Chapter 81: The Special Ops Squad and the Poisoned Shadows in the City
On the west side of the Combat Readiness Academy, a separate enclosed training ground was designated as the exclusive practical training site for this special reconnaissance squad.
Underground in the field, simulated triangular psychic nodes were embedded to replicate the linked psychic fields of the underground scaled race, used to simulate the illusions and psychic impacts within the rifts. The squad consisted of seven members in total, including Lin Yan, Jiang Tao, and Old Chen. The other four were experienced Sea of Consciousness cultivators selected from various front lines, with levels ranging from the second-tier peak to Jiang Tao's fourth tier.
On the first day of training, the instructor activated the simulated nodes.
Three dark blue light sources on the rock walls lit up simultaneously, and a faint psychic mist immediately began to spread. Countless fragmented illusions flickered at the edge of everyone's vision, accompanied by faint, elusive whispers that constantly disturbed their minds.
"The core characteristic of triangular nodes is that if one is damaged, the other two automatically share the load. Simple single-point destruction cannot quickly collapse the field," the instructor explained loudly from outside the field. "The optimal solution is for two people to restrain two nodes, while the remaining person seizes the moment of energy resonance among the three nodes to cut all three links simultaneously."
"Lin Yan, your psychic thread control is the most precise; you are responsible for the core severing. Jiang Tao, with your fourth-tier Sea of Consciousness, you will bear the main restraint. The rest of you are responsible for resisting the illusions, guarding your minds, and covering the two of them."
With a command, the practical training began.
Jiang Tao deployed his Sea of Consciousness, locking his heavy psychic power onto the simulated nodes on the left and right, continuously outputting pressure to disrupt the energy balance of the nodes. The other squad members raised Sea of Consciousness barriers to resist the oncoming illusions.
Lin Yan focused his mind, slowly unfolding his third-tier Sea of Consciousness as countless hair-thin psychic threads quietly extended outward. He did not rush to strike but quietly observed the rhythm of the energy fluctuations of the three nodes, waiting for that moment of resonance.
"Now!"
A thought flashed in Lin Yan's mind, and his psychic threads shot out simultaneously, piercing precisely into the energy links of the three nodes.
Weng!
The three blue lights flickered violently at the same time, then went out together. The illusions shrouding the training field vanished instantly.
"Excellent!" The instructor nodded. "But this is just simulated equipment. On a real battlefield, there are secondary priests continuously repairing the links nearby, and scaled beasts will harass you at close range; they won't give you a peaceful chance to find the resonance window. Another round, add scaled beast simulation targets."
In the following days, the training intensity increased day by day. The simulation field not only replicated the triangular nodes but also deployed mechanical targets to simulate scaled beast ambushes, even overlaying high-intensity psychic illusions. The squad continuously polished their coordination, with each person finding their proper position.
Jiang Tao was responsible for taking the psychic impacts head-on and restraining the nodes; Lin Yan searched for the timing of node resonance to complete the link severing; Old Chen, wielding his long knife, was responsible for clearing harassing targets at close range; the remaining squad members handled alertness, supplementary defense, and emergency rescue.
As the days passed, the squad's coordination grew increasingly tacit.
Meanwhile, within Panshi City, an undercurrent was silently spreading.
The first incident involved a second-tier Sea of Consciousness cultivator stationed at an inner city outpost. He had been on normal watch the previous night, but the next morning, he suddenly lost control of his mind, raising his knife to attack his nearby comrades. Even after being subdued, he remained immersed in endless illusions, repeatedly muttering about underground rifts and scaled beasts devouring the earth. After being sent to the Sea of Consciousness therapy room for examination, the medical team discovered that his Sea of Consciousness had been eroded by an extremely subtle, nearly imperceptible psychic toxin.
The news was quickly reported to the command center.
The Grand Marshal looked at the report submitted by the medical room, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his expression solemn.
"It is not a sudden Sea of Consciousness disorder; it is the scaled race's diffuse psychic toxin. It seeps slowly through the rock strata, silently and invisibly. Ordinary people cannot perceive it, and low-tier Sea of Consciousness cultivators, with their weaker defenses, are the most susceptible."
