Chapter 409.5: Black and White Pieces |
Wenren Yizhi?
The moment Guan Tong saw her, he immediately thought back to when the first Doomsday Rule was announced.
Back when Fang Qian came to his house, she had mentioned that Wenren Yizhi was her idol. Moreover, her act of live-streaming a Go game for 72 hours had attracted a lot of attention. As everyone expected, her initial Mind Power upper limit was as high as 117 points, placing her among the top-tier Ascendants of that time.
It's just that after that, aside from knowing she had been recruited by the authorities, the public had no further channels to learn about her. And after that live stream, she never live-streamed a game of Go again.
As for Guan Tong, after his falling out with Fang Qian, he paid even less attention to Wenren Yizhi. So before meeting her in person, it never crossed his mind that she had joined the Countermeasures Research Office and would now be participating in the operation as their teammate.
Guan Tong's gaze fell on the wheelchair beneath her, thinking to himself, no wonder Li Meng mentioned earlier that she had mobility issues.
He just didn't know what had happened during these two years. He remembered that in the news reports when Wenren Yizhi won the championship, there was no mention of her having any illness or physical disability.
"Wenren Yizhi?!"
Yang Ran let out a low exclamation after being stunned for a few seconds.
"Let me introduce everyone."
Li Meng introduced the team members to Wenren Yizhi one by one.
"You already know Silver Fox. This is Bai Xuewu, she joined the Countermeasures Research Office around the same time as you, capable of summoning and piloting a fighter mecha. This young lady is Chen Na, she also joined the Countermeasures Research Office a long time ago, possessing a sensing ability within a certain range. This is Yang Ran, he has flame manipulation ability..."
Every time Li Meng introduced someone, Wenren Yizhi's gaze would settle on that person.
Her eyes were as distinct as Go pieces, black and white without a trace of impurity. Those she looked at could feel the purity and tranquility within them.
"This is Guan Tong." Li Meng finally introduced Guan Tong. "He's different from you all; he's not affiliated with the Countermeasures Research Office, but he is a trustworthy teammate and will serve as the captain for this mission. As for his ability... it's complicated. I think compared to the name 'Guan Tong', his nickname is something you all probably know."
Li Meng looked at Guan Tong, who gave a slight nod.
For teammates who would be heading to the battlefield together and fighting side by side, Guan Tong didn't mind revealing his identity.
Otherwise, if even his teammates didn't know about his abilities, how could they cooperate and coordinate?
With Guan Tong's approval, Li Meng continued, "He is 'Shadow'."
"Ah!!!"
Yang Ran's shout was even louder than when he learned the last teammate was Wenren Yizhi.
He looked at Guan Tong incredulously, "You... you are the Shadow God?! This..."
He remembered their first meeting in the park, where he had wanted to challenge Guan Tong to a match... Now he understood why Li Meng told him not to provoke Guan Tong.
He really couldn't afford to mess with him!
Because "Shadow's" fame didn't come from the rankings in the previous rules, but from actual combat achievements, from his several feats of single-handedly opposing an entire nation.
Thinking about his own pride in using fire control to burn down a building, compared to Guan Tong blowing up the Andai State Royal Palace and attacking the Sakura Prayer Country's official residence, it paled in comparison.
For a moment, the defiant energy in Yang Ran's eyes when he looked at Guan Tong completely vanished, replaced by admiration.
Silver Fox and Chen Na already knew Guan Tong's identity, so they weren't surprised. Chen Na, however, looked at Yang Ran with a bit of schadenfreude, finding his expression after learning Guan Tong's true identity quite amusing.
Of the other two, Bai Xuewu was stunned for a moment. She finally remembered why Guan Tong felt vaguely familiar. Of course, she and "Shadow" had clashed on Holy Grail Island long ago, and that encounter had left a very unpleasant impression on her.
As for Wenren Yizhi, she remained remarkably calm. After learning that Guan Tong was "Shadow," arguably the most famous Ascendant, her expression showed no change, as if she didn't pay it much mind.
"Well then, that makes the team complete." Li Meng said with a smile. "This is the first time all team members are gathered together. You youngsters, do you want to take a group photo to commemorate the occasion?"
"Yes!" Chen Na was the first to raise her hand, swiftly pulling out her phone.
Besides Chen Na, Yang Ran was also very supportive of the suggestion. He felt this was a rare opportunity to have a photo taken with famous figures like "Shadow" and "Wenren Yizhi."
The others weren't particularly keen on taking photos, but both Silver Fox and Bai Xuewu were on good terms with Chen Na, and Guan Tong also liked the girl, so they naturally went along with it.
Li Meng said, "Come on, gather together, I'll take the photo for you."
"Uncle Li, you're also part of the team, you should be in the photo too. I'll just set a timer!"
"Heh, alright then."
Everyone tacitly walked to stand behind Wenren Yizhi. Chen Na set the timer and ran over to stand with the group.
A "click" sound followed, and the group photo was taken.
Chen Na went over to check and nodded repeatedly, "It came out great, I'll send it to you all."
Silver Fox reminded her, "Remember to give me a beauty filter, sis."
"Sis Silver Fox, you don't need a beauty filter at all!"
"Ai~ without comparison, there's no sense of disparity. Look, you're all youngsters in your early twenties, and I'm the one about to hit thirty. Standing together without a filter would make it so obvious~"
"..."
"Ahem." Li Meng cleared his throat. "Alright, the reason I called you here today, besides getting to know everyone, is also to do some combat coordination drills."
"Combat coordination? Uh..."
Yang Ran glanced at the wheelchair under Wenren Yizhi, wondering how she was supposed to fight.
