The interrogation in the glass room continued. Old Hu took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a puff, and amidst the swirling smoke, continued to ask, "Keep going, how did you come to master this ability?"
"Because of this concern, whenever I came into contact with other things, I would silently chant in my mind not to devour them, not to devour them. Surprisingly, it worked. Then, through my gradual exploration, I discovered that I could use my mind to freely switch TV channels, control the computer to turn on, shut down, and play videos, and even operate the keyboard and mouse with my mind to move characters in games without touching them. Wow, you have no idea during that time when I played ranked games, that feeling..." Pei Yan spoke and became lost in self-indulgence until the sound of Old Hu gently tapping on the table pulled him back from pleasant memories.
"Ah, sorry, I went off-topic again. Anyway, that's how I discovered by attempting that I could freely manipulate and devour tech products, and even various metals. But for metals, I didn't dare to try too much, and I gave up after two experiments."
The female officer, recording while looking up, asked, "How do you feel? Any discomfort in your body? Is there a limit to how much you can absorb these items?"
"Physically, there's nothing uncomfortable. As for limits, I haven't felt any, and I feel my body finds these items very, very..." Pei Yan raised his head, trying hard to recall that feeling inside when absorbing items, pondering his wording.
"Thirsty?" the female officer prompted, frowning.
"Ah, yes! Yes! Very thirsty indeed. Every time I forcibly stopped absorbing metal items, my body would involuntarily emit a sense of emptiness and loss, similar to the hunger when you're on an empty stomach." Pei Yan nodded in agreement.
"Alright, we'll continue investigating this issue later. Now tell us about the illegal things you've done with your abilities." Hu Wenjun extinguished his cigarette in a pile of peanut shells, clasped his hands on the table, and looked Pei Yan in the eye as he asked.
Upon hearing this question, Pei Yan visibly flinched, his gaze becoming uncertain. He sniffed and replied evasively, "I haven't done anything. I just controlled the speakers of the dancing ladies downstairs in my community square back and forth for fun, and made the lighting there flicker unpredictably."
"Would you call that simple speaker control? You turned the music into some ghastly noises! Those old men and women won't dance in the community anymore, and ghost stories are spreading everywhere, causing panic. You almost scared a few of them into having heart attacks!" Old Hu scolded, suppressing laughter. Due to this incident, someone reported it, and it appeared on local forums, drawing the attention of colleagues. After a secret investigation, they found the culprit behind the incident, bringing Pei Yan under scrutiny.
Pei Yan hurriedly nodded in apology, "I was wrong, I plead guilty! No matter if that lady was frightened, I'm willing to bring fruit and personally apologize, however I need to be punished."
"Alright, stop avoiding the main issue! Do you think we'd pull you in for something so trivial? Do you need me to remind you of what you've done?"
Old Hu looked at Pei Yan, who was silent with his head down, and casually tapped his fingers on the folder as he said leisurely, "Alright, let me remind you! ATM machine! Speak!"
"Ah, what ATM machine? I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Bang!" A loud noise from the table startled Pei Yan, causing him to jerk his head up. He saw Old Hu's hand slam down, and the peanut shells on the table flew and scattered as he fixed his gaze and sternly rebuked, "Do you think you're clever? Huh? Did you think that by erasing all the surveillance records along your path, we wouldn't find evidence against you? On the 16th at 7 PM, at the Red Flag Road Industrial and Commercial Bank of China ATM machine, you illegally withdrew five thousand yuan using your ability. Did you think we wouldn't know? Tell me where you spent the money!"
Upon hearing this, Pei Yan widened his mouth in confusion, finally shouting, "I didn't! I was just curious to see if I could do it, but I didn't touch the money. I put it back in the ATM; I didn't take a single penny! You, you, don't try to frame me for this!"
As he finished speaking, Pei Yan struggled desperately to jump up, but the straps on his hands and feet were too tight, keeping him securely fixed to the chair. He could only remain red-eyed and glare at the three in front of him.
Upon hearing this answer, the three in the interrogation and the personnel in the monitoring room couldn't help but smile warmly.
Ah, young people indeed; their minds aren't that deep. Unable to bear framing, they confess everything with a little coercion. In reality, the type of seventeen or eighteen-year-olds from novels who act worldly beyond their years is rare.
When suddenly gaining powerful abilities, not just him but even those older would find it hard to contain their excitement, leading to various experiments, possibly unable to resist temptation, turning to crime.
However, upon investigation, it was found that despite his frequent small mistakes, this young man could restrain himself against the temptation of money, maintaining the limits of law. In this respect, he's stronger than many adults. Thinking of this, Old Hu's gaze towards Pei Yan softened considerably, smiling, "So you admit you tampered with the ATM?"
Pei Yan, still reeling from Old Hu's previous stern rebuke, now seemed to realize he was tricked, stubbornly pouting and stiffening his neck as he replied, "You're trying to bait me. You don't have proof."
"Oh, is that so? Xiaowang, show him the photos to make him give up!" Old Hu commanded, handing the stack of photos from the folder on the desk to the officer behind him.
Xiaowang picked up the photos and walked in front of Pei Yan, showing them one by one. The photos were so clear that Pei Yan's excited yet terrified expression while withdrawing money was fully captured.
"This, this is impossible! I controlled all the cameras in the area!" Pei Yan asked in astonishment. If it were taken from afar, he'd recognize it, but the close-up shots seemed as if someone camped in the ATM with a camera aimed right at him, which left Pei Yan, confident in his abilities, finding it hard to accept.
Xiaowang gathered the photos and chuckled, "Do you think your actions are possible in other people's eyes? Little brother, you're not the only one with supernatural abilities in this world."
With a stunned look, Pei Yan watched as Xiaowang turned around, placed the photos neatly back on the table, and resumed his position standing with hands behind.
"Who are you people, really?" Pei Yan once again asked the question buried deep in his heart.
"We will tell you about our identity in the future. Now, do you admit to using your abilities to tamper with the ATM machine?" Old Hu shifted the topic and continued asking.
Pei Yan stretched his neck and asked cautiously, "Will I be sentenced?"
"That will depend on what the judge decides." Old Hu replied while continuing to peel the remaining peanuts from the bag.
"Then I won't admit it. I didn't do it!"
The female officer slapped the table and angrily reprimanded, "It's written here in black and white! Flipping your statement on the spot! And what about those photos?"
"You're coercing a confession, I know!"
"Haha, you're quite knowledgeable about the law! What about the photos?" the female officer retorted with angry laughter.
"The ATM malfunctioned itself, spewing out money, what could I do? Besides, I put the money back; since you've got the photos, you can't wrongfully convict me for it." Pei Yan argued with a tilted neck.
Old Hu reached out to intercept his colleague who was fuming and intended to continue the questioning, shaking his head helplessly in jest, "So you're saying the ATM malfunctioned, spewing out money, and then swallowed it back without inserting a card and entering a password, followed by the staff finding no transaction record or damage marks the next day, huh?"
"Uh, uh, yes, how would I know what madness it's up to!"
"Alright, let's set this issue aside for now and discuss the massive blackout in your neighborhood two blocks over two days ago, do I need to remind you about it?" Old Hu pursed his lips, spat out shell fragments, and asked with a somber face.
When he heard this question, Pei Yan's face instantly paled.