Chapter 493: The Surge of Mental Fury
by xennovel“Um, okay.”
Lu Xin was close to Doll, and since he was within the field she had created, he could hear her gently nod and whisper a quiet response as Professor Bai announced the start of the final testing phase.
Normally, she wouldn’t have needed to answer—it was likely just an instinctive reaction.
At the same time, Lu Xin distinctly felt the density of the surrounding mental power increase once more.
Looking up, he saw Doll frowning slightly, one hand clutching her umbrella while the other naturally rose, her slender fingers dancing like piano keys. With a few gentle taps, waves of mental power swelled like a vast ocean.
It seemed Doll was under considerable pressure herself.
But this pressure wasn’t from the surrounding mental power—it stemmed from her own unfamiliarity.
Lu Xin had witnessed her limits before…
Back in Happy Town, the Queen had poured nearly all her mental power into her.
The chaos and immense pressure were overwhelming, yet under those conditions, she managed to endure for a long time.
And that was all before she learned to reject mental power.
Now that she could defy mental power, it was like having learned to protect herself from it.
With that newfound ability to shield herself, her capacity to withstand mental power had soared to a whole new level.
Her mental magnitude might have increased severalfold.
Moreover, with Qinggang deploying various instruments around and four supporting ability users controlling the signal tower, her burden was greatly diminished—her tolerance was at least ten times what it had been in Happy Town.
The limit remained unknown.
After all, this experiment wasn’t designed to test her limits.
At this moment, Doll was more focused on familiarizing herself with and controlling the field.
It was clear that she was giving it her all.
Under her influence, the surrounding mental power surged like tumultuous ocean waves.
Within the field, Lu Xin could distinctly feel the mental radiation growing ever denser.
Even he felt a heavy weight on his shoulders, as if his body were being compressed and buffeted.
To be precise, under that cloak of mental power, Doll seemed omnipresent—a gentle, lilting voice whispering, “Wake up, don’t let that song affect you…”
……
……
If his own pressure was this severe, one could only imagine the strain felt by the people of Sea Country.
Looking up, Lu Xin saw groups of people kneeling on the ground, a dark mass resembling struggling fish.
Within this field, none of Sea Country’s people could escape.
They were trapped, unable to dodge Doll’s mental power.
So they could only endure, absorbing Doll’s will and heeding her admonitions.
Unlike other ability users, Doll possessed a breathtaking beauty—a look that etched itself into the soul upon one glance.
Her words carried the power to shake a soul; those touched by her influence willingly gave everything away. The men of Sea Country deeply felt this force and understood her intent.
Thus, they struggled, cried, and writhed on the ground, caught in a mental clash as fierce as a battle between water and fire.
Finally, tiny white lights began to emerge in their bodies.
The polluted traits they had acquired were being forcefully expelled by Doll.
Those who had been closer to her had already experienced this process, but now—over a hundred thousand people from Sea Country undergoing it simultaneously—it was a spectacular scene, as if countless ghostly flames were bursting forth.
“Squeak…”
Suddenly, a horrifyingly sharp scream pierced the air.
It was that distorted mermaid chant again, now even sharper and laced with hatred.
Lu Xin tensed, his pupils contracting as he looked forward.
In his view, he saw mermaids detaching from the bodies—they no longer instinctively rushed toward Doll to be obliterated by her mental power, but soared into the air, desperately struggling and even merging with one another.
Countless mermaids intertwined until a colossal form emerged.
At that moment, Lu Xin felt an overwhelming pressure.
First, countless specks of white light traced out a huge phantom silhouette against the dark night.
It was as if someone had flicked drops of white ink onto a black canvas, forming a massive skeleton.
Then more white dots flew toward that skeletal shape, gradually filling it in with flesh, scales, and delicate skin.
Mermaid!
At that moment, Lu Xin’s eyes fell upon an enormous mermaid suspended in midair.
A rotting mermaid.
