After the last s.h.i.+pment of materials, the girls didn't need to spend much time with him. They just checked on him once in a while, then he sent them to sleep. Once he was finished and reactivated the micro-factory, he took a quick shower and went to the driving c.o.c.kpit. Lu had gone to his bed, and after the events of the previous day, he didn't feel clean enough to share a bed with her.

Sleep had been elusive despite his tiredness, the ma.s.sacre of the day and the final execution often replaying in his mind. He tried to distract himself by thinking of what he could do to protect himself and the girls from non-standard paranormal abilities, and manipulations ones. Someone able to control magnetism would be incredibly dangerous if it was an enemy. Someone able to downright control machines would royally screw him over. While hed doubted a low level paranormal could take control of something as advanced as the Sta.r.s.eed, there could also be someone with the ability to steal it from him.

He asked the Sta.r.s.eed if it was possible to defend against paranormal abilities, and the answer lied with the mutant beasts cores.

Zhuying and Qingping had used their abilities near him enough for the Sta.r.s.eed to have aquired basic readings about their bio-energy. Every abilities were powered by the bio-energy, and there were slight differences in the bio-energy readings depending on the ability type (enhancement, transformation and manipulation). To defend against an ability, the bio-energy had to be disrupted. And only another bio-energy could do so.

The only thing containing the appropriate bio-energy aside from the paranormal were the mutant beasts cores.

They could be used to make a field of bio-energy that would weaken or negate a paranormal ability, especially if it was a manipulation type. For those, the bio-energy had to be used outside the body. For those with physical abilities, the effect would be minimal, as it was difficult to affect the bio-energy within a person. When Zhuying struck Blood Wolf with lightning, aside from his own body toughness, his bio-energy also clashed with Zhuying's as it tried to enter his body.

He would need more than one core for that. One would have to be fused with another material, then turned into threads woven in the armor of the vehicle, to channel the energy into a protective field. To make something like a faraday cage. The other would be the key component of the field generator, providing the bio-energy.

Unfortunatly, level 1 mutant beasts core were to weak for that, unless he had at least 7 of them to spare. Furthermore, if the power of the paranormal exceeded the power of the core, the field would collapse, and the backlash could damage the whole system. Finally, such a field couldn't be constantly activated, as it would put some strain in the core and deplete it at a fast rate.

While the Sta.r.s.eed could detect paranormal energy, it wasn't precise enough. He would need specialised sensors to instantly detect paranormal ability use, espcially one targeted toward him and his vehicles, and thus activate the proper defense. Such detector, like the field generator, would require mutant beasts core as material.

There was another possibility to fight paranormal abilities. The Sta.r.s.eed could absorb the energy, but even that would be extremely limited without a proper medium. With Blood Wolf and the woman, it was possible only because they had died. The energy was too strongly tied to its living generator, but after its death, it would be free.

'I'd better have a working solution before lv2 paranormals start to pop up. Right now, no matter how dangerous the abilities may be, they are still limited in power and scale. Caution and quick reactions can deal with them before too much damage is done. Afterward though...'

A faint noise in the living module brough him out of his thinking. When he looked there, he saw someone moving toward him.

As she got close, he recognised his sister. She was wearing the s.h.i.+rt she had left in her appartment with a message for him, and a thong. The s.h.i.+rt was old and too small for her so it hugged her figure quite closely. She didn't wear a bra so the shape of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and nipples were quite clear. At any other time, he would have been aroused by the sight. But his mood was too low for that, and her worried expression didn't help.

"Brother? What are you doing there? Why didn't you come to bed?"

"I had a lot on my mind and couldn't sleep."

"I see" she said as she stopped behind his shoulder. "Since things changed, we had to deal with a few unpleasant situations. Disputes with other groups, or having to leave some people to a bad fate. We never had to cross the line like yesterday. Still, because we had to deal with unpleasants people, we were quite aware of the possibility. You didn't."

She got on her knees to the seat next to him and took him in her embrace. He didn't resist, he was too tired to protest, and he needed it.

