Chapter 125

This stringed instrument from the interstellar era is quite popular among both ordinary people and Awakened. Wen Jing has a general understanding of it, though he hasn't had any specific experience with it, but he's definitely heard popular music played with it.

She leaned forward, pulled out the violin, and examined it, but found nothing unusual.

After thinking for a moment, the little insect in the Mental Vision moved and swallowed the fragment.

This is definitely not Superpower Core; eating it shouldn't have much of an impact...

The next moment, Wen Jing's expression froze.

A string of unfamiliar memory fragments suddenly surfaced in her mind.

"I heard the director really enjoys playing the hafnium fiber harp. The last supervisor was only so-so, but because he ran into the director at the club, he ended up getting the L8 recommendation spot..."

"The hafnium fiber harp has eight strings in total. The average person's playing limit is the first seven strings, with a range from C2 to G6. But as Awakened, you can pluck the eighth string and play music in the full frequency range of infrasound and ultrasound..."

"Our association only offers basic performances. If you want to learn full-range performance, you'll need to find other channels."

"I'm sorry, but to join our club, you either need to pass the verification process or have exceptional talent. To be frank, your level is excellent among ordinary people, but it's only at the basic level of Awakened."

Wen Jing was replaced by the protagonist from her memories.

My consciousness moved incredibly fast; in just a few seconds, I vaguely went through the process of learning the instrument with utilitarian motives at the beginning, then finding relaxation and enjoyment in it, and finally wanting to learn it further but finding no way to do so.

Of course, those experiences are all very vague.

What's clearest, as if I were experiencing it myself, is the tactile feedback of each strum, each vibrant note...

"Ding, dong..."

Wen Jing, still holding the harp, unconsciously traced a few familiar notes.

[Master 'Music → Hafnium Fiber Harp Playing', Skill Points +1]

As the panel displayed the message, Wen Jing suddenly snapped back to reality and realized what had happened.

This is Jiang Qin's skill! She acquired it through her special ability in the unique environment of the Out-of-Control Zone.

Upon thinking of this, Wen Jing's expression became complicated.

Discovering another way to gain Skill Points should have been a cause for celebration.

But along with it came the other person's memories and feelings; even the music she had just unconsciously played was the one Jiang Qin was most familiar with.

These fragmented skill pieces don't contain many memories, but Wen Jing has reason to believe that if she were to devour the Superpower Core, she would gain access to most of the other party's life experiences.

It might shake her own original beliefs.

Moreover, even these fragmented memories, if accumulated in large quantities, will have an impact on her.

It may not have reached the point of shaking one's self-perception, but some subtle influences will definitely appear, perhaps a note or two, or perhaps some small habits.

Little by little, these influences accumulate, and her personality may change without her even realizing it.

Even though Wen Jing knew that after more than half a year of evolution and growth, from the perspective of the Wilderness Body, he was already a Ship of Theseus, far removed from his original form.

But since she rejects even the nesting mentality, she naturally doesn't want to be influenced by such non-subjective factors.

For example, at this moment, the eyes that had quieted down in the surrounding swamp sprouted up again like weeds.

This time, the look he gave me was full of disdain and sarcasm.

Wen Jing deduced from this a lot the implication that "no talent is no talent" and "the attempt to flatter failed."

Actually, it wasn't her who read these messages aloud, but Jiang Qin's.

If it were Wen Jing himself, he wouldn't care about those looks at all.

However, at this moment, these gazes truly brought Wen Jing a stinging pain, like needles pricking her.

She frowned slightly and fired Energy Pulse.

"..."

Faced with absolute power, the swamp fell silent.

"It seems that if it continues to devour other fragments here, it might actually strengthen the Out-of-Control Zone..."

If Wen Jing is unaffected, then the pressure from Jiang Qin will only harm his strength. But if she is also affected, it seems the depth of this world will increase even further.

If he were deeply affected by Jiang Qin's memories, the environment here might be able to harm someone of Wen Jing's strength.

In that case, everyone in the Out-of-Control Zone, except for herself, would probably die.

Of course, with a clear mind, Wen Jing.

"The mentor said that the Superpower Core obtained from containment missions were all in a berserk state. To arrive at the conclusion of 'berserk,' it must mean that Awakened initially devoured or absorbed Superpower Core, and then something happened..."

"So the advanced technology used by the Mastermind to create the Empowerment Stone was to erase the memory and emotional influence of the Superpower Core?"

Even if Wen Jing discovers that her ability can bypass the 'Berserk' state and devour the Superpower Core, she won't do it now, unless one day she can be completely unaffected by external emotional memories.

