Chapter 44: “Mind Control”

Chapter 44: "Mind Control"

Jiang Yi was an excellent student; Iddis only demonstrated the use of psychic energy once, and he learned it.

When the "Life Elixir" was first extracted, it had a transparent, watery consistency.

However, Psychics could sense the energy contained within it.

Within the first ten minutes after extraction, if psychic power was channeled into the "Life Elixir," the liquid would rapidly become viscous and grainy, turning into a silvery-white substance like mercury.

Only such "Life Elixir" could function as an energy source and be used in various devices.

Items like protective shields, gene-suppressing collars, and ability-blocking devices were all made using this kind of "Life Elixir."

"So, over the years, you’ve not only used collars to suppress the awakening of Minority Race bloodlines but also extracted 'Life Elixir' from them?" Jiang Yi asked.

He couldn’t believe that the protective shield operating day and night above the city was powered by the lives of countless minority races.

Iddis corrected him, "Only werewolves and mermaids. Low-level creatures like treants and stone people have a pitiful amount of 'Life Elixir' in their bodies."

The two were focusing on entirely different aspects; Iddis regretted that other minority races yielded so little "Life Elixir."

"I won’t do this. Once you’re dead, no one will be able to purify any damn Life Elixir. When the great radiation surge comes, we’ll all face it together. If we can’t hold out, we’ll all die together."

Jiang Yi’s gaze was extremely calm, yet a hint of hysterical madness burned deep in his eyes.

This was the fate of this world.

No race was born to survive by trampling on the lives of another.

No amount of grand rhetoric could change that.

As an S-class Psychic himself, Iddis could sense Jiang Yi’s resolve.

In a way, both of them were terrifyingly stubborn.

"Son, you’re forcing my hand."

Iddis turned his wheelchair toward Jiang Yi, his aged yet bright eyes flaring with brilliant light.

Jiang Yi uncontrollably looked into Iddis’s eyes, his mind went instantly blank.

With his last shred of clarity, he mobilized his psychic power to resist Iddis.

Iddis’s psychic power far surpassed Jiang Yi’s; he hadn’t expected Jiang Yi to still be conscious enough to fight back.

His eyes became bloodshot as he ramped up the Mind Control another notch.

Finally, Jiang Yi’s consciousness was completely controlled, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

A moment later, Iddis withdrew his psychic power, leaning weakly back into his wheelchair, his face instantly looking several years older.

Qiu Xing emerged from the shadows. "Director, are you alright?"

"I’m fine. I’ve planted a seed of obedience in his consciousness. From now on, he will obey my commands. Remove his collar."

Qiu Xing stepped forward, but just as he was about to touch Jiang Yi’s neck, Jiang Yi suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Surprised, Qiu Xing turned to look at Iddis.

This was different from the people the Director had "brainwashed" before.

Jiang Yi felt as if his consciousness had blanked out for a few seconds. This annoying guy had appeared out of nowhere and was standing so close to him!

Jiang Yi wrenched his wrist free from Qiu Xing's grip and took a step back.

Iddis stared daggers at Jiang Yi. In his current physical condition, he couldn't perform another consciousness control.

If Jiang Yi didn't obey his command, it would mean his ability had failed.

He ventured, "Jiang Yi, the 'Life Elixir' in Lab 1 has been refined. Go and extract it using your psychic energy."

Jiang Yi looked at him, paused to think it over, and replied flatly, "Understood."

Watching Jiang Yi walk toward Lab 1, Iddis and Qiu Xing exchanged a glance. It looked like the consciousness control had succeeded.

Previously, those subjected to Iddis's consciousness control would have their own consciousness completely suppressed, becoming puppets that only followed orders.

But Jiang Yi clearly retained his own consciousness intact while still obeying Iddis.

A smile of gratification touched Iddis's lips. This was exactly what he wanted.

Those previous failures couldn't withstand the impact of his psychic energy, becoming loyal but dull and foolish.

Only Jiang Yi could let his consciousness control achieve its ideal effect.

When Iddis and Qiu Xing arrived, Jiang Yi was already standing in Lab 1.

Inside the lab, a werewolf in semi-beast form was suspended in mid-air.

His bare upper body was covered with electrodes and lines. Years of imprisonment and lack of sunlight had left his skin ghastly pale, with almost no muscle mass. A thin layer of skin clung to protruding bones. His eyes were dull and gray, like a corpse that wasn't quite done dying.

A thumb-thick tube was attached to his spine at the base of his neck. The other end led to a glass container, where the liquid had already reached the marked line.

Jiang Yi walked over, put on medical gloves, and steadily and skillfully removed the container, pouring the liquid inside into a reaction flask.

He then used his ability, channeling psychic energy into the liquid.

As he kept channeling energy into it, the transparent liquid gradually separated into small particles and took on a silvery-white hue.

After completing the operation, a fine sheen of sweat covered Jiang Yi's forehead. He wiped it away casually and looked at the werewolf beside him.