She was a drifting creature, three to four kilometers long, with bright red, serpent-like hair defying gravity, and covered in densely arranged, intricately detailed scales.
Her body was marred by decay, exposing pink flesh and a ghastly pale bone structure.
Yet, on closer inspection, every scale was actually a human face.
Her massive form delivered a terrifying visual impact.
Especially since this several-kilometer-long mermaid was composed of some twisted mental power, causing ripples in the air like crashing tides with every movement.
Buzz…
The sound of snapping filaments rang out as the mermaid’s ripples violently battered the field Doll had constructed.
“Is this the source of the pollution?”
Lu Xin stared at the colossal creature, a crushing sense of oppression filling him.
“No, this isn’t the source of the pollution—just the polluted traits…”
“Could it be that the monster lurking in the hearts of Sea Country’s polluted individuals is being forced out by Doll’s power?”
“…”
“Detected: A mental monster is taking shape…”
“Mental magnitude… beyond precise measurement…”
His glasses’ headset carried Han Bing’s trembling voice as he reminded, “Mr. Lone Soldier…”
“Please refrain from attacking for now…”
“…”
Lu Xin looked up at the massive, decaying mermaid—a creature that belonged in the most bizarre nightmares—and nodded slightly.
The step he had instinctively taken forward slowly retracted.
He was only a guard; after all, a guard wasn’t meant to show off too much.
Doll had seen the mermaid.
In her field, the distinction between seeing and not seeing no longer existed.
Every form of mental energy was perfectly registered by her perception. She could not only ‘see’ but also feel every bit of twisted mental power leaking from that monstrous form, noting every subtle change.
Thus, she naturally saw the colossal being barreling forward with endless malice and venom.
Below, the tide responded, surging into colossal waves tens of meters high.
On Sea Country’s deck, the men’s bodies tilted, as if being pulled by an invisible force.
Admittedly, compared to a giant mermaid—several kilometers long with a waist spanning hundreds of meters—charging headlong, Doll’s tiny body was almost insignificant. Even a mere gust from the mermaid could crush her completely.
Yet Doll’s face showed no fear; Lu Xin couldn’t help but admire the little girl’s courage.
Though he might have missed a fleeting look of terror on her face, one glance downward only steeled her resolve. Then, she lifted her head to face the mermaid, her voice crisp and gentle:
“Bad creature, I’ll kill you.”
“…”
In comparison to the mermaid, Doll’s body was pitifully small.
However, her field clearly surpassed that of the mermaid.
Thus, the moment Doll spoke, the mental power throughout the field turned violent.
It surged as if awakened to its own will, wrapping itself around the mermaid.
Every strand burst with impact and razor-sharp intensity.
The mermaid seemed ensnared, bound by cutting psychic threads that shredded her decaying flesh.
A piercing, agonized scream burst from her mouth.
Soon after, the struggle intensified even further.
……
……
“Doll is clearing the mental monster so quickly…”
“My goodness, against such an immense mental monster, Doll seems to be crushing it…”
“Is the experiment about to succeed?”
“…”
From five control stations, countless eyes and cameras recorded everything from every angle.
Yet no witness could find words to describe the staggering scene—they watched as Sea Country’s massive chains, anchoring ships, were suddenly shaken, violently trembling before shattering and splashing huge amounts of water.
On deck, the men struggled to cover their heads as blood seeped from their noses, ears, and eyes.
It was a collision—a war of mental power.
Everyone looked up, mouths slightly agape, watching the outcome of this battle.
The advantage was overwhelmingly obvious; some even clenched their fists in trembling excitement, shouting out.
……
……
Just then, Lu Xin furrowed his brow suddenly.
His body stiffened as he turned to look toward the hidden coastline in the darkness.
At the same time, Mom, Father, and Sister appeared right beside him, all looking in different directions.
The hairs on Lu Xin’s body stood on end as if electrified.
Something was drawing near.
And it had to be something extremely dangerous!