Chapter 806: Unleashed in the Wasteland

A feeling of absolute freedom.

Lu Xin thought to himself.

He strode through the wasteland, watching as those eerie beings wore expressions of terror.

He could feel his own dark desires weaving in and out of the old apartment building, devouring one powerful mental monster after another.

Only the truly powerful mental monsters were deemed worthy of consumption.

The weak were not worth it.

Weaker mental monsters would be annihilated the moment they were swept up by his expanding distorted force field.

Absolute freedom, unbound and unrestrained.

For the first time, he truly felt free—a sensation teetering on the edge of his limits and constantly rising.

He had never experienced anything like this before.

Back then, he was too uncertain to tell right from wrong, living in constant apprehension as he mimicked others.

Fearing mistakes, he worried every action might trigger unnecessary consequences.

During those times, he couldn’t even decide if he should leave work early, anxious that even giving the orphanage a little less money might spark disaster, let alone dare to unleash violence.

But now, things were different.

Having found his Mental Core, he now dared to exercise violence.

Destruction for the wrong, endurance for the right—it was as simple as that.

Moreover, in this empty wasteland with not even a single figure in sight, what harm was there in letting it all run wild?

……

……

His sister was beaming with joy as well.

She carried a gray little bag and clutched a steel pen in her hand, energetically doodling in the air as she admired everything around her.

Lu Xin noticed her awkward pen-holding and suddenly got an idea.

Does she know how to write?

Perhaps, while she’s enamored with this pen, she should study more and learn to write properly?

Of course, practically speaking it might not matter much, but seeing her frustrated look made him feel delightfully amused…

At the same time, he grew even more curious about the backpack she carried.

That small backpack had been with her ever since the trip to find the Fire-Thief.

And the pen had been stolen from the Fire-Thief, too.

So what exactly had she been stuffing into her bag all this time?

“Mine…”

Before he could finish his thought, his sister caught his gaze and clutched the bag tightly, as though suspecting he intended to snatch it away.

“This…”

Lu Xin, feeling awkward, replied, “I don’t want it from you…”

“But could you at least tell me what’s inside?”

……

“Hmm…”

After a moment of sincere thought—and sensing his good intentions—she reluctantly admitted, “It’s toys.”

“Toys that could one day crown me as queen.”

She puffed up her small chest proudly, declaring, “I’m going to be queen someday.”

……

Lu Xin was somewhat at a loss: when did she start thinking of being a queen?

After pondering a bit and noting that she wouldn’t elaborate further, he cautioned, “But being a queen requires an education…”

She rolled her eyes disdainfully and retorted, “Who would ever let a queen study?”

……

……

Dr. An and her group were equally astonished and delighted.

They quickened their pace and entered Lu Xin’s distorted force field, rapidly advancing amid a chorus of eerie screams.

Even with her experience, she hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly.

Earlier, when swarms of these bizarre entities surged by—their strength measured in Sissi-units—she was convinced there was no escape, even if she knew some of Lu Xin’s secrets.

Yet when the moment came to charge outward, it was surprisingly effortless.

By her calculations, there should have been numerous entities around the Ruined Research Institute, some nearly on par with Lu Xin in strength.

But once Lu Xin unleashed his power, not a single one managed to approach him.

Under the protection of his distorted force field, a few well-placed shots to any charging madman were all it took.

Moreover, although Lu Xin’s force field couldn’t eradicate the madmen as smoothly as the other entities,

those madmen inside his field were unmistakably affected.

They looked like nothing more than living targets.

Amid her surprise, Dr. An felt a sliver of hope for escape.

Suddenly, she shouted to Dr. Wang, “The diameter of the force field has expanded from 200 to about 300 meters now!”

“How long can a normal ability user, wielding about 10,000 psychic power, hold out?”

……

Dr. Wang paused and then quickly did the math as he looked up.

“If there’s no interference, meaning no additional psychic power is being generated, he can probably last…”

“…about three seconds.”

……

“?”

Dr. An was dumbfounded and exclaimed, “Do normal people really only last that briefly?”

Dr. Wang was about to nod when he suddenly sensed something was amiss…

Dr. Zhang, next to him, had already shot him a sidelong glance.

……

……

A massive psychic force field unfurled with Lu Xin’s movement, resembling a gigantic, transparent umbrella.

Borrowing his sister’s ability, Lu Xin zipped through the wasteland amid the eerie beings.

Everywhere he passed, his hands brushed the air, and black particles traced subtle arcs in their wake.

It even created the illusion that those black particles, which were inseparable from his body, could momentarily drift away from his fingertips—a deep, despairing aura obliterating the suspended anomalies within his force field.

It had become nothing short of a hunting game.

Wherever his distorted force field reached, the anomalies were engulfed, most of them buckling and collapsing.

Some of the more powerful ones, emanating from the old apartment building behind him, materialized as numerous Lu Xins, preying on anomalies of the mental overlord level.

Meanwhile, whatever anomalies had managed to survive inside his field were promptly charged at by Lu Xin; his right hand, cloaked in black particles, needed no further analysis of a monster’s type before eradicating it.