Li Meng then said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you all. Although Wenren Yizhi has mobility issues, it doesn't affect her ability's performance, right?"
Wenren Yizhi gave a slight nod. "Take these."
With a wave of her hand, some black and white pieces from the Go table flew up. One black and one white piece each hovered in front of the several people.
This feat of telekinesis left everyone amazed, even Guan Tong couldn't figure it out.
He was standing quite close to Wenren Yizhi, yet he didn't sense any Mind Power fluctuation. This meant her method of remotely moving the pieces wasn't utilizing Mind Power Flow. Could it be...
Guan Tong grabbed the one black and one white piece floating before him. They felt warm and smooth to the touch, and he could sense a strange power flowing within them.
Were these pieces themselves her Mind Power items?
"Black pieces define the boundary, white pieces form the chain."
Wenren Yizhi said softly.
"Channel your Mind Power into the black piece to deploy a Go boundary that envelops yourself. The boundary can be used to fortify your core self, protecting you from mental disturbances."
"Channel your Mind Power into the white piece to form a Go chain connecting you to other holders of white pieces. The chain will link the vitality of all white piece holders. When someone takes damage, that damage will be evenly distributed among everyone on the chain."
After hearing Wenren Yizhi explain her ability, everyone's faces showed astonishment.
This ability was truly somewhat exaggerated...
Guan Tong looked at the black and white pieces in his hand, then looked up and asked, "Are the pieces limited in number?"
Wenren Yizhi looked at him and explained, "Each piece requires my Mind Power to condense and will permanently occupy part of my Mind Power upper limit."
"...I see."
If each piece occupied a portion of Wenren Yizhi's Mind Power upper limit, then she couldn't produce pieces endlessly. The number of pieces must be limited, and likely not very many.
"This... this is too overpowered!" Yang Ran said excitedly. "Especially the white pieces, they can actually share damage! Doesn't that mean unless the enemy's attack can kill all linked individuals at once, the linked individuals are essentially unkillable?"
Wenren Yizhi gently shook her head. "If the damage sustained is too great, the pieces will be unable to bear it and will be destroyed."
"Ah, I see..."
"I'm more curious about the black piece's ability." Bai Xuewu asked out of the blue. "It can create a barrier immune to mental attacks. Does that mean it can defend against the suspected mind controller within the Fire Thief Worship Cult? Also, can it defend against mental fear? Can it be used in this rule?"
"Yeah." Chen Na also thought of this. "Sis Wenren, can your pieces defend against the Scarlet Fear in this rule?"
"Nothing in the world is absolute; the effects of abilities are not fixed. Perhaps it can defend against what you mentioned, perhaps not... I'm sorry, I cannot give you a definitive answer."
"Correct." Li Meng said. "The relationships of ability countering, superior and inferior positions, and even resistance against the Doomsday Rules are not fixed outcomes. Before making any rash attempts, you must consider things carefully."
After saying this, Li Meng waved his hand, signaling everyone to bid farewell to him and Wenren Yizhi before leaving for the testing grounds.
After leaving Wenren Yizhi's "Yi Ge" room, Guan Tong asked Li Meng, "With the resources the Countermeasures Research Office has at its disposal, can they really not find a way for her to stand up?"
He had this question the moment he first saw Wenren Yizhi in the wheelchair upon entering, but it wasn't appropriate to ask in front of her.
In his view, if things like curing Wang Yan's terminal-stage cancer and regenerating Silver Fox's severed arm were possible, then there must be special circumstances for a highly promising Ascendant like Wenren Yizhi to be in a wheelchair.
"I know about this." Silver Fox said. "Dr. Zhang Minglu tried many methods before to help Wenren regain her ability to walk, but they all ended in failure. The fundamental reason is related to her ability."
"Related to these pieces?"
"To be precise, the pieces are merely a byproduct of her ability. The Go board you saw in the room is her exclusive Mind Power item... The reason she cannot stand up and walk seems to be related to that board, but I don't know the specifics beyond that."
Silver Fox's words plunged everyone into silence.
Using an ability coming at a cost was actually not strange.
It's just that this cost was usually borne by others... For example, Yang Ran in the team; if his flames went out of control or weren't managed properly, they would burn the people around him. Including Guan Tong's own 'Shadow', it was actually a very dangerous ability that could potentially cause a lot of collateral damage and casualties. Every use required careful consideration.
But the cost of Wenren Yizhi's ability seemed to be borne by herself, which was relatively rare.
However, there was one thing Guan Tong had guessed correctly.
He previously thought the last teammate's ability might be related to healing.
Now it seemed, the white piece's "link and share damage" ability was essentially a form of alternative healing. And the black piece's barrier against mental attacks would undoubtedly be helpful for this assassination mission in the Republic of Fahe.
Including her in the team was undoubtedly the best choice. The only pity was that she couldn't accompany the team in person; she could only provide remote assistance.
"We're here, this is the training floor."
Following Li Meng's voice, the elevator doors opened.
An expansive floor-wide space greeted them, like a super-sized gymnasium.
All sorts of equipment, combat testing robots, and more were too numerous to count. Many Ascendants affiliated with the base were practicing in different areas. There were also some data officers and sparring instructors responsible for recording data and providing feedback and adjustment suggestions.
Among the group, only Guan Tong was here for the first time, so everyone paid attention to his reaction. As it turned out, Guan Tong just swept his eyes across the place once, not showing any sign of surprise.
Yang Ran said disappointedly, "Such a huge facility, and the captain doesn't even have a reaction."
Since learning Guan Tong's identity, he now consciously referred to him as captain, no longer questioning it.
"Guan Tong has been through countless battles; a small scene like this is nothing to him." Li Meng said. "Let's go, I'll take you to the area we'll be using."