Chapter 68: Locking onto the Psychic Zombie King Again

Chapter 68: Reacquiring the Psychic Zombie King's Signal

"Chief Commander Gu, what brings you here? Looking for Boss Ji?" Wu Youyang was momentarily startled upon seeing Gu Jinsheng but quickly realized he must be here for Ji An (Little An).

Yin Fang also stood up from the couch and greeted, "Chief Commander Gu."

Although Ji An had told Yin Fang and Yu Xi they could rest in the lounge while he worked in the lab, the two still maintained a rotation system.

One always remained on guard outside the lab, watching the door intently to ensure not even a mosquito could enter.

As Yin Fang moved to call Yu Xi from the lounge, Gu Jinsheng stopped him. "No need. I'm just checking on Xiao An. I haven't seen him at home during my last few visits. Has he been here this whole time?"

"Yes." Wu Youyang grew anxious. "Chief Commander Gu, you know Boss Ji's habits—he won't leave the lab without making progress."

Gu Jinsheng asked, "Xiao An's been in there for two months and ten days. Has he not come out once? You haven't seen him at all?"

"Not once since entering." Wu Youyang looked troubled. "Chief Commander Gu, honestly, before this I wouldn't have worried. This is just how Boss Ji works—no results, no exit."

Frowning, Wu Youyang continued, "I used to have blind faith in Boss Ji—if he set his mind to an experiment, failure wasn't an option."

He hesitated before adding, "But now he's lost his Psychic Superpower. As someone who's been ordinary for years, I know there's an unbridgeable gap between regular people and power-enhanced individuals. It's normal for Boss Ji to struggle now. I just fear he won't handle the fall from genius to ordinary well—it might trigger a mental breakdown."

"I need to see him." Gu Jinsheng's concern deepened at Wu Youyang's words.

Wu Youyang blocked him. "Chief Commander Gu, that's impossible. Boss Ji's rule—no disturbances in the lab, no exceptions, period."

Gu Jinsheng paused, eyes fixed on the lab door. After all this time without Ji An emerging, his unease grew.

After consideration, Gu Jinsheng summoned Thunder Dragon.

Normally majestic, Thunder Dragon now appeared thin as spider's silk—no thicker than a hair.

Far from imposing—downright cute, actually.

Displeased with its easily blown-away form, Thunder Dragon twisted indignantly, unleashing a soundless roar at Gu Jinsheng before firing miniature lightning bolts.

Gu Jinsheng deflected them, frowning. "Enough. Go check if Xiao An's okay. At your usual size, you'd never fit."

Thunder Dragon relented, though not without shooting Gu Jinsheng a crimson-eyed glare before slithering (or more accurately, flying) away in its hair-thin draconic form.

Wu Youyang stood gobsmacked, jaw slack.

Not at Thunder Dragon itself—everyone in Capital Base knew it as their Chief Commander's power manifestation—but at its microscopic perfection. Every scale remained perfectly detailed, a flawless miniature replica.

This precision required energy matching the full-sized version. Gu Jinsheng's power was truly unfathomable—such a tiny yet complete Thunder Dragon wasn't something just anyone could conjure.

Most would use raw energy strands for such fine work—simpler, more efficient, and frankly, all they could manage.

They should see the Capital's Chief Commander demonstrating his prowess for his partner—turning a simple task into a showcase.

Like a preening peacock, displaying every angle of his brilliant plumage...

Yet even as Gu Jinsheng showed off, Wu Youyang sensed something odd about Thunder Dragon. "Wait—Chief Commander Gu, your Thunder Dragon seems... different from others'."

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Bringing this up, Gu Jinsheng also got a headache. He said, "Ever since I lost my Wind ability, my control over Thunder Dragon has become a bit erratic."

Thunder Dragon is the physical manifestation of Gu Jinsheng's power. Losing control over Thunder Dragon means losing control over his ability.

Indeed, losing one power is still a significant blow, even for a dual-power wielder.

That stands to reason—after all, it's a superpower, not just some trivial thing.

Actually, this makes sense. There should be consequences; otherwise, the way Gu Jinsheng and Ji An behaved would make it seem like powers aren't that important, as if losing them was no big deal.

Ji An's lab was built with specialized materials, hermetically sealed. Even if an explosion occurred inside, it shouldn't be heard outside. Logically, not even a mosquito should be able to get in.

Yet somehow, Thunder Dragon managed to worm its way inside.

