–No, no, child, they are all dead.–
Han Mingxiao said appreciatively:
–Their souls have long dissolved; those are merely the mental wavelengths they radiate. Just like the electronic creations in your world—once the emitted waves shoot into the universe, they become independent. If you’re fast enough, you could even witness humanity’s first television signal from a hundred light-years away.–
He crouched down and stuffed the hazy ball of light in his hand into Yang Zicang’s chest.
Then both of them looked up to the side.
They didn’t know why their movements were so synchronized.
Beside them stood a deep silhouette covered in dark wings, bearing an archaic, art-infused face.
Its face seemed forged from a blend of metal and rubble.
–It’s you.–
Yang Zicang remembered it. The last time he saw this figure, he thought it was just a mask. But now it stood there, its body hollow like a ragged, tattered monster, shrouded in broken wings.
Han Mingxiao froze. He looked up at that mask-like face—and saw nothing behind it. His expression shifted dramatically.
–For you to appear here without a sound… Might I ask what brings you?–
The newcomer remained silent, his gaze slowly following the tilt of Han Mingxiao’s head, locking eyes with him all the while.
–Who the hell are you!–
Han Mingxiao, always steady and gentle, now felt a flicker of panic. He suddenly lunged backward, leaping dozens of meters in an instant.
–How did you get in!-
{You are defiling this place.}
But that figure followed, maintaining an absolutely still distance as if moving parallel to him.
–I didn’t! This is just my spiritual world!-
Han Mingxiao was genuinely shocked. He hadn’t even deployed his own psychic field—this was the depths of his spiritual sea—yet someone had entered silently. How terrifyingly powerful the other party must be, he dared not think about it.
{I have crossed through boundless mist, time and again, returning to my homeland.}
Han Mingxiao’s pupils abruptly quivered and dilated.
–You.-
His figure quickly retreated, but he found himself directly beside Yang Zicang again.
Back to the starting point!
It was as if this was not his own spiritual world, but the other’s. He cried out in terror:
–This is just the final image of the world. The Lost Illusion Company’s existence only froze the last moment of that land’s scene!-
{I know.}
The figure silently gazed at the person before him.
Han Mingxiao felt the back of his shirt soaked with sweat.
He swallowed hard.
–Then, why are you here?-
Yang Zicang looked at them with a painful expression on his face.
The thing half-buried in his chest was wildly affecting his emotions—countless whispers, countless voices at his ears, gnawing at his heart. The maddening murmurs in his mind collided with the howling wind in the woods.
The figure turned his head and looked down at him.
{Your choice, it is good.}
Yang Zicang felt somewhat dazed. Following his innermost curious impulse, he subconsciously asked, –Why did you appear?–
Its voice carried a hint of regret.
{Because. In the final moments of this land, my presence was absent.}
The feathers on its body stirred without wind, and from below extended a palm like a bird’s claw, aimed at Yang Zicang’s chest.
Five beams of different colors descended. They converged on that object, forming a colored membrane that wrapped around it. The enveloped –Confusion Rebellion– shrank smaller and smaller, transforming into a complex spiritual imprint resembling a –Celtic knot– that merged into Yang Zicang’s body.
Yang Zicang’s spirit quickly steadied, and even grew significantly.
Having done this, it gazed across the psychic field.
Time seemed to begin flowing.
–What are you going to do?–
{Just continue the images of the past.}
Han Mingxiao said in despair, –No, you can’t…–
Yang Zicang’s restored consciousness sensed a thick aura of death erupting from a certain point.
Unmatched power stirred and trembled beneath the earth.
A pillar of light, more void than death itself, burst forth, expanding to engulf everything.
……
It was only after a full day that Yang Zicang awoke.
Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was the face of a stranger—a woman as radiant and valiant as moonlight.
–I am Huan Bao’er. You can call me Sister Huan.– The woman with delicate features said with a gentle smile.
–I am…–
Yang Zicang saw that in the room, several extraordinary figures stood around the person before him, including Zorro and Jiao Ma, as well as Team Leader Fu and Wang Dingshan.
–You really have a tough life, still not dead after all that.-
Yang Zicang felt his mind gradually clear up.
–Han Mingxiao… that man…-
Huan Bao’er interrupted: –He’s dead already, don’t worry. Things are mostly settled. The only question is, what happened between you two in there?-
These people all looked at Yang Zicang with curiosity, wariness, and suspicion. Even the Chief Officer had a faint look of scrutiny on his face.
–He wanted me to take him into the world of the complete Youhui. When I refused, he threatened to take control of my consciousness. Then a strange person appeared.-
–A strange person?- Their expressions grew even more skeptical. After all, that Han Mingxiao, who had already lost consciousness, was theoretically a figure whose strength matched the Chief Officer’s.
At this, Yang Zicang pushed himself up. On his chest, Moxel appeared as he laboriously manifested a mind energy imprint. Outside the imprint, five slowly rotating, five-colored light spots enveloped it, like a seal.
–Such mind energy fluctuations!-
The faces of several ethereal figures nearby instantly widened their eyes.
–This seems like…-
Huan Bao’er immediately raised a hand to stop the others from speaking. She stared at Yang Zicang and said:
–Who made this seal?-
–It was that strange person,- Yang Zicang replied. –He sealed this imprint and also destroyed that man’s mind energy field in the process.-
The room’s occupants turned pale.
