Chapter 657

Jie Ming's spiritual sense instantly swept across the entire city.

Those psychics hiding in the depths of the streets, hospital wards, and the Psychic Association headquarters building were currently experiencing their own suffering.

Some were squatting on the ground holding their heads, veins bulging from their temples; some were curled up on the bed, eyes rolling back, white foam overflowing from the corners of their mouths; some were making suppressed roars, hands grabbing their own hair, as if trying to pull something out of their brains.

The stronger the inspiration, the more intense the reaction.

The Association's emergency broadcast had already sounded over the city, and the sirens of ambulances converged from all directions, like countless rivers rushing to the same sea.

Jie Ming withdrew his spiritual sense, his gaze landing on his internal cave.

The Magic Net terminal lit up.

The moment Jie Ming's spiritual sense touched that information, he felt the existence texture belonging to an eighth-tier Great Wizard.

Great Wizard Auston activated the highest priority full-plane broadcast.

The content of the information was not long: "I am Auston. The sky phenomenon was caused by me."

The opening didn't even have any extra pleasantries.

Next, he explained in detail the reason for the formation of the phenomenon.

After discovering this plane, Auston clearly was not satisfied with just treating it as a hunting ground for the bizarre.

That eighth-tier Great Wizard clearly also knew the bizarre fusion rules Jie Ming discovered, and he naturally had ideas.

He wanted to fuse most of the bizarre entities in this plane and transform them into a part of his own life form, as nourishment to push his further improvement.

Jie Ming's pupils contracted slightly when he read the words "change my own life form."

Although the information was very brief, Jie Ming immediately thought of a word: He Dao (Merging with the Dao).

What Auston was doing was essentially the same thing as He Dao in the cultivation system.

Fusing the bizarre entities that were themselves fragments of world rules into his own existence, thereby changing his life form and obtaining further improvement.

Subsequently, the information mentioned that this process was not without cost.

The bizarre is essentially an existence deeply fused with world rules.

The Night bizarre is one with the night, and the Ocean bizarre is closely intertwined with the ocean's tides, currents, and even the concept of "deep."

Extracting the bizarre is equivalent to pulling a bone from the plane's body.

In order to fill the voids left after those were extracted, the plane's origin would crazily catalyze the birth of new bizarre entities.

Among them—there is no lack of "Destruction-level" existences!

These newly born bizarre entities have their own rules, which are simply a devastating blow to the human civilization of this world.

And this was also the reason why Wizard Auston issued this announcement.

The last line of the broadcast lit up in Jie Ming's consciousness: "All wizards in this plane, from this moment on, assist in cleaning up and containing these newly born bizarre entities. You are the temporary stabilizers of this plane. As a reward, all the bizarre entities you contain belong to you privately."

The light of the Magic Net terminal went out.

In the surrounding sky, in other directions, in some corner of other cities, Jie Ming could feel the spiritual senses that were connected to the Magic Net terminal like him withdrawing at the same time.

Those sixth or seventh-tier Great Wizards should be making the same expression as him at this moment—

Excitement.

Destruction-level bizarre entities, and Destruction-level bizarre entities newly born from the plane's origin.

Jie Ming didn't know the thoughts of other wizards, but for him, this kind of bizarre entity was the best sample for his research on He Dao!

Although he had obtained a large number of research samples through the Psychic Association over the past ten years, let alone Destruction-level, even Calamity-level only had the Shadow bizarre entity he obtained at the beginning.

Jie Ming took a deep breath and suppressed his emotions.

His brain was running fast, connecting past information together.

No wonder when the mission was completed, Auston only appeared in the form of a projection.

The main body of that eighth-tier Great Wizard was not in his private plane at all, but in the origin of this plane.

He spent countless years there laying out the overall situation, bringing the entire plane's bizarre network under control, and then at this moment, simultaneously extracted most of the bizarre power.

Jie Ming looked up at that dark purple sky.

Those slowly wriggling black patterns were not flaws or pollution, but scars left by the plane's origin when it tore and filled itself.

Under every pattern, a new bizarre entity was being born.

He suddenly thought of a question.

The reason he was able to come to this plane was that Auston's private plane was infiltrated by the bizarre's rule phenomena.

Now it seems that although that incident was probably not intentional, the subsequent development was probably the result of this eighth-tier wizard pushing the boat along with the current.

The existence nature of the bizarre is too special.

They are like a part of this world's immune system, naturally hostile to everything that does not belong to this world.

If Auston used his cannon fodder units to clean up those rampaging Destruction-level bizarre entities, the rough use of power would trigger the plane's violent rejection, instead making the situation worse.

So wizards are indeed the most suitable talents for dealing with the bizarre—or rather, with the wisdom and knowledge level of wizards, doing anything is the most suitable.

These wizards, from the very beginning, were specially found by Wizard Auston to act as stabilizers.

Jie Ming understood this point in his heart and slowly exhaled.

For this kind of calculation that could benefit both sides, he had no dissatisfaction.

His figure slowly descended from high altitude, his feet landing on the tiles of the bookstore roof, making a slight sound.

Eric was still standing on the roof ridge, head tilted up, staring intently at that dark purple sky.

