Chapter Forty-Eight: The Mind Manipulator

They could only wait.

The cameras inside the research base had been destroyed by Ou Xingkong as he made his way through. To prevent any top-secret information from leaking, the exterior was blocked off with a powerful signal jammer, cutting off all communications—even satellite phones were temporarily disabled, just to be absolutely certain.

As they watched the Shenlong Squad descend into the base, anxiety gnawed at many hearts. Only two men remained utterly unperturbed: one was Commander Li, a veteran of countless battles, for whom such situations were hardly enough to unnerve; the other was Jiang An, who believed there was no problem he couldn’t solve with a single punch—and if not, then with two, and failing that, perhaps a kick.

Forty minutes passed without any knowledge of what was happening inside. The base was vast, its layout complex—perhaps they were playing a game of cat and mouse. Just as the crowd braced for a long standoff, there was movement.

Someone was coming out at the main entrance!

All the soldiers raised their guns, aiming intently, poised to unleash a hail of bullets at the slightest provocation. But there was no need. The ones emerging were the Shenlong Squad, striding out with pride, and in their midst was a disheveled, middle-aged man, his clothes torn, hair in disarray, bound tightly with rope. Most peculiar was that his eyes were shut, and dark violet patterns circled his sockets, lending him an eerie look. Behind the squad, Wang Bixuan followed, wearing a faint smile, leading a group of researchers out from the base.

“Brilliant!”

The officers could not help but burst into laughter—this operation had been flawless!

“Reporting to Commander! Mission accomplished. We’ve captured Ou Xingkong alive! Apart from Wu Ma and Mao Tu suffering minor injuries, there were no casualties!” Shenlong Squad had come close and reported loudly to Commander Li.

Commander Li cast a gaze over the captive. So this was his true face? He said, “This is Ou Xingkong? Tell me what happened in detail.”

“Commander, after entering the base as ordered, we first regrouped with Chief Wang, settled the researchers, then swept the base to locate Ou Xingkong—this took about half an hour. Near the control room, he ambushed us, but thanks to Chief Wang’s warning and Chenlong’s protection, only two were lightly wounded. We then engaged in combat; Chief Wang unleashed a spell, severely wounding him, allowing us to capture him alive. Chief Wang’s foresight and decisive action were crucial—he deserves the highest credit!” The Rat Captain gave a brief account, his words full of respect for Wang Bixuan.

To capture a grandmaster alive without severe injuries or fatalities—such a feat was unmatched even among the nation’s five elite special squads!

Commander Li’s gaze naturally fell on the goateed Wang Bixuan. Wang stroked his beard with poise, exuding a refined air far beyond that of an ordinary martial artist. He replied with a laugh, “Captain Rat, you’re too generous. If there’s any credit to be given, it’s to you, Commander Li! Since everything’s settled, I’m not afraid to be candid. Our National Guardian Villa had prior intelligence that foreign forces would infiltrate the command to sow chaos, though we didn’t know who. To be safe, the Villa informed you, Commander, and we set a trap—luring the enemy in! The success of this operation is owed entirely to your trust and meticulous planning. Hah, who would have thought the blindfolds we gave the martial artists were the key? At the crucial moment, I was able to use my ‘Ghost Veil’ spell, striking him blind with agony, so we could take him alive. Otherwise, even if we had won, a grandmaster’s final desperate attack would have cost us at least half our men.”

Hearing this, everyone marveled at the cunning plan and felt a surge of relief. Suddenly, two peals of laughter rang out, sharp and jarring among the crowd.

The laughter came from two men: the bound Ou Xingkong, and Jiang An. All eyes turned to them.

Colonel Luo, closest to Jiang An, quickly tugged at him and whispered, “Dr. Jiang, what’s so funny?”

“Nothing, just amusing, that’s all,” Jiang An replied, his face alight with mirth. “I just want to ask Mr. Wang: you sealed this Ou Xingkong’s eight extraordinary meridians, but did you seal his spiritual sea?”

At these words, the others had yet to react, but Ou Xingkong’s laughter stopped abruptly.

“Ah!”

“Watch out!”

Suddenly, chaos erupted!

Commander Li clutched his head, crying out in agony. At the same moment, from the soles of Ou Xingkong’s shoes, two streaks of silver shot out with incredible speed—one toward Commander Li, the other toward Jiang An! Chenlong, standing before Ou Xingkong, was the first to sense something amiss; he leapt instinctively, his right hand—shrouded in white energy—struck out, sending a gust of force that deflected the silver flash, but failed to stop its headlong rush.

