Chapter 387: Impulsiveness
Translator: Strivon
So, it turned out that one could fiddle around with their mental senses to do something like this. Thoughts ermerged in Luo Nan's mind.
The telescope mode of clairvoyance was clearly a system. Each one of his believers, including Ink, was a node, providing aspects and perception details that could be cross-referenced and supplemented.
With only certain details, it isn’t enough to paint a perfect picture; these details were mapped on to one another. This caused the closed-off system formed from the framework of Formatting Theory to cover more and more aspects. As a result, existences that lacked a system became especially prominent. It didn't matter how minute these existences were, they were all enlarged, allowing Luo Nan's senses to turn exceptionally sharp.
Such effects were incomparable when used for advanced vigilance, and there were more ways of applications as well!
Lady Halder certainly saw Ink as well. Perhaps she knew that this crow was out of the norm, but she absolutely wouldn't expect that there was another person who was using the crow to directly observe her from dozens of kilometers away.
There was another person who was very sensitive—Peony. She probably sensed how abnormal Ink's flight path was, so she raised her head and looked. It was impossible to guess her thought process, but her gaze quickly pointed at the skyscraper where Lady Halder was located, as well as the relevant floor.
From Luo Nan's perspective, it seemed that Lady Halder and Peony crossed blades with their gazes.
Luo Nan wasn't certain whether or not Peony had seen Lady Halder, but Lady Halder's gaze was certainly locked onto Peony.
Well, the one that’s going to take the hit is you…
Luo Nan felt secretly delighted after successfully shifting the blame after getting into trouble. He felt a sense of accomplishment.
This was the first time he had done this successfully, and he was already a teenager!
He wasn't worried about Peony's safety. He knew that the most powerful woman in Xia City stood behind her. Though Lady Halder's Bloodflame Order and Citadel Financial Group were one of Xia City's powers, they were quite lacking when compared to Her Majesty Empress Wu.
Peony, as a person involved, appeared to not really mind. Perhaps she didn't feel a sense of danger.
She answered a call at this time, the smile on her face turning all the more radiant. Her eyes crinkled, and whether it was the members of Trigate Security or members of the Bloodflame Order, all couldn't help but steal some glances at her. It was hard for their hearts not to get excited....but there was a reaction in the living starry sky!
"Darling, are you here yet? How's my arrangement?"
A fatal blade!
The atmosphere became very bizarre, but Peony ignored it completely. Her mind had completely separated from the mission, and her mood could be seen in her smile. She spoke smoothly, "It's no problem as long as you're happy. We'll all be in the skies tonight in celebration for you!"
It should be her boyfriend... but what the hell was this love-spoiled expression?
After writing class, it was time for school society activities. Luo Nan was now free to mull over the confrontation at the Dual River District in the recycling stratum.
At that time, a lot of information weren’t revealed, or perhaps some did appear, but Luo Nan wasn't able to see. In any case, Luo Nan was certain that there would be meetings held about the situation, be it on the Bloodflame Order's side or on Trigate Security's side. Everything was going smoothly for him. It shouldn't be hard to piece together information.
Luo Nan had wrung out all the benefits he possibly could, and now he was staying out of it. He felt a bit like a villain, but it made him feel really good. In this situation, it didn't matter what other people felt. It had nothing to do with him.
Luo Nan waited at a parking spot, his mind still pondering over the perception system. It was just as he previously thought. He had discovered an excellent method to anticipate danger. Though there were many shortcomings, it didn't seem difficult to make up for them.
He just needed to expand his number of believers and spread them into the various districts. They could be seamlessly combined to form a closed system. For targets outside of his system, especially ability users that possessed their own self-logic, Luo Nan would be able to mark them down one by one.
He wouldn't need to have bodyguards or deal with personal security. Even the Skynet system that covers the entire city wouldn't be as keen as him. If powerful ability users like the First Oblatum of the Order of Justice or Deputy Secretary-General Gong Qi were to come and try to kill him, the instant they step foot into Xia City, Luo Nan would know their exact position and location from hundreds of kilometers away. He would then notify President Ouyang and Her Majesty Empress Wu to intercept.
Oh man, he was getting emotional just thinking about it!
As for expanding the number of his believers...Luo Nan scratched his head. The electric shuttle just so happened to arrive, and he boarded, still scratching his head. He had a subtle feeling creeping up on him.
Luo Nan was convinced that he had never truly regarded himself as a 'god'. He just saw Bamboo Pole's paper, and borrowed the relationship between believers and gods to describe the various mysteries of Formatting Theory. That was all.
So, he didn't act like those modern day secret orders. He didn't meticulously mull out doctrines, ceremonies, and so on,nor did he use these methods to expand the number of his believers. Luo Nan had Ink and the Wraith Sign as non-human believers. Rui Wen, on the other hand, was a special case. The true number of human believers he possessed was only three.
Baze, Xie Junping, and Cat Eyes.
Baze was someone who lived life resolutely. His nature was shaped by the many years he spent in the Order of Justice. He could be said to be a plug-and-play device. He didn't need any time to adjust into becoming Luo Nan's believer.
Xie Junping wasn't part of the circle of the inner world. He was ignorant and completely unaware. Luo Nan also deliberately watered down the relationship to a point where he nearly forgetting about it. He just set it aside, waiting for him to pick it up.
Cat Eyes, on the other hand, was probably the only one he truly received. She was the only one of his believers who was consciously aware, and the process with her could not be described as smooth at all.
