Chapter 709: Mysteries Under Qinggang’s Sky

Single Soldier: What just happened?

Professor Bai, are you all right?

……

Just as Lu Xin and Professor Bai—both convinced of the same matter yet burdened with different emotions—stood wordlessly by the flower bed, a series of footsteps resounded from afar. It turned out that others in the auditorium, having detected something amiss, were hurrying over.

Gecko and Watchdog led the charge, while Doll fluttered lightly to Lu Xin’s side.

Trailing behind, researchers—panting, sweaty, with legs weak and faces drained—ran on.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Then came a heavy, deliberate march—the armed squad that had rushed over after hearing of the disturbance.

These researchers, or rather Qinggang’s Ability Users, were all sharp minds.

At first, they had been swept away by some startling ideas and subconsciously lost track of other details. But as a few moments passed, they began to notice oddities—like why Professor Bai’s lecture today diverged so starkly from his usual views, or when he had started researching such a topic.

Coupled with Lu Xin’s inquiries and his frantic arrival…

they had roughly pieced together the truth and swiftly summoned the armed forces.

Their reaction was impressively rapid—even so, once everyone arrived, little had been done to help.

Phew…

Seeing so many people arrive, every gaze was filled with shock and fear.

Especially Doll—she not only rushed over but also bore a hint of guilt on her small face.

It was as if she were blaming herself for not spotting the problem sooner.

Professor Bai took a deep breath, rubbed his face wearily, and with the help of those nearby, stood up and smiled, “I’m fine.”

Professor Bai…

Someone’s heart skipped a beat as they whispered, “The one who just lectured us was…”

“It was me!”

Professor Bai replied gravely, insisting without hesitation.

Huh?

The onlookers were momentarily thrown into mild confusion—more astonished than they would have been by any other remark.

Even Lu Xin looked at him, a faint dawning realization in his eyes.

“Don’t worry, nothing serious happened,” he added.

Exchanging a discreet glance with Lu Xin, Professor Bai lightly pressed his hand to signal everyone to calm down. “I’ve been mulling over these issues too deeply lately. I got so worked up earlier that my blood pressure nearly spiked…”

“The Single Soldier only noticed that something was off with my heartbeat and rushed over…”

……

“Ouch…”

At his words, everyone hurried forward to inspect.

Professor Pi Siwen, one of Qinggang’s Six Freaks, looked utterly surprised, “Didn’t you just have a check-up a few days ago?”

“I told you to quit smoking,” he retorted angrily.

With his face flushed with anger, he warned the others, “Keep an eye on him. If he even touches that pipe again, break his hand.”

“Well…”

Professor Bai was clearly taken aback by this turn of events.

Yet amid the worried gazes of those around, his lips twitched—leaving him unable to offer any rebuttal.

Lu Xin, observing from the sidelines, understood exactly why Professor Bai had spoken that way.

Perhaps the researchers had grasped something too, choosing to keep their speculation to themselves.

After all, what had just unfolded was almost beyond belief.

Qinggang had already become one of the Alliance’s twelve high-wall cities—its strength second only to Central City.

Even Central City might not be as attuned or as quick to react to mental pollution as Qinggang is.

After all, Central City lacks a Mental Overlord, relying on other methods to maintain order.

And Professor Bai, Qinggang’s foremost expert in Mental Alteration and the head of the Qinggang Cleanup Department, now found himself in Qinggang Main City—in full view of all the Ability Users and researchers—apparently influenced by some mysterious outsider. If word got out, it would deliver a devastating blow not just to Qinggang, but to all areas touched by its influence.

Even those present, though suspecting as much, were reluctant to believe it.

It was simply unreasonable.

Who in this world could nonchalantly waltz into Qinggang and do something to their top expert?

Thus, Professor Bai outright denied the matter—not out of a desire to hog the credit for the training session.

Of course, the irony was that he had also unexpectedly lost his authority over pipe-smoking privileges.

……

……

“Ahem, everyone, don’t be too tense.”

With an exasperated sigh, Professor Bai coughed softly to grab everyone’s attention.

Facing the complex gazes of the crowd, his face turned unusually somber as he said, “I’m sure you all caught what was discussed in the training session. Get to work sorting and analyzing it—we have far too much to do.”

