Chapter 61: Far Inferior to Ji An!

Chapter 61: Not Even Close to Ji An!

"Before the apocalypse, you trafficked children—bad enough. But now in this post-apocalyptic world where survival is a daily struggle, what's the point of snatching more kids?" Ji An demanded.

"Freak shows," the trafficker answered bluntly. The flooded cell was a living hell, and they now sought only a quick death—the sooner they confessed, the sooner it would end.

"Someone hired us to supply people for the R-nation's freak shows." The trafficker mentioned the term casually, as if discussing the weather. "They specifically wanted children—enjoy watching them perform. Though exceptionally beautiful specimens would also do, or highly powerful superpowered individuals."

Seeing once-mighty figures humiliated gave certain cowards a perverse thrill, a rush that sent their blood racing.

Beautiful victims were different—watching beauty being broken stirred something primal in the darkest corners of the human psyche.

The R-nation's three preferred targets perfectly matched their country's longstanding reputation—depravity incarnate.

When mentioning "beautiful specimens," the trafficker's eyes unconsciously darted toward Ji An.

Ji An's beauty transcended gender—the kind that made mortals question reality. If celestial beings walked the earth, they would look no more divine.

Capturing someone like him would be hitting the jackpot. A thousand children couldn't match Ji An's worth.

Waves of nausea washed over Ji An, but before he could react, Gu Jinsheng lashed out with his superpower, searing the trafficker's eyes. The man's screams filled the chamber as his companions trembled, eyes locked on the ground—none dared glance toward Ji An or Gu Jinsheng again.

Wan Xueying sneered. "Calling you shortsighted would be generous. Mistaking a gem for trash—that's what you are.

Do you even know who stands before you?

You considered selling him? His value is beyond your comprehension. With him, you could establish a new base and rule it—one word from him, and thousands would rally to his banner. Yet all you imagined was some grotesque spectacle?"

The traffickers stayed silent, though inwardly they scoffed. They'd recognized Ji An—the psychic superpowered who'd reduced a Level 6 superpowered to a drooling idiot with three arrows during the public execution. A man capable of challenging opponents far above his rank.

They didn't dispute Ji An's strength—he'd single-handedly overpowered their combined abilities to protect those children.

But strength alone couldn't compete with the R-nation and M-country's alliance. M-country's superpowered ranks were endless. If anything, Ji An's power would only increase his market value, fetching an unprecedented price!

Though none spoke, Wan Xueying read their thoughts. Her voice turned glacial: "You'll die as the fools you are. Since you're already doomed, know this—the man before you is the sole creator of the Capital Base's spatial storage devices and nutritional agents!"

"What?!" The traffickers gaped at Ji An despite themselves.

Ji An stood unmoved, his otherworldly grace untarnished by the filthy cell. They couldn't reconcile this vision with the inventor of miracles.

Spatial storage devices? Nutritional agents?

Things they couldn't even fathom owning.

With those, they'd never need to hide again. As Wan Xueying said—one call from him, and resources would line up at their doorstep.

Admirers and luxuries would beg for their attention!

Ravenous hunger gleamed in the traffickers' eyes.

Wan Xueying's voice cut like ice: "Pity. You'll never get that chance."

Her words jolted them back to reality, forcing them to confront the opportunity they'd lost. Given another chance, they'd abandon all plans—Ji An alone would suffice...

Ji An interrupted their delusions. "You already had two dozen children—enough for any show. Why risk capturing more?"

"The client demanded unharmed, healthy children," another trafficker answered, his predecessor still whimpering in pain. "The R-people enjoy watching living beings dismembered piece by piece—savoring that destruction. It satisfies them... completely."

His tone was chillingly matter-of-fact, devoid of any humanity—as if discussing disposable toys rather than lives.

Here’s the refined translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

"The children we have on hand are already damaged goods—they won’t excite the R-country buyers. At best, we can toss them to the poor for a few nutrition packs."

The trafficker suddenly added, "Originally, we hadn’t considered the orphanage and were planning to kidnap some kids. But our contact suggested we could take children from the orphanage instead.

He said the kids there are well-cared for—healthy, rosy-cheeked, even better than those from ordinary families in this post-apocalyptic world. Recently, they’ve been educated too, so they have good manners.

