Hypnosis, Brainwashing, Memory Modification

Civilian vehicles.

A large number of civilian vehicles.

They sped across the Gobi Desert, forming a scattered formation, charging toward Moyani.

Unable to determine the identity of the intruder, the other party made no signal, no call for help, and no attempt to slow down; only the high beams blazed brightly, and the roar of the engine sounded like the growl of a giant beast.

Dimitri's expression changed drastically as he observed the situation through his binoculars.

As an officer who once served in the elite Russia special forces unit Vympel, he carried out many special missions and had seen a lot of classified information that would not be made public during internal training.

In most counterinsurgency wars experienced in Russia and the former Soviet Union, and indeed in most parts of the world, what soldiers least want to see is not enemy main battle tanks or armored vehicles, but unarmed vehicles charging towards them, or broken-down cars parked on the street.

Pickups, Toyotas, Santanas... dilapidated, dusty vehicles scrapped under strict regulations in developed areas. Scrapped doesn't mean unusable; in fact, these old cars are highly sought after in underdeveloped areas because of their low price, making them popular with locals.

Of course, this will also fall into the eyes of militants with ill intentions.

Sometimes, the wrecked Toyota trucks rushing towards this side might be crammed with a truckload of low-grade explosives.

Or perhaps, it was just a family of three, terrified and desperate.

Or perhaps, both.

A family of three huddled together in fear, trembling in the car seat. They seemed harmless, but perhaps beneath their feet lay a large quantity of crudely made explosives.

According to military manuals and lessons learned, firing was the correct choice. However, soldiers are not cold-blooded killing machines; they are ultimately emotional beings. Especially after discovering that they had killed the wrong person, the psychological pressure and pain they endured are unimaginable. War is not a game, after all.

But we still need to do the right thing.

Dimitri remembered the instructions he had received before leaving, gritted his teeth, cursed under his breath, and then picked up the megaphone. "Come back! Come back! We'll handle this! Let us handle this!"

Follow the procedure.

Fire warning shots to order the vehicle to stop for inspection; if the attack continues, open fire and kill.

No matter who it is.

He prayed that the China man would be able to understand this simple English.

Kang De's voice drifted on the gentle breeze.

"How should we handle this?"

"Blyat!"

Dimitri couldn't explain himself clearly, so he blurted out a Russia swear word and dialed his boss's number.

Kirov was shocked when he answered the phone and immediately called Kang De. He heard the harsh winds of the Gobi Desert and the roar of engines getting closer and closer.

"Kang De! Come back now!" he hissed, lowering his voice. "You can't bear the blame for massacring civilians! Believe me! Or do you believe in the integrity of Western governments and media!"

Kang De countered, "Let Dimitri do this? I see clearly now, they seem to be commoners."

The Russian said menacingly, "It's better than you doing it! Besides, what constitutes a civilian? Storming a military zone, engaging in hostile actions, and displaying a potential threat—in any country's military manual, that doesn't qualify someone as a civilian!"

At this point, he seemed to realize what Kang De wanted to do.

"Listen, Kang De, don't be soft-hearted! Do you want to wait until these civilians drive in cars loaded with explosives and detonate them before you understand this? Now come back, stay with the King, stay with the foreign envoys! Our people will handle this; they are the experts..."

The Russian on the phone was resolute.

But Kang De's voice remained calm. "Something's not right... These people are probably innocent."

"Hey! Kang De!"

Kirov growled, "You didn't actually believe those black [beep--] calling you Guardian Eagle God, did you? This isn't some superhero movie! This is fucking reality!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Kirov, when you first arrived, you asked me what it felt like to have superpowers."

Then, Kang De's voice rang out.

"At the time, I didn't know how to describe or summarize it. It wasn't some stupid saying like 'with great power comes great responsibility.' I could only say it felt great. Now I can tell you exactly why it felt great."

The China people speak calmly and leisurely.

"--It's great because, at certain times and in certain places, it might give you an alternative way to solve a problem, thus preventing you from falling into the torment of a moral dilemma."

"Of course, only perhaps."

But it's worth a try.

"Like now."

"I have a thousand reasons to kill them, and a thousand and one reasons to try to save them."

The extra reason is... I can, I'm willing.

The sound of howling wind came through the receiver.

Kirov hesitated for a moment, then shouted, "Don't come any closer! What if there's a bomb in the car?!"

Kang De calmly replied, "Perhaps not? I'll be more careful. If there's a bomb and it detonates, it will be the person who planted it who kills them, not us. I will avenge them."

