Ring!
A firm, powerful finger swiftly pressed the ringing alarm to silence.
–Time’s up for today. Another day of utter failure.-
Yang Zicang rose from his desk and stretched. As he stood up, the light flickering inside a transistor-like small cylinder on the walnut desk shifted from a steady pulse to chaotic fluctuations.
A girl with a cute face tinged with a hint of delicate allure, her medium-length hair tied into a small curved braid, walked over with a smile.
–Looks like someone’s a bit anxious?-
–Captain Jiao Ma.- Yang Zicang said helplessly, –Well, after all this time, I haven’t even caught a single lost-frequency band from the old world. Anyone would be anxious…-
–Just practice more and you’ll get it. By the way, was the training ground fun yesterday?-
–Not bad. I got a SUPER level rating on my first entry. I’m planning to give it another go later. It’s just that those psychic bodies of the Enightmare spirits are a bit too enthusiastic—makes one uncomfortable.-
–Haha, you’ll feel better once you get used to them!- Jiao Ma, holding a folder, smiled and clapped her hands gently. –I really wonder how you managed to find that place all on your own.-
–Well… it was as if some invisible force guided me there—after wandering around, I just happened to end up on that path. Good thing that when you contacted me, you casually asked if I was going to the training ground; otherwise, I wouldn’t have even known it existed.-
Thinking back to his aimless wanderings alone in the Lost Illusion Company yesterday afternoon, Yang Zicang couldn’t help but smile. Good thing he had his employee card—he could always ask for directions through the doors to find his way back to his office and dorm. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to roam around such a massive building.
–Hmm, if you get the ‘Basic Pattern’ over there, your mental power growth and control efficiency will be much higher.-
A middle-aged man passing by with a teacup said casually:
–But Zicang, don’t get your hopes up. After all, trying to catch those fleeting usable wavebands among countless chaotic ones—even with the help of the ‘Basic Knowledge Pattern’—will take some time to get used to.-
Jiaoma, holding a stack of documents, whispered: –Actually, it’s because you haven’t been to the Literature Department yet and have no idea what those wavebands are like that your success rate is so low. Mm… I’m heading over there now. You really don’t want to come?-
A dignified middle-aged woman walked past the two:
–That’s right, Zicang. Go check the Literature Department to see what those wavebands originally looked like—it’ll be much easier to get a handle on them. I’m done for today, so I’ll head off now.-
The team leader had already invited him two or three times over this period, but Yang Zicang had turned him down flat each time.
–Thanks for the tips, everyone.- Yang Zicang shrugged.
……
Hooking his jacket over his shoulder with one finger, Yang Zicang hummed a little tune as he walked down the retro-tiled corridor, watched by the vintage sculptures.
[The Barking Gate welcomes my arrival.]
{Please insert your employee card.}
Yang Zicang picked up the card, his gaze turning heavy as he mulled it over. A vague sense of something left undone gnawed at him, leaving a hollow ache in his chest, yet when he tried to latch onto the thought, it slipped away.
Shaking his head, he slid the employee card into the slot on the door and pushed it open with his palm.
The clamor from inside spilled out.
—-The Sokoban master is here!–
—-Whoa, the hidden-level challenger, back again!–
Whiz whiz whiz—several figures scrambled over and clustered around Yang Zicang, some of the psychics’ eyes shining with admiration.
A girl of elfin beauty handed Yang Zicang the psychic game cartridge he’d used the day before.
—-Here’s your cartridge!–
Yang Zicang nodded.
–Thanks for holding onto it. Everyone, make way, let me through. Aiy, aiy.–
Twisting and shoving, a few bodies squeezed up against Yang Zicang and propelled him across the room.
{You’re here.}
Yang Zicang entered the training ground again. The silhouette of the Wind Spirit Warrior emerged from the doorway of the dilapidated temple.
{My friend who chose to challenge the hidden level, the procedure is the same as before. Come—when the sword falls, you may begin.}
With that, the warrior drew a long sword slanted at his waist, tossed it into the air, and the blade landed point-first in the center of the expanded, wider rock square. In an instant, the wind howled and clouds churned, and six wooden crates fell from the sky one after another.
Outside the force-field wall, it was packed with bizarre, humanoid heads pressed against it.
[The group leader of the First Cleaning Unit, First Action Department, is watching me.]
This time, no one pushed the first box in for him. But its falling angle and force were identical to yesterday’s, and without even activating his Moxel aura, Yang Zicang smoothly shoved it into the same spot that yesterday’s Wind Spirit Warrior had concealed.
–For the second box, I’ll also try without Moxel.–
Yang Zicang headed straight for the spot where he’d had to dive before shoving the box yesterday. This time, because he was mentally prepared—even though his body control hadn’t improved much—he at least managed, with the help of Moxel’s deceleration, to give this box a push with his hand and sent it flying toward yesterday’s location.
[The Barking Gate informs me that my group leader is watching me.]
Box after box fell, quickly stirring up a scorching wind as flames began to spread.
The aura on Yang Zicang’s chest flickered.
