Chapter 237: The Bait and the Rift

The moment the city-wide alert sounded everyone in the city paused for a beat.

Then just as quickly they resumed their tense hurried activities.

*Rustle…*

Panicked residents after a moment’s stunned silence began rushing towards nearby shops and subway entrances. These buildings shared a common feature: extensive glass decorations. Some were constructed entirely of tempered glass marked with emergency shelter signs. Meanwhile Armed Soldiers Police officers Special Task Force members and others reacted differently.

Some ran to evacuate the frightened crowds while others held their guns marching in step to reinforce the isolation zone’s cordon.

“Emergency shelter emergency shelter…”

A male announcer’s voice started broadcasting over the street speakers repeating precautions for emergency sheltering.

Lu Xin watched the unfolding scenes on the street feeling strangely comfortable.

He found a unique sort of beauty in the tense orderliness amidst the chaos.

…

“Mr. Lone Soldier do you read…”

“Mr. Lone Soldier…”

“Lu Xin! Observe the isolation zone immediately and report your findings…”

Lu Xin only snapped back to reality when Chen Jing’s commanding voice crackled through the channel.

A flicker of panic went through him:

*Looks like the leader is really anxious she’s even using my real name…*

“Okay.”

He immediately agreed turning his head to look at the isolation zone trying his best to remain calm and observant:

“I see strange mental monsters forming on these altered individuals. However these mental monsters are very weak. My initial estimate puts their psychic power magnitude in the tens possibly even lower. But when an altered person carrying a mental monster is killed or falls to their death the mental monster on them doesn’t disappear. Instead they merge.”

“The merging is fast their mental power stacks and I haven’t observed an upper limit.”

“Also you’ve probably already noticed without me saying it but these altered people are connected to the mental monster next to the hotel.”

“That mental monster seems to exert a powerful pull on them making them desperate to rush towards it regardless of the danger.”

…

“So you’re saying killing these altered people will actually accelerate the appearance of a large mental monster?”

Chen Jing ordered over the channel: “All personnel on the cordon be advised: avoid lethal force if possible. Use tranquilizer darts or special bullets.”

“What’s the status of the Information Analysis Team?”

…

In an office connected via the channel dozens of staff mostly women in blue uniforms were rapidly typing away compiling information. Some were even still in their casual clothes.

Voices called out intermittently: “Preliminary interrogation statements from the Sea Country’s Elder Ye have been transmitted Folder 1.”

“Data related to Satellite City No. 4’s True Hometown has been retrieved.”

“Special Task Force investigation report transmitted.”

“Observation reports from ability user single soldiers near the temporary isolation zone compiled and transmitted.”

“Professor Bai’s analysis report transmitted review immediately.”

…

“This happened so suddenly we know too little about the Sea Country’s S-rank ability user. It might be better to focus on the True Hometown as a breakthrough point…”

“What we need to figure out now is what exactly is the True Hometown?”

“And what is its relationship with these ability users?”

On a screen connected to the Information Analysis Team the faces of several Special Cleaning Department researchers appeared. Someone who had quickly reviewed the files offered their analysis: “Ever since the mysterious True Hometown organization in Satellite City No. 4 was dismantled interrogations and in-depth investigations of its members have been ongoing. The key question remains: How did the Missionaries appear?”

“Their ability user could command two mental monsters to proselytize and harm people but reports from the Mr. Lone Soldier indicated this ability user’s own power couldn’t create mental monsters from scratch. So where did those two monsters come from?”

…

“In previous analyses someone proposed a theory: the appearance and disappearance of those two mental monsters defied common sense. Could there actually be another world from which these mental monsters were summoned?”

“Nonsense! Another world? What do you think this is a novel?”

“…So his ability is creating mental monsters?”

…

“Professor Bai’s signal is coming through.”

Just then a screen on the wall flickered displaying Professor Bai’s image. He seemed to still be on the underground train. Beside him Mr. Su could be seen cursing and repeatedly slamming his hand on the table making loud thuds.

“I’ve heard your analysis but I believe there are inaccuracies.”

Professor Bai frowned trying not to be affected by Mr. Su: “The ability to create mental monsters exists but ability users who can do so typically have very high psychic power magnitudes at least over a thousand. Furthermore mental monsters they create rarely appear far from the ability user especially not over a month in advance.”

“Moreover this S-rank ability user from the Sea Country didn’t have a high initial psychic power magnitude not meeting the conditions for creating mental monsters.”