We could market them as nobility, claim they’re children from powerful super families. The R-country buyers would definitely pay a higher price."

Ji An immediately zeroed in on the crucial detail. "The person you dealt with—was he Xia-nese? Do you know him? Who is he, and where is he now?"

The trafficker hesitated before replying, "Release me, and I’ll tell you. For now, all I can say is his identity is very important to you."

Without a second thought, Gu Jinsheng activated his superpower. The agony of being engulfed in flames made the trafficker scream in agony in the inferno.

He thrashed desperately, but the reinforced chains held him firmly. He couldn’t break free, only endure the searing flames.

The trafficker croaked desperately, "That man’s identity is extremely important to you! If you don’t find out, you’ll regret it!

Free me—only if you let me leave the capital base will I tell you his true identity!"

"Unnecessary. We have a psychic super." Ji An said coolly, "Call Zhou Fanxiu over. Let him use Mind Control on them. The information we get that way will be more reliable than their confessions."

Panic flashed in the trafficker’s eyes. "You—you can’t do that! The capital base strictly forbids it—it’s a violation of human rights!"

"A human trafficker preaching to me about human rights—ha! That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard in my life!" Wan Xueying sneered.

A special transport fetched Zhou Fanxiu, who arrived quickly. Briefed en route, he immediately began applying Psychic Superpower on the trafficker.

Zhou Fanxiu’s mental threads were fine as spider silk. In the lightless dungeon, they were nearly invisible unless examined closely.

Ji An froze in shock. It wasn’t about thickness—supers can control that, and it didn’t indicate weakness. What startled him was seeing the threads at all.

How… how was that possible?

A psychic super’s mental energy is unique. Ordinaries can’t perceive it—only supers can.

With Ji An’s powers nullified, he shouldn’t have been able to see Zhou Fanxiu’s psychic energy!

Beside him, Gu Jinsheng noticed Ji An’s unease. He moved to take Ji An’s slender hand in his large, calloused one—then hesitated and withdrew.

Zhou Fanxiu’s threads surged from his mind into the trafficker’s eyes. Instantly, the man turned statue-still.

Zhou Fanxiu perked up, easing his focus—but the trafficker blinked immediately.

"Researcher Zhou, maintain concentration," Wan Xueying warned.

Not daring to respond, Zhou Fanxiu refocused, and the trafficker froze again, statue-like.

Ji An said, "Teacher, ask him who the contact was."

Zhou Fanxiu repeated the question, but the trafficker, now wooden, remained unresponsive—truly like a block of wood.

Puzzled, Zhou Fanxiu asked again. This time, the man suddenly regained awareness.

He eyed the group warily, his expression probing, as if genuinely unaware of what had occurred—searching their faces for clues.

"What’s happening?" Zhou Fanxiu scratched his head, just as baffled. After awakening his powers, Zhou Fanxiu had come straight to the capital base with no combat experience. His understanding of Psychic Superpower was mostly theoretical, leaving him clueless now.

Here's the improved translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Ji An explained, "Judging by their state, Teacher, what you just used was likely the 'Petrification' skill within Mind Control. Mind Control is a higher-level ability than 'Petrification.' Try releasing your mental threads, let them enter their brains, and then take control of their minds."

The people in the prison cell were speechless. Wasn't Zhou Fanxiu the one with psychic abilities? Why was Ji An, who had lost his powers, now teaching him how to use them?

"Oh, I see. Let me try," Zhou Fanxiu said awkwardly, embarrassed that his own student was instructing him.

For the first time, Ji An felt his teacher was wasting the gift of Psychic ability, having a treasure but not knowing how to use it.

Wan Xueying noticed Ji An's frustration and said, "Boss Ji, before you, there were psychics who pursued combat paths. Unfortunately, without exception, they all failed. History has shown that psychics aren't suited for combat—they're better suited for research. As for you, I can only say that exceptions exist."

As it turned out, while Ji An made it sound simple, Zhou Fanxiu kept hitting roadblocks in practice. It was just like how Ji An could effortlessly create spatial storage devices and nutritional formulas, while others broke their heads over it without success.

Even with the core technology, it would take them endless research to decipher it. There was simply a fundamental difference between him and them.

Zhou Fanxiu stumbled at almost every step, like a baby taking its first steps, needing constant support.

