Chapter 245: Mother’s Scissors
Chapter 245: Mother’s Scissors
Lu Xin’s words, carrying a note of utter candor, greatly lifted Mother’s spirits.
Her lips curved into a faint smile as she lifted her gaze towards the Red-Cloaked Psychic Monster:
“This fellow is truly fascinating. He is clearly alive, yet he rejects life. Some might argue that his desire for death stems from unbearable suffering, a desperate plea for release. But why not consider the possibility that death is precisely what he originally sought?”
“Perhaps only by dying can he unleash his Negative Emotions?”
“…”
Lu Xin listened attentively to Mother’s words, a thoughtful look crossing his face. “I recall Han Bing mentioning during the earlier training that Mental Power possesses an inherently active nature. His desire to die indicates an aversion to that very ‘activity’, doesn’t it? Then…”
“Could that very contradiction be the reason it possesses the ability to devour or attract the Mental Power of others?”
“…”
Inside an Information Analysis Department, everyone listened silently as Lu Xin’s voice echoed around the Office.
Due to his proximity to the Red-Cloaked Psychic Monster, his voice often crackled, growing hoarse and unstable. Yet, they discerned the casual tone in his words, as though he were simply chatting with someone nearby.
Most crucially, those very words seemed to genuinely unravel a perplexing knot for them.
“Lone Soldier’s analysis holds merit.”
Professor Chen was the first to cut through the unnerving quality of Lu Xin’s seemingly random monologue, homing in on the valuable insight buried within. He declared gravely, “So, one of the abilities conferred by this Psychic Entity, codenamed Red Apostle, is to consume the Psychic Entities drawn to it, as well as siphon the Mental Power of everyone in Qinggang City who lays eyes upon it. The solution, then, must be…”
“…”
“A solution…”
While the Information Analysis Team strained their mental resources searching for an answer, Lu Xin pondered the same question.
He raised his head, scrutinizing the Monster anew.
Where others were blind to Psychic Entities, he saw them clearly.
This particular Psychic Entity, however, was visible to every soul in the city.
From afar, it appeared as a colossal, hundred-meter-tall humanoid figure. Its billowing red cloak seemed unnervingly solid, complete with distinct shadows and wrinkles.
Now, up close, Lu Xin realized it wasn’t an entity in the conventional sense.
The Psychic Entity codenamed Red Apostle was woven from countless taut threads. Millions upon millions of threads radiated outwards in every direction, stretched impossibly tight. They dispersed far and wide, only to converge again at this central point. Grouped meticulously by color, they formed the cohesive, solid-looking figure that Qinggang’s distant inhabitants perceived.
It was akin to viewing a screen: from afar, the image is sharp and defined, but up close, it fractures into individual pixels.
Each one of those threads represented a pixel of this Monster.
Lu Xin could even pick out a single, taut thread extending directly from it and connecting to himself.
“Can you help me?” He asked. Faced with this bizarre phenomenon, he turned directly towards Mother.
“What’s all this about ‘helping’ among family?” Mother responded, turning her gentle smile upon Lu Xin. “But do bear in mind, solving this problem will inevitably lead to others…”
Lu Xin nodded calmly. “Then let’s tackle problems one by one.”
“Such a clever boy.”
Mother smiled in agreement. With elegant poise, she reached into her small handbag and withdrew a pair of delicate Scissors.
She extended them towards the taut thread connecting Lu Xin to the Red Apostle. Snip.
A soft, precise sound marked its severance.
Lu Xin immediately felt a tangible lightness, as if a great weight had lessened.
It seemed the Red Apostle had lost that compelling, mysterious attraction it exerted upon his senses.
Whoosh…
An almost imperceptible current of air rustled past. Far more crimson threads, as light as dandelion seeds, drifted lazily towards him.
Lu Xin took a deliberate step back. “Only cutting one thread isn’t enough.”
“Oh my, you’re quite the impatient one,” Mother offered him a playful, exasperated look before stepping gracefully towards the building’s edge.
Lu Xin watched as she reached the railing. The Crimson Moon bathed her small, white gown in its bloody light, rendering her silhouette both elegant and eerily captivating.
Simultaneously, down below, beside a flower bed, another figure of Mother materialized.
Clutching the same bag, she stood calmly near the Monster’s enormous feet, gazing up at it impassively.
Then, more figures appeared: on a bench at the distant Plaza; East, at the base of the massive Steel Drawbridge behind the Monster; North, beneath the sprawling canopy of a large banyan tree in a garden; South, silhouetted against the glass of a high-rise Office…
Countless Mothers manifested, encircling the towering Red-Cloaked Monster like a silent guard. They each wore an identical serene smile as they gazed upon the hulking figure.
Their movements blended into one fluid motion. With perfect synchronicity, they each retrieved a delicate pair of Scissors from their small bags.
