NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22: is this information valuable
A moment later, Anthony entered his room, locked the door securely, and, just to be safe, propped a chair against it. He wasn't sure about the women elsewhere, but the women here were definitely tigers. Grandpa Alan had always told him that a man needs to learn how to protect himself when he's out in the world.
After taking a refreshing hot shower to wash away the smell of perfume and red wine, Anthony dried off and lay down on the soft bed. Despite the comfort of a hot shower, a soft bed, and delicious food, sleep eluded him. The events of the past few days had been too bizarre.
He had thought he was going blind and, to avoid burdening Sister Angela and Grandpa Alan, had concocted a lie. With no more worries holding him back, he ventured into the White Mist Zone to seek death. Instead, he stumbled upon the zone's secrets and unexpectedly Espers his espers ability. After being taken to a military camp where he was interrogated and examined, he ended up in Kasnia Town after two days, only to be ambushed by monsters on the way.
Finally arriving in Kasnia Town, he realized how simplistic his plans had been. He was all alone in an unfamiliar place, and surviving, let alone finding anyone, was a challenge. And now, he was working in a bar.
Anthony had imagined countless times what it would be like to live in a safe zone while he was in the danger zone. But reality was even stranger than his imagination.
Now that he had regained his freedom, his desires were simple. The White Mist Zone, monsters, Watchmen, demon hunters—they had nothing to do with him. As for the secret he discovered about the White Mist Zone, Anthony planned to bury it deep inside. Any ambitions, any sense of familial duty had been worn away during his seven years of survival in the danger zone.
Anthony didn't dislike Watchmen, but he didn't envy their profession either. Heroes? Leave that to the taller folks. If possible, he wished to travel across the Normandy Kingdom and see the country's beautiful landscapes. But all of this hinged on finding Angela and Grandpa Alan first. They had been with him for seven years. Now that he had the ability, he was determined to repay them. After all, he had at least a C+ level espers talent. The least he could do was to ensure they lived a good life.
So, the immediate priority was to find the two of them and simultaneously enhance his own abilities. With these thoughts in mind, Anthony's eyes began to channel his espers power.
Amy, the nurse, had told him that to increase his espers level, he needed to use his abilities frequently and consume the blood and flesh of monsters. As for the abilities themselves, he would have to discover and develop them on his own.
As his eyes flashed with silver light, Anthony noticed a change in the world around him. The room was still the same, but everything within his field of vision now entered a special visual space. Everything in the room was laid bare to his sight: the closet full of various uniforms—doctor's coats, nurse outfits, Saint's clothes, flight attendant uniforms, and so on. Did so many different professions stay here? And why were there a few fishnet-like things in the corner?
Under the bed, there was a pile of miscellaneous items—rubber rods, small whips, candles, and even an inflatable doll... What were these things used for, anyway?
Anthony's curiosity was piqued, partly about the purpose of these items and partly about his own ability. This wasn't just visual seeing; it was more like spatial perception. Everything within his visual range could be observed in 360 degrees, without any blind spots.
Anthony tried expanding his perception, and his gaze penetrated the wall into the next room. Amy had initially described his power as X-ray vision, but Anthony realized it wasn't quite that. When his power passed through the wall, he couldn't see everything in the room beyond. The distance his power could travel was the distance his eyes could see. Beyond that, there was only a void, so in his vision, there was just a bed in the adjacent room. It wasn't so much X-ray vision as it was spatial perception; his power extended through his vision, allowing him to see everything within the range of his power.
Of course, Anthony couldn't blame Amy for the misjudgment. After all, he had only been able to maintain this state for three minutes during his initial tests, and much had gone untested.
Perhaps I should give this ability a new name, Anthony thought to himself. How about "Visual Space"?
As he mused, Anthony suddenly noticed someone sitting on the bed. His vision took in every detail of the person's alluring S-shaped figure, especially the snow-white, long legs exposed after a fresh bath—extremely enticing. Anthony looked away quickly, feeling his self-control slipping. He shut his eyes tightly.
Even with just a fleeting glance, Anthony knew that the person wasn't Belinda, but someone he hadn't seen before. Didn't Belinda say this room was hers? Could it be that she shares it with someone?
Anthony was puzzled, but it didn't really matter who this person was or what their relationship was with Belinda. He wasn't a voyeur, and besides, his power didn't allow him to keep watching for long. Most importantly, he sensed that the person was also an espers.
Amy had told him that using espers powers to spy on someone was not only impolite but also easily detectable by the other party. If he were caught and branded a peeping tom, his job might be in jeopardy.
But seriously, how were there three espers in a single bar? That ratio seemed ridiculously high.
In the adjacent room, a seductive woman with an irresistibly alluring figure sat on the bed. Her beauty was natural, not enhanced by makeup, but her most striking feature was the intangible aura she exuded. She was like a bewitching temptress, or a noble and elegant lady—one look at her, and you couldn't tear your eyes away.
She had just finished her bath and was sitting on the bed, frowning slightly. Just moments ago, she had felt something like an espers power brushing past her.
At that moment, the door opened, and Belinda walked in. Seeing the woman in the room, Belinda's breathing quickened. No matter how many times Belinda had seen her before, Belinda couldn't help but be moved by her presence.
Belinda hurried over, grabbing the woman's hand with excitement. "Martina, you're here! I've missed you so much."
The woman, Martina, smiled gently. "I haven't been around for a while, so I thought I'd come to check on you. How's the bar doing lately?"
"Don't worry, Martina, everything is running smoothly. Oh, by the way, a couple of our staff were sick a few days ago, so I gave them sick leave. Also, we hired a new guy today," Belinda reported with a smile.
Martina smiled gently. "There's no need to inform me about such small matters. I'm asking if there have been any unusual occurrences in Kasnia Town recently?"
"Oh, that. Actually, yes. Today, I was chatting with a military officer, and he mentioned that a demon hunter was severely injured and escaped to Kasnia Town a few days ago, along with a little girl who was found frozen," Belinda replied.
Upon hearing this, a gleam flashed in Martina's eyes. "That's interesting news. Keep following up on it and try to find out what happened."
Encouraged, Belinda perked up. "Martina, is this information valuable?"
"Valuable? Very valuable!" Martina confirmed with a smile.
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