Since Thunder Dragon is a manifestation of Gu Jinsheng's power, this shows just how powerful Gu Jinsheng truly is.

After slipping in, Thunder Dragon first scanned the room. Upon spotting Ji An, its tiny red eyes lit up, and it immediately flew over, swishing its tail eagerly.

Thunder Dragon's beady little eyes sparkled as it gazed at Ji An, clearly expressing immense fondness.

However, it didn't disturb Ji An. Instead, it quietly hovered beside him, curiously watching him work on his experiments.

But when Thunder Dragon saw what Ji An was handling—a small segment of some unknown animal's leg bone—it went rigid.

Ji An suddenly turned around and spotted Thunder Dragon. At first, he didn't process what it was and stared at it warily.

Noticing Ji An had seen it, Thunder Dragon immediately swished its tail and flew over, even attempting to nudge Ji An's cheek with its tiny head.

This time, Ji An recognized the little creature. "Thunder Dragon?" he exclaimed in surprise. "How did you get so small?"

Upon hearing this, the little creature, which had been affectionately nudging Ji An's face, froze for two seconds before suddenly looking aggrieved. Then, without warning, it popped out of existence with a soft poof.

Ji An quickly stood up and opened the lab door, immediately spotting Gu Jinsheng standing outside. "Thunder Dragon just disappeared out of nowhere. Are you okay?"

Gu Jinsheng shook his head. "I'm fine. It probably took offense when you called it small and decided to vanish on its own."

"Vanish on its own?" Ji An knew something wasn't right. After glancing at Wu Youyang, he pulled Gu Jinsheng into the lab and shut the door. "What's going on? Thunder Dragon is a manifestation of your power. How could it disappear on its own?"

Superpowers are just extensions of the wielder, much like how walking is a human ability. If you don't want to walk, your legs won't move on their own. Legs have no independent will—they follow the brain's commands.

The same applies to powers. They are just abilities controlled by the wielder.

Gu Jinsheng explained, "Ever since my Wind ability was lost, my control over Thunder Dragon seems to have weakened. It's almost like it's developing a mind of its own."

"So you can't fully control your power anymore?" Ji An's expression grew concerned.

"It's not that. When I use my power in combat, there's no issue at all," Gu Jinsheng said, rubbing his temples. "But Thunder Dragon seems more willful now. It's developed some independence, especially around you. Just now, when you called it small, it got embarrassed and vanished on its own. Earlier, when I manifested it, it didn't want to shrink that small—it wanted to look impressive in front of you. But I convinced it that only by staying small could it slip into your lab to see you, so it gave in."

Ji An noticed an even bigger problem. Gu Jinsheng, who hadn't been inside the lab, somehow knew word-for-word what Ji An had said to Thunder Dragon. The idea that the lab wasn't soundproof and Gu Jinsheng had overheard was impossible—all labs were built with top-tier materials, making such slip-ups impossible. "Can you now see or sense things through Thunder Dragon?"

"Yes," Gu Jinsheng admitted, having realized this earlier.

"But perceiving or seeing things remotely through a power is supposed to be a unique trait of psychic abilities, exclusive to psychics. Other powers don't have this feature..." Ji An murmured. Suddenly, he thought of Little Stone and Little Rose—both children had awakened psychic abilities. Now, Gu Jinsheng's changes suggested his psychic abilities were growing.

Yet Gu Jinsheng had just lost his Wind ability. Logically, when a wielder loses a power, their mental strength should decline, dropping to normal human levels.

Here is the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Under normal circumstances, the psychic energy of superpowered individuals is stronger than that of ordinary people, while the psychic energy of psychic-type superpowered individuals far exceeds that of regular superpowered individuals. The strongest can even mentally control other superpowered individuals.

Now, Gu Jinsheng's psychic energy hasn't been damaged by the loss of his superpower—instead, it has improved...

The Spirit Spring?

Ji An's gaze fell on the Spirit Spring water on the lab bench.

The Spirit Spring water is truly miraculous. How do we figure out how to enhance it?

Gu Jinsheng watched Ji An, deep in thought with brow furrowed, occasionally rubbing his temples to relieve his headache, and felt a twinge of xīn téng.

Ji An has always been so diligent, so passionate about his work. But now, without his psychic superpower, what a devastating blow this must be for him.

