Now We Are Comrades

When he saw the eerie lights and dense fog, Li Yèlái knew that he had entered Black Shadow's dream once again.

So I was still alive? But this time was different.

He was no longer restrained and could move freely within the dream.

At the same time, he did not see that Black Shadow.

Instead, he saw The Skinner whose skull he had pried open.

The Skinner had come back to life in Li Yèlái's dream, yet he was now screaming in terror as pitch-black tentacles dragged him into the dense fog.

Then came the sounds of flesh being torn apart and bones snapping from deep within the fog.

A few seconds later, a black tentacle reached out from the depths of the fog and slowly unfurled before Li Yèlái.

It revealed an object within its grasp: a snow-white mask.

Li Yèlái was utterly baffled by the sight and did not understand what was happening.

A sacrifice?

The word inexplicably came to Li Yèlái's mind.

He had killed The Skinner, turning him into a sacrifice, and had thus received Black Shadow's gift? A blank mask? Or perhaps a theatrical face mask?

Li Yèlái did not take the mask.

What a joke. If he took the mask, what price would he have to pay next?

Having survived the danger, Li Yèlái wanted nothing more to do with the bizarre entity known as Black Shadow.

As if sensing his thoughts, a soft snort came from deep within the fog.

In the blink of an eye, Li Yèlái left the dream.

When he opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling. He was lying in an unfamiliar hospital room.

"Yo, you're awake?" someone said beside the bed.

It was a young woman in a hoodie. She wore large-framed glasses, had a gentle face, and kept her hair short, making her look quite capable.

She was currently grinning at Li Yèlái. "The operation was a success. You're a girl now."

Li Yèlái was horrified. That price was far too steep.

The older young man standing beside her had a square face and wore a black trench coat. He gave off a steady air as he sighed at the girl. "Don't scare him. He just ran into The Skinner."

Then, the older young man turned to Li Yèlái. "Don't worry. Your body is in good condition now."

"Who are you?" Li Yèlái sat up in bed and looked at the older young man. "The Security Bureau? Or the City Defense Force?"

He vaguely remembered hearing sirens after killing The Skinner. They should have been the ones who rescued him.

After exchanging a glance with the girl, the older young man slowly shook his head. "No, but our duties are the same as those of the Security Bureau and City Defense Force. We protect Mega City citizens. You can think of us as a relevant agency specializing in incidents like The Skinner."

A relevant agency? Li Yèlái recalled what The Skinner had said before dying and tentatively asked, "The Mega City's official authorities?"

"You could put it that way. We are indeed official psychics." The older young man extended a hand with a smile. "Our full name is the Disaster Management Department. I am Disaster Handler Yáng Chén."

The girl added, "Disaster Handler, codename Cheese."

Li Yèlái got out of bed, shook hands with Yáng Chén and the girl respectively, then introduced himself. "My name is Li Yèlái."

"Nice to meet you." Yáng Chén nodded and continued, "And thank you for eliminating The Skinner. He was the culprit behind several recent murder cases. However, his abilities made him extremely good at hiding, and we had never managed to catch him. Thank you."

Li Yèlái felt a little embarrassed. "I was only trying to stay alive. I wasn't trying to do a good deed. Is Doctor Wang still alive?"

"Unfortunately, Doctor Wang has been killed." Yáng Chén shook his head.

Li Yèlái sighed inwardly. He and Doctor Wang had been fairly familiar with each other.

But at least he had avenged him.

As Li Yèlái pondered this, something suddenly occurred to him, and he hesitated to speak.

"You can ask me anything you want," Yáng Chén said.

"Uh, during the fight earlier, I think I broke some things."

"It doesn't matter. We will take full responsibility for this loss." Yáng Chén paused, then smiled. "Not only that, you can also claim a reward. Though it won't be much."

There was a reward too? Li Yèlái's eyes lit up. "Then the backpack I was carrying, along with the antiques inside it, were also lost in the fight. Those were worth some money."

Antiques? Those shoddy crafts probably had production dates less than ten years old. How were they antiques?

Yáng Chén's expression turned a little strange, while Cheese wore a look that practically said, You haven't squeezed enough out of this yet, have you?

They had assumed Li Yèlái would ask about psychics, not bring this up.

"Can that be reimbursed?" Li Yèlái asked.

"Yes, yes." Yáng Chén smiled wryly.

"Listen, I know you have plenty of questions. You can ask us anything." Cheese spoke. For some reason, Li Yèlái inexplicably felt that the girl's words were trustworthy.

So, suppressing his other questions, he asked, "The Skinner... what exactly was he? Why did he call me one of his kind? Can I ask that?"

Yáng Chén seemed to have expected this question. He nodded. "Of course. You are qualified to learn these things now. But first, do you know how the Mega Cities were established?"

Li Yèlái nodded. This was common knowledge, history every Mega City citizen understood.

Seventy-one years ago, strange fog began appearing in mountainous and forested regions across the world.