Wen Wan froze. In that split second, she seemed to see a glint of silver flying toward her brow. Though it hadn’t reached her yet, a nameless terror gripped her mind—the silver streak was too fast. Her instincts told her there was no way to dodge: the needle would pierce her brow and crack open her skull.

That thought lasted but a moment. Then, she realized—the silver streak had stopped, just centimeters from her face. She could see clearly: it was a ten-centimeter-long metallic silver needle, gleaming coldly. And at the midpoint of the needle, two slender fingers gripped it with iron force.

“How is this possible!”

The crowd, stunned to silence from chaos, now stared in disbelief at Jiang An, who stood expressionless, a long needle held firmly between the fingers of each hand.

“This is bad—he’s an Esper, a psychic!” Chenlong exclaimed, suddenly recalling the shrapnel in Commander Li’s head. Alarmed, he scooped up the commander and dashed back.

Damn it! No wonder Ou Xingkong had seemed so subdued in the base, never revealing his psychic abilities—he was waiting for a chance to get close to the commander. The shrapnel in the commander’s brain was metal too! We thought we’d captured him, but nearly caused a disaster!

“Fire!”

Someone shouted. The Shenlong Squad and nearby soldiers wasted no time; their fingers squeezed the triggers, and a torrent of bullets roared toward Ou Xingkong.

But it was useless. The soldiers stared in shock at what unfolded—all the bullets stopped mere centimeters from Ou Xingkong, suspended in midair, unable to advance.

“Cease fire! Get down!”

Wang Bixuan shouted in alarm, flinging his hand. A golden light shot forth—not toward Ou Xingkong, but blossoming in midair into a pale gold, semi-circular shield several meters wide, guarding himself and the command post. Sure enough, in the next instant, biubiubiubiu! All the bullets fired at Ou Xingkong hurtled back even faster. Those on the other three sides couldn’t defend themselves; screams erupted as they were hit.

The bullets hammered the golden shield like a torrential downpour, but it held firm.

Petty tricks!

Jiang An snorted coldly, flicking his hands. With a sharp crack, the two silver needles shot forward, seizing an opening and piercing Ou Xingkong’s shoulders, splattering blood.

Ou Xingkong focused his will—the needles flew out of his body, hovering before him. He wiped fresh blood from his nose, sneered, and said, “I didn’t expect another expert here. I truly miscalculated. I was right to sense, back then, that you were the greatest variable!”

“You certainly went to great lengths,” Jiang An replied with a smile, stepping forward to stand face-to-face with Ou Xingkong.

The crowd had already retreated, forming a larger circle around Jiang An and Ou Xingkong, guns trained on the pair but no one daring to fire again. What madness was this?

The command staff took the chance to fall back even farther. Wang Bixuan wiped the cold sweat from his brow and explained, “Who could have guessed Ou Xingkong was also a psychic, and hid it so well! No wonder, as a martial grandmaster, he infiltrated the Mastermind Organization with such ease. From his weapons, he appears to be a metal manipulator—his psychic power accelerates those metallic needles, making them deadlier than bullets within hundreds of meters! But don’t be afraid. Blocking all those bullets has drained most of his power, or he wouldn’t be bleeding from the nose. One thing puzzles me, though—where did he get those steel needles? Didn’t you search him beforehand?”

“I think he got them from the lab,” someone nearby replied hesitantly. “We had some there—made of alloy, incredibly tough.”

“Ah, there’s no end to precaution,” Chenlong said, having calmed the headache-stricken commander. “Earlier, in the lounge, the commander suddenly had a headache—I sensed some kind of psychic force at work. Now it’s clear: Ou Xingkong was moving the shrapnel in the commander’s brain with his psychic power. If he’d gone further, and the shrapnel flew out, could the commander have survived?”

Chenlong’s gaze turned razor-sharp. “I have two questions. Chief Wang, as a spellcaster, your mental strength exceeds that of us martial artists. How did I sense that anomaly, but you did not? And second—who is he? Is he from the National Guardian Villa as well?”

Following Chenlong’s pointing finger, everyone looked at Jiang An’s back as he faced off with Ou Xingkong. The group fell silent, all eyes locked on Wang Bixuan, waiting for an answer.