–What did that being look like?-
–He… had a face like a metal mask, was covered in feathers, and his body seemed hollow. He appeared because, well, it seems Han Mingxiao replicated this area’s terrain but did something bad on it, defiling the land.-
–So it was Mr. Black Stork.-
The others exchanged glances, and the earlier scrutiny and suspicion in their eyes toward Yang Zicang completely vanished.
Fu Qiyong laughed, –I told you—my team member couldn’t be some spy hiding his strength with ulterior motives.-
Jiaoma gave Fu Qiyong a wistful look. Seeing Xiao Jiaoma’s gaze, the man coughed with a chuckle, –Ahem, right, our team member.-
Huan Bao’er smiled.
–For Mr. Black Stork to make a move, it seems you, Zicang, have already earned its recognition.-
She let out a relaxed sigh, planted her fists on her hips, and said to Yang Zicang casually:
–In that case, my plan to grant you an early ‘Elite Employee’ commendation doesn’t seem too arbitrary after all. Come, tell us all about it.-
Early commendation? Yang Zicang finally set most of his worries aside.
As he recounted the details in full, when everyone heard how such an unadorned method had erased a deeply concealed powerhouse, every person in the room was deeply shaken.
–After the pillar of light rose, I lost consciousness.-
The room was silent. Yang Zicang turned his head and saw everyone’s eyes fixed on him, shimmering with admiration and praise.
Wang Dingshan gave him two emphatic thumbs up.
Huan Bao’er’s expression flickered briefly, then her gaze softened into one of deep approval as she looked at Yang Zicang.
–No wonder—they used a psychic replica of ‘Lost Uprising’ to try to coerce you into activating the Mail Emblem.-
She tossed the pendant from her hand to him.
–This is the second pendant taken from your psychic body. The Councilor told us it’s called the ‘Mind Sync’ device—an alchemical creation born from the fusion of two bloodlines: ‘Erosion Mind’ and ‘Dim Light’.-
–Erosion Mind and Dim Light?-
Yang Zicang mulled over the bloodline names he had learned earlier. Before he could dwell on it, the Director continued:
–It was originally used for secret meeting communications. However, when one party’s spiritual power far exceeds the others’, they can forcibly pull the other into their own mental sphere without needing their consent. I’ve already tuned the frequencies of these pendants. I’ll keep this one for myself; the rest of you should take them.-
With that, Huan Bao’er rose and left, followed by a few officials.
Fu Qiyong walked over and said, –Alas, I don’t know whether to call you unlucky or lucky. Anyway, get some good rest these next few days.-
Now Wang Dingshan, Yu Yushan, and the others had the chance to crowd around the bedside. After going through a life-and-death race, though they had only known each other for a short time, they had already forged a deep bond.
–What happened to your hand?-
Yang Zicang saw a ring of teeth marks on Wang Dingshan’s hand.
Joan whistled and turned her head away.
Fengming laughed and said, –Someone bit it, because they missed out on an extra 200,000 Void Zero Chronos.-
–Ah?- Yang Zicang was taken aback, then laughed heartily. –I didn’t expect Lele to be so accurate.-
A muffled voice came from inside the pocket of Wang Dingshan’s clothes.
{Of course, my lottery ticket is no fake.}
Wang Dingshan and the others exchanged news with Yang Zicang, learning what could happen later. Yang Zicang sighed, realizing that the Lost Illusion Company had spared no effort to save him—after all, the actual battle had lasted only a very short time.
After everyone had left, Jiao Ma and Zoro walked over.
Zoro glanced at Jiao Ma: –You go first?-
–Hmph, I’m not going to sneak away…- She had been about to say something angry, but then she stomped her foot, turned, pulled open the door, and left in a huff.
Zoro shrugged, pulled a chair over, sat down, and said with lingering fear:
–That Han Mingxiao has come to me twice in the archive, asking me to give you the pendant. I refused both times.-
Meeting Yang Zicang’s gaze, Zoro recounted his two encounters with Han Mingxiao. Only then did Yang Zicang realize that things were not simple. It seemed that the man had been watching him ever since he first arrived here. But what could be in that psychic field that was worth these people, who had been hidden in the company for so long, risking exposure to enter it?
Yang Zicang looked up at Zoro and said sincerely, –Thank you for your vigilance. Otherwise, I might have fallen into a trap.-
This person was genuinely thinking about him. Even in a place as universally recognized as safe as Lost Illusion Company, he remained vigilant. This was truly something worth learning from.
–By the way, Jiaoma also has two pendants.- Zoro smirked. –Be careful when you sleep. That little girl’s mental power is much stronger than yours, you know.-
He took out a photo showing the illusory Lost Mind Engine at the –Sub-Ether Passage.-
–In recognition of your outstanding contribution to catching the company’s pests, I’m giving this to you. It can take you directly to ‘City 11.’-
–It’s this again. It seems this Lost Mind Engine is quite special, doesn’t it?-
Yang Zicang fixed his gaze on Zoro, who responded with a meaningful smile.
He reached out and took the photo.
[Validity period: 30 days from the date of activation.]
Then, Zoro took out another photo.
–Thanks to you, I’ve become an elite employee too.-
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