Chapter 203 VS Doctor Silver Mask 1

I tried to attack Dr. Silver Mask using light as a medium, but nothing happened.

The Silver Masked Doctor stood unharmed. This wasn't because my skill failed to activate, but because he somehow nullified it. After completing his defense, he seemed to have realized something, revealing an expected expression.

"Just as I suspected, your secret to breaking the 'Shadow Binding' is 'light'."

"How did you figure that out?" I asked tentatively.

From my observation, although he can use the power of restart, he has no combat ability whatsoever; his power comes solely from the divine seal fragment implanted in his heart. He's less a powerful being and more like an ordinary person wielding a powerful artifact. He certainly doesn't possess Chenlong's extraordinary sixth sense, yet he was able to see through my methods so quickly, which is truly perplexing. Is it because he's an expert in studying strange powers that he has such insight?

“It’s always the light that dispels the shadows, so it’s not hard to understand why we should suspect it. Once we combine the nature of your power with the whitelist mechanism of ‘Shadow Binding,’ it’s easy to deduce the truth,” he said. “And defending against your move is actually quite simple.”

I've already figured out his method of defending against this skill.

It was incredibly simple; he merely deployed a high-density magical shield around himself. The laboratory already possessed multiple layers of protection, and he likely manipulated the equipment to bring it closer to him.

High-density magical power can inherently resist many external threats. I once tried to ignite Chenlong with my gaze, but was rejected by the powerful magical power surrounding his body. This was because his magical power was strong enough to prevent the intrusion of external spirits. The light emanating from my flames is essentially a manifestation of spirit, so it's understandable that it would be rejected for the same reason.

No, actually, that's not entirely logical. All the lighting in the base has been destroyed by my sea of ​​fire, and despite repeated attempts to repair it with the power of regeneration, it's never been able to be turned on in time. The only source of light is my flames. Yet, the Silver Masked Doctor, who rejects the firelight, isn't surrounded by darkness, and judging from the movement of his eyes, he can clearly see me and the flames.

It's as if the protective magic stripped away the "spiritual" element from the firelight, leaving only the physical light. However, this is impossible—my firelight is entirely my spirit, containing not a trace of real light. That would be like trying to filter water from pure ethanol—it defies logic.

The problem is, this illogical thing actually happened. I only felt it because I was a participant. There aren't other answers; what I've described above is the truth. This isn't actually a special function of Dr. Silver Mask's magical shield, but rather a fundamental property of magic.

"Most of a Witcher's magic is based on the mind, and the mind has attributes that transcend time and space, as well as many common sense principles. However, the more consciously a Witcher uses magic, the more difficult it is to manifest its original nature," Dr. Silver Mask said with deep emotion. "Chenlong's 'Shadow Binding' can theoretically do the same thing. He integrated the magic shield that was originally wrapped around his body into it, and the armor itself is a high-density magic aggregate that can resist many mental and curse-related forces."

"However, this approach may be wrong. Mana Shield is a basic skill of the Witcher, extremely rudimentary, but precisely because it is extremely rudimentary, it can reflect the primitive nature of mana; while 'Shadow Binding' is a skill built on highly complex consciousness, with clear rules and mechanisms."

"While the 'Shadow Binding' is undeniably powerful, this power is comprehensible and describable. And the more powerful it is, the more likely it is to be deciphered by human ingenuity. In a sense, the 'Shadow Binding' deviates from the realm of supernatural forces. It's too easy to describe, too easy to understand; approaching it from a supernatural perspective is too superficial."

"We often encounter this situation when using science and technology to recreate strange powers. Science requires rigor, quantification, and accurate definition; the more accurate the description, the better. But the more accurate it is, the further we stray from our goal."

In the end, he began talking to himself, his thoughts wandering, as if he were immersed in the thoughts of a researcher.

I understand what he means. It's precisely because of the clear rules and mechanisms that the "portal armor" was able to find loopholes. Perhaps this is also an inherent flaw in so-called rule-based and mechanism-based abilities. If the punishment is unknown, then its power is unpredictable. Once the whole picture is understood, the flaws will be exploited.

The unique abilities of these eccentric individuals all seem to possess a certain degree of "easily describable" mechanism. At first glance, they all seem to possess absurd superpowers far beyond their own level, such as shifting cause and effect or modifying established facts... But looking back now, their superpowers, as the true "strange power" pursued by the Humanitarian Department, are actually off-topic.

