Solflare: The Painter's Secret-Chapter 132: Adaptive Mood Activated
"Leon Storm."
A loud voice called onto him from the distance. Leon blinked twice, seeing Hei Yung standing close to a large screen.
Water dripping sounds echoed as Leon began to close the distance. In a flash, all the creatures he saw at first vanished without a trace.
"Sir," Leon placed his arms at his back, stared at Hei Yung’s blue eyes.
Hei Yung turned, pointed a finger at the video that had been streaming on the large screen. "What is that?"
Leon’s face stilled, seeing the gold light that blasted the Glass Skitters away. ’Am I being watched?’ He shifted his gaze from the screen to Hei Yung, then back to the screen.
"This is the first time such power has been used unconsciously after your father quit." Hei Yung walked, circling the boy.
Leon stood there, shocked, sweat dripping from his forehead. ’My father was part of the Special Forces.’
Hei Yung pressed a button, which strangely made the environment they stood in transform into a large fighting field.
All around Leon, heels of metal boots and screams of death whirled in the air. Metal crashing against metal, supernatural abilities being utilized, and human-animal hybrids roaming about like ants.
"This is where we first counted the power you’re wielding." Hei Yung stopped, stretched his left arm toward the direction of a man standing in the far distance.
In the environment bleeding with screaming and taunts, the man stood there, unfazed. He wore a sleek black uniform with a red neckband wrapped around his neck.
"Andrew Storm," Hei Yung stated, his finger tapping in the figure’s direction.
Leon watched as gold light spiraled around the man as he dashed forward, smiling.
Like a lightning bolt, he lanced through the army of hybrid humans, devouring them with a single punch.
The impact sent the creatures flying. With a single tap of Hei Yung’s finger, everything stopped, including the flying creatures.
"This is what we need in you. The devil he was." Hei Yung stated, then walked straight to Leon, his arms at his back.
"Me?"
"Yes, you. You’re his son. And per the events and catastrophes your unconscious power has been causing, there is a great possibility that you are more than he was."
With another tap, a white light surfaced, giving them the view of a training field.
"For the next six months, I will personally train you." Hei Yung said, nearing the square ring.
Leon gazed at him, his mind reeling with questions. "What about Liu Yan and Wu Ze?"
"Don’t worry about them, they will just slow you down when you train with them."
Hei Yung grabbed a white remote controller, then tossed it to the boy. Leon caught it in the air, stared at it, then tilted his gaze to the man.
The last thing Leon saw was the blue lightning strike. A bolt of lightning struck him in the left shoulder, pushing him a few meters back. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
He crashed into a metal wall, his head hitting the surface with a PAM.
The translucent panel resurfaced the moment blood streaked across Leon’s face.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Presence Detected.
Scanning...
Name: Hei Yung
Rank: B
Ability: Lightning God.
Hostility: Positive.
Status: Defensive mood activated.
Leon’s body stood up without his intervention. Then, as another set of lightning bolts dashed toward him from a distance, gold liquid seeped out from him and formed a blazing shield.
The lightning slammed into the barrier, then vaporized, sending smoke and turning the air electrified.
"Did I do that?" Shock filled Leon’s face as he stared at the gold barrier in front of him.
Many lightning bolts slammed into the barrier. Then the translucent panel resurfaced.
[STATUS]
Adaptive mood activated.
In a flash, Leon’s black outfit began to change, turning into a war suit he’d been seeing in movies, news, and the history books.
The red cloth his mother gave him transformed, turning into a ring around him. "Wow," he marveled, seeing the new outfit he wore.
’This is the exact same outfit Andrew usually had when in the aggressive mode. This kid is truly taking up his father’s legacy.’
A smile tore across Hei Yung’s face, the memory of Andrew Storm resurfacing in his mind.
The outfit felt heavy on Leon, causing his movement to slug as his body dashed forward without his control.
He threw a punch that sent tiny sparks of lightning at Hei Yung’s face, but the man dodged with ease.
"This is who we want you to turn into."
The room beyond the moving silver wall became like a chaotic storm, while the outside world continued, days turning into nights.