Gu Jinsheng couldn't stand to see it. He couldn't bear to see Ji An continue exhausting himself, nor could he stand seeing him trapped in an experimental deadlock. So he said, "I came to see you for two reasons. First, I was worried since you haven't been home for a long time. Second, I wanted to ask if you still want to hunt that Psychic Zombie King we encountered last time.

We've successfully pinpointed its location again."

Actually, the Jing City base had been tracking that Zombie King for a long time and had located it for a while. However, due to the unique nature of the Psychic Zombie King, no one dared to act, waiting for Gu Jinsheng to rejoin the team. They feared alerting it—if the Psychic Zombie King escaped, catching it again would be extremely difficult.

Ji An didn't expect Gu Jinsheng to still be willing to take him along. After all, with his psychic superpower gone, he was just a regular person now, which would likely make him a burden.

It would also be quite dangerous for him personally. Yet despite this, Gu Jinsheng still asked him, still respected his choice, and still remembered his desire to go. Ji An was deeply moved.

"I'll go." Ji An assured him, "Don't worry, I won't hold the team back. Before I awakened my superpower, back in the Third Base, I teamed up with superpowered individuals to fight zombies. I've trained in ancient combat arts—I won't be a burden to the team."

"I'm not like Chen Chen, Xiao An!" Gu Jinsheng's tone was sharp, and Ji An could tell he was upset. "And I've never once thought of you as a burden." Ji An understood Gu Jinsheng's kindness and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I spoke out of turn."

"You don't need to apologize to me."

Ji An felt like everything he said today came out wrong, so he muttered, "Well, are you taking me or not?"

Gu Jinsheng fixed his deep, dark eyes on Ji An until the latter grew visibly uncomfortable. Only then did Gu Jinsheng ask softly, "Xiao An, were you just being coy with me?"

Ji An’s ears burned red with embarrassment and anger. He growled, "When are we leaving?"

Gu Jinsheng gave a short laugh, his expression softening, his eyes soft and clear, like a moonlit breeze.

"Tomorrow."

Ji An suddenly thought maybe it wasn’t Gu Jinsheng’s superpower that was messed up—but his brain.

Yeah, definitely his brain. After all, the Superpowered Crystal Core was located there.

So his brain’s fried—no wonder he’s acting different. Hmph!

With a battle tomorrow, Ji An stopped working on experiments, and Gu Jinsheng skipped the command center. They left together.

When Ji An opened the lab door, he saw Wu Youyang, Yin Fang, and Yu Xi already there.

Ji An said to Yin Fang and Yu Xi, "Go home and rest. I’m going back with Jinsheng—no need to walk me."

"Alright," Yin Fang and Yu Xi replied.

Gu Jinsheng was way stronger—even ten of them together couldn’t take him.

With him protecting Ji An, they’d just be embarrassing themselves trying.

"No need to pick me up at home tomorrow either. I have a mission outside the base tomorrow and might need to quarantine for a few days after returning. I'll notify you when I'm coming back to the lab so you can pick me up then."

"Got it," Yu Xi and the other person replied.

"What? Boss Ji, you're going on a mission outside the base tomorrow? But your Psychic Superpower..." Wu Youyang grew anxious. Every base mission is dangerous, and psychics were inherently non-combatants—the base never required them to participate.

Before, Boss Ji only joined missions voluntarily, and he was a formidable fighter. But now that his Psychic Superpower was gone, wasn’t it too risky for him to go on another mission?

Wu Youyang looked at Gu Jinsheng, baffled as to why he would agree to something so obviously dangerous.

Gu Jinsheng said, "Don’t worry. I’ll personally lead tomorrow’s mission and make sure Xiao An is protected."

What more could Wu Youyang say? Gu Jinsheng had already given his approval.

Before leaving, Ji An instructed, "While I’m gone, no one is allowed in the lab—not even cleaning staff. Don’t touch anything inside. Just feed those regenerating mutated animals for me these days—keep them alive. That’s all you need to do."

"Understood, Boss Ji," Wu Youyang acknowledged.

Gu Jinsheng drove Ji An home. As soon as they arrived, they were greeted by the smell of a home-cooked meal—Gu Jinsheng had prepared it before leaving earlier.

It had to be said, Gu Jinsheng knew Ji An too well. He'd been sure Ji An would agree to hunt the Psychic Zombie King.

Ji An didn’t feel controlled by Gu Jinsheng’s prediction—instead, he was touched.

