Chapter 176: Spiritual Pollution (Revised)

Cai Mao handed the items to Ying Duo, thinking that although they were all the heavenly prodigies of Mitra Academy, after all this was their first time taking a mercenary mission, and he added a few more sentences.

"The mine cave has been abandoned for a while; it's one thing that aberrant species might appear inside, and the internal structure hasn't been reinforced, so it's not very stable."

Cai Mao said this last sentence with deep meaning; he had seen Ying Duo casually toss out Explosives, and if they were set off in that mine cave, he feared he wouldn't see these few people return.

Ying Duo took the map handed over by Cai Mao, didn't even look at it, directly tapped to record it, then tossed it aside, and Shen Zexi collected it.

【Recorded: Black Stone Mine Cave Map】

【Recorded: Wild Area Map (Incomplete Version)】.

At that moment, the purple-haired lackey who had delivered the Holy Drink had already retreated to the side, and happened to stand together with the red-haired lackey who had brought back the map; upon Cai Mao's signal, they retreated together from the private room, leaving the space for them.

Soon, the news that Ying Duo had accepted the mission and personally led people to resolve the mine cave issue aroused a small ripple among the few remaining members of the Entropy Light Secret Cult in the bar.

Their gaze toward Ying Duo grew even more fervent, and their loyalty level quietly rose a little.

Although Yang Yixie didn't know what had happened, seeing that those people's loyalty toward him had overall increased, he was surely pleased as well.

Their purpose for this trip had also been achieved; Shen Zexi had secured the map, and the few of them prepared to leave immediately to carry out the mission in the wild.

Seeing that the few were about to leave, Cai Mao also breathed a sigh of relief, quickly putting on a smiling face to see them off, wishing that these ancestors would leave and never return.

Just before leaving, Ying Duo seemed to suddenly recall something, stopped in his tracks, and with those hollow eyes looked at Cai Mao, abruptly asking a question.

"Why hasn't your loyalty level increased?"

Cai Mao's smile froze instantly, his heart gave a violent jump, and cold sweat seeped from his back.

Loyalty level? What loyalty level? What is he talking about?

Did he really see something, warning me? Or...

"Ah? Holy, Holy Son, you're joking......" Cai Mao subconsciously wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead, forcing a dry laugh to brush it off.

"My loyalty to you is something heaven and earth can attest to! I-I'm just someone who keeps emotions internal, not good at expressing them; it's increased in my heart, increased in my heart!"

Ying Duo merely tilted his head, seeming dissatisfied with his answer but not pursuing it further, then turned and followed Shen Zexi and the others out of the bar.

Until that glaring Ying Guang Lu completely vanished from the hallway outside the door, Cai Mao's legs went weak, he collapsed onto the sofa, and gasped for breath heavily.

How strange, he's clearly just a young Little Ghost, yet that gaze made him feel extremely uneasy.

After a while, Cai Mao finally recovered, and his gaze quickly turned gloomy.

He needed to have a good talk with his underlings, this act was good enough as is, don't overdo it, especially don't reveal the flaw in front of the main person...

To confirm the situation and also to calm his mind, he waved his hand, letting the subordinates outside come in.

After these subordinates came in, their faces still showed lingering excitement and agitation; they gathered around Cai Mao, asking questions nonstop in a chorus.

"Colorful Hair Brother! Is the Holy Son here to take on that mine cave mission?"

"Great! With the Holy Son stepping in, the aberrant species in the mine cave will surely be wiped out!"

"Did the Holy Son drink the Holy Drink? I specially mixed the sweetest ratio!"

"Shut up!"

Cai Mao slammed the table hard and shouted sternly.

He looked over these subordinates who had grown up under his watch; their faces showed fanatical expressions, their eyes filled with reverence and excitement...... this was definitely not an act!

The color drained from Cai Mao's face bit by bit, a chill rose up his spine, making his limbs turn icy.

He recalled Ying Duo's question before leaving, and seeing these subordinates who seemed brainwashed, genuinely admiring Ying Duo, a terrifying conjecture formed in his mind.

Could it be that Ying Duo really has some method to see others' "loyalty" toward him?

Could his aberrant arts involve mental-type principles, able to influence, even control people's spirits?

Is it mental control? Or mental pollution?

If that's really the case, then that question the kid just asked—could it be a kind of warning?

Cai Mao's complexion turned deathly pale, cold sweat trickling down incessantly.

If his conjecture is true, then how much control does he still have over this so-called Entropy Light Secret Cult?

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"Version Answer" Mercenary Corps' five people walked in silence for a stretch, the streets of the Slum gradually left behind them, and the surrounding environment became increasingly desolate.

Finally, Qi Hengyu couldn't hold it in any longer, he edged up to Shen Zexi and lowered his voice.

"Hey, Shen Zexi, did you hear that? What did Ying Duo just say about 'loyalty level'? What is that thing? Did he previously mention 'affection level'?"

Shen Zexi's brows were tightly knotted, obviously he had also been pondering this issue along the way.

"I heard it; combining that earlier 'team invitation' interface, I suspect Ying Duo might truly possess a special aberrant art that digitizes real-world information."

"Moreover, given his existing cognitive impairment, in his eyes perhaps each of us has affection level and loyalty level values floating above our heads."

Luo Jinyou walked a bit behind, listening to the two's words, and happened to recall Ying Duo's behavior of forcefully buying and selling 'gifts'—could that be his understanding of the 'brushing affection' method?

Although Chen Mo Zhi was somewhat farther away, he also caught their low talk.

Ying Duo had also sent him flowers before, so that wasn't provocation, but rather an expression of friendliness?

Living long-term in such a world where everything is digitized, it's no wonder his behavior patterns are so bizarre.

But if we set aside his 'odd' personality, purely from a mission execution perspective, having a teammate who can intuitively 'see' the team's status and possibly possess corresponding intervention means would also be an advantage.

Their conversation didn't deliberately avoid the Ying Duo ahead, but Ying Duo showed no reaction, as if the discussion taking place behind him had nothing to do with him.

After all, Ying Duo's head still had the words 'Auto Navigation' glowing in large characters; after playing games for a long time, Yang Yixie also needed to rest his eyes.

The computer's sense of immersion would be stronger, and playing bombing games on a big screen later should be more exhilarating, but it also strains the eyes more.

Yang Yixie closed his eyes briefly to relieve the dryness, then reached out and took off the black-framed glasses on his face.

However, just as his fingers unconsciously rubbed the cool temple of the glasses, a fleeting golden flow of light silently slid across his pupil.