Head to the Upper City!

Two invisible forces crossed paths.

Wang Jixuan felt dizzy, and a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over him.

"Hmph!"

Zheng Shiduo let out a muffled grunt and staggered backward.

Ling Tong, who had been silently observing all along, suddenly made her move!

Her right arm grabbed Wang Jixuan and yanked him back, while her left arm threw a sweeping punch. The fist, trailing flames, detached from her arm and smashed into Zheng Shiduo's neck at high speed.

Zheng Shiduo clutched his neck and dropped to his knees.

"Cough! Cough cough... damn it... we know each other... did you have to hit that hard... I was using a sleep aid..."

Zheng Shiduo's face turned dark purple.

The fist had already spread its fingers, and stunning currents burst from its fingertips. Zheng Shiduo convulsed and passed out, his hair standing on end and his face blackened. Clearly, his life was not in danger.

On Wang Jixuan's side, it felt as though he had fallen into a soft, warm embrace.

Though the heated Mechanical Arm was still hard, the rest of her body seemed... no different from that of a normal woman...

A glimmer of golden light appeared before Wang Jixuan's eyes. He silently recited an incantation and contemplated the mysteries of the Dao, and the exhaustion rapidly faded.

Was that Zheng Shiduo's technique just now?

His eyelids felt heavy, sleepiness constantly washing over him as Zhou Zhengde and the others shouted beside him.

"What happened?! Mu Liang is hurt!"

"Team Leader Mu!"

"Psionicists really can't be trusted!"

Ling Tong said, "Team Leader Mu is fine... Zheng Shiduo released mild Mental Interference. He had been trying to stop my investigation to protect his friend, Professor Zhuang, so I deliberately exposed an opening to lure him into acting."

As she spoke, Ling Tong tied her loose hair into a high ponytail and removed a transparent patch hidden within it.

Her left Mechanical Arm exerted a little force and hoisted Wang Jixuan directly over her shoulder, while her right Mechanical Arm picked up the metal case beside her.

Ling Tong gave a quiet order:

"I have already summoned an armored vehicle from the Cleansing Force. Please tie Zheng Shiduo up. We may be able to get testimony from him that is unfavorable to Professor Zhuang."

Zhou Zhengde looked at Wang Jixuan draped over Ling Tong's Mechanical Arm.

He actually wanted to carry his comrade himself.

But seeing how effortlessly Ling Tong handled the weight, Zhou Zhengde found it hard to say anything and turned to deal with Zheng Shiduo instead.

It was not that Young Master Zhou had chickened out;

It was merely the necessary respect due to a Combat Machine.

After coming to this world, this was the first time Wang Jixuan had felt such a sense of security.

He took the chance to nap for around ten minutes. Then he felt himself being gently placed onto a hard seat in a vehicle, which slowly began moving.

About two minutes later, the others began talking.

By then, Wang Jixuan was not very sleepy anymore.

Zheng Shiduo coughed a few times and shouted with curses:

"Ling Tong! Were you really trying to kill me?! I only wanted you to sleep for a while!"

"That is the only reason you are still able to spout nonsense here."

For some reason, Ling Tong's voice remained soft as she said:

"I have submitted your violation to the Command Center. You will be interrogated when you return."

"Let them interrogate me! At worst, they'll lock me in solitary! I'll just treat it like a vacation!"

Zhou Zhengde sighed. "Can you answer a few questions, Captain Zheng?"

"No! Only dogs cooperate with you!"

Zheng Shiduo began acting shamelessly.

Zhou Zhengde said with utmost sincerity, "Then I'll send a message to my family elders right now and tell them you tried to use Mental Shock to turn me into an idiot."

Zheng Shiduo said, "Could you ask that again? The earlier question."

"Can you answer a few questions?"

"Of course. I would be delighted to share the secrets of Psionicists with everyone."

Zheng Shiduo threw Young Master Zhou a coquettish wink.

Zhou Zhengde frowned. "What exactly are the materials? Are they simply ordinary human individuals?"

Zheng Shiduo sighed.

"Not just anyone can become material. Three indicators are important.

"The three indicators are mental activity index, darkness resistance index, and the rather mystical individual will.

"Only human individuals whose three indicators all meet the baseline are called materials.

"The materials are sent to the Psionicist's Home in each fortress. There is a set of equipment inside. Go in, come out—there is a twenty percent chance of surviving, while eighty percent die in all sorts of ways.

"Of those who survive, fifteen percent can gain control of psionic power.

"In other words, out of one hundred materials, the ideal outcome is three or four Psionicists. Of those three or four, many are E-Class Psionicists or Psionicists with no combat ability at all.

"To create one C-Class Psionicist, an average of five hundred materials must be sacrificed."

Zhou Zhengde fell silent.

Wang Jixuan secretly shook his head to himself.

The 13th Institute truly was a Demonic Cult—worse than a Demonic Cult, even.

Even when the Demonic Cult forged Blood Demon Soldiers, it did not suffer losses this severe.

