Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

Chapter 26 The Funeral
The handler who arrived at the scene first was dressed in a well-fitting suit and had a carefully styled hairstyle; he appeared to be a white-collar worker from some company.

He was a seasoned handler with a high number of awakenings, and he rushed to the scene immediately after hearing the alarm.

Even faster than Li Yelai and Xinghuo.

But now, he stands numbly and indifferently by the roadside, straightening his suit, as if he were attending a funeral.

Then, he looked at Xinghuo in the car and invited her: "Go, Xinghuo, come with me to see him off."

"Don't worry, these are his last words stored in the communicator. The gist is that if anything happens, you should be the one to see him off. He also hopes that some mysterious materials can be preserved in his Well of Souls to make you a psionic weapon." The processor spoke calmly, as if it were as casual as simply inviting Starfire to dinner.

Xinghuo's face was extremely pale, and his body even stiffened for a moment.

He reached out to open the car door, but failed.

After successfully grabbing the handle once again, Xinghuo gritted his teeth and pushed open the car door.

"How could he really do this? He was perfectly fine yesterday, why would he suddenly lose control?" Xinghuo still couldn't believe it.

Yesterday, he also spoke with 'Mada' on the phone. 'Mada' was warm and generous on the other end and encouraged Xinghuo not to be impatient or competitive.

How did it become distorted now?
"The cause is unknown; that's something we'll investigate later," the handler said calmly. "Now, let's go see him off. Spark, this is the path you must take. It's a responsibility that every official handler must bear!"

Psionicists are at risk of becoming twisted and out of control.

In both cases, the probability of a psionicist losing control increases dramatically.

The first type is when advancing to a higher level or breaking through.

Especially highly awakened psionicists.

This is because the more times a psychic awakens, the larger their Soul Well becomes, and the stronger their connection to the Void Realm. Consequently, their projection within the Void Realm also becomes increasingly vast.

Therefore, it will be affected by the power of a larger virtual realm, and may even attract the attention of virtual realm creatures.

Under the infiltration of the power of the Void Realm or the malicious inducement of Void Realm creatures, psionicists may become distorted and out of control, ultimately turning into monsters they themselves despise.

Therefore, psionicists must be very careful when breaking through, and those who can will arrange for teammates to protect and assist them in order to prevent the distortion from getting out of control.

This also reminded Li Yelai why, three days ago, after the cheese breakthrough was completed, he said he was very happy to be able to brag to him.

Having successfully broken through the barrier, she had essentially escaped death.

The second scenario of loss of control.

For some reason, they completely lost control of their psychic powers.

Psychic power is a double-edged sword; when a psychic wields it, they are naturally invincible.

Once psionic energy becomes uncontrollable, it becomes a nightmare that drags psionicists into the abyss.

There are many possible triggers, such as emotions or unresolved issues, that create a void deep within the psychic's heart, which the psychic can exploit, leading to a loss of control.

There have been instances of wild psionicists performing evil rituals in an attempt to resurrect their children, only to fail repeatedly, leading to mental breakdown and eventual distortion.

The reason headquarters asked Li Ye to interact with the doll more was because they were worried that years of loneliness would break the doll and cause her to become twisted and out of control.

But this 'motor' wasn't so lucky.

He eventually lost control.

From being a handler to becoming a victim, from being a law enforcement officer protecting the people to becoming a monster to be eliminated immediately.

But he had made preparations. He even informed the liaison officer on the other end in advance via communicator that he had written down his will.

He hoped that his protégé, 'Spark', could eliminate him.

This was the last act of kindness left by the senior 'Mada'. In his mind, Spark would grow as a result, receive merit points as a reward, and if he was lucky, he might even leave him a psionic weapon.

Xinghuo, on the other hand, was on the verge of collapse, as the thought of killing his best friend had put immense psychological pressure on him.

Spark hesitated when invited by the processor.

Li Yelai could understand his feelings if Yang Chen and Zhishi suddenly lost control.
Li Yelai sighed softly.

Mada and Xinghuo have known each other for a long time; they were friends even before Xinghuo became a psionicist. Mada was also the one who brought Xinghuo into the Processing Department.

Now, however, we are facing each other with swords drawn; this is the greatest tragedy.

“But this is one of the responsibilities that handlers have to bear.” The handler said in a calm tone, “If your teammate loses control, what you have to do is end his suffering.”

