Chapter 25: Level One Psychic Entity

“So enthusiastic…”

Observing the countless figures spreading their arms in the air, lunging towards him, Lu Xin sighed softly.

Originally charging forward with an eerie and swift speed, he abruptly halted his momentum at that instant, leaping backward simultaneously to dodge the first shadow’s attack. Then, in a bizarre twist, he rotated and lunged sideways towards another shadow.

He extended both hands, grabbing towards the flank of this shadow.

Just like Little Sister pouncing on a toy.

…

“What is that?”

Overhead, the Crimson Moon hung, shedding a dim, blood-red light.

Meanwhile, over half of the lighting equipment erected around the wild lake moments before had been destroyed by the Psychic Entity’s howl; the rest were severely damaged. With no one to maintain them, the lamps were slowly winking out one by one.

The more lamps extinguished, the more intense the Crimson Moon’s glow appeared in the sky.

Under this light, though possibly imagined, many people nearby saw a hazy scene.

They saw that as Lu Xin was almost reaching the heart of the contaminated zone, suddenly, mud burst open. From within, a blurred, indistinct shadow emerged. The Red Moon’s radiance faintly outlined the shadow’s shape – a tree. And this tree possessed countless Vines, their tips growing what resembled fruits: clusters of people, one after another.

There were men and women, old and young. They appeared as vague, unreal silhouettes, yet their frantic forms were discernible. Features twisted, they swung their arms desperately like bizarre, humanoid pitcher plants’ snaking tendrils.

Their method of capturing prey was to leap into the air and embrace their target.

Judging by the fate of the three Investigation Squad members earlier, once grasped, victims were likely controlled.

This sight and its potential consequence made their scalps tingle.

Yet, facing these shadows, Lu Xin charged head-on. He darted left and right, twisting and turning, his movements resembling a species not fully human. Dodging and counterattacking amidst the swarm of lunging shadows, he surged towards each target like prey.

One shadow lunged; he withdrew slightly only to surge forward again. His body veered slightly left, narrowly evading the shadow’s grasp. Then he clamped onto the shadow’s shoulder, tearing off its arm. Without pause, he twisted deftly, shifting to the shadow’s right side. As the shadow clawed towards the left, Lu Xin ripped its right leg off.

His movements were both bizarre and fluid. In an instant, circling the shadow in perhaps one or two seconds, he tore it apart.

By the time the other shadows reached the spot, Lu Xin had already swiftly flashed beside another shadow.

Now, all the Vines of that “tree” surged towards him.

Meanwhile, the “fruits” at the Vine tips desperately spread their arms wide, straining to embrace Lu Xin. Judging by the previous Investigation Team members’ fate, the consequence of being held by these humanoid fruits was predictable. Moreover, those three squad members had only been temporarily restrained and not infected precisely because they wore Protective Suits…

But Lu Xin had no Protective Suit.

Therefore, Lu Xin and this monstrous tree were effectively battling over a split-second time gap.

“If those shadows grab me first, I’m done for… but if Little Sister catches a shadow first, they’re done for…”

“These shadows… seem to be precisely how this tree attacks…”

“But why do they all feel so strangely familiar?”

“…”

Amidst this crazed and distorted battle, Lu Xin handed the battle completely over to Little Sister.

The fiercer the conflict, the less he could battle her for control; otherwise, even a momentary distraction could spell his doom.

Though surrendering control of the fight to her, he himself remained intensely focused, scrutinizing the battle with every fiber of his being. He analyzed, he observed the shape of this Psychic Entity, wrestling with the enigma: what was the secret hiding within this Psychic Entity?

…

Everyone present—the Investigation Team members by the lakeside, Qin Ran, and the distant personnel securing the perimeter—was utterly spellbound. They stared dumbfounded at the scene unfolding in the lake.

Under the eerie moonlight, they could barely make out the endlessly stretching Vines and the figures sprouting from their tips.

It was a sight that, merely seeing it, sent chills down the spine, made the hairs stand on end, and stirred a sense of burgeoning madness within them.

They held weapons, yet had no idea how to use them against such Monsters.

Yet, within this dreadful tableau, one man charged straight in. Bare-handed, he clashed with the Monster, tangled in fierce combat with it.

Paradoxically, in this perilous and bizarre scene, people could vaguely detect an almost playful quality in Lu Xin’s movements. It was as if, confronting such a terrifying Monster, Lu Xin felt exhilarated… he savored the sensation.

He appeared, almost, even more insane than the maddened Monster itself!

…

“Personnel on the scene report seeing Monstrous Shadows that merge characteristics of Tentacles with human forms…”

“Those humanoid figures at the Vine tips… they are the ones who previously sought revenge against Qin Ran?”

“Their physical bodies perished, but their Spiritual Entities were devoured, assimilated by this Monster…”

“Therefore, they still remember the vengeful mission against Qin Ran… that’s all they remember…”

Inside the Tower of the Main City’s Special Contaminant Cleanup Division, Corporal Han Bing, a member of the Information Analysis Team, analyzed the intelligence with near-mechanical focus honed by rigorous training. Yet, despite herself, her voice trembled, escaping control.

“So, those who went after Qin Ran earlier were merely ‘Contaminated Entities.’ What we see now is the true form of the Psychic Entity itself!”

“Then…”

Her gaze involuntarily shifted towards another direction, settling heavily on Chen Jing. “What… what is he doing now?”

“He is performing contamination source cleanup… alone!”

Chen Jing stared at the somewhat blurry images on the screen, their hazy forms echoing the visuals she’d seen earlier on the Digital Camera.

After a slight pause, she added, “In his own unique way!”

Not far from her, Han Bing was visibly stunned.

But Chen Jing’s calm demeanor radiated outwards, influencing Han Bing and the other members of the Information Analysis Team. Though plainly unsettled herself by the sight of Lu Xin fighting the Psychic Entity single-handedly, Chen Jing fiercely maintained her composure. Not even a hint of panic touched her face. Instead, her intense stare fixed on the flickering screen, she issued firm commands: “Continue the information analysis!”

“Yes!”

Han Bing also took a deep breath, forcing down the chaos within her chest. She resumed her analysis: “Target confirmed as a beyond-Level One Psychic Pollution Source, though still likely sub-Level Two. Its aggressive action in actively infecting and attacking Investigation Team personnel indicates a degree of autonomous consciousness. However, the entire lake dredging and detection process did not provoke it, suggesting weak autonomous consciousness reliant on mere Instinct…”

“Level Assessment: D+

Infection Level: Low

Threat Level: Medium

Growth Mechanism: Capturing and assimilating remnant Spiritual Entities…”

Her voice hitched momentarily, a note of uncertainty creeping in. “…However… if it grows through assimilating remnant Spiritual Entities and its autonomous consciousness exhibits a certain Chaos… then why did its initial manifestation…”

Before she could finish this line of questioning, Chen Jing had already voiced the thought: “Why was Qin Ran specifically targeted from the outset?”

“It was precisely because someone sought revenge against Qin Ran that led to this Psychic Contamination Incident…”

“Therefore… Cui Wang, the first ‘Avenger,’ must be the Core Key?”

“Finding Cui Wang’s remains… is that truly the only way to resolve this Psychic Contamination Incident?”

“…”

Listening to Chen Jing’s analysis, Corporal Han Bing blinked, then tentatively offered: “Or… through his method? Directly annihilating it?”