Chapter 701: The Enigma of the Vanished Apple

Professor Bai talked at length about an apple that suddenly disappeared in the lab.

The key point was that even after his explanation, Minister Shen and Mr. Su still looked perplexed.

They had an inkling about how a mental force manifested differently on various levels and how its suppression varied with context, as if they truly understood the concept.

Yet when it came to articulating it, they realized there was still much they didn’t understand.

For instance, how dangerous can an ability that seemingly just steals an apple from afar really be in practice?

With a condescending air typical of a top student addressing underachievers, Professor Bai finished explaining what he considered the most complete theory before Chen Jing played the second videotape, which recorded the ability codenamed ‘Father’ controlled by Single Soldier.

The detection site wasn’t at sea—it was on land.

In the footage, Single Soldier faced off alone against a Knight Order of nearly dozens of men.

Flipping through the transcript, Professor Bai murmured, “This was on an island over 200 kilometers away from Qinggang. When we helped Sea Country transport people to Qinggang, we discovered this island. It’s the old hideout of a Knight Order. They usually take a ferry ashore to raid settlements. Once the disturbance grows too loud, they retreat back to the island until the heat dies down…”

“Because they boast plenty of manpower and heavy firepower, even some Ability Users, no one has been dispatched to clean them out,”

he continued, “This experiment was set on that very island.”

“At the time, only Single Soldier landed. Facing more than thirty armed personnel armed with various heat weapons,”

“…”

After Professor Bai’s soft explanation, Chen Jing played the footage, which then showed Lu Xin walking forward alone.

Someone on the opposite side seemed to be shouting loudly, even brandishing a firearm.

Yet Lu Xin said nothing, merely advancing toward them.

As he got closer, the adversaries grew more frantic, raising their guns.

Lu Xin still didn’t speak; he just continued his approach, his slim figure and measured pace clearly visible.

When they were nearly within fifty meters of each other, the opposition launched a fierce attack and fired all at once.

At that very moment, Lu Xin paused and looked up at them.

Even through the long distance, the camera image suddenly became distorted.

It wasn’t as chaotic as when the Pale Hand was filmed, but the contents of the image could be vaguely made out.

Lu Xin raised his hand and, from over fifty meters away, pressed forward lightly.

The air around him seemed to twist and warp instantly, as ripples of distortion surged outward.

The next moment, every armed personnel dropped to the ground, clutching their heads as tears and snot streamed down their faces…

“This is…”

Minister Shen’s curiosity was piqued.

On the surface, the scene didn’t appear as shocking as the earlier display of Pale Hand.

After all, a similar effect could be achieved not only by Lu Xin—Watchdog seemed capable of it too.

And it might not even require as much distance as Single Soldier did.

“The power of fear.”

Skimming through a batch of materials, Professor Bai murmured, “Our records indicate that Single Soldier is a Spider-type Ability User, but he had long displayed this terrifying pollution trait—namely, fear.”

“When Sea Country’s S-level Ability User attacked Qinggang, the process by which Single Soldier cleaned up the pollution was partially recorded through several different methods.”

“After further study, I’m convinced that Single Soldier wields an extraordinarily potent mental force.”

“At first glance, this detection footage might not seem impressive,”

Professor Bai continued, “but a closer analysis reveals the sheer terror of his ability.”

“From our previous assessments of Watchdog, we know that fear-type pollution is terrifying not for the damage it inflicts per se, but because its logic is direct, swift, and its effects unmistakably clear…”

“In terms of pollution method, a mere glance from him—or even you catching his eye, or nothing at all, just being in proximity or him suddenly thinking of you—can trigger the pollution…”

“And the results are equally direct.”

“It affects perception by forcing you to see what you least want to see.”

“It assaults your emotions, sparking an unspeakable fear that disrupts your thoughts and reason.”

“And when it targets desire, it can have unbelievable effects—for instance, compelling someone to jump off a building to embrace death, to self-harm without a thought for consequences, or even to lose control and fall under someone else’s command…”

“Moreover, memory, cognition, and instinct can all trigger different reactions.”

“Yet invariably, these reactions are immediate and intense, making resistance nearly impossible.”

“…”

“So, which type of ability does Single Soldier possess?”

Mr. Su furrowed his brow and quickly asked,

“From all the records and his previous performance, it’s likely he mastered none of the typical forms…”

Professor Bai whispered, “I suspect that from the very beginning, he controlled the highest echelon of fear power.”

“Or rather, something near the pinnacle.”

“…”

As he spoke, he rummaged through a drawer and retrieved another dossier, gently placing it on the table before Mr. Su and Minister Shen. “This is the file I had someone gather on the ‘Great Demon of Fear’ pollution incident in Heichao City,” he explained.

