Chapter 433: New Members |
"…Don't take what they say online to heart. Whether the 'Demon Race' really exists or not, the universe is so vast—how would anyone even find Tianshui Star? Even if they did come, after humanity has already endured so many calamities, are we really afraid of one more?" Zhang Minglu said earnestly into the phone. On the other end was Guan Tong.
When the online public opinion flared up, he worried Guan Tong might be upset after seeing it. After consulting with Gao Liangwei, he made the call—part comfort, part statement.
The official stance was that they did not support the online mob, and they still recognized his contributions and sacrifices.
"Besides, the way this blew up so fast, you can't tell me there's no instigator behind it! I think this isn't just targeted at you, it's aimed at the whole of Beixing. There could be cultists or parasitized enemies guiding the narrative. The Human Consortium is already investigating the internal leak; I believe we'll have results soon."
Zhang Minglu talked for a while. When he noticed silence on the other end, he felt a bit anxious. "Guan Tong, are you there?"
"Yes." Guan Tong replied.
"Then what do you think…"
"I understand Dr. Zhang's meaning. Don't worry, I don't pay much attention to public opinion, and I won't change my principles because of what others think."
Hearing that, Zhang Minglu breathed a sigh of relief.
But thinking it over, although Guan Tong was at an age prone to impulsiveness, the many trials he'd endured had matured him beyond the typical twenty-year-old. If he were to collapse psychologically just because of some harsh words and abandon his nature, he wouldn't really be "Shadow."
"If you can think that way, that's good," Zhang Minglu said. "The public's eyes are sharp; I think it won't be long before public opinion clears your name. But to be safe, stay low-profile for a while so stirred-up people don't take hostile actions against you."
Guan Tong responded calmly, "I've said it before: I won't change because of others' opinions. So I won't deliberately make myself high-profile or low-profile; I'll just do what I should. If someone opposes me, they'll bear the consequences. That's all."
"Well…" Zhang Minglu was about to say more when he heard the click of the call ending.
He sighed and put the phone down.
Silver Fox stood nearby with her arms folded; seeing Zhang Minglu's helpless expression, she asked curiously, "What did he say?"
"Still his usual way—doing things his own way. Low-profile is impossible."
"Heh, not surprising. Honestly, if he listened to you and kept low, that would astonish me."
Zhang Minglu looked at her puzzled. "Silver Fox, do you think my suggestion was wrong? In the face of damaging public opinion, lying low until the storm passes—wouldn't that be wise?"
Silver Fox smiled and shook her head. "For former celebrities and internet influencers, playing dead during backlash is a smart move. But Doctor, don't forget Guan Tong's identity as 'Shadow'… After we worked with him a few times, we unconsciously began to forget the title and power of the World's Number One Ascendant."
Zhang Minglu was slightly taken aback.
A hint of nostalgia appeared in Silver Fox's eyes. "I remember my military days—what top soldier didn't have that 'sky first, earth second, I'm third' arrogance? Even Captain Longhun then had an inflated ego, but he restrained himself after becoming a special operations instructor. Now the powerful Ascendants are tens or hundreds of times stronger than the old top soldiers. Especially someone like Guan Tong, a top Ascendant who could destroy a city alone—asking him to yield to public opinion and act low-profile? How could that ever work."
"…You're right." Zhang Minglu nodded. "I didn't think deeply enough. An Ascendant of Shadow's level really can't be restrained by many forces in this world."
After saying that, Zhang Minglu moved on. "We can't rest during this rule interval; Black Flag Country needs manpower to rebuild the joint force. Head Gao wants you, Chen Na, and Xiao Bai to go help. Prepare and depart soon."
"Understood."
…
Guan Tong put his phone away. In just one day, more than Zhang Minglu had contacted him.
Chen Na, Xu Xiaotian, and even Yelanka all reached out shortly after the public opinion outbreak—some offering comfort, others protesting on his behalf.
What surprised him but not entirely was that Shi Jingyi did not contact him, nor did she send anything through the Mind Network.