At these words, everyone grew a bit tense once again.

Some recalled the lecture’s content, their faces instantly darkening.

Others, though suspecting that the lecture might not have been given by Professor Bai, still instinctively asked,

“Professor Bai, there are still many things in your lecture that we don’t understand…”

……

“I too have a lot of questions…”

Professor Bai looked at him calmly, sending a collective shiver through the crowd.

Then he sighed and said, “But isn’t it our job to figure these issues out?”

“Besides…”

After a pause, he added quietly, “In this state of uncertainty, some have found a clear direction.”

“What, are we still worried about not finding the answers?”

“Now, I officially declare…”

His voice turned grave—a mix of seriousness and inner resolve—as he continued, “This training session will go on; only the topic has changed. We won’t indulge in abstract philosophy for now. Instead, follow the few directions I just laid out and work out the theories until we truly understand what lies ahead for Qinggang.”

……

……

The Qinggang Ability Users, researchers, gadget-bearers, nanny team members, armed squad, and even some Qinggang politicians paused as they listened to Professor Bai. Gradually, in the fatigue etched on his face, they detected a stirring emotion that slowly subsided, replaced by newfound resolve in their eyes.

Even Lu Xin, who had been overwhelmed with emotion, lifted his head slightly.

He felt that as Professor Bai spoke, it not only captured the attention of those present,

but also drew the gaze of something else.

Boom!

In that instant, everyone was startled by a tremendous noise.

It felt as if the very heavens were shaking—a colossal jolt of mental power cascaded from above, crashing over them like a waterfall, while endless hallucinations swirled in their minds.

At the same moment, Doll soared several meters high as the umbrella in her hand gently unfurled.

It was obvious that the smooth, curved canopy had been indented by a force.

As if some enormous power had struck the umbrella.

……

……

“What just happened?”

Many researchers were utterly shocked, taking a while to clear their minds before looking up.

Meanwhile, the surrounding Ability Users had long since reacted, instinctively spreading out.

Each prepared themselves for combat as they looked upward.

Lu Xin too craned his neck, clearly surprised.

Moments ago, he had sensed the sudden surge of mental power, as if hit by an unforeseen attack.

But in the blink of an eye, that blend of discomfort and clamor dissipated.

Looking up, he witnessed an unimaginable scene.

High above, off to the south from their vantage point, he actually saw a pair of eyes.

It was truly a pair of eyes.

They appeared so suddenly and eerily in the sky.

Each eye was enormous, with clear pupils and an inner gleam of countless tiny lights.

They floated alone in the sky—no other facial features in sight.

It was as if the sky had suddenly opened its eyes, staring down at Qinggang.

And it was precisely when those eyes looked down that the overwhelming, crushing mental pressure hit them.

Though, for him, the eyes flashed by in an instant,

the indescribable shock and eeriness was etched into his mind.

……

……

“Could it be…”

The researchers, whose physical resilience was generally low, were the last to come to.

As they recovered, Qinggang’s senior researchers immediately wondered something and turned to Professor Bai with pale faces—concern and uncertainty mingling in their eyes.

“Yes…”

After a moment, Professor Bai, clutching his heart, slowly nodded.

It was as if he were answering everyone, though his gaze deliberately met Lu Xin’s.

“If I’m not mistaken, the pair of eyes above Qinggang just drew a little closer to us…”

……

……

Immediately, every department in Qinggang sprang into action, launching detection measures from every angle.

Doll was whisked away by the nanny team to the under-construction rooftop of the building adjacent to Qinggang Headquarters.

Lu Xin was escorted there as well.

It was only then that Lu Xin learned of the pair of eyes spotted over Qinggang.

He clearly sensed that Professor Bai and the others pinned their hopes on him—expecting that the glimpse he caught might yield valuable clues to explain the phenomenon.

But when he looked up again, the sky was empty.

Lu Xin found it disturbingly odd.

Now, even he could see nothing.

All he could feel was that Qinggang’s mental energy seemed burdened by added pressure.

It was as though those eyes had appeared only to vanish again.

That pressure descended upon the skies of Qinggang, weighing down on everyone.

So, what on earth is it?