Chapter 12
In the study of the City Lord's Mansion, Lu Tianheng slammed the teacup in his hand heavily onto the ebony table, causing a few drops of amber tea in the cup to splash out.
“Nonsense!”
This middle-aged man, an A+-level lightning-type psychic and a member of the Four Cities Dome Council, had a voice like muffled thunder that echoed in the confined space.
"An F-rank who has just awakened for three months and is a refugee of unknown origin, and you tell me this is your destined partner?"
Lu Cheng stood straight, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, his knuckles turning white. Growing up, he had never objected to his father's decisions... until he met Lin Yao.
"Father, Yaoyao's identity chip has been reissued. He's not a refugee." Lu Cheng's voice was low but firm. "Also, his ability is a rare psychic one—emotional perception. This is very important for teamwork..."
"Emotional perception?" Lu Tianheng's sharp gaze stabbed like a knife. "Is this ability affecting you?"
He suddenly stood up, tiny arcs of electricity swirling around him. "Three months ago, you started acting strangely after returning from patrol in the contaminated area. Were you being controlled then?"
Lu Cheng's pupils shrank slightly, and his memory flashed back to a rainy night... He found the unconscious Lin Yao at the edge of Area D7. The silver-haired boy was covered in wounds, but he was breathtakingly beautiful.
At that moment, a certain fateful throbbing struck him, as if they had known each other for a long time...
“No control!”
Lu Cheng interrupted his recollection with a firm tone, "I was the one who pursued Yaoyao first. To be with me, he even..." His voice choked, "He even destroyed his original identity chip and wandered around the edge of the contaminated area for half a month..."
Lu Tianheng narrowed his eyes.
He had heard his son tell this story of eloping for love three times, and each time the details were exactly the same, as if... they were pre-planned.
As the city lord, he knew too well the dangers of psychic powers.
"I'll be sending Professor Zhou to accompany us on next week's E-427 dungeon exploration." Lu Tianheng suddenly changed the subject and pulled out a document from a drawer. "Xia Wei will be going too. She's an S-level psychic barrier user and will be very helpful to the team."
Lu Cheng's eyes lit up: "Then Yaoyao can also..."
"No!" Lu Tianheng interrupted sharply, "Going from an F-level dungeon to an E-level dungeon is tantamount to suicide."
He studied his son's expression, which darkened instantly, and changed the subject, "Unless... you can prove that his emotional perception is indeed valuable."
Lu Cheng immediately looked up, hope rekindled in his eyes: "Yaoyao's ability can warn team members of emotional abnormalities and prevent internal conflicts! And..."
He searched his memory eagerly and suddenly remembered a book called "Copy Ecology" that he had accidentally come across in the ancient book room last week.
"The recently mutated psychic contamination beast E-427 produces hallucinogenic pheromones, and Yaoyao's emotional perception is just the right way to restrain this."
Lu Tianheng observed his son calmly. This reason was too perfect, so perfect that it seemed to have been carefully designed.
He nodded slightly: "Then let him go. However..." He added meaningfully, "Xia Wei will supervise his use of his supernatural powers throughout the process."
After Lu Cheng happily left, Lu Tianheng pressed the communicator: "Arrange for Dark Crow to infiltrate the exploration team and focus on monitoring Lin Yao. If he is found to be using mind control on my son... eliminate him on the spot. Inform Professor Zhou that the dungeon experience class will be extended to three hours."
Three hours is enough time for you to reveal your true identity.
…
On the academy training ground, Lin Yao was "hard" practicing mental thread control - moving a water cup ten meters away by half an inch, and then falling to the ground "exhausted", winning sneers from the surrounding students.
"You still want to go to E-427?" Wang Rui folded his arms and sneered, "I'm afraid you can't even withstand the pressure of the dungeon entrance."
Lin Yao lowered his head, his silver hair falling to obscure his sarcastic gaze. These ants had no idea that the "weak" thread of his mind had silently penetrated their subconscious, planting a dozen fatal hints.
As long as he wanted, he could make these people kill each other at any time.
"Yaoyao!" Lu Cheng's excited voice came, "Father agreed, you can go to E-427 with me."
Lin Yao raised his head, his expression instantly changing to one of surprise and trepidation: "Really...really? But my level..."
“Your emotional awareness is important.”
Lu Cheng knelt on one knee and wiped the non-existent sweat from Lin Yao's forehead with a distressed look on his face. "Besides, I've been training you recently. Aren't you able to release mental detection stably now?"
