Global Shelter Game

Chapter 90: Chapter 89: Invitation and Rejection

Xisuo said in a low voice,

"I was once subjected to human experimentation by a man named Paida Xi. After that, I became an esper—a man-made esper."

Hearing this, Hawkins, who had been unperturbed, widened his eyes.

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"Paida Xi? A man-made esper?"

Hawkins sucked in a sharp breath.

If it had been anyone else, he might not have heard of them.

After all, the Academy was so large that he didn’t actually know that many people.

But Paida Xi, like him, studied bioscience. Moreover, that guy was one of his teacher’s most prized disciples.

During class, he had heard his teacher mention this student on more than one occasion.

From what his teacher said, if Paida Xi hadn’t left the Academy, he would have likely become a professor long ago, or perhaps achieved an even higher rank.

Hearing this familiar name so unexpectedly outside the Academy left Hawkins in a bit of a daze.

Xisuo had been carefully watching Hawkins’s expression. Seeing him draw in a sharp breath, he quickly and nervously asked,

"Mr. Hawkins, you know Paida Xi too?"

Hawkins had no intention of hiding it and nodded lightly.

"I do know him. He was a student of my teacher."

"But I never met him. I only began studying under our teacher after he disappeared. To be precise, he would be my senior apprentice-brother."

Now it was Hawkins’s turn to be intrigued, and he immediately pressed,

"When did you meet my senior apprentice-brother? According to my teacher, he’s been missing for at least a decade."

Seeing a potential breakthrough, Xisuo quickly gave a rough account of how he was sold to Paida Xi and subjected to human experiments.

Hawkins nodded but didn’t delve deeper into the topic. He pondered for a moment before speaking.

"So, you’re saying you want to see if the Academy has a way to completely fix your physical condition?"

Xisuo nodded hurriedly.

"Yes, we want to completely reverse the abnormal state of our bodies."

"After all, every time we use our powers, our internal radiation levels spike dramatically, which severely limits our abilities."

"And even when we don’t use our powers, our internal radiation levels accumulate faster than a normal person’s."

Hearing Xisuo’s request, a troubled expression appeared on Hawkins’s face.

Honestly, if Xisuo had made some other, simpler request—even asking for an exoskeleton for each of the two brothers—he might have agreed.

After all, without their warning, it was questionable whether he’d even be standing here talking right now.

However, for the request they had just made, he really couldn’t make any guarantees.

Experiments on creating man-made espers were not unheard of at the Academy.

The Academy was indeed more civilized and scientific than the Wasteland, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t use humans as research subjects.

Of course, these research subjects were almost always purchased through legal and compliant channels.

In the Wasteland, people themselves were a resource, a commodity that could be bought and sold.

Even for the Academy, which revered science, human experimentation was a perfectly viable form of scientific research as long as it yielded sufficient benefits.

However, when it came to something like creating man-made espers, the Academy had no successful cases.

He never would have imagined that this senior apprentice-brother of his had actually achieved such research results after leaving the Academy.

After thinking for a long time, Hawkins finally said,

"As for dealing with the problem with your bodies, I don’t have many ideas at the moment."

"If you’re willing, perhaps you could return to the Academy with us."

"Our headquarters has a vast array of diagnostic equipment and a large number of researchers."

"As long as you’re willing to be studied, it shouldn’t take long to solve the problems with your bodies."

Hearing that he would need to be studied, a chill ran through Xisuo’s heart.

The terrifying childhood experience of being strapped to an experiment table and experimented on flooded his mind in an instant.

He waved his hand with difficulty.

"If that’s the case, then never mind."

"I originally thought that since Paida Xi came from the Academy, you would have a solution. I didn’t expect you couldn’t do it either."

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Hawkins’s face.

"Our Academy’s technology is advanced, but it isn’t omnipotent."

"My senior apprentice-brother most likely acquired some useful technological breakthroughs from a shelter left behind before the Cataclysm, which is how he came to possess near-perfect human modification techniques."

Hawkins wasn’t lying to Xisuo about this.

In fact, the whole reason they had traveled thousands of miles to get here was to obtain some of the research data stored in this shelter.

The Academy conducted countless such exploratory missions every year.

While most missions didn’t yield significant returns, it was more than enough as long as a small fraction of them produced important results.

Hearing Hawkins’s explanation, Xisuo sighed inwardly.

Seeing the disappointed expressions on the two brothers’ faces, Hawkins felt a little bad. He whispered a few words in Deng Yu’s ear before looking back at Xisuo.

"How about this. Before we set out, we agreed that the one with the best performance would be rewarded with an exoskeleton."

"This time, I’ll consider you to have exceeded expectations on the mission, so I’ll directly award you two portable exoskeletons."

"Also, here is an F-class identity card."

"If you ever have a chance to come to the Academy, you can use this identity card to find me."

"Additionally, you can use this card to seek help or trade at some of the facilities established by the Academy."

"For now, this is all we can do."

Looking at the two briefcases in Deng Yu’s hands and the card Hawkins was handing over,

most of the gloom on Xisuo’s face vanished.

Although they hadn’t solved the problem with their bodies, receiving so many rewards was far beyond his expectations.

Xisuo and Simon accepted the briefcases and the identity card, giving Hawkins a grateful look.

"Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. We will remember your generosity," Xisuo said sincerely.

Hawkins waved his hand, signaling that they shouldn’t worry about it.

"You were a huge help this time. This is what you’ve earned."

"Alright, we’re pretty much done here. Are you leaving now, or will you leave with us?"

Seeing the confused looks on Simon and Xisuo’s faces,

Deng Yu, who was standing nearby, explained,

"There are still a lot of good things inside the shelter, but they aren’t so easy to get."

"Even with our help earlier, so many people died. Just think, without our help, do you really think they could handle those tracked robots?"

Hearing Deng Yu’s explanation, it finally dawned on Simon and Xisuo.

Suppressing the lingering fear in his heart, Xisuo spoke up. "Mr. Hawkins, my brother and I have decided to leave now.

We’ve already gotten what we wanted and don’t wish to risk any more danger."

Hawkins nodded in understanding. "That’s a wise choice.

The Wasteland is fraught with peril. It’s always good to avoid unnecessary risks."

"I still have some things to take care of here. I hope we have the chance to meet again!"