It had no physical form and seemed no different from ordinary fog, yet no building or terrain could stop its advance.

The humans of that era called it Calamity Mist, or calamity fog for short.

Everyone within areas covered by the calamity fog would mysteriously vanish. Other animals, however, remained completely unaffected.

Even fully armed, organized military units left no trace behind after the calamity fog passed.

Faced with this sudden danger that specifically targeted humanity, every nation launched research efforts, but all ended in failure.

Neither explosive shockwaves nor extreme heat and cold could disperse the calamity fog.

Then, seventy years ago, calamity truly descended.

Massive amounts of calamity fog appeared across the world—in wastelands, villages, and cities.

Wherever the calamity fog went became a ghostly domain, leaving behind deathly silence and desolation.

That year, it was said that seventy percent of humanity vanished into the calamity fog.

Perhaps humanity's instinct for collective survival was strong enough that, at its most critical moment—

Humanity finally mastered a means of defending against the calamity fog.

At the same time, every nation used its remaining strength to build Mega Cities to defend against the calamity fog and preserve the embers of humankind.

In that initial period, the entire world was extremely chaotic, whether over resources or in defense against the calamity fog.

That era was known as the Age of Chaos.

It was not until sixty years ago, when the various Mega Cities had been completed, that the world settled down.

That was how the great Mega Cities came to be. Border City No. 3 was no exception.

Humanity held fast within the Mega Cities, warily guarding against the calamity fog.

Fortunately, the various patches of calamity fog that had devoured countless humans gradually stabilized, and with the protection of the Mega Cities—

There were no further cases of humans being swallowed by the calamity fog.

"That's right. To ordinary people, this is well-known history."

Yáng Chén replied, "But in truth, the world had already undergone immense changes at that moment. The calamity fog did stop moving and remained in certain areas. But that did not mean humanity was safe. The beings within those patches of calamity fog have always threatened humanity."

Beings within the calamity fog? There was actually life inside it?

Li Yèlái was stunned. He had never heard any of this before.

"Nearly six billion humans were swallowed by the calamity fog, but not everyone failed to escape it.

It was precisely those humans who returned from the calamity fog who brought back the means to defend against it, driving the construction of the Mega Cities.

But there are also so-called native creatures within the calamity fog. They are powerful and bizarre, and some even possess extremely high intelligence. They can leave calamity zones at any time and directly threaten humanity's survival.

Rather than defending against approaching calamity fog, the Mega Cities are more accurately said to defend against these calamity creatures. Our Disaster Management Department is the department responsible for that defense." Yáng Chén softly revealed the world's secret.

Li Yèlái looked shocked, then asked, "And The Skinner... was actually a creature that came out of some patch of calamity fog?"

"No." Yáng Chén shook his head and explained, "From that era onward, humanity also gained the power to resist calamity. It is a power sharing the same origin as calamity: psychic power."

"The same origin?"

"Correct. This power comes from a nonphysical universe, which we call the Void Realm, or the Void. The various patches of calamity fog came from the Void Realm into the physical world. From that era onward, the probability of psychics being born among humanity greatly increased. Some talented humans can undergo Awakening and become psychics after receiving certain stimuli. Like you, and like The Skinner." Yáng Chén's gaze toward Li Yèlái was somewhat complicated. "There are things you cannot access yet, so I won't elaborate for now."

Li Yèlái nodded, digesting the information.

He probably did not count as a conventional awakened psychic.

He had become a so-called psychic entirely because of his deal with Black Shadow.

What exactly was Black Shadow? What did it have to do with the calamity fog? Was it also a being from the Void Realm?

If the authorities knew about Black Shadow, would he get into trouble because of it?

As Li Yèlái thought this, he also understood why Yáng Chén and the others had come.

In their eyes, he was now a psychic as well, and he had entered their field of vision.

For the sake of caution and oversight, the authorities would inevitably contact him, a "wild psychic" in The Skinner's words.

He just did not know what they thought of him.

So Li Yèlái asked, "You said that the probability of psychics being born among humans has increased. Then why hide the existence of psychics? Wouldn't having more psychics among humanity be a good thing?"

From what he could see, with calamity outside, the more psychics humanity had, the better.

"That is what I was about to explain. Becoming a psychic is both a blessing and a curse." Yáng Chén shook his head. "After years of exploration and research, humanity has roughly grasped the nature and powers of psychics. Psychics must open their Soul Wells and connect to the Void Realm. While gaining power, they also receive curses!"

"Curses?" Li Yèlái paused.

"That's right. Every psychic possesses abilities that ordinary people find hard to comprehend, but all of them also bear curses." Yáng Chén said, "The types of curses differ. Aren't you yourself troubled by your curse?"

"A curse?" Li Yèlái thought for a moment before replying, "You mean my bad luck?"

At that moment, Cheese said from the side, "We're not certain yet, but while bringing you to the hospital, three ambulances mysteriously broke down one after another after you got in. In the end, our colleagues had to carry you into the hospital. Anyway, your curse makes it hard for you to ride in vehicles."

