Chapter 1 "Can You Detoxify?!"

Lin Lin's eyes suddenly brightened.

He subconsciously wanted to ask more… then he suddenly remembered the consensus they had just reached, and his expression became strange and subtle.

He had dug a hole, and then jumped into it himself.

"Okay, I won't ask why." Lin Lin took a deep breath and then said seriously, "What I want to ask is, what do you need to prepare for your detoxification method, and when can you start at the earliest?"

"I can start at any time."

Gu Shen said, "My ability can eliminate 'mental toxins', but I need to come into contact with each person individually."

"Your ability can eliminate mental toxins, so… there isn't a single infected person in Squad Two." Lin Lin muttered in realization, "Then let's start now, there's no time to lose."

"I need a secluded environment." Gu Shen said, "Before the Umbrella Defense Line's defense war ends, I don't want this matter to attract too much attention…"

"…Understood."

Lin Lin understood Gu Shen's meaning.

He rubbed his forehead and slowly said, "Then how about arranging it in my loft? I will send a reliable 'mental-type extraordinary' to perform hypnosis before entering the building. You can perform 'spiritual treatment', and I will help you block those unnecessary troubles."

"Okay."

Gu Shen thought for two seconds and nodded in agreement.

The conversation went exceptionally smoothly.

"You trust me that much?" Lin Lin raised his eyebrows. He looked at Gu Shen's departing back and asked, "The 'Files' and 'Detoxification' matters… are no small matters."

Gu Shen smiled.

He pointed to his forehead and said softly, "In a sense, I'm the same as you… when making major decisions, I trust my intuition more. My intuition tells me that I can trust you."

The study returned to silence.

Lin Lin suddenly sighed softly.

Since the mental toxins erupted in Gu Fort, his time had been completely filled, and many people had overlooked one thing… the garrison of this fortress was also a victim of the "mental toxins."

Detoxification was easier said than done.

He had locked himself in the study, handing over command to Zhong Yuan… because he was worried that he would not be able to overcome this difficulty with willpower alone.

Now he had finally made it through.

The toxins had been unlocked by mental power, but his mind was still exhausted. Lin Lin couldn't remember how long it had been since he had rested… He sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead vigorously.

He hoped that the war on the other side of the Great Wall wouldn't be so urgent, that it could at least hold on for a while, allowing him to catch his breath.

One night…

No, even two hours would be good.

…

…

A moment later, Lin Lin regained his spirits and silently looked at the unfinished fortress file on the table.

Besides the storm encountered by the Great Wall.

There was another thing that was very important.

That was this file, which recorded every discovery and progress of the Gu Fort fortress's [Maze] missions.

As the fortress's garrison, Lin Lin personally wrote the mission file each time.

This time, the file contained questions raised by big shots from Central City. They hoped that the Gu Fort fortress's military could find out the real reason why this team was able to complete this incredible escape…

This file would have a certain impact on Gu Fort fortress's future "discourse power."

The North Continent's higher-ups weren't fools either.

They had also discovered the "key figure" in this mission, Gu Shen.

In East Continent, Gu Shen's name already had considerable influence.

But in North Continent…

The roughnecks of North Continent didn't care what happened in East Continent, nor did they care what the young "hero" of East Continent looked like. Gu Shen's name wasn't heard by many people, nor was it paid attention to.

Lin Lin leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowed, quietly recalling this mission filled with mist, thinking about how to write the false file that he would submit to Central City.

Gu Shen…

He was a different kind of guy.

Obviously, he was a "low-profile" concealer, enjoying the peace of the darkness more than being admired.

It could be seen from the sortie mission…

Squad Two's safe return was inextricably linked to Gu Shen. This squad provided complete information on exploring the [Maze], but knew nothing about the information after leaving the [Maze] and encountering the storm.

The squad was likely "hypnotized."

However… the captain of this squad was Yuan Yuan, a Fourth Order extraordinary. Even if he wasn't a mental type, his mental strength had reached the basic qualities of a Fourth Order.

Hypnotizing the entire squad was simply impossible.

Lin Lin could see that Gu Shen's "mental strength" was very strong, but no matter how strong, he was only Third Order, Seventh Layer, which was vastly different from Fourth Order.