On the contrary, the power of mana shield, which is simple and crude but not clearly defined, becomes like a child throwing a tantrum, able to say whatever he wants, and very unreasonable once you get to a higher level.

It feels like I've insulted myself, or is it just my imagination?

Getting back to the point, fortunately, although Dr. Silver Mask's magic shield is no less powerful than Chenlong's, it's not to the point where I can't do anything about it.

Perhaps it's because I can't quite imagine my spirit existing in the form of "light" that its power can't be increased, which is why it can't penetrate that magical shield. It's not that I think I have a dark personality; it's just that the speed of light is too fast, and I can't imagine my spirit being transmitted through light. However, as long as my main force, the flames, rush over, that level of magical shield will be immediately destroyed.

The sea of ​​fire gradually eroded the area occupied by the power of restart, bringing the Silver Mask Doctor back to his senses.

He sighed as he watched the scene crumble around him. He had reached a point where he was powerless to reverse the situation. I was finally certain that he truly had no more strength left to muster.

His power of reactivation could barely maintain a balance with the power of fire. Now, the stronghold also has to endure the collapse caused by Chenlong's death. The balance has already collapsed, and defeat is imminent.

“You’re the fire-elemental user that Chenlong mentioned before, the one who fought him in the outside world… right?” He looked at me again. “At first, I thought you were a child test subject that the researchers at the base applied for from the main body. The so-called ‘unfortunate child who witnessed the battle’ was just a fabricated excuse without any sincerity… It seems that you have distorted their perceptions in some unknown way.”

He didn't seem to have his perception distorted by my false identity. Is it because of the fragments of the divine seal in his body?

“Your target is Zhu Chang’an, who is being held captive in this stronghold,” he said. “I’m returning him to you in the hope that you will stop damaging this stronghold and leave here as soon as possible.”

"Isn't it too late for you to want to make peace now?" I retorted.

“You don’t really have a reason to destroy this place,” he said calmly. “I can see that you’re the same type of person as my original self—a complete egocentric. Even if I point that out to your face now, you won’t feel any shame. On the bright side, you’re good at self-acceptance; on the other hand, you’re utterly shameless.”

"The paradox is that you still care about your friends, and you can't help but pay attention to even acquaintances you have some contact with. This is because you are actually very lonely and yearn for someone who can be your equal..."

"So let me tell you this: as long as you give up on destroying this independent reality space, the 'ghost girl' next to you who calls herself Lu Chan will not die."

"Deep down, you don't really care how many bad things our Humanitarian Division has done, nor do you have the heroic urge to punish us personally, but you certainly don't want her to disappear, right?"

This is a psychological tactic.

The young girl, Lu Chan, turned to look at me.

Although I had agreed with Lu Youxun to destroy this place, I genuinely didn't want the young girl Lu Chan to disappear. However, Dr. Silver Mask still didn't understand me. He saw me and Ying Lingyun as the same kind, and as Ying Lingyun's "possible alter ego," he must have a very fundamental understanding of her. So, Ying Lingyun and I are indeed different types of people.

“You have two misunderstandings,” I said.

“…What is it?” he asked.

"First, as long as my partner is sincere and walks the path of eliminating you with her head held high, even if it means disappearing in the end, then I will sincerely respect her will and accompany her to the very end," I said.

The silver-masked doctor subtly showed surprise.

The young girl, Lu Chan, replied without hesitation, "Of course, that's what I think too."

"Secondly, I am indeed not a good person, but I like to be friends with good people, so I am going to kill you."

I think if I actually follow Dr. Silver Mask's advice here, I might not be able to continue being friends with Zhu Shi and Chang'an in the future.

"A good person...a good person?" Dr. Silver Mask said, unconvinced. "In that case, you should be even less inclined to eliminate us. I admit that we are engaged in sinful work, but the hope of resisting the dark rule of Luoshan and saving ordinary people in the future can only be born here."

“A great many innocent lives have already been lost here, and we will surely suffer the consequences... But if you destroy this place now, all that blood and tears will become worthless!”

"Do you truly agree with this ideology, Silver Mask?" the girl Lu Chan asked. "If so, why isn't the 'dreamt one' supporting this place you, but Chen Long?"

(End of this chapter)