Chapter 298 - Elimination (1/2)

Zhen Xiong (changed from Yin Xiong), Jia Lai, Livingstone, and the schoolkid were all waiting in the hallway, remaining as silent as possible and even making sure the doors were closed gently. Once Livingston saw that everyone was present, he produced a lighter from his pocket. He lit it up and placed it near the copper lock on Bruno’s door. A few seconds later, something magical happened before their eyes. The lock which was supposed to be made out of solid copper melted in the lighter’s flames!

It was typically impossible to melt copper in such a matter of seconds, what more with a mere lighter. That left only one explanation for this magic trick. The lighter had to be a game item. However, Livingston seemed to have no intention of explaining how it worked. The moment the lock melted down, he quickly kept away the lighter. The schoolkid opened the door next and entered the room with the others. Once everyone was in the room, Zhen Xiong swiftly shut the door. At the same time, she stuffed a towel she was holding into the keyhole to prevent any sound from escaping out.

Soon, they realized that all that stealthiness was pointless. Although they made little noise while melting the lock, light sleepers would still be awoken by the shuffling of footsteps, especially with that many entering the room at the same time. To their amus.e.m.e.nt, Bruno was still fast asleep despite the less-than-graceful entrance. Livingstone hurried to his bedside and tapped his face a few times. Surprisingly, he didn’t respond. All he did was grunt, turn himself around, and continued sleeping. After that, Livingston turned on the lamp beside the bed, picked up a bottle from the ground, and examined it under the light.

“What are these? Sleeping pills?” asked the schoolkid curiously.

Livingstone didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled a pill from the bottle, opened the capsule, and poured its contents out on his palm. However, after attempting to smell it, he still failed to determine what the substance was.

“Can I take a look?” asked Zhen Xiong while extending her hand.

“Of course.”

Livingston handed the bottle to her. Shen then examined it carefully, sniffing it, then dipping her thumb into the powder to taste it. “It tastes like LSD.”

“LSD is a hallucinogenic substance. Its scientific name is lysergic acid diethylamide. Once consumed, the user would experience powerful hallucinations. It’s really difficult to describe the effects. Some say you can hear strange sounds and see kaleidoscopic colors moving around you. Your perception of your surroundings distorts and deforms; all these happening in your mind, of course. I was once tricked into tripping on LSD when I was at a club. According to what I know, it should be highly addictive.”

“Huh? So, what are you trying to say?” asked a confused Jia Lai.

“He’s saying this stuff right here is a drug,” said Livingston.

At the same time, the schoolkid took the initiative to tie Bruno up. It was at that time, they realized that Bruno was actually not asleep. His eyes were actually open all the time, albeit so small that no one realized it. At the same time, there was a smile on his face, as if he was completely oblivious to his surroundings.

“This man is an addict. No wonder he always looks so weak,” Jia Lai scoffed.

“Let’s put that aside first. We need to focus on something more important. Search and see if he’s carrying any game items with him,” instructed Livingston.

To prevent anybody from secretly taking possession of the items, they agreed to pair up and keep an eye on each other. 15 minutes later, they were done with searching Bruno and his room. They even went as far as to look in the water tank of his toilet. In the end, they found two game items in his room. One looked like a fork, and the other one looked like the fang of an animal that probably belonged to a big cat. As of now, these two were considered as unidentified items. They would have to wait until Bruno regained consciousness before they could question him.

Unfortunately, the effect of the LSD lasted quite a long time. Bruno came around at five, quickly realizing that he wasn’t in the best state. Rage overwhelmed him right away, and he swore that he would kill Livingston. However, when Livingston placed the bottle in front of him, Bruno swiftly calmed himself down.

“You refused to let us search you because of this thing, right? You knew all too well that NASA would never allow an addict to travel to s.p.a.ce, huh?”