Chapter 148: Black Rose
"Shh?"
"You’re shushing ?"
Miss Ai’s reply flashed for just a mont, then disappeared along with the rest of the ssages. The last thing that appeared was a grimacing emoji with a drooping eye.
Even the ssage suggesting he keep that crystal pendant had been erased…
"?"
Han Su felt a sudden jolt in his heart: ‘As expected, that painting is related to the Life Code?’
‘But why is Miss Ai acting so sneaky now? She was always bold when talking about other topics…’
‘Could it be that so related content is being monitored?’
‘…’
He grew imdiately alert, first confirming that the pollution from that painting—or rather, the mory fragnts brought about by it—were extrely important.
Moreover, they were definitely related to the "Life Code."
So he instantly cald his mind and began ditating, gradually recalling those mories that erged during the painting’s contamination, going over every detail.
Fortunately, his mory was decent—he still rembered everything.
In a way, he seed able to "inhabit" the people who had undergone those mutations through the mory fragnts. However, for now, he could only observe them from a third-person perspective.
Because his ntal activity wasn’t yet strong enough, he couldn’t imrse himself deeply in those mories.
This mission truly made him realize his greatest shortcoming.
ntal Activity!
35% activity might not be low among newcors, and learning encrypted spells had already given him so advantages.
But now, as he encountered more and more things, it was clearly becoming insufficient.
So how could he enhance it further?
His mind was filling with more and more questions. Miss Ai’s cautious attitude also made him realize he couldn’t just ask anything openly anymore. After a mont of contemplation, he decided to return to the apartnt to sort things out before making any plans.
Before leaving, he thought of Zhang Chiguo.
Secretary Cui Qiao’s stress had been written all over her face. Zhang Chiguo must be facing significant trouble now.
He should go check in—but considering his own situation...
After a brief hesitation, Han Su picked up his suitcase and left. He wasn’t soone who could take on too many burdens.
What Han Su didn’t know was that as his head filled with unresolved questions, sowhere deep within massive underground databases, countless red and blue lights weaved through complex electronic components, as if pondering deeply.
After a long while, that pondering seed to reach a conclusion. Data started processing rapidly, and an air of elation seed to perate, even the hum of the components sounding like a song.
...
Han Su returned to his apartnt and, as usual, checked to make sure no one had broken in. Then he used his right eye to scan the room for anomalies. Only after confirming everything was normal did he take out the crystal ornant and hold it in his hand, infusing it with spiritual power.
He quickly sensed a kind of energy being activated inside the item, gradually forming a barrier that expanded outward.
With limited spiritual power, he only managed to create a space of about five or six square ters—just enough to cover the room.
From a quick test, he found that within this barrier, electronic signals seed to stop working.
So, it wasn’t the right ti to use it yet, and Han Su put it away again.
Pouring himself a glass of water and watching from the side, he picked up his suitcase, opened the hidden compartnt, and looked at the chanical fragnt inside.
Now, the dial had shifted from "8" to "7."
Another day had passed—seven days remained until the Flicker’s arrival.
"Previously, I couldn’t control the dial. Now that my ntal activity has improved, will it make a difference?"
He knew just how important this chanical fragnt was. Being able to alter the dial with spiritual power would be a huge advantage. With a serious expression, he slowly poured his spiritual power into the fragnt—and soon saw the dial wobble.
It clearly moved more than before.
With a bit more effort, he might really be able to push the dial back to "8."
But just then, his spiritual power ran out, and the dial snapped back to "7."
"Still not enough activity..."
Han Su frowned, pondering to himself: "But from the dial’s reaction, I can tell that the key lies in ntal activity!"
"It needs a kind of spiritual power that’s both highly active and in large volu to drive it..."
"..."
Realizing the core of the issue, he once again picked up his phone and tried sending a ssage: [Miss Ai?]
Still no response.
What now?
Just when the conversation had reached a critical point, she vanished. He could understand her caution, but how was he supposed to solve this now?
It was his first ti encountering sothing like this. As he was wondering what to do, his phone suddenly pinged. When he picked it up and looked, a strange feeling washed over him.
The ssage was from soone he knew—using an avatar of a Black Rose. In his mory, it was rare for her to contact him proactively.
