Chapter 710: The Ominous Eye Over Qinggang

“What exactly is that eye?”

Lu Xin couldn’t offer Qinggang any useful clues regarding those eyes.

He was left with no choice but to responsibly stay by the side of the researchers and the doll, stationed atop the still-under-construction high-rise, silently watching them monitor the bizarre mental radiation emerging in the city.

All the while, he remained alert, wary that the mysterious eye might suddenly reappear over Qinggang.

After guarding the rooftop for seven or eight hours and watching nightfall come, all tests were completed, yet the eye never reappeared—even the latest readings were similar to Qinggang’s previous results.

Helplessly, Lu Xin had his work meal and returned to his home in Second Satellite City that very night.

The training would continue, but first, Lu Xin needed to come back.

So much had happened during that day.

He needed to return home and talk things through with his family—especially Mom.

True to his responsible nature, after seeing Mom he immediately inquired about the eye.

He had long since realized that for mysterious incidents, Mom knew more than he did.

“I don’t know either,”

to Lu Xin’s surprise, Mom shook her head slightly as she delivered her answer.

“This…”

Lu Xin felt a tinge of unexpected shock at the response, uncertain whether to trust her words.

“I really don’t know.”

Mom smiled and said, “You know I never lie.”

“Psychic abilities naturally have camouflage traits. Moreover, old friends from the past—or even entities descending or peering into this world from another realm—can, due to various circumstances, appear differently now than they did before.”

“So, unless I can sense them up close…”

“I wouldn’t be able to accurately guess who, or what, they are.”

“…”

Lu Xin paused briefly before anxiously asking, “You can sense them?”

“Of course I can,”

Mom replied with a smile, glancing toward the part of the sky where the eye had appeared earlier.

She explained, “As long as I can get close enough and sense it, I’ll know its identity. There’s no dodging that.”

“Then…”

Lu Xin looked at her hopefully.

“But I don’t dare to go near it.”

Mom shook her head with a smile and, under Lu Xin’s astonished gaze, sighed softly as she said, “Just as I could set a trap for someone in Flame City back then, why couldn’t someone else set a trap to lure me over now?”

She sighed lightly and added, “After all, we have plenty of enemies and adversaries now…”

“Hmm?”

Looking at Mom’s sorrowful sigh, Lu Xin couldn’t tell if she was being earnest or deceitful.

Was she truly worried that rushing in might turn into a trap?

In other words, was she concerned that some dreadful force had already set its sights on their family?

As he spoke, he instinctively turned to look up at the sky.

The black particles within the eye shimmered slightly—as if daring him to take a closer look…

But alas, he couldn’t reach it.

Not even with a helicopter could he get close.

Professor Bai had explained that the eye was located “above” Qinggang.

That “above” could, to some extent, be understood as a position on the psychic plane—one that might not be reached physically.

Even if it were reachable physically, no helicopter could make it.

Launching a rocket—if Lu Xin were to blast off on one—might offer a glimmer of hope…

But that wouldn’t be very safe.

It might be easy to ascend on a rocket, but how would you come down?

…

…

“But don’t worry,”

Noticing Lu Xin’s inner doubts, Mom smiled and said, “When that thing opened its eye earlier, I sensed it immediately.”

“I caught a glimpse of it.”

“Although I couldn’t quite see what it was, I could feel its fear and wariness.”

“This means that it might not be hatching a grand conspiracy. Perhaps it’s simply greedy and too scared to descend.”

“Since it won’t come down willingly, why should we bother with it?”

“We only need to use this time to prepare ourselves.”

“After all, didn’t you just learn something remarkable in that university campus?”

“…”

“Whoosh!”

Lu Xin suddenly turned his head to look at Mom.

Following Mom’s suggestion, he had collaborated with Qinggang to undergo tests to understand himself better. Qinggang then arranged a training course, during which the Old Director took the opportunity to present his research findings, predictions about future developments, and analyses of their current situation to Qinggang’s researchers and ability users…

Everything unfolded logically, one link leading to another.

And Mom was the one who had set the first move in motion, so…

After a while, Lu Xin softly asked, “Did you know Old Director was coming?”

