Around ten o’clock the next day, the crowd in front of the Special Action Group command room was so lively it nearly blocked the passage.
–Good morning, Russ.-
–Good morning.- When Zorro arrived, at the entrance of the large room resembling the presidential office, Yang Zicang and Jiao Ma were already there.
Next to Jiao Ma, a woman in her early thirties greeted Zorro:
–Hello, you must be Mr. Zorro. I’m Ding Jiaojie, also a member of our team.-
An air of steady composure emanated from her entire being; her skin was delicate and supple, as if coated with a dreamlike halo, signifying her exceptional spiritual prowess.
Zorro understood—she was likely a regular member of Jiao Ma’s squad, and also one of Yang Zicang’s former office colleagues.
–Everyone’s here, let’s head in.- Jiao Ma smiled, ready to lead the way.
A red zigzag line shot over, and Yang Zicang quickly manifested his updated team member ID card, connected by a red thread. On the other side stood Wang Dingshan.
{Old Yang, have you formed your team yet?}
[You still don’t have a team?]
{I did, but the others from my former department can’t find any other action team members. Just me from the action team, and the other seven or eight are all from the spectrum team. This is going to exhaust me.}
A few minutes later, the team gained another member from the Action Division who had switched groups.
Inside the room, clusters of people stood around chatting in small groups. Gong Huanwu sat in a leather chair behind a large solid wood desk, busily filling out stacks of forms. A line of people waited before the desk.
Against one wall, two wooden frames propped up a blackboard at an angle, bearing the names of over a dozen groups. The –Jiao Jiao Group- was listed at No. 18.
–You really go by that name?-
–What’s wrong with it? It sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?-
Jiao Ma was writing down team members’ names on a small table beside the blackboard while answering.
The three men standing behind him gave a couple of light coughs, exchanged glances, then looked at Ding Jiaojie, who was covering her mouth with a smile. They suddenly realized that the –Jiao Jiao- in Jiao Jiao Group was exactly what it sounded like.
–I’m going to get the group leader’s certificate.-
After filling in the team member information, Jiao Ma joined the line in front of the wooden table, waiting to obtain from Gong Huanwu the permit for accessing the lost-frequency mental wave band.
Zorro looked toward the other room inside, where a woman with a delicate face was walking out, holding a book titled –Trap Making: From Beginner to Proficient.-
–Let’s go check out the study over there. Everyone’s borrowing materials there,- Ding Jiaojie said.
–Okay.-
As they were about to squeeze through the crowd, an excited voice rang out.
Joan’s eyes lit up at the doorway as she exclaimed:
–Oh? Zi Zang, Wang Ding Shan, you’re here too! If I’d known, we could’ve been in the same group.-
She and Yu Yusheng walked over through the crowd, accompanied by a few strangers.
Yang Zicang said, –We already have a group. How many are you?–
–Six for now, but they’ll probably disband later.–
–Qiong An!–
The middle-aged man beside the woman, who was about to greet the newcomers, suddenly flew into a rage.
Qiong An pursed her lips and deliberately cast a contemptuous sidelong glance at him. –Hmph.–
{Trainees, employees, here is the Encyclopedia of Psychic Field Construction Theory—come and borrow it!}
{Everyone must read it quickly, learn from scratch how to build our own Mo Ying-class competitive city. We must seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!}
In the crowded study.
Yang Zicang looked up, and the first book that caught his eye was The Principle of the Birth of Psychic Field, making his heart skip a beat.
But as his gaze swept across both sides of this book, more titles on the spines came into view.
Basic Concepts and Design Significance of Mo Ying Hall, Most Popular Competitive City Related Data statistics, How to Build Your Own Training Ground, Selection and Maintenance of Alternating Scenes, How to Identify Frequency-Lost Mental Wavebands, Basic Knowledge of Exploring Large Frequency-Lost Psychic Fields—rows upon rows of thick books lined up.
Just looking at these names, each one seemed incredibly important. Yet seeing so many crucial books together also stirred a sense of overwhelming helplessness. Thus, the initial impact of the book Yang Zicang first saw naturally faded.
–To do well here, these are the skills one must master.–
–But this is way too much and way too rushed. My god, it would take a year just to read through all of them.-
Most people here have never read these books—they’re still miles away from the practical abilities described in them. The only reason they’re qualified to read them now is thanks to the –Right of Mental Manifestation.-
–What’s that saying? ‘Build the toilet when you want to… you know.’-
–So many people around—keep your voice down.-
Zoro pulled out the next book, Research on the Conversion Between Architecture and Psychic Architecture.
–Sigh, if it weren’t for this incident, I’d probably have to wait many more years to read this book.-
Ding Jiaojie smiled softly. –Yeah, all thanks to the key points the company mapped out for us.-
Yang Zicang’s fingers traced along the book spines, silently noting each title in his mind.
He felt genuinely ashamed.
He’d seemed pretty strong in his previous battles—fighting, setting fires, he could do it all. But compared to the knowledge contained in these books, he was nothing but a dry little pond, while they held a vast ocean.
Ding Jiaojie then pulled out Dangerous Examples of Psychic Fields and Self-Suggestion.
