Chapter 546: Crisis in the City

Beep, beep, beep…

The microphone dropped limply, its sound the most resolute and cold in the world.

Within the room, after a mere blink of astonishment, everyone suddenly remembered something and hurried to the window.

They then saw that on the plaza below, a frenzied mob was surging, swarming, their countless eyes fixed on their building. Roaring and agitated, as if fueled by an internal fire, they charged this very location in a violently explosive, manic state…

Some were so wild that they even slammed their heads against the building’s wall.

Yet a few who managed to stay a bit clearheaded were desperately jostling their way toward the entrance.

Just the sight of that fervid, sticky aura hinted at the sheer power of this crazed mob. Whether or not they were Ability Users, in the presence of such madness, an indescribable terror overwhelmed them…

Few things are more terrifying than becoming the enemy of the entire world.

“Captain, what do we do?”

Gecko was the first to cry out, anxiously waiting for Lu Xin’s response.

In truth, they still had many options at this moment – like making a quick escape.

For one, as Ability Users, even amidst a fervent city and a crazed mob, they possessed a certain level of self-preservation. Escape was still possible. And secondly, the voice on the phone had clearly said it just wanted them to leave.

But… who in their right mind makes a phone call as a Mental Monster?

And without even dialing!

Of course, these were merely thoughts in their minds. Ultimately, they had to heed Lu Xin’s decision.

…

“Hmm?”

Lu Xin’s reaction seemed a bit slow; after a pause, he slowly turned his head to look at them.

Seeing their panicked faces, he appeared to have just caught up, smiling as he said, “Just now he said he could escape at will. Think about it – on our way here, we did see that Heichao City still hadn’t been locked down. Goods tainted with Black Grass from this degenerate city were already streaming through various channels to other settlements, even reaching High-wall City. That means…”

Lu Xin mused, “Even if we wiped out everyone in Heichao City, we’d never be able to eliminate this monster, would we?”

“Whoosh!”

Everyone’s faces turned ashen as they looked at Lu Xin in terror.

His sudden flip-flop in logic felt rather odd.

“Of course, we came here to clean up the pollution, not to massacre a whole city…”

Lu Xin recalled something and added, “So, wiping out every person in this city is definitely not the way to go…”

“Captain…”

Gecko’s voice trembled, “Do we really still need to think about such questions?”

“When considering a problem, you have to look at every angle and then choose the most suitable method. Is that unreasonable?”

Lu Xin’s reply was strange, and he continued his contemplation:

“It hides within the minds of these people… As long as even one person lives, it can survive. And as long as Black Grass continues to flow in, it can hitch a ride and escape to another place…”

After a brief moment of pondering, he turned to Han Bing and asked, “Theoretically, how can we flush it out?”

“Well…”

Han Bing’s expression turned uncertain.

Just then, they could even hear shouts from outside, the sound of a horde storming into the building.

From the window, they heard a cacophonous series of bangs – a group of aggressive, unfiltered individuals were crashing against the window one after another, forming a colossal human ladder as they desperately climbed up the wall.

At this point, Lu Xin was still busy discussing work with himself?

Yet he quickly refocused, reminded of the duty he had come out to fulfill.

He was merely an Ordinary Person, an Intel Specialist who had followed Lu Xin on this mission, tasked with collaborating as best as he could.

Soon, thoughts began tumbling through his mind as he said seriously, “In widespread pollution, the contaminant can hide very deeply.”

“This situation can be explained with what we learned from the Mermaid Pollution Incident in Sea Country. Even though we knew the men of Sea Country had been poisoned, because we couldn’t pinpoint where the pollution was hiding, we were completely unable to treat them…”

“If we are to find the source in such a vast populace, there is only one solution.”

She spoke quickly in a low tone, “Become a Mental Overlord – just like Doll.”

…

“Once Doll becomes a Mental Overlord, they too can unleash widespread pollution.”

“That way, we can force the pollution out of the enemy’s grasp and confront it head-on…”

“Today’s situation in Heichao City is no different. With the entire city contaminated, the source could be hidden within anyone’s mind. Only by deploying power on the level of a Mental Overlord can we locate it.”

At that, she looked at Lu Xin with a hint of concern, “Mr. Single Soldier, you…”

…

…

Just as she finished her question, Gecko and Red Serpent also grew visibly tense.

They didn’t have Black Jack’s intelligence, but they had witnessed firsthand the frenzied chaos on the plaza.

What kind of Mental Monster could create such a nightmarish scene?

They had already developed an inherent fear of the Mental Monster that had the audacity to call Lu Xin and issue threats.

Thus, a question that had haunted them from the start now surfaced.

That was: just what stage was Lu Xin at?

Had he already mastered the power of the Mental Overlord?

And if so, could he harness the power of this massive crowd to confront it?

“Mental Overlord?”

After hearing Han Bing’s words, Lu Xin furrowed his brow and murmured, “I can’t do it…”

Han Bing: “…”

Lu Xin’s brow deepened as he continued slowly, “The Mental Overlord state is built on widespread, stable, and controllable pollution. But I… I seem to be mastering a slightly stronger ability…”

“But this ability… seems to lack any pollution power…”

“…”

“…”

Han Bing, Gecko, and Red Serpent all looked confused.

They couldn’t understand a word Lu Xin was saying…

What exactly did he mean by mastering a stronger power?

And what kind of ability could possibly lack pollution power altogether?