He completely believed Lin Yao's pretended progress.
Not far away, Xia Wei watched this scene coldly, her fingertips digging deeply into her palms.
As an S-level mental barrier ability user, she vaguely felt that the mental force field around Lin Yao was abnormal... stable, not at all as weak as he appeared.
But every time she tried to delve deeper, the feeling disappeared.
"Pretentious." She cursed under her breath and turned to walk towards the equipment room.
There are plenty of opportunities in this dungeon to expose this bitch's true colors... or to silence him forever.
…
At the entrance to the E-427 instance, the twisted spatial rift resembles a wriggling mouth.
The twenty members of the exploration team were dressed neatly, and Lu Cheng was carefully checking Lin Yao's protective suit.
"Remember, follow me closely." He lowered his voice. "If you notice anything unusual, notify me immediately through the mental link."
He pointed to the rune bracelets on the two people's wrists that were glowing with light - this was a special mental conduction device made by the Lu family, which could maintain short-distance mental communication within the copy.
Lin Yao nodded obediently, his eyes glancing at several special characters in the team: Xia Wei stood in the front row, casting resentful glances at him from time to time; a silent man wearing a crow mask stood in the corner; and Qin Mu, the young man from City B who had somehow infiltrated the City D team and was giving him a meaningful smile.
"The rift is stable, you can enter," Professor Zhou's voice came. "Remember, this exploration is limited to three hours. Entering high-risk areas is strictly prohibited! The goal is to collect Essence Flowers and monitor the mutation of contaminated beasts."
The moment he passed through the space rift, Lin Yao felt the source crystal fragments in his sleeve become extremely hot.
The scene inside E-427 gradually becomes clearer.
This is a group of abandoned laboratories shrouded in purple mist. Broken ∞ symbols and seven-pointed star logos can be seen everywhere, exactly the same as the logo of the Old World Supernatural Association.
"Action in groups."
Professor Zhou directed, "Lu Cheng, lead Group A to the East District, Xia Wei, lead Group B to the West District. Report every hour."
Lin Yao followed Lu Cheng's team forward, but his spiritual thread had already quietly spread. He sensed that Xia Wei had secretly left the team and was using her spiritual barrier ability to hide her figure and follow them.
The perfect prey has taken the bait.
Half an hour later, when the team passed a fork in the road, Lin Yao suddenly covered his head in "pain": "There are... strong emotional fluctuations... over there--" He pointed to a passage marked as high-risk and prohibited entry.
Lu Cheng immediately became nervous: "What emotions?"
"Fear...anger...it's like someone is trapped." Lin Yao's acting skills are superb, and his blue eyes are full of worry.
The team members looked at each other in bewilderment. Lu Cheng hesitated for a moment before making a decision: "You continue exploring along the original route. Yaoyao and I will go check it out and be back soon."
No one noticed that when Lu Cheng and Lin Yao turned to the high-risk area, Xia Wei curled up a triumphant sneer on her lips, and Dark Crow followed quietly.
…
Lin Yao's silver hair shone faintly in the thick purple fog of the high-risk zone. He deliberately fell a few steps behind, allowing his spiritual thread to capture the animal-attracting pheromones released by Xia Wei.
This special fluctuation can attract high-level polluting beasts.
"Yaoyao, are you sure it's this way?" Lu Cheng turned around and asked, his face suddenly changed. "Be careful!"
A dark shadow leaped out of the fog. It was a three-meter-tall humanoid creature with skin covered in wriggling synapses. It was E-427's most dangerous Soul Eater.
It emits a piercing mental scream, and ordinary psychics will lose their ability to move the moment they hear it.
Lin Yao sneered inwardly. The Soul Eater's core was exactly the carrier of the Origin Core he needed. He pretended to be stunned by the scream, but in reality, his spiritual thread was already unsheathed like a sharp blade, piercing the beast's brain core in just 0.2 seconds.
Just as he was about to strike—
"Yaoyao!!" Lu Cheng's roar was heard.
Lin Yao was shocked to realize that Lu Cheng had given up his best long-range thunder attack and instead rushed towards him at full speed in his physical body.
What does this idiot want to do?!
The Soul Eater's bloody mouth was right in front of him, and Lu Cheng quickly thought of the most reasonable strategy in his mind.
Launching a lightning strike would affect Lin Yao, so the only choice was... He jumped up and used his body to block Lin Yao and the sharp teeth.
“Puff—”
Sharp nerve tentacles pierced Lu Cheng's shoulder, and blood splattered on Lin Yao's face.