"The first batch of victims already numbers five," a staff officer beside him reported in a low voice. "All are second-tier or below cultivators. In the early stages of onset, it is merely insomnia and emotional irritability; by the time hallucinations appear, the toxin has already invaded the Sea of Consciousness. It is very difficult to clear."
The news was sealed by the war zone to avoid causing panic within the city. However, the high command immediately adjusted their deployment: all Sea of Consciousness cultivators in the city must undergo daily Sea of Consciousness screening, and psychic monitoring arrays were deployed at the foundation of the bastion to capture in real-time the faint psychic signals seeping up from underground.
In the therapy room, Lin Yan received this intelligence.
"So this is the Ancient Progenitor's plan," Lin Yan said softly, his fingertips rubbing the report. "No frontal assault on the bastion; instead, slowly seeping in with psychic toxins, consuming our grassroots combat strength bit by bit. Once a large number of low-tier cultivators suffer mental collapse, they will launch a beast tide."
"Too vicious," Jiang Tao said, his brow furrowed. "The toxin is hidden in the rock strata, with no obvious signs of an outbreak; it is impossible to guard against. Even if we can win an ambush in the rift with our current special training, the enemy's attack has already quietly entered inside the city walls."
Old Chen stood beside him, gripping his long knife tightly: "Then can our squad take the initiative to strike out, find the source rift releasing the toxin, and destroy it?"
"The high command is currently evaluating," the instructor said, pushing open the door and taking over the conversation. "The monitoring station has locked onto three suspicious secondary rifts; the toxin signals are diffusing outward from that area. The high command is inclined to send our squad to investigate, find the toxin release node, and destroy the source. The risk is extremely high; that area has most likely been pre-set with ambushes."
Lin Yan raised his eyes, a calm depth in his gaze: "This is exactly what the Ancient Progenitor wants. If we go to clear the toxin source, we are voluntarily stepping into the trap it has set. Its target is still me."
Deep underground in the resonance rock cave, the Ancient Progenitor lay in the pool, receiving psychic signals transmitted back from the direction of Panshi City. Waves of chaotic mental fluctuations from within the bastion continuously entered its perception.
"The psychic toxin is taking effect," the surviving secondary priest transmitted its thoughts, lying on the ground. "The humans have detected the presence of the toxin; their special reconnaissance squad is highly likely to come to the western rift area to investigate."
"Very good." The Ancient Progenitor's thoughts were cold and heavy. "Set up multiple psychic nodes at those three secondary rifts and ambush high-tier scaled beasts. This time, not only must Lin Yan be killed. This entire squad must be left behind."
It no longer limited its target solely to Lin Yan. This special squad, which had mastered the method of breaking triangular nodes, was the greatest threat to its psychic network in the future. Using the toxin to lure the squad to their doorstep and eliminating them in one fell swoop would kill two birds with one stone.
"Set up a continuous illusion grand formation, overlaying multiple layers of psychic restraints," the Ancient Progenitor ordered slowly. "Arrange more high-tier scaled beasts for ambush, with nodes nested within each other. Once they step into the rift cluster, seal off all escape routes."
The commands spread through the rock strata. Countless high-tier scaled beasts lurking in the underground dark caves of the western rift cluster slowly raised their heads, quietly waiting for the prey to arrive.
At the Panshi City Command Center, the operational meeting concluded.
The mission was officially issued: The Special Reconnaissance Squad would depart in three days, heading to the No. 3 Rift Cluster in the west to locate and destroy the psychic toxin release node.
On the training ground, the seven members of the squad gathered. The instructor read out the mission briefing, and everyone's expression was solemn.
"Everyone is aware of the mission's risks," the instructor said, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "The Ancient Progenitor actively released the toxin signal; there is a high probability it is luring us over. But we must go. The toxin continues to spread, and more cultivators in the city will lose control. We have no way back."
Lin Yan lowered his head, closing his eyes for a moment to sort out his Sea of Consciousness. After two months of recuperation and tempering, the core of his third-tier Sea of Consciousness was stable, and his control over psychic threads had become even more exquisite. He was ready to welcome the next deadly battle.
