Chapter 865: Gathering Amidst Chaos

When Professor Bai burst into the conference room, Director Xue Jia had already vanished.

To be precise, the oil painting no longer exuded that ‘living’ quality, transforming instead into a true static portrait.

The Mizang crew had nonchalantly tossed the portrait into a corner, ignoring it as they formed a circle, their eyes fixed expectantly on Lu Xin.

At that moment, Lu Xin could scarcely spare any attention for them.

Professor Bai rushed in, his eyes scanning the painting as his face immediately darkened with frustration and urgency. Almost simultaneously, hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor: Minister Shen, Mr. Su, and representatives from Qinggang’s researchers were arriving, joined unexpectedly by several stern-faced gentlemen.

It was clear they had all learned about what had just transpired through various channels.

In that instant, every heart in the room was gripped by anxiety and overwhelming pressure.

The moment they stepped into the conference room, all eyes shot upward toward the inscription on the whiteboard in the corner.

“Mission Codename: Third Descent.”

“Mission Level: World-Ending.”

“Mission Reward… the preservation of human order and civilization!”

“…”

With Director Xue Jia having said all that needed to be said, he left, leaving only the blazing whiteboard to serve as an ever-present warning.

Everyone stood before the board, exchanging uneasy glances.

An intangible pressure hung heavily over every head in the room.

“Chen Jing, report on the current situation confronting Qinggang.”

After a long silence, Professor Bai took a deep breath and suddenly turned to Chen Jing, saying,

“Yes.”

Chen Jing promptly accepted all the freshly printed documents from Mizang’s assistant, without mincing words: “The consolidated intel we just received indicates that emergency support requests have been sent to Qinggang from the surrounding areas—Blackwater Town, the Cigarette Market, Mist Town, and from Soda City and Red Leaf City, which are part of High-wall City.”

“Detailed follow-up data has been received from three regions regarding their support requests.”

“Meanwhile, four other regions have gone silent after our last contact, leading us to suspect total annihilation.”

“At the Mental Power Research Base outside Qinggang, chaos has erupted. Research teams from various High-wall Cities and labs are demanding immediate redeployment to their respective settlements and are requesting escort reinforcements from Qinggang.”

“The intelligence networks of both the Qinggang Cleanup Department and the City Defense Department have been fully activated to investigate the most critical local conditions.”

“Over 70% of the reports indicate a sudden outbreak of a severe mental pollution incident in those areas.”

“The remaining 30% have gone silent.”

“…”

Her report was far from over.

Yet with every additional detail, a murmur of apprehension deepened among those present.

Professor Bai raised his hand to cut her off, then shifted his gaze to Mr. Su, who was wiping sweat from his brow by the wall.

“Look at me…”

Mr. Su’s anxiety spiked immediately, but upon seeing Lu Xin and Chen Jing among the conference attendees, he composed himself, though the tension was palpable, his round face and twitching muscles betraying his strain. After drawing a deep breath, he said:

“We need to hold a meeting first.”

“…”

“Alright.”

Professor Bai promptly agreed before casting his gaze toward Lu Xin: “Single Soldier, would you like to attend this meeting?”

“You all can handle it yourselves. I have other matters to attend to.”

Lu Xin looked at them, sensing the overwhelming pressure and turmoil in each of their hearts.

He was also acutely aware that Professor Bai preferred he not join the meeting, so he willingly declined.

After all, his presence would only heighten their stress.

Decisions reached under such pressure would inevitably lose their meaning.

“Then, Chen Jing, immediately coordinate with Doll, Minister Shen, and the ability users from each Satellite City to bolster our defenses. We cannot rule out the possibility of mental pollution striking Qinggang, so all defensive measures must be readied while we await the meeting’s outcome.”

Professor Bai swiftly turned to Chen Jing and Minister Shen as he spoke.

After a hesitation, he looked toward Lu Xin and softly added, “I’m counting on you.”

Lu Xin nodded and exited the conference room.

……

……

With his formidable perception, especially when emotions ran high, he could read everyone’s inner turmoil with astounding clarity.

Lu Xin knew that each person would wrestle with their own inner demons, and he wasn’t sure what decisions they’d eventually make.

Thus, he chose not to pry any deeper.

