Chapter 407: Steps of Fate

Mom was right…

Lu Xin was momentarily stunned by his mom’s retort.

It seemed the truth was indeed as she said.

Of all he could think of that matched the characteristics of the third step, nothing could move freely—like the doll. If she appeared among people unprepared, disaster would strike immediately. And take the Queen of Happy Town; even now, he couldn’t tell if it was her intention or an accident that turned Happy Town into such a terrifying, bizarre place.

If it were unintentional, that was all the more horrifying.

Her terror far surpassed that of the doll.

And these cases clearly pointed to one thing.

The higher one ascends the steps, the more abnormal things become.

……

“The key comes later.”

Mom smiled at the look of sudden understanding on Lu Xin’s face and gently said, “Whether you can reach it isn’t important.”

“What matters is whether you can keep moving forward.”

……

Deep in thought, Lu Xin slowly turned to the exposition on the theory of the fourth step.

What met his eyes suddenly morphed into a jumble of intricate formulas and obscure technical terms. He saw theoretical models interlaced with various factors, with keywords like “Abyss,” “Reality,” “Mental World,” and others. After flipping through several pages, he finally reached the crux of the fourth step.

“Mental Overlord.”

……

Lu Xin was seeing these four words for the first time, yet they felt inexplicably familiar.

He subconsciously banged his head.

Then he fell silent, seemingly deep in thought, though his expression revealed he might simply be spacing out.

After a long while, he finally asked, “Is this thing accurate?”

“You need to understand one thing,”

Mom smiled at him like a patient tutor helping her child:

“All theories and models are designed solely to help us grasp the underlying patterns.”

“The real thing has always been there.”

“It doesn’t require fancy formulas or complex models – the truth is inherent.”

“With instinct alone, it can reach its end…”

“Just as a person naturally follows their own path from birth to death…”

“Yet we spend endless effort trying to understand why…”

“And even after all that effort, all we do is understand without being able to change it.”

“Perhaps that outcome is destined to be despair.”

……

Lu Xin nodded lightly, “Is that why the genius researcher jumped off that hundred-story building?”

“I suppose so,”

Mom smiled and replied, “But people are different. Some believe they can’t break this pattern and fall into despair, while others, having grasped it, are elated. Why fret over the final outcome when you can subtly steer events toward a smoother path? Isn’t that a kind of success?”

Her expression gave no clear sign if Lu Xin really understood.

After a long pause, he gave a slight smirk and continued flipping through the pages.

The Fifth Stage, the Sixth Stage, even the Seventh Stage…

……

“What an intriguing theory…”

He mused aloud, laughing, “I’m even more curious about what we’re dealing with—and how to break through it.”

Mom only smiled as distant roars from the battle—Sister’s and Father’s—echoed.

Lu Xin turned page after page of the file, skipping over sections he couldn’t understand and reading only what interested him.

Then he came upon a report appended to the final step theory:

“Zero Ability User.”

It appeared to be an unfinished report.

Perhaps the genius researcher had been too impatient, jumping before completing it.

The report’s core was the concept of stability.

On the seven steps, stability is key. Only with the first level of stability can one move to the second, and only with the second can one reach the third. However, this report mentioned an even more stable notion.

“Ordinary People.”

No Ability User is more stable than an ordinary person.

They remain as they are—untransformed into Ability Users—precisely because of their stability.

Even after the Red Moon incident, ordinary people maintained their prior mental strength. But what would happen if their mental power were enhanced to extraordinary levels?

This report was pure speculation on that very subject.

It was clear the report was built entirely on conjecture.

However, his experiences in Central City had taught Lu Xin that Zero Ability Users had already been developed.

Understanding his mom’s meaning, Lu Xin softly said, “So, if I want to climb the steps, I have to follow the path of the Zero Ability User?”

Mom smiled, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“This…”

After Mom chided him, Lu Xin decided not to ask further questions and simply kept reading.