Occasionally, he would turn around, his pale left hand tearing through the void to grasp the old apartment building and yank it forward by a few meters.

In an instant, a large number of demented persons below were annihilated.

This brutal yet effective breakthrough method completely flipped everyone’s perception of the battlefield.

Even from afar, it seemed as if countless anomalies—spanning over a dozen kilometers—were surging forth.

They all harbored the notion that a swift breakout was possible.

Among them, Lu Xin even spotted thick vines burrowing up and down from underground, accompanied by pitiful, wailing cries.

From the sounds, he immediately recognized them as the same mental monsters that had once chased him through the forest.

He hesitated for a moment, refraining from heading straight over to kill one.

After all, he knew his most important task now was to lead everyone out of this place.

Even though the surge of black particles had stirred a growing urge within him to wreak destruction—a wild, destructive psychic force that intensified the longer and harder it was used—

his newfound Mental Core allowed him to control that impulse as best he could.

……

……

“Chik chik chik……”

But as he sped forward, a strange sound suddenly echoed in Lu Xin’s ears.

It was as if insects were scurrying over gravel or tiny saws were slicing through pages.

The sound emerged so abruptly, as if it had materialized silently right before his eyes.

Other anomalies were also emitting all sorts of chaotic noises.

Yet with Lu Xin charging ahead, his force field silenced nearly everything in an instant.

Within the 200-meter radius of his force field, nothing unusual would normally be detected.

But now, there was an odd sound—

Not only was it there, but it was also rapidly approaching him.

Not only was it there, it was closing in fast.

“Watch out.”

At that moment, Lu Xin became alert and swiftly grabbed his sister, darting backward.

Within his force field, his movements were bolstered by his psychic power; in an almost miraculous display of agility, he flipped backward and leaped over a span of ten meters, landing upside down on the wall of the old apartment building.

Then, he abruptly raised his head to look ahead.

At the spot where he had just been standing, the earth suddenly split open as a dark red, fleshy monster burst forth.

Splattering with each rupture…

The soil was violently overturned as the fleshly creature clawed its way upward.

It surged to a height of nearly a hundred meters before its ascent began to ease.

Soon, its massive body started to contract rapidly, its skin wrinkling in concentric circles to form layered rings.

It wasn’t until its body shrank to about thirty to forty meters that it finally quieted.

Only then did Lu Xin manage to clearly discern its shape.

A worm!

It was unmistakably a worm without any distinct features, its body lined with barbed, sharp teeth.

Its dark red, fleshly form writhed ceaselessly, voraciously chewing and swallowing any anomaly caught in its mouth.

And when it gaped wide, one would notice that, although it lacked features, deep inside its cavernous maw—at the spot where its throat should be—was a cold, sinister human face, its gaze intermittently flickering as its mouth contracted, staring ominously at Lu Xin.

Splattering once again…

The myriad anomalies around them suddenly receded like a tidal wave.

Gazing upon the worm, they acted as if they were witnessing hell itself.

“Chik…”

Meanwhile, the anomalies in the distance began to retreat to either side.

It was as if a dark red gate had suddenly swung open in the air, through which two other worms emerged.

As they advanced closer, Lu Xin realized that the three worms actually shared one body.

It was a three-headed worm.

At that moment, as the other two worms neared, Lu Xin’s pupils constricted slightly.

He abruptly flipped his body, like a gigantic gecko, and swiftly scaled the wall of the old apartment building.

After vaulting onto the rooftop, he turned to look back as his pupils constricted once more.

……

……

He saw a grotesque, massive worm with a shifting head oscillating before him, seemingly trying to shield something.

Centered on its body, visible ripples in the air expanded layer by layer—a subconscious maneuver to use its own psychic force field to create an impregnable zone, safeguarding the space below.

Beneath it, a sturdy and tall Jeep steadily advanced forward.

The colossal, fearsome worm and the Jeep on the ground merged into a surreal tableau.

“Creak…”

The Jeep came to a halt in front of the old apartment building, about seventy or eighty meters away.

Then, both rear doors were pushed open simultaneously, and two figures emerged, one from each side.

On the left stood an old man clad in a robe resembling that of a cleric but exuding a commanding and dignified aura, adorned with intricate, eerie patterns. His features were chiseled like they’d been carved with a knife, and his cold gaze was almost unbearable.

The other was an old man in a white coat.

He leaned on a silver cane, his head bald except for a ring of white hair around the edges, giving him a somewhat comical look.

They emerged serenely from among the innumerable anomalies, unfazed as if the bizarre unrest around them was merely a backdrop.

It was as though those countless grotesque entities, which could unsettle anyone at a mere glance, were simply part of the scenery.

The old man in the black robe on the right lifted his head slightly, his gaze scanning the area before settling on Lu Xin.

In a suddenly cool tone, he said, “The Unique Consciousness is not something you should possess. Hand it over!”

……

Lu Xin quietly studied them, gauging their identities while sensing the magnitude of their power.

After a moment, he finally spoke, “How much money are you offering?”