Chapter 441: The Crisis of Mental Overload

“Come over…”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Lu Xin immediately stepped forward, pulling the Doll close and hugging her tightly. His distorted force field enveloped her, repelling the surrounding mental energy. It acted like an umbrella above them, using his ability to slightly ease the backlash of mental power on her.

Seeing this, Lu Xin understood a crucial truth.

The Doll now displayed both the deficiencies of the first stage and the traits of the third stage.

The core element of the first stage is stability.

In contrast, the essence of the third stage is Mental Plague.

In other words, Mental Plague is essentially the boundless expansion of mental energy.

The system of Ability Users is very different from the internal energy depicted in martial arts novels.

Ability Users don’t need to exhaust every method to boost their mental power; once they hit the third stage, they can break a limit and use all their strength to infect others, thereby acquiring a way to rapidly amplify their mental power.

Earlier, as he reviewed the materials, Lu Xin wondered:

“If mental power can expand infinitely, why does no one ever do so?”

“Why do all Ability Users—even Pollution Sources with self-awareness—subconsciously control their mental power?”

The answer is actually simple:

It’s the limit of awareness.

……

Mental energy is a burden; it can enhance abilities, but it also strains one’s consciousness.

If that limit is exceeded, an Ability User will collapse, their awareness wiped away.

In other words, they lose control.

In many ways, this is the biggest difference between Ability Users and Pollution Sources or Mental Monsters.

Neither Ability Users nor self-aware Mental Monsters will expand infinitely.

Only Pollution Sources will contaminate indiscriminately.

……

The Doll is in this very state—overwhelmed by chaotic, unconscious mental energy. If the surrounding power continues to increase, she is likely to suffer a collapse of consciousness and self-dissolution.

In the city, things are different from this wasteland.

Within the city, no matter how crowded it gets, the Doll can regulate her mental energy. She is capable of drawing on the mental power of others, and when her own becomes excessive, she can offload the surplus to someone else.

Simply put, she can manipulate mental energy…

But now, the surrounding mental energy is chaotic and unorganized.

So she must shoulder the increasing burden alone.

……

“Quick, send a message to Qinggang.”

A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind as Lu Xin abruptly turned to an Undercover Agent beside him.

“The Doll’s mental power is dangerously high—she’s on the brink of losing control!”

“I need to know how to help her…”

“…”

The Undercover Agent, who had just been slapped, shot a blank look at Lu Xin and the Doll before quickly vanishing back into the vortex.

His small fist was clenched tightly, as if determined to earn some credit.

……

“Is the Happy Town Queen being sealed inside a bottle?”

At a temporary worksite in an abandoned village on the outskirts of Happy Town, Qinggang buzzed with activity.

Chen Jing, having received the Undercover Agent’s message, was equally astonished.

At that moment, rows upon rows of Speed Note Pads had been meticulously arranged before her.

They chronicled the events at the Disaster Museum that Lu Xin encountered when he first entered Happy Town.

They also detailed his return to the wasteland through adjustments made via ‘acquaintance.’

Next, they recorded his observations of what appeared to be survivors from Water Bay City—their happiness locked in a bottle, his encounter with Qin Ran, and how he joined forces with her to shatter that false world, culminating in the sight of the Queen being bottled.

Every step of the process was recorded in vivid detail.

Not only were these records complete, but key moments were also accompanied by sketches.

Seven Undercover Agents scurried in and out of the vortex, Speed Note Pads in hand, lining up to deliver them to Chen Jing.

With a swift motion, one pad was torn off and slapped onto Chen Jing’s thigh, and then its bearer rushed back into the vortex.

Frankly, if the situation weren’t so urgent, Chen Jing would have been touched by their dedicated conscientiousness.

After all, Chen Jing has a soft spot for cute little things.

……

Yet she knew what was truly important at this moment—her forehead was already beaded with sweat from anxiety.

While busily handing organized materials to a nearby Gecko (for photograph and transmission back to Qinggang), she herself rapidly scanned the Speed Note Pads, hoping to quickly extract useful insights from the tangled information.

For Qinggang, the top priority is to thoroughly investigate the true purpose of the Technology Church.

After receiving word from the Research Institute on how to handle the Happy Town affair—a monumental challenge in itself—even armed support from the Research Institute couldn’t ease the urgency. The sudden appearance of the Technology Church only added another mysterious layer to an already tight situation.

They now faced what seemed like a terror attack from an unknown enemy.

……

“Death Field, armed forces from the Settlements gripped by greed, Disaster Museum, Parasitic Queen…”

Her mind nearly exploded. “What is the true purpose of the Technology Church?” she thought.

Just as her anxiety peaked, the vortex suddenly expanded. Three Undercover Agents burst out simultaneously—two stumbling to the ground while the third stepped atop them and charged toward Chen Jing.

Wielding a Speed Note Pad, it slapped it down onto the table in front of Chen Jing with a sharp smack.

Chen Jing glanced at its contents; her complexion turned instantly pale and she leaped to her feet.

“Quick, transmit this information back to Headquarters…”

Her voice, hoarse with strain, announced, “Something big has happened.”

……

“All these materials were sent by the Happy Town Special Investigation Team.”

“Immediately input them into the computer and display them on the big screen…”

Meanwhile, at the Special Pollution Cleanup Department Headquarters in Qinggang Main City, everyone was as busy as if their feet were barely touching the ground.

All the professors from Qinggang, along with every available researcher, had crammed into a single meeting room.

Some sat down, removing their wigs and constantly wiping away sweat.

Some couldn’t even resist lighting a cigarette, blatantly ignoring the ‘No Smoking’ signs.

……

“It’s clear—the one sealed within the cocoon, attempting to parasitize the Happy Town Queen, is the Calamity Archbishop.”

