Chapter 575 - 565: Sound Source Pollution 17

After they checked out at the register, they could still feel a faint, persistent stare from behind them.

But once the two had left, the customers who had cleared out the grains aisle returned and put everything they had snatched back on the shelves.

Even when employees came out, they couldn’t stop them.

’Are you kidding me? This supermarket is notoriously expensive. We can’t afford to shop here on our meager salaries, let alone buy this much stuff.’

’As for getting reimbursed by our superiors, we could forget about that. The paperwork alone could take two months, with no guarantee of success.’

’We’d have starved to death by then.’

’Besides, even if we could get reimbursed, that would only be if the mission succeeded.’

Faced with the choice between emptying their life savings and going hungry for a while, or risking the embarrassment of getting caught putting the items back, they decisively chose the latter.

’So what if it’s a little embarrassing? Compared to money, it’s nothing.’

Meanwhile, since they had bought so much, the pair borrowed the shopping cart they had been using from the supermarket.

The supermarket staff certainly weren’t going to refuse well-off customers like Hugh Finch and Moira Lynch, especially since they were staying at the hotel right next door.

"We can have a staff member help you back to the hotel. That will save you both the trip."

"Okay," Hugh Finch replied, giving them the room number.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch both looked in the same direction.

In the direction they were looking, a young man was walking toward them.

At a time when everyone had to wear headphones or earplugs to go outside, this man’s ears were completely bare.

He wore a faded T-shirt and jeans, with a pair of flip-flops on his feet.

Of course, it wasn’t his clothes that caught their attention; after all, everyone has the freedom to dress as they please.

What drew their attention was the faint killing intent emanating from the man.

Their intuition told them he was coming for them.

"Well, well, what have we here? Some young master and missy? Instead of hiding at home, you’re out at a time like this, and with so many things."

The young man walked over with a smirk, all but wearing a sign that said, ’I’m up to no good and looking for trouble.’

After getting a clear look at Moira Lynch’s and Hugh Finch’s faces, a flicker of greed flashed through the young man’s eyes.

’With looks this good, I could probably sell them for a hefty sum.’

’I can’t believe my luck. To just wander around and stumble upon two prizes like this.’

’And thinking about what happened this morning... If this weren’t the wrong time and place, I’d throw my head back and roar with laughter. I really am the legendary Chosen One, the protagonist of this world!’

’To him, rich kids like Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch were the easiest to deal with. All you had to do was intimidate them a bit, drop a little hint, and they’d immediately cough up some cash to make the problem go away.’

’So, in his eyes, Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch were little more than walking ATMs.’

With that thought, the young man sidled up to Hugh Finch and said in a tone laced with threat, "Little Master, it must be fate that we met today. I’ve decided we’re friends now. But, uh, your new friend is a little tight on cash lately..."

As he spoke, the young man reached out to sling an arm around Hugh’s shoulders.

But before his hand could touch Hugh’s shoulder, he was sent flying backward more than ten meters.

The one who had acted wasn’t Hugh, but Moira Lynch, standing beside him.

The staff member standing nearby stared, mouth agape in shock. What shocked him even more, however, was the conversation that followed.

"Let me handle things like this from now on," Hugh Finch said in disapproval. ’I have to be faster next time,’ he thought, reflecting on his own reaction.

Moira Lynch casually brushed some non-existent dust off her leg. "You can’t kick them as far as I can," she stated simply.

Hugh Finch: ... He had no response to that.

After a moment.

"Fair point."

The young man who had been sent flying struggled in agony on the ground, unable to get back up.

The searing pain in his abdomen made his face flush, and he found it difficult to even speak.

’He never imagined that a girl who looked so small and thin could be that strong.’

After struggling on the ground for what felt like an eternity, the pain finally began to subside.

He slowly got to his feet. Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch were long gone from their original spot. When he focused his eyes, he saw their figures less than a hundred meters from the hotel.

Seeing the pair chatting and laughing on their way, with the employee acting so respectfully toward them, a sudden rage ignited in the young man’s heart.

A single thought echoed in his mind: ’Kill them.’

’Only that could wash away the humiliation they had inflicted upon him!’

As the rage surged within him, flames actually began to erupt from the young man’s body.

The flames burned hotter and hotter, quickly engulfing him until he became a figure of fire, his clothes and shoes incinerated to ash.

His transformation complete, the young man shot off into the distance.

The man who had been monitoring from the shadows watched the youth’s transformation with wide eyes.

"A Chosen One!"

He then turned to the person beside him and said, "Quick, stop him! I’m going to report this to my superiors!"

The man’s lips trembled as he spoke.

He never imagined they would discover a Chosen One here.

In truth, another illness had appeared at the same time as the "noise sickness."

Sufferers would develop a high fever, and the mortality rate was extremely high.

Research had shown that no existing medicine was effective against these symptoms, with the sole exception of the medicine from that one Master.

However, there was a catch: while those who couldn’t endure the illness would die, anyone who managed to survive it would awaken a special ability.

Scientists called these people the Chosen Ones.

It was as if these people had been selected by a god. The high fever was a trial; those who failed died, while those who succeeded received a divine reward.

The general public didn’t know about this yet. Once a Chosen One was discovered, they were to be forcibly brought under control.

Research had shown that some of the abilities these Chosen Ones acquired were extremely dangerous.

Take the man of fire right in front of him, for example.

Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch, of course, felt the heat coming from behind them. In fact, they had known he was an Awakener from the very beginning.

Ever since Hugh Finch had healed the person who failed to awaken, they had suspected as much.

If there were people who failed to awaken, then there must be those who succeeded.