the back seat, Mother raised her eyes, looking away from her exquisite small vanity case, her gaze meeting Gecko’s in the mirror.
Little Sister woke up, squinting as she peered at him from within the rearview mirror.
…
Lu Xin thought for a moment and interrupted him: “…Let’s best avoid this topic in the future.”
“Uh… sure, sure…”
Gecko seemed to snap back to reality. His body grew slightly stiff; the back of his head felt distinctly… cool.
He took a breath to adjust his mood, turned the steering wheel, and changed the subject: “Right, right… almost approaching the main road now.”
“So, what exactly did you interrogate out of that guy in Blackwater Town? Tell me!”
…
Lu Xin nodded. He pulled out his Notebook, flipped through a few pages, and recounted thoughtfully:
“That Puppet-Type Ability User was named Chen Zhong. Written as ‘重’ (zhòng), but pronounced like ‘虫’ (chóng).”
“He’s thirty-four this year, unmarried, has had three women, but no children. He was originally a resident of some Highwall City. After awakening his ability and realizing how great he was, he entered The Wilderness to find fortune. Gradually, he became quite notorious out west…”
Gecko looked stunned: “How detailed? Such detail?”
Lu Xin glanced up at him: “He volunteered it to me…”
Gecko fell silent for a moment, seemingly recalling some unpleasant memory. He quickly shut down that line of thought: “Right. Please continue.”
“Nn.”
Slightly thrown off by the interruption, Lu Xin looked back at the notes in his Notebook and continued: “Three years ago, he caught Qin Ran’s eye.”
“Oh… speaking of which, he referred to Qin Ran as ‘boss’, and said his name was Zhang Sihuo…”
“According to him, neither recognized the other’s authority initially. But after one confrontation, he ended up at Qin Ran’s mercy. Instead of killing him, Qin Ran invited him to join the Knights Order. Though, it wasn’t the kind that roams The Wilderness plundering; it was more like a temporary, specialized action team. Qin Ran served as the Captain and handled taking on commissions from various places…
“Whenever a commission came in, Qin Ran would telegram them. Then, they’d meet at a designated location.”
“Their tasks primarily came from Highwall Cities or large factions, including but not limited to…”
“Assassination, escort services, searching for specific items, etc…”
…
“This…”
As he drove, an intensely peculiar expression spread across Gecko’s face, his voice betraying a slight chill: “How… how did you manage to get this out of him?”
“I’ve always heard that people out in The Wilderness, whether it’s stupidity or what, are notoriously tight-lipped! Always babbling about unbreakable oaths and such. Whether they’re Ability Users or ordinary folk, it’s incredibly hard to get any information from them once caught…”
“Who would’ve thought this… this guy… cooperated so readily?”
…
Lu Xin paused slightly, looking at Gecko earnestly: “He truly volunteered it all freely.”
…
Gecko suppressed a shudder, forcing himself to stay still with his ability. He laughed stiffly: “Right, right… That makes sense…”
“You don’t even have to justify it to me! I’m… an extremely… persuasive person…”