◎ Jiang Qi’s Manifestation of Heaven and Earth; Consciousness Leaves the Body; The Doctor is Dealt With ◎
Xingqing District.
Inside a certain hospital, the outpatient building had been reduced to a chaotic wreck.
A dozen or so players were laying siege to the Doctor. Some engaged in long-range attacks, others in melee; some took to the sky, while others tunneled through the ground, all throwing out a barrage of items and hidden weapons.
Additionally, a long-range sniper would occasionally send a chilling bullet whistling toward the target.
The Doctor was parrying the attacks in a miserable state. However, whenever a crisis arose, the cloaked figure would always turn back in time to protect him. He simply could not be killed.
Once again, the Doctor was slashed.
Looking at the cut on his arm, he felt a toxin eroding his body along the wound. His movements became sluggish, and he felt a violent surge of heart palpitations.
He had been poisoned!
It seemed to be a toxin concocted by an NPC. He was both terrified and panicked—how could an NPC’s poison possibly affect him? He was a Train Conductor, an existence far higher and more powerful than any player. A mere NPC toxin should have been…
Despite his logic, he felt fear, and that fear manifested as extreme rage.
He unleashed his ultimate ability: “You deserve to die! You all deserve to die!”
With a roar, a brilliant red light flared in his eyes. In the next instant, the players surrounding him felt a sudden, violent tug at their hearts. Their bodies froze, and a faint cracking sound echoed in their minds.
What was that sound?
It was the sound of their Player Panels shattering bit by bit!
They watched helplessly as cracks spread across the panels in their minds. These cracks emitted a red, dangerous glow, identical to the light in the Doctor’s eyes.
An extreme sense of crisis and dread gripped their breath. A clear realization dawned on them: the moment the Player Panel shattered completely would be the moment they died!
Several players under Wolf Sai immediately screamed: “We surrender! Spare us!”
Wolf Sai, who was currently locked in a struggle with the cloaked figure, cursed upon hearing this: “You spineless cowards!”
In the next moment, his own body jolted. His Shadow Wolf form became almost impossible to maintain, and he too heard that cracking sound. Cracks had appeared on his Player Panel!
A look of extreme horror appeared on his wolfish face.
Damn it, what kind of power is this? It can’t be seen or touched, yet it can’t be dodged or endured!
This was not a force players could resist at all. It was a complete dimensional suppression.
If he had known this old man was this powerful, he never would have provoked him! That “Lord Yi” had truly screwed him over!
Seeing that these players could no longer resist, the Doctor laughed maniacally, the wrinkles on his face folding deeply: “You ants, thinking a mayfly could shake a giant tree…”
Pfft.
A bayonet was thrust into the back of his neck.
Cui He had appeared behind him at some unknown moment. Taking advantage of the Doctor’s moment of triumph, he drove the blade into the space between the cervical vertebrae.
Cui He pressed a button on the hilt of the bayonet. A needle extended from inside the blade, piercing directly into the subarachnoid space to reach the cerebrospinal fluid. Then, an even more potent toxin was injected.
The Doctor let out a furious roar, blasting Cui He away with a shockwave. He turned, intending to kill him, but in the next heartbeat, he felt himself rapidly lose all sensation and mobility below the neck. He swayed unsteadily as if stepping on cotton, unable to even stay upright.
Naturally, he could no longer focus on controlling the Player Panels. The players felt their bodies loosen; they could move again, and the cracks on their panels stopped spreading.
Wolf Race’s subordinates immediately turned and bolted.
Cui He and his team, however, intended to take this opportunity to completely subdue the Doctor. Ignoring their cracked panels and heavy injuries, they charged forward.
In the next instant, flashes of blade light like white silk shredded their attacks. They were sent flying, their blood splashing onto the snow and freezing instantly.
Several blade-disks, spinning like white arcs, circled the cloaked figure as he stood in front of the Doctor.
With a trembling hand, the Doctor grabbed the cloaked figure’s clothes and cursed with a slurred tongue: “Kill them! Kill them all!”
