Cold light perated the Confinent Room. Under its glare, even a healthy, rosy complexion would appear pale and gaunt; even the most robust physique would look like a frail, emaciated Doll eroded by the stark white illumination.
After the Tutor left, Ji Minghuan stood up, walked over to the table, and carried his dinner plate back to the Television.
He sat cross-legged on the freezing floor, glancing up at the Animated Series "Neon Genesis Evangelion" while eating the Toast and Baguette from his plate.
An unknown amount of ti passed. Just as he finished the food on his plate and clapped the breadcrumbs from his palms, a deep rumbling sound suddenly echoed in his ears.
The main door at the entrance had opened once again.
Ji Minghuan, still sitting cross-legged with his hands clasping his ankles, turned his head in curiosity. The first thing that caught his eye was a person who, at first glance, seed neither entirely like a boy nor a girl.
If he had to find an appropriate word to describe them, it would probably be tomboy.
This tomboy wore the sa white hospital gown as him, but with the addition of a Baseball Cap resting on a head of dium-length red hair. The hair color did not look dyed; it appeared completely natural.
Ji Minghuan blinked in surprise. "A girl?"
When he had first heard the na Sun Changkong from the Tutor, his initial reaction was to picture a gruff man with a face full of monkey hair.
Taking her actual age into consideration, he had figured she would likely just be a hyperactive Little Brat, or perhaps a half-human, half-animal existence like Filio. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that Sun Changkong would turn out to be a girl.
Sun Changkong lowered her face, her red bangs slightly compressed by the cap. She stood motionless in the doorway for half a second before walking over, furrowing her brows as she spoke.
"I heard you're really tough."
"Tough how?" Ji Minghuan countered.
"Like, destroying the world."
"If I could actually destroy the world, would I be sitting here chatting with you?" Ji Minghuan scoffed dismissively. "I heard you're pretty tough yourself."
"Tough how?" Sun Changkong perked up her ears.
"I'm not telling."
Sun Changkong paused, her tone turning frosty. "Are you going to tell
or not?"
"Nope."
Dark lines of annoyance practically materialized on Sun Changkong's forehead.
Just as she opened her mouth to snap at him, Ji Minghuan casually interjected, "You're a noble Calamity-Tier Ability user. You hold the Mythical-tier Anomaly fragnt, the Monkey King Sun Wukong, inside you. There isn't a second person like you in the entire world."
He said this without looking back at first, then turned his head to glance at Sun Changkong. "Right?"
"Yeah."
Sun Changkong nodded, the corners of her mouth curling up to reveal her little canine teeth.
"Then can you show off a bit for ?" Ji Minghuan paused. "Or did they restrict your Ability?"
"I could show you a thing or two, if you agree to be my underling." Sun Changkong crossed her arms.
Ji Minghuan raised an eyebrow. 'Could it be that her Ability really wasn't restricted by the Salvation Society?' he wondered. 'That's impossible. Unless the Salvation Society went insane, there's no way they would let a Mythical-tier Anomaly holder roam freely around the base.'
With this thought in mind, he glanced at the tallic collar around Sun Changkong's neck and called out, "Boss lady."
"I'm still not showing you anything," Sun Changkong retorted, giving him a taste of his own dicine.
"I bet you just can't," Ji Minghuan replied, Disapproving.
"Who says I can't?"
"Everyone knows that the kids here are all injected with a Suppressant. Stop pretending to be the big bad wolf."
"Oh." Sun Changkong scoffed coldly. "You an that stuff. I didn't get injected."
"How is that possible?" Ji Minghuan said with absolute certainty. "The Tutor told
that the holder of a Mythical-tier Anomaly can destroy an entire country. If what he said is true, your Ability must have been restricted by them."
"I'm telling the truth," Sun Changkong said, knitting her brows. "I wasn't injected with a Suppressant, but I actively cooperated with them to limit my own power."
"Why? Why would you limit your own power?"
"Because when I was little, I unleashed Sun Wukong, and he wouldn't listen to my orders. He did a lot of bad things."
"Bad things?"
"Yeah. I was too weak back then to control the power of the Wonder. After I summoned him, he went out of control."
"Exactly how did he go out of control?"
Sun Changkong remained silent for a mont before taking a seat next to Ji Minghuan. She looked up at the Television, right as Unit-02, piloted by Asuka, was impaled by the blood-red Spear of Longinus. Imdiately after, the winged Mass-produced Units brutally tore it apart and devoured it.
