Chapter 6: Calamity Handler

Mimicry-type Spirit Eye Path?

Even those who are not Psions of the Myriad Phenomena Path know how absurd that statement is.

Conventional Myriad Phenomena Psions usually mimic or drive other organisms; the ability of someone like the Skin-Peeler to mimic the appearance of its victims (humans) is already considered quite rare.

Yet now, Li Yelan had mimicked a Psion of the Spirit Eye Path and successfully manifested that path's abilities.

Possessing the abilities of two paths simultaneously? This simply defies common sense!

It shatters the path theories that countless Psions have spent decades exploring!

Meanwhile, in the headquarters' conference room, the high-ranking officials watched the scene in the training hall with stunned expressions.

"Slicing a metal cube with a single blade? What kind of ability is this? Even True Martial Psions at the same stage don't possess this kind of power!"

"It is highly likely to be the 'Weak Point Strike' from the Spirit Eye Path! Those double pupils that suddenly appeared on him precisely saw through the metal cube's fragile nodes—the so-called 'eyes' or 'acupuncture points'! By applying force with precision, he can disintegrate the target's structure!"

"Is that a facial mask on his face?"

"Database analysis suggests it might be the mask of the Western Chu Overlord, Xiang Yu. But there are differences."

"Legend says Xiang Yu was born with double pupils, but was he actually a Psion of the Spirit Eye Path? Then how did Liu Bang win? Could Han Xin also be a Psion?"

"Never mind how Emperor Gaozu of Han won. In any case, it is confirmed that this Li Yelan has the ability to mimic other Psions."

"He absolutely cannot be a pawn of the Ember Church. An organization as shady as theirs wouldn't dare to throw out a Psion with such a special ability."

"Do you think he only has one mask?"

The final question left everyone in silence.

On the other side, the metal cube, now split by a massive fissure, suddenly came crashing down toward Li Yelan.

Fortunately, Li Yelan had been prepared. After delivering the strike, he decisively retreated, dodging the falling metal block.

Perhaps because his body had adapted to this power, he didn't feel any discomfort this time.

However, the bad luck—or rather, misfortune—that followed did make him feel a bit troubled.

It seems I'll have to be more careful about my surroundings when using this ability in the future.

No, I should avoid using this ability as much as possible.

I wonder if I'm still afraid of dump trucks now that I'm a Psion?

I still need to step up my training. Strengthening my Psionic barrier and gaining the ability to protect myself under the influence of misfortune is the top priority.

Thinking this to himself, Li Yelan turned back to look at Yang Chen and said, "Brother Yang Chen, that is my ability."

Those double pupils scanned the surroundings, causing everyone to freeze in silence.

Li Yelan paused and asked, "What's wrong?"

He felt a bit panicked. Could it be that this ability is considered too eerie by other Psions? Would they do something to him?

"Nothing, it's just that your eyes are a bit ugly." Cheese approached and handed him a folding mirror.

Only then did Li Yelan see what he looked like after using his ability in the mirror.

Looking at his own double pupils, Li Yelan couldn't help but click his tongue: "It is a bit scary."

"It's not a big deal, we don't mind," Cheese replied with a smile.

At this moment, Yang Chen, having finished communicating with the higher-ups, was the first to start clapping, and the applause gradually spread throughout the room.

The official Psions looked at Li Yelan with increasingly fervent gazes, while the civilian staff watching from the sidelines whispered among themselves.

It actually made Li Yelan feel a bit flattered.

He had never been the center of attention like this before.

Just then, a sturdy young man at the edge of the training ground took a document from a staff member and walked straight toward Li Yelan without a word.

Another handsome young man carrying a sword and shield grabbed his shoulder and asked in a low voice, "Furnace, what the hell are you trying to do?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing?" Furnace didn't even look back, shaking off the young man's hand. "He and I are both of the Myriad Phenomena Path; clearly, he is fated to be with me! Why are you, Moon Shadow, a Zero Path Psion, sticking your nose into this?"

"You really are shameless!" Moon Shadow decisively stepped forward to put Furnace in a headlock and sneered, "Getting addicted to poaching people, are you?"

"Exactly, exactly!" The plague doctor in the distance also spoke in a crisp female voice, "Our support group needs this kind of talent too!"

"You're the least qualified to say that!" Moon Shadow and Furnace roared simultaneously.

As soon as they finished speaking, the training ground immediately descended into chaos.

Several Psions quickly entered the fray, each holding documents and pens, trying to approach Li Yelan, only to be blocked and held back by even more Psions.