To the west of the wasteland, rifts stretched continuously. Deep within the dark caves, dark blue fluorescent light quietly lit up; a massive net had already been silently cast.
End of Chapter.
Underground in the field, simulated triangular psychic nodes were embedded to replicate the linked psychic fields of the underground scaled race, used to simulate the illusions and psychic impacts within the rifts. The squad consisted of seven members in total, including Lin Yan, Jiang Tao, and Old Chen. The other four were experienced Sea of Consciousness cultivators selected from various front lines, with levels ranging from the second-tier peak to Jiang Tao's fourth tier.
On the first day of training, the instructor activated the simulated nodes.
Three dark blue light sources on the rock walls lit up simultaneously, and a faint psychic mist immediately began to spread. Countless fragmented illusions flickered at the edge of everyone's vision, accompanied by faint, elusive whispers that constantly disturbed their minds.
"The core characteristic of triangular nodes is that if one is damaged, the other two automatically share the load. Simple single-point destruction cannot quickly collapse the field," the instructor explained loudly from outside the field. "The optimal solution is for two people to restrain two nodes, while the remaining person seizes the moment of energy resonance among the three nodes to cut all three links simultaneously."
"Lin Yan, your psychic thread control is the most precise; you are responsible for the core severing. Jiang Tao, with your fourth-tier Sea of Consciousness, you will bear the main restraint. The rest of you are responsible for resisting the illusions, guarding your minds, and covering the two of them."
With a command, the practical training began.
Jiang Tao deployed his Sea of Consciousness, locking his heavy psychic power onto the simulated nodes on the left and right, continuously outputting pressure to disrupt the energy balance of the nodes. The other squad members raised Sea of Consciousness barriers to resist the oncoming illusions.
Lin Yan focused his mind, slowly unfolding his third-tier Sea of Consciousness as countless hair-thin psychic threads quietly extended outward. He did not rush to strike but quietly observed the rhythm of the energy fluctuations of the three nodes, waiting for that moment of resonance.
"Now!"
A thought flashed in Lin Yan's mind, and his psychic threads shot out simultaneously, piercing precisely into the energy links of the three nodes.
Weng!
The three blue lights flickered violently at the same time, then went out together. The illusions shrouding the training field vanished instantly.
"Excellent!" The instructor nodded. "But this is just simulated equipment. On a real battlefield, there are secondary priests continuously repairing the links nearby, and scaled beasts will harass you at close range; they won't give you a peaceful chance to find the resonance window. Another round, add scaled beast simulation targets."
In the following days, the training intensity increased day by day. The simulation field not only replicated the triangular nodes but also deployed mechanical targets to simulate scaled beast ambushes, even overlaying high-intensity psychic illusions. The squad continuously polished their coordination, with each person finding their proper position.
Jiang Tao was responsible for taking the psychic impacts head-on and restraining the nodes; Lin Yan searched for the timing of node resonance to complete the link severing; Old Chen, wielding his long knife, was responsible for clearing harassing targets at close range; the remaining squad members handled alertness, supplementary defense, and emergency rescue.
As the days passed, the squad's coordination grew increasingly tacit.
Meanwhile, within Panshi City, an undercurrent was silently spreading.
The first incident involved a second-tier Sea of Consciousness cultivator stationed at an inner city outpost. He had been on normal watch the previous night, but the next morning, he suddenly lost control of his mind, raising his knife to attack his nearby comrades. Even after being subdued, he remained immersed in endless illusions, repeatedly muttering about underground rifts and scaled beasts devouring the earth. After being sent to the Sea of Consciousness therapy room for examination, the medical team discovered that his Sea of Consciousness had been eroded by an extremely subtle, nearly imperceptible psychic toxin.
The news was quickly reported to the command center.
The Grand Marshal looked at the report submitted by the medical room, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his expression solemn.
"It is not a sudden Sea of Consciousness disorder; it is the scaled race's diffuse psychic toxin. It seeps slowly through the rock strata, silently and invisibly. Ordinary people cannot perceive it, and low-tier Sea of Consciousness cultivators, with their weaker defenses, are the most susceptible."