Clearly Shi Jingyi knew he wouldn't be swayed by such public opinion, so there was no need for her to fuss. Caring for someone doesn't mean smothering them with attention; that often suffocates more than it helps.
Guan Tong did, however, need to contact Shi Jingyi about the matter Black Star and White Star had asked him to help with. Their brother Aaron had little time left; if no cure were found, they'd have to resort to Suroma's memory upload plan.
After getting information from Moon Key, instead of rushing to Yunhua, he returned to Pinglu and found Shi Jingyi to tell her about it.
Shi Jingyi agreed to try to treat the boy named Aaron. Time was critical; in the evening they used a teleportation device to arrive outside the Twin Stars Bar.
Guan Tong called Black Star, who quickly opened the door and welcomed them in.
"You're… Lecturer Shi Jingyi from the Beixing Mind Power Academy!" White Star came out from inside and was slightly startled on seeing Shi Jingyi. She hadn't expected Guan Tong's supporting personnel to include such a prominent figure.
Shi Jingyi nodded and got straight to the point. "Take me to see the boy."
"Yes, of course! Please come this way!"
Black Star and White Star led them to the back room. In a bedroom, a hospital bed and some respiratory machines were set up. A boy in his teens, resembling Black Star in looks, lay unconscious on the bed.
Shi Jingyi sat at the bedside and gently placed her palm on Aaron's forehead.
A faint radiance emerged, warm and centered on her palm, seeping into the boy's body.
Black Star and White Star stood tensely at the side, not daring to interrupt.
After a short while, Shi Jingyi withdrew her hand, thoughtful.
Guan Tong asked, "How is he?"
Shi Jingyi shook her head. "Not very good. I can sense that some consciousness remains, but his Mind Power isn't responding to me. It's as if it's trapped in chaos."
White Star's face fell. "So… he can't be cured?"
Black Star said nothing, only pressing his lips together tightly; his knuckles whitened.
Shi Jingyi told them, "If there's a way to strongly stimulate his consciousness, and then I guide his Mind Power, we might pull him out of the chaos and foster a subjective desire to wake up. That could give him a chance."
"Consciousness stimulation?" Black Star asked hastily. "White Star and I shout his name and talk to him every day; it does nothing. We've never seen any reaction."
"That level of stimulation isn't enough."
"What would work then? We tried electric shocks, but they had no effect!"
Shi Jingyi shook her head slightly. For stimulating at the mental-consciousness level, she was at a loss.
Just as the three were at a loss, Guan Tong suddenly said, "Any strong consciousness stimulus will do, whether good or bad."
Shi Jingyi looked at him. "You have a method?"
"I don't have a good method," Guan Tong said, "but I have a bad one."
He was referring to the newly acquired titled ability, Scarlet Furnace.
Once activated, it forcibly drags another's consciousness inside and tortures it with terrifying imagery.
Compared to the affectionate stimulation of Black Star and White Star calling him, this was obviously a "bad" kind of stimulation.
Shi Jingyi said, "As long as the stimulus is strong enough, it doesn't matter whether it's good or bad."
"Then there should be no problem."
This ability could excavate a person's deepest fears and manifest them as lifelike scenes capable of driving someone insane or even to death. Its stimulation level was beyond high—it's extreme.
Although risky, given the current circumstances, fighting poison with poison might be the only option.
At least for Guan Tong, it seemed more reliable than sending the boy to Suroma for a memory upload.
Black Star, now agitated, urged, "Then please help us! If Aaron can be saved, we… we'll be eternally grateful!"
Guan Tong nodded slightly. Shi Jingyi grasped Aaron's wrists. "Guan Tong, start. If your stimulus works, his Mind Power should start flowing again. I'll help it circulate through his body and speed up self-repair."
"Okay."
Guan Tong bent over and peeled open the boy's eyelids.
Scarlet Furnace requires eye contact to activate; even though the target was unconscious, that shouldn't prevent it.
When he opened Aaron's eyelids and looked at the vacant pupils, he initiated the ability.
Instantly, within the dark chaotic depths of the boy's consciousness, a thread of red appeared and rapidly spread!
It delved into the boy's memories and continuously generated terrifying scenes from them.
