After waiting only a short while, the food was delivered. Shredded pork with garlic sauce, chilled marinated jellyfish skin, seaweed and egg drop soup, a big bowl of rice, and a bottle of juice. After William Carter's body mutated, he actually didn't feel much hunger. But as the aroma of the food wafted over, he really did start to feel a bit hungry. However, being watched by someone as important as James Thompson, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

James Thompson smiled knowingly. "Take your time eating, I'll step out for a smoke." With that, he got up and left the room. William Carter stood up awkwardly, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by James Thompson's smile. "Hehe, kid, just enjoy your meal. No need to be so polite with me."

James Thompson went to the next room, where Director Bolton was sitting in front of a computer watching surveillance footage. When he saw James Thompson come in, he quickly stood up and said, "General Thompson, he hasn't noticed anything unusual." James Thompson walked over to take a look. On the monitor, William Carter was eating and drinking freely, clearly relaxed now that no one was watching him.

Seeing William Carter finish both the soup and the juice, James Thompson felt relieved. Although the newly developed M-Type No. 6 was colorless and tasteless, there was still the worry that William Carter might have some special heightened senses and notice something was off. William Carter was a newly awakened ability user, and it was still unclear exactly what powers he possessed. James Thompson was extremely cautious with him, even going so far as to wear a mind-lock ring to prevent brainwave leakage.

The mind-lock ring was specifically designed for psychic ability users such as those with hypnotic or mind-control powers. After years of research, it was found that although the attacks of such psychic users were invisible and silent, in essence, they interfered with others' brainwaves through a unique frequency. Wearing the mind-lock ring, which resembled a silver collar, would create a special magnetic field in the brain region, preventing all known psychic intrusions.

Even if William Carter noticed something was wrong, James Thompson had plenty of ways to subdue him. As an eighteen-year-old youth, William Carter's power had come too easily. Without the process of growth, and lacking the wisdom to match his strength, William Carter himself was full of exploitable weaknesses. But James Thompson preferred simplicity—if one unit of effort would do, he would never use two.

Although William Carter's senses were sharp, at this moment he was filled with joy and didn't notice anything unusual in the juice or soup. His ethereal heart faintly sensed a trace of foreboding lingering, but with no experience, William Carter thought it was just the surveillance camera in the corner making him uneasy. This kind of intuition for sensing danger was a supernatural ability born from the combination of the Vajra Bright King Mantra and William Carter's innate talent, but at this point, William Carter was still far from understanding his own abilities.

As soon as William Carter finished eating, James Thompson returned with a beaming smile. James Thompson's gentle smile was infectious, and he was especially skilled at conversation, always able to skillfully steer the topic, and with his keen insight, often pinpointed the crux of the matter in a single sentence, giving William Carter sudden moments of clarity. He treated William Carter as an equal conversational partner. After a day of encountering so many strange events, William Carter had a lot bottled up inside. The more he chatted with James Thompson, the more they hit it off, and before he knew it, he had poured out many of his inner thoughts.

Although he felt that Uncle Thompson was truly a knowledgeable and capable good person, William Carter was still clear in his mind that the matter of gaining powers must never be mentioned. James Thompson was also very tactful, never pressing on topics that William Carter avoided. Over an hour later, when the police came in to interrupt their conversation, William Carter even felt a bit reluctant to stop.

Escorted by four fully armed police officers, William Carter rode in a transport vehicle to the detention center on the outskirts of the city. Through the wire-mesh window, William Carter saw a red wall over five meters high, with a black watchtower at one corner. Although it flashed by in an instant, William Carter still caught sight of armed military police standing at attention in the tower.

Iron-barred windows, tall buildings, high walls, stern-faced military police, and an empty square—all gave the detention center a heavy, oppressive atmosphere. After the police completed the handover procedures, two prison guards escorted William Carter to a cell on the third floor. Inside were eight wire-frame bunk beds; the white sheets looked almost glaring in the slightly dim room.

The room was very clean and tidy, with toiletries neatly arranged on a washstand to one side. But the lack of sunlight and poor ventilation made the room extremely hot and humid. As soon as William Carter entered, a strange odor hit his nose—a mix of sweat, disinfectant, and the stench from the toilet. With a thought, William Carter blocked out all these useless smells.

Four burly men with shaved heads, wearing tank tops and shorts, were sitting on the lower bunks chatting idly. When they saw William Carter come in, they all glared at him with unfriendly expressions, but said nothing. In the past, being stared at by several fierce-looking men like this might have made William Carter uneasy. But after witnessing the might of someone as formidable as Samuel Bennett, these men's glares just seemed cute.

The room was meant for sixteen people, but there were only four inmates, which was highly unusual. William Carter was a bit surprised by how empty the room was, but didn't think much of it. As for the hostility from the others, he didn't take it to heart. Especially after enduring David Clark's interrogation, William Carter had gained a new understanding of his own body. No matter how tough these men looked, to him, they were nothing more than bugs he could squash with a single step.