MCL CH26

Chapter 26: [X-Ability: Manifestation]

The sensation from his hand was so sudden that Yan Xingzhou was still somewhat dazed when he heard the person in front of him let out a soft “Huh?”

He quickly understood the source of this surprise.

The scene was completely different from the office just now. If it weren’t for the distinct sound of a door closing behind them, it would have been difficult to even be certain they had entered a new space.

It was dark, so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

An occasional icy wind brushed past his ear. Only the hand that was still being held allowed Yan Xingzhou to confirm Lin Xi’s position nearby.

And in this boundless darkness, the only thing that entered his vision was a very narrow beam of light.

Looking up, the place where the light fell had condensed into a tiny, distant point.

It was like being at the bottom of an unfathomable well. Aside from that single point of light leaking in from the outside, everywhere else was plunged into endless darkness.

Yan Xingzhou frowned.

This place clearly didn’t resemble any environment that existed in the human world.

But if this was a reflection of Lin Ni’s inner mind, in a way, it was enough to tell him that all his previous speculations were wrong.

This man could not be Calamity’s new host.

In a symbiotic relationship, the stronger party was destined to have control over the body.

To this day, only one person had ever been able to stably suppress the King of contaminants’ temptations. An ability user as weak as Lin Ni could not possibly retain such a calm inner heart under Calamity’s influence.

It was indeed excessively calm.

Even his own heart held obsessions he couldn’t completely conceal, but this person’s heart… could it be that there was nothing at all?

No, it seemed there was something there after all…

Yan Xingzhou’s gaze caught something at the focal point of the light beam. Before he could go over to inspect it, the touch on his hand vanished. Lin Xi, even more curious than he was, had already strode over in a flash.

Closer and closer.

The small point enveloped by the light beam became clearer in his vision. At the same time, a series of teasing mutters echoed repeatedly in Lin Xi’s mind.

[No way, great Executive Lin, you’re taking this ‘no desires’ thing a bit too far, aren’t you?]

[Put your hand on your heart and ask yourself: you’ve finally come back to life, shouldn’t the most persistent thing in your heart be to seek revenge on those who stabbed you?]

[I thought I’d at least get to see some exciting scenes, like a self-detonation, or the day of the apocalypse, or the day we open all the rifts from the contaminant world to Earth together… But in the end, this? This is it???]

Lin Xi could feel Yan Xingzhou’s gaze fixed on his back. He smiled silently in his mind and said, “To be honest, I was also a bit disappointed when I first saw it. After all, I thought it would reflect what happened three years ago… In short, the moment I stepped through the door, I had already figured out how to coax Yan Xingzhou.”

[What happened three years ago?]

“Nothing.” Lin Xi said dismissively. “Anyway, I really didn’t expect my spiritual world to end up looking like I’d converted to Buddhism. But on second thought just now, I suddenly felt that having nothing at all should be the correct way to open it.”

[Oh? Do tell?]

Lin Xi: “Have you forgotten what my X-code ability is?”

A brief silence fell in his mind. After a long while, the voice returned: […I get it, I get it! My lifetime of fame was ruined at your hands. Forget this life, I’ll never forget it in the next one either!]

Although it had no physical form, the tone was enough to imagine the King of Contaminants silently giving a non-existent middle finger as it spoke.

“Of course, there’s another possibility. It has nothing to do with my own abilities not being fully recovered; this is genuinely the state of my spiritual world right now.”

As he spoke, Lin Xi had already walked to the very center of the “well bottom.”

As he slowly crouched down, the single beam of light from above gently fell upon him, casting a faint halo on both him and the seedling on the ground.

Lowering his gaze slightly, he reached out a hand. As if cherishing a treasure, he carefully stroked the fragile, tender bud with his finger, his eyes betraying no joy or anger. 

“After all, I’ve already died once. It’s normal to have seen through everything and have no desires. From a sensory perspective, I actually quite like this place. It’s dark, deep, and enclosed—a desperate environment very suitable for a low-level life form to struggle for survival. Only in a place like this can life be filled with reverence for that faint light that is usually so commonplace.”

[Hee hee hee, I can finally feel your resentment.]

[But aren’t humans just selfish and cowardly creatures? The more you lead the charge to protect them, the more they take everything for granted as a matter of course.]

[What’s the use of dedicating yourself to protecting the future of humanity? Before they experience true despair, they will never cherish the existence of that light.]

[Congratulations on finally seeing the light, Lin Xi. You finally understand that sometimes, you need to let them experience utter despair. Only then will they…]

“You talk too much.” Lin Xi calmly interrupted the endless tirade in his mind. Amidst the echoing voice, a smile of unknown meaning appeared on his face. 

“But for a moment there, I really thought what you said made sense. Experiencing despair once in a while might be a very good experience. After all, without experiencing it, how would anyone know if such a weak little seedling could survive in an environment where no one has any faith in it?”