Under the intense barrage of those scenes, the sleeping consciousness reacted. The moment he felt fear, he began to break free of the chaos and became aware of the heavy dual weight of spirit and mind.
Shi Jingyi's eyes lit up. "His Mind Power is activating!"
She immediately directed a large amount of Mind Power into the boy's body, resonating with his own to start circulation.
As a lecturer, she had taught thousands and encountered numerous types of Mind Power. Assisting others with Mind Power flow was routine for her.
Soon, under her guidance, the boy's Mind Power began to cycle and activate his body.
Seeing the boy's eyelid twitch, Black Star and White Star excitedly covered their mouths, tears welling in their eyes.
"Stop." After a moment, Shi Jingyi told Guan Tong, "You can stop the stimulus. His Mind Power is already circulating on its own."
Guan Tong withdrew his power. In less than two minutes, his flowable Mind Power was completely spent, showing Scarlet Furnace's enormous consumption.
But judging by the result, it had worked.
"Just now Aaron's eyelid moved—we all saw it!" White Star wiped her eyes, voice choked. "Will he wake soon?"
Shi Jingyi let go of his wrist and stood. "Now that his Mind Power has resumed activity, he should wake in the near future. During this period, you should talk to him more; it should help."
"Yes! We'll definitely do that!"
"Thank you so much!"
Black Star and White Star immediately sat at the bedside, each grabbing one of the boy's hands.
Guan Tong and Shi Jingyi left the back room and stood outside the bar.
"That 'bad' stimulus ability of yours—did you get it from eliminating a 'demon'?" Shi Jingyi asked curiously.
Guan Tong was a little surprised. "How did you guess?"
Shi Jingyi smiled faintly and tapped her eye. "It works through vision, right? Isn't that a hallmark of Scarlet Fear? And you also eliminated a 'demon' and ended a rule early… There's only so many coincidences in this world."
"…That is true."
By flipping open the boy's eyelid, he had essentially revealed that the ability required visual activation.
"I figure since those two were middlemen, even if they were too excited about their family member now to think much, when they calm down later they'll infer where your ability came from." Shi Jingyi said.
"Black Star and White Star have worked with me before; they're fairly trustworthy. Besides, since they're sensible, they should know what it means to repay Shadow with ingratitude."
Guan Tong's veiled threat made Shi Jingyi smile; still curious, she asked, "Speaking of which, do demons really exist?"
That hit the core.
"Honestly, I don't know. The 'demon' claim came from Robert and some other astronauts. Maybe they really encountered something on Terra," Guan Tong said. "But in the consciousness space I saw only a mist-like life form—the originator of the terrifying scenes."
Shi Jingyi understood. "So the talk of the 'Demon Race' seeking revenge and such might be unfounded. The accusations against you were probably fabricated."
Guan Tong hesitated for a moment, then said firmly, "Actually… I can't be certain either. But even if Robert's account is all true, I wouldn't regret it, nor would I feel guilty."
Shi Jingyi made a noncommittal sound and did not take a stance.
As the two were about to leave, Black Star ran out after them. "Wait! Don't go yet—my sister and I haven't properly thanked you!"
Shi Jingyi said, "If you want to thank anyone, thank him. I only did a little." She looked at Guan Tong. "I'm heading back now."
"All right, go ahead."
When Shi Jingyi left, Black Star turned serious and faced Guan Tong. "You saved Aaron—you saved me and White Star. I know you don't need Ascension Coins, but please let us have a chance to express our gratitude!"
A thought rose in Guan Tong's mind.
"I've started an organization," he said. "Its purpose is to investigate the Doomsday Rules and uncover the truth behind the Fire Thief. There aren't many members yet, because I only want people with curiosity and a desire to explore to join and work toward the same goal. I wonder…"
Before he could finish, Black Star burst out excitedly, "I'll join! White Star will too. The three of us were already curious about the Fire Thief. If it weren't for Aaron, White Star and I wouldn't have become middlemen to earn Ascension Coins to save him!"
Guan Tong smiled and reached out his hand. "Welcome to the Trace Origin Travel Troupe."