Torrent Phenomenon: Sato in a Quantum Superposition State

"Torrent Phenomenon!"

The words were spoken almost simultaneously by two people.

One was Tozaki Yuu, who had been closely watching everything unfold.

The other was Bai Xing, who had rushed over after hearing the news.

This was the first true clash between Sato and Nagai after obtaining Magnetic Force.

How could Bai Xing miss such a spectacle?

Besides enjoying the show, he also wanted to see whether their application of Magnetic Force had anything he could learn from.

As the saying went, among any three people walking together, there was always one worth learning from.

And this trip had indeed not been in vain.

Nagai's obviously enhanced Little Black made Bai Xing realize Little Black's potential.

For Ajin, Little Black was a powerful weapon or companion.

But for people like them who possessed Magnetic Force, it had become somewhat dispensable.

Thus, after entering Current Drive, Bai Xing had rarely summoned Little Black again.

Now that he saw Nagai's Little Black could grow alongside him, his interest was immediately piqued.

And Sato, on the other side, did not disappoint him either.

He had actually triggered the "Torrent Phenomenon" on his own initiative!

This phenomenon was akin to a natural response produced when the human body was overloaded.

When ordinary people underwent extreme emotional fluctuations, they could vaguely see the existence of Little Black.

When Ajin underwent extreme emotional fluctuations, they might trigger the "Torrent Phenomenon."

The most straightforward way to describe this phenomenon was summoning a large number of Little Blacks at once!

However, because it was an overload state, even if an Ajin happened to trigger the "Torrent Phenomenon," they could not control it at all.

The large number of Little Blacks would completely lose control, obeying their instinct to kill and ultimately causing a disaster.

But Sato was different this time. Inspired by Nagai, he had begun trying to develop Little Black.

Not only had he truly triggered the "Torrent Phenomenon" on his own, he could even control those Little Blacks to a certain extent!

According to Bai Xing's estimate, the main reason was likely Sato's physique, strengthened by Magnetic Force.

Even so, Sato could not maintain it for long. Less than ten seconds later, all the Little Blacks dispersed.

But ten seconds were already enough. Under the rampage of hundreds of Little Blacks, the surrounding SAT members were almost all killed or severely wounded.

As for Sato himself, just like when Nagai had intercepted the passenger plane last time, he had exhausted all his energy and fainted.

But another Little Black hoisted him up and escaped the hospital at high speed under the cover of the smoke that had yet to disperse.

That Little Black belonged to Tanaka.

Naturally, Tanaka had not been idle while Sato acted.

He had been observing everything from the shadows.

Always ready to provide cover for Sato.

Logically speaking, this should have been Sato's most vulnerable moment.

But Nagai could do nothing.

Because the flashbang and smoke grenade just now had caught him too.

He had inhaled some neurotoxin, causing his bodily functions to become temporarily paralyzed. Even his mind had gone numb.

If not for his strong will, he would have long since fallen unconscious.

Not daring to remain there, Nagai did not forget that when facing the unknown, SAT had just launched indiscriminate attacks.

Though Little Black had an awkward personality, it had never let him down at critical moments. Connected to him in mind, it immediately knew what to do.

It likewise hoisted the immobile Nagai up and ran.

On the roof of a building not far away, Bai Xing stood there and clicked his tongue. "I thought I'd get to see a fierce showdown. Who knew it would end so anticlimactically?"

His gaze swept over SAT, once again suffering heavy casualties, as Bai Xing muttered to himself, "Sato was right. Those clueless idiots really are disappointing."

He withdrew his gaze.

Bai Xing began experimenting with Little Black where he stood.

Whoosh!

Bai Xing's Little Black appeared at his side. As Magnetic Force poured into it, it formed a special reaction with the Black Particles.

Little Black, already a killing machine, had indeed seen its overall strength rise rapidly.

Although it could not use Magnetic Force, its basic strength, defense, and speed had all improved by leaps and bounds.

"Nagai, Sato, you two really do surprise me every time."

Looking at the two-meter-tall Little Black before him, Bai Xing revealed a satisfied smile.

But he soon discovered that he had no way to actively trigger the "Torrent Phenomenon" like Sato.

No matter how hard Bai Xing tried, at most he could only enhance Little Black like Nagai did.

"What's going on?" After trying more than a dozen times and still failing, Bai Xing could only rub his chin in thought.

Very quickly, he came up with an answer that was likely close to the truth.

"The problem might lie with the person!"

After Sato was inspired, he had only triggered the "Torrent Phenomenon," yet there had been no obvious enhancement to his Little Black.

At the very least, it was nowhere near as great as Nagai's enhancement!

This likely had something to do with Nagai's exceptional talent.

And when Bai Xing planted the Fruit Core in himself, it had copied everything about him.

Naturally, that included this exceptional talent.

So after Bai Xing gave it a simple try, he was able to greatly enhance Little Black.

But Sato's ability to easily trigger the "Torrent Phenomenon" after trying was not something like personal talent.

It stemmed from his own mental state!

The "Torrent Phenomenon" was fundamentally closely tied to a person's emotions and mental state.

Sato had once been imprisoned in a laboratory for twenty years.

In truth, he had gone mad long ago.

He had always existed in a quantum superposition state between complete madness and calm rationality.

It was this special state that allowed him to trigger the "Torrent Phenomenon" on his very first attempt.

And for the same reason, Bai Xing, who had always maintained a peaceful state of mind, had never been able to trigger the "Torrent Phenomenon"!

After figuring this out, Bai Xing temporarily gave up as well.

He could not exactly seek out stimulation just to find the right feeling, or even deliberately go study in a prison—the research institute—could he?

"Hmm, it's not like that's impossible. Forget it. I'll think about it later."

At least for now, even mastering the "Torrent Phenomenon" would only be icing on the cake for Bai Xing.

Rather than pursue external things, strengthening himself was still the most worthwhile choice.

"Eriko!"

Nagai suddenly jolted awake.

He found himself lying in a pile of garbage.

Enduring the sour stench around him, he crawled out from it.

Little Black had already disappeared. Looking around, he found that this was a relatively secluded dump.

The neurotoxin in his body was still having a slight effect, but it was no longer a serious problem.

To completely reset his condition, Nagai still used a shard of glass to slit his carotid artery and complete a rebirth.

Without realizing it, Nagai had become able to kill himself without any psychological burden in order to reset his physical condition.

Did that prove he was gradually accepting his identity as an Ajin?

There was no way to know.

All that was known was that the person Nagai worried about most at this moment was Eriko!

After leaving the dump, Nagai returned to the city.

With disheveled hair and reeking of garbage, anyone who passed him covered their nose and kept their distance.

No one realized that he was Nagai Kei, the focus of discussion throughout Tokyo, even the entire country!

Using a few small tricks, Nagai got through to Tozaki Yuu by phone.

"Douya Jiake Cafe."

Tozaki gave only one location.

When Nagai arrived, the heart hanging in his chest finally settled.

By the cafe window, Eriko and Shimomura Izumi were chatting.

Seeing them talking and laughing, he knew their conversation was going well.

Nagai was not suited to show himself now, so he did not enter the cafe.

Instead, he went to the underground parking garage, where a black BMW was parked.