"You string
along, and then you just stop talking?" Ji Minghuan glanced at the Television, then turned his head to look at Sun Changkong. "You really are a jerk."
Sun Changkong turned her head to et his gaze. "Do you really want to hear it?"
Ji Minghuan nodded.
Sun Changkong parted her lips slightly and murmured, "He killed an entire Village of people. He killed my Parents, too. And then, the Tutor found ." By the end of her sentence, despite her attempts to act nonchalant, she couldn't hide the tremble in her voice.
She paused and stared intently at Ji Minghuan. "Well? Are you a little scared of
after hearing that?"
Ji Minghuan didn't care in the slightest. He shrugged, thinking to himself, 'Why are all of you so extre? One ate his own mother, and the other killed her own family.'
Just then, his eyes widened slightly as his thoughts began to race. A terrifying hypothesis ford in his mind. 'Could it be... that these seemingly uncontrollable actions were actually deliberately guided by the Salvation Society?'
He figured that with the capabilities the Salvation Society had demonstrated so far, they could easily manipulate Filio into devouring his mother, or cause Sun Changkong's Anecdote Fragnts to lose control and slaughter an entire Village.
If that were truly the case, then their motives and goals actually made perfect sense:
—The Salvation Society could use these traumatic experiences to trap them psychologically.
First, artificially engineer an extre environnt to instill a sense of self-loathing in these children, plunging them into a state of Self-Destruct. Then, extend a helping hand when they are at their most vulnerable, making these kids willingly lock themselves up here and submit to their control and guidance.
At this realization, a chill ran down Ji Minghuan's spine.
He stared down at his pant legs, zoning out for a brief mont. He suddenly recalled how, earlier in the Confinent Room, Filio had hugged his knees and buried his head, stating in a depressed tone that he had eaten his mother. But if Filio knew that the people of the Salvation Society were actually the ones who pushed him into doing it... what would he think then?
"Why are you suddenly so quiet?" Sun Changkong asked, hugging her knees.
"Why would I be scared of you?" Ji Minghuan finally spoke after a mont of silence. "You only killed people in a single Village. I'm going to destroy the world. Compared to , you're just a small fry."
"But you haven't actually done it yet!"
"Exactly!" Ji Minghuan frowned, complaining indignantly. "I obviously haven't done anything yet, but the Tutor and the others are so paranoid about it! They act like I'm definitely going to do it. Doesn't that make
worse off than if I had actually done it?!"
Sun Changkong thought about it. "I guess it does, a little."
Ji Minghuan threw his hands up. "Right? Right? Anyway, about what you said earlier, when Sun Wukong went out of control—did the Salvation Society people help you subdue him in the end?"
"More or less..." Sun Changkong remained noncommittal. "Anyway, I ended up here after that. The Tutor taught
how to control the power of the Wonder. He also told
that an Anecdote Envoy can rge into one with a Mythical-tier Anomaly. There's no need to release a Mythical-tier Anomaly like you would with lower-grade ones; it's impossible to force them to act on your behalf."
She paused. "The Tutor also taught
how to divide the power of the Anecdote Fragnts into several layers. As long as the most powerful Abilities are sealed in the upper layers, it won't easily lose control. So, while I'm here, I can only use the power of the first layer. But it's very stable this way."
Ji Minghuan said sarcastically, "Oh... the Tutor is so amazing! He actually taught you how to use the power of a Mythical-tier Anomaly in layers. How co he's completely useless when it cos to ?"
Right at that mont, the Tutor's coughing echoed from the penguin-shaped broadcasting device.
Hearing this aningful cough, Ji Minghuan rested his hands on his crossed calves and rolled his eyes at the Monitor overhead, his gaze filled with disdain.
"Don't speak ill of the Tutor," Sun Changkong glared at him.
"What?" Ji Minghuan brushed her off. "Are you just like Filio, treating the Tutor like your adoptive parent?"
"Who is Filio?"
"Oh, I forgot you haven't t him yet." Ji Minghuan curled his lips into a smile. "Filio is a little werewolf. He's quite cute, with a pair of wolf ears and a tail. He's a child born to a human and a Demon. You should have the chance to et him eventually."
Sun Changkong fell silent for a mont. "The Tutor hasn't let
see any of the other children. You're the first person I've t here."