Snip……
A chorus of countless soft, clean clips sounded as one. The simultaneous slicing blended into a single, surprisingly melodic vibration that resonated through the air. It was an unsettlingly beautiful symphony of severance.
The world fell into a momentary silence, as if sound had been severed.
“Huh…”
When the sound of scissors echoed, countless people throughout the city who had stood transfixed, staring at the crimson spirit monster, suddenly gasped heavily. Some stumbled and fell; others abruptly crouched down.
Expressions of dread and terror flashed across their faces, accompanied by an intense weariness.
Looking up once more, they discovered the distinct form of the Red Apostle had vanished…
Or rather, it hadn’t vanished completely, but they could no longer perceive it clearly. Beside the East Sea Grand Hotel, they could only detect a massive swirl of dark-reddish distorted air. Under the glow of the hovering Crimson Moon, bizarre ripples continuously shimmered across its surface.
“It’s gone…”
“The Red Apostle disappeared…”
“…”
An exhilarated shout soon erupted in the temporary command center near the Quarantine Zone.
Even Chen Jing and others could barely contain their excitement, swiftly glancing toward the East Sea Grand Hotel.
Indeed, the crimson figure was no longer visible.
Some, believing the problem solved, almost leapt for joy.
“Be advised, the Red Apostle has not been neutralized…”
Professor Bai’s voice resonated amidst the excitement. “Lone Soldier merely severed the Logic Chain connecting us to it. Previously, each of us was under its Contamination influence, though it was hard to detect. The only tangible sign was our ability to see it. But with that connection severed now, we are no longer actively contaminated, and thus we cannot perceive it anymore…”
“Consequently, the increase in that Psychic Entity’s Psychic Magnitude has been interrupted.”
“…”
Then, he instructed the secretary beside him: “Document this exact ability.”
A dedicated secretary beside him scribbled furiously.
“Furthermore…”
Professor Bai then turned to Mr. Su and Minister Shen, stating:
“With the Red Apostle’s Psychic Magnitude surge halted, other unpredictable changes are inevitable. The most perilous of these…”
“The Psychic Entities it attracted will inevitably scatter.”
“”
“Beep beep…”
As if underscoring his words, countless Spirit Detectors simultaneously blared.
Red lights flashed, merging into a sea of crimson.
These signals came from the Psychic Entities inhabiting the remaining Mutants throughout the city.
Although nearly seventy percent of the Mutants had been preemptively identified, quarantined, and cleansed en masse by Doll,
a significant number remained.
A majority of these had already converged near the Red Apostle and been consumed.
The rest, fewer in number, were still en route.
Previously compelled by the Red Apostle’s pull, they had advanced toward it. Though they contaminated bystanders along the way, their path was predictable and somewhat avoidable. But the instant that connection was cut, their movement halted abruptly…
To describe it, each entity seemed to radiate visible confusion.
The guiding rule compelling them had dissolved.
Thus, driven purely by Instinct, they dispersed like floodwater, surging chaotically into the city.
Task Force members watching their suddenly screaming Spirit Detectors tightened their grips on weapons.
“Report! Psychic Entities previously converging toward the East Sea Grand Hotel have stopped their advance! They are now dispersing radially! Significant westward flow detected! Apparent trigger: densely populated sectors acting as attractors!”
The observer’s frantic shout crackled through the Walkie-Talkie.
…
“The moment has arrived to test our ability to cleanse Sources of Contamination.”
Mr. Su remained calm, giving a slight nod.
Minister Shen immediately grabbed his Walkie-Talkie, barking orders: “All Special Dispatch Teams, deploy immediately! Establish three-thousand-meter perimeter Blockade Line surrounding East Sea Grand Hotel! Authorization granted for intermediate ion rifle deployment! ABSOLUTE CONTAINMENT within boundary! Prevent spread beyond the zone!”
“All Ability Users are to enter the Blockade Line immediately and eliminate every Psychic Entity.”
“…Deploy D-class personnel into the highest-risk sector!”
“”
Swish-swash—
The city instantly sprang to life.
Squads of heavily armed Special Dispatch Team members advanced in formation.
Upon reaching positions encircling the East Sea Grand Hotel at a three-kilometer radius, they discarded their backpacks and activated a synchronized command. Blue Electric Arcs instantly bloomed from each pack, interlacing with others to form a single, continuous circuit.
This pre-planned Blockade Line, viewed from above, formed a perfect, unbroken circle.
“Preparedness at this level… You had this ready long ago?”
Professor Bai turned to Minister Shen, a wry smile on his face.
“Of course I had it ready long ago.”
Minister Shen replied, expression cold: “Though I originally envisioned this for… containing the lunati— Ability Users attending that top-tier talent conference.”