Chapter 445 - 322: Seen Through
The place where Elder Woods lived was very remote, yet perfectly serene. This fit with what Marcus Monroe knew of him—that he was dedicated to his Cultivation and rarely saw outsiders.
After getting out of the car, he was led into the courtyard by the driver.
The area was quite spacious. The open ground in front of the main house alone was over a hundred square meters, but nothing was planted there. Only a few decorative rocks shaped like miniature mountains were placed about, making it feel even more vast.
Marcus Monroe glanced at the fallen leaves at his feet and paused for a moment. ’Wasn’t this man supposed to be obsessed with cleanliness? How could he leave these here, unswept?’ The thought flashed through his mind, and he quickly caught up with the person in front of him.
The driver didn’t enter the house. He simply announced from the open doorway, "Elder, your guest has arrived."
A moment later, an aged voice called from within. "Come in."
The driver immediately nodded at Marcus Monroe, gesturing for him to enter, then backed away.
Marcus Monroe watched his back disappear before turning and walking inside.
The room inside was also very spacious, but the lighting was poor. Sconces on the side walls provided a dim, yellowish glow, making everyone look hazy and indistinct.
Marcus Monroe looked at the old man sitting in the seat of honor. His hair and beard were completely white, and his features held a hint of haggardness. Marcus was inwardly startled. Although he knew the man was over seventy, the higher a Superpower User’s rank, the less they showed their age. For someone like Elder Woods to look so perfectly his age was, in fact, rather strange.
But these thoughts passed in the blink of an eye. He had already approached, bowing slightly.
"I apologize for the impromptu visit and for disturbing your Cultivation."
Elder Woods waved a hand. "Have a seat."
Marcus Monroe chose a seat to the side and sat down. He didn’t speak immediately, remaining silent.
This was actually quite rude. As the junior and the one who had requested the meeting, he should have been the first to state his purpose. But Marcus Monroe simply sat there calmly, not saying a word.
There was something he needed to confirm.
After a long moment, the other person, as expected, couldn’t hold back any longer. "Is there something you came for?"
Only then did Marcus Monroe slowly turn his head. "I was wondering if you were already aware of the situation at Harborcrest Base."
Elder Woods’ gaze seemed to drift toward the doorway. "If you have something to say, you might as well say it directly."
"Very well, then I’ll be blunt. I hope you can step in to mediate the current stalemate in Southreach and urge the major families, including the Woods Family, to assist The Government in deploying troops to eliminate the Zombies infesting Harborcrest Base as soon as possible."
His words were very impolite, and Elder Woods’ expression immediately soured. He gave Marcus Monroe a dark look. "I’m just a decrepit old man. I never meddle in political affairs. You’ve come to the wrong person for this."
"Is that so..."
Marcus Monroe met his gaze, his own eyes sharp, and retorted word by word, "Is that what you think, or what the real Elder Woods thinks?"
The other person’s eyes flickered. Before he could slam the table in anger and reprimand him, Marcus Monroe was no longer in his seat.
His figure moved like a phantom. In the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance to the main seat, his hand forcefully clamping down on "Elder Woods’" neck!
"Insolent!"
Hearing the rage-filled voice, Marcus Monroe chuckled softly.
"You put on a good act. But if the real Elder Woods were here, he wouldn’t have just said the word ’insolent’—he would have attacked directly."
"I heard Captain Monroe was a benevolent man, which is why I dragged my ailing body to meet you. I never thought..."
Marcus Monroe cut him off, his voice deepening. "Are you sure you want to keep pretending?" As he spoke, he immediately applied a bit of pressure with his hand.
"Elder Woods’" breathing grew noticeably ragged. After a moment of silence, he shrieked in a high-pitched voice, "Let go of me!"
Marcus Monroe couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. ’That voice... it’s clearly a young girl’s!’
He instinctively tightened his grip on the person’s neck, twisted, and hurled them from the chair. He didn’t hold back, and they crashed hard onto the floor.
Instantly, "Elder Woods" began to shrink. In the blink of an eye, the old man transformed into a young girl. The robe that had fit perfectly before now hung loosely on her frame. The unconcealable terror in the girl’s eyes was plain to see. She pushed herself up, trying to flee, but before she could, a flash of white light shot toward her chest!
The girl’s eyes widened in horror, certain she was about to die. But after the white light faded, she felt no pain.
She couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. Sitting on the floor, she touched her chest under Marcus Monroe’s mocking gaze. Only then did she discover that her outer robe had been sliced open, a foot-long tear, but her inner clothes were completely untouched.
Her open mouth slowly closed, and her expression grew calm.
At that moment, she understood completely. ’Against someone who can control their superpower with such precision, escape is absolutely impossible!’
’Besides, where could I even run?’
"How did you see through me?" the girl asked as she slowly got to her feet.
Her superpower was shapeshifting, an art she had perfected long ago. Even with a stranger, she only needed a moment of contact to create a nearly perfect imitation, let alone someone she knew well.
The reason she dared to meet Marcus Monroe was that she had already successfully deceived her own father, Keegan Woods, the head of the Woods Family. She never imagined that after fooling her own family, she would be exposed by a stranger!
Marcus Monroe wasn’t too surprised by this dramatic turn of events.
While a shapeshifting superpower was rare, he had seen it before. There had once been a Superpower User like this around Shawn Monroe.
A pity... "The form is easy to mimic, but the spirit is not. A Tenth Rank Superpower User is not so easily impersonated."
The girl stood stunned for a long moment, then it dawned on her.
’So that’s how it was!’
’I was able to fool my father, Keegan Woods, precisely because he’s my grandfather’s son. He’s so familiar with his father’s appearance that his preconceived notions told him it was his father the moment he saw me. That’s why he didn’t doubt my lie about a Cultivation mishap causing internal injuries. But an outsider is different. He wasn’t familiar with my grandfather’s face, so he was more concerned with his actual power...’
’With that being the case, it would have been a miracle if I wasn’t exposed!’
No matter how flawless her physical transformation was, the vast difference in power was impossible to hide.
The girl let out a long sigh and sat down in one of the side chairs.
Marcus Monroe also sat down. Looking at the girl sitting there quietly, he could easily see a faint resemblance between her features and the Elder Woods she had just been impersonating. Judging by her age, she couldn’t be twenty yet. ’She’s probably Elder Woods’ granddaughter or great-granddaughter...’
’The current situation is quite delicate!’
All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind, and he suddenly realized this was an opportunity he could make full use of.
After a moment, he said nonchalantly, "Elder Woods... he’s already passed away, hasn’t he..."
Although his tone at the end made it sound like a question, he wasn’t asking. He was stating a fact.
The girl fought for control, but her back still went rigid. Her hands gripped the armrests of the chair, and all the color drained from her face.