The cloaked figure was about to swing an attack when his movement suddenly paused. He recalled his conversation with that NPC leader.
“Bai Hong! What are you waiting for? Kill them!” the doctor shouted angrily.
The cloaked figure lifted his head slightly. A dark red light flickered in his eyes. “Understood.”
The white arcs surrounding him streaked out, aiming for everyone’s throats.
Right then, several artillery shells flew toward the doctor and the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure grabbed the doctor and yanked him out of the way.
Several heavy armored vehicles smashed through all obstacles and roared onto the scene. Amidst a spray of shattered ice and snow, they opened fire with heavy weaponry, blanketing the area where the two stood.
A group of fully armed soldiers rushed in alongside the vehicles. They picked up the injured Cui He and the others in pairs and retreated immediately. The remaining soldiers flanked the Doctor and his protector, firing continuously.
High above, several fighter jets arrived, circling over their heads.
Dragging an almost entirely paralyzed Doctor, the cloaked figure found himself with nowhere to run. He spun his white arcs to deflect the incoming bullets and said to the Doctor: “We should retreat first. We’ll find another chance later…”
The Doctor roared in fury: “No! Kill them! I want to kill them all! A bunch of lowly wretches!”
The cloaked figure replied, “We need to leave here first and find a place to hide. There’s still one day left. Solving the issue with your body is more important.”
By hiding now, they might be able to drag things out until nightfall.
As the cloaked figure spoke, he hoisted the Doctor onto his back and began running toward the perimeter of the encirclement.
The doctor, lying across his back, continued to rant angrily, “A bunch of lowly wretches! How dare they! How could they! On what grounds?!”
He had weathered so many storms, faced so many challenges and trials, and finally reached the 100th project. As long as he completed this, he would be an official Train Conductor!
He was only one step away!
He could feel the players he controlled losing connection one by one.
His lockdown field was only one link away from completion, but that final link had been utterly destroyed!
These were supposed to be mere NPCs from a beginner-level dungeon—what right did they have! What right did they have to obstruct his grand ambition!
His bloodshot, clouded eyes suddenly shifted toward the cloaked figure carrying him: “Bai Hong, is it you who betrayed me?”
The cloaked figure paused for a fraction of a second before continuing his run: “Why would I betray you? If you die, I die. If you live, you can kill me with a single thought.”
The doctor was not deceived and said in a sinister tone, “If there is someone in this dungeon stronger than me, and you want to seek a way out, why wouldn’t you betray me? Your performance today did not match your true strength.”
The cloaked figure countered, “You’re overthinking it. If there were someone stronger than you, why would they have allowed you to get this far?”
The Doctor did not answer. Instead, he began to murmur to himself: “Is it that mysterious player who is colluding with the NPCs? He’s the one masterminding all of this. I won’t succeed, will I?”
“But why doesn’t he act personally… he must have a reason why he can’t. He can only use those NPCs to obstruct me… Yes, he must be under some restriction right now, or his power isn’t enough… He can only force me to retreat, and if I do retreat, that is when I truly lose my chance.”
Through his own questions and answers, he had essentially reconstructed the truth of the situation.
The cloaked figure felt a chill in his heart; one truly could not underestimate this man.
As the Doctor spoke, the light in his eyes grew brighter, and he burst into laughter.
He closed his eyes to sense his surroundings, then snapped them open: “Take me east! Go to the east!”
The cloaked figure’s eyes suddenly surged with dark red light—so red it almost turned black. His expressionless face instantly became rigid and cold, like a puppet: “Yes!”
He planted his feet, and with a whoosh, two wings unfurled from his back. Carrying the Doctor, he took flight, piercing through the fighter jet blockade and heading into the distance.
…
At the command post, everyone waited tensely. The screens in front of them showed the battle scene.
Then, they saw the cloaked figure take flight with the “Mantis” on his back!
