Chapter 177: Calculated Capture
by xennovel“You… you insist on opposing me?”
In the hotel lobby, most people had already fled while the Ghost wasn’t present.
Even those whose legs were weak and minds were blank, unable to escape, were now trembling and squatting in various spots under the police officer’s direction, maintaining some distance from each other.
Lu Xin didn’t force them all to flee; there wouldn’t have been much point.
Less than a minute had actually passed. Just as a semblance of order seemed to settle, a security guard suddenly snapped his head up, his gaze twisted and filled with hatred directed at Lu Xin. He shrieked, “Did you think you could make me surrender just like that?”
His sudden change and incomprehensible words caused a slight stir.
But because the surroundings were so orderly, the disturbance wasn’t major. Some people even looked up curiously at him.
…
…
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not opposing you.”
Seeing it had returned, Lu Xin calmly looked at the security guard and said, “We don’t have any grudges, right?”
“I’m just doing my job. Orders came down from the leadership, I don’t have a choice…”
“As for whether I can catch you…”
Lu Xin seemed to consider it for a moment. “According to the materials, I should be able to. You enter others’ bodies in two ways: contact-based and remote. Contact entry is fast, but requires you to touch someone, extending the process. Remote entry probably isn’t unlimited… the maximum distance… shouldn’t exceed ten meters, right?”
He seemed to recall the contents of the materials, then nodded. “So, looking at the current situation…”
He paused, then stated, “You really can’t escape…”
…
*Clench…*
The security guard gritted his teeth so hard the muscles on his face twisted.
He seemed desperate to say something harsh, but he had already scouted the perimeter earlier and knew Lu Xin was telling the truth.
This made it even harder to bear.
This young man before him looked so ordinary, someone he hadn’t taken seriously at all.
He was someone daring enough to infiltrate the Main City and challenge authority; how could he tolerate being threatened by such a common-looking guy?
Yet, frustratingly, this office-worker type spoke with such calm words, making his own blood boil.
Faintly, a sense of fear even began to surface.
Because he had indeed seen the people closing in, and knew they were tightening the encirclement.
“Hah!”
He suddenly stood up, teeth clenched, shouting viciously, “You forced me to do this!”
“Are you trying to get everyone killed?”
“Within my ability’s range, everyone is my hostage…”
“Since you insist on opposing me, I’ll just kill them all…”
…
As he spoke, he suddenly turned and slammed himself violently against a pillar.
The distance was too great and his action too sudden. In almost an instant, the guard’s head was covered in blood.
The next moment, someone else nearby stood up, laughing harshly, and stabbed a steel pen towards their own lower abdomen.
The surroundings instantly plunged into chaos as everyone screamed in terror.
Even the young police officer helping maintain order turned pale with fright, stumbling back several steps.
“Found you…”
Another voice rang out. It was the young receptionist girl. She pulled a fruit knife from a drawer, held it against her own fair neck, and stared intently at Lu Xin. “Tell me, do you want me to kill them all?”
Lu Xin’s gaze instantly turned icy.
He frowned, meeting the receptionist girl’s eyes. In his perception, the girl’s face was that of a man.
Facing the man’s fierce and vicious glare, he finally shook his head after a long moment.
“You’ve already broken the law.”
His expression became somewhat serious, almost indifferent, his voice devoid of particular emotion. “It’s unclear if the injuries to those two people just now are fatal. If they are, you’ve already taken two lives. And if you continue to harm others, the crimes you commit won’t be repayable even by death. So, right now, are you…”
“…planning to pay a price higher than death?”
As he spoke, he slowly shifted, as if warming up his limbs. “Although I haven’t fought many Ability Users.”
“I still have some experience in how to make you suffer more…”
…
“You…”
Lu Xin’s calm expression and composed words sent a chill down the Ghost’s spine.
It didn’t understand why this young man’s words unnerved it so much until it processed them…
…He was merely listing its crimes. ‘Compromise’ wasn’t even an option.
…
This threw him into turmoil, the muscles on his face twitching uncontrollably. He suddenly gripped the fruit knife tighter, pressing it harder against the neck.
Simultaneously, he let out a sinister cry, “You—”
Before the word fully left his lips, Lu Xin suddenly charged forward.
As he moved, he reached into his backpack, pulled something out, and threw it.
*Swish!*
Lu Xin initially dashed towards the front desk but abruptly changed direction midway.
He veered towards an uncle on the left, snapping the object he held onto the man’s neck.
At the same time, the object he had thrown flew through the air strangely.
As if caught by an invisible hand, the ring-shaped device precisely clamped onto the neck of the leopard-print-clad lady on the right.
The receptionist girl’s expression went blank for a moment, then shifted to utter terror.
She still held the knife, but her hand trembled uncontrollably.
“Everyone else, back away.”
Lu Xin gave the police officer a meaningful look, then looked ahead to confirm the receptionist girl’s state.
Then he spoke softly into his headset, “Target secured. Support Team can enter directly.”
…
…
What he had placed on their necks were two Ability Inhibitors.
Neither Ability Inhibitors nor Protective Masks were foolproof.
Just like how ordinary people wearing protective masks couldn’t guarantee immunity from Pollution. Against high-level Psychic Power or potent Pollution, such masks, while not entirely useless, didn’t make much fundamental difference.
However, they could still provide some effect.
Especially against Ability Users whose powers primarily affected others, they could slow things down somewhat.
The main purpose of a Protective Mask was to shield one’s head. When attacked by an Ability User, mental power often exerted influence there first. If this ‘Ghost’ tried to enter the mind of a soldier wearing a mask, the mask would prolong the process by at least three to five times, giving those nearby enough time to react and formulate a plan.
If both entry and exit were slowed, the Ghost couldn’t flit in and out of people’s bodies unpredictably.
With reduced speed, it could easily be cornered within a specific target by those nearby.
The principle behind Ability Inhibitors was slightly different. They consisted mainly of two parts: a psychic power sensor and an electric shock chip. As soon as abnormal fluctuations in psychic energy were detected, they would immediately discharge a powerful electric current.
Whether by knocking the Ability User unconscious or causing pain to distract them, the goal was to suppress their ability.
…
…
What Lu Xin had just done was capture the ‘Ghost’ using the inhibitors.
Since the number of people in the lobby had already decreased significantly, and the remaining ones were spread out as much as possible,
they were relatively far apart from each other.
When Lu Xin charged towards the receptionist girl, he knew the timid Ghost would inevitably flee into someone else’s body. So, Lu Xin and his Sister split up. He rushed towards the person on the left, placing an Ability Inhibitor on him.
His Sister, meanwhile, moved towards the right, placing an Ability Inhibitor on the leopard-print lady.
This way, regardless of whether the Ghost entered the body of the nearest person on the left or the right, it would be restrained.
And if it tried to retreat back into the receptionist girl’s body, with the nearby individuals secured, escape would become extremely difficult.
Thus, the Ghost’s escape routes were completely sealed off.