Hunter of Immortals

Chapter 386: Decision

Chapter 386: Decision

Not only was Mr. One not infuriated by Adam's provocation, he erupted into raucous laughter, and his laughter was tinged with hints of surprise, admiration, and also mockery, much like the reaction one would expect from a hawk at the sight of a rabbit that dared to rush directly at it.

"Interesting! You're a very interesting guy. Let's go."

Mr. One patted Madam Tree on the shoulder, then turned to depart. As soon as he made it to the entrance of the room, he bumped into Cowboy and the others making their way in from outside.

"Long time no see, Commander," Mr. One greeted as he extended a slight bow toward the tall man, but he ignored Wax Figure and Cowboy.

Mr. One's height only reached around Commander's midriff, but there wasn't any disparagement in Commander's eyes, and he replied, "Long time no see, Mr. One. It's certainly not every day that I get to see you fail. This is a very rare occasion, indeed."

"You've unearthed an interesting little gem."

"He's not someone that I unearthed. He is his own person, and he has his own goals. Congratulations, you've passed the test!"

That final sentence from Commander was directed at Adam.

"Thank you. I feel much better now that I've gotten all of that off my chest," Adam replied with a smile.

He was under immense psychological pressure in Mr. One's presence.

Part of this stemmed from Mr. One's innate psychic pressure. All top-tier adapters possessed tremendous psychic pressure, and it was something that truly existed, but was also intangible and impossible to describe, just like the auras that certain powerful figures exuded.

However, that was only a minor contributing factor. The main thing that Adam was fearful of was the very real threat to his safety.

He knew that an adapter of Mr. One's caliber would be able to easily see through his lies, so there was no point in lying to someone like him. However, at the same time, Adam was afraid that Mr. One would kill him if he were to give him a dissatisfactory answer.

Even so, he still had to remain true to himself.

In the instant that he overcame the enormous pressure on his shoulders, he felt himself undergo a psychic evolution. This was the first time that he had felt something like this so clearly. Right as he made his decision, his sense became unprecedentedly sharp, and his psychic power was very clearly elevated.

He was convinced that he had become more powerful in that instant.

So this is what it means to strengthen one's psyche...

The techniques taught in Layton Academy were only the most basic of psychic training techniques. True psychic evolution could only transpire during trials by fire. Remaining resolute and true to oneself even in the face of tremendous pressure or immense temptation could make one incredibly powerful, and the effects of this were even more pronounced than that of the battles of life and death that Adam had endured.

"I'm leaving now. You made your choice, so you have to bear the consequences."

After those parting words, Mr. One departed with Madam Tree, leaving the trio from the northern congress behind.

Adam had never met Commander before, but he already knew who it was without requiring an introduction.

"I believe this is our first official meeting, Commander."

"Indeed, and I certainly don't regret making this trip."

Commander made his way over to Adam, then sat down onto the sofa. Now that he had sat down, his remarkably tall frame wasn't so jarring anymore.

After taking a seat, he remarked, "No matter what offer you just refused from him, you made the right choice."

"How so?"

Adam had only turned down Mr. One's offer because he didn't want to bend to the will of someone indirectly responsible for the deaths of his friends, and he certainly wasn't convinced that he had definitely made the right choice.

"Because that man's forte is making others submit to him. After you've bowed your head to him once, you'll never be able to raise it again when facing him. Also, if you had made the decision to concede to him, then you would've permanently lost your chance to become a top-tier adapter.

“When it comes to adapters at the very top of the pyramid, regardless of whether they be nutjobs like Hebi no Miko or psychic modifiers or psychic modifiers like Madam Tree, they're not people who can be tamed or bought. I chose not to come in and intervene because I was waiting for you to make your decision. I know it was a very difficult decision, but I must congratulate you on making the right choice."

Commander was full of praise for Adam as he continued, "You're a high-level adapter, so I'm sure you understand what I'm saying. As for the offer that he raised to you..."

"He said that he can help me uncover the truth about my past and provide me with information on all of the people on that production line. Can he really do that?"

"I assume so," Commander replied with a nod. "In order to keep you on the end of his line, he has to always be able to follow through on his promises. Otherwise, his hold over you will gradually disappear. Prior to coming here, I looked into your past as well, and I'm not surprised that he was willing to sacrifice that production line for you. He has many similar production lines, so he can easily afford to sacrifice one, and he can replace it at any time."

"Do you know about that factory as well?"

"I only know some rough details. This is a matter related to the southern congress, so I don't have access to all of the insider information. If you want to find out everything, then you'll have to uncover the truth yourself. Of course, our northern congress is willing to provide you with assistance.

“I came here today to confirm some matters related to candidate eligibility with you. Our northern congress will can provide you with eligibility, but I need to be sure that you've made up your mind on participating in the election."

"I've made up my mind."

"Good. In that case, we'll provide you with the assistance that you need." In contrast with Mr. One, Commander did things in a very simple and straightforward manner, and he pulled out a few old paper business cards as he spoke, then tossed them at Adam. "There are a few people in here that you need to see.

“Some of them can provide you with the funds required for your political campaign, while the others are responsible for our northern congress's media-related affairs."

Adam accepted the business cards, and just a casual glance was enough to reveal to him that the names on these business cards all belonged to very important people.

These were business cards being provided by Commander himself, so at the very worst, they had to have at least been leading figures in certain industries.

"Sandsea Energy and Orto Technologies are the most important corporations for you to win over. One of them is the largest energy company in North America, while the other is the largest weapons manufacturer in Sandrise City. Of course, given your affiliation with our northern congress, they'll be willing to provide you with their assistance, but as for exactly how much support you can garner from them, that'll be up to you.

“These people are all self-proclaimed value investors, so in order to earn more of their support, you'll have to increase your own value first. Now then, let's move on to the second order of business..."

Commander took a glance at Cowboy, and the latter immediately pulled out a palm-sized projection device, casting a holographic projection into the room.

The projection depicted a crime scene, and at the scene were clear signs of technology being destroyed, but other than that, the destruction was quite minimal.

However, every single person in the image was dead with no exceptions.

Judging from the victim's living conditions, they had to have been either a politician or a very wealthy individual. The room was wide and spacious with lavish décor, and the victims were all wearing attire of different degrees of formality, but even for those who were only wearing a bathrobe, it was clear that their attire had to have been very expensive and well-made.

"This is material that's yet to be disclosed to the public by the police. The deceased victims include politicians, sports stars, and managers of internet-based companies. All of them died recently, and even though their deaths still haven't been announced yet, it won't be a secret for much longer.

“The adapter killer that's popped up recently has been growing more and more brazen. Not only have the killings been increasing in number, the victims are also becoming more and more high profile. This is an opportunity for you. If you can get to the bottom of this case, you'll be winning a lot of votes for yourself."