Facing Lu Xin’s earnest gaze, Mom shook her head slightly and whispered, “I knew he might provide some information at this time. After all, this trial was arranged by him, so it made sense for him to offer some pre-exam guidance…”

“But I didn’t expect him to come in person.”

“From any angle, he didn’t need to show up personally, so I wasn’t expecting it either.”

“…”

She shook her head gently and sighed, “Had I known he would come, I would have followed you and taken him down right then and there.”

“Seizing that opportunity to settle him once and for all.”

“…”

Lu Xin could hear the earnest and faintly ruthless tone in Mom’s words.

That convinced him to believe her.

He knew Mom well enough to know if she had lied…

“…that would have been too much.”

But she never lied when her expression turned serious and earnest.

When she did lie, she’d smile like a fox trying hard to hide it.

“I feel the same way.”

Lu Xin lowered his gaze from Mom’s face and murmured.

His conflicted feelings were twofold:

On one hand, had he known earlier that it was Old Director, he wouldn’t have let him go.

On the other, he couldn’t understand why Old Director insisted on appearing before him to give this lesson.

When there were plenty of other ways to do it.

Why did he have to come face-to-face to deliver this lecture?

Pondering this left Lu Xin with a heavy heart.

…

…

“So, what he said can’t be trusted, can it?”

After a long moment of thought, Lu Xin looked up at Mom and asked softly without any hidden agenda.

It all seemed to make sense.

Is the Old Director a bad person?

Yes.

He’s done too much.

Not only to himself—or rather, he was the least significant among them all.

Everything Lu Xin had witnessed—from his sister on the dissection table to Little Nineteen left with the Black Table, to Number Two discarded by him, or those who lost their lives under his so-called plan…

The Old Director is the one he can never reconcile with.

“Don’t believe him.”

Yet, when Lu Xin voiced his doubts, Mom simply nodded.

“I know you hate him and despise all the arrangements he’s forced on you,”

Mom whispered, “but that has nothing to do with what kind of person you should become. You can’t let his words change you, because that too is falling under his control. All you need to do is keep moving forward.”

“Keep moving forward calmly and resolutely until the day you stand before him,”

“and tell him about your unhappiness, your resentment, your hatred…”

“Then kill him.”

“…”

Listening to Mom, Lu Xin fell silent for a long while.

Then he nodded with an expressionless face, though his eyes betrayed obvious confusion.

“So, what did he mean by ‘psychic core’?”

After a while, Lu Xin forced himself to regain his spirit and asked Mom in a soft voice.

Earlier, Father had already explained the concept of the psychic core to him.

Even though he generally understood it, he still felt uncertain and couldn’t grasp it completely.

“This issue…”

After a pause, Mom softly said, “Rather than explaining it in words, why don’t I show you?”

Lu Xin looked at Mom in surprise and nodded slowly.

With an elegant smile directed at Lu Xin, Mom turned and walked towards her room.

To Lu Xin’s eyes, it seemed she simply opened the bedroom door and stepped inside.

The bedroom door closed, and the next second it was already open again.

Mom had changed her outfit—from her previously modest, homey long dress to a chic, finely tailored lily-trimmed mini dress. She even wore orange sunglasses, high heels, and subtle makeup, as if ready to head out.

Carrying her handbag, she gracefully approached Lu Xin and slightly raised her left arm.

Lu Xin paused for a moment before understanding her cue and slipped his arm through hers.

“Clack clack clack…”

At that moment, his sister, who had been watching from the ceiling, darted down from the overhead space as she saw them about to leave.

In the kitchen, Father sat on a small stool watching the pressure cooker, curiously peeking out.

Noticing their eager expressions, Mom furrowed her brow and said, “We’re going out on business. You two, don’t follow.”

Hearing this, his sister and Father were instantly disappointed.

His sister climbed back into the ceiling nook while Father angrily shut the kitchen’s sliding door.

…

…

“Let’s go…”

Ignoring them completely, Mom turned with a gentle smile toward Lu Xin, linked her arm with his, and stepped out the door.

In the dead of night, the old building was alive with skulking shapes and restless whispers.

But as soon as Mom left the room, she frowned slightly.

In an instant, all the lurking shadows vanished, hastily retreating into the corners and trembling.

…

…

“Those creatures…”

A slight sneer played on Mom’s lips as she softly muttered, “It’s time they gave up hope.”