Chapter 221: Ian Young
Chapter 221: Chapter 221: Ian Young
It was Ian Young.
He wore a cream-white wool coat. His silvery-white hair draped over his shoulders, and his porcelain skin looked almost transparent under the warm backstage lights. His frame was so frail that it seemed a gust of wind could blow him over.
Several months had passed since their first meeting at the villa entrance.
Luna Dawson had heard many rumors about him. Not only was he a dual-system Superpower User, but he was also the youngest research professor at the base.
"Captain Dawson, wait a moment."
Ian released his grip, yet his figure firmly blocked Luna’s path.
His tone was as gentle as falling snow, as if he had no part in the rude action he just committed. His clear, cold voice was kept incredibly low, just enough to block out the backstage noise. "This is our second meeting. I didn’t expect to see you shining so brightly on the award podium."
Luna quietly pulled the prize box closer to her chest, her fingertips lightly gripping it.
The effects of a Spiritual System Superpower User were the most mysterious, so she didn’t dare lower her guard. Her back was forced against the wall, but a perfectly measured smile appeared on her face. She looked up and met Ian’s eyes. "Long time no see, Professor Young."
Ian lowered his eyes, his fingertips gently rubbing the cuffs of his wool coat. His pale eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, perfectly concealing the surging fanaticism in his eyes.
He thought, "This is the exact scent! This vitality that far exceeds ordinary people, so vigorous that it’s almost overflowing!"
When he raised his eyes, he still maintained his gentle demeanor. "Congratulations on becoming the first Fourth-stage Superpower User in the base to receive this commendation."
They were standing too close. When Ian spoke, his breath washed directly over the top of Luna’s head.
"Thank you for the compliment, Professor Young," Luna replied indifferently, quietly shifting her feet to the side to subtly widen the distance between them.
She felt there was something off about Ian’s gaze. It seemed to land on her face, but it actually felt like he was appraising an object. The scrutiny made her entirely uncomfortable.
Ian seemed to see through her wariness but didn’t point it out. Instead, he pulled a transparent vial of potion from his pocket, pinching the bottle with his fingertips and slowly handing it over. His movements were gentle and laced with temptation. "Since Captain Dawson is already at the Fourth Rank, your team members must also want to break through their bottlenecks as soon as possible. This is the first-generation Enhancing Liquid. The research is only missing a few key data points before it yields results."
Luna’s gaze paused on the potion, and her heart sank heavily.
She was most wary of these products from the research institute, but she showed nothing on her face. Instead, she curled her lips, her tone probing. "Are you really this generous, Professor Young? This potion must be a core project of the institute. It wouldn’t be appropriate to just show it to me for nothing, would it?"
Ian gave a shallow smile and withdrew his hand, slipping the potion back into his pocket. His tone was as natural as if they were discussing a routine business matter. "I do have a presumptuous request. Currently, you are the only Fourth-stage Superpower User in the base. Your superpower genetic sequence and energy fluctuations are truly one of a kind."
He paused and added with sincere earnestness, "Captain Dawson, my team possesses the absolute best laboratories and databases in the country, perhaps even the world, when it comes to biotechnology—especially in the fields of life evolution and superpower lifeform research.
"I believe that with your uniqueness, if you are willing to cooperate and undergo some necessary and harmless tests and superpower analyses, it would bring immense benefits to all Superpower Users, and even to all of humanity."
"You want me to be a lab rat?" Luna frowned, her tone turning several degrees colder. "Members of the Special Operations Department participate in the institute’s official superpower tests every week, don’t they? Do you still need me?"
A faint trace of disgust flashed through Ian’s eyes, but he quickly concealed it. Those Superpower Users simply didn’t possess Luna’s wondrous vitality!
Even dual-system Superpower Users like Luke Locke, Skylar Quinn, and Kevin Keane didn’t have it. This vitality was like Pandora’s box, endlessly tempting him!
Ian gently explained, "The gap between the Third Rank and the Fourth Rank is a qualitative leap. Captain Dawson, you should know just how special your superpower talent is. Instead of wasting it on ordinary missions, you’d be better off cooperating with me. I can provide you and your team with top-tier superpower supplements, Enhancing Liquid, and other cultivation resources, along with all sorts of the latest global superpower research intelligence."
