Chapter 141: What Did You Do?

Xu Chuyao couldn’t understand what it was saying, only hearing chaotic noises as it wildly charged toward her.

After putting on the Spirit Power bracelet, a small spirit blade shattered it instantly. But the problem was that more and more shadows appeared on the walls, crowded and tangled together, making her scalp tingle.

“Shen Ning, the Soulstone accidentally triggered, we have to clear it up… Shen Ning—”

The young girl didn’t respond, seeming to be rooted to the spot.

Because she understood the speech of the Mutants, she heard their voices and saw the expressions they displayed.

“What did I do?”

“You… you used your thoughts to control us, to enslave us!”

“That time a month ago? That had nothing to do with me; someone else triggered it.”

“No… it was the day before yesterday… just the day before yesterday!”

What nonsense, I’ve been studying Spirit Power all these days, haven’t done anything else.

Shen Ning vehemently denied it, but they ignored her and rushed at her with zombielike stiffness.

Fear had twisted their faces beyond recognition—though originally they had none.

Only a mid-level First Rank Spirit Power User Mutant posed no real danger to her; she didn’t even need a skill. The girl waved her hand casually, and a strong gust of wind knocked one to the ground.

Its mineral-like body cracked, countless fractures spreading across it as broken pieces fell away.

“Thrown, scattered… useless water… useless wind…”

Shen Ning exhaled sharply. She’d wanted to say this back at the research institute, and today she finally did.

The current situation was grim. The Soulstones inside the black box were releasing energy uncontrollably; the ruined unfinished building rapidly collapsed, turning the building materials into rubble.

The Mutants’ bodies emitted eerie, unsettling sounds.

The wind gathered in the girl’s open palm but dissipated after a few minutes.

She couldn’t use it here—if she accidentally hurt Lang Lang, it would be disastrous.

After a moment of thought, Shen Ning gave up on Wind Arrow and switched to using the surrounding environment.

Soon, fierce winds swept through the ruined building area, sand and debris swirling violently. The Mutants’ howls were distorted into trembling echoes by the wind.

Using terrain skills wasn’t to give them a tune-up. Among the messages carried by the wind, the girl quickly pinpointed her girlfriend’s location.

Xiao Si Nuo—

Without extra skills or proper Spirit Power convergence methods, and not having practiced formal techniques, she relied on her abundant Spirit Power reserves.

Xu Chuyao’s small fists clenched, stirring the wind as she knocked down countless attacking Mutants in one sweep.

Soon, a strong gust of wind blew in, sweeping away a dozen Mutants encircling the girl.

“Are you okay?” Shen Ning hurried over anxiously.

“Thanks, but,” Xu Chuyao tugged her collar, “I’m a Second Tier Spirit Power User now.”

No need to treat a mid-level opponent like a precious treasure. Compared to Qiong Yao, there were more dangers outside.

“I’m here!” Xu Chuyao suddenly realized a problem. “Xiao Si Nuo and Flower are still outside!”

In fact, right from the beginning, when the Mutants first appeared, some had ventured outward.

After all, the fear driving them made some want to eliminate its source, while others wanted to escape it as far as possible.

And they would try to kill anyone blocking their path.

Seeing the large number of Mutants rushing over, Xiao Si Nuo licked his lips nervously.

“Flower, hide behind and find cover. Don’t come out. I can handle them… you know, back in physical training, I could even block Shen Ning’s punches. I’m not afraid!”

Xiao Si Nuo charged bravely forward, throwing a hook punch at the snarling monster.

“Take this!”

The first hit caused his arm to tingle, but it shattered the creature’s forearm, which dangled uselessly at its side.

Officer Yao hadn’t lied—it really was useful.

Xiao Si Nuo looked back excitedly, wanting to see if Flower noticed his heroic figure, but in that moment, he froze.

A Mutant was standing right in front of the girl.

“I’m fine!”

Her words relieved his worry.

The Mutant in front of Flower was a grown man, not very tall. Its petrified face showed no emotions or features, just standing there silently, blocking other Mutants’ attention from her.

Among the crowd of Mutants, no one seemed to notice the silent figure. Only one or two Mutants cautiously approached but were immediately shoved away by the man.

Clear droplets slid down the girl’s slender neck.

The wind seemed to carry her footsteps outward. A strong gust blew away the Mutants surrounding Xiao Si Nuo, with Spirit Power energy intertwined in the wind like bullets, striking their heads.

Spirit Power convergence clearly couldn’t be used entirely as a raw elemental skill, but when combined with wind element, the power and precision improved drastically, turning the wind into a high-efficiency ranged attack.

Feeling the tide turn, Xiao Si Nuo was about to thank her, then suddenly realized: Wait, Shen Ning, don’t kill them…

It was too late. A Mutant’s head was pierced by a projectile, exploding into a pile of sand.

“That was Flower’s father.”

Shen Ning wiped the remaining dust from her face and approached her with a solemn expression: “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, he’s gone back now.” Flower smiled softly, nodding. “But thank you all for letting me see him again. Knowing he still loves me and protects me is enough.”

The scene was a little hellish, but Flower had heard Xu Chuyao talk about her father’s current state. It was a kind of restless spirit caught between life and death with no way to move on.