Warm liquid with a rusty smell.
Lin Yao was stunned.
In the old world, betrayal and calculation are the norm, and no one will sacrifice their life to save others.
The sword of Damocles hangs high, and everyone will do anything to survive. He once witnessed brothers killing each other for a few points...
The Soul Eater roared in triumph, preparing for a second attack. The severely injured Lu Cheng was unable to resist. At the critical moment, a silver light flashed in Lin Yao's eyes.
"Go away." A cold syllable.
The invisible spiritual blade instantly shredded the Soul Eater's nerve center, causing it to freeze in place before collapsing like a piece of skin with its bones ripped out. The entire process took less than 0.1 seconds, so fast that even the pain didn't have time to transmit.
Lu Cheng turned his head with difficulty, and in a trance he seemed to see the lingering silver light in Lin Yao's eyes, and the aura that was as sharp as a knife at that moment... But the next second, his little lover turned back into that trembling and fragile appearance.
"Acheng! Acheng!" Lin Yao held him in panic, tears streaming down his face. "How are you? Don't scare me..."
It must be hallucinations from excessive blood loss, Lu Cheng thought weakly. How could his Yao Yao have such a terrifying look? Not to mention instantly killing a high-level polluted beast...
"No...it's okay." He forced a smile, "Protecting you...is what I should do..."
Lin Yao's hand trembled slightly.
Should? What a foolish thing to say!
In the old world, such a senseless sacrifice would only be laughed at. But why... why did he feel a strange tingling in his spiritual core?
Footsteps were heard in the distance; Xia Wei and Dark Crow were coming.
Lin Yao quickly weighed the pros and cons: it would be safer to let Lu Cheng die here and change the target of control.
but--
"Hold on." He suddenly lowered his voice, pressed his fingers on Lu Cheng's wound, and injected a wisp of pure mental power, temporarily stopping the fatal bleeding.
Then, before the others arrived, he stumbled towards the Soul Eater's corpse and exclaimed as if he had stumbled upon something by chance: "There... there's a glowing crystal here. Could it be used for... healing?"
When Xia Wei rushed into the scene, she saw this scene: Lu Cheng fell to the ground seriously injured, Lin Yao was crying and holding a purple crystal, and the corpse of the polluted beast... strange, why did it look like it was killed by a psychic power?
"Brother Acheng!" Xia Wei rushed over and immediately questioned Lin Yao harshly, "You brought him into the high-risk area? Do you want to kill him?!"
Lin Yao ignored her accusations and focused on placing the crystal on Lu Cheng's wound. As the crystal came into contact with blood, it immediately transformed into liquid and seeped into the blood, beginning to repair the damaged tissue.
This is an old world first aid technique that is unknown in the new world.
Dark Crow silently observed everything, especially Lin Yao's strangely skilled treatment techniques. He quietly activated the recorder and transmitted the footage back to Lu Tianheng.
Lu Cheng's breathing gradually steadied. Lin Yao then looked up at Xia Wei through tearful eyes, "Is it the polluted beast that Miss Xia attracted? There are pheromones left on your mental barrier."
Xia Wei's expression suddenly changed: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
"I sensed it." Lin Yao's voice was very soft, but it made Xia Wei feel as if she was falling into an icy cave. "You wanted to kill me, but you almost killed Ah Cheng."
A silver light flashed in the depths of his blue eyes, and he whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "I will remember this grudge."
Xia Wei took a step back, feeling a piercing chill. At that moment, she was absolutely certain that Lin Yao was no F-rank loser.
But when she wanted to scream and expose the truth, she found that her throat seemed to be strangled by an invisible hand, and she could not make a sound...
"Send Ah Cheng back first." Lin Yao suddenly raised his voice and resumed his weak demeanor. "He needs professional treatment."
When the rescue team arrived, no one noticed that half of the Soul Eater's core was gone... The most essential part had already been absorbed by Lin Yao. His power core had been restored by 3%, and his power had returned to around level 18.
More importantly...
Lin Yao quietly watched the unconscious Lu Cheng beside the stretcher on the return journey. According to rational calculation, abandoning this burden at this moment was the best solution.
But why would he choose an option with a higher risk of exposure?
"It's just... the experiment isn't finished yet."
He whispered to himself and reached out to wipe away the blood on Lu Cheng's forehead, his movements incredibly gentle.
In the distance, the purple mist of the E-427 copy was swirling strangely, as if a bigger storm was brewing.
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