Gu Shen couldn't hypnotize Yuan Yuan, unless…

Yuan Yuan gave up his mental resistance?

As soon as this thought came up, Lin Lin suddenly understood the most unreasonable problem on the squad's return journey. If the entire squad gave up their mental resistance and willingly allowed themselves to be "hypnotized," then everything could be explained… Forgetting the details of the return journey was just a "hypnotist" wiping the squad's memories.

This explanation was reasonable, but it couldn't explain the next problem that followed.

Even with group hypnosis, how did the squad's speed increase afterwards, and how did they resist the storm?

After thinking for a moment, Lin Lin wrote in the file.

"Due to encountering a [Primordial Storm] in the [Old World], the members of the investigation squad lost their memories, suspected to be the influence of a certain 'black hole regularity point'. The mystery of the return journey cannot be solved."

"Being able to return to the fortress may be because they touched the [Gate]."

[Gate] was a regularity point that the investigation corps had confirmed to exist, but had not yet explored clearly.

This kind of regularity point can connect two regions.

Those who touch it can achieve long-distance "crossing," but they may have to pay a certain price… different [Gates] have different characteristics. What is currently certain is that this kind of thing is only born in places with a strong primordial aura.

In other words, [Gates] may only exist in North Continent.

And the specific location is top secret, mastered by the influential giants in North Continent… It is said that Rust Bone, White Lizard, Silver Fox, and the corps commander hidden behind the scenes each control different [Gate] resources.

Having a [Gate] means having the possibility of a large-scale force being airdropped at any time.

This is a great weapon in the extraordinary world!

It is a deterrent even more terrifying than a "titled extraordinary"!

Lin Lin attributed the reason for the Maze mission's return to the [Gate], which can be said to be a stroke of genius in this false file. This was the only answer that could prevent Gu Shen from being noticed by the military.

However, after this file was submitted, the big shots in Central City would probably be more active.

They would replicate Gu Shen's journey south and try to find the possible [Gate] mentioned in the file… but Lin Lin didn't care about these things anymore. His wording throughout the report was very cautious.

No one could guarantee that the [Gate] was there.

The laws of the [Old World] change rapidly. Even if they returned along the original route, it was very possible that they wouldn't find the [Gate].

…

…

The members of the quarantine area of Gu Fort fortress didn't expect to be taken out so quickly.

Several of the "infected" in the heavily affected area had already experienced mental breakdowns.

Their consciousness was eroded by toxins. They were sleepy, quiet, and needed to be supported to walk. They didn't look like living people at all, but had become living corpses… If nothing unexpected happened, they would "die" within five days.

Their spiritual seas would wither and die.

However, the Jin Sui Hua (Golden Wheat Flower) poison would preserve their souls… Just like those explorers buried in the snow mountain, Gu Shen could summon their souls at any time to fight for the Pure Land. If the Jin Sui Hua (Golden Wheat Flower) poison completely spread, then the entire Gu Fort would be submerged.

Gu Shen didn't want to see such a scene.

These warriors were all sons of hope fighting for the future of humanity.

They should live, at least they shouldn't die from "mental toxin" infection.

After the Jin Sui Hua (Golden Wheat Flower) recognized its master, Gu Shen vaguely felt that he was tainted with more "ominousness."

At that time, he was still in the [Old World], and there were too many important things to deal with.

Now that he had returned to the fortress, Gu Shen had time to feel it carefully… This feeling of "ominousness" was different from before. It wasn't that he hadn't killed anyone. When he annihilated the Evening Bell Church in the snow mountain in the Tundra, he also felt ominousness.

But at this moment.

This oppression was looming, as if it hadn't completely descended and accumulated.

Gu Shen vaguely felt that it might be because the "mental toxins" were still under control… The rules of this world guided life and death, light and darkness, and other such forces, forming a huge balance. The two ends of the balance needed to be maintained as much as possible, so those who awakened "extraordinary power" would inevitably reap the so-called "ominousness."

Abusing power, breaking the balance, and destroying order… would invite ominousness to descend.

The previous Pluto left behind the will of "it's okay to kill" to induce the growth of the Great Serpent. Because it didn't receive the correct "guidance," the Jin Sui Hua (Golden Wheat Flower) did such a thing…

And Gu Shen, as the current owner, had to bear the consequences.

