Chapter 478: The Heavenly Kingdom Plan

“Clatter…”

In the meeting room, the atmosphere suddenly ignited.

Even though the crowd wasn’t large, murmurs erupted as if a pot of water had come to boil.

“Build a Heaven…”

“Create a God?”

“…”

Lu Xin was overwhelmed with surprise. Instinctively, he glanced at Professor Chen Liqing beside him…

He saw the old man turning excitedly towards him. But the moment their eyes met, the professor recoiled in fright and quickly looked away.

Still dazed, Lu Xin turned to Han Bing, who also paused before forcing a smile.

Lu Xin found their reactions odd, only then noticing that Mom was smiling at him.

She mimicked drawing a finger across her face.

In that instant, he reached up to touch his face, startled to feel a smile etched upon it.

Fortunately, his quick reflexes allowed him to rub it away at once.

But why was he smiling?

This was supposed to be an extraordinary plan…

…

…

“Professor Bai, could you explain this plan in detail?”

As discussions flared in the meeting room, Professor Bai, Mr. Su, and Minister Shen remained silent.

After some time, Mr. Su smiled and addressed the stage.

Professor Bai nodded and, once the buzz subsided, began, “The so-called Heaven’s Kingdom Plan—and all that talk of creating gods—is merely a metaphor to help everyone grasp the concept. Rest assured, we’re not dabbling in superstition…”

“The essence of Special Pollution lies in an anomalous form of mental power that breeds a capacity for pollution.”

“It affects normal people by consuming, even parasitizing them. They lose their ability to think, feel, or even recognize themselves, sometimes erupting in uncontrollable aggression and pollution, posing a severe threat to those around them.”

“This pollution is incredibly subtle. With our current technology, detecting or investigating it is extremely challenging.”

“That’s why, despite our relentless efforts, our progress has been so limited.”

Professor Bai paused briefly before continuing:

“Our plan is simple: use one or more Ability Users to construct a stable field.”

“This field would envelop the entire Qinggang and establish a subtle connection with every person living within the High Wall of Qinggang, forming a mental network that helps them resist pollution or detect anomalies in time.”

“Inside that field, you have Heaven.”

“…”

Lu Xin’s heart skipped a beat as he instinctively looked up at the stage.

To create a field that covers all of Qinggang?

Wouldn’t that be strikingly similar to the system once seen in Happy Town?

“Perhaps someone heard that.”

As Lu Xin’s thoughts drifted this way, he noticed Professor Bai’s steady gaze fixed on him as he spoke calmly:

“This concept is not unlike that of the S-level Forbidden Zone.”

“But if we were to use another term, it would be what the Research Institute’s shared materials refer to as:”

“Mental Overlord!”

“…”

Hearing those four words, Lu Xin felt a flicker of recognition.

Having been invited by the Research Institute to join the Advanced Talent Club, he had access to materials beyond what ordinary researchers in Qinggang could see. Moreover, after that incident with the Technology Church, he had been forced—at times even willingly—to study and thus understood what the fourth stage, “Mental Overlord,” was all about.

In truth, the S-level Forbidden Zone and Happy Town already bordered on being a precursor to the Mental Overlord.

After all, that dormant Queen had constructed a stable field spanning fifty kilometers.

Within it, all her subjects lived.

These people were no longer ordinary. They weren’t madmen, nor were they normal folks. One thing was clear: their resistance to pollution far exceeded that of regular people. Most Ability Users couldn’t affect or distort them.

Even if a powerful Ability User disrupted the field—as Father once did…

The Queen would immediately detect the disturbance and awaken.

Back in Happy Town, during his clash with Qin Ran, Qin Ran had indeed polluted its residents to bolster his power. But that was because he exploited a loophole while the Queen slumbered…

Which also explains why the Queen was only “close to” a Mental Overlord.

She wasn’t a complete Mental Overlord—or at least not the ideal version theorized.

Firstly, she was already a semi-monstrous being with a compromised mind.

Secondly, her adverse effects were too severe; the residents of Happy Town had been turned into something unrecognizable.

This is why the residents of Happy Town display a strong resistance to other forms of pollution.

They had themselves been deeply polluted.

If Qinggang were to take this path, then…

“…are they planning to turn everyone in Qinggang into monsters?”

…

“In the Research Institute’s materials, the concept of the Mental Overlord is referred to as the fourth stage.”

Professor Bai didn’t mince words on this crucial point as he continued, “The defining feature of a fourth-stage Ability User is the ability to construct a stable field where their will and traits dominate. A mature fourth-stage Ability User can even selectively erase or enhance specific pollution traits.”

