"Where are you now?" Qingmu asked.
"Now? Oh, I'm not so sure. Maybe by the sea, maybe by the lake, because I can hear the tides," said the Crow.
Su Huilan said, "Then why don't you hurry back?"
Qingmu said, "He's afraid of the dark."
The Crow cried out, "What? Oh no, no, no, no! I'm not afraid of the dark! How could a bird like me be afraid of the dark! It's just too dark, making it difficult to fly. I'm not an owl. But I doubt even owls can see this place. If you don't believe me, let Hanran try. It's so dark, quack! There's not a single star in the sky, let alone a moon. I'm starting to doubt if this is even Earth!"
"Not Earth?!" Qingmu's brow twitched.
"Otherwise, how do you explain it?" the Crow cawed. "Oh my god, have I transmigrated? Is this place overrun with zombies? Or is this a world of martial arts? I should find a rock to test it out," it said, flapping its wings and yelling, " Boss Coal —Martial Arts Power, 300 Ranks! Guagua..."
Ignoring the Crow engrossed in its own reverie, Qingmu looked at Su Huilan and asked, "What's going on here?"
Su Huilan said, "The sky is the sea, which doesn't contradict our previous theory of an enclosed space. The Boss Coal felt like he was flying upwards, but in reality, he might just be on a smooth, distorted surface of space. The lake and the sea become one because of this distortion, or rather, the sea becomes a lake on an island because of this distortion. But..."
"But what?"
"But I can't explain some special phenomena, such as why there are clouds in the sky, or why there's no light at night. Logically speaking, unless there are dark clouds and a storm is coming, the starry sky on the island should be very bright."
"Could the distortion of space prevent starlight from getting in?"
"Then why can we see the Sun during the day?"
Qingmu was a little worried and told the Boss Coal, "No matter what, don't move around. Wait until dawn."
Su Huilan suddenly asked, "Where are Hanran and Petru?"
" Hanran? Oh, that silly cat probably hasn't come back yet?" the Crow cried.
Qingmu and Su Huilan's silence confirmed his suspicions. He fell silent, then muttered self-reproachfully, "How could I have abandoned her! I shouldn't have! No, no, no, Silly Cat will be alright. I warned them that the old man was dangerous, I told them to run. I saw Redbeard throw a grenade. Silly Cat may be a bit chubby, but she's still fast. She'll be fine... You tell me, she'll be alright, right!"
Qingmu said, "I hope the savages don't eat cat meat."
"No!" The Crow jumped up, pacing anxiously in circles. "I have to go find her! She's alright, she must be alright!..."
"You'd better not do anything foolish!" Qingmu warned.
The Crow stared at him intently; this was the first time they had disagreed.
Su Huilan said, "Maybe it's really nothing, it's just too dark. They might be back by daybreak."
Qingmu hoped so too, but he knew the chances were slim. When Petru threw the grenade, it was still daylight, and he was carrying the unconscious savage back home. After that, no more gunshots were heard, and the savage's howls disappeared, indicating that they had stopped the pursuit.
"Just how strong is that old man? You and Hanran combined couldn't withstand him?" Qingmu asked.
The Boss Coal said, "I'm not sure. I only saw him swing the stick in his hand once, the kind of scepter with a hook you mentioned. I felt Mental Power surging in from all directions, like being submerged by seawater. That's how I felt when I fell into the sea. I almost thought I was still in his dream."
"This doesn't seem like a psychological attack!" Qingmu fell into deep thought.
The most effective method of mental attack and symbolic manipulation is definitely not like this. While Qingmu could also unleash a torrent of Mental Power to pressure the opponent's consciousness, this method is too taxing, unsustainable, and its effectiveness is questionable. The most effective approach is like the scalpel in Zhao Pengcheng's dream—concentrating Mental Power. This maximizes the damage to the opponent's consciousness. Of course, if the difference in mental strength is significant, then it doesn't matter; hypnosis and control are possible in countless ways, and Aoki can do whatever he wants with them. This is also Qingmu's most frequently used method.
In her subconscious state, Su Huilan saw Qingmu's thoughts, and her ideas were similar to his. This didn't seem like a mental attack. If it were, either the old wizard's Mental Power was incredibly strong, and he didn't care about wasting it, or he didn't know more subtle methods of control.
"Could there be another possibility?" Qingmu asked.
"What?"
"The wizard is merely drawing upon the island's inherent spiritual energy, not the energy possessed by his own consciousness."
" Tapu?"
"Spiritual energy should belong to consciousness; Tapu's existence itself is a very strange thing."
"You mean, Tapu might be a dormant consciousness, and the island's wizards can communicate with it?"
"Perhaps there's some mechanism controlling it; if Tapu is alive, that's a bit terrifying."
Su Huilan nodded. "There's no use guessing now, we need to think of a strategy. If they can mobilize the entire island's resources, we..."
She felt it was impossible to resist. A person's Mental Power can be strengthened through certain methods, but how much stronger can it be? The energy on this island is inexhaustible, covering every corner, and the distortion and closure of this space must be related to the spiritual energy on the island.
Human lifespan is only a few decades. Unless there are monsters that have lived for thousands of years, how could they possibly fight against such a powerful energy field?
She wondered how Master Nanke was doing, imprisoned in the City of Sin. Her father said that Master Nanke had likely broken free from the shackles of the physical body and become a pure consciousness. She found it unbelievable and didn't quite believe it, because her father had drunk a lot that day.
She glanced at Qingmu again; this man was also an enigma, one she still couldn't understand.
"Never mind that for now," Qingmu said. "Let's go out and see if the guy I caught is dreaming. If he isn't, we'll wake him up. There's always a way to hypnotize him; their consciousness can't completely block out mental disturbances."
Su Huilan said, "Alright, we also need to confirm whether those herbs you brought back are the antidote. Anderson can only hold on until dawn at most; the sooner he's treated, the better his chances of recovery."
A Crow cawed, "Heh heh, you've finished discussing it, but what about me? And what about Hanran?"
Qingmu said, "Come back at Tiantian. The three of us shouldn't separate. If we encounter a strong mental confrontation, it's always better to be together. After dawn, we'll go rescue people— Hanran, Petru, and Mrs. Larry —we must rescue everyone who's still alive!"
A rare, resolute ruthlessness appeared on his face, unlike his usual laziness, as if he had suddenly become a different person.
Seeing that they were about to leave the dream, the Crow cried out anxiously, "Wait, wait! What if I'm really not on Earth now? What if I can't come back?"
"No, if you're not on Earth, then it means none of us are on Earth," Qingmu said.