This should be the reason for this "ominousness" descending.

But fortunately, there was still a chance to remedy it.

In fact, Gu Shen didn't care how much "ominousness" he was tainted with. When he accommodated Pluto's Fire Seed, he was already prepared to face the battle!

But he didn't want to bear a bad reputation and "karma" because of this matter.

These people had to be saved!

…

…

A long queue formed outside Lin Lin's loft.

A spiritual barrier was built at the entrance. Every "infected person" would be shrouded in "dreams" before entering, ensuring that all memories of what happened here would be erased.

Gu Shen was originally curious about who the reliable mental extraordinary that Lin Lin mentioned was…

Doing this would definitely require Lin Lin's deep trust.

This matter was of great importance, and the secret had to be kept extremely tightly, and must not be known to outsiders.

Moreover, one couldn't be curious about the person being treated in the loft.

But when he really saw the "other party's" true face, he was silent.

It wasn't someone else.

It wasn't even… a person.

The Labrador dog squatted honestly at the door, sticking out its tongue and wagging its tail friendly to Gu Shen.

It had none of the demeanor of a rogue vicious dog.

That's right, who said it wasn't a "mental-type extraordinary"?

A perfect "candidate."

The detoxification mission was carried out extremely quickly. The Gu Fort military's efficiency was very high, and Gu Shen was also very fast… This matter was not difficult. For others, it was an "incurable disease", but for him, it was just a matter of "spiritual contact." If it wasn't necessary to put on a guise and cover people's eyes and ears, contacting people one by one, Gu Shen could even directly summon "Pluto's Fire" and take all the "mental toxins" from the entire Gu Fort back into the Pure Land.

Up in the loft.

Lin Lin finished writing the file. He saw that the decaying and dilapidated aura on those "infected people" who left the spiritual barrier had disappeared, and his eyes couldn't help but freeze… Gu Shen didn't deceive him, he really could eliminate "mental toxins."

At this rate, the patients in the quarantine area could be cleared in at most one day.

Then the next step would be to screen for suspected infected people.

And completely eradicate the mental toxins.

In fact, after Gu Shen displayed the ability to eliminate toxins, the dark haze that enveloped Gu Fort dissipated. The "little giant" of [Gu Fort fortress], who had inconvenient legs and feet and was plagued with internal ailments, could finally try to stand up with the help of external forces to face the upcoming storm!

This was an exciting piece of news.

However, fate didn't leave Lin Lin any time to relax.

Almost the next moment, the communicator rang sharply.

"Brigadier General!"

Zou Hai's voice was hoarse: "Gu Fort needs support, the Umbrella Defense Line is about to be breached!"

…

…

Above the Great Wall.

Nearly three hundred source energy ships, suspended in the sky, covered the sky and the sun, and the shadows they cast were like a long night.

It was indeed a long night descending.

The northern [Umbrella Defense Line], the large umbrella propped up by tens of millions of floating plates, burned with a raging wave of light, like a fire mirror. This [buffer zone] was unprecedentedly hot. The first wave of storms "slowly" advanced and arrived at this desolate highland located at the throat of humanity. Osmund's support arrived at the Great Wall, a total of nearly three hundred source energy ships, thousands of source energy cannons fired together, rendering the entire sky white. Under the majestic clash of [primordial energy], the menacing storm was directly blasted out of a gap!

The power of the first source energy cannon successfully tore a hole in the southward storm… But immediately after that, the suffocating residual pressure struck. The first wave of source energy ships at the edge of the Umbrella Defense Line were impacted by the majestic power of the "tide" and began to retreat. Even if they started at full efficiency, they could only barely maintain their original position. If this continued, the first wave of source energy ships would soon lose the best defensive position.

However.

There was still a second wave!

This time, the impact at least effectively killed the storm.

Maybe… they could hold the defense line!

Before the warriors driving the source energy ships had time to be happy, they saw a terrifying sight… Behind the torn gap, the back of the grand storm's open belly was a series of other "storms" that were constantly merging.

Lightning was like a magnificent brushstroke.

This was a scene that even the greatest painter could not paint—

Compared to it, the real world was palely like an oil painting. Outside the [Umbrella Defense Line], the storms merged in a devastating manner. They devoured everything, including themselves.