…

As he spoke Professor Bai tapped his temple lightly with a knuckle saying:

“Conversely I find the ‘another world’ line of thought somewhat interesting. But I don’t think it’s literally another world.”

“This ‘other world’ is merely a metaphysical concept!”

“Previous investigations into the mysterious organization in Satellite City No. 4 revealed that one of the two commanded missionaries had the ability to stir negative emotions in people. This resembles a natural instinct. So is it possible they originate from the depths of emotion itself?”

“Could the so-called ‘True Hometown’ actually be a mental world akin to a collective subconscious ocean?”

…

A tense silence fell over the Information Analysis Department.

It was punctuated only by the *swish*, *swish*, *swish* of writing and flipping through materials.

Professor Chen was the first to react: “Following that logic could this S-rank ability user’s power be summoning?”

“Were all these mental monsters summoned by him?”

“Just like Ghost-type ability users can exist in different people’s minds without a physical body perhaps some mental monsters also reside in the human mental domain or even somewhere deeper.”

“Is that the place this S-rank ability user connects to?”

While speaking he twirled the pen in his hand like a flower seemingly more dextrous than a Spider-type summarizing quickly:

“Combining this phenomenon with previous investigations into the True Hometown and the changes observed in altered individuals related to rituals like wishing and cursing can we make this deduction:”

“This S-rank ability user from the Sea Country or rather all ability users related to the ‘True Hometown’.”

“Their ability is to use themselves to create a rift?”

“Where exactly the rift connects is unknown but we can be certain that the place he connects to inherently contains mental monsters.”

“There’s definitely more than one mental monster living there so the specific pollution logic won’t follow a single pattern.”

…

Many nodded along. If not creation then it had to be summoning.

An ability user capable of summoning so many mental monsters certainly fit the S-rank evaluation.

“It’s not that simple.”

Professor Bai shook his head again: “If it were just summoning then these mental monsters should be under his command heading towards different targets. Why is it that all we observe now is all the monsters collectively exhibiting the characteristic of moving towards him?”

“Also we need to consider one issue: this S-rank ability user is already dead.”

“Meaning everything happening now isn’t being subjectively controlled by him. A dead summoner cannot influence mental monsters.”

“Third if he summoned them his psychic power magnitude should have decreased accordingly not increased.”

…

With the deduction that felt closest to the truth refuted everyone in the information department couldn’t help but feel a sense of frustration.

But they forced themselves to rally suppressing their unease and continuing their analysis.

“The conclusion that these mental monsters originate from something like a collective subconscious ocean can be tentatively kept…”

“The possibility of the mental monsters being summoned by the S-rank ability user is temporarily ruled out…”

“So where did these mental monsters come from and what is their connection to the Sea Country ability user?”

…

“There’s another possibility.”

Professor Bai spoke up from the screen: “The mental monsters growing on the altered people in the city might not have a direct connection to the Sea Country’s S-rank ability user. This could be a different attack method. It’s highly possible the Sea Country has grasped some methods for manipulating ‘True Hometown’ mental monsters and used this to launch an attack on Qinggang City.”

“The previous wishing and cursing incidents were likely meant to point these mental monsters in a certain direction…”

“…Or perhaps understand it this way: the wishing and cursing were bait used to lure these mental monsters here.”

“…Like scattering bait on the sea surface to attract schools of fish to one spot.”

…

As he spoke his pace quickened his thoughts clearing suddenly: “Then comes the part where the Sea Country’s S-rank ability user plays his role. The lured mental monsters merely created a group of altered individuals they didn’t truly manifest in the city. But when this S-rank ability user used his own death to activate his ability he triggered the appearance of these monsters.”

“Like a school of fish beneath the sea surface collectively surfacing.”

“Once these mental monsters dispersed among the population truly manifest they will completely turn our Qinggang City into a ghost domain!”

“And this S-rank ability user could also use the ensuing chaos to achieve infinite growth in his own psychic power magnitude…”

“…These are two coordinated and mutually concealing operational plans!”

…

Listening to Professor Bai’s analysis everyone was stunned for a moment.

Immediately some began to reverse-engineer his logic while others started searching for more evidence to see if it matched.

Researchers after the Red Moon had long accepted a principle: no matter how outlandish a hypothesis seemed if a clear logic chain could be established and it aligned with all collected data and observed phenomena then that hypothesis represented the truth.

…

“Five minutes to verify and provide cleanup recommendations.”

Mr. Su leaned into the screen pushing Professor Bai aside. His expression was grave but he had stopped cursing reverting to his usual refined demeanor: “Ability users and Special Task Force members everywhere are waiting for your analysis results.”