Chapter 742: The Unleashing of Turbulent Minds

What is this sensation?

It feels as though something has vanished forever…

Lu Xin wasn’t sure whether to feel sorrow or an exhilarating relief.

All the pent-up emotions clawing at his heart exploded outwards.

It was like the weight that had pressed down on him since childhood suddenly breaking free.

He felt his emotions spiraling out of control, surging wildly through his mind.

He was oddly exhilarated, itching to laugh, scream, and let loose in unbridled joy.

He couldn’t fathom why he was so insanely excited.

It was as if his emotions had a will of their own – determined to revel and vent, indifferent to his own happiness.

Deep within that strange excitement and fervor lay a tinge of sorrow and profound loneliness…

And so, amid the crumbling mental turbulence spawned by the collapse of the Sword Bearer, Lu Xin burst into uncontrollable laughter, his joy shattering the chaotic mental barriers, reaching out to countless minds in Qinggang.

His laughter was hoarse, almost tinged with the sound of tears.

In the midst of this endless torment of emotions, Lu Xin instinctively looked up and perceived the depths of the mental turbulence.

These were the remnants left by the Sword Bearer – a magnitude never witnessed before.

Within this raw surge of mental power, every hallucination and auditory illusion was possible.

A single thought could alter all that mental strength along with him.

It could make him see what he wished to see and hear what he hoped to hear.

Or it could instantly engulf him in the vast mental turbulence, stripping him of all reason and thought…

At that moment, Lu Xin looked up and saw an odd shadow.

Above him loomed a colossal palace whose details were obscured; all he could sense was a chilling, damp aura and an unsettling undercurrent that entwined him with the structure…

Deep within the palace, he made out a throne with a dark shadow seated upon it.

He could feel that this shadow was watching him.

Suddenly, Lu Xin’s mind was overwhelmed by a pressure as vast as the sea.

The dark shadow seemed intent on drowning him, and at that moment, Lu Xin couldn’t even muster the will to resist its force.

…

“Bzzzz…”

The black particles in his eyes trembled violently.

As if an endless torrent of words and thoughts surged into Lu Xin’s mind, even as he laughed.

Those runaway emotions, each with a will of its own, relentlessly forced certain ideas into him.

Ideas that urged him to surrender, to stop bearing that crushing weight.

Or even merge himself with the pressure.

This unprecedented pressure struck him with an equally unprecedented jolt.

A sense of helplessness welled up inside him, as if he might simply give in and be overwhelmed.

After all, nothing in this world was truly worth clinging to; everyone had come to see themselves as a monster. So why bend to others’ expectations? Let your emotions and perceptions lead you to be whoever you want to be…

…

…

A hundred miles away on the wasteland, the Old Director looked up, worry etched on his face as he gazed in that direction.

Inside Qinggang City, the Doll felt a slight tension.

Against the High Wall of Qinggang, Mom’s face showed a mix of sadness and deep concern as she stared fixedly toward Lu Xin.

Father and Sister, gripped by fear, looked to Mom as if pleading for help.

“There’s nothing we can do.”

Mom seemed to understand their thoughts. Slowly, she shook her head, “You all know he’s been burdened with immense pressure all along.”

“That is the gaze of God.”

“It’s the shadow cast by God from a distant past.”

“He’s grown up stumbling under that divine scrutiny, always on the verge of being overwhelmed by it…”

“So, when it matters most, we can only leave him to fight for himself…”

“Just as you can help him with his studies but can’t take his exams for him…”

“…”

Amid Mom’s sighs, the two eyes in the sky shone even brighter.

The stark contrast between Lu Xin’s tormented struggle within the mental turbulence and the eyes’ fervent excitement in the heavens was unmistakable.

They grew ever brighter, drawing closer to the earth, as if capturing every change in Lu Xin.

Suddenly, Mom fell silent and glared at the eyes in the sky with vehement disdain.

She perceived their greed and resented the schadenfreude they displayed at that moment.

“So many eyes fixed on him…”

“So many plots swirling around him…”

“Yet all he wanted was to live like a normal person…”

“You all…”

A burst of genuine anger welled up in Mom’s heart, but at that moment, even she felt utterly powerless.

Those eyes would not change with her fury; if anything, they shone even more brilliantly.

Greedily they observed Lu Xin as if provoking him.

