Chapter 252: The High-Profile Performance
Chapter 252: The High-Profile Performance
Around, even under the shadow cast by Lu Xin, many Psychic Entities that had emerged from the body of the S-Class Ability User from Maritime Nation still fled toward other places. Each of these Psychic Entities was different. Their Psychic Magnitude didn’t matter; what mattered was every single one possessed distinct Contamination Traits and had its own form and Life.
Moreover, some were huge, others tiny. Some flew into the sky, some burrowed underground.
And, seemingly frightened by the Shadow enveloping Lu Xin, they now harbored only one thought: to get away. To stay as far away as possible. This resulted in a scene of dispersal that seemed nearly impossible to stop.
……
The City Defense Department had established a blockade line at a distance of three kilometers around the East Sea Grand Hotel. Outside this blockade line, in other parts of the city, Special Dispatch Teams, along with Ability Users from the Special Clean-up Department and the City Defense Department, were executing Cleanup Missions in their assigned sectors.
Through their efforts, other Psychic Entities and Mutants in different areas had been either eliminated or brought under control.
More and more attention was focused on the blockade zone centered on the East Sea Grand Hotel.
And it was precisely at this moment that the detection devices clipped to the belts of all Armed Soldiers and Special Dispatch Team members surrounding the blockade line simultaneously blared piercing alarms. Clusters of countless Mental Distortion Fields surged out from within this quarantined area.
Under the Crimson Moon, they could even make out the blurred forms of these Psychic Entities: one with a body tens of meters long, composed of numerous twisted arms knotted together like a snake, its form rolling as it slammed against the Blue Electric Arc web at the blockade line’s edge. It struck with such immense force that it dented the high-intensity arc net, causing sparks to sputter from the connection rods, threatening to extinguish it.
CRACK…
The earth abruptly caved in, opening a hole from which a bizarre, man-eating flower sprouted, unfurling its leaves and vines.
SCREECH SCREECH SCREECH…
A cacophony dense enough to make one’s scalp tingle pierced the air, coming from a different sort of Psychic Entity. They came out one by one, swarming in groups, hurtling through the air towards the city.
BUZZ…
The city’s entire electrical grid seemed to malfunction. All lights adjacent to the zone flickered erratically. Nearby broadcast systems emitting emergency instructions abruptly became distorted; the voice swung from being deep and unnervingly slow to thin and frantically fast, lending a surreal, ridiculous quality. Images on building-mounted LED screens stuttered uncontrollably, covered in disordered blocks of color.
……
……
“All units prepare…”
Chen Jing clenched her walkie-talkie, shouting desperately, her voice trembling.
The Special Dispatch Teams stationed steadfastly outside the blockade line rustled into action, raising their guns and aiming toward the line.
The overwhelming, dense tide of Psychic Entities induced sheer panic among them. Yet, they had no choice but to stand their ground.
“Is this the final ability of that Maritime Nation Ability User?”
“Had they planned all along to simply destroy us if they couldn’t weaken Qinggang smoothly?”
“……”
Near the Quarantine Zone’s edge, very close to the external blockade line around the East Sea Grand Hotel, Mr. Su and others also felt their scalps prickle with unease.
The Crimson Moon cast the shadows of the Psychic Entities. Their sheer number evoked a profound sense of helplessness.
Although the Red Apostle entity itself appeared to have been vanquished, and though there were clearly far fewer Psychic Entities left now, even these remnants were enough to drive anyone who saw them half-mad. They could only watch in stunned silence as the entities charged the blockade line.
Although preparations to resist had been made, everyone understood: it wouldn’t hold. Qinggang was almost certainly doomed to become a Ghost Domain overrun by these Psychic Entities…
……
“What is that?”
Just as the panic within every individual peaked, someone suddenly shrieked hoarsely.
Everyone instinctually looked up in alarm toward the front. From the direction of the East Sea Grand Hotel, a mass of black Shadow was rapidly expanding. This Shadow spread with astonishing speed, like a dark tide under the Crimson Moon, cresting into towering waves that surged directly toward the edges of the entire blockade zone, engulfing all the Psychic Entities that had burst forth…
The source of all this Shadow was a minuscule figure atop the high floor of the East Sea Grand Hotel.
It was Lu Xin, standing under the Crimson Moon.
From such a distance, making out a single person on a rooftop with the naked eye was exceedingly difficult. Especially after Minister Shen’s warning, no one dared to strain their eyes trying to see him clearly…
…Doll was the exception.
