Chapter 10: The Mental Brand (Part 1)
“Notify the lord of Hundred Birds City. Zerg spies have infiltrated the bird beastmen. Please cooperate with us in conducting an investigation.”
On the medical level, the bird beastman captured by the Allied Forces was lying on a hospital bed, undergoing a joint examination by several guides.
“The mental barrier is peeling away. There are two rupture marks on it. The consciousness cloud shows signs of having been reconstructed before. This shape… it looks like a cave.”
A healer guide recorded the findings on the test sheet while reporting to Lin Chuan, the commander standing nearby.
Lin Chuan looked at the lifeless bird beastman on the hospital bed and extended his mental tendrils into the other party’s consciousness cloud.
The other party’s mental barrier was gradually peeling away, making his mental probing especially smooth.
Lin Chuan could not help furrowing his brows as he sensed the mental network that had been twisted into something like an insect nest. A chill spread upward from the soles of his feet.
Lin Chuan took a deep breath and withdrew his mental tendrils from the other party’s consciousness cloud.
At that exact moment, Jin Chi’an’s voice came from behind him.
“His consciousness cloud was invaded.”
Jin Chi’an slowly walked in from the doorway. The expression on his face had returned to its usual calm, and there was no trace at all that he had argued with someone earlier.
Lin Chuan asked, “When you fought him just now, did you discover anything?”
Jin Chi’an took the beastman’s mental examination report from the healer guide. With just one glance, he explained the reconstruction of the consciousness cloud written on it.
“It was mental invasion by the Zerg race. When I entered his consciousness cloud, I fought with a long worm-shaped parasite.”
Jin Chi’an repeatedly went over the fight in his mind. After thinking for a moment, he continued, “According to the information submitted by Hundred Birds City’s military department, most of the missing border soldiers in the city have likely been mentally controlled by the Zerg race. Even the guide captured yesterday was probably the same. At first, I thought it was mental hypnosis. I didn’t expect it to actually be the control of a physical species. But this is the first time I’ve seen a species capable of long-term mental control over people…”
Before Jin Chi’an could finish speaking, Lin Chuan tugged at the corner of his clothes and leaned close to his ear.
“The guide from yesterday is gone. The surveillance signal was interfered with, and his whereabouts weren’t captured.”
Jin Chi’an calmly gave an “Mm,” with not the slightest surprise visible on his face.
Lin Chuan was puzzled. “You already knew?”
“I knew. He was the one who sent the retreat signal to the bird beastmen. Their operation this time was most likely to rescue him.”
Jin Chi’an and Lin Chuan met each other’s eyes. After hesitating for a moment, Jin Chi’an tentatively said, “Lin Chuan, do me a favor.”
A semicircular defensive barrier unfolded in the sky above Hundred Birds City, putting the entire city under lockdown.
A little sparrow flew through the air. Just as it was about to fly out of the city, it slammed into a transparent barrier and fell heavily.
“Chi’an, how could you hypnotize me yesterday? You even made me carry you off to act without authorization. The adjutant almost scolded me to death.”
Inside a small military aircraft, Jin Chi’an sat in the pilot’s seat, controlling the aircraft’s direction. Qin Hua, sitting in the co-pilot’s seat beside him, muttered quietly, his voice carrying a trace of grievance.
Ignoring his occasional attempts at conversation, Jin Chi’an looked toward the three beastman members in the cabin who were on high alert.
“Have the monitors picked up signals from those bird beastmen?”
“Not for now. We’re following up on the latest situation with the other teams,” a snow leopard beastman replied.
Jin Chi’an looked at the peaceful sky above Hundred Birds City before him, and an ominous feeling began to grow in his heart. Puff, who was currently searching on land, could not sense the slightest mental fluctuation either.
Jin Chi’an suppressed the anxiety in his heart. His index finger slid across the control screen in front of him, and in his mind, several flashes appeared of the glowing totems on Oshta’s back.
Right after that, a voice connecting to the command room interrupted his thoughts.
Ewan’s face appeared on the aircraft’s central screen.
“A special situation has been reported in the central district. Team Two, proceed immediately to the Hundred Birds City lord’s residence.”
Jin Chi’an changed direction and piloted the aircraft toward the central district.
“Heavy weapons have appeared on the central street. Frontline Reconnaissance Teams One, Three, and Four, proceed immediately to assist in evacuating civilians on site. Medical teams, stand by in the rear. Frontline Reconnaissance Team Two, please proceed immediately to support the city lord’s residence.”
“Team Two copies.”
Jin Chi’an piloted the aircraft to the sky above Hundred Birds City’s lord residence. The team members operated their mechas and leaped from the wide-open hatch of the aircraft.
Through the team communicator, Qin Hua complained, “There isn’t a single person in this residence. Command didn’t even explain clearly what exactly we’re supposed to support.”
Inside the aircraft cabin, Jin Chi’an spread out his mental network and covered the interior of the residence.
But the enemy seemed to have made thorough preparations. Not a single fluctuation of mental power could be found inside the residence, except for the ten-thousand-year-old ancient tree there, which kept emitting dense energy.
“What is that tree?” Jin Chi’an asked through the communicator.
Xi Lian, the harpy eagle beastman in the team, replied, “Quetzal, the ten-thousand-year-old ancient tree. It’s Hundred Birds City’s rarest treasure. There’s a legend among bird beastmen that birds who have sucked Quetzal’s sap will receive the protection of the bird clan’s god. From then on, they will know no disasters, illnesses, or pain. Because of that, Quetzal tree sap is almost impossible to obtain even for a fortune in underground auctions. Even the city lord’s lineage, who guards the sacred tree, has never overstepped and cut the sacred tree’s bark to collect its sap.”
