Chapter 252: Containing the Chaos

Even with Lu Xin’s shadow looming nearby many of the mental monsters emerging from the Sea Country’s S-rank ability user still scattered elsewhere. Each of these mental monsters was different; their psychic power level wasn’t the crucial factor, but rather that each possessed unique pollution traits its own form and life.

Furthermore some were massive while others were tiny; some soared into the sky others burrowed underground.

It seemed as if Lu Xin’s surrounding shadow terrified them motivating a single impulse: escape.

Escape as far as possible. The result was a chaotic rout that seemed nearly impossible to stop.

…

The City Defense Department had established a cordon three kilometers around the Donghai Grand Hotel. Outside this line in other parts of the city Special Task Force units along with ability users from the Special Cleaning Department and City Defense were conducting cleanup missions in various sectors.

Thanks to their efforts the mental monsters and altered persons elsewhere had either been eliminated or brought under control.

Increasingly attention focused on the cordoned zone centered around the Donghai Grand Hotel.

Then right at that moment they witnessed it. Around the cordon the detection devices on the waists of every armed soldier and Special Task Force member simultaneously blared piercing alarms. Countless swirling Mental Distortion Fields surged out from the cordoned area.

Beneath the high-hanging Red Moon they could even make out the blurred shapes of these mental monsters.

One monstrous serpent formed from countless twisting arms dozens of meters long writhed towards the cordon’s edge. It slammed into the net formed of blue electric arcs with immense force. The impact buckled even the high-intensity electric arc net sending sparks flying from the connection pillars which flickered threateningly as if about to extinguish.

“Kaka…”

The earth suddenly collapsed revealing a hole from which an eerie man-eating flower grew rapidly unfurling its leaves and petals.

“Zhi zhi zhi…”

A dense buzzing filled the air causing scalps to tingle—another strange type of mental monster.

They swarmed through the sky in dense flocks heading towards the city.

“Weng…”

The entire city’s electrical system seemed to falter. All the lights near the cordoned zone flickered erratically. The voice on the nearby broadcast issuing emergency warnings distorted becoming absurdly deep and slow one moment then shrill and rapid the next creating a bizarre almost comical effect. LED screens on building faces flickered wildly displaying chaotic blocks of color.

…

…

“All personnel prepare…”

Chen Jing gripped her walkie-talkie tightly shouting desperately her voice trembling.

The Special Task Force members who had been holding the line outside the cordon raised their guns with a clatter aiming towards the breach.

The overwhelming dense tide of mental monsters filled them with panic.

But at this moment all they could do was hold their ground.

“Is this the final ability of that Sea Country ability user?”

“Did they plan all along that if they couldn’t weaken Qinggang they’d just destroy us instead?”

…

Right beside the Isolation Zone extremely close to the outer cordon of the Donghai Grand Hotel Mr. Su and the others felt their scalps tingle.

The Red Moon illuminated the shadows of the mental monsters.

Their sheer numbers induced a profound sense of helplessness.

Although the Red Cloaked Apostle’s main body seemed to have been eliminated and although the number of mental monsters was clearly reduced even the remaining ones were enough to drive anyone half-mad just by looking. They could only watch numbly as the creatures charged the cordon.

They braced themselves for the inevitable but everyone knew resistance was futile.

Qinggang seemed destined to be turned into a ghost domain by these mental monsters…

…

“What is that?”

Just as the panic in everyone’s heart reached its peak someone suddenly cried out hoarsely.

Startled everyone looked up and forward. They saw a mass of black shadow rapidly expanding from the direction of the Donghai Grand Hotel. It spread incredibly fast like a black tide under the Red Moon surging in waves towards the edges of the entire cordoned zone engulfing all the escaping mental monsters within it…

And the source of all these shadows was a tiny figure atop the Donghai Grand Hotel high-rise.

It was Lu Xin under the Red Moon.

At such a distance it was difficult to clearly see a person on the rooftop with the naked eye.

Especially since after Minister Shen’s warning no one dared to try and stare intently at him…

…Doll was an exception.

But perhaps because the shadow covering the entire cordoned zone originated from Lu Xin he became the sole contrasting point in this sea of black. Strangely people noticed him feeling as if they could see him with perfect clarity…

He stood quietly on the highest rooftop in the entire area gazing down at everything under the Red Moon.