"You did nothing wrong, brother. You're a good man."

He finally relaxed. Truly relaxed, and returned the embrace.

"I know that. That doesn't make it any less unpleasant... Thanks."

"Anything for you" she replied, then they separated a little. "You should got to bed and sleep. You need it."

"It's too late for that. Or rather, too early. I want to be done with our business in the area and go back to the camp. Then, I'll be able to sleep."

She nodded and relucanty left him. She went to take a shower, and the activity woke up the sisters. They greeted each other, but the mood was still subdued. They were still a little tired, and Lius.h.i.+ guessed their night wasn't peaceful. Just like the previous night, Xiaotian seemed more distant. But not Lu.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"I'm fine. I can handle it" she replied with a tired smile. "What about you?"

"I'll get better..." he hesitated before continuing. "Xiaotian?" he asked in a whisper.

"That was too much violence for her" she said in an equaly low voice, after releasing a sight. "You know she's a kind girl. Part of the reason she has been holding on so well is you. Because of the kindness you've shown to her. And yesterday, she saw you kill people. She saw you execute someone who was already down."

Lius.h.i.+ winced.

"You were her new pillar, and the image she had of you has been shattered. She is afraid of you" she said with a sad simile. "We talked a little. She knows that you had little choice, but she is still shocked. Please give her a little time" she finished, almost begging.

"Sure."

She smile, gave his hand a gentle squeeze, gave him a peck on the cheek and left him. He left the truck to see how Qingping, Zhang Hai and Sun Kun were doing. They had spent the night in the warehouse, in comfortable sleeping bags provided by him. They woke up when they heard him, apparently having become light sleepers. A quick talk told him that they handled the previous day events as well as the little sisters.

They all gathered outside the truck for breakfast. After that, the 3 of them got to use the bathroom. During that time, some of the items he had the factory make were finished. The drone was also sent out to scout the surroundings before they left. He wanted to see if the nearby factories had anything usable, and there was also the base of the b.l.o.o.d.y Wolves to locate and plunder.

They left in the middle of the morning. The sky overhead was getting cloudy, and they could feel that a storm, or at least a big rain, was coming. They didn't take long to reach the b.l.o.o.d.y Wolves base, the drone having found it before. It was a villa to the north of the industrial park.

When they got there, there were only 2 guards presents at the gates, who hastly surrendered when they saw the minigun pop on top of the armored car. They were allowed to flee, but without their weapons. Lu and Xiaotian stayed in the truck while the others got out. The main door of the villa was locked with a thick lock and chains. Lius.h.i.+ fired on the chain with his shotgun to break it, his gear protecting him from possible ricochets and metal shards. They heard a few scream of fear coming from girls within, but they stopped quickly.

They looked at each other, already guessing what they would find inside. Because the place was locked from outside, they knew that there would be no gang members inside.

Zhang Hai kicked the door open, followed by Sun Kun and Qingping. Lius.h.i.+ and Zhuying entered last. There were more than a dozen women gathered in the main room of the villa. Some looked at them in panic, keeping themselves from screaming with their hands on their mouths. The others were sitting still against the wall, their eyes numbs, with confused expressions.

Qingping and Zhuying took sharp breath when they saw the state of the women. Zhang Hai sighted while lowering his head a little. Sun Kun had paled a little. Lightly shaking his head, Lius.h.i.+ moved in front of the group to adress the women.

"Ladies, as I'm sure you can guess, we aren't part of the b.l.o.o.d.y Wolves. Rest a.s.sured, they are no more. They attacked us yesterday, and we exterminated them. Blood Wolf, that little werewolf wannabe, is dead."

"... Is that true?" a teenage girl with haggard eyes asked.

She trembled when Lius.h.i.+ met her while raising his shotgun for all to see.

"I personally put a big hole in the back of his head."

The girls were surprised and even skeptical at first. But looking at the others members of the groups, how they seemed to defer to him, and how he seemed to have the best equipment they had seen since the outbreak, they accepted his words as truth.