Stepping out of the conference room, he noticed his sister clinging anxiously to the window. He scooped her into his arms and dashed outside, scaling the building’s rooftop to gaze at the Red Moon in the sky.

He sensed that the city was now shrouded by Doll’s mental power.

He also perceived that the Drunkard, the Watchdog, Luohan, and others were speeding toward their designated positions.

Meanwhile, all ability users in Qinggang were converging rapidly toward the Cleanup Department.

Throughout the city, the Security Hall had already mobilized.

No alarm had been sounded yet, yet everyone’s leave was canceled as personnel were dispatched to key intersections to maintain order.

The military from the City Defense Department had urgently switched to heavy protective gear, marching in groups toward the High Wall.

Like a gentle prickly cluster, they huddled together, their spikes poised outward.

Not far from the Cleanup Department, atop the guesthouse roof, the figures of Number Three and Number Five emerged.

A panicked Number Fourteen, as if just jolted awake, burst out in only his underwear, shouting loudly:

“What’s happening?”

“Is the Old Director coming?”

“Oh, not the Old Director—then what’s there to worry about?”

“…”

“…”

After a deep exhale, he looked further into the distance.

Across the desolate, battered land, an increasing number of scenarios began to flash through his mind.

High in midair, a crimson moon gleamed with a bewitching, vivid red.

Beneath its glow, Lu Xin saw a bizarre Black Train shuttling between various settlements in the wasteland, its whistle echoing mournfully, belching black smoke. Every window was shrouded in darkness, with occasional pale faces pressed violently against the glass, greedily and eerily grinning at the fleeing crowds below.

……

In some settlements, large groups of people suddenly succumbed to sleep while fleeing.

All who witnessed these slumbering figures were inexplicably affected, suddenly overwhelmed by dizziness and collapsing to the ground.

Their dreams intertwined, creating a separate realm of existence.

Within this dreamscape, spiders with blood-red eyes were steadily unveiling their dazzling, razor-like limbs.

……

He saw a lanky, bamboo-like mental monster, its eyes glaring with icy clarity, ambling slowly across the earth.

He saw monstrous figures resembling dirigibles float in midair with tentacle-like appendages gently drooping down.

He witnessed a rapidly spreading red-eyed contagion that, starting from one individual, triggered a frenzied sprint across the land. It was as if every pair of eyes that met its scarlet gaze would instantly turn red, morphing into the same ferocious, contorted form, defying the natural joints as they bolted across the wasteland with astounding speed.

Those who encountered its gaze would immediately transform, their eyes burning red like his.

Those who either didn’t see its eyes or whose eyes did not change immediately were swiftly torn apart by its minions.

……

……

This was merely the chaos Lu Xin perceived in the small area around Qinggang.

If one were to expand the view outward layer by layer, who could fathom the extent of strangeness and disorder waiting to be uncovered?

So, has the Third Descent—or the Second Red Moon Incident—truly occurred?

Amid such turmoil, only Qinggang under the Red Moon remained unscathed, for Doll stood atop a nearby high-rise. Clad in a white skirt and delicately holding an umbrella, she manipulated the surrounding air to form ripples, within which slender White Chains shimmered as they vigilantly struck down any approaching bizarre creature.

Yet in the midst of such chaos, Qinggang felt like an isolated fortress.

Outside the city lay endless pollution and disorder, while within, most residents continued to slumber, oblivious to the unfolding disaster.

But is that truly enough?

Lu Xin then turned his gaze toward the Second Satellite City.

There, at a massive Mental Power Research Base centered on the Sword Bearer’s Mind Palace, countless research teams from various regions were clamoring: “What are we waiting for? We can’t simply wait—our families and children are in mortal danger!”

“Let us go; we need to return…”

“Qinggang! What about your higher-ups? Will you lend us your support?”

“Will you?”

“…”

“…”

Lu Xin, from the rooftop, felt utterly at a loss addressing these questions.

After all, the decision-makers were still convening inside the meeting.

“What can we possibly do?”

A distinguished gentleman in the conference room bellowed hoarsely, “Are we to simply say that Third Descent sums it up?”

“We have no idea what chaos lingers outside or what kind of pollution is currently ravaging us.”

“Not to mention, we don’t know if, at any moment, a dreadful mental monster might descend upon Qinggang…”

“Under such circumstances, you expect me to head out for support?”