"Ji An, how can I tell if my mental threads have entered his brain?"

This question stumped Ji An. He was speechless for a moment—how was this not as obvious as knowing whether food was in your mouth?

"You don't feel anything?"

"What feeling?" Zhou Fanxiu looked at Ji An blankly.

Ji An explained, "It's the awareness of someone else's psychic presence."

Zhou Fanxiu concentrated but felt nothing Ji An described. "No sensation, absolutely nothing."

"How can there be no sensation?"

Ji An almost blurted out that he could see Zhou Fanxiu's mental threads entering the trafficker's brain.

But he held back, not wanting others to know he could still perceive psychic abilities despite losing his own. He didn't know if others who lost their powers could see psychic energy, but he could—and he wasn't sure if that was normal. He preferred to keep it to himself.

"Teacher, try sensing again," Ji An urged.

Zhou Fanxiu closed his eyes, his brows furrowed in deep concentration. After what felt like an eternity, he finally cried out, "I feel it!"

Ji An let out a relieved sigh. Watching Zhou Fanxiu now was like a tutor watching a slow learner—how could such a basic concept need explaining? It was like one plus one is two, wasn't it universally understood?

But Ji An celebrated too soon. Before he could fully relax, Zhou Fanxiu came up with another question, "Ji An, I think I sensed it. Now what? How do I control his mind?"

Ji An could almost hear the trafficker holding back laughter. This was making their side look utterly incompetent—even the psychic zombie king they fought last time knew how to mentally command its subordinates.

Still, for someone who had never used psychic control before, this was normal. Ji An calmly said, "Try linking with his psychic energy, like fitting a plug into a socket. Just connect."

"Connect?" Zhou Fanxiu hit another snag—he didn't know how.

If Ji An still had his powers, he could have guided Zhou Fanxiu through mental connection, speeding up the learning process.

This time, the challenge seemed too great. Zhou Fanxiu kept trying without success.

Ji An finally suggested, "Here's an idea—Teacher, try controlling me with your psychic power. I'll feel it and can guide you."

He truly didn't know how else to teach this. Showing him directly was the only way.

"No!"

"That doesn't seem right."

Two voices spoke at the same time—one from Zhou Fanxiu, the other from Gu Jinsheng.

Ji An was now just an ordinary person, completely helpless against superpowers. Even if Zhou Fanxiu was terrible at Mind Control, he could control Ji An without breaking a sweat.

Zhou Fanxiu also felt it was wrong. When using Mind Control on someone, he could pull out any secret just by asking.

Ji An was sitting on too many secrets—though mostly research-related. Since Zhou Fanxiu wasn’t from the same lab, it wasn’t proper to use Mind Control on him.

"Ji An, with all your research breakthroughs, it wouldn’t be right for me to control you like this," Zhou Fanxiu said.

Meanwhile, Gu Jinsheng’s face had turned stormy.

"It’s necessary," Ji An turned to Gu Jinsheng. "That contact is too important. We have to know who he is."

Gu Jinsheng clamped his mouth shut, clearly still resisting. Ji An leaned close and murmured soothingly, "You're right here watching. Teacher won’t be able to pull anything."

Limited by his position as Commander-in-Chief, Gu Jinsheng could only nod reluctantly.

"Go ahead, Teacher," Ji An said.

Though Gu Jinsheng stayed silent, Zhou Fanxiu could feel the murderous stare burning into him.

If he weren’t Ji An’s teacher, Gu Jinsheng’s hostility would’ve been even more obvious.

Ji An could feel Zhou Fanxiu’s mental energy invading his mind. He didn’t fight it, and the moment the intrusion touched his mindscape, Ji An instantly recognized it.

It was like sensing someone lurking—invisible, but the prickle of being watched was unmistakable, pure gut feeling.

But for Ji An, it went deeper. His mind had eyes, tracking exactly where Zhou Fanxiu’s power came from and how it slithered into his consciousness.

"Teacher, I can feel your mental energy. Can you sense it too?" Ji An asked.

Zhou Fanxiu hadn’t noticed until Ji An mentioned it. Only after concentrating hard did he finally detect the link.

"Ji An, you—with no Psychic Superpower—are sharper than me, and I have it," Zhou Fanxiu said.

