Chapter 9: The Male Lead with X-Ray Vision VS Five Female Leads (9)
With Huo Xian’s ability, the technical police quickly identified the targets and transmitted their coordinates to the task force.
Time seemed to pass like an eternity, yet also in the blink of an eye. When the bank’s security gates rose, the armed police, escorting six masked robbers, emerged from the bank first. Another robber had been killed.
Emergency personnel arrived quickly. Fortunately, only two people were injured, including a bank security guard. The guard had been shot but wasn’t critically injured. The other injured person was a young man who had been so frightened he wet his pants. He was cut by flying glass shards.
Before the robbers’ weapons were confiscated, the commander in charge didn’t believe Huo Xian’s claim that only one robber had a real weapon. However, after all the weapons were collected and examined, the commander’s admiration for Huo Xian was immense.
The speed of apprehending the robbers in this bank robbery case set a record. The casualties were also within an acceptable range. The media reported extensively on the case, serving as a strong warning to criminals and those with criminal intentions.
Huo Xian’s figure flashed past in the background of the reporter’s interviews and footage. Whether by chance or by plot design, several key people saw him, but their reactions were unknown to him.
…
“There are four people outside. The first one on the left is Officer Lin, this is a simple portrait I sketched of him.” Huo Xian sat in the interrogation room. Of course, he wasn’t being interrogated but “demonstrating” his ability. He was facing a one-way mirror; the outside could see inside, but the inside couldn’t see the outside. “The second person on the left is Officer Chen, a beautiful policewoman. That lipstick color suits you.”
Outside the interrogation room, Chen Li, who was to Lin Da’s left, was astonished and a little shy, then looked suspiciously at the one-way mirror: “Is the glass alright?”
In the interrogation room, the police officer who was seeing the same “scene” as Huo Xian had a constipated expression. In this small space, he really couldn’t see anyone besides Huo Xian. He mumbled, “I can’t see outside. You can all come in and check later.”
Huo Xian continued drawing and describing the characteristics of the people outside. When his simple drawing was complete, the four people outside entered the interrogation room.
Huo Xian’s drawing had simple lines, but he captured the essence of the people. For example, if someone had triangular eyes, he’d draw them as triangles. If someone had a mole on their cheek, he’d draw it in the correct position. If someone had curly hair, he’d draw the curls… If the four officers hadn’t confirmed that the one-way mirror was fine and that they didn’t know Huo Xian beforehand, they would have thought they were dreaming.
“Does he really have X-ray vision?” Lin Da still couldn’t believe it.
Huo Xian looked up at him and tapped his chest, “Officer Lin’s ID photo is very handsome.”
Lin Da was stunned, then blushed. To verify Huo Xian’s ability, he didn’t take out his police ID like the other three colleagues, allowing Huo Xian to call out their names. Instead, he left it in his inner uniform pocket. Even so, Huo Xian still called out his name correctly.
Chen Li, the only female officer, was initially interested, but she suddenly changed her expression, subconsciously stepping behind her colleagues and raising her hand to cover her chest.
The others didn’t understand, but Huo Xian took a black, opaque cloth from his pocket and tied it over his eyes in their surprised gazes, saying, “Look but don’t touch.”
Chen Li blushed. The others also suddenly realized that X-ray vision had other… um… benefits?
For those with impure thoughts, it was indeed a benefit.
But Huo Xian’s composure made Chen Li feel embarrassed.
Soon, a superior arrived, bringing Huo Xian’s, the original owner’s, file. Unlike the joking officers, the superior’s gaze was sharp, and his questions were even sharper.
Q: Why is Huo Xian’s personality so different from his past?
A: The family suffered a change of fortune, forcing me to grow up.
Q: When and how did you get your ability?
A: I got it accidentally when I jumped off a building recently.
Q: Have you used your ability to do anything?
A: Since I got the ability, I’ve rarely gone out because I couldn’t fully control it. Even when I did, I wore sunglasses or kept my eyes lowered.
Q: Why are you willing to reveal your ability?
A: More than revealing my ability, I want to help the task force. The faster the robbers are caught, the safer the hostages. It’s my duty as a citizen.
Huo Xian answered fluently, neither arrogant nor evasive. The superior compared his recent behavior with the Huo family’s situation and believed nine-tenths of his words. The remaining tenth was left to a police officer’s intuition.
Overall, while X-ray vision, which only appeared in novels and movies, was extraordinary, Huo Xian was a great contributor to the rescue operation. The superior was kind to him, only hesitating slightly when reporting his merits; after all, his situation was special, and it was uncertain if the higher-ups would believe the report.
Huo Xian didn’t care about the credit. He preferred to remain low-key rather than publicize his ability.
Before leaving, the superior kindly asked, “Have you gone to the hospital for a checkup?”
Huo Xian smiled, “You wouldn’t want to send me for dissection and research, would you?”
The superior laughed heartily, “Of course not. Dissection and research would be a violation of one’s bodily health. This illegal and immoral act doesn’t align with our society’s core values. Once discovered, we will not tolerate it.”
“Then I’m relieved.” Huo Xian showed a relieved smile before answering, “I had a complete physical examination while I was hospitalized, and everything was normal.”
“I see… Alright, I’ll have someone drive you home.”