It was a rare clear day. There was no ice mist, no wind or snow; the sky was exceptionally pure, even revealing a few patches of azure. Only a biting, desolate chill spread between heaven and earth like sharp needles, capable of slicing skin with ease.
The visibility was perfect. Thus, they could clearly see those long, pitch-black wings spanning the air. One look at their shape revealed their immense power, soaring effortlessly while burdened by the weight of two people at extreme speeds.
“Are they leaving?”
“No, they aren’t heading out of the Xingqing District.”
“Wait—they’re coming toward us!”
This didn’t look like a tactical retreat to heal and recover; it looked like a desperate, all-or-nothing final stand.
Zhang Zhengtian glanced at the time: 8:03 a.m..
They couldn’t drag it out until tonight.
Then they would just have to try and keep them here forever.
Even if it was an act beyond their strength, they had to try.
Zhang Zhengtian gave the order: “Launch every attack available.”
Consequently, in the sky, the fighter jets pursued the cloaked figure with heavy bombardment.
On the ground, firepower was concentrated, troops stood ready, and the allied players assembled.
The cloaked figure ignored the jets. He poured all his power into speed, refusing to engage in combat.
At that moment, his speed was almost comparable to a fighter jet.
In just two minutes, he crossed most of the Xingqing District, reached its edge, and landed on the roof of a frozen skyscraper directly opposite the command point.
Immediately, an encirclement formed from the air and the ground. Squads of soldiers rushed into the building, heading for the roof.
Leaning against the cloaked figure to support himself, the Doctor treated the incoming attacks with utter disdain. He simply watched the troops below, counting silently: “One, two, three… Hahaha, not bad, not bad. Quite a few players, and the quality is decent. Did they strip the panels from official players? It seems I’ve met a fellow professional!”
“Then let’s see who is superior! You ruined my setup and killed my players—so you can compensate me with your own!”
He roared, and a massive dark red shadow emerged above him, forming a semi-transparent body that nearly blocked the entire sky. An aged, grotesque face loomed over the earth.
Below, people watched the scene in horror.
What… what was this?
Was this even human?
In a distant shelter, citizens huddled by the windows caught sight of it and murmured: “This… is this the legendary Dharmic Manifestation?”
“My God, what is happening to this world!”
“Is it the end of the world?”
Zhang Zhengtian stared at the giant dark-red figure and commanded: “Fire!”
But whether it was artillery shells, missiles, or anything else, every hit on the crimson figure felt like striking a giant cotton doll; they simply couldn’t cause any damage at all!
A wave of despair washed over the people.
Was this truly the power of an Intern Train Conductor?
In the next instant, the dark-red figure waved a hand. The fighter jets in the sky were flipped over as if struck by a hurricane and sent flying. Several crashed directly into buildings or the frozen river surface, exploding instantly.
The dark-red figure let out a loud laugh and threw both hands upward. Every player present was lifted off the ground uncontrollably. Simultaneously, the player panels within their minds were forcibly extracted, hovering above each person’s head.
Watching from a distance, Wolf Sai let out a startled cry and scrambled even further away. Only then did the pulling force on him begin to weaken.
The fur across his entire body stood on end.
Shit, shit, shit! Is this even human?!
This is completely impossible to resist!
But the worst was yet to come.
Centering on the dark-red figure, a circle of dark-red light erupted from the ground within a two-to-three-kilometer radius. The red light solidified into the shape of chains, effectively locking down the entire area.
The Doctor watched all of this with cold eyes.
He had originally intended to take the entire Xingqing District. After all, the more people sacrificed for the first train, the better. But now that his setup had been sabotaged, he had to change plans and take only this small zone.
Although this meant taking only tens of thousands of people, it was still enough.
Wolf Sai realized he was also caught within the range of these chains. Panicking, he immediately transformed into a Shadow Wolf and tried to bolt, only to slam into an invisible barrier in mid-air.
He clawed and roared at it, but found he couldn’t get out no matter what. He completely broke down.
He just wanted to watch the excitement!