Zheng Shiduo sighed. "Someone like me is rather special. I started as a glorious soldier, received Psionic Infusion while gravely injured and at death's door, and then I just... whoosh... took off!"

He continued muttering:

"Basically, all the Psionicists the military can directly command have experiences similar to mine.

"But there are also some complicated systems involved.

"Distorted, redundant, and inefficient."

Zhou Zhengde said, "I previously learned that every Psionicist is controlled by the person in charge of their station, and that person must be an ordinary human. Why is that?"

"That's right. We call them Direct Controllers.

"I have two Direct Controllers. Aside from the Comprehensive War Zone's Command Center, the other is Professor Zhuang."

Zheng Shiduo gave a slight shrug.

"The system created by the 13th Institute is very complicated, and it deliberately hides things away. There are countless scandals.

"At the fortress level, the person in charge of a 13th Institute station can lord over the fortress by controlling forty low-ranking Psionicists.

"But at the war zone and Comprehensive War Zone levels, the people in charge of Psionicists become loyal dogs ordered about by the military, with their balls held tightly in someone's grip.

"A strange ecosystem, isn't it?

"The reason is simple. Too many people control the lives of Psionicists."

Zhou Zhengde asked, "Why must every fortress have exactly forty Psionicists?"

Ling Tong quickly explained, "Forty Psionicists are standard for a fortress. Their role is to prevent Mimic Blade Beasts from infiltrating the fortress and causing trouble. They do have some purpose."

Wang Jixuan, pretending to sleep, pondered this slightly.

Mimic Blade Beasts... shapeshifting demon beasts?

Weren't demon beasts capable of taking human form all old monsters at least comparable to the Golden Core Realm?

Could these low-level Psionicists, who could barely use their own qi properly, fight Mimic Blade Beasts?

Were Mimic Blade Beasts not that strong? Or were they simply different from the demon beasts he understood?

Daoist Wang thought hard.

Zheng Shiduo complained:

"Fine, I'll give you some basic information. Hopefully this will earn me a little goodwill.

"Everything below is information deliberately concealed from the public. You can't see it without holding a certain position.

"It all began with the unrest in the Psionic Capital more than sixty years ago.

"Several SS-Class Psionicists in the Psionic Capital attempted to establish a psionic government for all humanity, consolidate all resources, and help themselves gain greater power. To fulfill their ambitions, they launched that little-known human civil conflict—the Spirit Capital Rebellion."

Wang Jixuan: ...

What the...

Humanity was on the verge of being wiped out by Blade Beasts, and they still had the mood to fight for internal power?

Zheng Shiduo spoke quickly, brimming with emotion:

"These SS-Class Psionicists failed.

"But their power was too great. No one knew exactly what happened, and the military ultimately chose to negotiate peace with them.

"My guess is that many Psionicists chose to stand with the United Defense Force. Under the pressure of the United Defense Force and the Three Great Space Fortresses, those SS-Class Psionicists had no choice but to lower their heads. They were then imprisoned in the center of the Psionic Capital, inside the 13th Institute Old Headquarters Building.

"I also heard that they live alongside the highest-yield nuclear bomb in human history. The moment they leave that building—boom! They, along with the Psionic Capital, get blasted into the sky.

"At that point, the Psionicist system was heavily altered by the military, resulting in its first distortion.

"By negotiated agreement, the command of Psionicist organizations had to be personally handled by ordinary human researchers, war zone commanders, or Fortress Governors.

"From the moment each Psionicist is born, a Self-Destruct Chip is implanted into their neck. The chip sends signals to several servers at fixed intervals.

"Over the decades, the military and the 13th Institute openly and secretly fought each other, and the situation underwent extremely complicated changes. The distortions kept worsening.

"Most of the old men and women from the military who suppressed the Spirit Capital Rebellion died of old age, but those SS-Class Psionicists are still lively as ever. They keep trying to reclaim control over all Psionicists.

"Kong Nu is only one of their tiny foot soldiers."

Zhou Zhengde frowned. "My Maternal Grandfather is still in excellent health! He was one of the suppressors back then too!"

"Those big shots who turned themselves into machines don't count! They aren't replicable!"

Zheng Shiduo sighed and continued complaining:

"Since the infusion authority at fortress stations was opened up, the people in charge at the fortress level can directly send materials and newly cultivated Psionicists to the Psionic Capital at headquarters.

"Like Kong Nu.

"Kong Nu's direct superior is Professor Zhuang. Old Zhuang's usual work is inspecting the people in charge of fortress stations and coordinating with war zones to deploy Psionicists.

"In reality, Professor Zhuang can directly command only a few hundred Psionicists, all stationed on the front lines. He works diligently beside your Maternal Grandfather. He truly has nothing to do with Kong Nu's affairs.

"The lives of these Psionicists in Fortress No. 76 are controlled by the Three-Tier Control System: Direct Controller Kong Nu, Superior Controller Professor Zhuang, and Highest-Level Controller the Psionic Capital.

"But Professor Zhuang is at the front lines. How could he possibly manage what happens here?"

Everyone contemplated this in their own way.