A flash of inspiration crossed Jin Chi’an’s mind. He recalled how the mental barriers of bird beastmen were different from those of other beastmen.
“Xi Lian, do you bird beastmen have frenzy periods?”
“Of course we do. But I’ve heard that the frenzy periods of beastmen in Hundred Birds City are extremely short, and they don’t even fully beastify. Unfortunately, I was born in District One.”
Jin Chi’an narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze drifted toward the ten-thousand-year-old ancient tree ahead, whose canopy covered the sky and blocked out the sun. The corner of his mouth curved into a smile.
“So that’s where it is. Using the ancient tree’s energy to cover mental-power fluctuations. Pretty clever.”
Jin Chi’an opened the scanning system from the aircraft’s control panel, and a holographic three-dimensional map of the residence was immediately projected before him.
Beneath the mansion, centered around the ten-thousand-year-old ancient tree, a tunnel was hidden, leading into the inside of the ancient tree.
“Qin Hua, there’s a hidden door to your southeast. If you go downward, it leads into the inside of the ancient tree.”
Qin Hua looked toward the wine cellar he had indicated. Massive wine barrels blocked all four sides tightly, but the dust on the ground showed signs of disturbance in the surrounding area.
“There is a hidden door. So where’s the switch?”
“Oh, there’s no need to bother with that.”
Jin Chi’an opened the weapons storage compartment of the spatial device and took out the seized electromagnetic railgun from the storage space.
“Locked on. Tracking. Confirmation complete.”
Jin Chi’an carried the railgun to the rear of the aircraft. As sunlight streamed in, the hatch slowly opened.
Jin Chi’an immediately pressed the launch button. After rotating once, the railgun shot straight into the residence and, amid Qin Hua’s curses, blasted apart the defensive barrier over the hidden door.
Even through the outer shells of their mechas, the members of Frontline Reconnaissance Team Two were still shaken by the massive impact and forced several meters backward.
Looking at the hidden door that had been blown open through the remote feed, Jin Chi’an was very satisfied.
“The beastmen’s toys are pretty useful.”
Seeing this, the members of Frontline Reconnaissance Team Two had no time to complain about the nearly suicidal strike just now and immediately entered the hidden passage.
At this moment, inside the giant tree, Oshta looked toward the direction of the commotion just now. Then he turned coldly toward the elderly crested eagle tied up in the corner.
“Lord of Hundred Birds City, it seems the reinforcements you called have arrived. You don’t have much time left.”
Oshta revealed the brand on his neck. Beside him, an adult crested eagle immediately pressed its sharp claws against the city lord’s neck.
“Hand over Quetzal’s heartwood.”
Oshta crouched down and looked him in the eye.
Seeing that the other party’s gaze did not waver in the slightest, Oshta said regretfully, “What a pity. Among your sacred tree guardian lineage, only this powerless third son formed a mental bond.”
The branded totem on the back of Oshta’s neck glowed with a brighter blood-red light. The adult crested eagle’s claws tightened a little more, as if intent on killing the city lord beneath them.
“Cough… Zerg race…”
Oshta no longer bothered entangling himself with him. He directly spread out a large amount of mental power, overwhelmingly searching every aura inside the ancient tree.
But Quetzal, which was filled with energy throughout, did not give him the slightest chance. The overflowing energy made it impossible for him to determine where the heartwood was.
Before Oshta could find the result, the mental-power fluctuations of Frontline Reconnaissance Team Two entered the domain of his mental network.
Impatiently, Oshta extended attacking tendrils and sent them toward the people who had just rushed out of the hidden passage.
Before his tendrils could get close, a wave of mental power transmitted from outside the sacred tree blocked his attack.
Jin Chi’an’s voice appeared in his consciousness cloud.
“Poison dart frog, your consciousness cloud is just like you. Truly disgusting.”
“Heh.”
Oshta let out a soft laugh and turned to give the adult crested eagle a look.
Receiving the order, the crested eagle immediately attacked Qin Hua and the others. Its hardened claws shredded the shells fired by the mechas.
Oshta confidently left his back to him while both dealing with Jin Chi’an’s attacks and searching for the location of the heartwood.
The sacred tree’s endless energy continuously interfered with his search. After several exchanges with Jin Chi’an, his mental power began to show signs of strain.
Just as his mental power was about to run dry, inspiration suddenly struck Oshta, and he issued an instruction to the crested eagle.
Immediately, the crested eagle transformed into human form, took out a railgun, and aimed it in the direction of the frontline reconnaissance team. Everyone dodged one after another. Before they could make their next move, several railgun shots were fired in succession at the ancient tree itself, piercing through the massive tree roots hidden deep underground one by one.
The ancient tree’s energy weakened accordingly. In an instant, Oshta’s mental net caught the location of the heartwood.
Oshta whistled and jumped onto the back of the crested eagle, who had transformed back into beast form. A shell hollowed out the top of the ancient tree, and a palm-sized piece of heartwood fell intact into Oshta’s hand.
The two of them quickly escaped through the blasted opening.
The moment they saw daylight again, an aircraft appeared in their field of vision.
Jin Chi’an carried the railgun and aimed it at Oshta’s head.
“Long time no see, Oshta.”
Immediately afterward, a shell was fired.
The crested eagle instantly changed direction, dodging the railgun’s attack.
But the shell that had locked onto its target kept tracking the two of them.
In just an instant, Oshta’s furrowed brows relaxed, and he revealed a smug smile. Right after that, he stood and jumped off the crested eagle’s back.
The flying crested eagle also immediately turned around and pounced toward the shell that had changed direction to track Oshta.
It exploded with the shell in midair, then fell toward the ground.
Update Posting Schedule: Starting next chapter, posting schedule change from posting every day to 3 chapters every Tuesday~