Suddenly, the chains next to him began to stir, and a huge red, semi-transparent pillar with intricate patterns slowly rose from the ground. The pillar emitted eerie black energy, with a clear hollow slot at the top that perfectly matched the size and shape of a player panel.
What was this?
At the same moment, similar pillars sprouted all along the perimeter of the chained ground—hundreds of them in a perfect circle.
In front of the dark-red figure, hundreds of players were also suspended in the air.
The vast majority were native players; only a very small number were players who had been accidentally caught in the crossfire or were there to watch the show.
At this moment, they had lost all control over their bodies. Their player panels were being ripped out of their consciousness inch by inch.
In front of the train conductor, players were nothing more than meat on a chopping board.
Meanwhile, Zhang Zhengtian and the other native NPCs could only watch this scene unfold, powerless to intervene.
One native player suspended in the air saw his panel hovering over a meter above his head. The intense agony felt like his brain was about to explode.
He grit his teeth and looked down at the walkie-talkie on his chest: “C-Commander, kill us! He wants the panels… don’t let him have them! Kill us!”
As long as they died first, the panels would disappear, and that guy would get nothing.
They had their own Intern Train Conductor and had spent time with them. They didn’t know what a Full Train Conductor was like, but they knew Intern Train Conductors definitely had limits.
Since the guy in front of them still held the “Intern” title, he couldn’t be an exception.
They didn’t believe he had inexhaustible power to repeatedly perform such earth-shattering feats.
So, they wanted to die first!
The cloaked figure stood atop a high building, watching the suspended players. His eyes glowed with an unfocused red light.
Deep within his left pupil, a spark of purple light quietly bloomed, growing brighter and brighter until it forcibly tore a gap through the red glow.
The scene before him was captured by the cloaked figure’s pupils and transmitted through that purple light to a certain space.
…
Jiang Qi watched the brutal black-and-white scenes before her, seeing people she knew suspended in the air, their panels being stripped away, their lives hanging by a thread. She panicked and struggled harder against the web-like restraints around her.
She was currently trapped in total darkness, surrounded by these restraints that left her with no leverage and no way to use her skills. She had no idea where the exit was.
She looked up and shouted: “Let me out! I want to stop the Phase Two Internship!”
A steady, cold voice drifted down: “Once a Phase Two Internship has begun, it cannot be stopped until the ten days are over.”
“Then it shouldn’t have started now! Or you shouldn’t have given me that day of rest—even starting just half a day earlier would have worked! You clearly knew how many important things I had to do!”
“The program works this way. You met the criteria to start the Phase Two Internship, and you were injured; you had to be in good condition to enter. Rest was mandatory. Based on the dungeon’s end time, I did not extend your rest.”
The voice replied calmly, “This is your luck. Would you rather enter the Phase Two Internship on the train under the Train Conductor’s nose? Or fall into a ten-day coma in some other dangerous, unfamiliar dungeon?”
Jiang Qi: “But they need me out there! If I don’t get out now, everyone will be wiped out!”
“Even if all 1,000 players are sacrificed, even if half the residents of Spring City die, it won’t affect the big picture. The focus is your future, and at most, the future of your country, is it not?”
Jiang Qi grit her teeth: “Without everyone’s help and support, how could I have achieved what I have today! I cannot abandon them!”
“You know that forcibly terminating a Phase Two Internship comes with a price.”
Jiang Qi took a deep breath and said calmly: “You’ve already told me. I understand clearly. I can afford the price; I can make up for it twofold in the future. But if I don’t get out now, the situation outside will be beyond saving!”
The voice paused briefly, then said: “If you go out now, you will face the enemy directly. Can you handle it? That is an intern train conductor who can already release a source body.”
A source body is an externalized form condensed from original power. Only at a very high level can it be created—it can split the heavens, move mountains, overturn seas, but it consumes enormous energy.
However, given the cultural upbringing Jiang Qi had received since childhood, she preferred to call it “Manifestation of Heaven and Earth” (Faxiang Tiandi). In a cultivation context, this was a state of insight into the universe and the unity of man and nature.
