Chapter 496: A Clash of Minds and Monsters

Qinggang’s experiment this time truly holds immense significance…

Perhaps it’s precisely because of its vast importance that it attracted such terrifying creatures?

……

Lu Xin crouched silently atop the mast, absorbing every detail around him.

The mental battle between Doll and that massive, decaying mermaid had reached a fevered pitch.

Lu Xin saw the enormous mermaid thrashing desperately in the field; clearly at a disadvantage, it was merely flailing against Doll’s vast mental net. Yet, given its tremendous mental power, every struggle was a fatal effort.

On the deck, Sea Country’s men tumbled, their fists pounding their chests and heads slamming against the board.

It seemed this was the only way they could ease their own pain.

Around him, as he sensed his family rushing closer, the aura of coveted intrusion faded. Those presences that made hair stand on end were now kept far outside the Experimental Base.

“How fascinating…”

Lu Xin mused silently over it all.

He meticulously soaked in every nuance of the field Doll had woven, feeling a deep, heartfelt admiration. Not even a decaying mermaid—a creature stretching over kilometers and clashing mental power on scales of hundreds of thousands or even millions—could seize his attention. It was Doll’s crafted field that was truly a masterpiece.

Had he just used that thing to send his family so far away?

It was all so amusing…

The ones who designed these phenomena were ordinary people with a mental power level of about ten.

Yet, such modest power colliding could burst forth with brilliance rivaling the sun.

They had somehow constructed such an immense field of mental power…

……

……

“Clatter…”

The grating noise snapped Lu Xin out of his reverie.

He noticed that Doll had slowed her attack on the mermaid. Intrigued, he quickly understood why.

Doll’s gaze was fixed on the tormented, writhing men on Sea Country’s deck. Under the mermaid’s influence, fine strands of mental power were being yanked out like magnetic threads, twisting chaotically.

The mermaid’s dying struggle was seeping into them.

At that moment, Doll could have effortlessly sliced, torn, and obliterated the decaying mermaid into pure mental energy, but she instinctively eased her assault—aware of the grave consequences of such brutality.

This field wasn’t born of Doll; she was merely the weaver, the controller.

The true masters of this field were the men of Sea Country.

By harnessing their mental power, Doll constructed this vast field.

The mermaid was doomed from the moment Doll struck—it controlled only a fraction of Sea Country’s men, its pollution never reaching full measure.

Yet, if Doll wished, she could push it to that extreme.

Still, even the mermaid’s dying struggle could impact this field and its masters.

Doll didn’t care too much; at worst, she’d lose the field.

But those Sea Country men might end up looking utterly foolish in this colossal battle.

Aware of the gravity, Doll hesitated.

“What a kind little girl…”

From his spot behind her on the mast, Lu Xin watched Doll’s retreating figure with genuine admiration.

However, although he admired her kindness, he knew he couldn’t delay any longer.

The mermaid’s struggle was triggering a bizarre resonance.

It seemed intent on sending its pain and feelings to some mysterious presence.

Lu Xin speculated that it might be alerting the source of Sea Country’s pollution.

Whether it reached that core, Lu Xin couldn’t be sure.

Yet, he sensed more and more mysterious creatures lurking, intent on spying on the experiment.

It was like when you’re in danger—you cry out for Mom, desperate for help.

Mom might be nowhere, might or might not hear, but the passersby—like some uncles—would undoubtedly catch the call.

……

……

A sharp throb in his head made Lu Xin look around.

The dark, churning ocean and the blood-red moon, locked in a titanic mental clash too vast to fathom, twisted the air until the scene blurred into a nightmarish stretch of distortion. All around, bizarre, twisted shadows began to appear.

They swam over with curious, empty eyes, scrutinizing every detail.

The more that arrived, the greater the uncertainty.

With a deep sigh, Lu Xin rose from the mast and lightly tapped his head.

Thud, thud, thud…

An echo of emptiness resounded from within.

Lu Xin regained his focus, his once vacant eyes sharpening immediately.

A standard, procedural smile slowly spread across his face.

“What’s so interesting about two women fighting?”

He sighed softly before a cold, fierce sneer erupted from deep within—as if a volcano had burst forth from his eyes:

“Scram!”

……

In an instant, the red moon in the sky dimmed, and the world plunged into momentary darkness.

It was as if that red moon were an eye that had just blinked.

