Chapter Sixty-Seven: Layers of Mist

They watched helplessly as General Kobayashi and his mech left the underground chamber.

The three forbidden figures wore grim, unsightly expressions. After all, who could feel any joy knowing there was a terrifying time bomb planted in their mind?

“What do we do now?” Bell asked, his tone filled with unwillingness and resignation.

A flash of savagery glinted in Rakan’s eyes. “At this point, we have no choice but to gamble everything. Our lives are in Kobayashi’s hands. We have no other options!”

Hu Kong snorted coldly. “Eliminating Teach and Nangong might not be difficult. But do you really think Kobayashi will honor his promise afterward? That man isn’t known for kindness or good faith!”

“General Kobayashi rose to power on Great Tree Star, becoming one of the most formidable warlords on Chaos Star—thanks to the support of its people. Now, he’s ready to turn on his own benefactors…”

“With someone like that… I find it hard to trust him!”

When Hu Kong finished, silence fell upon the group once more. They were caught in an impossible dilemma—those who had always held others' lives in the palm of their hand were now reduced to mere tools at someone else’s disposal, their fates subject to another’s whim.

“It seems you’re not entirely foolish after all…” Suddenly, a strange voice echoed through the chamber, startling them all.

“Who’s there?” The three looked around, but there was no sign of anyone.

As they hesitated in confusion, a column of water cascaded down from above, landing directly on the chair Kobayashi had just vacated. The water, instead of splashing apart, began to gather and coalesce before their shocked eyes, forming a completely transparent human figure—a being of living water.

“Who are you? Did you overhear everything we discussed with Kobayashi?” Rakan demanded.

The water figure ignored him and spoke on its own. “I am from the Psionic Union. I seek to strike a deal with the three of you.”

“I can help you remove the little toys from your brains… In return, you will stealthily infiltrate the core of the mountaintop forbidden zone and help me identify someone.”

None of them knew what this Psionic Union was, but the sight of this miraculous water-being shook them to their core.

Yet as soon as the forbidden zone at the mountaintop was mentioned, a chill ran down their spines. Over the years, they had sent no fewer than a hundred people to investigate that place—none had ever returned. Some who had reached the outer edge claimed to have glimpsed a vast shadow moving deep within the heart of the zone. More than one person had said so.

In the black market of Platy, the mountaintop forbidden zone was a place of devils, a name that made every forbidden figure blanch in fear.

And now this mysterious entity was asking them to sneak in themselves. It seemed even riskier than dealing with Kobayashi; at least with him, there was a slim hope that he might keep his word.

But the Corpse Collectors’ forbidden zone… they doubted they were any stronger than their own subordinates, especially after witnessing the organization’s dreadful power earlier that day. The tales of monsters lurking in that zone no longer seemed mere legend.

Moreover, the water-being’s request to sneak in clearly meant only the three of them could go—no entourage, no backup. No amount of courage could tempt them to explore such a haunted place.

The unknown bred terror.

But the water figure had no intention of arguing. With a wave of its hand, three drops of water separated from its body and shot straight into their mouths, sliding down their throats as if alive, weaving through their bodies until each drop lodged in a heart.

Immediately, their heartbeats quickened. An inexplicable force welled up within each of them. Flames erupted from every pore of Rakan’s body, making him a man of fire—yet the intense heat did him no harm. Bell’s eyes became swirling pools of chaos, and with but a thought, lightning would strike wherever his gaze fell. Hu Kong collapsed, transforming into a pool of green poison, which instantly corroded the floor into a deep pit. In moments, the venom drew together, re-forming his human shape. The mechanical insect in Hu Kong’s brain was simply dissolved away.

Seeing this, the water-being waved its hand again; two more drops fell onto the backs of Rakan and Bell’s heads. Each felt a coolness at the base of their skulls, and then something was extracted. Turning to look, they saw the mechanical bugs Kobayashi had implanted, now suspended motionless in the watery droplets.

“The powers I grant you can each be used twice, lasting half an hour per use. Make the most of them. If you complete my task, the Psionic Union will bestow upon you eternal power.”

With those words, the water-being dispersed into a puddle.

The three exchanged glances, each seeing the shock mirrored in the others’ eyes. Such a method of granting power was nothing short of divine.

“The Psionic Union… what in the world is it? Who do they want us to find?” Hu Kong murmured, walking to the chair and picking up a photograph. It showed an elderly man with a head of white hair—an unremarkable face, except the right ear was sheared off halfway.

He handed the photo to the others.

Rakan’s excitement was barely contained. “That water-being wants us to enter the forbidden zone just to find this old man? The Psionic Union… what a miraculous organization!”

Bell, too, was swept up in the ecstasy of newfound power, his awe for the Psionic Union growing by the second.

Only Hu Kong’s eyes betrayed a strange, thoughtful gleam.

After parting from the others, Hu Kong returned to his own domain. Arriving at his base, he dismissed all his subordinates, entering his office alone. He opened a desk drawer and took out a vial of medicine. With extravagant disregard, he injected the healing agent into the ground. Then, his eyes flashed with a ghostly light as he plunged the empty syringe into his own chest, directly into his heart.

As he drew back the plunger, the drop of water left by the water-being was sucked into the cylinder. Hu Kong then unscrewed the cap from a nearby jug and poured in some plain water. The drop merged with the liquid, indistinguishable, save for a faint blue glow that shimmered in the dimness—almost imperceptible.

Had Yehai been there, he would have instantly recognized the liquid in the syringe as identical to what Jack had once displayed.

Hu Kong set the syringe aside, then moved his desk to reveal a hidden compartment in the floor. He opened it, took out a communicator, and spoke quietly into it.

“This is Observation Post ART-3. Recently, the ART-2 group has been spotted in large numbers near our station. It is believed they’re attempting to ally with ART-3. At the same time, ART-2 operatives have infiltrated human society in droves, apparently targeting the human population of Platy’s black market for assimilation.”

“The three northern human factions are launching simultaneous attacks, likely at ART-2’s instigation. The Psionic Union has appeared, seemingly pursuing ART-2 and searching for an unknown human individual.”

“Rakan and Bell, the two forbidden figures of Platy’s black market, have already been infiltrated by the psionic water and are showing early signs of fanaticism. After two uses of the psionic power, they are expected to become complete slaves of the Psionic Union…”

“Among humanity’s famed commanders, Teach and Nangong are currently meeting with the Corpse Collector organization—most likely seeking the unique virus that group possesses. General Kobayashi, the Chaos Star warlord, has also arrived at Platy’s black market, coercing me, Rakan, and Bell to eliminate Teach and Nangong for him. His suspected motive is the same as theirs, but he intends to seize it by force.”

“He is accompanied by ten kinetic mechs from the Four Great Stars—extremely powerful…”

“Requesting instructions for our next move.”

After a long pause, a cold, sinister voice replied through the communicator:

“Our ARMY-3 group will not get involved. However, the person the Psionic Union seeks… must be identified at all costs.”