“You’ll see that every death linked to the appearance of the Great Demon of Fear was unique…”

He paused before adding, “It’s practically a macabre exhibition of death by fear-induced pollution…”

“Why do such wildly different polluted forms emerge?”

“There’s only one explanation: this pollution operates across seven distinct layers.”

“Although it’s the same force, the difference in pollution levels produces various methods of contamination.”

“…”

“…”

“Uh, uh, uh…”

Mr. Su couldn’t hide his shock as he stammered, “The Heichao City incident wasn’t… didn’t you previously say…?”

At that time, Lu Xin and Han Bing’s Support Team had just returned from Heichao City.

Or rather, the Great Demon of Fear incident had already occurred before they came back, leaving a tremendous impact.

Subsequent Qinggang personnel who came to investigate also witnessed the drastic changes forced upon Heichao City by the emergence of the Great Demon of Fear.

As Qinggang’s top brass, they couldn’t possibly remain oblivious.

But even if everyone suspected a link to Single Soldier, no one would admit it.

First, because Single Soldier had insisted it had nothing to do with him.

Second, because Professor Bai had previously stated that all secret investigations into Single Soldier must cease…

“So you forbid our investigation, yet you go off and gather your own data?”

“…”

“We prohibited your investigation because careless probing and secret digging could unleash a catastrophe,”

Professor Bai explained flatly, his tone unwavering in the face of their conflicted expressions. “But as a researcher, I couldn’t remain indifferent to these mysterious events. Besides, I didn’t even personally assign anyone; I simply purchased the dossier…”

He paused briefly before looking at Mr. Su. “I haven’t even had time to file the reimbursement yet. You’ll see later.”

Mr. Su was momentarily stunned before wearily waving his hand, “Even now you bring that up…”

Minister Shen added, “What do you want us to take from this dossier?”

“I want you to understand the true caliber of Single Soldier,”

Professor Bai sighed softly, “Our Qinggang Heaven’s Kingdom Plan is steadily progressing.”

“We now have almost the most stable and complete Mental Overlord.”

“This is our blessing—it essentially announces to the world that,”

“When it comes to Ability Users, Qinggang has always been at the forefront of High-wall City.”

“But…”

He paused before adding, “If you examine the detection data and this dossier closely, you’ll notice the differences between Single Soldier and Doll.”

“A Mental Overlord is one who actively pollutes a certain number of people, causing everyone’s mental energy to coalesce into a unified force that can transform an entire city into a powerful and stable reservoir of Psychic Power—capable of combating other forms of pollution.”

“But that same Mental Overlord also bears tremendous pressure.”

“Take Doll for example; she bears the mental energy of all of Qinggang’s residents and is already showing signs of strain…”

“Yet Single Soldier is different.”

“The appearance of the Great Demon of Fear in Heichao City is unmistakably a manifestation at the Mental Overlord level.”

“However, unlike Doll who must constantly maintain this status as a detectable Mental Overlord, Single Soldier only reveals his power at specific times, making Heichao City appear as if it has no Mental Overlord at all most of the time.”

“Especially since Single Soldier has long returned, yet his mental force continues to operate…”

“…”

Mr. Su and Professor Bai exchanged increasingly horrified looks as they absorbed his words. “So…”

“So all our years of research and painstaking efforts can be undone by Single Soldier with a casual gesture,”

Professor Bai murmured, “We thought we were leading the way.”

“But in reality, Single Soldier’s level has always exceeded what Qinggang initially planned.”

“…”

“…”

An eerie silence suddenly fell over the office.

Not a single sound was heard, yet each of them could faintly hear their own heartbeats.

Was it despair, or outright hopelessness, or perhaps a mix of surprise and unspoken dread…?

Single Soldier’s level surpasses even Qinggang’s Heaven’s Kingdom Plan?

What does that signify?

After all these years of Qinggang’s efforts, what does it really mean?

“Not all hope is lost,”

After a long pause, Professor Bai softly sighed, “Perhaps our work in Qinggang isn’t entirely in vain.”

“At least in the theory of Mental Overlord, we’ve achieved comprehensive and advanced understanding.”

“Maybe there are some people in this world who are born capable of what we laboriously struggle to achieve.”

“But our research plays a crucial role.”

“…”

“…”

Although Professor Bai’s words carried a hint of encouragement, they did little to lift the spirits of Mr. Su and Minister Shen.

The blow dealt by this detection was simply too devastating.

After a long while, Minister Shen suddenly looked up sharply at Professor Bai and asked, “Then what exactly is Single Soldier’s level of ability?”

“Perhaps he was born in the fourth stage,”

or “maybe an incomplete fifth stage.”

Professor Bai slowly murmured, “Or perhaps he was never really an Ability User at all…”

If he isn’t an Ability User, then what is he?

Professor Bai left his last thought hanging, but both Mr. Su and Minister Shen already understood…