Gu Jinsheng was usually so busy he barely found time for nutrient paste meals. Yet whenever he came home, he cooked for Ji An. Despite his own mental strain and constant splitting headaches, he still made the effort.

Ji An said nothing, but he remembered all of it in his heart.

He was never ungrateful. On the contrary, if someone showed him kindness, he always repaid it tenfold.

A simple 'thank you' would have been insulting to Gu Jinsheng’s sincerity. Instead, Ji An showed his appreciation through action—he ate heartily, much to Gu Jinsheng’s satisfaction.

After dinner, Ji An took out a bottle of Magic Spring water from his Space Necklace and handed it to Gu Jinsheng.

"Drink a cup before bed. If the headache keeps you awake, take some medicine with it. We've got a battle tomorrow—we need proper rest."

But Gu Jinsheng didn’t take it. "You gave me several boxes before I left for work. I still have some left."

Ji An smiled. "Just take it. This is the good stuff."

Of course, Gu Jinsheng knew that. He also suspected that Thunder Dragon’s changes might actually be related to the Magic Spring water.

Perhaps Thunder Dragon hadn’t lost control—maybe his psychic abilities had surged too quickly, making Thunder Dragon seem autonomous.

The next morning, Gu Jinsheng made Ji An mutant beef noodles. After breakfast, they drove to headquarters to meet the team.

This time, Deputy Commander Wan Xueying was serving as deputy commander. To ensure the mission’s success, nearly all operatives were Level 4 superpowered or higher.

This was the standard lineup for Gu Jinsheng’s missions—no additional briefing was needed, as everyone worked together seamlessly.

On the way, Wan Xueying briefly reviewed the Psychic Zombie King’s status and answered a few questions.

The Psychic Zombie King seemed to have truly evolved intelligence. Over the past month, it had relocated its lair multiple times, each time moving farther from the capital base but closer to weaker, smaller bases.

This time, its lair was near the Sixth Base—a small settlement with fewer than 30,000 people. The base was weak overall, with its leader only being a Level 4 superpowered, making it perfect zombie feeding grounds.

Fortunately, the capital base had anticipated this and issued warnings to nearby small bases. The Sixth Base had been particularly vigilant, which was why they detected the zombie horde’s movements early. Otherwise, the entire base might have been overrun without anyone outside realizing the Sixth Base had fallen.

The zombie horde was hiding in a small village. Gu Jinsheng and his team got out about a kilometer from the village's edge and moved in on foot to avoid alerting the Psychic Zombie King with any noise.

If Ji An's Psychic ability were still intact, he could've carefully used it to locate the Zombie King's hiding spot. But now, without his powers, they had no choice but to search house by house.

Zombies hated sunlight and usually hid to sleep during the day—they only hunted at night.

It was broad daylight now, the sun blazing overhead. As Ji An and the others crept forward, they saw almost no zombies—though this might've been because they were still on the outskirts.

Ji An walked with Gu Jinsheng, who'd armed him with plenty of gear. Guns and explosives went without saying, but there were also smoke grenades and homemade firebombs.

The firebombs weren’t lit yet—Ji An had stuffed them all into a spatial bangle he’d made himself.

Even though one of Gu Jinsheng’s abilities had been nullified, he remained one of the base’s strongest fighters. So the two took the most dangerous path straight through the center.

They ran into more zombies than the other teams.

Turning a corner, Ji An spotted a squad of zombies on patrol—something you didn’t usually see, since zombies avoided sunlight and only moved at night.

Yet these zombies had overcome their instincts, even forming disciplined patrols. It sent a chill down their spines.

Sharing a look with Gu Jinsheng, Ji An slipped closer.

Though powerless now, Ji An felt no fear. His steps were so light that when he reached the last zombie in line, the creature didn’t notice.

With a sharp motion, Ji An slammed his blade through the zombie’s skull. His strength was terrifying—the strike punched straight through bone.

The zombie dropped silently, and the rest marched on, clueless that one of them was gone.

Gu Jinsheng scowled and shook his head, disapproving. Ji An just smiled—he’d done it to prove that even without powers, he wasn’t some defenseless weakling.

With another clean strike, Ji An split the zombie’s head open and dug out a Zombie Core.

The core was murky, dull, and faintly blue—probably a low-grade, early or mid-stage water-type core.

Not caring that it was low-grade, Ji An wiped it down with a disinfectant cloth before tucking it into his spatial bangle.