The only comfort was this.

“Thank you all…”

Xu Chuyao hurried over. When she arrived, she saw Shen Ning standing in the open space, calming the storm.

It almost looked like she’d unintentionally struck a stylish pose.

Xiao Si Nuo sat on the ground, scratching her head, then rubbing her hands together as if debating whether to say something.

Flower stood behind cover, smiling faintly but a little exhausted.

“What’s wrong?” asked the curly-haired boy.

“Xiao, Flower saw her father, and Mu Ke came to help me fight off the enemies… Oh, and I also defeated a Mutant!”

“Got it. Nice job.”

Xu Chuyao patted his shoulder in encouragement.

There was an accident, but the outcome wasn’t bad.

Later, Xu Chuyao returned alone to the ruined building—or rather, what should now be called the abandoned area.

She found the large black box on the edge, checked thoroughly, and confirmed the Soulstones inside hadn’t all been used. At least two-thirds remained.

She used some wooden boards to cover it and hid it there for the time being.

“The temporary experiment center, you all head back to school. Shen Ning and I will go to Twin Star Town to find people.”

Xu Chuyao arranged the next steps. The four split into pairs and went separate ways.

Although things didn’t go exactly as planned, Flower had already gotten what she needed.

“I told you, Officer Yao never lies. One word is worth nine measures.”

“Ah… you weren’t hurt, right?”

“No problem. I just got here a little late. Back in the training ground, I once took a punch from Shen Ning.”

Xiao Si Nuo and Flower left together; they were headed to Chen Jiaguan’s checkpoint to return to the border area.

Xu Chuyao sat in the car, looking at their backs and sighed softly. “They can just go back, carefree.”

She herself had to stay and discuss the matter with Bai’s girlfriend.

Why did this disaster happen?

“Theoretically, Soulstones need physical impact to activate. Like poking them hard with a needle or something. But no one touched them, and yet they activated. It’s like a spiritual shock… there must be some clue.”

“No.” Shen Ning hesitated for a moment, then added, “But it may not necessarily require physical impact.”

Xu Chuyao was stunned. “What do you mean, magical attacks can work too?”

Is there really such a thing as magical attacks in this world?

“I mean, it comes from mental influence. They said I caused it.”

“You caused it?”

Shen Ning nodded.

“What did you do?” Xu Chuyao asked.

Goodness, was her girlfriend blaming herself for something that caused such a big disaster? It seemed doubtful.

Seeing Shen Ning’s serious expression, Xu Chuyao waited carefully for an answer.

“It’s you.”

The Soulstone explosion still hadn’t been fully explained.

Shen Ning had a vague guess, but it was only a rough direction.

They said they’d started controlling the Mutants the day before yesterday. Shen Ning knew she wasn’t actually controlling them, but she did startle them a bit.

Like fighting with a powered exoskeleton.

But on the other hand, it was normal to be a little angry in front of your girlfriend, even if it lasted a while.

If that were the standard, she’d been angry many times before. Why mention only the day before yesterday?

Maybe it’s the intensity of the anger? Hmmm, if only she could analyze it.

“If you don’t understand, just forget it for now. We still have a lot to do. Let’s focus on the immediate plan… Shen Ning? Are you listening?”

The girl in the co-pilot seat turned to see her girlfriend waving a hand in front of her eyes.

“I’m listening. Go ahead.”

But she immediately felt something was off.

“Your hand’s waving here—what’s steering the car?”

The steering wheel’s large white rabbit emblem twitched slightly in response, silently answering the girl’s question.

Xu Chuyao smiled: “Drive straight, just hold the wheel steady. Don’t daydream and listen to me. We’re heading to Twin Star Town to find people and finalize the plan.”

Shen Ning took a deep breath, dispelling her chaotic thoughts, then asked: “What’s the plan?”

Xu Chuyao lightly waved at the white rabbit on the steering wheel and turned the car around the corner.

“The plan depends on your strength. Check the phone, open the QQ group for the special forces. There’s info on our opponents.”

Shen Ning complied and opened the first message.

[Wen Fang, female, 32 years old, mid-level Third Rank Spirit Power User, wood element. She has shown the ability to transform into a giant tree spirit in battle. Other skills unknown. Due to lack of recent combat records, actual fighting ability unclear.]

Below was a picture of a monstrous tree spirit several stories tall, whipping its target with branches, looking powerful.

“She’s just slightly higher level than you. Hard to say how the fight would go, but we should still be cautious.”

“No, she’s not higher.” Shen Ning put down her phone and said to her girlfriend, “I’m mid-level Third Rank too.”

She didn’t know whether to boast or not—too much bragging would seem fake.

But all her strength came from her girlfriend; she felt a bit guilty.

“What did you say?”

Xu Chuyao was stunned, gently grabbing the steering wheel.

“I said I’m mid-level Third Rank now, not lower than you.”

“When did that happen?”

“A few days ago. Since I came to Freiden Free City, on the second day, I woke up at mid-level.”

“I don’t believe it.” Xu Chuyao shot her a glance. “You make it sound like I can just upgrade anytime.”

If it were that easy, she’d have told her already and blamed Xu Chuyao for it. How mean.