Kirov wanted to say something more, Kang De had already hung up the phone.

Dimitri and his soldiers had already changed the heavy machine gun ammunition belts and retrieved new rockets, but they saw Kang De's figure accelerate wildly, bypassing the previous battlefield and rushing towards the flank of the convoy.

Many vehicles immediately turned and chased after Kang De.

"Very good, purposeful, but lacking in intelligence..."

There were some things that were difficult to say directly to Kirov, but Kang De felt that these people were in a very strange mental state.

It's clearly being controlled by something.

That's a bit scary.

After all, throughout the ages, in humanity's endless fascination with supernatural powers, the ability to manipulate minds has been a timeless classic, and Kang De had fantasized about possessing such an ability since childhood.

For example, hypnosis.

--Hypnotizing a classmate who was introverted and had low self-esteem, helping her become confident and outgoing.

For example, brainwashing.

--To make even the most depraved, lazy, and vulgar criminals genuinely believe that socialism is good.

For example, memory modification.

--To help Alzheimer's patients forget that they have Alzheimer's disease.

This was Kang De's childhood dream: to possess such superpowers.

Different people have different opinions. Ability itself is innocent; only the mind is dark and corrupt. Kang De possessed a pure heart, which is why he used such power to do such good deeds. Only despicable people who lust after others' bodies would associate such power with many evil things. Bah!

However, on the other hand, Kang De still had to admit one thing.

That is to say, the average level of human quality is still relatively low. If the ability to interfere with the mind really appears in the real world, it will inevitably be used by evil people to do things that only happen in notebooks. Once such things are exposed, they will cause a great shock. If they fall into the hands of an evil country or organization, something very bad will definitely happen.

So...

As Minister Wang once said, "The mandate of Heaven changes, and divine instruments are replaced, ultimately returning to the virtuous; this is the natural order."

Such rare and precious materials should only be possessed by the virtuous. To prevent unscrupulous people from obtaining them and causing trouble, it is better for upright gentlemen like myself to collect them and use them for righteous purposes.

Kang De released three Defender Mechanism from the White Mist Space. The rolling and surging copper balls darted back and forth at extremely high speeds, but they did not attract the attention of the convoy at all. Everyone stepped on the gas and chased after Kang De, as if he was the biggest and only target, and everything else was unimportant.

It's obvious.

Someone has taken control of them through some kind of supernatural power and can issue commands, such as launching an attack or chasing someone. So, the previous armed convoy clashed with Dimitri's men, and now this group of speeding cars with their high beams on are chasing Kang De around everywhere.

However, their control over the situation is limited.

The controlled individuals have become clumsy puppets, with their professional skills, reaction abilities, and combat techniques all greatly reduced. As a result, the combat skills of the previously armed convoy were extremely rigid, consisting only of firing indiscriminately. Now, these civilian vehicles are being led around haphazardly by Kang De, with no tactical coordination whatsoever.

That makes things much simpler.

"Have Dimitri and the Myanmar remain vigilant, watching out for other directions of the city, lest they be ambushed by the enemy."

Kang De even took the time to make a phone call to Kirov.

"Okay, okay... Also," the Russian's voice was helpless, yet tinged with relief, "The Black King knows what happened. He hasn't said a word, and it's clear he wants to beg you, but doesn't know how to start. On one side is you, and on the other is his people—a moral dilemma, isn't it?"

That's it.

Kang De smiled. "If he were Black Panther, there wouldn't be so much trouble."

Hang up the phone.

There are many ways to stop a car.

Kang De kicked a pebble and instantly appeared on the hood of a car. He stomped his foot hard, and the violent impact activated the airbags, pinning the driver to the seat.

He leaped and slid to the side, bending down and flipping another car over from the side. Two other cars crashed into him. Kang De released his spiritual power, Extraction the ground. The earth collapsed into a section, and the surrounding cars all sank down to a height that their wheels couldn't climb.

Listening to the whirring of the wheels spinning aimlessly, Kang De shrugged and leaped to an open space.

Under the moonlight, the ground was covered with wet streaks. The dozen or so mechanical beetles that had been thrown out earlier, under Kang De's control, climbed onto the fuel tank one by one, biting it open and causing the liquid inside to leak out continuously.

Ugh, an otherworldly alchemical puppet X an Earthly internal combustion engine vehicle, insect-themed, a child driving a big car, forced incontinence.

That's terrifying.

These family cars didn't have much fuel to begin with, and as they drove around and around, one car after another stalled.

Before the driver could even get off, Kang De rushed over like a whirlwind.