And after merging, the scale of this primordial storm reached a scalp-numbing level.

The gap that was originally torn apart by the artillery fire was restored to its original state in tens of seconds.

The bombardment that the three hundred source energy ships had just carried out was laughably like a wave in the angry sea. It seemed powerful, but it was swallowed up in an instant… It was almost impossible to maintain the wave with just one wave.

Even if they could barely support it, how long could they last?

[Deep Sea], which controlled the Gu Fort local area network, made an unprecedentedly shrill warning sound at this moment.

"Detecting that the storm is gathering, vision is being lost, the number of detections… fourteen."

"Number, twelve."

"Number, eleven."

All the combat members who heard the prompt sound were pale… Like the storm that had just hit the defense line, there were fourteen more of similar scale?!

What a joke!

Moreover, they were still merging!

"Retreat."

A calm voice sounded in the command channel.

In the [Main Ship] of Gu Fort fortress, a blond man was commanding the fortress's operation instead of Lin Lin.

This person was Zhong Yuan.

The sortie missions executed by the investigation corps were not large in scale. Due to the weirdness and unpredictability of the [Old World], the number of people on each mission needed to be controlled… so the captains in the corps, in theory, did not have the ability to command large-scale battles.

But Zhong Yuan was an exception!

He had served under General White Lizard in his early years and was an extremely excellent staff officer. He not only showed excellent combat talent, but also showed considerable command ability. However, North Continent was currently in a period of peace, and no large-scale battles had broken out. Zhong Yuan could only compete with the commanders in the corps through virtual battles in [sand table simulations]. His record was very good, with few defeats.

All one hundred and forty-nine source energy ships of Gu Fort received their orders.

At the gate of the [Defense Line], they unleashed the last wave of artillery fire and then quickly retreated.

Each medium-sized source energy ship received special instructions from the main ship. The squadron captains of Gu Fort fortress looked surprised. That was a "command terminology" that was only common within their fortress. If they didn't know that the command of the operation had been transferred at this moment, they would have thought that the brigadier general had personally issued the instructions.

Lin Lin and Zhong Yuan often communicated and corresponded with each other, and there were no secrets between them… Zhong Yuan told Lin Lin all the secrets within the investigation corps, and Lin Lin didn't hold back anything. Daily life in Gu Fort fortress was relatively boring. He often reviewed his command work in his letters. These terminologies were naturally written in the letters as well.

Zhong Yuan knew very well that fighting against the storm required a protracted war.

This was also the meaning of the existence of the [Umbrella Defense Line]!

In terms of true command ability, he was definitely not as good as Lin Lin… He didn't have the resume of truly mastering a large fleet. The experience provided by sand table simulations was not enough to fight against this storm.

What he had to do was to reduce the storm as much as possible before it reached the Great Wall.

Zhong Yuan didn't think that he could make such a powerful command, but at least he had to hold on until Lin Lin solved his own "mental toxins" and took over the command of the fleet. At that time, if the situation wasn't too bad, there might be a turnaround!

…

…

In the brilliant source energy bombardment, the fleet began to retreat "slowly" towards the Great Wall.

The storm, which was constantly being torn apart by artillery fire, was determined to sweep south and eventually crashed into the vast [Umbrella Defense Line].

"…"

That was a shocking sound that could not be described in words.

That was the ultimate roar.

It was also the ultimate silence.

The commanders sitting in the source energy ships had gray, complex, firm, and bitter expressions…

Their pupils reflected floating plates, burning with all their might.

Looking from a distance.

The great umbrella that protected the human homeland burned with a tragic fire in the night.

The roaring sound swept everything and devoured everything.

The great umbrella burned, shattered, and withered…

The world was fragmented, making a painful wail.

Even the lofts within the territory of the North Continent fortress could see the glow emitted by the burning umbrella. The long night burned fiercely, in a quiet stillness. Gu Shen sat in the dreamland on the first floor of the loft, removing the mental toxins of the [infected] as quickly as possible. All he could do was to heal this fortress that had fallen ill as soon as possible, so that the city gates could be opened quickly.

Lin Lin, on the second floor of the loft, connected to the communication channel of the entire fleet.

"I am Lin Lin."

He took a deep breath and said calmly, "Now the entire fleet is under my control."