If she left him alone and he fell into the hands of the wrong people, this child could easily be turned into a living weapon. Worse still, the higher his ability level climbed, the harder it would be to deal with him. Only those with exceptionally high mental capacity, or those possessing mental-defense abilities capable of protecting their mental landscape, would stand a chance of resisting his control. Everyone else would be nothing more than puppets.

But then another, far more terrifying thought crossed her mind.

Would his ability be limited to humans?

What if... it could also be used on zombies?

The possibility sent a sharp thrill through her veins, mixed with an unmistakable sense of dread. She felt as though she had discovered a priceless treasure, and at the same time, unearthed a catastrophe waiting to happen. Especially since the boy had mild autism; if his mental state were ever twisted or manipulated in the future, the consequences would be unimaginable.

This was not just potential.

This was danger wrapped in innocence.

’What should I do? Should I take him under my wing this early, before any mishap can occur, before the worst becomes inevitable?’ The question lingered in her mind as Kisha studied the child. She wouldn’t know the answer unless she tried. Perhaps the first person she needed to speak to was the boy’s guardian, his grandfather.

Her gaze shifted to the old man, who was busy packing. Still, this was not something she could address openly. There were too many people around, too many ears. One careless word could put the boy’s life in danger. Human hearts were fickle things, easily swayed by greed, and once that seed took root, no one could predict how far someone might go. The child could become a target, used, exploited, or twisted to serve another’s ambition.

Discretion was necessary. She would speak to the old man privately.

If she sensed the same dangerous ambition in him, then Kisha would have no choice but to intervene, remove the child from his side, and raise him close to herself. And if, one day, the boy turned against her in an attempt to avenge his grandfather... then she would have no other choice but to harden her heart and deal with that as well.

After all, it was far better to eliminate potential danger early than to allow it the time to grow.

But as much as possible, Kisha didn’t want to be so heartless as to silence a child. She could only hope that this seemingly kind old man was truly kind at heart. While she waited for him to finish packing, her mind raced with countless possibilities, and she found herself struggling to steady her breathing.

"Um... old man..." Kisha began, her voice betraying a nervous tremor. She hadn’t even noticed that her hands had started to get clammy. The boy seemed to sense her unease; he looked up at her, and Kisha felt her heart lurch into her throat.

It wasn’t fear of the boy that gripped her; it was the uncertainty of what the outcome might be. At this moment, she had the highest ’Mental Capacity’ of anyone around, so she wasn’t worried that someone could outmatch her mentally or invade her mind to read her thoughts; those things were impossible for now. Still... the unknown weighed heavily on her.

"Yes, City Lord? Is there anything else, or any additional instructions?" The old man asked, a wide grin spreading across his face as he hummed softly, continuing to pack the candies and neatly placing the finished bundles into a paper bag. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Do you have a moment after this? I have something I’d like to discuss..." Kisha said, glancing at the boy, who had now returned to cutting the wrapper film. Seeing her watching his grandson so intently, as if she had much to say, the old man immediately sensed that her discussion likely concerned the boy.

He paused, studying her carefully, trying to decipher her intentions. He couldn’t read her mind from her expression alone, so he took a deep breath and considered the situation. After a moment, he reasoned that Kisha, as the Base’s City Lord, was not only strong but also wise and just.

Surely, she meant no harm, and what she wanted to discuss might even benefit his grandson. With that thought, he nodded.

Seeing him nod, Kisha finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. She waited patiently as the old man packed the candies one by one, and nearly twenty minutes passed before he finished. He was just about to lead her to a more secluded spot, leaving the boy behind to watch over the stall, when Kisha hesitated.

After learning of the child’s potential, of what he might awaken into one day, she no longer felt comfortable leaving him alone, even for a moment. She wasn’t the only one capable of appraising things... or people.

If someone like that existed within the base, someone sharp enough to notice the boy’s abnormality, or worse, someone lying in wait for the moment he was left unattended, Kisha didn’t want to imagine the consequences.

She wasn’t trying to be pessimistic. She simply refused to be careless.

Having stumbled and fallen too many times in her past lives, she had learned to always account for the worst-case scenario. Playing it safe wasn’t paranoia; it was survival.

"Um... let’s just bring the boy with us. It concerns him, after all. He might not fully understand what we’re about to discuss, but it’s better to involve him and hear his opinion than to leave him behind. I’m sure our base isn’t so chaotic that someone could pull anything shady in your stall, especially with so many City Patrol guards around the city and the market..." Kisha said.

After sharing her thoughts, she waited for the old man’s response. She hadn’t spelled everything out, but she was confident he understood that this was serious and it concerned his grandson.

Since he cared for the boy so deeply, she trusted he would take it seriously. All she could do now was gamble that he understood, and if he didn’t, she would have no choice but to be direct.

"Alright, I’ll listen to the City Lord. In fact, my grandson doesn’t like being left behind either; he gets anxious..." the old man said, giving a small, reluctant shrug. He then bent down and extended his hand to his grandson, silently asking him to come along. The boy obeyed without protest.

Kisha let out a quiet sigh of relief as she followed the old man and the boy to a more secluded part of the area.

As soon as they stopped, Kisha took a deep breath and looked first at the boy, then at the old man. She wasn’t sure whether she should tell him exactly what she had discovered and what she intended to do; after all, he was the child’s guardian and had the right to know. But what if, after hearing her, it sparked ambition in him? Ambition that might not be good for the boy, or for her base?

It wasn’t that she wanted to claim the moral high ground, as if her intentions were automatically the most righteous. But in this day and age, everyone prioritizes their own interests, and there was no reason to think the old man would be any different. The difference, she realized, was that she could at least control herself; she wouldn’t use the boy for anything malicious.

"City Lord, please, speak your mind..." The old man, sensing her inner turmoil, chose to speak first, giving Kisha the space to gather her thoughts. He could tell she was struggling to find the right words, her mind already racing ahead to all the things that might happen.

She hadn’t said anything, yet he could see it, after all, he had lived decades longer than her. Worrying for others was natural for someone like her, burdened with the well-being of so many people who depended on her, far beyond her own life.

He could understand if Kisha harbored doubts or was being overly cautious. Although he felt that her caution was, in part, directed at him, and while that stung slightly, he didn’t resent her. He understood that she needed to be careful, to always think ahead of everyone else, even if it meant questioning those around her.

In fact, he almost felt sorry for her; it must be exhausting to carry that constant vigilance. But that was the burden of leadership, keeping everyone safe, even at the cost of personal assurance. It was also understandable that she didn’t trust him yet.

After all, this was their first meeting; he was just a fleeting figure in her life, with no reason yet to believe in his character. If he wanted her trust, he had to earn it, and he was willing to take the first step. He would listen, follow her instructions, and prove that he could be relied upon.