Chapter 401: Shattered Fields

“Have you found it?”

Mom noticed the change in Lu Xin’s expression. She turned gracefully, her ever-gentle smile reassuring everyone.

“What is this?”

Lu Xin understood what his mom was referring to. His face registered astonishment as he glanced at his Father and Sister. They were now glaring at each other—one, angry yet too timid to charge forward, and the other cowering behind him, clearly scared but defiant.

“This power can actually affect my Father and Sister?”

“Even make them stupid?”

“…”

“They don’t look dumb because of the power.”

Mom smiled gently, “It isn’t affecting them; it’s affecting you.”

Lu Xin nodded and flipped upward, narrowly dodging the embrace of a Death Flower. He managed to stand at a 90-degree angle against the factory wall. Despite his intense movements, his voice remained steady as he quietly inquired, “What should I do?”

At that moment, he understood the reason.

Earlier, the mechanic from the club had posed four questions based on his own experiences.

Most of these questions had been answered, but one still remained unresolved.

That is: how exactly did those awakened from death actually die?

Even if an Ability User, capable of inciting internecine strife, were involved, how could he instantly traverse the Wasteland?

Now, Lu Xin felt he was closing in on the answer.

Judging by their behavior, his Father and Sister seemed affected—their tempers growing irritable.

If even they show such obvious signs, what about ordinary people? Could they completely lose control under this influence?

After all, Mom truly is something else…

Lu Xin stole a glance at Mom; she appeared to be the only one unaffected.

“…”

“The accumulation of abilities.”

Mom whispered, “This field, torn from that old friend, is naturally pure and devoid of any will. However, the one who establishes a field can harness it to channel their own power—just as borrowed money is still money. No matter the opponent’s caliber, with this field’s boost, their power becomes both elusive and formidable…”

Lu Xin narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, “So, where is he now?”

Finding the person with such power would also reveal the cause behind our colleagues’ deaths.

If he could speak with this person, Lu Xin thought his mood might improve a little.

“You’ve already damaged more than half of the instruments, so this field is collapsing.”

Mom softly laughed, “Even if the collapse is gradual, she clearly can no longer vanish without a trace like when the field was whole. Since she can affect you now, that means she’s definitely nearby—perhaps…”

Glancing at the surrounding Forest of the Dead, she smiled, “Right here…”

“Then I’ll be at ease…”

Lu Xin nodded, then looked over at his Father and Sister.

At that moment, his Father and Sister were arguing. Father shouted in a sinister tone, “You little brat, I’ll tear you to shreds sooner or later…”

Sister retorted defiantly, “I’m going to turn you into a toy…”

“I’m going to chop you into meat pulp!”

“I’m going to display you on the TV cabinet…”

“…”

Lu Xin took a deep breath and interrupted them, “Since you’re both so angry, why not take action?”

Father and Sister were momentarily stunned, staring blankly at Lu Xin.

Lu Xin hastily explained, “Not fighting each other, but together—against that person…”

Both Father and Sister glared coldly at Lu Xin.

Those who bicker like this are never the first to let their anger subside.

“Feel free to make the first move.”

Lu Xin looked at his Father and whispered, “I believe in you.”

Father seemed momentarily dazed, unsure how to respond.

“Sister is the most obedient.”

Lu Xin then turned to his Sister and whispered, “I’ll go get you a toy—the kind that sings, moves, and even makes sounds.”

Sister’s eyes lit up immediately.

“…”

“Is his power to affect people’s emotions?”

While dashing around to escape the onslaught of Death Flowers, Lu Xin halted and slowly turned his head.

Countless Death Flowers were flying toward him from all directions.

Yet he seemed oblivious, merely tilting his head slightly as he listened intently to the surrounding music.

Although the music had been refracted to the point of being hard to discern, he concentrated and slowly began tracking its source.

In the next moment, his gaze suddenly turned cold as he looked in one direction.

Even though the music seemed to echo through countless refracted paths from the entire Forest of the Dead, the subtle variations in its intensity still carried a hint of rhythm. By focusing, he easily pinpointed the direction of its origin…

“Let’s go…”

He whispered, his body suddenly tensing forward, and he dashed ahead.

“…”

Meanwhile, where Lu Xin was rushing, the Red-haired Woman’s face broke into a frosty smile.

She cradled the Eight-Tone Box in her hands, its melody soft as she remarked, “Charging straight in—does he really want to fall into a trap?”

As she spoke, the surrounding field began to change noticeably.