Zero Ability Users have no abilities.

Even with an enhancement of mental power, they remain without abilities.

They can only accomplish tasks beyond ordinary people by leveraging their immense mental strength.

Firstly, a Mental Impact; secondly, a Distorted Force Field.

Third…

……

Upon reading the third point, Lu Xin immediately understood what Mom intended by showing him these materials.

His face first turned oddly serious, then he smiled wryly.

With a long sigh, he closed the dossier.

Then, he looked up and softly remarked, “Although I still don’t understand what the Technology Church is really up to, judging by the current situation, they seem to be targeting that Queen. Surely, no one—human or creature—would willingly have their mental power stripped away. So, the Technology Church and the Queen aren’t cooperating but are in opposition?”

“That friend, though, has quite a temper,”

Mom looked casually toward Happy Town and said, “She doesn’t truly want to be at odds with anyone.”

Lu Xin nodded, “Then I know what to do.”

Mom smiled and gently stepped aside, lazily stretching her waist.

She looked as though her work here was complete.

……

“What exactly is he up to?”

At the same time, deep within the Forest of the Dead, Great Knight Shenze and Rose Knight furrowed their brows as they surveyed the Factory Building below. In the massive pit where the entire factory sat, a chaotic tangle of twisted mental entities had filled the space.

The area was contorted absurdly, like several layers of thick glass obstructing the view.

Yet through the field, they could sense the internal changes.

That person was still there, but completely motionless; no matter how much power they unleashed, he lay as still as stone—vanishing without a trace. Even after triggering several Death Flowers to bloom, unleashing powerful Mental Impacts, there was no reaction.

This completely defied their understanding.

All they could do was call upon more Death Flowers into the field to tightly enclose him.

During this time, they had held several tactical discussions.

The only consensus reached was that this person must possess some kind of defensive power capable of blocking strong mental attacks.

However, when he used this defensive power, he became immobilized.

Once sealed in for long enough, sooner or later, he would emerge.

Only then could they truly eliminate him.

The only solace was that, during this period, intermittent messages were received.

The Cardinal’s work was still in progress, though the field needed timely repair to avoid affecting the process.

The Priest had already completed his task, setting up favorable conditions for their side.

Field repairs were underway too, though progress was slow due to a shortage of helpers.

Thus, they were anxious to resolve this mess and help the Cardinal complete his other tasks.

Then, they suddenly sensed, “He’s moving…”

They could clearly feel the once-motionless target start moving again within the Death Flowers.

……

“End the battle quickly!”

Great Knight Shenze muttered quietly, taking a deep breath as he pulled a silver saw from a case.

Then, he glanced down at his right calf.

The red-haired Rose Knight, equally tense with her chest rising rapidly, knelt devoutly while cradling an Eight-tone Box in her hands. The ethereal, tinkling music suddenly grew even louder, as if forged in fire, ringing through the forest with fervor.

……

“Buzzzzz…”

Surrounded by countless Death Flowers, in the split second Mom stepped aside, Lu Xin unintentionally brushed against three of them.

The blooming of those three Death Flowers immediately triggered a chain reaction. A surge of wild mental turbulence and impact—so chaotic and unquantifiable—coalesced around him. The ground roared as layers were torn away, and like steel needles, the Mental Impacts pierced his eardrums and even his pores, viciously stabbing into his blood, heart, and mind, churning them relentlessly.

His heartbeat grew stronger, as if a song controlled its rhythm, sending an unusual mental exhilaration through him.

Suddenly, a scalp-tingling pain shot through his right calf, as if a saw were tugging at it.

……

Amidst the indescribable agony, Lu Xin stood completely still.

He absorbed every shred of pain and mental turmoil, as if savoring a potent liquor.

Then, his cheeks flushed and his eyes turned bloodshot.

With a bizarre, almost grotesque smile curling his lips, he remarked, “Is this what it means to be human?”

“Quite fascinating…”