Hearing footsteps behind him, Lin Xi’s fingertip gently stroked the leaf one last time before he turned to look.

In his crouching position, he was backlit. He instinctively narrowed his eyes and said sincerely, “President Yan, you really are eye-catching no matter where you go.”

“…”

Yan Xingzhou paused for a moment, then said with great refinement, “Thank you.”

Lin Xi suddenly laughed.

He remained squatting there, and when he smiled, his one gold and one blue eye curved slightly, looking very much like a cat that had been teased into a good mood.

But the sight of him curled up with the seedling in this single beam of light was, for some reason, also incredibly jarring.

Endless darkness, a single source of light, and a fragile life yearning for that faint light, struggling to survive.

This was the entirety of this spiritual world.

There weren’t even any other manifested scenes.

Even Yan Xingzhou didn’t notice when his brows had furrowed. His gaze was fixed unblinkingly on Lin Xi. After a moment of silence, he asked, “So you’re squatting here just to say that to me?”

Having just discovered that Yan Xingzhou looked particularly handsome from this angle, Lin Xi couldn’t help but stare a little longer. 

Coming back to his senses, he blinked slowly. “President Yan, if you say that, can I interpret it as—you saw how desolate, fragile, empty, and miserable my inner world is, and you suddenly couldn’t help but feel sorry for me?”

He stood up, and by the time the last syllable fell, he was back to his usual self with Yan Xingzhou. His gaze was locked on him without evasion, and his eyes, which had been as still as death just moments ago, were now filled with an irrepressible smile. 

“Or perhaps, before coming in, you still thought of me as some strange and dangerous element, but now you’ve finally discovered how weak, pitiful, and in need of protection I am, and your conscience has kicked in, and you’re starting to feel soft-hearted?”

Yan Xingzhou met his gaze. “Neither. But I was indeed conducting an assessment of you before. For now, I can temporarily lower my suspicion value by 20%.”

Lin Xi: “May I ask what the specific value is after the reduction?”

Yan Xingzhou: “Less than 60%.”

Lin Xi thought for a moment and nodded. “At least it’s below the passing line. Thank you for your trust.”

“…”

Yan Xingzhou said, “If I were you, I would be more concerned with how to get out of here. After all, we’ve been in here for quite some time. Although ability users don’t get contaminated, there are still countless personnel who have lost control of their abilities due to spending too much time in an inner world. I hope you won’t be the next.”

Although he didn’t say it directly, Lin Xi heard the subtext in his attitude: “A strong person like me has no such worries, but if a weakling like you wants to get out safely, you need to hurry up.”

Lin Xi: “.”

It had to be said, this kind of dialogue where ‘I flirt with you a bit, and you stab me a few times’ was damnably familiar.

Under Yan Xingzhou’s gaze, Lin Xi slowly raised his head to look at the “well” opening where the light was leaking in. “Isn’t it obvious where the only exit is? Even if you rush me, it’s useless, President Yan. For a rookie ability user like me, even if I want to get out of here quickly, the only method I can think of is to… properly plant a tree.”

As he spoke, he pointed to the seedling at his feet. “Once it grows into a towering tree, we should be able to climb out of here, right?”

Yan Xingzhou laughed at his words. “This is your proposed solution?”

“If Assistant Ju were here, he would probably provide a Plan B more in line with your expectations. But unfortunately, for a rookie like me, this is the only thing I can think of.” Lin Xi looked at Yan Xingzhou with an innocent face, appearing like a rookie who was both troubled and out of options. “Or, if President Yan has a better method, I will definitely be grateful for you saving my little life once again.”

Hearing the word “rookie” being emphasized several times, Yan Xingzhou raised an eyebrow slightly. “And what if I can’t save you either?”

“Then I can only fend for myself.” Lin Xi was quite content to go with the flow. “Life and death are determined by fate, riches and honor by heaven. I’ll just go and see if there’s any water source nearby to make this life-saving tree grow faster. You never know, right…”

As he spoke, he actually turned to leave but was pulled back by Yan Xingzhou. “President Yan?”

Yan Xingzhou met his gaze, unable to determine for a moment whether it was purely an act.

After a moment of silence, he asked, “Do you know what my ability is?”

Of course, Lin Xi knew Yan Xingzhou’s ability. He had been posturing for so long precisely to wait for this man to make a move.

At this moment, he asked with perfect cooperation, “What is it?”

Yan Xingzhou glanced at him but didn’t answer.

He just slowly raised his hand.

In a brief moment, like a mirage rising from the ground, a floating elevator reaching into the clouds was constructed before their very eyes, clear and real.

And the end of this elevator led all the way to where the beam of light was shining in.

It was completely different from the dream-system ability he had used in the conference room before.

[X-Ability: Manifestation].