Amidst the murmurs, Professor Chen pounded his Steel Pen on the table, spilling ink everywhere. Once the room quieted, he quickly asserted, “The true purpose of the Technology Church can only be deduced from all their arrangements.”

“From infiltrating Happy Town to now, they’ve executed three consecutive plans.”

“Chen Jing’s interrogation of the Rose Knight from the Technology Church revealed these three plans: Death Flower, the Sin of Greed, and finally, the Mental Fortress. I believe it’s clear these plans were far from random…”

“The true objective of the Technology Church lies within these three plans.”

“That is, the real face of the so-called Gospel Plan.”

“……”

An Occult Expert with disheveled hair immediately interjected, “These three plans are indeed connected.”

“For instance, the so-called Death Flower is essentially a Death Field used to channel the Happy Town Queen’s mental energy, paving the way for their next move. I suspect the Technology Church used some method to numb and imprison her, but given her formidable power, they can only resort to methods that risk alerting outsiders.”

“That very reason led to the killing of our Qinggang Observation Post personnel and ultimately exposed their actions.”

“The first plan actually supplements the third.”

“But why does the second plan involve drawing so many armed forces from the Settlements?”

“They clearly brought in a huge number of people from Water Bay City…”

“……”

“There must be links among these anomalies.”

Professor Chen stated, “Now we should list all the inexplicable aspects.”

A calm, graceful lady remarked, “The second plan has the most ambiguities.”

“What we are sure of is that all the mayhem among the Settlement armed forces was triggered by a Bottle. That Bottle is now being escorted back to Qinggang by a Drunkard, and our researchers are on its trail, trying to unlock its secrets en route.”

“But on the surface, I believe the key lies in the problems encountered by the Single Soldier when dispersing the armed forces earlier.”

As she spoke, she frowned and suddenly snatched a cigarette from a Researcher’s mouth.

She shoved it into her own mouth, taking a fierce drag, and said, “Mental Monster!”

“If it were mere contamination, it could indeed give rise to a Mental Monster.”

“But a Mental Monster that emerges directly from the Abyss cannot simply be explained as a distortion of desire.”

“Especially when the Single Soldier mentioned that a multitude of Mental Monsters appeared at once.”

“That rules out the possibility of a single Abyss-based Ability User blending into the crowd to release Mental Monsters.”

“……”

“Channeling the Queen’s energy via the Death Flower, summoning Mental Monsters through the Sin of Greed, coupled with the third plan’s fusion…”

In the meeting room, countless minds were now brimming with these few terms.

Countless potential logical chains rapidly formed in their minds—sketching, recombining, and extending.

“We’re in trouble…”

At that moment, a young female Researcher stationed by the fax machine—who had been continuously receiving materials from the Investigation Team—suddenly shouted after glancing at a Speed Note Pad, then dashed toward Professor Chen.

Upon seeing the contents of the pad, Professor Chen’s Steel Pen snapped in his hand.

His lips trembled as he muttered, “This is bad—the Doll…”

“The Doll has taken on too much mental energy; she’s on the brink of losing control…”

“……”

It was as if the meeting room had suddenly hit pause.

The clamor vanished in an instant, like snow thrown into boiling water.

“What are we waiting for…”

Professor Chen was the first to rise, blue veins bulging on his neck, shouting, “Quick, notify the Doll.”

“No, notify the Single Soldier.”

“No, don’t let Chen Jing contact them…”

“Have the Doll unleash a Mental Impact with everything she’s got. That will ease her burden, and then… evacuate Happy Town immediately. Forget the mission—just get out of there!”

“……”

“Abandon the mission?”

That question sent a chill through everyone.

Yet, when faced with such an almost unbelievable, even absurd idea, someone immediately grabbed the communicator.

“So then…”

“…Are we really abandoning the mission?”

“……”

“No, we cannot.”

Just as the communicator was about to send the message, the meeting room door was pushed open. Dressed in a crisp white suit, Professor Bai strode in, his breathing ragged from his hurried pace.

“The Technology Church is expecting us to do exactly that.”

After catching his breath, his first words were precisely this.

“Professor Bai…”

At the sight of the dapper old man in his white suit, everyone in the room was momentarily startled, then visibly relieved.

Because Professor Bai had been handling matters in Sea Country, and with the sudden turn of events involving the Technology Church, responsibility had fallen solely on Professor Chen. No one expected him to appear at this critical moment.

To the Qinggang Researchers, spotting the stylish old man in a white suit instantly provided a pillar of reassurance.

“Old Bai… Professor Bai…”

Even Professor Chen was a mix of shock and delight at his appearance.

Professor Bai gave him a look, nodded, and immediately addressed the pressing issue: “The second and third plans of the Technology Church are connected. That warped mental field is the Happy Town Queen’s own energy. The Technology Church isn’t unwilling to channel this energy—they simply can’t because the Queen is resisting.”

“It’s precisely her resistance that is slowing down the third plan.”

“If the Doll manages to expel her mental energy, she’d inadvertently be aiding the Technology Church.”

“I even suspect that the Technology Church, having known of the Doll’s existence early on, factored her into their plan.”

“If they act on this, there will be two consequences: first, they’ll accelerate the parasitic ritual on the Queen; and second, this mental energy will affect the armed personnel still lingering in the wasteland…

resulting in countless Mental Monsters running wild in the wasteland.”

“……”

“Then what…?”

After hearing Professor Bai, Professor Chen’s brief look of relief turned into deep concern as he asked, “Then what are we to do?”

His voice trembled, “Because that’s the Doll…”

“……”

Professor Bai removed his suit jacket with a slight shake, hung it on a coat hanger, and casually rolled up his sleeves.

He said, “Connect me with Chen Jing. I’ll speak with her directly.”