"Just muscle memory. Reflexes drilled into me through endless fights," Ji An replied.

Zhou Fanxiu gave a half-hearted nod. "So... what now?"

"Control me?"

"How?"

Ji An felt like he’d thrown open the front door, rolling out the welcome mat for a burglar, only for the burglar to ask, "So how does this stealing thing work?"

He never imagined he’d one day have to give someone a step-by-step tutorial on how to mentally hijack him.

*Snrk—* A choked laugh escaped. Ji An glanced over—the smuggler had lost his battle to stay quiet.

Zhou Fanxiu’s face flushed red.

After much fumbling, Zhou Fanxiu finally locked onto Ji An’s mind. "Got it! We're linked!"

Ji An could tell. "Congratulations, Teacher. You got through."

Zhou Fanxiu frowned. "If I’ve connected, how come you're still thinking for yourself?"

"Teacher, you've only established a psychic link with me, not exercised Mind Control. Now try to control me."

Zhou Fanxiu began attempting, but was completely lost.

In truth, Ji An had secretly tried resisting Zhou Fanxiu's Mind Control during the process—he simply wanted to gauge his remaining psychic strength.

But the moment he tried, he felt as though razor-sharp needles were lancing through his brain.

Ji An couldn't help but let out a pained yelp, "Ah!"

Simultaneously, the meager remnants of psychic energy in his mind seemed scorched away by a psychic tempest. Ji An knew this was the consequence of straining to summon his psychic energy.

He had an inexplicable intuition—if he truly exhausted the last droplets in his psychic reservoir, he would surely become an idiot.

"Xiao An, are you okay?"

"Boss Ji, are you alright?" Wan Xueying said anxiously, "Researcher Zhou, Ji An is in pain. Please stop."

"I didn't do anything," Zhou Fanxiu explained.

When Ji An stopped trying to summon his psychic energy, the stabbing pain disappeared. However, he noticed his chronic headaches were flaring up worse than before.

Ji An knew this was because he'd depleted part of his psychic reservoir. Gritting through the pain, he explained for Zhou Fanxiu, "It's not Teacher's fault. My chronic headaches are just acting up."

"Ji An, maybe we should stop?" Zhou Fanxiu frowned.

"It's fine, Teacher. Please continue."

"Xiao An..." Gu Jinsheng spoke again.

Ji An gave Gu Jinsheng a reassuring smile. "Let Teacher continue. We need their testimonies—the mastermind is too important. We can't afford to miss him, or the Jing City Base might implode."

Hearing this, Gu Jinsheng could no longer object.

Seeing no opposition, Zhou Fanxiu pressed on. This time, it took him so long to find the method that he was drained as if he'd run a marathon, sweat dripping from his forehead. "I think I succeeded! Ji An, who am I?"

"Zhou Fanxiu, my teacher," Ji An replied, his voice clear without any telltale glaze of Mind Control.

Zhou Fanxiu looked disappointed. "Ji An, you're still conscious? I thought I'd succeeded."

Ji An answered, "I didn't resist. You did succeed—but I shook it off in less than a second. Try again?"

"Alright." The brief breakthrough inflated Zhou Fanxiu's hopes. He assumed repeating it would be easy, especially since Ji An had been stripped of his Psychic Superpower.

But in reality, Zhou Fanxiu almost never succeeded again. He began feeling hopelessly outmatched.

Gu Jinsheng intervened, "I understand the problem now. Researcher Zhou, try me."

"This..."

"Just try. I'll lower all mental defenses," Gu Jinsheng said, sparing Ji An further distress.

Zhou Fanxiu attempted Mind Control on Gu Jinsheng, who offered no resistance—even cooperated fully. But despite accessing his mind, Zhou Fanxiu couldn't establish control.

Wan Xueying suggested, "Forget it. Have him try linking with these traffickers instead. You two—one has a Psychic Superpower too potent, the gap is insurmountable. The other was Monarch of Psychic Superpowers. Even without abilities now, his instinctual defenses remain formidable. No wonder Researcher Zhou can't control either of you."

"These traffickers might work. If not, I've contacted Han Yaokun to bring more test subjects."

Zhou Fanxiu exhaled in profound relief. He'd had enough of challenging these two titans—especially his own student. The constant failure was crushing his spirit.

