Chapter 34 - The Confession
"Oh, hello." Levi shook her hand and said, "I believe you are Madam Fengzhi'Mao."
He knew that she was Feng Ling's contracted nightcrawler as it was known information, but he didn't remember seeing her anywhere close before.
Mao seemed to have figured it out from his reaction and murmured, 'I guess you were too drugged to remember.'
Before Levi could respond, Feng Ling came through the door with one woman and one man on his side.
They were wearing black outfits with light stripes on the shoulders and the waist. They had a police-like hat on with a symbol in front.
The same symbol was on their vest's chest and their pants, near a belt with attached five bags.
On the right side of their pants, they carried a wooden Paige pistol with millions of tiny inscriptions.
One look was all it took for anyone to feel their authoritative presence; the presence that came with working for the government.
"Othman, Samira, I have this covered."
Feng Ling waved his hand at them and the two saluted by tapping three fingers on their chest. Then, they exited, waiting outside the room.
"Arthur."
"Yep, see you shortly."
Arthur stood up and exited the room, leaving his brother alone with Feng Ling.
After he walked away, Levi watched as Feng Ling approached him with a tint of astonishment, gazing at his overwhelming but controlled spiritual aura. It was gray and moved akin to the wind in the middle of spring.
While it was nowhere near 1% of the horrific Ash'Kral's scarlet aura, it still made Levi understand that Feng Ling was a master of his craft.
Sensing a peculiar gaze on him, Feng Ling raised an eyebrow in surprise as he stared at Levi's scorched marks underneath his messy hair.
"You can see me?" Feng Ling asked straightaway.
"Only your spiritual aura." Levi answered politely.
"Interesting."
Feng Ling stood in front of Levi and made a number with his hand. Then, he waved it while asking him if he could see what he was doing.
"You are making a peace sign and waving it in a semicircle." Levi shared.
This left both Mao and Feng Ling amazed, understanding that none of this was normal. Not even a Warden Daywalker was capable of seeing other people's spiritual auras as it needed an undisputed level of hard work and talent to iron one's spiritual vision to this degree.
Yet, a teenage kid without any enhancement to his spiritual prowess or energy was already at that level.
"You are quite gifted." Feng Ling complimented, "If you were to become a Daywalker, I highly suggest you choose the psyche specialization."
"Thank you, but..." Levi suddenly lifted his head in a daze, "You think I can become one?"
This was the first time in his life he heard someone encourage him to become a Daywalker despite his disadvantaged position. Everyone else either laughed at him, mocked him, or discouraged him, fearing that he might get hurt.
"Why not?" Feng Ling walked to the window and gazed into the distance, "In my home region in the far East, I have seen much stranger miracles."
"You might not have eyes and this will affect your chances greatly with nightcrawlers', but I am certain that despite anyone's condition, there is always a nightcrawler with the set of skills that weaponize their 'supposed' weakness." He paused, "I have seen it with my own eyes."
"Thank you...You have no idea how much I needed to hear that." Levi smiled in appreciation.
Although he was already a Daywalker, he still felt a wave of security washing over him at the idea that someone like Feng Ling believed in him.
"Now, let's get this over with so we can get you discharged."
Feng Ling turned around and brought two chairs, helping Levi sit on one and then sitting in front of him.
He brought out a holographic screen and asked calmly, "First, was your Neuralens device on during the incident?"
"Yes, but I wasn't utilizing its scanning capabilities to save on battery." Levi answered, "I didn't know how long we would remain in the forest, so I was being cautious."
"I see." Feng Ling nodded.
He didn't think much of what Levi did as he knew that there was a massive difference between recording with the lens and the device's scanning abilities.
The lens wasted almost no energy since it was visual feedback, but using a scan was different. The device had to scan every single rock, twig, drop of water, and the rest of the details to paint a vivid scene for Levi...This devoured a great quantity of energy.
Of course, there were many roundabouts to avoid this and still use visual input like wearing glasses with a tiny camera linked to the device, or such.
But Feng Ling didn't ask Levi about them as he knew that it was the smartest thing Levi could do.
If it was up to him, he would also get rid of the lens that was recording every detail of his life and storing it. Even if there were many measures to protect his privacy, he still hated this sensation of being monitored at all times.
Unlike everyone else, Levi had an actual excuse to not wear the lens. One could say, it was one of the few things being blind in this era was good for.
Thus, he moved on from this subject and continued his questioning, "Share with me your experience in the Harrowing Forest."
"With pleasure." Levi nodded, willing to cooperate.
Levi went on and narrated almost every single detail from the moment he met Shia and even mentioned their deal as he knew that Shia and the others couldn't lie about it even if they wanted.
Of course, his contract with Shia involved this exception, so she wouldn't suffer from the consequences of breaching the contract.
Everyone participating in the forest had their data of the incident breached by the investigation squad to find out if there were any Sleepwalkers or Fallen Daywalkers amongst them.
While this was a huge breach of privacy, no one but the investigation squad had the right to the data. They were also under contractual obligations to keep it to themselves unless the mentioned data was used for the investigation.
Feng Ling merely kept listening to him while scratching his messy beard, uncaring about him possessing information on Blee'der's species Tier 3 perfect evolution.
He didn't even react much when he heard that Levi went this far to secure a recommendation letter to join the Assembly...It was like he expected this much from him.
However, when Levi finally reached the finale and mentioned the creepy-looking Ash'Kral, Feng Ling fixed his posture immediately.
"You saw him too?" He asked solemnly.
"Yes, it's hard to forget him when he is one of the ugliest entities I have ever seen in my life." Levi didn't hesitate to trash-talk Ash'Kral, still heated over the tattoo.
"Did you see what he did to the spiders or Lurker Queen? Or were you passed out like the others?" Feng Ling inquired.
"Matter of fact, I did." Levi confessed.
Feng Ling and Mao were taken aback by his response. They immediately leaned closer, their expressions turning as serious as they could be.
"Tell us everything, spare no detail," Mao said.
"All I remember is that Tier 3 nightcrawler piercing my stomach with a log and throwing me back to my friends. After a few moments, I find myself all healed and waking up to the sight of that creepy entity standing inside the Solar Dome."
"Inside the Solar Dome?" Feng Ling narrowed his eyes, "Did he seem hurt? Burnt, anything?"
"I don't know, I can only see his spiritual aura, and it was beyond terrifying."
Levi shook a bit, feeling a chill coursing down his spine at the memory of Ash'Kral scarlet aura...Seeing his natural response, Feng Ling and Mao could tell that he was being truthful.
"If you were to compare my aura with him, how big is the difference?"
Feng Ling unchained the limits on his aura, allowing it to run wild. Levi showed an astonished look as he gazed at Feng Ling's spiritual aura spinning around him like an apocalyptic hurricane. Compared to other Daywalkers, Feng Ling was clearly in a different realm.
Yet...
"I am impressed, but not terrified." Levi responded truthfully, "Is that enough of a description?"