Pink color began fading in Prism-Eyeâs uniform as his eyes glowed with the same light, focusing intently on the bound guard.
A pink glow appeared around the guard as well, and soon the guardâs face changed to a dull state, having finally fallen under Prism-Eyeâs powers.
"Do you know who he is?" Prism-Eye asked, pointing to Ning who sat on a chair nearby in the same room.
"Blackfang," the guard said in an eerie tone to his voice. It almost sounded as if his words were perfectly overlapped on his own voice, making for two voices that somehow spoke at the same time.
Prism-Eye raised an eyebrow slightly, turning back to look at Ning for a moment before turning around.
"And why did you attack Blackfang?" Prism-Eye asked. "Do you have some enmity with him?"
"No," the guard said. "Iâve never met him before."
The hero frowned, staring at the guard with a confused look.
Ning watched from behind, noticing the gradual decline in the pink color on Prism-Eyeâs suit. From bright pink, it had faded by a certain amount and continued fading as Prism-Eye used more and more.
"Why did you attack him then?" the hero asked the guard.
"I was paid to."
âThat again?â Ning thought.
"Who paid you?" Prism-Eye asked.
"I donât know. The money just arrived in my account, so I took up on the offer."
Prism-Eye frowned, taking a step back to sit on his chair. He raised one leg over the other, rhythmically tapping the ground as if he thought about something important.
He turned toward Ning. "Do you perhaps have any idea who might want to hurt you?" he asked.
"Just that there is someone, but I donât know his name or his face," Ning said. "In fact, I donât even know if it is a he."
"Well, thatâs annoying. Itâs clear that heâs not here on some vendetta. He was simply paid to do it. We should have the cops handle the rest."
Prism-Eye was good at his task, making sure to not overstep his boundaries when it came to investigation as any wrong move could get his hero license revoked.
Ning thought for a moment. "Can you ask him if heâs ever done this sort of thing before?"
Prism-Eye accepted Ningâs request and asked the question.
"Never before," the guard said. "Many had tried, but I was too afraid I would fail."
"Oh? And why did you do it this time?"
"I... I donât know," the man said, barely switching any expression.
Prism-Eye stopped, looking down at his own clothes. The pink in his clothes had faded to the point that it was barely visible. It just looked like a pale gray color now.
"Sorry, I donât think heâs going to be of any more help," he said. "The cops can handle the rest."
"Thatâs fine, thank you."
Prism-Eye nodded and left. Outside the room were a crowd who had nothing better to spend their day on than the drama that was unfolding under their roof. The group of office gossipers had been missing fresh gossip content for a long time, and finally it had come today.
Ning looked at them for a moment, only a few glancing toward him, while the others stared at the bound guard. He wondered if they knew him.
"Are any of you guys his colleagues?" Ning asked.
A few people turned, some stepping forward.
Ning walked out, closing the door behind. He took the few that knew the guard to one side and asked them a little more. According to them, the guard was not so bad a man. He wasnât the greatest guy, but they couldnât imagine why he would want to kill someone who he had never seen before.
According to them, he just wasnât that sort of man.
Ning fell into a thought, wondering if the man had been changed somehow. The woman back in the hotel couldnât have been that sort as well, but the simple prospect of money had changed her.
Ningâs frown deepened as he fell into a thought. He walked right back into the room and approached the man.
The guard looked downcast, not staring at Ning.
"System, is he under the effect of another power?" he asked.
<There is a power that is suppressing his inhibitions, and increasing his chances of taking risks>
"Normal Hyrron power, or constellation power?" Ning asked.
<Normal>
That was all Ning needed.
It was simple to understand now that these people werenât just being bought off. With the part of their mind that told them that they shouldnât do a thing, they were more or less hypnotized into doing the dirty work for someone else.
That someone else most likely being the guy that was good with computers, enough to hack into a government facility.
âWell, youâre not the only one,â Ning thought as a plan was formed.
The cops arrived a few minutes after that, and Ning was questioned for a while. Ning gave every detail he could give, and since the action had happened in the midst of many people, he didnât have to stay there for too long.
They would call him soon no doubt, to ask him more about how two people had tried to kill him in less than 24 hours. That was going to cause a few problems soon, but that was not something he had to worry about right now.
Ning was finally let go, and he walked out into an empty hall in the afternoon, where Blake waited for him all alone.
"Youâre here!" he said in a worried tone. "Where have you been? They said they had to call the police, but that wouldnât explain why."
"Someone tried to shoot me," Ning said, gesturing to his mask. "Nearly got me too."
The angel stared at him with a wide gaze. "What?"
Ningâs lips stretched into a smile, visible through the broken mask now. "Donât worry, Iâm fine."
"Are you?"
"Yes," Ning insisted. "Come. I will explain the rest on the way back. Letâs just go for now."