Chapter Twelve: The Price

"Hint?" Lin Lei narrowed his eyes, sensing a peculiar undertone in those words. This hint was likely not of the ordinary kind. It might well be the manifestation of some extraordinary power.

He shook his head, his gaze drifting to the window, where the ground was cordoned off and several vans were parked before the line. "The Investigation Bureau’s reach is truly impressive..." Both their efficiency and their strength filled Lin Lei with admiration.

Until now, he’d only heard a one-sided account from Li Xueshu; even if she’d been making it all up, Lin Lei would have had no way to judge. Now, at last, he was certain of the Bureau’s existence and the power it wielded. Only a true state agency could operate so openly in public.

"These people are just ordinary members of the Bureau’s logistics department, tasked with handling such affairs." Li Xueshu waved her hand dismissively. "If you join the Bureau as an Awakened, you’ll be highly valued—your status will far exceed theirs. If you make significant contributions in the future, you might even obtain certain 'immunity certificates' and gain more authority..."

"Of course, no matter what 'immunity certificate' you possess, you’ll never have unlimited power. Remember to keep your own boundaries." She continued, "Any action that crosses the line must have a clear reason. If you’re the sort with antisocial tendencies who kills civilians for no reason, or if you become so inflated you disregard ordinary lives..."

"Believe me, you’ll die terribly!"

Lin Lei’s eyes flashed. Even in a world of extraordinary abilities, certain rules and constraints were necessary. Without them, the world would descend into chaos.

Li Xueshu suddenly smiled. "Let me tell you, what happened today may affect your later interviews, and someone might seize upon this to question you..."

"You’d best have a solid explanation."

Lin Lei nodded. The fact that Li Xueshu was willing to send someone to help him cover things up, and to speak so much to him, showed these matters weren’t too grave.

"Oh, right." As if suddenly recalling something, Li Xueshu turned to Lin Lei. "You haven’t encountered any more ghouls attacking you or other unusual incidents lately, have you?"

Lin Lei hesitated, then replied, "I haven’t run into any ghouls actively seeking me out, but I’ve noticed people from the Security Department investigating something nearby..."

Li Xueshu nodded. "Be careful. There’s been another suspected ghoul attack and fatality near your home. After nightfall, the Bureau will have the logistics department patrol the surrounding streets. You’d best not linger outside too much at night."

Lin Lei’s heart stirred. The incident Li Xueshu mentioned was likely the homeless man that had been found.

The Bureau would begin night patrols; from now on, he’d have to be more cautious in his actions.

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be off now." With a kick, Li Xueshu jumped down from the windowsill.

"Wait, Xueshu—ah, Student Xueshu." Lin Lei called after her, forcing a gentle smile onto his face. "If you’re free, would you like to grab a cup of milk tea?"

At this moment. The reason, of course, was not that Lin Lei found her attractive and harbored any particular intentions. He was not so superficial. After all, she was the only person from the extraordinary world he knew; naturally, he wanted to foster a good relationship and glean more information from her.

Li Xueshu paused slightly, taking the lollipop from her mouth and staring straight at Lin Lei. "You know, you’ve changed a lot from before..."

Lin Lei felt a twinge of anxiety. Since he’d absorbed power from a second ghoul, his emotions had grown chaotic, and he’d neglected the difference between his own personality and the original’s, which might lead to suspicion.

He quickly rubbed his temples. "Is that so? Maybe it’s because my abilities awakened. Having power changes one’s mindset..."

"It’s not just your mindset," Li Xueshu shook her head, eyes sharp as blades as she continued to stare at him. "More precisely, it’s not only your mindset."

Lin Lei grew uneasy under her gaze. After all, this was a world of extraordinary powers. He feared there might truly be incidents like soul displacement, and if discovered, his strength—limited to that of a two-ghoul devourer—would hardly suffice against Li Xueshu.

He looked up, meeting her eyes. "Then what is it?"

His hand slipped into his pocket, fingers closing around the fruit knife.

Li Xueshu, seeing Lin Lei return her gaze, instead looked away, her eyes growing distant as she gazed out the corridor window. "You should remember what I said—everything comes with a price. Source energy awakening doesn’t just change your body; it also brings some psychological side effects..."

"Personality shifts, belligerence, and strong desires are all normal..."

Lin Lei was taken aback.

Li Xueshu sighed, turning back to him. "Actually, these emotional changes I’ve described are the least significant—ones you can restrain and resist with your willpower..."

"Further advancement of 'source energy' can even lead to the loss of reason, reducing a person to a mindless puppet driven solely by primal desires..."

As she spoke, she pulled a palm-sized glass vial from her pocket. Inside, a dreamy, deep-blue liquid shimmered.

"Take this 'potion'. If you ever feel your emotions reaching an uncontrollable extreme, drink it."

Without another word, Li Xueshu shook her head, turned, and headed down the stairs.

Lin Lei stood there, clutching the vial, his thoughts churning.

He’d thought the change in his personality might have tipped her off, but instead, he learned something entirely different from her. After devouring the ghoul, his emotions truly had changed; he’d assumed this was a side effect of his "Gluttony" ability and the ghoul’s power.

Now it seemed the negative influence stemmed from the enhancement of his source energy!

He frowned deeply.

This explanation made the difference between himself and the original more reasonable, but for Lin Lei, gaining power at such a cost was hardly a good thing.

He gazed at the vial in his hand.

"Once I join the Bureau, I should be able to get more of this special potion, right?"

Just then, Li Xueshu, already halfway down the stairs, turned back. "Hey, why are you standing there? Didn’t you say you’d treat me to milk tea?"

Lin Lei snapped out of his reverie, pocketed the vial, and hurried after her, matching her stride. "I’m not called 'Hey'..."

...

After returning home, Lin Lei collapsed into bed, sleeping until late afternoon.

A night had passed, and his emotions had settled considerably.

He ate a meal. Though only two days had gone by, the meat he’d kept frozen in his fridge was almost gone.

He had no choice—his appetite had grown enormously.

After eating, he switched on the electric whetstone and began sharpening his knife. With experience, he finished even faster than yesterday.

Then, after a cold shower, he lay down on the sofa in the living room to rest and calm his mind, quietly waiting for time to pass.

He had no intention of stopping his hunt for ghouls.