The werewolf kept his head hung low, limbs hanging limp. His ears and tail were a tawny color, with a few strands of red fur mixed in.

If it had been half an hour earlier, seeing this werewolf would have inevitably reminded Jiang Yi of the person he held in his heart, as their fur colors were somewhat similar.

But now, Jiang Yi didn't recall anything. He only felt a faint sense of recognition toward this werewolf.

Jiang Yi stepped forward and touched the werewolf's tail.

The werewolf showed no reaction at first. Only when Jiang Yi ran his hand from the base of the tail all the way to the tip did the werewolf finally react with a tremor.

Touching a werewolf's tail right away was a very rude thing to do.

But even such an act had never been done to him before. Everyone in the lab treated him only as a living object.

The werewolf's eyes, devoid of any emotion, turned toward him. Jiang Yi met his gaze and, with an equally expressionless face, withdrew his hand.

Jiang Yi himself didn't know why he did that. It just felt very natural, as if he had done it often before.

He emerged holding the extracted "Life Elixir."

"Son, you did well." Iddis looked at the liquid in the bottle and praised him.

Extracting the "Life Elixir" using psychic energy was extremely draining, even accelerating the aging process.

Now, when Iddis extracted the "Life Elixir," it was no longer as effortless for him as it had been for Jiang Yi moments before.

Jiang Yi's expression remained blank even after the praise, and he didn't address Iddis as "father." He said flatly, "I need to go back and rest."

"Qiu Xing, escort him out," Iddis said.

Qiu Xing walked alongside Jiang Yi, secretly sizing him up.

He was not a Psychic Ability user and could not fully appreciate the wonders of such powers.

He wasn't questioning the Director's ability, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Jiang Yi was pretending.

"Jiang Yi, do you want to return to the Wild Wolf Corps headquarters?"

Jiang Yi shot him a sidelong glance. "Why would I go back? Didn't you just rescue me?"

"Uh..." Qiu Xing, feeling a rare pang of guilt, scratched his head awkwardly. "Well then, let me tell you a secret."

"What?"

"Ke Lin has manifested his ability."

Jiang Yi frowned, puzzled. "What does that have to do with me? He's the son of the Wild Wolf Corps Chief. When they attack, you'll be the one facing him, not me."

Qiu Xing: ...

He finally believed that Jiang Yi had truly been brainwashed.

A month later, the Wild Wolf Corps' offensive suddenly intensified.

All the wolves lurking among humans were mobilized—some in the military, some in the government, some in hospitals, and so on.

These wolves had all awakened their bloodline, allowing them to freely shift between human and wolf forms.

The Federation had no means of rooting them out.

More and more cities fell under their control, and several military districts were already occupied by the Wild Wolf Corps.

In Federation reports, a Wolf Chief emerged into public view.

His fur was a rare mix of brownish-yellow and fiery red, his body tall and robust, his speed as fast as lightning.

In a war footage released by the news, his speed was so great that only afterimages remained. In the blink of an eye, he penetrated the military command post, dodged countless bullets, and slit the commander's throat within three meters.

In that battle, both the Federal Military Department and the Wild Wolf Corps were evenly matched, locked in a stalemate with mounting losses.

It was the appearance of this wolf that ended the war.

Since then, the entire southeastern region of the Federation had been occupied by the Wild Wolf Corps.

When Jia Zheyu saw this video report, he was having a meal in the Esper Team cafeteria.

"This wolf... couldn't be Ke Lin, could it?"

Jia Zheyu stared at the wolf figure on the screen, in disbelief at his own guess.

Although he had never seen Ke Lin in his beast form, the fur color and that fluffy tail were identical to Ke Lin's!

In his impression, Ke Lin had always been reserved and shy. When they ate together, his cheeks would always puff out, and when he looked at Jiang Yi, his eyes would light up like stars.

How could someone like that suddenly turn into the fierce, powerful wild wolf from the news?

Jia Zheyu felt that even if Ke Lin turned into a wild wolf, he should still be the Ke Lin he knew.

But the wild wolf in the video had cold eyes and struck with lethal efficiency, killing the Eastern Theater commander in an instant—nothing like the Ke Lin he remembered.

And Jiang Yi? How was he faring in the Wild Wolf Corps? Did he approve of what Ke Lin was doing?

And when the Wild Wolf Corps and the Esper Team eventually met on the battlefield, how would they face each other?

After finishing his meal, Jia Zheyu looked at his phone and tried again, refusing to give up, dialing Jiang Yi’s number.

The call still couldn’t go through.

He casually tapped Ke Lin’s number as well, fully expecting no one to pick up.

But this time, it didn’t say the phone was off, and after a few rings, Ke Lin picked up!

Out of habit, Jia Zheyu always preferred video calls when contacting others.

When Jiang Yi answered, he sometimes switched to voice call first.

But Ke Lin didn’t have the same habit and directly accepted the video call.

Author’s Note:

Ke Lin: Master is not allowed to touch anyone else’s tail!