Looking at the black-and-white image of the Doctor, Jiang Qi saw the “Manifestation Form” looming over him like it was propping up the sky. Even without being there, she could feel the terrifying pressure.
However, precisely because Jiang Qi understood the concept of Manifestation of Heaven and Earth—knowing how magnificent and rare that state of unity truly was—she looked at this hideous “Manifestation Form” and found it crude and low-level.
A strange sense of looking down upon him arose within her. Deep down, she wasn’t afraid of him at all.
She remained calm: “My physical body can’t handle it, but my consciousness can. After these nine and a half days of tempering, my consciousness strength has improved by leaps and bounds. It’s just a source body; it’s not like I can’t release one too.
“Besides, so what if he’s an intern train conductor? As long as he hasn’t stripped that ‘intern’ from his title, he’s in the same rank as me!”
Who was afraid of whom?!
She looked up into the darkness above, her resolve absolute: “So, let me out!”
The voice paused for a breath: “As long as you can break free on your own, I will not stop you.”
“That’s a promise!” Jiang Qi stared ahead, her form transforming into a massive purple blade that slashed toward the front.
…
Command Center.
Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Dong Shengfeng watched the EEG monitor with trepidation. The waveforms had suddenly become too distorted to read. On the bed, Jiang Qi was becoming increasingly restless; several times she nearly opened her eyes, yet she always seemed just a hair’s breadth away from waking.
Not daring to disturb her, Dong Shengfeng could only stand by her side, anxiously biting her nails.
Someone rushed toward them from outside. The sound didn’t penetrate the ICU, but Dong Shengfeng sensed the commotion first.
She immediately looked toward the door.
Her team member at the entrance heard some news, and her expression shifted slightly. Dong Shengfeng walked over and asked, “What’s happening?”
The team member whispered, “The Xingqing District is about to collapse. Command has activated the Special Grade Protocol. According to the standing orders left by the Commander, we have to evacuate with Team Leader Jiang.”
The command center was still a bit too close to Xingqing District.
Dong Shengfeng was shocked, yet it felt as though she had expected this: “It has actually come to this!”
“The helicopter is ready. Should we transfer her immediately?”
Dong Shengfeng replied, “Team Leader Jiang’s condition is unstable. I don’t know if she can be moved.”
She returned to the bedside, looking down at Jiang Qi.
You’ve suddenly become so restless, so desperate to wake up—have you sensed the crisis too?
Will moving you now affect you?
While Dong Shengfeng hesitated, the people outside were already urging them to hurry.
She gritted her teeth. “Help me! Move her out, bed and all!”
The bed Jiang Qi lay on was mobile, and the accompanying equipment could be moved with it.
Just as they stepped forward to move the bed, the EEG monitor suddenly exploded.
Everyone jumped in fright.
Then, the other instruments connected to Jiang Qi followed suit—exploding or going pitch black.
On the bed, Jiang Qi’s body jolted, and her eyes snapped open.
Dong Shengfeng was filled with a mix of shock and joy. “Jiang Qi! You’re awake! How do you feel? Right now, in Xingqing District—”
Jiang Qi looked left and right, then grabbed Dong Shengfeng’s hand with a piercing gaze. “I know! I need you to do something. Take my body and get to Xingqing District immediately!”
“What?” Take… my body? What a strange way to put it.
“My consciousness is leaving my body. I must return to it within half an hour. Also, call all of our ‘Players’ and have them gather at Xingqing District. I’m going to apply hidden marks to everyone! Do you understand?”
“Understood. I will get it done!”
“Good,” Jiang Qi said curtly. Her eyes closed, and she fell back into a death-like coma. A doctor rushed forward to check her and gasped in horror: “No breath, no pulse!”
The doctor tried to start emergency resuscitation, but Dong Shengfeng ripped the wires off Jiang Qi’s body, scooped her up, and shouted to her team, “Move!”
As she ran, she barked out orders: “Someone go notify Command immediately. Tell all our Players to get to Xingqing District. The faster, the better!”