His lips were trembling slightly; that was his inspiration bearing pressure far beyond his capacity.

Fortunately, the bizarre entities in Eric's body had formed a preliminary cycle under Jie Ming's careful arrangement.

His resistance to this kind of thing was greatly improved, not enough to fall to the ground on the spot.

But even so, a layer of cold sweat broke out on Eric's forehead.

"Teacher." His voice was a bit fluttering. "What exactly happened?"

Jie Ming did not answer immediately.

He jumped off the roof, landed on the stone road at the bookstore entrance, pushed open the wooden door, and walked in.

Eric followed behind, one hand supporting the door frame, his footsteps somewhat unstable.

The phone in the bookstore was ringing.

Jie Ming picked up the receiver, and Hardin's voice came from the other end.

The old man's speech speed was much faster than usual, carrying an irrepressible tension, but the pronunciation was still clear.

"Jie Ming, did you see it? That color of the sky—"

"I saw it." Jie Ming's voice was very flat.

"The Association has already sent people to pick you up, the car will arrive in about twenty minutes. The President asked me to pass a message to you, it will be very chaotic outside during this time, you two are the most important researchers of the Association, and there can be no mistakes. You go to the headquarters first, and wait until the situation stabilizes before going back."

Jie Ming held the receiver and was silent for a moment.

"The bizarre will be very active recently." His voice was not loud, but he said it very firmly. "Let your people make preparations to respond. Evacuate residents in high-risk areas in advance, increase the number of psychics stationed in key facilities, and ensure that hospitals,

power plants, and water plants cannot be cut off."

"The President is already arranging these." Hardin's voice came from the other end of the receiver. "The car—"

"Don't worry about us here." Jie Ming interrupted him. "No need to come pick us up."

Hardin's voice paused.

Then the old man spoke again, his tone carrying a cautious uncertainty.

"Jie Ming, what—what do you mean by this?"

Jie Ming did not explain.

He took the receiver away from his ear and gently placed it back on the landline.

The sound of hanging up was exceptionally crisp in the quiet bookstore.

Eric stood beside the bookshelf, one hand still resting on the frame of the bookshelf, looking at Jie Ming's movements, his pupils trembling slightly.

He had known the teacher for ten years and could naturally distinguish his teacher's emotions very clearly.

"Teacher." Eric's voice was tight. "What are you going to do?"

Jie Ming turned around and faced him.

The expression on his face was still calm, but Eric noticed that the teacher's eyes were different from usual.

"I'm leaving," Jie Ming said.

Eric was stunned there.

His mouth opened, his lips moved, wanting to say something, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something.

He looked at Jie Ming's face, that face he had looked at for ten years, that face he thought he would keep looking at, suddenly feeling it had become very far away.

"Where to?" he finally found his voice.

The voice was smaller than he expected, like a child asking.

Jie Ming did not answer where to.

He just looked at Eric, his gaze calm.

Eric's fingers tightened on the frame of the bookshelf.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the surging thing in his chest, and then asked the question he actually already knew the answer to.

"Teacher, will you come back?"

Jie Ming shook his head.

That movement was very slow, but without hesitation.

Although that Master Auston didn't explicitly say so in the mission, all the wizards, including Jie Ming, knew very well that after completing this mission, they would basically be taken away.

"Behind the wall of the underground laboratory." Jie Ming's voice was still that unhurried tone, without any emotional fluctuations that should exist during parting. "There are things I left for you. You can choose whether to promote the content inside according to your own judgment."

"By the way." Jie Ming seemed to remember something, his tone still flat. "Dirk made an appointment with me before; when he returns in a while, let me help him assist in adjusting the sealing. You'll have to do it yourself then. With your current technology, it should be no problem."

Eric opened his mouth, but his mouth opened and closed, closed and opened, and in the end, not a single word came out.

But fortunately, Jie Ming's attitude made him relax a lot; at least it didn't look like his own mentor was going to seek death.

"Teacher." Eric's voice finally stabilized; he let go of the bookshelf frame, his hands hung down, sticking to his trouser seams.

His waist bent slightly, his tone full of pleading.

"Can I go with you, teacher?"

Jie Ming looked at him and shook his head slowly.

Although this plane was not affected by any external forces on the surface, all the wizards who came here knew that this plane was actually the property of that Great Wizard Auston.

Unless permitted by the other party, they were not qualified to take anything away.

The momentum Eric had finally gathered immediately dissipated.

Actually, he had known the answer long ago.

From the first day he met Jie Ming, he knew the teacher didn't belong here.

The kind of temperament on the teacher, that sense of alienation that was incompatible with everything around him, all made Eric clearly know that his teacher had secrets.

He didn't even feel this was a secret he needed to keep.

Those people in the Psychic Association, Hardin, the President, those high-level members who had cooperated with the teacher for many years, did they really not know?

Of course they knew.

A researcher of unknown origin, whose technology was ridiculously high, suddenly appeared in Fog City, without any traceable background, without any family relationships, without any social network.

Such a person, in front of any era, any country, any organization, is suspicious.

But the benefits Jie Ming brought were too great.