–What exactly are you?–
Ever since yesterday, Yang Zicang had been plagued by a strong sense of doubt. Deep within, he had conceived a certain conjecture about this Moxel, which could vibrate and impart energy along other trajectories.
Unfortunately, on the Land of Lost Frequencies there were indeed people who could not let go of self-rescue, so he couldn’t share even this speculation with anyone.
[The Barking Gate informs me that Officer Gong Huanwu of the Second Action Department is paying attention to my performance.]
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Wooden boxes rained down like a storm. Yang Zicang began to draw his longsword, gripping it tightly with both hands, ready for the high-speed descent of the boxes that were starting to enlarge.
Boom! With his swing of the sword, the huge wooden crate shattered into smaller ones, scattering and pressing down onto the glowing floor tiles.
—-Wow, yesterday he still collapsed several times, but today he’s barely moved at all.-
—-Even without struggling in the ‘storm’, this new guy can still get a perfect rating. It’s really… like cheating.-
With Yang Zicang’s final sword swing, the huge metal crate exploded with a bang.
[SUPER!]
{Perfect again. I never thought that below Third Ring mental strength, someone could truly achieve such precise control.}
The heat receded, and Yang Zicang stood leaning on his sword, panting heavily.
This kind of high-intensity training is difficult even for long-trained martial artists using their own physical bodies, let alone for a body wrapped and driven by telekinesis within this telekinetic field.
Yang Zicang guessed that this space was originally meant to be challenged repeatedly, allowing one to gradually adapt and eventually succeed by constantly familiarizing themselves with the falling trajectories.
If someone truly underwent such prolonged training, their control over the telekinetic body would become extremely superb.
–Unfortunately, I can’t stay here for long. Otherwise, this training ground really is a valuable place to improve mental control.-
His own mental strength, having passed through the complete Mail Emblem World, plus the cultivation from –Chime Night- and the amplification from –Paleshade Wyrm-, already possessed very strong psychic energy. Therefore, under the refining torrent of the frequency-loss wave band, he was able to quickly reach the Second Ring Eighth Rank.
According to Team Leader Jiao Ma, further advancement requires either meditation or the passage of time and a deeper understanding of life.
The Wind Spirit Warrior walked over. Yang Zicang gazed at the indistinct face standing before him.
Upon first entering, the figure didn’t even notice it had left its original position, but now it can accurately walk right up to me. It seems that under this hidden challenge level, its psychic body has been augmented with extra perception-oriented psychokinesis.
{This is the second time you have received the so-called ‘SUPER’ rating. You may try out the extra reward I left behind.}
As he raised his hand, three small items formed from psychic energy appeared in his palm.
——-Wow, you can even try it out early?-
[The leader of Cleaning Team Two is staring at me.]
[The Barking Gate tells me that because of my hidden challenge, many company employees have started to take an interest in this cartridge.]
–Does everyone want to know what this is?-
Yang Zicang first pinched the ring that was floating and slowly rotating.
–Memory Drill Ring? Something that can probe memories?-
A faint, unfamiliar voice from the psychic ring echoed in his mind.
——People are always forgetful. Not only can we not recall the details of a summer afternoon ten years ago, but we also struggle to remember how many dishes we had for lunch last Wednesday.
–Indeed.-
Feeling his thoughts had become much sharper, Yang Zicang let go, and it floated back into the air.
The second item was a pair of glasses.
—— People are always prone to judge. When a person stands before us, if he is of noble birth, our attitude becomes much more amiable; if he is a castrated slave, then slander arises in our hearts.
Yang Zicang picked it up and held it to his eye, giving it a shake. The martial artist before him naturally couldn’t see anything from it, but when he turned to look at the psychokinetic humanoid figures outside the door behind him, the young man found that his perception of these psychokinetic beings had suddenly become much calmer.
It was as if those strange heads were just strange heads — nothing special. They were so ordinary that there was no point worth joking about.
–Hmm…- He roughly figured out what this thing was used for.
For some people, this gadget could serve a great purpose: a newly minted lawyer, a fledgling speaker, or a fawning toady always eager to flatter an upright boss.
Then came the third item. This was an irregular little object condensed within a faint mist. As he pinched it, Yang Zicang could see it looked somewhat like a small honeycomb.
[The Dog-Barking Door informs that many people want to know what this is.]
As his finger touched it, a new faint voice indeed appeared.
—— People are always prone to righteous indignation. Water is silent until wind stirs it to sound. Yet when faced with true injustice, witnesses may not have the courage to truly cry out against it. Nevertheless, their anger genuinely resides within their hearts.
Yang Zicang, holding the soft little beehive, didn’t feel anything unusual.
{Trial End.}
–May I ask, what is this last thing for?-
The Wind Spirit Warrior smiled, turning a deaf ear, and took back the three items.
–Alas.- Yang Zicang sighed and exited the training ground. After washing up in the dormitory, he was dragged by Jiao Ma to have dinner.
In the dead of night, the simulated clock hands in the darkness made faint clicking sounds.
Suddenly, the sleeping young man sat bolt upright from the covers, his eyes wide open.
–Who is Wei Zhenguo?-
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