Though, at this very moment, their Players were likely already in or around Xingqing District.
The group raced to the helipad like a whirlwind. Without time to explain to anyone, they boarded the helicopter. “To Xingqing District!”
The pilot hesitated. “The Commander’s standing orders were to—”
“This is the latest order! An order from Team Leader Jiang!”
Dong Shengfeng gave a sharp look, and one of her team members immediately pulled the pilot aside and took the pilot’s seat.
The rotor blades let out a massive roar. The helicopter displaced the air as it rose into the sky, tilting its fuselage as it streaked toward Xingqing District.
…
At the same moment, in Xingqing District.
Dark red chains and massive dark red pillars surrounded an area of four to five kilometers. A faint, dark red dome was visible in the sky, where strange, smoke-like black patterns flickered in and out of existence like slithering serpents.
From a distance, the entire dome appeared to be emitting black vapor, looking dangerous and terrifying. Those outside could not approach, and those inside could not leave.
Inside the dome, the ground trembled continuously. The ice shattered inch by inch, as if the entire district was being carved out of the earth itself.
In this zone, people above and below hid indoors, tucked into the sturdiest corners they could find, waiting in terror for the fate about to descend upon them.
A few bold souls peered through their windows, watching the crimson manifestation.
It looked like a grotesque, ferocious beast, its hands raised high. In each hand, it held a bundle of dark red threads, and each thread was coiled around a person.
Those people were forced to hover in mid-air. Their “Player Panels” above their heads had almost materialized into physical form, looking as if a mass of brain matter had been violently gouged from their skulls. Every face was contorted in agonizing pain.
“It looks like they’re dying!”
“Are their brains being pulled out?”
“This is too scary… are we going to die?”
Every heart was filled with dread and despair.
Zhang Zhengtian’s eyes brimmed with tears as he watched the people suspended in the air.
Each person had been carefully selected from across the country, elite players who were supposed to represent the nation and strive in another world. Their lives should not have ended here.
The surrounding red light reflected in his eyes and in the eyes of every citizen of Spring City below, like flickering flames of fury and hatred.
Everyone gnashed their teeth, yet they were powerless.
The veins on Zhang Zhengtian’s neck bulged. “Fire!”
In the next instant, the artillery fire screamed toward the people in the sky.
The Doctor looked down and let out a cold snort. How overconfident; if he didn’t need them alive, he would have killed them long ago.
With a gentle wave of the manifestation’s right hand, the incoming shells veered off course mid-air, smashing into and leveling several buildings. Some of the buildings were still occupied, and screams of terror erupted from within.
The Doctor frowned. “Bai Hong, go destroy those weapons.”
There were few survivors left as it was, and he didn’t want any more losses. The cloaked figure moved instantly.
But after only two steps, he came to a dead halt. A strange woman’s voice suddenly rang out, sounding as if she were whispering directly into his ear: “I’ll be borrowing your eye.”
The cloaked figure’s expression grew dazed for a moment before he suddenly snapped back to clarity. Immediately, he felt an indescribable sensation in his left eye—either freezing cold or searing hot—which, in the next heartbeat, intensified into agonizing pain.
Purple light erupted from his left eye. He clutched his face, but he soon couldn’t withstand the massive, terrifying energy; his entire eyeball exploded. He threw his head back and let out a raw shriek.
A massive, brilliant purple light shot from his left eye into the sky, shaking the clouds, breaking them into dazzling icy mist.
Then, a huge purple hand appeared from nowhere, crashing down like Mount Tai, instantly crushing the crimson dome.
At the same time, chains and pillars shattered.
The Doctor’s eyes widened in horror, and his manifestation form mirrored the expression. How is this happening?!
The manifestation form hurriedly released the red threads it was clutching and raised its arms to block the descending palm. The purple hand slammed heavily onto the two red arms, crushing them like dry wood. Then, the palm landed squarely on the manifestation form’s head.
A sinister, hoarse voice echoed in his ear: “Where did this rat come from, daring to play tricks on my territory!”