–I’ve heard that some psychics, even after becoming strong enough to make their psychic power manifest into reality, still went mad. Because the spiritual foundation they built for themselves led their hearts astray without them noticing—made them hard, cold, and eventually cost them their humanity.-
–Yeah, it’s a dangerous path.-
–For us taking part in this special operation, what we have before us is already a reward in itself.-
Wang Dingshan turned his head. –Zicang, why aren’t you checking out the books?-
–He’s planning to resign at the end of the year, so he doesn’t want to learn too much.-
–Zicang, you… you’re actually planning this?-
Wang Dingshan felt that Yang Zicang must have a screw loose.
After hearing this, a handsome man who had been reading a book behind them turned around:
–These books all record things related to psychic power. They are indeed the main abilities used by our Lost Illusion Company, but they don’t contain much information about the old world.-
–So it should be fine?- Yang Zicang asked.
–That’s just my understanding. It should be all right.-
Wang Dingshan scooted over:
–Zicang, how about you scratch a lottery ticket to see if your luck is good today? If it’s bad, then don’t read those books.-
Ding Jiaojie looked up at Wang Dingshan, who was whispering conspiratorially.
–Forget it. Scratching one will lock in your luck for the rest of the day.-
Yang Zicang already knew that the scratch-off, regardless of the result, would fix his fortune for the entire following day.
His fluid luck would become fixed for the day once he scratched. Barring any special circumstances, he had no intention of touching it again.
–Wow, my teammates are so studious!-
Jiaoma bounced in with a grin, waving her team leader badge in front of the four of them.
With that badge, she could select various scenarios from the Lost Illusion Company’s spectrum library for this assignment.
–So, Zicang, you’re still not reading?- Jiaoma asked.
She pulled out a thin booklet titled –How to Build Your Own Resting Place in the Spirit World,- which was meant for those who already had the ability to stably conjure images in the spiritual realm.
–Me.- Yang Zicang hesitated, but finally reached for the book, The Birth Principle of the Telekinetic Field.
Just before his fingers could touch it, another small, fair hand plucked it down.
The girl in the knitted hat blinked, then looked over and said, –Sorry, were you going for this one? Here, you can have it.-
She offered the book to him with both hands.
The young man studied her delicate face and fair skin. Her black eyes sparkled like pearls—a clear sign of someone with exceptionally high mental strength.
–It’s fine,- Yang Zicang said, shaking the copy of Primitive Mental Yoga in his hand. –They’re all the same to me.-
The girl nodded vigorously, a smile spreading across her face.
–Mm-hmm! Then I’ll read it first. I’ll return it soon.-
……
Over the following days, the five of them read day and night through foundational materials on –mental strength,- –telekinetic fields,- and –constructing the mind palace.- Combining this with the wave-frequency scenes they’d retrieved, they managed to piece together a battle scene that barely passed muster.
But when, a week later, they invited a few team members who hadn’t been part of the mission into the mental space, the feedback was mixed.
–This isn’t going to be easy. We need to create another scene.-
Mountain wind stirred the mist, making the flowers sway. On the lush green grass, the five sat around a wooden table beside a delicate little villa.
–Take a break. Let me show you something.-
Under the group’s gaze, the Moxel on Wang Dingshan’s chest flickered, shot to his hand, and formed a small house.
–Did you make this yourself? Not bad, not bad. Is this your old home?- Ding Jiaoji asked curiously, looking at the three‑bedroom apartment.
–Yes, it’s where I used to live.- Wang Dingshan pointed to one of the small rooms.
–This is my bedroom. That old fridge in the living room—I went with my mom to a discount draw when I was a kid, and we won it. It lasted us over ten years.-
As he lost himself in memories, the others listened quietly. Though it pained her to do so, Ding Jiaoji interrupted him and said seriously:
–Dingshan, even though this is your memory, if you keep it in your Sea of Spirit for too long, it might make you constantly dwell on the past and sink into prolonged pain.-
Wang Dingshan forced a smile. –I’m only keeping it for a few days; it should be fine.-
–I hope you get rid of it soon. If you keep it too long, it could leave a deep impression in your subconscious. The Sea of Spirit is not that simple—it might hinder your strength improvement.-
Wang Dingshan sighed despondently. –Alright, stop lecturing me, Teacher Ding.-
Yang Zicang pondered Ding Jiaoji’s words. To an ordinary person, this might sound like an exaggeration, but he had acquired the –Basic Knowledge Pattern-—something that anchored his mental power in a certain realm and slowly nurtured it.
Jiao Ma said, –I want to apply for some Forgotten Waves today. Let’s see if we can construct a larger venue that’s more challenging for training.-
–Yeah, right. It needs to be more horrifying. We were too lenient before.-
Jiaoma said in a low voice, –I’m always reluctant to let people’s lives end at our hands.-
She looked very unhappy. She also had some understanding of why some people had declined the invitation before the meeting, choosing to give up this precious training opportunity, and her godmother had readily agreed. After all, this wasn’t really about creating an amusement park, but a place where warriors engage in bloody combat.
Zoro looked at Yang Zicang and Wang Dingshan. –What do you think? Should we increase the danger level?-
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