Amid their bewilderment, they clearly caught one key point: Single Soldier wasn’t a Mental Overlord?

Under their puzzled stares, Lu Xin fell silent.

It was as if he was silently mulling over some thoughts, digesting the slowly merging knowledge in his mind.

The sensation was strange, yet inevitable.

When pondering these matters, answers naturally flooded his mind.

He had once thought he understood nothing at all, but when faced with concrete problems, he realized he might actually know something.

Just as he had inadvertently answered some of Han Bing’s earlier questions.

Except this time, his insights ran deeper.

His gaze drifted from Gecko to Han Bing, then settled on Red Serpent, as he pondered bit by bit – even recalling the 12-layer puzzle cube in his bag and that playing card extracted from Black Jack’s head…

Han Bing, Gecko, and the others couldn’t decipher his thoughts; an inexplicable unease washed over them.

Was Mr. Single Soldier choosing something?

After what seemed like deep contemplation, a slow smile spread across Lu Xin’s face as he murmured:

“Do you all want to experience what it’s like to be a Mental Overlord?”

“…”

“Mental Overlord?”

“Experience it?”

That single sentence from Lu Xin left Gecko, Han Bing, and the others utterly dumbfounded.

This time they understood his words, yet they still didn’t get it.

What did he mean by ‘experience the Mental Overlord’?

Is this even something one can experience?

The more they tried to make sense of it, the more unbelievable it seemed. Suddenly, they stared at Lu Xin in shock.

Their reactions said it all.

Gecko was the first to understand. With a swift motion, he looked at Lu Xin, a mix of astonishment and delight on his face.

Next was Han Bing, her complexion paling as fear of the unknown registered on her features.

Red Serpent, however, appeared to have a sudden realization, gazing at Lu Xin in disbelief.

In that moment, an alarming conclusion dawned on them – so astounding that even the Captain of the Single Soldier team found it almost unthinkable…

“This seems rather illogical…”

Lu Xin mused silently for a moment before laughing and saying, “Our Single Soldier team has had many members join. I am the Captain, Gecko the Vice-captain, and Doll is one of our team members. If someone as ordinary as Doll can become a Mental Overlord, then wouldn’t it be reasonable for me, as Captain, to perform even better?”

“…”

As his muttered words faded, the others glanced at each other, their expressions marked by mounting terror.

It sounded as if Mr. Single Soldier was talking to himself.

In simple terms, he seemed to be trying to convince himself…

Not to mention the strange, unspeakable oddity of his rambling.

Was he simply making excuses for himself?

Or was he constructing some logic for his actions?

…

…

Who fits the role best?

Once he deciphered that logic, the chaos in Lu Xin’s mind seemed to settle as he quietly pondered.

Gecko wasn’t suited for this situation. What would become of Spider-type if it turned into a Mental Overlord?

Would the entire city’s inhabitants suddenly twist their bodies and acquire spider-like abilities to scurry everywhere?

Red Serpent, on the other hand, wasn’t a good fit either.

Lu Xin wasn’t sure if Red Serpent as a Mental Overlord would lead to a scenario where everyone in the city started recognizing their father.

So what about Father?

That might work. A father is naturally adept at such things.

However, once Father became a Mental Overlord, very few in the city would likely survive.

The same logic applied to Sister and Gecko, though with even graver consequences.

As for Mom…

Lu Xin knew in his heart that Mom was unsuited for such a collaboration.

Similarly, neither the 12-layer puzzle cube nor the Skinless Dog was fit for such a role…

Especially the Skinless Dog – if it were to take on this task, the outcome would likely be restricted to an R-rated spectacle…

That was truly troubling.

What kind of mental pollution should be used to force the enemy out of this city?

As Lu Xin mulled over this problem, a spark went off in his mind and he rose, moving to the window.

This was the west window, offering a view of the street they had come from. At that moment, Lu Xin could see a ladies’ bicycle racing along that very street…

The bicycle was unusually odd – it was autonomously navigating the street.

Even stranger, amidst the crazed mob thronging the street, some racing from behind toward the plaza, others surging from the plaza toward the building’s entrance, the bicycle seemed to have been forgotten.

Even Lu Xin only noticed the bicycle when a sudden thought struck him.

“Huh?”

Staring at the wildly pursuing bicycle, Lu Xin’s eyes gradually lit up as if a thought had occurred.

“Ah, that is…”

At that moment, Gecko and the others also snapped to attention. They saw a little monster riding the bicycle – with a tentacle-like arm wrapped around the handlebars, two short legs desperately pedaling, and liquid streaming down its face…

It looked like an abandoned child, chasing after something while crying.

“Mizang…”

Han Bing was momentarily confused, then gasped in alarm and chided herself, “I can’t believe I forgot about it.”

While speaking, she quickly flipped through her notebook before shutting it wearily. “Section Chief Chen gave me a tip – write its name in the notebook so every time I look it over, I’ll remember it. It was originally the most effective, proven method…”

“But I never expected…”

She even cast Lu Xin an apologetic glance, saying, “I forgot to check the notebook…”

Red Serpent, equally stunned, muttered, “I thought I had bumped into a ghost…”

Then suddenly added, “Did he really sneak into my room just to peek at me showering?”

“Huh?”

Gecko’s attention was abruptly diverted.

“I’ve got a plan…” Lu Xin, as if struck by a brilliant idea, smiled and said to Gecko, “Go fetch it and bring it over!”