Luna stared at him for a long moment, her eyes deep and tranquil. She slowly opened her mouth and rejected him outright. "Thank you for holding me in such high regard, Professor Young, but I believe the institute can produce world-shattering research without me."
Luna’s gaze was entirely too calm, as still as a bottomless, freezing pool.
There was not a hint of greed, wavering, or even the slightest bit of curiosity in her eyes. There was only a faint trace of disgust.
Cooperate with harmless research? How was that any different from voluntarily lying on a butcher’s chopping block?!
An invisible sense of crushing rank suppression and superpower fluctuation was instantly released, silently spreading outward with Luna at the epicenter.
It was not a deliberate release of pressure, but an instinctive oppression brought about by her life rank. Strands of pure Water Ability enveloped the entire venue.
Whether on stage, off stage, or within the surrounding crowd, the overt and covert Superpower Users serving as venue orderlies all imperceptibly tensed their bodies in unison.
They could clearly sense what a terrifying source of superpowers lay dormant in a corner of the backstage area.
The security guards for the base’s high-ranking leaders, as well as Ian standing right in front of her, instantly felt the hairs on their backs stand on end.
Under Luna’s calm gaze, a nearly imperceptible flash of determination crossed Ian’s cool eyes, which he slowly suppressed before speaking.
"Very well." Left with no choice, Ian took a half-step back, giving her space to leave. His posture was appropriate and gentlemanly. "I just happened to run into you and mentioned it in passing. I don’t wish to force you, Captain Dawson."
He handed over a slip of paper with an identification code on it. His fingertips deliberately brushed against Luna’s wrist in a seemingly accidental manner, and that touch of vivid warmth instantly deepened the greed in his eyes.
"Add me whenever you’ve thought it through. I will await your reply."
He maintained the posture of handing over the paper, trying hard to keep a gentle smile on his face, but his palms were drenched in cold sweat. His heart felt as though it would pound right out of his chest!
What terrifying superpower fluctuations these were! Apart from Luna, who else could it be?!
He could no longer tell if he was terrified or exhilarated; his fingertips trembled slightly.
Just as Luna calmly accepted the slip of paper, her wrist was suddenly seized by a strong, forceful hand.
Subsequently, the terrifying superpower fluctuations in the venue instantly vanished. The suffocating feeling of being surrounded by an apex predator was shattered, and all the Superpower Users let out a breath of relief.
Luna turned her head and saw Kevin Keane standing beside her with a frown. His expression was rather grim, and his tone carried obvious displeasure. "What’s wrong?"
Kevin’s hostile gaze swept over Ian, making no effort to hide the disgust in his eyes.
During their last encounter at the villa entrance, he had felt that this white-haired guy was looking at Luna the wrong way. Seeing the two of them standing alone in a backstage corner only made him even more annoyed.
Kevin’s tone was full of mockery. "It’s you again, you half-dead white-haired freak. What do you think you’re doing?!"
His verbal questioning and threats were crude and straightforward. "If you dare mess with Luna, I can show you a hundred different ways to die."
Ian stared intently at the man before him, who was also a dual-system user. His eyes turned cold as he withdrew his gaze. He then took a long, deep look at Luna, as if trying to carve her existence into his mind.
"I was being abrupt," he said mildly. "Captain Dawson, Captain Keane, sorry for the interruption. However, my earlier proposal stands long-term. If Captain Dawson ever changes her mind, I will be waiting."
Having said that, he wore a flawless smile, his posture as leisurely and elegant as ever.
Kevin didn’t say another word, simply pulling Luna along by the hand toward the backstage exit.
"Hey, hey, slow down!" Luna stumbled as she was yanked forward. She glanced back at Ian over her shoulder, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Ian stood rooted to the spot, watching their retreating backs. All the tenderness completely faded from his pale pink pupils.
He raised his hand and deeply inhaled the scent from the fingers that had just touched Luna. Clutching two long strands of hair tightly in his grasp, only endless fanaticism remained in his eyes.
He thought, "Why is she so incredibly fragrant... This vigorous vitality, this perfect Superpower Core..."
He looked down at the potion in his pocket, a faint, chilling curve tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Regardless of whether Luna was willing or not, he absolutely had to have her.
At that moment, his wristband chimed with a message notification. Ian glanced down at it and slowly typed a reply, a triumphant smirk curving his lips.