Chapter 114: Gifted

Inside the confines of a portable military camp office, Kanon occupied one side of a small table while Michael sat across from her.

Their expressions were equally solemn, mirroring the weight of their discussion. Michael, in particular, radiated an air of seriousness . His posture was rigid, and the lines on his forehead etched deeper than usual, hinting at the significance of what he was about to say.

As Kanon studied him, she couldn't help but feel the tsion in the room, the unspok understanding that this conversation held the key to figuring out the answer she had be searching for.

"What do you know about the Whisperer?" she broke the silce. She had be searching for answers for a long time, but her efforts had hit a dead d.

Michael didn't respond immediately. He appeared to be deep in thought, carefully considering his words.

"Do you believe in the supernatural?" he inquired.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "But there are things I can't explain, things I've se ..."

Michael nodded, as if he had expected her answer. Th, he leaned in closer, his expression more serious than before.

"Don't worry, supernaturals don't really exist. Things like vampires and werewolves are nothing more than products of our imagination," he assured her, his tone attempting to dispel her concerns.

"But what about the Whisperer? No matter how much I investigate, I can't find a logical explanation for how he pushes people to commit suicide. I thought maybe he used blackmail to drive its victims to that point, but after thorough investigation, I found no evidce of that," she explained, her frustration appart.

Despite being a skilled detective, she remained perplexed by the elusive nature of the Whisperer's crimes.

"I told you that supernaturals don't exist in this world, but something close to it does. Honestly, I'm not supposed to reveal this, as it's highly classified information. So, before I continue, I want to extd an invitation for you to join our team," Michael explained, his voice carrying the weight of secrecy.

He reached into his pocket and retrieved something, th handed it to Kanon.

It was a plain black card with nothing on it.

At 30%, "Gifted" could influce their own bodies, becoming physically stronger than the average person by controlling the chemicals within their bodies, among other effects. There were various types of abilities that could emerge from unlocking more than 30% of the brain, and these were just a few of the common effects.

However, "Gifted" who reached 40% brain capacity were considered highly dangerous, as they posed a significant threat to humanity.

The more powerful a "Gifted" became, the more uncontrollable their abilities and state of mind is.

Cases of extreme violce, a lack of guilt, diminished self-awaress, multiple personality disorder, and various other psychological disorders were common among these individuals. As a result, strict regulation and, in extreme cases, imprisonmt were deemed necessary measures to prevt them from causing harm to others.

"Is this true?" Kanon was rdered speechless, her mind a little bit disorited from what she had just experice and saw.

"That's right. To be honest, you're also a 'Gifted,' Kanon. The case we worked on was, in fact, my way of assessing whether you posed a danger to society or not. After determining that your ability is limited to simulating crime sces, I simply cleared you," Michael explained, a mix of relief and reassurance in his tone.

"Th why are you telling me this just now?" she inquired.

"Ev if we hadn't met here, I was still planning to recruit you," Michael replied. "Your abilities are improving, ar't they? We need people like you in the organization to help regulate other 'Gifted.'"

"Can I back out?" she asked, her uncertainty evidt. The word "regulate" had already giv her an idea of what this organization was about, and it left her with doubts.

"You can, but we would have to erase all your memories about CEREBRUM,"

"So Cerebrum can erase memories as well," Kanon mused, a resigned sigh escaping her lips. The concept of memory erasure suddly seemed less shocking, especially giv that they had the capability to transmit information directly to her mind through the card she was currtly holding.

"Don't underestimate the power of the mind, Kanon. There are people in this world who can harness their mtal abilities to such an extreme degree that you might perceive them as more than human—almost like monsters. You have a choice here.

You can either join us, learn the truth about the world, and become part of something greater, or you can back out and live your life in blissful ignorance, never knowing the reality that exists beath the surface."

"What will you choose?" he inquired.