And right then…

Boom!

A deafening roar suddenly shattered the sky.

High atop Qinggang’s High Wall, the advanced electromagnetic cannons, having built up energy for so long, erupted simultaneously with dazzling blue lightning, forming six faint circles as they unleashed a brazen and unstoppable force toward the celestial eyes.

The further they soared, the closer they got.

Gradually, the six circles converged into a beam that illuminated the earth like the noonday sun.

“Clack-clack…”

The impact struck the left eye in the sky, triggering a series of thunderous explosions and shattering sounds.

One eye blinked out, and the brilliance across heaven and earth seemed to dim considerably.

“Good…”

In the distant Command Center of the Qinggang Cleanup Department, three old men cheered excitedly.

Across Qinggang City, countless people dedicated to stopping the pollution looked up at the sky in stunned delight.

They were instantly overcome by immense excitement, scrambling about and shouting their celebrations.

“This…”

Even Mom’s expression broke into a slight look of astonished bewilderment, as if caught unprepared by the pleasant surprise.

Then, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

The sadness on her face vanished, replaced by sheer delight tinged with a hint of schadenfreude.

…

…

“Whoosh…”

Also affected by the terrifying electromagnetic force and the sudden loss of one eye in the sky,

Lu Xin jolted awake, his eyes snapping open.

In that moment, the chaotic emotions and nearly blank thoughts vanished suddenly, as if he had woken from a nightmare, gasping for air.

“I can’t let this happen…”

Feeling on the brink of being submerged by endless pressure, he abruptly fought back.

“I cannot be drowned…”

“I still have things to do, unfinished business…”

His mind cleared swiftly, and he finally reclaimed the sense of being human.

He recalled the passion he had recently discovered – the one thing he truly wanted to pursue.

These newfound ambitions fueled his will to fight back.

At that very moment, the boundless pressure spread like water flowing to the sides, as if he were surfacing from the depths of the ocean.

He abruptly looked up to see the black palace from the earlier illusion ahead.

He also noticed the shadow on the throne, which had already lifted its gaze to fix on him.

Then, a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

In that very moment, Lu Xin could clearly see the face before him.

It was a strangely unfamiliar face that nonetheless exuded an uncanny, comforting familiarity in its expression, as if it were deeply content.

…

…

“Qinggang is truly an extraordinary place.”

At the same time, outside Qinggang City in the distant wasteland, the Old Director leaned against a jeep, gazing at the vanished eye in the sky with a touch of excitement, “I never expected that their reaction with Number Nine would produce such an astonishing chemical reaction.”

“Perhaps you don’t know…”

“When the Moon Eclipse Research Institute first dispatched these researchers and scholars to support various High-wall Cities, they even made certain adjustments – favoring those with grand ambitions, strong personal agendas, efficiency seekers, and idealists committed to stability…”

“Every researcher and expert underwent rigorous evaluation and personality analysis before being assigned to different cities.”

“They were sent to the High-wall City that best fit their character, so they could integrate quickly and influence one another.”

“There was, in fact, an element of social experimentation involved.”

“To see which High-wall City would develop more steadily, which could better withstand pressure, and which would be most suitable for the world after Red Moon.”

“That would also facilitate finding the perfect template for a unified world once the pollution threat was over…”

“But the world has evolved too rapidly – this social experiment has long been forgotten.”

“Yet we must admit, this small experiment has played a tremendous role in our own trials…”

“…”

“You seem very happy today…”

It took a long while before Number Seven softly remarked, “In this short time, you’ve said more than you normally do in a month.”

Her tone carried a hint of sarcasm, “Then what are you waiting for?”

“Your trial has been a success.”

“He’s grown so strong that even being far away, his strength inspires terror…”

“Why haven’t we left yet?”

“…”

“Because I’m still waiting.”

The Old Director fell silent for a moment, then smiled and said, “There’s one more thing worth waiting for.”

Number Seven frowned deeply, “Waiting for what?”

“The one who, after my departure, took over my work and performed that mysterious surgery on him.”

The Old Director gazed toward Qinggang, drifting into a reverie before softly sighing, “The intrusion of the Midnight Tribunal is both my trial and the moment to evaluate the results of that surgery.”

“This is very important to me, so I have come here to witness the outcome with my own eyes.”

“Do you think that person will come in person to see the results of the surgery as well?”