**Black Rose:** [Still alive?]
**Black Rose:** [Weren’t you always curious about the mysterious circle? I recently stumbled upon so good stuff. Interested?]
Reading these two ssages, Han Su vaguely sensed sothing and replied tentatively: [What is it?]
Surely it wasn’t her cat doing gymnastics now?
**Black Rose:** [I recently treated a patient who told a bunch of strange things—about ntal activity, so kind of deep ditation. He claid it could help you perceive the world’s mysterious powers. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?]
Instantly, the strange feeling in Han Su’s heart solidified. He even felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.
He sat silently for about two seconds before replying: [Should I co by your place to pick it up?]
[Huh?]
Black Rose suddenly seed flustered, replying with the panic of soone caught in an affair: [I’m not in the office right now!]
Han Su said: [Then I’ll co to your place? That cat you ntioned—I’ve always wanted to see it...]
[Uh…]
**Black Rose:** [That’s not very convenient right now. My cat wore itself out practicing breaking bricks with its chest… I’ll just send you the patient’s case record, okay?]
[?]
Han Su was at a loss: [What about your professional ethics?]
...
No, no, no—sothing was definitely wrong.
Black Rose was never like this before. She’d always been eager for him to co over to see the cat…
…well, on life paths where she hadn’t been disfigured.
Besides, her professional ethics weren’t just an act. Over the past three years, he’d had many private conversations with her, so involving classified topics, none of which had ever been leaked to the Public Security Bureau.
Soone like that—how could she casually send patient interview records to outsiders?
And right after Miss Ai took on a mission and vanished, Black Rose conveniently appeared? How could that not raise suspicions?
All at once, Han Su experienced a sort of cognitive dissonance.
Was Black Rose really herself?
But thinking deeper, he had definitely seen this psychologist in person at the Public Security Bureau. She was a living human being…
The only solution now was to visit her in person. Yet oddly enough, while she used to exhaust every ans to coax him into visiting with stories about her cat, now she kept dodging him, refusing to et no matter what.
You’d think her husband was ho or sothing!
Feeling baffled and irritated, Han Su grew stubborn. You don’t want to et?
Then I’m still going to check that chat log…
…After all, this wasn’t so childish tantrum—he had serious business.
Suppressing the strangeness gnawing at him, he opened the chat log and heard a woman’s voice. Since he’d t Black Rose before, he imdiately recognized it as hers.
The other voice belonged to a slightly dazed-sounding middle-aged man. At first glance, it sounded like a conversation between a psychologist and a delusional patient obsessed with the occult.
**Middle-aged man:** "Doctor, believe , I’ve found a way to revive the spirit."
**Black Rose:** "You’re dead?"
**Man:** "No, I’m alive—but my spirit is dead. That’s why I could never perceive real mysterious power. Now I’ve finally found a way. I’ve decided to try and revive my spirit."
"How?"
"I’m going to die!"
"?"
"When humans are placed in extre, dangerous conditions, their spirits can co alive. So I’m going to seek out death to feel the revival."
"..."
Black Rose’s voice carried a sigh: "If you put it that way, I guess I can increase your dosage."
"Why are you making that face?"
The man sounded confused: "You’re a senior mber of the Dust of the World Forum—I’ve seen your long posts arguing that real mysterious forces exist in this world. You’ve even got fans and people giving you tips…"
"I’m one of your fans—I really admire your analysis. That’s why I ca to you…"
"..."
Black Rose’s voice held a hint of embarrassnt: "Is it possible that I’m just using the forum to find potential clients?"
"That’s insulting, but I don’t care anymore."
The man sighed: "All I know is, what those people told is true. If I want to truly see this world for what it is, then ntal activity is the key. The Life Code is the answer."
"I just need to revive my spirit. Once my ntal activity hits 70%, I’ll see the Life Code."
"I’ll witness the critical data the wasteland ancestors discovered to transform life. Then, I’ll follow in their footsteps and beco one of the gods recorded in history…"
"..."
Wasteland ancestors? Life Code?
Hearing those two keywords, Han Su couldn’t help but feel shaken. His back straightened unconsciously.
Could it really be this coincidental?
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