…
Continuous use of his ability was extremely draining. Huo Xian had used it for a long time that day, especially when observing the robbers in the bank and determining their positions, causing a throbbing pain in his head. Even after arriving at the police station and using it for a while, he felt his brain was about to explode when he got home.
He went to bed without even having dinner, wanting to sleep. But his head felt like it was being pricked by needles. He finally drifted off, only to feel like his soul was being pulled by a powerful force—a strong suction pulling his soul away. With each part that was pulled, his body became heavier. He wanted to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds.
“Click”—a faint sound pulled Huo Xian from his dark nightmare. The moment his consciousness returned, he seemed to see a small gray sphere in his sea of consciousness absorbing thin white threads. In a blink of an eye, the gray sphere disappeared silently.
A hallucination?
Huo Xian quickly shifted his attention. Perhaps because he had slept, his head no longer hurt, though the sleep wasn’t restful. It was already night. When he opened his eyes, he couldn’t control his ability and immediately saw a sneaky figure in his father’s master bedroom upstairs. The person was crouching on the ground, a small flashlight in their mouth, quickly and steadily taking jewelry from the safe under the bedside table and putting it into an open bag next to them.
There weren’t many pieces of jewelry in the safe, but each one was priceless. The person didn’t leave immediately after taking all the jewelry; without hesitation, they continued searching the room.
They searched very thoroughly, as if they wanted to turn over every inch of the room and every inch of the walls, inch by inch. Their patience was also remarkable; they searched for half an hour without giving up, seemingly certain that there would be more to find in the room.
Sure enough, their persistence paid off; they found another hidden safe behind the TV cabinet.
Huo Xian reached out. The system thought he was going to get his phone to call the police, but he pulled out a sketchbook and pen from the bedside drawer.
[Host, what are you doing?] The system couldn’t help but ask.
Huo Xian: “Practicing my drawing skills.”
The system paused, reminding him: [A thief is stealing in your house upstairs.]
Huo Xian: “Yeah.”
System: […?] That’s it? Then what?
System: [The stolen goods are worth 12 million according to the prices in this world.]
“System, what time is it?” Huo Xian asked.
The system was confused but answered truthfully: [3:56 AM.]
“Got it.” After saying these three words, Huo Xian didn’t speak again, quietly “practicing his drawing skills.”
About five minutes later, the system reminded him again: [Host, the thief is leaving!]
Huo Xian: “Wait two more minutes; I’m almost finished with my drawing.”
The system wanted to say, “What time is it, you’re still drawing?”, but it soon realized that Huo Xian’s drawing was quite realistic. On the white paper of the sketchbook was a very lifelike drawing of a thin man in black clothes and a black hat, kneeling and reaching for something. The facial features were distinct; the crooked teeth in his open mouth were clearly visible. If color were added to this drawing, it would be incredibly realistic.
[Host, are you a painter?] The system had seen Huo Xian’s drawings before, and his current skill was vastly superior.
Huo Xian didn’t answer but asked, “Didn’t you check my detailed information before binding me?”
The system remained silent.
After a while, the system remembered the thief again, and a check revealed that the thief had already disappeared.
[Host, why did you let him escape?] The system asked in confusion.
Huo Xian tapped the sketchbook with his finger, calmly saying, “The person is here. He can’t escape.”
The system suddenly understood: [Host, you drew the thief!]
Huo Xian’s drawing was extremely lifelike; even comparing it directly to the police archives would easily identify the person. But he didn’t take the drawing to the police station; he seemed to have already forgotten about the theft.
He stayed home for two days. During that time, Fang Manyun, Anna, and Liu Xuesue all called him. He directly rejected Fang Manyun’s call. Anna’s first call was to thank him and invite him to dinner for saving her life. The second call was to tell him the auction was brought forward, confirming whether he would still attend. Huo Xian agreed to both, but he postponed the dinner until the day of the auction. Liu Xuesue’s intention was straightforward: she wanted to meet him and talk about what happened at the welcome banquet. Huo Xian also made an appointment with her, after the An family auction.
On the third night, before going to bed, Huo Xian instructed the system to wake him up if anyone entered the villa. The system didn’t know what he was planning, but after spending these days with him, it had realized that Huo Xian wasn’t an easily manipulated host, so it didn’t ask any questions.
At 1:30 AM, the system woke Huo Xian.
Huo Xian’s body was already awake, but his consciousness wasn’t yet clear, and the system had to remind him: [Host, the thief has gone to the master bedroom study and is about to find the safe behind the Swan Lake painting.]
“Yeah.” Huo Xian lazily responded.
If the system had a better understanding of human history and language, it might understand the meaning of “the emperor isn’t in a hurry, but the eunuch is”.
By the time Huo Xian finished waking up, took a baseball bat from the cabinet, and walked upstairs at a leisurely pace, the thief had already opened the second safe in the study. This safe contained cash, bundle after bundle—a spectacular sight.
When Huo Xian reached the study door, the system suddenly asked: [Host, did you know this thief would come back?]
Author’s Note: Huo Xian: System, guess?
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Thank you to little fairy “Wuzai Ke” for watering 1 nutrient solution and “windy Huashentear” for watering 1 nutrient solution. Sending hearts =3=