"I’ve divined it, there won’t be any trouble," Brian said confidently.
"Sort of. I can sense good and ill fortune. Not sure if you’ll understand, but it’s like those witches with crystal balls in the legends here, able to detect danger."
I’ve added my address and nickname to the letter.
If you were in danger, that would mean I’d be too, and I definitely wouldn’t have done that," the old man boasted proudly.
"Wow, that’s awesome!" Brian praised sincerely.
To have such an ability!
He hadn’t expected the old man to be so candid.
Turned out the other party really possessed a rare mutant ability distinct from physical strength!
Brian’s look towards the old man changed instantly, "Um, do you have any obsessions?"
"Huh?" the old man looked at Brian, puzzled, "What kind of obsession?"
Why did it feel cold again?
Which bastard keeps setting their sights on me!
The old man looked suspiciously at Brian, "Right, you’re not a Mutant yet, are you?"
Brian hurriedly suppressed his own greed and shook his head, "No, otherwise I wouldn’t even pass the NW Action Department’s vetting."
The old man then breathed a sigh of relief, rambling on:
"That’s good, Mutants live day to day, always potentially losing control and hurting the people around them. You’re not one, that’s good.
Your uncle is crazy, always trying to forcibly create a powerful Mutant.
Since you’re fine now, just stay with NW in the future. Take the chance to exchange for some Enhancement Reagents. Live to a ripe old age, have a bunch of kids; that’s better than anything."
Listening to the old man’s rambling and caring words, if it weren’t for the fact that he just revealed his mutant ability, Brian almost mistook the under one-sixty, scrawny old man for just a lonely old bachelor.
He couldn’t help but ask curiously, "How did you become a Mutant, sir?"
The old man was indeed forthright, "Me? I’m a severe neurotic, got obsessed studying ’The Book of Changes’ and went mad from it. If not for the damned Blood Moon thing, I probably would’ve died in a mental hospital."
This old man was strangely candid.
Seeing he was silent,
The old man thought he’d scared Brian and hurriedly explained, "Don’t worry, I’ve never killed anyone. Even if I have an episode, I just babble nonsensically and won’t hurt people."
"But didn’t my uncle say that Mutants are influenced by the Blood Moon and continuously pursue their deepest desires?" Brian was even more puzzled.
Could it be that his uncle was deceiving him?
That didn’t make sense.
"That’s true, my desire is ’The Book of Changes’. So when I have an episode, as I become increasingly obsessed, my ability becomes stronger.
At first, I could only sense vague malice around me. Later, I gradually became able to sense malice from far away.
But it made me very uncomfortable.
Because although I could feel the malice, I had no idea where the danger was coming from.
It made me paranoid all the time, and I became more and more timid."
Brian nodded, seeing the point.
It’s said that the face reflects the heart, and though it’s not always accurate, there’s some truth to it.
The old man didn’t seem very brave, yet his nickname was "Macho"...
With such a cautious nature, plus the ability to predict good and ill fortune, it’s no wonder he survived until now.
Brian really wanted the old man’s ability!
He licked his lips, "How old are you, sir?"
The old man rolled his eyes, "Why do you speak fancier than me? My last name is Macho; just call me Old Macho. I’m 67 this year."
"Do you smoke, Old Macho?"
Brian sycophantically produced a pack of cigarettes.
He really desired that ability.
Mutants had a high rate of emergence.
The only problem was that if Brian took action himself, it could possibly turn Old Macho’s obsession into killing Brian, and the man had no hostility towards him, which seemed somewhat inappropriate.
So he planned to first establish a good relationship.
When the old man was no longer capable, he could come over to send him off.
"Not bad, not bad, showing respect for the elderly," Old Macho accepted the cigarette, looking for a lighter when Brian’s lighter approached, considerate as can be.
Old Macho, apparently a seasoned smoker, expertly took a drag that consumed half the cigarette in one go. From his mouth and nose, the smoke swirled without dissipating, as though performing some kind of breathing exercise or imitating a figure of Immortality, making him look genuinely a bit transcendent.
"Amazing, Uncle Macho, how do you do that?"
Brian hadn’t expected the old man to have such a skill.
He had a great lung capacity, able to minutely control his body, but couldn’t achieve such a feat!
Old Macho just smiled and said nothing, offering no explanation.
Seeing this, Brian didn’t press further.
After some more small talk,
Brian shamelessly pulled out a stack of small booklets from his pocket once again,
"Uncle Macho, since you’re my uncle’s friend, that makes you an elder to me!
I came in a hurry and didn’t bring a gift. This is some high-quality material I’ve collected from side jobs over the years. You can keep it, and when you’re feeling lonely at night, just call over a couple of foreign ladies to warm your bed, it’s on me!"
Old Macho’s throat bobbed twice, "At my age, wouldn’t that be a bit inappropriate?"
"Pshaw!" Brian waved his hand dismissively, "A man is always a youth until death; what’s inappropriate about it? Besides, who would do this if they weren’t short on money? Uncle Macho, you’re just doing good deeds!"
"Well... alright then."
Old Macho hesitatingly accepted the booklets and Brian’s bank check, still feeling a bit embarrassed, "You kid, bringing things when you come by, not sure if this old body can take it."