“Thus, if we can maintain a stable field in Qinggang, we could detect sudden pollution incidents in time, suppress them, or even eliminate lesser cases outright, halting any further spread.”

“Remember when the Knight Orders attacked Qinggang with that Mental Pollution Bomb?”

“Although the disaster was thwarted by a Single Soldier, it still resulted in heavy civilian casualties.”

“Had our field been in place, that bomb might never have detonated.”

“…”

After briefly explaining pollution traits, Professor Bai resumed, “Of course, I know many of you worry about one thing: the S-level Forbidden Zone itself is a highly dangerous area, with its own intense form of pollution.”

“In fact, that is our greatest challenge in researching the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan.”

“Long ago, we established several criteria for this plan, namely:”

“First, the field must not deeply affect ordinary people—undermining their sense of self and thought.”

“Second, the field must be stable enough.”

“Third, since the essence of the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan is protection, we must absolutely avoid imposing any divine will.”

“…”

“In simple terms…”

He sighed softly, “We in Qinggang have no intention of creating a being like the ‘Queen’.”

Lu Xin listened intently, quickly grasping what the three criteria implied.

The first criterion was obvious: no one wanted to become like the subjects of Happy Town, losing their free will.

The second was also essential.

But the third criterion was the key.

If someone could construct a field that covered Qinggang, that person would hold absolute dominance over it. A field vast enough could allow them to arbitrarily erase or impose thoughts and wills on every resident, turning Qinggang into their own vassal. At that point, they would essentially become the God of Qinggang…

Much like how the Queen served as the unwavering center of control in Happy Town.

But…

Even before any glaring flaws were pointed out, Lu Xin felt a deep sense of unease.

Could this really be achieved?

Every step seemed fraught with difficulty.

Creating a field for Qinggang was far more complex than replicating the Happy Town model.

…

…

“To be frank, we have been researching this plan for quite some time.”

At this point, Professor Bai took a bottle of water handed to him by Chen Jing from the audience, took a couple of sips, set it aside, and continued, “On paper, this theory seems feasible. However, putting it into practice is incredibly complex—almost fantastical. We even questioned if the plan could ever be realized until one incident changed everything.”

“Sea Country.”

“After Sea Country attacked us, we initiated contact. Witnessing their ruin, and then encountering the matters with the Technology Church and Happy Town not long ago, I came to one conclusion.”

“The crux of this plan is not whether it can be achieved, but that it must be achieved.”

“Whether we want to avoid becoming another Sea Country or prevent another clash with the Technology Church…”

“It is absolutely necessary for us to launch the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan.”

“…”

“Buzz…”

Soon, a new wave of discussions erupted.

One could see the inner turmoil, doubts, and even a trace of fear on their faces.

Curiously, though, as the meeting reached this point, no one openly opposed Professor Bai. Lu Xin suspected that he had already communicated—perhaps even negotiated—with them beforehand. This meeting was merely to announce…

“…or rather, to brief and solicit opinions from certain individuals.”

“So, that particular individual is me?”

…

…

“To be honest…”

Professor Bai’s gaze briefly locked onto Lu Xin before quickly shifting away as he continued, “Even though we all feel immense pressure and believe the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan is inevitable, we must admit that certain technical hurdles simply cannot be overcome in the short term. Rushing in could be extremely perilous.”

“We in Qinggang simply cannot afford even a single experimental failure.”

“But now, let me share some good news…”

“…”

After pausing, he smiled at Lu Xin and said,

“The Technology Church’s hasty assault on Happy Town was a tremendous challenge for Qinggang, causing significant losses. Yet, following that ordeal, we unexpectedly reaped some benefits.”

“The Technology Church left in haste and their failure was total. They abandoned a wealth of assets.”

“From their parasitic items to stabilizers for the mental field, fragments of precision instruments, and research files that have proven immensely valuable, all have greatly bolstered our own studies on the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan—helping us break through several previously insurmountable barriers…”

“After years of stagnation, we’ve made remarkable progress in key areas.”

“…”

He exhaled deeply, his expression a mix of relief and reflection:

“My colleagues and I in Qinggang, along with other experts, have computed countless times. We now believe that with these materials, the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan in Qinggang is theoretically sound—in other words, we…”

“…can commence the initial experimental phase of the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan.”

“And that is why I have invited all of you here to seek your opinions.”

“…”

At that point, Professor Bai finally relaxed, nodding gently at the audience to signal he had finished.

A profound silence fell over the meeting room.

Lu Xin could feel many eyes discreetly watching him.

He quickly touched his face and realized no odd expression was showing.

Relieved, he turned to see Mom in the back seat smiling softly.

There was a look of eager anticipation in her eyes.