Chapter 85: Auditory Reach

Adam was later on assigned a temporary room within the Student Council. Although not particularly large, it had the essentials—a single bed and an adjoining bathroom. In the corner was a small surveillance camera.

’Tsk. A cell is a cell no matter what you call it.’

Food and water were also brought to him. At the very least, he was not entirely forgotten.

Adam did not know how things were going outside. He hated the feeling of not knowing what was going on. It drove him crazy. For about an hour, he did nothing but pace around.

When he got tired of it, he sat on the bed. Would they begin the investigations today, or would they delay it till the next day? Were they giving it their all, or were they simply going with the flow?

Before he even realised it, he was tapping his feet in anxiety. Raising his head, he looked at the camera, wondering if anyone was currently watching him.

’If only I could see or hear what’s happening out there...’

Adam’s eyes widened as realisation slowly dawned on him. ’What am I thinking?! Of course I can see and hear what’s happening?!’

Grinning, he sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes. Even if he didn’t have the required skill, he could create it. He wasn’t like everyone else; he wasn’t limited in the skills and abilities he could wield!

’Wait...’ Another thought crossed his mind. ’No one said I should be restricted to doing just one thing.’

Adam activated the skill, Cognitive Partition, his attention splitting across multiple tasks. To not seem too off, one part of him focused on cultivation, while another part of himself focused on the creation of two essential skills for this moment.

The first skill was one that would aid him in hearing from long distances. He needed to polish the skill so as to not be overwhelmed whenever he activated it.

The second skill was one based on his ability to tap into cyberspace and do whatever he wished. But this required a piece of his consciousness to become a digital existence.

The process was gruelling, but eventually made his creation a reality. Several hours later, the two skills were ready.

[Auditory Reach (semi-active): Enhances the user’s sensitivity to vibrations and sound waves far beyond normal limits. In its passive state, the skill continuously scans the surroundings at a low level, allowing the user to subconsciously notice unusual sounds, disturbances or patterns. When actively focused, the user can deliberately extend their perception toward specific locations, individuals or sounds, increasing range, clarity and precision.]

Adam smiled to himself as he read the description. There was still a bit of white noise, but it required a bit more time to refine. Though it was limited by his perception stat. He could now actively listen to sounds from two hundred and thirty meters away, a similar range to his Clear Sight skill.

[Cyber Dive (active): The user can project a piece of their consciousness into the digital layer of reality, perceiving, navigating and interacting with electronic systems.]

The second skill was even more ridiculous. Hopping into cyberspace would make a lot of things easier. He could casually take a stroll in a secure system, and it would be none the wiser.

Activating Auditory Reach first, the skill filtered out various sounds coming from all around him and focused on conversations he wanted to hear. Though not very clear, he picked up a few things.

There were a few random conversations here and there, gossip about his case and whether he was guilty or was being framed. Something interesting caught his attention... something he did not expect to hear at all.

’Hehe. Looks like some people are getting freaky.’ Adam thought with a smile.

Pushing the making-out sounds aside, Adam continued filtering, eventually finding something that involved his case. He focused his hearing, slowly cleaning out the surrounding sounds.

"...about this entire situation?"

The voice seemed to be speaking with one other person about his case.

"It’s an obvious setup." Adam recognised the voice.

It was Lancelot. "Adam’s narration of events vastly differs from what Jennifer recounted. Someone is obviously lying, and I think that person is Jennifer. Moreover, Jennifer is a natural flirt and in the second realm. Everyone seemed to have forgotten that detail."

"True... But Adam had not been able to give any description of those so-called boys. And we also don’t know how strong Adam is either." The other person said calmly. "There are rumours that he is already at the peak of the first realm. Although unconfirmed, he could be stronger. It’s clear that Adam has a lot of secrets."

"We all have secrets, Commander."

"Regardless, the investigation team should soon return from the Microbiology Department. You will take another squad and pay a visit to the dormitories. There, you will retrieve Adam’s surveillance footage as well as anyone who had been out at that time."

"Including the seniors?" Lancelot asked.

"Naturally, the senior members of the Council are exempted." The commander said, sounding self-righteous. "We can’t waste too much time on this case, Lancelot. We all have our graduation assignments to focus on."

"Understood."

Adam did not know how to feel about what he heard. On one hand, speeding up the investigations would mean he could leave this place faster. On the other hand, it could mean the investigation teams would rush through the process.

And the fact that the senior members of the Student Council would be excluded did not sit well with him. What if a senior member was part of the scheme? He would have to take matters into his own hands.

’At least, some people are using their brains.’ Deactivating Auditory Reach, he opened his eyes and exhaled. ’And that girl’s name is Jennifer. What a shame... I just hope the testimonies from the Microbiology Department will be unbiased.’

Looking up at the surveillance camera in his room, he activated Cyber Dive, seamlessly jumping into cyberspace through the network. With this skill, he would uncover every uncanny detail his schemers had thought buried.

A whole new world opened up before Adam’s eyes as he immersed himself in cyberspace. The feeling was a strange one, as it felt and looked like he had stepped into a city made of digital buildings and infrastructure made of binary code.