Tripping, headlocks, grappling techniques—the three groups tangled together at the edge of the area.

They were all Psions from different teams, usually friendly and helpful, good comrades and battle brothers.

But at this moment, as team leaders, 'Furnace', 'Moon Shadow', and 'Plague Doctor' clearly all wanted to recruit Li Yelan as a companion, so their friendship was temporarily set aside.

They began to grapple and wrestle, trying to win over Li Yelan, this Psion with immense potential.

Fortunately, they were all rational and didn't use any abilities. But the sight of Psions brawling was still quite shocking.

Li Yelan watched, dumbfounded.

Regarding this, Yang Chen just chuckled.

As the recruiter, Li Yelan was naturally his teammate.

And as a team leader himself, he didn't care about the poaching attempts from the three parties.

Because he had already seen Li Yelan sign the document that Cheese had handed him.

"Hmph, youngsters!"

Yang Chen chuckled at the group and led a bewildered Li Yelan and Cheese away from the training ground.

They left behind the three teams of Psions staring at each other, along with the civilian staff who were watching the drama.

And the Psion wearing the frog mascot suit watched the direction Li Yelan left in and raised the sign in their hands.

Text immediately appeared on the sign.

[Ginger is still spicier when it's old (￣▽￣)~*]

On the other side, Li Yelan, having deactivated his mask, followed behind Yang Chen, listening as he introduced the situation at the branch.

"Don't mind them; those few were actually the branch's team leaders. There are six team leaders in the East City branch. Counting me, you've met four," Yang Chen said. "As for the one in the mascot suit, their codename is 'Doll'. Because their curse is extremely unique, they generally don't leave the branch. We can say hello another time."

Li Yelan nodded slightly, noting the codenames of those leaders.

"Besides the official Psions, there are even more civilian staff here. Although they aren't Psions, they are also on the front lines of fighting calamities." Yang Chen pointed to the office area not far away.

Each workstation had several computer screens.

Some staff members were wearing headsets at their desks, communicating with the other end.

"Their job is to provide off-site support for the Psions in the field. Intelligence, strategies, fire support, or mission information are all deployed through communication headsets," Yang Chen said. "Later on, you will also have your own dedicated support officer. This is so you can receive off-site support when facing unexpected situations.

For example, requesting the Guard Hall or the City Defense Army to blockade a scene, or even applying for powerful support from the Border Iron Guards when necessary.

Of course, by that time, the handlers from each team would have already arrived at the scene. It would be a tough battle!"

"And now, the main point."

Yang Chen arrived in front of a pitch-black elevator but didn't approach it. Instead, he said to Li Yelan, "This is the most heavily guarded and also the most dangerous place in the branch. A team of handlers must be stationed here at all times, and no one is allowed to approach without permission."

"The Black Prison, where various Forbidden Objects are stored!"

"Forbidden Objects? What are those?" Li Yelan asked, looking at the elevator.

"You can understand them as the manifestation of the Void's power or living entities within the physical universe. Their ability effects vary, and their danger levels range from high to low." Yang Chen didn't approach the elevator; Li Yelan didn't have the clearance to enter the Black Prison yet.

So, Yang Chen explained from outside the elevator.

"We classify them into four levels: A, B, C, and D."

"Level D and C Forbidden Objects have limited impact and harm. But if they were to fall into society, tragedies would inevitably occur."

"Let me give you a case: a scavenger once found a compass in the wilderness. It could point in the direction of whatever the owner desired most, excluding sentient life. But the price was the need to offer flesh and blood sacrifices. The more precious the desired item, the greater the number of sacrifices required.

In the end, to obtain more wealth, that scavenger killed his companions. That compass was a Level D Forbidden Object."

"Level C is even more dangerous. A case involves a wanted poster. You only need to place a target's photo or portrait on the poster. Within three days, a formidable humanoid monster will appear near the target to hunt them down. Even if destroyed, it will resurrect after three days and attempt the assassination again.

This continues until the target is confirmed dead or the user cancels the target.

The reward is tied to the target's strength. If the corresponding reward cannot be paid, the monster will kill the user and everyone around them until it deems the reward satisfied."

"As for Level B Forbidden Objects, there is a Black Dragon Armor that bewitches anyone who sees it into putting it on.

After donning the armor, the user instantly gains strength comparable to a Psion who has awakened five times.

But once put on, it cannot be taken off. The wearer themselves will be corrupted by the armor, growing dragon claws and scales, eventually becoming an out-of-control monster. The dragon slayer eventually becomes the evil dragon. Only death can remove that armor."