"It's fine, you'll have a second friend, and a third friend soon enough." As Ji Minghuan spoke, he suddenly leaned in close to Sun Changkong and whispered, "So, since I'm your very first underling, are there any perks?"
The corners of his mouth tipped upward slightly, and a cunning glint sparkled in his lively eyes.
Sun Changkong blanked for a second before turning to him, stretching her lips into a grin that bared her little fangs. "Sure do! I'll cover you!"
"That's good then. The Tutor said we have to go out on missions later. Did you hear about that?"
"I heard. Don't all the powerful kids get sent out on classified missions? Just like the X-n."
"Right. You'll definitely cover
when the ti cos, right? I'm just an ordinary, unremarkable Muggle."
"Of course. A promise is a promise." Sun Changkong blinked.
Ji Minghuan, with his hands resting on his crossed calves, nodded emphatically. "Then hurry up and show
what you've got. Let
see what kind of Abilities a Mythical-tier Anomaly has."
"I can show you, but like I said, I can only use the first layer of power."
"The first layer is enough."
"Okay, then watch closely."
As her voice trailed off, Sun Changkong slightly furrowed her brows. A sudden flash of crimson light streaked across her eyes. In a daze, a silhouette of a figure with blonde hair, a golden headband, and full golden armor reflected in her pupils.
Then, she closed her eyes and placed a hand over her chest. Her white hospital gown whipped wildly in a sudden, fierce gust of wind.
Ji Minghuan was taken aback. "Didn't they say that Anecdote Envoys have to summon their Anecdote Catalog to use their Abilities?"
"I don't need it... or rather, none of the Mythical-tier Anomalies need it. That's what the Tutor said," Sun Changkong explained.
Just as she finished speaking, an intense light suddenly erupted from beneath her hospital gown. Red glowing lines began to spread from her Heart, flowing through her veins until they covered her entire body, illuminating the surroundings through her skin and clothing.
Ji Minghuan watched the spectacle, silently noting to himself that the light patterns of a Mythical-tier Anomaly were red. This was completely different from the Orange Light Pattern of the Generational-tier ones—the light of the Mythic-tier was much more dazzling and highly aggressive.
"What about the Anecdote Fragnts?" he asked again. "Do you not even need the Anecdote Fragnts?"
"The fragnt is inside my body."
"That's so amazing. That way, nobody can steal it from you."
"The Tutor said that unless they kill , my Mythic-tier fragnt can never be taken." Sun Changkong paused. "And if they do kill , they'd have to risk the fragnt inside my body going out of control. So, nobody dares to lay a finger on ."
"Ah, I see."
A look of sudden realization dawned on Ji Minghuan. 'Isn't that just like my situation?' he thought. 'That's why they don't dare to touch , either.'
In the next second, the crimson light faded from Sun Changkong's eyes. Following that, a cloud ford in the upper airspace of the Confinent Room, descending in a high-speed spiral. From a distance, it looked like a rolling white tide converging into a vortex.
The cloud shifted between pure white and bursting with the magnificent, radiant colors of a rainbow.
Ji Minghuan tilted his head back, blankly observing the cloud hovering above them. "So this is the Sorsault Cloud..."
"Aweso, right?" Sun Changkong opened her eyes, curling her lips into a smug grin as she looked at Ji Minghuan. "You're the very first person to ride my Sorsault Cloud. I've never shared it with anyone else."
Ji Minghuan nodded in astonishnt, partly due to the visual impact of the Sorsault Cloud, and partly because he was marveling at the fact that soone could actually maintain such a high degree of freedom within the Salvation Society. Pressing his palms together in a prayer-like gesture, he bowed his head to her with a deadpan expression.
"Boss lady, please make sure you cover
in the future."
He thought to himself, 'But looking at it this way, I've gained yet another potential enemy for the future. Just like Filio, Sun Changkong has already been psychologically brainwashed by the Salvation Society. Who's going to have to defeat her later on?'
"Of course I'll cover you," Sun Changkong humd smugly.
She took off her Baseball Cap, letting her dark red hair dance in the wind. She stepped onto the Sorsault Cloud first, then forcefully yanked Ji Minghuan, hauling him up from the ground.
Ji Minghuan stumbled, falling backward and landing squarely on his rear atop the Sorsault Cloud.
Before he could even process what was happening, the Sorsault Cloud flared with iridescent light and surged dramatically, instantly rocketing toward the silvery-white ceiling of the Confinent Room.
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