Ling Tian listened to Aurora's words and fell into deep thought. After a while, he spoke.
"Miss Aurora, I feel you might be overthinking things."
"What do you mean?"
"Try to put yourself in Mr. Mario Kuiet's shoes. He is about to host the World Esper Conference, and he's swamped with all sorts of trivial matters. I imagine that having someone as trustworthy and exceptionally powerful as you to oversee things and handle any unforeseen events would be perfectly normal..."
"Mr. Ling Tian, you probably don't understand my father's feelings for me! From childhood to adulthood, I have been my father's darling, his everything. When I am with my father, I see the love for me in his eyes. But now, I find that this love is gone!"
Ling Tian once again fell into contemplation. Although the situation sounded peculiar and hard to believe, Ling Tian still believed a woman, especially a daughter's intuition. After living together for over a decade, a father's love for his daughter is difficult to change. Ling Tian chose to believe Aurora's feelings.
"Please recall carefully if your father has shown any other unusual behavior."
"Yes, I also heard that my father has ordered all the boats on the island, including small boats and even dinghies, to be destroyed! The island now only has a small escort ship, and this ship has been dispatched to drive all other vessels fifty nautical miles away!"
Ling Tian's heart sank upon hearing this. This was a trap, a "catch the dog in the house" scenario. Hell Paradise Island is located in the deep ocean, and its terrain and the magnetic field in the sky make it impossible for aircraft to land or take off. Now, Mario Kuiet had people destroy the boats, which meant trapping all the espers on the island! Ling Tian could sense that things were getting serious!
"Miss Aurora, what are your thoughts? What do you plan to do next?"
"Mr. Ling Tian, you Chinese are incredibly resourceful, and I am well aware of your strength. I want to ask if you can determine whether my father is being controlled!"
"You suspect your father is being controlled by an esper ability?"
"Yes, that's what I think. A person's personality cannot change so drastically without reason."
"But have you considered that the person might be someone disguised as your father?"
"I don't think that's possible because I've observed closely, and my father's habits and small mannerisms are still present. Moreover, there are confidential matters on the island that only my father and I know. Unless it's my father, no one else could possibly know these details."
"Alright, I can help you. But have you considered that if your father is fine, it might offend him?"
"No, my father will forgive me because he understands this is my concern for him!"
"But there is one situation you should be prepared for: your father might be controlled by an esper ability, or another possibility is that Mr. Mario Kuiet might already be dead!" Ling Tian warned.
Aurora's eyes widened upon hearing this. She couldn't quite believe this possibility.
"What do you mean?"
Ling Tian explained, "I've encountered similar situations before. Although on the surface, this person is still Mr. Mario Kuiet, the soul within his body might not be his! I suspect another soul has entered Mr. Mario Kuiet's body. This is called 'magpie occupying the nest.' And this soul occupation can happen in two ways: either Mr. Mario Kuiet's soul is temporarily imprisoned, or his soul has been killed!"
Ling Tian's words were clear. Once a person's soul is killed, that person is no different from being dead. The body is just a vessel; only the soul is irreplaceable. Aurora's body trembled. Ling Tian's news was a great shock and blow to her. However, she was still rational and quickly began to think seriously. Aurora believed that what Ling Tian said was plausible.
"Can you help me?" Aurora asked, looking intently into Ling Tian's eyes.
"Yes!" Ling Tian replied concisely.
"What kind of reward do you want?" Aurora asked. She understood that in this world, there was no love without reason, and fundamentally, Ling Tian had no obligation to help her for free.
"My only request is that all members of our Chinese delegation can leave Hell Paradise Island safely! I don't think this request is too much, is it!"
Aurora was stunned. She had expected Ling Tian to make an exorbitant demand, which would have been normal. Anyone else would not have missed the opportunity to extort her. She hadn't expected Ling Tian to make such a simple request.
"Your request is too simple!"
"Simple is best. We Chinese are not that ambitious; our greatest desire is safety!"
"Alright, I promise," Aurora nodded.
"Miss Aurora, there is one more thing, the worst-case scenario. If your father's soul has been killed, what will you do?"
Upon hearing this, Aurora's icy aura intensified, even emitting a killing intent.
"Then I will send all the masterminds to hell. I promise, they will regret what they have done!"
"If you seek revenge, and the price is the destruction of this island, are you willing?"
"Heh, if my father is gone, what meaning does this island hold for me? It might as well be destroyed along with those culprits!"
Aurora was serious. If, as Ling Tian suggested, her father's soul had been killed, then the island would hold no significance. Aurora even wished for the island to be buried with her father!
"Since you are prepared, I will help you!" After saying this, Ling Tian reached into his怀, and with a flash of thought, a talisman appeared in his hand.
"What is this?" Aurora was very surprised.
"This is a talisman, a miraculous method from Chinese Taoism! Talismans contain formations that can convert energy in various wondrous ways! Now, I want to use a special talisman to detect if your father is being controlled, but first, I need to see if you can use talismans."
Aurora took the fire talisman and carefully unfolded it, looking at it as if it were a work of art.