While she was thinking, she didn't stop walking and continued on her way.

Finally, after more than five minutes, Wen Jing caught up with the Superpower Core was moving erratically everywhere.

Chapter 125

Passing through the steel jungle, between the dark red swamp and the opaque glass dome, a delicate yet precarious fortress appears, suspended in mid-air.

Compared to the twisted yet sturdy pillars, the fortress, though magnificent in appearance, is old and rickety in its metal frame, hardened glass, and decorative wood, making its structure quite fragile.

So that's where it was.

Wen Jing's gaze fell upon the fortress, where a frog-like creature, about the size of two palms, stood. Its skin was translucent, like frosted glass, revealing faintly visible energy veins emanating from within.

That was Jiang Qin's Wilderness Body, the glass tree frog.

The tree frog was bound by a chain that connected it to the entire fortress, and its eyes, which appeared unusually large and bulging compared to its body, stared upwards with longing.

Following its gaze, Wen Jing saw a decaying, broken, almost shapeless 'staircase' connecting to the dome above.

The little tree frog tried its best to jump up the steps, but because the chains binding its body had a limit, no matter how hard it tried, it was always just one step away from reaching the top of the steps.

Moreover, the steps seemed to float and move, sometimes high and sometimes low, giving the impression that they could be reached at any moment.

To catch up with the stairs, the tree frog kept dragging the fortress along with it.

This is the truth behind the irregular movement of the Superpower Core.

Does it represent a career advancement path?

Looking at this scene, combined with the feeling of devouring the fragments earlier and Jiang Qin's information,

Wen Jing understood why the Out-of-Control Zone was in such an environment.

Jiang Qin's position at Energy Gathering Group is neither particularly high nor low, much like his life experiences.

To ordinary employees, they are high-level executives; to the real decision-makers, they are just employees.

Becoming Awakened is considered a success in life by ordinary people, but it also puts one at the bottom of the social hierarchy among Awakened.

The eyes in the underground swamp are the manifestations of his subordinates and ordinary people in his consciousness; the oppressive shadows in the sky dome are the manifestations of those in high positions within the group.

Caught in the middle, Jiang Qin desperately wanted a promotion, so he felt immense pressure from his superiors and feared being looked down upon by ordinary employees.

"Unable to advance any further, yet unwilling to revert to the level of an ordinary person, he was so busy dealing with the antimatter leak in order to seize the opportunity for promotion that he even neglected the exploration of the Ancient Wilderness..."

Wen Jing shook his head slightly, then his figure flashed, approaching the glass tree frog on the suspended fortress.

In her hand, she also held a fist-sized icosahedral box, which was the converging device of the Superpower Core.

Everyone involved in the containment operation carries one of these special devices, but they are expensive to manufacture. After the mission, whether or not the target was captured, the device must be returned. If the device is accidentally damaged during the mission, a reasonable explanation must be provided.

However, the Superpower Core wouldn't obediently stay put and let herself be captured. Upon noticing Wen Jing approaching, the glass tree frog on the fortress opened its mouth and spat out an energy shockwave towards her.

She twisted her body, nimbly dodging the attack.

Even if the Superpower Core is as strong as a fully Awakened, it is still no match for Wen Jing.

The next moment, she pressed the chord switch.

"Sizzle..."

With the switch pressed, each surface of the converging device dispersed, transforming into a basketball-sized cage linked by a strong energy field.

This state can only be activated for three seconds. If it does not cover the Superpower Core within three seconds, the super-constricting force will lock the device again, requiring it to be activated again.

Therefore, capturing the Superpower Core requires precise timing and skill; otherwise, failure is likely.

Sensing the danger, the glass tree frog pushed off with its hind legs and jumped to the side.

At this time, the iron chains it carried disappeared again, and it seemed that the restraining effect only occurred when it jumped up the stairs.

Wen Jing was incredibly fast; he used the condenser to block the tree frog's landing spot.

"Crack."

However, the next moment, the constrictor that had completely enveloped the tree frog missed its target.

Wen Jing glanced around and quickly spotted the glass tree frog in another direction.

"Afterimage?"

So this is Jiang Qin's innate ability.

The jump leaves an Afterimage to confuse the enemy, but the actual jump location is in another direction, and the jump is invisible.

The downside is that the movement distance is not long, and the invisibility time is only the very short time it takes to jump.

In the normal world, such Afterimage wouldn't fool Wen Jing, who has Gravity Sensing. But in this special Out-of-Control Zone, with chaotic energy and the Superpower Core lacking mass, relying solely on sight, this guy would be quite difficult to catch.