Yet, likely because this Shadow enveloping the entire blockade zone emanated from Lu Xin, he became the sole point of contrasting color within this sea of black. This caused people to strangely notice him, and in their perception, he seemed incredibly clear…
He stood calmly atop the highest building in the entire area, gazing down at everything under the Crimson Moon.
Then, slowly, he extended his palm and closed it into a tight fist.
WHOOSH!
The Shadow, which had expanded to cover almost the entire blockade zone, suddenly began to violently contract.
As the Shadow shrank, it dragged the Psychic Entities within it backward, pulling them inward.
Some Psychic Entities had already escaped to the boundary, about to break free. Or rather, half their bodies were already out. But their other halves were caught by this Black Shadow, struggling in vain before being pulled back in panic.
Those in the sky or underground, without exception, were all enveloped by the Shadow.
The ground was dragged into irregular deep trenches by their struggles.
Some were pulled into the depths of the Black Shadow, their pitiful trembling sounds echoing directly in peoples’ minds.
Others began shattering piece by piece as they were dragged in.
The entire Blockade Line instantly fell silent.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at the now empty Blockade Line, as if waking from a nightmare.
Their minds were still filled with the scene of that Black Shadow capturing and shattering those Psychic Entities.
…
…
Gulp…
After a long dead silence, a faint sound emerged.
It was the sound of someone, somewhere, swallowing hard out of Fear. Because the surroundings were utterly quiet, it was starkly clear.
This sound seemed to shatter the petrified spell over the area.
A series of sounds followed, deep sighs of relief.
Mr. Su’s legs almost gave way, threatening to topple him. He quickly grabbed Minister Shen’s arm, whispering:
“Hold me… my legs are a bit weak…”
Minister Shen’s face remained expressionless. As he steadied Mr. Su, he reached out… to lean against the nearby wall.
His rigid features shifted slightly as he murmured, “Actually, I am too…”
Only Professor Bai, who had leaned against a utility pole from the start, gently removed his Glasses. Rubbing the corner of his eye, he sighed quietly:
“The Tyrant…”
“This power is truly not something ordinary people can covet.”
…
“Phew…”
“Cleaned up now…”
On the ruins of East Sea Grand Hotel’s top floor, atop a half-collapsed load-bearing wall, Lu Xin breathed a sigh of relief.
The Shadow that had exploded moments ago, covering the three-kilometer Blockade Line, had now retracted to his feet.
All Psychic Entities had been obliterated, none overlooked.
The surroundings instantly became clean. Only the Crimson Moon illuminated the pristine buildings.
Not far below, Mother looked up towards Lu Xin on the high building, her gaze complex.
Little Sister sat nearby.
She had been playing joyfully, but the surging Shadow had swallowed her Toy.
Once again, she was ejected, landing hard on her bottom. She sat there dazed, unable to react yet.
At this moment, Lu Xin descended from the building.
He seemed calm now, walking down the building’s wall directly towards Little Sister.
Seeing Lu Xin’s utterly calm face, immense Fear suddenly surged in Little Sister. She instinctively wanted to flee.
But before she could truly act on it, Lu Xin was already beside her.
Lu Xin looked at this Sister in her pale little dress, her hair disheveled, and was instantly overwhelmed by intense, uncontrollable Emotion. It was strange. Hadn’t he purged so many Negative Emotions through those Glasses? Hadn’t he vented that deep-seated depression and fury through the recent “flamboyant” display? Yet an ache still lingered.
An empty, desolate ache.
Silent, he looked at Little Sister. After a long pause, he suddenly crouched and embraced her.
He hugged her tightly, burying his head deeply.
Little Sister was startled, wanting to flee but too afraid.
She didn’t understand, but she could see his pain. Tilted her small head, thinking hard.
After a while, she gently patted Lu Xin’s arm and consoled him softly:
“It’s okay, I’ll give you that Toy…”
“Big Brother, don’t cry, don’t be scared?”
“Getting hurt is fine too, lots of scars won’t hurt anymore…”
…
At some unknown moment, even Lu Xin’s Shadow had settled into stillness.
Mother appeared below the high building, just three or four meters away, silently watching Lu Xin.
Lu Xin looked up at Mother, his expression tranquil.
But also serious: “I want to understand what happened back then.”
Mother gazed at him calmly: “And then?”
Lu Xin replied: “And then make them pay, each and every one. Not even a single strand of their hair.”
His answer was calm, betraying no discernible anger. There was none of the usual weight on words to emphasize resolve or express fury. He was merely stating something utterly ordinary.
Yet hearing this, Mother’s face bloomed a gentle smile: “Very good. Holding that attitude…”
“…means you are ready to see those documents.”