Then, the processor looked at Li Yelai: "You must be Ye Jiang, right? As a member of the champion team, you will later know what great things your captain has done for his teammates."

A heroic feat, my teammates.
The former champion team, at their peak, struck fear into the hearts of countless human enemies. There were even rumors that they had overpowered the entire staff of the other giant city's processing departments.

But at some point, they suddenly fell into obscurity and eventually became the team they are today.

Is the championship team's downfall related to its loss of control and distortion?
Li Yelai's heart skipped a beat, and he didn't ask any further questions. Suddenly, he didn't want to know the truth anymore.

But Xinghuo remained hesitant.

At that moment, an inhuman roar came from the room upstairs.

“He needs to be moved; we can’t wait any longer.” The handler glanced regretfully at Xinghuo: “I have to get rid of him.”

He is very strong and it wouldn't take him long to deal with the twisted motor. He waited until now entirely for the sake of the motor's last wish.

“No, I’ll do it. I’ll do it,” Xinghuo replied through gritted teeth, her eyes bloodshot.

He picked up a glove, which was a weapon he had ordered from the branch's equipment department.

It looks like an elegant cloth glove, but it can produce sparks or flames by rubbing it and snapping your fingers.

Combined with the flame manipulation of the zeroing path, Starfire's power is unleashed. A simple snap of the fingers and rubbing of the hands are all it takes to release flames.

This is much better than Li Yelai's jet axe, and it's also easier to hide.

There's nothing we can do; their zero-path capability is just too amazing.

With bloodshot eyes, Xinghuo put on gloves and calmly said, "Mada is a second-awakening psychic, Night General, can you help me cover for him?"

He knew Mada's capabilities; he might not be able to help Mada on his own.

"Of course!" Li Yelai replied, his heart heavy.

He then grasped the large black umbrella and confirmed the summoning bell hidden in his pocket. With his psionic armor, the help of the dual-wielding knight, and the addition of Starfire, he should be able to fulfill Mada's last wish.

Only then did Li Yelai glance at the processor.

“Go ahead. I won’t intervene unless absolutely necessary.” The processor replied with an ugly smile. “Be careful. Mada is a second-awakening psychic from the Omnidirectional Path. His first ability is the Language of the Void, which allows him to control animals and even supernatural beings. His second ability is the Mimicry Howl of the Azure Wolf, which is a sonic attack.”

Li Yelai and Xinghuo nodded, and then, using aerial stepping, they jumped one after the other directly onto the third-floor balcony of the residential building.

Upon entering the balcony, Li Yelai noticed something amiss with the room. What should have been the master bedroom was now filled with welded iron bars, and chains hung from the ceiling. The once peaceful room resembled a prison.

The figure in the police uniform, with his back to the two men and facing the corner of the wall, braced his hands against the wall and let out an inhuman roar.

"Old Ma, are you alright? Let's go back and have some barbecue," Xinghuo called out softly, a hint of expectation in his voice. He still hoped it was a misunderstanding, or that Ma Da could still be saved. The figure paused upon hearing this, then slowly turned around.

It revealed a horrifyingly distorted face, with a protruding jaw and cheeks, resembling some kind of canine. It had no fur whatsoever; only flesh and bone grew rapidly from beneath its skin, blood dripping from its sharp fangs. Furthermore, its limbs had twisted and extended, with sharp claws sprouting from its fingers.

"Heh heh," the motor hissed. It turned its body toward Starfire, arching its back and pressing its extended arms to the ground.

Clearly, he has adopted some kind of aggressive stance.

"You bastard... how could you..." Starfire, utterly despairing, shook his head in anguish, then snapped his fingers sharply. Sparks flew between his fingers.

Then, flames erupted!
The raging flames instantly engulfed the entire room, startling the motor, which roared in alarm. It then sped out of the room at incredible speed.

Hearing her friend's wailing, Xinghuo's eyes turned red, and tears streamed down her face.

But his hands didn't stop; he waved his hand to extinguish the flames in the room and chased after them.

He snapped his fingers again at the motor that was running up the stairs.

The motor, engulfed in flames, screamed as it tumbled down the stairs.

But the moment it stood up, it opened its mouth wide and let out a deafening wolf howl.

The wolf howl echoed in the corridor. Xinghuo felt as if his brain had been hit by a hammer, and he was momentarily dazed, his vision blurring for a moment.