That happened too? Li Yèlái was startled. "Do I need to compensate for that?"

".No!" Cheese replied, rubbing her forehead.

So his bad luck was actually his curse?

But why had it appeared before he became a psychic?

"Is that why you hide the existence of psychics? Because they receive curses?"

Yáng Chén continued, "Curses are only one part of it. More importantly, every psychic faces the risk of distortion."

"Distortion?"

"Correct. A psychic's power comes from the Void Realm connected through the Soul Well. And the Void Realm is far from a peaceful place.

Humanity gains power from it, but the price is more than just curses. Many psychics are affected by the Void Realm and become distorted. Some undergo drastic personality changes, growing increasingly cruel and bloodthirsty. Others pursue desire and pleasure, stopping at nothing to attain them. Still others have their flesh twist into monsters." Yáng Chén paused. "The Skinner was a wild psychic whose body became distorted during his very first Awakening. We call distorted psychics Suffering Ones."

After digesting this, Li Yèlái said in shock, "Then becoming a psychic is not entirely a good thing. You gain some remarkable powers, but your life is affected by curses, and you also risk distorting into a Suffering One!"

At the same time, he understood why the authorities hid the existence of psychics.

If they were left uncontrolled and large numbers of psychics appeared throughout society, each one would be a walking time bomb!

One Skinner had already caused several murder cases. What if there were ten, twenty, a hundred, or even more? The entire Border City might be destroyed!

No wonder The Skinner had said wild psychics were natural allies. They were all psychics who did not want to be monitored or discovered by the authorities.

And to the authorities, those psychics were all potential dangers. The two sides were naturally opposed.

Li Yèlái's expression darkened. Now that he had become a psychic as well, he too faced the risk of distortion.

Black Shadow, Black Shadow, you've really screwed me over. Couldn't you have just punched The Skinner to death instead of making me become a psychic?

Li Yèlái silently complained about Black Shadow.

As if seeing his concerns, Yáng Chén said, "But you needn't worry. The authorities have safety measures for this. Though distortion cannot be entirely prevented, its likelihood is greatly reduced. And under normal circumstances, psychics will not distort without reason—unless you attempt another Awakening."

Li Yèlái nodded. "Then I understand. Whether I want it or not, I'm a psychic now. From now on, I'll need to live under your supervision."

"Yes. We will try not to interfere with your life. But if you become distorted, we will kill you immediately." Yáng Chén spoke calmly, his tone firm as stone.

"If that really happens, then you have to be fast. Make sure you save my younger sister. She's my only family." Li Yèlái spoke solemnly.

Yáng Chén looked at Li Yèlái, then finally nodded with a serious expression. "I will!"

Li Yèlái did not want his own distortion to endanger anyone, especially Li Yúnyān.

Thinking of his younger sister, Li Yèlái suddenly felt his scalp go numb.

If his bad luck was a curse, then was his younger sister's strange fear of strangers also a kind of curse?

Li Yúnyān might be a psychic too!

At that moment, Yáng Chén took a document from behind his back. "Of course, you have a second option."

"Join us and protect the Mega City!"

Li Yèlái accepted the document before him, looking somewhat lost. "Join you?"

"Correct. In many cases, only psychics can fight psychics. Thus, official psychics are the first line of defense against calamity and Suffering Ones."

Yáng Chén looked at Li Yèlái. "You can take your time considering it. Official psychics receive excellent benefits and treatment. When carrying out missions, you will also receive the support of the Security Bureau and City Defense Force. But likewise, once you become an official psychic, you will face dangerous anomalies and Suffering Ones. You may even confront calamity itself!"

Li Yèlái looked over the document titled "Border City No. 3 Disaster Management Department Handler Application Form."

The salary and benefits were indeed excellent, even for a psychic who had only just awakened.

He would receive over five thousand Mega City Coins a month, with the amount increasing according to the number of Awakenings. There would also be bonuses for handling certain anomalies or Suffering Ones.

Li Yèlái only earned one thousand Mega City Coins a month working at the Antique Shop.

Occasionally, he sold an antique, but even with commissions, he made no more than fifteen hundred.

Now, he would be directly entering the Mega City's official system.

As for the rest—psychic technique training and Psychic Weapon provisions—

Li Yèlái did not care much about those. The salary alone was enough to tempt him.

But he still hesitated.

He was not especially brave. He only wanted to live a good life. Becoming a psychic had been an accident, and risking his life because of it...

But thinking of his younger sister's possible curse, Li Yèlái hesitated before asking, "If I join the authorities, can I obtain a way to suppress curses?"

"Of course." Yáng Chén nodded. "We will provide help whenever possible. But not every curse has a solution."

"That's enough." Li Yèlái extended his right hand and shook Yáng Chén's hand once more.

Yáng Chén smiled. "Then we are comrades now!"