Around the Experimental Base, the twisted air and eerie, surreal shadows created an unsettling presence, as if frozen by an unseen force on pause.

It was like a heart, beating continuously until it hit rock bottom and couldn’t rebound.

In the next moment, an indescribable terror washed over every chilling gaze.

Countless strange shadows shuddered; their once commanding stares flickered in terror. After a few stunned seconds, as if swept by a sudden gust, they scrambled to flee.

The Experimental Base had transformed into an ocean, with fleeing mobs like schools of fish.

Then the fish, startled by the commotion, scattered in every direction, vanishing completely.

Dense and agitated.

……

……

“Hmm?”

To the south of the Experimental Base, aboard a yacht, a man in a suit was continually dodging the relentless assault from a little girl in a white dress.

His movements were remarkably precise, as if every step had been pre-calculated. The duel between him and the peculiar little girl had a crisp, almost artful rhythm—like a grandmaster’s strategy unfolding.

If he chose to fight back, he might even have a chance.

Yet the two hands tucked in his pocket never emerged.

He felt that if he did, something terribly bad would inevitably happen.

After several tense seconds, he suddenly sensed something and abruptly looked up.

Nine necks, nine serpent heads—eyes widening in unison—fixed their gaze on the center of the Experimental Base.

“Smack!”

Seizing the opportunity, the little girl effortlessly closed in, leaving two small black handprints on him. It seemed those tiny hands were trying to pierce through his suit and pull his insides out.

Yet the man in the suit quickly retreated; his body transformed into nine serpents that slithered to the opposite side of the yacht.

The nine serpents intertwined and reformed into the man in the suit, though the two handprints on his chest remained glaringly obvious.

“No more fighting.”

The central serpent head split its lips into a smile, its gaze soft and tender as it fixed on the little girl.

In a gentle tone, it said, “Go back and tell your brother, I was just curious.”

As he spoke, he suddenly leapt high and landed far out on the sea, steadily retreating.

The little girl’s eyes widened slightly, and she poutingly called out, “Aren’t you coming to play with me?”

“There’s plenty of fun at my place…”

……

One of the nine-headed snake man’s serpent heads turned toward her and replied in a low voice, “You’re lying.”

……

In the depths of the Eastern Sea, a massive, dark silhouette in the water suddenly became alert. The gigantic sea monster recoiled swiftly, its enormous body thrusting upward in a desperate, instinctive reaction to danger that filled it with terror.

But its body was far too massive, mostly hidden beneath the waves, making escape impossible.

Thus, as it heaved its body upward, a gigantic arm suddenly emerged from the ocean.

With a crashing roar, the large hand seized the sea monster’s neck, yanking it deep underwater. Waves soared tens of meters high as the creature was torn apart, a cascade of bubbles rising in its wake.

The raging waves, stirred by its frantic struggle, resembled an undersea earthquake.

After several long seconds, the sea monster—now half beheaded—broke the surface once more, desperately fleeing into the distance.

Behind it, the sounds of crunching and cold laughter echoed.

Most of its body was shrouded in black shadows that steadily peeled away its flesh.

No one could tell how much of it would remain once it fully escaped the ocean.

……

……

To the north of the Experimental Base, a skinless dog was kicked senseless, its head poking above the water as it blew bubbles.

It was dazed, yet it realized its opponent was truly formidable and hesitated to advance further.

What should I do, what should I do?

It finally got a chance to show its might, only to find it couldn’t win…

At such a critical moment, did the Boss really need to step in personally?

In the frightened eyes of the dog, an Undercover Unit loomed high above, its disdainful glance making it feel insignificant.

Casually, the Undercover Unit adjusted his black top hat and dutifully recorded the events unfolding at the Experimental Base.

However, he hadn’t noticed that on the reef behind him, two vortices—one large, one small—had formed. Then, two more Undercover Units sporting black top hats emerged; one with a sincere smile, the other with a feigned one.

They approached the Undercover Unit, staring at him intently.

The diligent Undercover Unit froze for a moment before stiffly turning to face the two big shots, his expression turning submissive.

In the next instant, the two Undercover Units charged him with a flurry of punches and kicks.

Then, they simultaneously removed their hats and respectfully bowed toward the Experimental Base.

One of them grabbed the battered Undercover Unit by a leg and dragged him back into the vortex.

The skinless dog paused for a moment before reacting.

It jumped back onto the water, shook off the blood, and puffed up once again with renewed vigor.