This is the path of all phenomena, the mimicry of the howling wolf!

When Xinghuo's vision returned, the motor had already rushed in front of him.

The sharp claws swung down, gripping heavily against Starfire's psionic barrier.

As the claws slid down, a ripple of air appeared in front of Starfire, actually tearing through Starfire's barrier!

The other claw stabbed out instantly before the barrier could recover, as if it would rip Xinghuo apart in the next second.

Xinghuo was startled and snapped his fingers again as he leaned back sharply.

This distance allows his flames to erupt with maximum power! It can deplete the opponent's psionic barrier to the greatest extent, or even directly ignite the opponent's body.

However, it was too late!
The two sides are too close!

This is the weakness of the Zero Path, which is the most powerful among all paths at the same awakening progress.

However, the physical strength is far too weak compared to other paths.

Once approached, they can only rely on the psionic barrier to withstand the attack.

Once the psionic barrier is breached, it's up to you to react.

"Hurry up!" Xinghuo shouted in his heart.

However, just as the motor unleashed its second claw, an even faster, cold glint flashed.

The motor itself retreated a few steps, allowing Spark to dodge the fatal blow.

That long sword was one that flew out from behind Xinghuo!

The blade pierced directly through the motor's shoulder and pinned it to the wall.

Mada raised his ferocious face and saw the sudden attacker.

It was Li Yelai, who was following behind Xinghuo!

His thrown longsword saved Xinghuo; this was the Overlord's Throwing Halberd!

This is also Li Yelai's only means of long-range attack at present.

Using psionic techniques, you can apply enough psionic energy to a weapon from a distance to neutralize the opponent's psionic barrier.

To achieve a surprising victory.

Ma Da, who was pinned to the wall, did not draw his knife and run away. Instead, he looked at Li Yelai, and a smile appeared on his ferocious face.

"Thank you..." He seemed to smile and thanked her softly.

Li Yelai's expression shifted, but he sighed, "Goodbye."

Li Yelai did not continue to attack, nor did he summon the dual-sword knight.

Because, in the next instant, the scorching flames completely drowned out all sound.

boom! boom! boom!
Xinghuo snapped his fingers repeatedly, sending flames towards the immobile motor until the burning motor fell off the longsword and ceased to move.

Xinghuo then stopped attacking in a daze and stared blankly at Mada's corpse.

He knelt down, staring at Mada's remains, and fell into a deathly silence.

In silence, Li Yelai stepped forward and drew his scarlet longsword. After patting Xinghuo on the shoulder, he turned and left without a word.

As Li Yelai walked back down the stairs to the first floor, he heard heart-wrenching cries coming from above.

Li Yelai paused for a moment, but in the end, he left the residential building without any expression.

Outside the residential building, more than a dozen psionicists had already arrived.

They silently watched the residential building, bidding farewell to their comrades. Then, several psionicists, their faces filled with grief and anger, rushed into the building.

They didn't believe the veteran player's motor would suddenly malfunction; there must be some reason for it.

They need to find the reason, to find the possible culprit!
This had nothing to do with Li Yelai; he saw the cheese that had just arrived.

She sat in her new car, her arm resting on the window and her chin propped up, staring blankly in the direction of the residential buildings.

The firelight illuminated her face, making it appear both blurry and beautiful. Like a dream.
Seeing Li Yelai approach, Cheese said softly, "If one day I also become twisted and out of control, then I'll have to ask you to free me. I'd rather be quick and painless."

Li Yelai remained silent. Cheese reached out and poked his chest, chuckling, "Don't be reluctant to part with him then, that will be the greatest relief for me."

"Don't jinx it," Li Yelai replied in a low voice.

The scene he had just witnessed had a profound impact on him; it seemed to be the first time he had truly grasped the heavy burden of being a processor.

To ward off calamities, suppress taboos, and protect the people, in the end, one must even draw one's sword against one's former comrades.
Can I really fulfill these responsibilities? Am I even worthy?
No, what is there to question now?

Isn't this the path I chose?

Li Yelai exhaled slowly, and the change in his state of mind triggered some kind of change.

This drew the attention of several nearby processors to Li Yelai.

Li Yelai, on the other hand, sensed a new change in his Well of Souls.

It is expanding; it is pioneering.
So, Li Yelai looked at the cheese and said softly.

I'm getting a promotion.

(End of this chapter)