"The first batch of victims already numbers five," a staff officer beside him reported in a low voice. "All are second-tier or below cultivators. In the early stages of onset, it is merely insomnia and emotional irritability; by the time hallucinations appear, the toxin has already invaded the Sea of Consciousness. It is very difficult to clear."
The news was sealed by the war zone to avoid causing panic within the city. However, the high command immediately adjusted their deployment: all Sea of Consciousness cultivators in the city must undergo daily Sea of Consciousness screening, and psychic monitoring arrays were deployed at the foundation of the bastion to capture in real-time the faint psychic signals seeping up from underground.
In the therapy room, Lin Yan received this intelligence.
"So this is the Ancient Progenitor's plan," Lin Yan said softly, his fingertips rubbing the report. "No frontal assault on the bastion; instead, slowly seeping in with psychic toxins, consuming our grassroots combat strength bit by bit. Once a large number of low-tier cultivators suffer mental collapse, they will launch a beast tide."
"Too vicious," Jiang Tao said, his brow furrowed. "The toxin is hidden in the rock strata, with no obvious signs of an outbreak; it is impossible to guard against. Even if we can win an ambush in the rift with our current special training, the enemy's attack has already quietly entered inside the city walls."
Old Chen stood beside him, gripping his long knife tightly: "Then can our squad take the initiative to strike out, find the source rift releasing the toxin, and destroy it?"
"The high command is currently evaluating," the instructor said, pushing open the door and taking over the conversation. "The monitoring station has locked onto three suspicious secondary rifts; the toxin signals are diffusing outward from that area. The high command is inclined to send our squad to investigate, find the toxin release node, and destroy the source. The risk is extremely high; that area has most likely been pre-set with ambushes."
Lin Yan raised his eyes, a calm depth in his gaze: "This is exactly what the Ancient Progenitor wants. If we go to clear the toxin source, we are voluntarily stepping into the trap it has set. Its target is still me."
Deep underground in the resonance rock cave, the Ancient Progenitor lay in the pool, receiving psychic signals transmitted back from the direction of Panshi City. Waves of chaotic mental fluctuations from within the bastion continuously entered its perception.
"The psychic toxin is taking effect," the surviving secondary priest transmitted its thoughts, lying on the ground. "The humans have detected the presence of the toxin; their special reconnaissance squad is highly likely to come to the western rift area to investigate."
"Very good." The Ancient Progenitor's thoughts were cold and heavy. "Set up multiple psychic nodes at those three secondary rifts and ambush high-tier scaled beasts. This time, not only must Lin Yan be killed. This entire squad must be left behind."
It no longer limited its target solely to Lin Yan. This special squad, which had mastered the method of breaking triangular nodes, was the greatest threat to its psychic network in the future. Using the toxin to lure the squad to their doorstep and eliminating them in one fell swoop would kill two birds with one stone.
"Set up a continuous illusion grand formation, overlaying multiple layers of psychic restraints," the Ancient Progenitor ordered slowly. "Arrange more high-tier scaled beasts for ambush, with nodes nested within each other. Once they step into the rift cluster, seal off all escape routes."
The commands spread through the rock strata. Countless high-tier scaled beasts lurking in the underground dark caves of the western rift cluster slowly raised their heads, quietly waiting for the prey to arrive.
At the Panshi City Command Center, the operational meeting concluded.
The mission was officially issued: The Special Reconnaissance Squad would depart in three days, heading to the No. 3 Rift Cluster in the west to locate and destroy the psychic toxin release node.
On the training ground, the seven members of the squad gathered. The instructor read out the mission briefing, and everyone's expression was solemn.
"Everyone is aware of the mission's risks," the instructor said, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "The Ancient Progenitor actively released the toxin signal; there is a high probability it is luring us over. But we must go. The toxin continues to spread, and more cultivators in the city will lose control. We have no way back."
Lin Yan lowered his head, closing his eyes for a moment to sort out his Sea of Consciousness. After two months of recuperation and tempering, the core of his third-tier Sea of Consciousness was stable, and his control over psychic threads had become even more exquisite. He was ready to welcome the next deadly battle.
To the west of the wasteland, rifts stretched continuously. Deep within the dark caves, dark blue fluorescent light quietly lit up; a massive net had already been silently cast.
End of Chapter.