Then he slowly raised his hand palm open before clenching it into a tight fist.

“Hwa!”

The shadow which had expanded to nearly cover the entire cordoned area suddenly began to contract forcefully.

As the shadow contracted it dragged the mental monsters inward with it.

Some mental monsters had already reached the boundary about to escape or perhaps half their bodies were already out. But their other halves were enveloped by the black shadow. They struggled futilely pulled back in panic.

Whether in the sky or underground there were no exceptions. All were engulfed by the shadow.

Their struggles tore irregular deep gouges into the ground.

Some were dragged into the depths of the black shadow their miserable psychic tremors echoing directly in people’s minds.

Others began to disintegrate piece by piece even as they were being pulled in.

The entire cordon fell instantly silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the now empty cordon line as if waking from a nightmare.

Their minds were still filled with the image of the black shadow capturing and pulverizing those mental monsters.

…

…

“Gulp…”

After a long dead silence a faint sound broke the stillness.

It was the sound of someone swallowing hard out of fear made distinct by the profound quiet.

This sound seemed to break the spell that had turned everyone into statues.

A collective sigh of deep relief rippled through the crowd.

Mr. Su’s legs buckled nearly sending him to the ground. He hastily grabbed Minister Shen’s arm whispering:

“Help me up a bit… My… legs are a little weak…”

Minister Shen expressionless held onto Mr. Su while reaching out with his other hand… to steady himself against the nearby wall.

His stern face twitched slightly as he murmured “Actually I am too…”

Only Professor Bai who had been leaning against a utility pole from the start gently removed his glasses rubbed the corners of his eyes and sighed softly:

“A Tyrant…”

“This truly isn’t power ordinary people should covet or try to control…”

…

“Phew…”

“Cleaned up nicely…”

Amidst the ruins atop the Donghai Grand Hotel perched on a half-collapsed load-bearing wall Lu Xin let out a sigh of relief.

The shadow that had momentarily swelled to cover the three-kilometer cordoned zone had now shrunk back beneath his feet.

All the mental monsters had been eliminated without a single one missed.

The surroundings were instantly clean only the Red Moon illuminating the pristine buildings.

Downstairs nearby Mom looked up at Lu Xin on the high-rise her expression complex.

Sister sat not far from her.

She had been playing happily but when the shadow surged it had also enveloped her toy.

Consequently she was thrown back landing hard on her bottom. Still dazed she hadn’t quite processed what happened.

Just then Lu Xin descended from the building.

He appeared very calm walking down the building’s wall heading straight for his sister.

Seeing Lu Xin’s placid face Sister felt a surge of intense fear instinctively wanting to flee.

But before she could act Lu Xin was already beside her.

Looking at his sister in her pale little skirt with messy hair Lu Xin felt an overwhelmingly strong emotion well up inside. How strange… Even after dispelling so many negative emotions with those glasses and venting that intense depression and anger through the earlier ‘high-profile’ display his heart still ached.

An empty ache.

He silently watched his sister. After a long moment he suddenly knelt down and hugged her.

He held her tightly in his arms lowering his head deeply.

Startled Sister wanted to escape but didn’t dare.

She didn’t understand what was happening but could sense Lu Xin’s pain. Tilting her small head she began to ponder.

After a while she gently patted Lu Xin’s arm consoling him softly:

“It’s okay you can have that toy…”

“Brother don’t cry don’t be afraid okay?”

“It’s okay if you’re hurt. When you have lots of wounds they don’t hurt anymore…”

…

At some point even Lu Xin’s shadow had quieted down.

Mom appeared below the high-rise just three or four meters away quietly watching Lu Xin.

Lu Xin looked up at Mom his expression very calm.

But also very serious: “I need to understand exactly what happened back then.”

Mom watched him quietly: “And then?”

Lu Xin replied: “Then I’ll make them pay the price one by one. Not even a single hair will be spared.”

His reply was calm so much so that one couldn’t detect the rage within. Naturally there was none of the usual emphasis in tone meant to strengthen resolve or express anger. He was simply stating a plain fact.

But listening Mom’s face softened into a gentle smile: “Very good. With that attitude…”

“It means you’re ready to see that information.”