Zheng Shiduo's voice was utterly sincere.

"Young Master Zhou, if possible, I hope you can say a word to the Commander-in-Chief on Professor Zhuang's behalf.

"Old Zhuang is not only my supervisor but also my life mentor. He truly is innocent. He spends most of his time researching how to optimize infusions and reduce material deaths. Old Zhuang is not the same kind of person as Kong Nu, who is desperately trying to squeeze into the Psionic Capital.

"Old Zhuang belongs to the Anti-Spirit Nation Faction. He opposes Psionicists establishing political rule, and he is also a leading authority in Psionic Infusion."

Zhou Zhengde shrugged. "I'll continue investigating that."

Wang Jixuan opened his eyes, calmly lifted his head from Ling Tong's Mechanical Arm shoulder, and sat upright.

Zheng Shiduo looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"You're an E-Class Psionicist. How are you awake already?! Is my Sleep Induction Technique not working?"

"I'm not a Psionicist," Wang Jixuan said, staring at Zheng Shiduo's chest. "Captain Zhou, could you let me take a look at his pendant?"

Zhou Zhengde tore Zheng Shiduo's pendant off in one motion and handed it to Wang Jixuan.

Wang Jixuan held it in his hand, and his Spiritual Sense stirred slightly.

This thing resembled a spirit stone. It was far simpler than a demon beast's demon core, and the purity of its spiritual energy lay somewhere between that of a spirit stone and a demon core. The metal casing suppressed fluctuations of spiritual energy.

Most importantly, it could absolutely be used to set up an array!

"What are you doing?! That's a memento of my life!"

Zheng Shiduo glared and started to rise.

Ling Tong, who had kept the palm of her right Mechanical Arm aimed at Zheng Shiduo the entire time, frowned slightly and lifted her arm.

Zheng Shiduo instantly sat back down obediently and said aggrievedly:

"Be gentle. Don't break it. It's my lucky charm."

"I'm just curious," Wang Jixuan asked with a smile. "What is this?"

"A Blade Beast crystal, also called a crystal core."

Ling Tong softly said:

"The rule on the front lines is that whoever kills their first Blade Beast gets to keep its crystal core. This is the lowest-grade Blade Beast Crystal Core.

"All other crystal cores are uniformly collected and managed by the military, then supplied to the 13th Institute.

"This is also an important way for the military to influence the 13th Institute."

Zheng Shiduo muttered softly, "Guess what kind of energy Psionicists are infused with? Hehehehe."

Wang Jixuan gave the item back to Zheng Shiduo without showing any reaction.

It did not have much spiritual energy left.

Wang Jixuan asked, "This is only the crystal core of an ordinary Blade Beast?"

"Yes," Ling Tong said, observing Wang Jixuan's eyes. "Are you interested in it?"

"I just thought it was quite commemorative."

Wang Jixuan narrowed his eyes in a smile.

"Where are we going now?"

"To collect evidence. Three locations."

Ling Tong gave a simple explanation:

"Among the materials submitted by the Cleansing Force, the Command Center found three seriously illegal sites beneath the Black Fire Gang: the Cloning Laboratory, the Blade Beast Organ Cultivation Room, and... the Human-Blade Beast Gene Fusion Experiment Site."

Zheng Shiduo froze. "Blade... Blade Beast organ cultivation?"

"Yes."

Ling Tong said calmly:

"The paper Professor Zhuang published twelve years ago is the only relevant theoretical literature."

"Additionally, the preliminary investigators noticed that in Wanlijin Gang territory bordering the Black Fire Gang's turf, there was a large amount of formulated soil mixed with Blade Beast flesh and blood. A batch was produced every year, and the source of the Blade Beast flesh and blood was unknown. It was suspected to be defective material from Blade Beast organ cultivation experiments."

"This is my real second mission."

She added,

"Just one Kong Nu isn't worth expending this much energy."

Zheng Shiduo looked deeply conflicted. "Wait, Old Zhuang from my family really was Kong Nu's handler? What the hell! That's not what the old man told me."

Wang Jixuan asked, "Major Ling Tong, can I go to Upper City and keep an eye on Kong Nu?"

"Why?"

"To make sure Kong Nu is eliminated and prevent future trouble."

Ling Tong asked, "Do you distrust the military, or do you think the military's anti-aircraft missiles can't bring down a plane that has already been locked onto?"

Wang Jixuan fell silent for several seconds before saying calmly, "I simply can't trust human nature."

After a brief consideration, Ling Tong made her decision and turned to Zhou Zhengde.

"Can Captain Zhou's evaluation be postponed? I must prioritize the Command Center's mission. Team Leader Mu is only an E-Class Psionicist and needs you to accompany him to Upper City."

"Fine! I'll go up with Mu Liang! I know Upper City best! That's my turf!"

Zhou Zhengde drew in a light breath.

"The two of us have incredible chemistry. As long as we work together, one plus one will definitely be greater than two!"

"Hahahaha! Maybe we can eliminate Kong Nu ourselves!"

Wang Jixuan: ...

He actually wanted to act alone.