In another room where only green leaves dressed the walls, Liu Yan sat at the center, angry. "Why send me here without any proper implications."
She slammed her fist hard on the ground.
...
One month passed like smoke. Yet, neither Leon nor Hei Yung exited. Still, the world continued. New threats, new applicants, and new missions were tasked onto Wu Ze and An Lang.
The two went on fighting creatures that were of the same level as them. Although they failed most of the time, Wu Ze had one message inscribed at the back of her actions: Kill me if you want to.
At every failed attempt, the Black Ops group mocked Wu Ze and An Lang.
"Hahaha... look, there they come."
"I bet they were defeated for the twentieth time today."
"Weren’t you part of them? Maybe you can join them again."
"Who? Me? Join them again? Over my dead body."
"Really?" The twins wore shocked expressions at Bao Xiong, brushing their palms over his shoulder.
...
Another two months passed, and yet An Lang and Wu Ze had only managed to be in the last ten of the new ranking scheme that had been implemented by Hei Luo.
After another three months passed, the atmosphere changed. Whispers that normally clung to An Lang, Wu Ze, and Liu Yan—who joined after the fourth month passed—were all muffled when the Dusthollow Rat returned to the Madhouse.
"Leon," Liu Yan ran forward, hugged the boy. Tears dripped down from her eyes when she released him.
"It’s good you’re back, brother." An Lang stood up, greeted Leon, then smiled at him.
’Brother?’ Leon stared at him as if he were seeing a ghost, but smiled afterward.
Wu Ze sat on her bed, sharp air gushing out of her.
Among all the squad, she remained as if seeing Leon after six months wasn’t anything.
"Wu Ze," Leon called out, smiling. He neared the lady, sat by her, then shifted his gaze from Liu Yan to Wu Ze.
’Is that a thread on her left shoulder.’ "What is that on your shoulder, Wu Ze?" Leon’s focus remained on the threaded-like skin, his heart heaving.
Wu Ze, whom Leon had never seen crying, began to shed uncontrollable tears.
Leon gave her a calm touch on the shoulder, consoling her.
In that evening, while Wu Ze and Liu Yan were asleep, An Lang walked to Leon, then sat closer to him.
"Leon," he tapped on Leon’s right shoulder.
A wet sleep groan escaped from Leon as he cracked his eyes open, waking up from his dream. "An Lang... what is it?"
An Lang inhaled deeply, then tilted his gaze toward Wu Ze. "It’s about Wu Ze, the mark you saw on her shoulder."
Leon straightened up, his ears ready to consume whatever had to be heard. "Go on, I’m listening."
An Lang gave a long exhale, his eyes closing.
"An Lang, talk. You’re making me uncomfortable."
"Leon, Wu Ze lost both arms two months after you and Liu Yan were away."
"LOST HER ARMS? HOW? WHAT HAPPENED?" Leon stood up abruptly, his brown eyes blazing.
"Calm down, Leon..." An Lang stood up, his arms stretching toward Leon. "Let’s go outside so we don’t wake them up."
The two exited the Madhouse, closing the door shut behind them.
On Wu Ze’s bed, her eyes blinked open, her lips curling inward, as if she had been awake the whole time.
The chilled wind of Agatha flew around Leon and An Lang, seeping into their nightwear.
"When the two of you were away, we were winning all the tasks, giving us more tasks and opportunities."
"Okay, and what happened? What caused that?" Tension began to rise in Leon.
"On the last day of the second month, while we were at Sector 7 of Chaos City, the Black Ops countered us."
"THE BLACK OPS!" Leon’s temper burst as Tiger’s and Bao Xiong’s faces looped in his mind. His knuckles turned white as his fists clenched so hard his fingernails bit through the skin in his palms.
An Lang paused, shook his head. "I don’t think you need to know." He neared the window on the right side, leaned on it, then shifted his gaze to the night sky.
"This is all I needed." Leon joined him at the window’s angle, his jaw clenched.
They returned to their chamber, letting the remaining night dwell in their sleep. But Leon lay on his bed, his eyes fixed in Wu Ze’s direction.