His improved sealing technology allowed psychics of the Association to live for decades longer, his bizarre separation technology allowed those old people who dedicated their lives to the Association to enjoy their old age, and his treatment methods allowed patients with soul damage who could only wait for death to stand up again.

In this world where the bizarre is rampant and human life is like grass, the value of Jie Ming alone is worth a hundred Association elites.

So everyone tacitly chose not to poke through this layer of window paper.

They wove a protective color for Jie Ming with silence, and Jie Ming repaid this silence with technology.

Eric swallowed all the reluctance and unwillingness that surged up into his stomach.

His chest heaved violently twice, then returned to calm.

"Then—" his voice was hoarse. "Thank you very much for these years. Teacher."

He covered his chest with one hand, bent down, and performed a solemn etiquette.

Jie Ming looked at the top of his head.

The hair on the top of his head was a bit long, and there was a small tuft of hair sticking up on the back of his head, probably messed up by gravel when he rushed up from the underground laboratory just now.

The collar of his white coat was not turned well, the left side was a section higher than the right.

He raised his right hand and placed it on top of Eric's head.

The temperature of the palm was neither high nor low, and the force was neither light nor heavy.

Eric's body trembled slightly the moment the touch came, then became still.

Jie Ming's hand stroked the top of his head, then moved away.

Eric straightened up and wiped his face.

Then his movements froze.

Standing in front of him was not the ordinary and unremarkable Jie Ming he had known for ten years.

Jie Ming's height was growing rapidly.

From less than 1.8 meters, he grew to 1.9 meters, 2 meters.

His appearance was also changing.

The ordinary facial contours became clear, and the lines of his features turned from blurry to sharp.

The mediocrity between his eyebrows disappeared, replaced by a handsomeness that did not belong to this era.

The clothes on Jie Ming's body also turned into a dark long robe at some point, not the attire of this plane.

The texture of the robe was like flowing dark metal, reflecting a deep luster under the warm yellow light of the bookstore.

His hair was longer than before, hanging by his shoulders, the strands refracting a very faint dark gold in the light.

Eric didn't even notice he had opened his mouth.

He just stood there with his mouth half-open, looking at this person who was both strange and familiar, and only one thought kept jumping in his brain: so this is what the teacher looks like.

After returning to his original appearance, Jie Ming looked at him, the corners of his mouth curved slightly, which counted as giving Eric a smile.

Then his figure began to fade.

Under the effect of the Grand Void Step, his outline became blurry, and the color turned from saturated to pale.

Eric subconsciously reached out to grab.

His fingers passed through that dissipating light and shadow, but touched nothing.

Only he was left in the bookstore.

The books on the bookshelf were arranged quietly, the light bulb on the ceiling was shining with warm yellow light, and the teacup on the table was still steaming.

The rocking chair swayed when Jie Ming stood up just now, and was still swaying slightly at this moment.

Everything was the same as usual.

Only one person was missing.

Eric stood in place, his hand still maintaining the posture of reaching out.

He looked at that piece of air that was already empty, and slowly withdrew his hand.

His shoulders sank slightly, but his spine stood straighter.

His jaw tightened, and his lips pressed into a line.

His eyes were red, but there were no tears.

On the stone road outside the door, rapid footsteps were getting closer.

That was the sound of several people running, their footsteps heavy and fast, their boots stepping on the damp stone road making a chaotic sound.

Eric turned around and walked toward the door.

He pushed open the wooden door and stood on the threshold.

The gray-white fog rushed toward him, carrying the damp and cold atmosphere unique to Fog City, mixed with coal smoke and the smell of the sea.

Hardin ran in the front, followed by three team members wearing Association uniforms, all familiar faces.

Sweat was oozing from their foreheads, their breathing was rapid, clearly having run all the way here.

Hardin stopped at the bookstore door, hands on his knees, panting heavily.

He looked up at Eric standing on the threshold, then looked at the interior of the bookstore behind Eric.

The rocking chair was still swaying, the teacup was still steaming, and the newspaper was still on the table.

"Where is your teacher?" Hardin's voice was sandwiched in the panting, hoarse and urgent.

Eric stood on the threshold, his gaze passing over Hardin's head, landing on the dark purple sky in the distance.

Those wriggling black patterns were denser than just now, like a net that was tightening.

"Gone," he said.

Hardin's panting stopped for a moment.

He straightened his waist, his gaze moving from Eric's face to the empty bookstore behind him, and then from the bookstore back to Eric's face.

"Where did he go?"

Eric shook his head and didn't speak.

Hardin stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded slowly.

He didn't ask again.

The three team members behind him exchanged a glance, two of whom took a few steps back and discussed something in a low voice at the alley entrance.

Another stood in place, hand on the communicator at his waist, seemingly hesitating whether to report this news to the headquarters.

Hardin took a step forward, walked up the steps, and stood beside Eric.

Neither of them spoke.

The fog surged in from the alley entrance, covering the stone road, covering the threshold of the bookstore, covering the feet of the two people.

In the distance, the factory whistle sounded under the dark purple sky, deep and long, as if seeing off the existence that had already gone far away.

(Something came up, just this chapter today.)