Chapter 163: Bai Zang's Will
"Tell me, what do I need to prepare? Or... can we start now?"
Bai Zang slowly stood up and asked with a desperate attitude.
Seeing the burning determination in Bai Zang's eyes, my heart fluttered. This man truly possessed the courage of a tyrant. Even though I'd warned him I couldn't guarantee absolute safety, he was willing to take a chance on this one in ten thousand chance.
But now that he has made his choice...
I slowly stood up, invisible mental power began to gather at my fingertips, and the air around me seemed to become heavier.
"No extra preparation is needed. All you need is... absolute concentration, remembering who you are, and holding onto your true self." I told him seriously, "Remember, whatever you see or feel is an illusion. Don't be afraid of turning into a monster. Accept yourself, hold onto your true self, and get through this. You will be your own 'God.'"
"Come on." Bai Zang closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, only determination remained in his eyes. "Let me see this so-called abyss."
The light in the office seemed to distort. I raised my hand, and the eye on my arm opened slightly. An invisible "illusionary quenching field" constructed of pure mental terror instantly engulfed Bai Zang's consciousness. His body suddenly stiffened, veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyeballs trembled violently under his tightly closed eyelids, as if he were experiencing the world's most terrifying nightmare.
Inside the office, the air seemed frozen. Overwhelmed, Bai Zang collapsed to his knees, his body trembling violently. His skin took on a frightening translucence, as if he would dissolve into the air and vanish completely in the next second.
His breathing was rapid and broken, and cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes, spreading a small dark patch on the floor.
I held my breath and carefully controlled the illusion to prevent him from losing control by using too much force.
Thanks to my improved abilities, I can now vaguely sense the terrifying storm surging deep within Bai Zang's consciousness:
I could vaguely see him falling in the illusion I'd created, surrounded by countless shattered mirrors, reflecting all sorts of distorted monsters. Their skin peeled off, revealing his wriggling flesh, his eyes burning with mad flames, his body swelling into a giant rock monster...
Each mirror image was grinning, roaring, pulling at him, trying to assimilate him.
In the deepest part of his heart, Bai Zang's most primitive and real fear gradually revealed itself - he "saw" the Black Dragon Gang's stronghold turned into a sea of fire, and his once loyal subordinates such as A Long approached him with hideous faces and blood-stained weapons in their hands, their eyes full of greed and betrayal.
There is also my shadow in this illusion. "I" stand on the ruins, with a bloody long knife in my hand, and my eyes are as cold as a god looking down at ants, declaring that all his struggles and ambitions are futile jokes.
Ah this... I never thought that there was something about me...
Although I had some doubts in my heart, I didn't dare to be distracted.
These illusions weren't instilled directly by me. Instead, I used my ability of "fear projection" to infinitely magnify and materialize his deepest subconscious fears—the fear of losing control, the fear of inadequacy, the fear of being abandoned by his friends and family—to create this mental purgatory. My goal was to drive him to the brink of collapse!
A suppressed, bestial roar emanated from Bai Zang's throat. His body's tendency to become more transparent intensified, and even his fingertips began to blur. This was a sign that his mental defenses were about to completely collapse, and the pollution was about to manifest out of control in reality!
"Bai Zang!" My voice was like thunder, directly penetrating through layers of illusions and bombarding the core of his consciousness, "Remember who you are!"
"You are Bai Zang, the one who crawled out from a sea of blood and corpses! You are the boss who led a pack of wild dogs to dig for food in the apocalypse! Your stronghold was earned at the cost of your life! Your brothers are still alive! Your ambition is still burning!"
I shouted sharply, infusing each word with powerful mental force, trying to nail an anchor in his chaotic consciousness.
"Don't be afraid, don't be distracted!"
Although the situation is critical, I still choose not to use the Cloud Thunder Pattern in his fear. This is the last resort. If it is not absolutely necessary, try not to use it.
Fortunately, what I just said seems to have worked.
In the illusion, the countless distorted mirror images, the laughing betrayer, the indifferent "Ji Ling"... their movements seemed to have stopped for a moment.
Bai Zang, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly shook his body!
His almost transparent chest heaved violently, and his tightly closed eyes suddenly opened! Deep within his pupils, there was no longer pure fear and confusion, but a nearly crazy flame burning with a mixture of pain and extreme anger!
"I am... Bai Zang!" A hoarse roar like a wounded lone wolf squeezed out from the depth of his throat, full of blood!
"This is my territory...I have the final say!!"
He stared at the empty air in front of him, as if he was looking at an invisible enemy. The transparency on his skin faded quickly like the tide and became solid again.
It seemed as if there was a more condensed and tenacious spiritual will, like tempered and reborn steel, condensed from the depths of his soul that was on the verge of breaking!
"Roar!" He suddenly straightened his spine, no longer kneeling, but standing up like a javelin! Although his body was still trembling slightly from the tremendous mental exhaustion, the leader's inviolable bravery and sense of control returned to him.
Under his sharp gaze, the hideous mirror images in the illusion shattered and dissipated like popped bubbles.
The stifling pressure in the office suddenly eased. Bai Zang was panting heavily, his eyes a bit vacant, but his core resolve was solid. He stumbled a step, steadying himself by holding onto the table beside him. Beads of sweat dripped down his resolute jawline.
To be honest, I was quite surprised that he could achieve this, because I had planned to slowly put away the illusion, but I didn't expect him to shatter it directly.
Fortunately, even if the illusion is shattered, it will not have any negative effects on me. After all, I hold a small amount of illusory authority, and this little shock is meaningless to me.
"How does it feel?" I withdrew my strength and the office returned to normal light.
Bai Zang wiped the sweat from his face, took a few deep breaths, and then slowly raised his head to look at me. His eyes were extremely complicated, with the palpitations of surviving a disaster, the aftertaste of the extreme fear just now, but more importantly... a kind of excitement and desire that seemed to be reborn.
"Damn it..." He grinned, revealing a bloody smile, his voice hoarse but full of power, "...It's amazing! It's like I died and came back to life again!"
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