“…”

“That’s right. We’ve already decided to execute that plan.”

“But how did we ever plan on this? We’d need at least three years to prepare.”

“Yet now, we have less than three hours!”

“…In truth, the time has come.”

“Even if it has, how can one possibly make such a monumental decision in such a short span?”

“…”

Up on the rooftop, Lu Xin paid no heed to the meeting’s proceedings, as it was against protocol for him to listen in.

Yet subconsciously, he was concerned; he had caught every word. He even saw one gentleman from Qinggang, his face etched with worry and dejection, sweating profusely as he waved his hands feebly: “How can such a rash, hastily launched plan succeed when we hardly understand the situation?”

“Who in their right mind would make such a decision?”

“…”

Lu Xin’s mind tensed as even he admitted that their concerns were justified.

“Yes, everything feels terribly hasty, far too rushed…”

While Lu Xin pondered this, he witnessed Professor Bai rising abruptly, pounding the conference table in agitation.

In that moment, his usually composed demeanor gave way to fervor:

“But who in this era has ever been granted time to prepare?”

“We are fortunate. Aside from the Moon Eclipse Research Institute, we now have the most professional, largest, and most well-staffed Mental Power Research Base in the wilderness. The finest research teams in the area are gathered here, guided by the world’s brightest genius researcher, and accompanied by the strongest ability users in our history…”

“So, are we to choose to hide in the city, turning a blind eye to the crisis outside?”

“Yes, normally one would agree that with so little data, we should observe a bit longer before deciding.”

“But the pollution spreads too quickly. Every second we delay costs countless lives.”

“If we proceed at a normal pace, by the time we reach a conclusion, Qinggang might very well become an isolated island.”

“…”

A long silence fell over the meeting room as several gentlemen pondered Professor Bai’s description.

Their shoulders tensed while their expressions remained conflicted.

Under such overwhelming pressure, one among them nearly went mad with frustration:

“My God, aren’t we supposed to be the timid politicians?”

“In TV dramas, we’re always the villains, our brains and bellies fattened, forced to decide only under the threat of guns!”

“Why on earth must this damn, screwed-up plan fall on our shoulders?”

“…”

“…”

The oppressive, stifling atmosphere in the room, riddled with agitation and indecision, became unbearable.

This ultra-pressured meeting was yielding no effective conclusion.

Every participant was in agony, gripped by extreme tension.

Even Lu Xin, who listened from the sidelines, found his thoughts clouded by overwhelming confusion.

In this meeting, even those who opposed the plan couldn’t muster any genuine animosity.

“Phew…”

At that precise moment, Mr. Su, who had yet to speak throughout the meeting, suddenly let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

He scanned the room with a calm face and declared, “Perhaps the answer to this problem is much simpler.”

Everyone paused, turning their eyes toward him.

Quietly, Mr. Su said, “Does anyone remember that test we took when Qinggang was first established?”

He continued, “It was the ultimate doomsday question—the very condition we used to gauge one another.”

“In a wasteland teeming with madmen, you had a safe underground shelter.”

“Inside, you stocked enough food and water for three months, while outside, it was chaos with lunatics and panicked crowds.”

“You could choose to remain safe in that shelter for three months, even if it meant facing a world where you might be the sole survivor, or you could risk venturing out to save a few people, knowing full well you might be torn apart the moment you step outside…”

“What would you choose?”

“…”

Confronted with this question, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone remained mute, exchanging glances; some felt helpless while others were silently moved.

“I understand that our dilemma is urgent and distressing. That plan was inherently insane—if implemented, it could attract a First Researcher, ambitious power-hungry figures, countless mental monsters, or even our ultimate nemesis. For Qinggang, which has only enjoyed a few years of fragile stability, this is too big a risk.”

“One misstep and everything could be lost.”

“But…”

After a deep breath, he said, “Back then, when faced with that dilemma, we all chose the latter, didn’t we?”

“Perhaps it was just to cover our backs, to show some semblance of responsibility, or maybe it was mere pretension.”

“But now, we truly face such a crisis.”

“…”

As he spoke, the man stood up, pressing his hands onto the conference table, his round face turning grave.

“Therefore…”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I believe it’s time to honor the promises we once made, to live up to all the grand claims we once boasted…”

“…the time for fulfillment has come.”