That voice!
The Doctor’s pupils shook violently. A chill surged from the soles of his feet to his spine, turning his face deathly pale with fright. He even forgot to resist.
“Die!”
The purple palm completely pulverized the manifestation form’s head, then its torso. The entire manifestation shattered like fragile red glass, raining a tragic, bloody spectacle through the air.
The Doctor screamed as his true body was sent flying back, slamming into the rooftop railing before tumbling back down. Already unable to move from the neck down, he now lay on the ground like a heap of mud. The impact knocked away his disguise, revealing his true form: a hideous, withered old man.
The purple palm landed on the rooftop, but it didn’t crush the building. Instead, upon contact, it vibrated the purple light outward evenly, creating a cushioned platform in mid-air that caught the falling players and delivered them safely to the ground.
As the palm dissipated, a figure appeared in its place. The Doctor struggled to look up, his eyes fell on a pair of haunting, venomous-looking eyes.
He began to tremble uncontrollably. “M-Master Snake…”
Why would a Train Conductor appear before the dungeon has even ended?! He was finished! All of his actions had been exposed to this man. A Train Conductor would never show mercy to someone who had sneaked onto his train with the intent to seize control of it!
He let out a shrill cry, sending a telepathic command to the cloaked figure: “Kill him!” Then, wiggling his neck and head, he tried to throw himself off the roof to escape.
Jiang Qi, disguised as Cunning Snake, reached out. A smaller purple hand materialized instantly, snatching his entire body. Due to the momentum, the Doctor’s head slammed hard against the edge of the roof, knocking him unconscious.
In a flash, the cloaked figure closed in on Jiang Qi. His hood had fallen back, his left eye was a bloody mess—blood staining half of his pale face and body—while his right eye glowed with a frantic red light. Like a mindless puppet, he attacked Jiang Qi with a suicidal ferocity.
Jiang Qi’s heart chilled. So this is the method of control! It actually makes a person lose their sanity and disregard their own life!
She dodged twice, found an opening, and tapped his forehead with her finger. A pale purple mist sank into his brow. A moment later, a distorted, dark-red ghost face emerged from the back of his head, letting out a piercing shriek as it tried to flee, seeking its next host.
Jiang Qi reached out and snatched it, crushing it into a wisp of smoke that vanished into nothingness. The cloaked figure collapsed, gasping for air on the ground, his body shaking uncontrollably.
Jiang Qi walked up to him. After a moment’s thought, she waved her hand, shifting her appearance into the image of “Lord Yi.” The cloaked figure looked up at her, and Jiang Qi looked down at him. One stood calmly; the other knelt miserably at her feet.
Jiang Qi spoke indifferently: “In the future, I will compensate you for the eye. I know you intended to stall for time, though you failed. According to the verbal agreement between you and the NPC, I have already removed that fellow’s control over you. However, as a byproduct of the process, I have inevitably left a small mark on you.”
The cloaked figure’s right eye twitched.
Jiang Qi continued, “I have no intention of controlling you. As long as you do one thing for me tomorrow, I will remove the mark immediately. For now, you should rest.”
With a wave of her hand, he instantly fell unconscious. What happened next was not for him to know. Nor was it for the other players to know.
She extended her senses, perceiving the locations of every player in the area. Most were her own people; the few remaining outside players were nearly incapacitated. However, she noticed a large wolf hiding in the distance.
She looked in that direction. A Shadow Wolf, who had been peeking around, shuddered.
L-L-Lord Yi!!! He saw me! He saw me!!!
With a howl, the wolf lost its footing and tumbled from its perch. It scrambled with its claws, finally regaining its feet, and fled at high speed with its tail tucked between its legs.
Jiang Qi: “…”
Well, that saved her the trouble of knocking him out from a distance.
She picked up the cloaked figure and the Doctor—one in each hand—walked to the edge of the roof, looked down at her own players who could barely stand and Zhang Zhengtian’s group who were looking up in shock, and jumped straight down.