Countless Death Flowers swarmed between her and Lu Xin, densely arranged like a path of death.

“…”

“Swish!”

With a powerful kick, Lu Xin charged back into the Forest of the Dead, his eyes tinged with red.

It was just like the first time he had rushed into the Forest of the Dead, only this time it was clearly far more dangerous.

The first time he charged in, the Death Flowers had just begun to bloom. But now, countless had blossomed, with interwoven streams of complex mental energy forming raging torrents, and one Death Flower after another unfurled right before his eyes.

Yet this time, Lu Xin made no effort to dodge, charging straight ahead.

“Buzz…”

As Lu Xin approached, a Death Flower burst into bloom, unleashing a potent surge of mental energy.

Lu Xin’s figure seemed to plunge into a mass of transparent goo.

His movements became sluggish, and his form blurred.

The overwhelming force nearly slammed him back, as if he were at the base of a bursting dam. Yet instead of falling back, he completely relinquished control of his body to his Sister, caring for nothing else.

His facial muscles contorted in an instant, and he grinned like a mischievous child.

Amid the chaotic, powerful turbulence, his body twisted in ways that defied logic, dissipating as much force as possible. Then, with a sudden rebound from his feet, he valiantly lunged forward through the mental onslaught.

“Swish!”

The colliding mental force was repelled by him, leaving behind a distinct vacuum.

Meanwhile, the singing drifting from all directions began to stutter, its melody breaking apart intermittently.

Up in the Forest of the Dead, the Red-haired Woman’s expression grew somber.

“Buzz…”

At that moment, Lu Xin had already reached a second Death Flower.

A massive mental impact struck again.

Moreover, due to his incredible speed, this impact nearly merged with the first, forming a single wave of force.

Lu Xin’s bones snapped and twisted like braided ropes. With every step, it was as if a double image appeared; where his feet contacted the ground, the earth swirled outward in vortex-like patterns, spreading like ripples.

Lu Xin’s expression brightened even further.

His body twisted even more dramatically—but not unconsciously. He continuously adjusted his form in response to the mental onslaught, mitigating the impact. Moreover, he stretched his arms out; wherever his fingertips brushed the air, ripples formed and encircled his body.

He even channeled a measure of mental radiation to enhance his speed.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz…”

The relentless shattering of Death Flowers rang out.

Lu Xin dashed through the burst of white flowers, moving as swiftly as a bullet slicing through a row of watermelons.

Numerous wounds marred his body; his twisted form couldn’t entirely avoid the harm from the mental impacts. His flesh was lacerated, blood streaming down, yet his face showed no pain.

Under the surrounding lights, his contorted expression spread into a grin that nearly reached his ears, displaying boundless excitement.

The ground trembled around him, accompanied by faint bursts of explosive sound.

Each Death Flower possessed a mental magnitude of twenty to thirty thousand—akin to the Mental Bomb Lu Xin had unleashed during Qin Ran and the others’ attack on Qinggang. The force released was truly terrifying.

But now, it was like a chain of bombs exploding all at once.

“…”

“What kind of monster is this?”

In the Forest of the Dead, the Red-haired Woman’s face had taken on a frightful aspect.

Her skin had turned pale, cold sweat beading on her forehead, and nosebleeds gushed unabated.

Clutched in her hands, the music box emitted a singing voice that had grown increasingly sluggish and labored. What was once a delicate, beautiful melody had turned crude and hoarse, stretched out like a battery nearing its end.

Her eyes widened as she watched Lu Xin charge forward rapidly, her expression as if she had seen a ghost.

“Sigh…”

A palm, covered with wrinkles and dark spots, gently pressed against her shoulder.

An old man with pale hair slowly knelt beside the Red-haired Woman.

He set a silver case before him.

Gently opening the lid, he revealed inside a row of silver nails, another row of sharp knives, three saws of different models, some pliers, and several bottles of varying colors containing an unknown liquid.

The Red-haired Woman turned around with difficulty, her gaze pleadingly fixed on the old man.

At first, she didn’t understand why the old man refused to trust her and insisted on staying.

But now, facing that monster, she realized how gravely mistaken she had been, pinning all her hope on him.

“Ahem.”

The old man coughed softly, glanced at Lu Xin charging forward, and slowly withdrew his gaze.

Then he picked up a slender silver nail, about twenty centimeters in length.

After a deep sigh, his expression suddenly hardened as he forcefully drove the nail into his own foot.