7.III (Requesting Votes~)

In front of Room 721.

Knock, knock, knock.

No answer.

Ma En grasped the door handle and tried to gently turn it.

Click.

The door opened.

He pushed the door just enough to pass through and silently stepped inside.

This hospital room was no different from the others, except the desk had been replaced by a dressing table. Sitting before the mirror was not the suspicious woman from before, but a beautiful woman in her late twenties with a curvaceous figure.

“You’re here,” the woman in the mirror said, looking at him. “Ma En.”

Ma En quietly closed the door behind him, his expression guarded as he asked, “You are...?”

The manager Li smiled gently at him. “My name is Li Fen. You can call me Miss Li. Please, sit down. This place is safe.”

Ma En sat down in another chair inside the room.

She turned to him and spoke in a soothing tone, “I know you must have many doubts right now. I will slowly explain everything to you. First, do you often see hallucinations?”

He had never seen any.

But Ma En answered, “Yes.”

Li Fen nodded. “I imagine you’ve experienced this—you can’t distinguish hallucinations from reality, and sometimes you firmly believe those visions are true, right?”

Ma En replied, “Every mentally ill person must have thought that way.”

She said, “What if I told you that what you see is actually real?”

Li Fen picked up a metal bracelet from the dressing table and rolled up her sleeve to her forearm. She gently tapped the bracelet with her index finger.

“Watch.”

Her muscles rippled like waves, flowing down her fair forearm until the movement gathered at her fingertip. With a crisp snap…

The metal bracelet broke into two.

Ma En stared at her in astonishment.

Satisfied with his reaction, she smiled and nodded. “There are all kinds of gifted individuals in this world, and you are one of them. What you see as hallucinations are actually revelations of reality’s true nature—we call this spiritual sight.

“Many newly awakened spiritual users are unstable and lack proof of their abilities. Not only do they fail to see the truth behind the curtain clearly, but they also cannot control their spiritual sight.

“This causes them to be mistaken as mentally ill. Worse, they are not insane; what they see hides a deep meaning. To the outside world, they appear as stubborn madmen.”

She didn’t tell Ma En that many of these so-called madmen never escape this phase in their lifetime.

“But fortunately, you’ve met me.”

Ma En looked confused. “Then what about Dr. Li’s death...?”

Li Fen explained, “That is why I am here.

“I work for an organization that handles abnormal cases, and we are tracking a suspect with abilities—your attending physician, Xu Wen.

“We have basically confirmed that Xu Wen is the murderer of Dr. Li, but for reasons I cannot explain, we cannot take direct action against him.

“He is targeting people like you who possess certain mental powers, and you are his next target.”

She paused.

Ma En said nothing.

“Ma En, I want to ask for your help, for your own sake,” she continued. “We have learned that Dr. Li had a secret notebook hidden somewhere in the office.

“If you can help us find it, we can deal with Xu Wen, and you will be safe.

“If you agree, we will arrange for your discharge and even offer you a place in our organization. Even if you want to distance yourself from these abnormalities, we will offer you a generous reward.

“So, what do you say?”

Ma En wore a worried expression. “But I don’t even know how to find it.”

Li Fen smiled. “Don’t worry, that’s not something you need to concern yourself with.”

He lowered his head slightly, a thoughtful look on his face.

Li Fen was not worried about rejection.

If Ma En didn’t cooperate willingly, they had another “negotiation” plan. In any case, he would eventually provide the necessary “assistance.”

Ma En raised his head. “Alright, I’ll try, though I might not succeed quickly.”

Li Fen nodded. “We are patient. However, Xu Wen has already set his sights on you.

“If all goes well, you should take action during next week’s consultation. We will create an opportunity for you; you just need to wait patiently.”

Ma En asked, “Before I leave, may I ask about these gifted individuals?”

Li Fen smiled. “Of course.”

Ma En’s expression was curious. “Do you have a classification system for different types of gifted individuals?”

Li Fen was happy to answer; it would remind Ma En of the gap between himself and them.

The woman thought for a moment and said, “Those with a certain level of strength are called Class I gifted individuals. The weaker ones among them may be powerless, but those who have mastered their abilities can easily kill a physically healthy adult man.

“You haven’t formally reached Class I yet, but if you join us after this matter is settled, you have every chance of reaching that level.

“Next are Class II gifted individuals, who excel in direct combat. They can generally match a well-trained special forces squad and often easily eliminate every member of such a team.

“After all, we understand what they can do, but they know nothing about us.

“Of course, that’s not entirely accurate—I’m only describing direct combat abilities. Records show that some Class II individuals have killed over a thousand people in half a month. There are also special gifted individuals who can accomplish feats beyond any modern technology.

“I am a Class II gifted individual myself. Dealing with Xu Wen is not difficult for me, so you don’t need to fear what he might do to you.”

Ma En asked curiously, “Are there even stronger ones?”

Li Fen looked admiring. “Of course.

“To put it simply, under prepared conditions, I can take down a dozen trained special forces members, but if they manage to shoot me in the head a few times, I would die.

“And if a Class II is sniped after their identity and location are revealed, most won’t survive.

“But Class III gifted individuals are a different matter.

“They are almost immune to common modern firearms and can easily perform feats such as destroying buildings or dismantling small military units in direct combat.

“These people are no ordinary mortals; their willpower transcends worldly laws.”

Li Fen suddenly realized she had spoken too much and quickly composed herself.

“But there’s no need to worry—we rarely encounter Class III gifted individuals.”

“Ma En, that’s what I wanted to tell you. You’ll help us get the notebook, right?”

He sincerely agreed, “Of course.”

Bang.

Li Fen watched Ma En walk out the door, a smug expression on her face.

He’s so easy to deceive.

But then again, these madmen have long been tormented by spiritual sight. They believe what they see is a hallucination, yet deep down refuse to submit. This makes them easily trust anyone who affirms their experience.

The bait has been set.

Now, it’s just a matter of waiting for the target to take the bait.

Outside the door.

Tap, tap, tap.

Ma En calmly descended the stairs.

According to Miss Li’s words...

His “accidental death” seemed capable of eliminating a Class II gifted individual?