Alternatively, they could use the Power of the Fire Thief to Extraction the earth's surface, causing the entire vehicle to sink into the ground.

Alternatively, they could conjure Flame with their fingertips and weld the car door shut.

His figure moved through the dust and smoke, dividing the convoy, setting traps, and constantly dealing with batches of drivers who had lost their minds. These people were still under control; when they couldn't drive, they would get out of the car and fight for their lives. Kang De had no choice but to tie them up or temporarily trap them in the car.

Who are you? Do you know me? What's your name?

Occasionally, Kant would pull one or two drivers out of their cars to question them, only to find they were speaking French, babbling incoherently. Kang De could only shake his head, use the seatbelt he pulled from the car to tie them up tightly, then leave them on the roof to dry before moving on to the next one.

It's Little Bob.

Even without obtaining any intelligence, he had already identified the suspect.

The drivers of the civilian vehicles that followed were all Black.

The uniforms were inconsistent, the people varied in height and build, their hands showed no calluses from holding guns, and their bodies showed no signs of intense training; if they weren't soldiers, they must be local civilians.

These people have lost their minds and are controlled by supernatural forces, so the biggest suspect is undoubtedly Little Bob —because the only thing in this area that could be associated with supernatural forces is the treasure obtained from the king's tomb, which is now in Little Bob's hands. It is Big Bob's hope for healing his hidden injuries, and it is something that the France government covets and is trying to cover up.

Clearly, Little Bob has probably already figured out how to use it.

It can actually control humans?

We can't delay any longer.

Moreover... Father had seen that thing before.

He stopped the last car, then called his father, who answered immediately.

"Hello? Is it resolved?"

The sound was normal, which relieved Kang De.

He stated succinctly, "The things Little Bob brought out of the king's tomb... seem to be able to control humans. The batch that just arrived are puppets whose minds have been controlled."

Kang Jinzhu's tone changed. "You..."

Then, the father tried to make his voice sound calm, "It's okay, sometimes..."

Kang De said softly, "I didn't kill him."

After a moment of silence, the father's tone changed slightly. "... Hmm."

Kang De asked, "Have you seen that thing?"

"I've seen it," Kang Jinzhu answered instinctively. He had already described it to the person whose name he couldn't reveal, "A golden ball, about the size of a palm, similar in shape to your three large bronze balls, I..."

Then, Papa Kang realized something.

He took a deep breath. "I told them to find a chair and handcuff me."

"... Yes, don't worry, it's alright, I'm here, just in case."

Kang De lowered his eyes and said, "I'll go kill Little Bob and get that thing back."

This time, the father did not protest or interfere.

He whispered, "Be careful, this might be a diversionary tactic."

Kang De replied, "It's alright, Tiger brought a return scroll."

"Be careful, that thing might be useful to you too."

"I know."

He talked to his father as he jumped out of the car and teleported back to the front line.

When the Russia mercenaries who had been holding their ground saw him return, they all stood up from their bunkers and, led by Dimitri, saluted solemnly, their attitude much more serious and sincere than the salute they had given when they got off the plane.

Kang De, however, was not in the mood for pleasantries.

"Don't go over there, things are complicated. Let them lie there for now, you continue your patrol."

He said to Dimitri.

Although he didn't know why, soldiers don't need to ask why, and the Russian nodded in agreement.

"I'll go on patrol. Please relay this message to the King and Kirov."

After saying this, Kang De soared into the sky, Himo's Eagle flapped its wings, carrying the Guardian into the distance.

Enter the White Mist World shrouded in darkness, reverse time, and return to another world.

The battle was nearing its end. A Xing and the Sword Saint Cascading Snow were busy finishing off enemies, while Horus, while also dealing damage, searched for supplies and equipment. Seeing Kang De return, Iron Son asked, "Father?"

A Xing and Hilmeria also flew over.

There's something I need to tell you.

Kang De looked at the Sword Saint Cascading Snow.

A Xing was bewildered. Iron Son was an alien like him, while only Hilmeria was a native. He asked, "A group of people have been mentally disturbed by some kind of mental magic, becoming confused and disoriented. Is there any way to break this spell? Is there anything that can prevent it?"

"A spell to disrupt the mind? Of course, there are ways to do that."

The Sword Saint Cascading Snow didn't ask why, but instead looked at the cruel and desolate battlefield, littered with corpses and piled-up supplies, and said from afar, "It's right here."

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PS1: Damn... I absolutely have to be in bed by 11 PM tomorrow.