Here is the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Zhou Fanxiu had already mastered the skill, making it easier to perform Mind Control on the human trafficker again.

At first, the trafficker's face showed indifference, but in the next second, it turned completely blank—Zhou Fanxiu had actually succeeded.

"Who is it? Who was the person you contacted?" Zhou Fanxiu asked.

The trafficker's expression was numb and vacant, his eyes hollow, his whole body showing the emptiness of being controlled. "He... he is..."

Just as he was about to speak, a clear look of resistance appeared on the trafficker's face. The resistance clearly pained him, his expression twisting in agony. "No... I can't say! This is my last chance!"

With a loud cry, the trafficker broke free from the Mind Control state and severed Zhou Fanxiu's mental connection.

Zhou Fanxiu felt as if an invisible force had scrambled his brains. He clutched his head, crouching down with a pained groan.

Ji An could clearly see Zhou Fanxiu's psychic threads snap. He quickly rushed over to help him up. "Teacher, are you alright?"

When Zhou Fanxiu raised his head, he was drenched from head to toe, looking as if he had just been pulled out of water. He assessed his psychic energy—there was no damage.

"I'm fine. It only hurt when the connection broke," Zhou Fanxiu said. "It doesn’t hurt anymore—just that one moment."

"Should I try again?"

"No need," Wan Xueying cut in. "Though both of you are Level 4, he's at the peak while you're at the mid-stage. There's still a noticeable power gap."

Among superpowereds, even a small difference in rank could mean a huge difference. The only reason Wan Xueying had allowed Zhou Fanxiu to attempt this was because of Ji An.

It wasn’t that she thought Zhou Fanxiu was stronger than Ji An just because he was his teacher.

It was simply that Ji An’s demonstrated power was so extraordinary that fighting above his level came naturally to him.

This had led Wan Xueying to assume that fighting above one's level was a basic skill for psychics. But in the end, Ji An was truly the exception.

"Let me try," Han Yaokun said as he showed up with his crew. Behind him were Zhao Zhen, Na Boyu, Shi Jun, and several other researchers Ji An recognized by face but not by name. These were undoubtedly Han Yaokun’s top-tier operatives—all high-level superpowereds.

Even before Ji An lost his superpower, Han Yaokun’s level had been far higher. Now that Ji An was just an ordinary person, he had no business giving orders to a high-level superpowered like Han Yaokun.

Ji An silently stepped aside, yielding the central position. Zhao Zhen followed behind him, deliberately giving Ji An a look of contempt as they passed.

Ji An acted like he wasn't there, ignoring him completely.

Han Yaokun was clearly way better at Mind Control than Zhou Fanxiu. Yet, at the final moment, he still failed.

Han Yaokun tried several more times, but none succeeded. He was running on empty psychically, making further attempts risky.

His expression darkened—whether from failure or exhaustion was unclear. Zhao Zhen, too, lost his earlier smugness, his face turned grim.

Han Yaokun shook his head. "Though his level is much lower than mine, his will to live is overwhelming. He knows this is his only chance to live—he’d rather die than reveal anything. So I couldn’t do it."

Willpower was an unpredictable thing. Even before the apocalypse, miracles defying logic had occurred—like a mother lifting a boulder beyond human limits to save her child, keeping the rubble from crushing them long after death.

Now, in this post-apocalyptic world, superpowereds had tougher minds. Someone like this trafficker, naturally vicious, would have a mind far harder to control than an ordinary person’s.

Even Han Yaokun couldn’t succeed—something Wan Xueying hadn’t anticipated. She couldn’t help but glance at Ji An.

She was almost certain that if Ji An still had his superpower, this level of Mind Control would have been effortless for him.

A genius was called a genius precisely because they could achieve what others couldn’t. But fate was cruel—geniuses fell.

This moment once again made everyone realize the vast, insurmountable gap between them and Ji An. Whether in skill or combat ability, Ji An seemed to exist on a different plane, separated by an invisible, unbreakable barrier.

In the end, all the high-level superpowereds Han Yaokun brought tried—including Zhao Zhen. Unsurprisingly, none succeeded. Zhao Zhen, at the same level as Zhou Fanxiu, performed even worse, nearly suffering backlash. Humiliated, Zhao Zhen flushed red with anger, his ego thoroughly bruised.