Psyche Worm

After exchanging greetings, the guards began methodically spraying Bai Jing and her group with a special powder.

Watching from a distance, Xu Le assumed it was some kind of disinfectant powder.

But before his turn came, that burning restlessness rose inside him again.

Even this powder distorted before his eyes, and text appeared along with it.

[Red Moon Emotion Neutralizer.]

"Emotion Neutralizer?"

Xu Le frowned slightly. While he was puzzling over it, Bai Jing pointed at him and called out to the guards:

"We brought this man back from outside. He spent the night out there alone. Extremely high risk. Check him thoroughly. Just follow procedure. No need to do me any favors."

Xu Le: ???

Why does this feel like payback? Just because I told her an inspirational story?

Is this woman... really that petty?

The guards were surprised by Bai Jing's words too.

Well, damn. The pioneers actually brought someone back?

That's a first!

Since Captain Bai said to follow procedure, we'd better make it happen!

Xu Le's scalp prickled as he recalled what Bai Jing had told him earlier.

Try to survive the inspection!

What kind of inspection calls for the word "survive"?

"Hello, Mr. Guard."

"Don't try to buddy up with me. Come over here for energy neutralization first."

"Uh, okay."

Xu Le was sprayed with the Emotion Neutralizer too, but he felt nothing.

"Little Xu Le, we're heading off now. Enjoy the full Night Dweller inspection."

After handing Xu Le over to the guards, Bai Jing and the others left.

The corner of Xu Le's mouth twitched, but he said nothing in the end.

An outer-wall guard had already picked up a form and begun registering Xu Le.

"Give me your name, age, occupation, and home address."

"My name is Xu Le. I'm twenty, and I live in the Lower City, though I'm not from there. I'm an international student sent from Zion to Lighthouse."

That was right. Xu Le wasn't from Lighthouse. He was a bona fide Zion native, and an international student at that.

Ordinarily, Xu Le had no reason to emphasize that part of his identity.

But the current situation was clearly different.

Lighthouse guards treated lower-class people very differently from upper-class people.

So Xu Le could only bring up his international student status, hoping it would spare him some trouble.

"An international student?"

"Yes."

Sure enough, once he heard that Xu Le was an international student from Zion, the guard toned down his attitude a little.

International students weren't worth much in themselves.

But they did carry some political significance.

Especially now, when humanity's four great city-states were in a fairly solid alliance.

Even if they competed with one another, their ultimate goal remained the same: to escape Guyinduo and the darkness, and seek the light.

"Even if you're an international student, you can't bypass Lighthouse's screening regulations. Come with us."

"All right."

Xu Le breathed a sigh of relief.

With his international student status, at least he wouldn't be beaten for no reason or subjected to discrimination.

Lighthouse brought up human rights every year, but what good did that do?

People from the upper city were still people from the upper city, and the Lower City was still the Lower City.

As for the people in the Lower City? Did they even count as people?

He followed the guard to a screening station along the outer wall.

His memories contained no information about this, so Xu Le was still a little nervous.

"Excuse me, could I ask exactly what the inspection involves?"

"Exactly? You'll know when you get there."

The guard first took out a small box. The instant Xu Le saw it, he had a strange feeling.

The burning restlessness naturally surfaced again. Was he reacting to a box?

Only when the guard opened the little box did Xu Le see what was inside: a worm, writhing about.

[Emotion Worm]

An inexplicable flicker of excitement passed through Xu Le. He had no idea why seeing a worm would excite him.

And what was this worm for? Surely they weren't going to make him swallow it?

At the thought of something as disgusting as eating a worm, Xu Le actually grew more excited.

That excitement sprang from some strange instinct.

"Mr. Guard, this thing... you're not going to make me eat it, are you?"

"Eat it? You wish. Psyche Worms are extremely expensive. A penniless international student like you isn't worth as much as this worm."

Xu Le pursed his lips, offering no comment on being called a penniless international student.

But Xu Le noticed something rather surprising after the guard said "Psyche Worm."

The label he saw for the worm through the distortion changed too.

[Psyche Worm]

This ability can even correct itself? Interesting.

"Mr. Guard, what should I do now?"

"Lean against the wall."

"All right."

The position was a little embarrassing, but Xu Le obediently did as instructed.

The guard removed his clothes, which alarmed Xu Le.

Fortunately, though, the guard didn't take off his own trousers.

That reassured Xu Le a little. At least things weren't heading toward the worst possible outcome.

As he leaned against the wall, Xu Le suddenly felt something cold against his spine.

That sensation... must have been the worm crawling onto his back.

"Hiss!"

Xu Le felt an inexplicable rush of comfort, while the Psyche Worm on his back visibly shriveled.

"What? Oh no, oh no!"

The guard looked puzzled at first, then hurriedly picked up the worm and fiddled with it. Only after confirming that it wasn't dead did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He stared at Xu Le in bewilderment and suspicion, thinking:

What's going on? Is something wrong with the worm, or with this kid?

After a moment's hesitation, he placed the Heart Energy Worm on Xu Le's back again.

But the instant it touched Xu Le's back, the worm shriveled again. This time it shriveled even worse, looking as though it was about to die.

"Damn it, what did you do?"

Xu Le: ??? I'm just leaning here. Surely that doesn't warrant swearing at me?

The guard looked deeply suspicious, his fingers trembling slightly with nerves.

Psyche Worms had extraordinary vitality. Even shooting one with a firearm wouldn't necessarily kill it.

But the Psyche Worm in his hand looked as though it wasn't going to make it.

If the worm died, he would have to answer for it.

"Something's wrong. There's something wrong with you!"

The guard kept muttering, and even pulled the alarm on the wall.

That left Xu Le even more confused. What was going on?

He had only come for an inspection. Why were they sounding the alarm?

"I'm warning you, don't move!"

The guard pointed a finger at him at an angle.

"Okay, okay, I won't move. But if you don't mind my asking, is there something wrong with me?"

"I don't know."

The guard's answer was succinct. He wasn't sure whether the problem lay with Xu Le or the worm either.

Xu Le was puzzled. Judging by the earlier label, this worm had something to do with emotions.

They were called Psyche Worms.

Was something wrong with his emotions?

Xu Le thought back. While facing everything last night, he had experienced fear, despair, anger, and all sorts of other emotions, one after another.

Had the guard sounded the alarm because he'd unleashed too many emotions?

While he was puzzling over it, a gray-robed figure arrived at the little station's entrance with several guards.

The guard who had sounded the alarm immediately pointed at Xu Le when he saw the gray-robed figure and called out:

"Lord Warlock, it's him."