"This is similar to us Psions; all power has a price," Li Yelan summarized after hearing the three cases. "We gain power while also gaining the risk of curses and distortion. And Forbidden Objects make the user pay the price."

"Correct. The higher the level of the Forbidden Object, the more dangerous it is. Some Level A Forbidden Objects even possess self-awareness and are capable of destroying an entire giant city. Therefore, our responsibility is to safely guard or, in other words, suppress them." Yang Chen thought for a moment and said, "Of course, when necessary, we will apply to use Forbidden Objects. But the risks are very high. This is still far off for you; just have a simple understanding for now."

Li Yelan nodded again.

Yang Chen led Li Yelan away from the elevator, and after walking for a while, pointed to a noisy room and said, "This is our equipment area. All the equipment for our branch's handlers is crafted here. Besides technological creations, they can also forge suitable Psionic Armaments for us."

"Psionic Armaments? Weapons and equipment specifically for Psions?" Li Yelan tried asking.

"Yes, because Psionic Armaments need to be driven by Psionic energy," Yang Chen nodded. "After a Psion or a calamity monster dies, if their Well of Souls hasn't been completely destroyed, craftsmen can extract mysterious substances from it. This allows them to forge equipment that contains a specific ability of that Psion or monster."

"The Well of Souls becomes material... that means a Psion who possesses several pieces of Psionic Armament is equivalent to having multiple abilities?" Li Yelan said. "Then the more armaments, the stronger they are. But what is the price?"

Li Yelan had now figured one thing out: all power has a price.

Psions are like this, Forbidden Objects are like this, and Psionic Armaments should be the same.

"The price is a multiplied risk of distortion." Seeing Li Yelan realize this, Yang Chen smiled. "Even I wouldn't dare to use more than two pieces of Psionic Armament at the same time. Every handler must use Psionic Armaments carefully. You too."

"I can have Psionic Armaments too?" Li Yelan was startled.

"Of course. You killed the Skin-Peeler and earned 10 merit points. You can use merit points to apply for Psionic Armaments corresponding to your level. However, you'll have to wait until you finish your training and receive your own codename before it can be determined that you can safely use Psionic Armaments."

Yang Chen thought for a moment and said with some regret, "It's a pity, our luck was bad this time; the Skin-Peeler's Well of Souls was shattered. Otherwise, the craftsmen might have been able to forge a Psionic Armament for you that could change your appearance. It would have helped you hide yourself better..."

'After all, your ability is very special and requires more protection and concealment,' Yang Chen thought.

Hearing this, Li Yelan felt a bit guilty.

Naturally, there wouldn't be any Well of Souls left from the Skin-Peeler. He had already become a sacrifice for the 'Black Shadow' and was swallowed whole.

After introducing the situation within the branch, a civilian staff member approached Yang Chen.

"It seems your documents have been processed. This will be your proof of identity." Yang Chen smiled and handed the documents and a metal wristband to Li Yelan. "In the future, you can show this document to receive help from the Guard Hall and the City Defense Army."

Li Yelan examined the document for a while; it had his photo and a complex string of codes. But it didn't have his name, and the codename column was still empty.

He carefully put the 'Calamity Handling Certificate' into his pocket and began to examine the metal wristband.

"This is a type of communicator; operating it is no different from a smartphone. You can check information related to Psions, as well as your personal information and assets," Yang Chen said with a smile. "Speaking of which, the bounty and merit points for the Skin-Peeler have already arrived in your account. Merit points can only be used within the branch. As for the cash, you can withdraw it to set yourself up."

Looking at the 25,000 Giant City Credits in his account, Li Yelan felt a surge of excitement.

This was a huge sum of money!

One had to know that buying a house near the city center in the city required over 800,000 Giant City Credits.

And now, he had obtained one-fortieth of that in one go. If he worked hard, it wouldn't take many years for him and his sister to move into a good house.

"Then what do I usually need to do? Patrol the streets?" Li Yelan instantly had enthusiasm for the job.

"No, you can continue working at the antique shop or whatever you like. When a mission appears, we will contact you to rush to the target location," Yang Chen laughed. "However, you still need training. During this time, Cheese will come to pick you up to train here."

There's even a shuttle service? That's great! Li Yelan nodded repeatedly.

Cheese, on the other hand, looked at Li Yelan with a serious expression: "You'd better watch out for your curse; I just bought this car!"

(End of chapter)