Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Plundering an S Level Superpower

Sue Lawrence jumped up and headed out. She couldn’t be bothered to drive to The Gilded Spire in the next city, so she simply picked a local gold shop, planning to buy the cheapest gold bar she could find.

But as soon as she stepped into the shop, a sharp sense of being watched felt like needles on her back.

Recalling what Mia Keller had told her, she relaxed. It seemed the private investigator sent by Jason Sterling had already started tailing her, silent and unseen.

So she pretended to browse, just looking without buying. She left that gold shop and went to another one. Only after confirming that this person was indeed the one following her did she turn, walk out, and drive away.

In her rearview mirror, a black sedan, so understated it was almost invisible, indeed started up and followed from a safe distance.

Sue Lawrence’s expression darkened completely.

In the past, she might have been more cautious, waiting at least two or three days to assess the situation. But now, she couldn’t even wait a single day.

Because tonight, she had to help her dad and older brother transport supplies to the mine. No one could know about this, especially not a private investigator sent by Jason Sterling.

With this in mind, she opened the car’s map. Her fingertip swiped across the screen, finally settling on a desolate lake in the wilderness. The location was remote, with no cell service and not a single camera in sight—a perfect no man’s land.

For the next few hours, Sue Lawrence initiated a meticulously planned game of cat and mouse.

She drove back and forth between the city and the suburbs, first parking at a mall for two hours. She ordered a milk tea and, from her window seat, used her [Perception] and [Cat’s Hearing] to get a crystal-clear picture of the investigator’s movements.

He consistently stayed over a hundred meters away, moved cautiously, never made phone calls, and communicated only via text. Clearly, he was a seasoned professional.

Once she confirmed he didn’t have a habit of making live calls, Sue Lawrence set off again. She circled around three times, even taking a break to go shopping and eat a meal, all to completely lull her pursuer into a false sense of security. Then, on her fourth trip toward the outskirts, she drove straight to the shore of the wild lake and parked.

In the northern winter, the afternoon wind was bone-chilling. A thin layer of fragile ice covered the lake, ready to shatter at the slightest touch. The withered, yellow grass underfoot crunched with a soft RUSTLE.

As Sue Lawrence got out of the car, she casually pulled a Bone-cutting Knife from the storage compartment. The blade was long, narrow, and sharp—something she had prepared specifically. It was now concealed by her thick down jacket, its deadly edge completely hidden.

She deliberately slowed her pace, walking step by step toward the dense pine forest by the lake. Here, the intertwining trees obstructed the line of sight. To avoid losing her, the investigator would have to close the distance.

The footsteps behind her were as light as falling leaves, but they couldn’t escape Sue Lawrence’s [Cat’s Hearing].

As she ventured deeper into the woods, the footsteps grew closer. Her [Perception] precisely tracked the distance between them: ten meters, nine, eight...

Sue Lawrence’s focus was razor-sharp. Her fingers gripped the knife’s hilt so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

This wasn’t her first time killing. The mountains of corpses and seas of blood from the apocalypse had long since hardened her heart. She wasn’t nervous, only focused, waiting for the perfect moment. The closer, the better. A single step away would be within range for a fatal blow.

But just as the distance closed to three meters, the investigator behind her suddenly let out a terrified gasp and turned to run.

"Taker! It’s a Taker!!"

The fear in his voice was almost palpable. A chill shot up Sue Lawrence’s spine as alarm bells blared in her mind. ’He knows I’m a "Taker"?!’

In the apocalypse, "Taker" was her greatest secret and most lethal label. Once exposed, she had no choice but to kill the person who knew. Otherwise, she would be the one to die.

Driven by instinct, Sue Lawrence whirled around and activated [cricket’s jumping power]. Her body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, crossing several meters in a second to land squarely in front of the investigator.

The investigator clearly hadn’t expected her to be so fast. His ordinary face was a mask of terror. In his panic, his foot slipped on the frost, and he tumbled to the ground with a THUD. He scrambled backward on all fours, letting out a pig-like squeal. "Taker, don’t come any closer! I—URK!!"

Sue Lawrence gave him no chance to speak. She pounced, pinning him to the ground with a knee to his spine, applying enough force to nearly break his bones. One hand clamped over his mouth, silencing his cries, while the other raised the Bone-cutting Knife. A cold glint of light flashed, and the blade cleanly sliced across his neck.

The surroundings fell abruptly silent, leaving only the gurgling gasps from the investigator’s throat. He struggled to turn his head, the terror in his eyes freezing into an eternal expression as life quickly faded from him.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Sue Lawrence activated her Skill: [Yours is mine!]

[Acquired Skills: A Level Anti-Reconnaissance Ability, C-class Self-defense Technique, C Level Professional Sanda, B Level Firearms, B Level Grappling Skill, B Level Tracking Skill, B Level Disguise Technique, A Level Observation Power, B Level Network Technology, Luck Value 100%!]

[Robbed Superpower: [Eye of Barrier Breaking] (S Level)!]

The string of Skill notifications sent a shiver down Sue Lawrence’s spine. ’Good thing I acted fast.’ The main reason she’d succeeded, however, was that the private investigator had been so terrified by her title as a Taker that he’d panicked, giving her the opening she needed. Otherwise, with his proficiency in firearms, Sanda, and other skills, she would have been the one to die if he’d been given time to react.

But she didn’t have time to examine these Skills in detail. Instead, she immediately started searching his body.

She found two GPS trackers, their indicator lights still blinking, clearly active. A miniature camera was hidden in his collar, the lens still slightly warm.

Sue Lawrence’s face instantly fell.

’The camera was on! That moment when the investigator yelled "Taker"—was it recorded? Has someone already seen it? Who could it be? Jason Sterling? Tiana Lynch? Or is there someone else watching me from the shadows?’

’If that video gets out...’

Her killing intent surged. She had originally planned to let Jason Sterling and his cohort "fatten up" before slowly shearing them for their wool, but now, it seemed she had no choice but to act early and eliminate them, root and stem.

But just as she was about to destroy the devices, her finger accidentally brushed against her phone. She saw the signal bars were empty and remembered—there was no reception here!

’The footage from the miniature camera couldn’t have been transmitted! It can only be stored on the internal memory card!’

The weight on Sue Lawrence’s heart instantly lifted. She immediately snapped the camera in two, removed the memory card, and crushed it viciously under her heel. Then she stuffed the GPS trackers into her pocket.

Thankfully, her caution in picking this signal dead zone had prevented any of her secrets from being exposed.

Only after confirming the investigator had no other listening or tracking devices on him did Sue Lawrence finally breathe a sigh of relief and turn her attention to the Superpower she had just plundered: [Eye of Barrier Breaking].

Compared to all the combat and reconnaissance Skills, this Superpower was the real unexpected prize.

[Eye of Barrier Breaking (S Level)]

’I can see the level of a Superpower now? Before, I could only see the levels of Skills.’

’An S Level Superpower!’

She eagerly read on.