Cat Eyes certainly was the one responsible for this matter. But even so, her suicidal actions and the series of developments had left a bad taste in Luo Nan, the beneficiary’s, mouth. This was especially true of mental torture.
More essential connections were highlighted after the star atlas transformation of the Format Pyramid and the dematerialization of the chains. Luo Nan inspected his believers one by one, and he discovered that Cat Eyes was extremely dispirited. Her mental state was worrying.
This was absolutely not a state that Luo Nan wished to see.
Luo Nan ran his fingers through his hair as he sat in the last row of the electric shuttle. In his moment of pondering, his mind unconsciously shifted through the living starry sky to look at Cat Eyes once more.
It was early afternoon. Normal people were working or studying. Ability users were cultivating or completing missions. Now what about Cat Eyes?
She was sitting cross-legged on the floor of a room,her messy hair sprayed out over her camisole. She was in her panties, revealing large sections of smooth light-brown skin. She appeared to be hungover, and she subconsciously played with the alcohol bottle hooked between her fingers.
There at least a dozen bottles of alcohol around her. Most of them were completely empty. They were randomly toppled over. The room was a giant mess.
Holy cow...she would truly become trash if this were to go on!
Luo Nan felt this was not okay, and a sudden impulse popped into his head. He simply said, "Why don't we talk?"
The psychic thought was born, and Cat Eyes froze, her monotonous actions coming to an end. The bottle of alcohol by her foot rolled away.
Only when Luo Nan saw her statue-like figure did he realize that he hadn't used the HexaEar to speak to her. Instead, he had directly channeled his thoughts to her.
Needless to say, this method was the biggest taboo among ability users, especially among mentally-slanted ability users. This was the same as being stabbed once more in a bloody wound from Cat Eyes' perspective.
Things became awkward for Luo Nan, but before he could even think of apologizing, Cat Eyes exposed a bizarre smile. She pressed her hand to her forehead and went up her hairline, tidying up her hair a bit. Her appearance was a bit similar to Luo Nan's now, save for the serious air of depression she gave off, as well as a hint of self-mockery.
"Sure, but I'm going to teach dance later. Boss, do you want me to skip class?"
"Uh, it's okay."
"Class ends at eight in the evening."
"No problem." Luo Nan only realized that he had a social gathering to attend at night after saying these words. He could go seek out Cat Eyes tomorrow instead, but the words had already came out of his mouth. It would be too passive of him to change his words. He might as well kill two birds with one stone, "Just come the the Frost River Reality at Cloud City Water Village. I'll wait for you there."
"I'll be there at eight thirty."
The talk ended here without the use of any electronics during the entire conversation. The pure exchange of thought had flowed naturally, as if it had been done countless times.
Cat Eyes held an apathetic expression, as if she had finished an ordinary phone call. She picked up a full bottle of alcohol, skillfully opened the cap with her fingers, and started chugging. Her actions were too violent -- the yellowish alcohol spilled out from the corners of her lips. The alcohol flowed down her chin, neck, and collar. It flowed all the way down to her bulging stomach, absorbing into her clothes. It was so bad that every guys in the world would stare blankly at how far down the liquid flowed.
The wet camisole pressed against her body, revealing every detail and curve of her body. Nothing was spared. Such a scene...
Luo Nan blushed and quickly severed his mind. He unconsciously exerted a bit more force with the fingers that ran through his hair, scratching his scalp to the point of pain.
Only when he felt pain did he truly snap back to reality. I really called that sister over. Why did I do that? To talk about what?
Is it to apologize for taking her in as a believer? But I haven't researched how to "unfollow", so why don't you first wait a bit?
Or maybe since you, little girl, are already in this situation, why don't you properly listen to Uncle's words. Warm my bed. Dance for me. Serve Uncle to his delights. Let me enjoy the benefits of your future splendor?
Fuck, my impulses!
Luo Nan hugged his head, dispersing the senseless and foolish thoughts. He then looked up to the ceiling of the electric shuttle, grinning without a sound. He really didn't know what to think of himself.
The HexaEar vibrated during this tangle. Someone from the Society was calling.
Could it be that Cat Eyes wanted to back out? She won't be coming tonight?
Luo Nan, this wimp, already had such expectations. However, Cat Eyes wasn't the one calling. It was Papercut.
"I'm here, Nanster. This place is completely empty. You're still not done fooling around?"
"Huh? Brother Papercut, you're...ohhhh, I'll be there soon." Luo Nan just remembered the appointment he made with Papercut last night. What was it again? Papercut wanted to bring him something?
Luo Nan just remembered that Papercut wanted to bring him combat machinery that could be used by the control class. This came to happen because he asked Papercut to teach him a big move. He was misunderstood; Papercut assumed Luo Nan wanted a way to defend himself, and he was so nice as to deliver the goods directly to Luo Nan.
Honestly speaking, Luo Nan wasn't very interested in combat machinery from the past. Right now he had the Dripping Sword; nothing else needed mentioning. However, Papercut had came over, giving Luo Nan a chance to express his thanks, as well as a chance to discuss insights about the Dripping Sword and the activation class.
Luo Nan and Papercut had only started chatting when another call started to come through. It was Xue Lei. "Nanster, you're done with class, right? I'll be at Gear soon. I'll warm up my muscles for now."
Oh man, thank-you Brother Papercut!
Luo Nan could tell that Xue Lei wanted to start the sanshou boxing training, and he praised Papercut in secret. He hurriedly interrupted Xue Lei, "Brother Papercut just got there. He even brought along a combat machinery. Apparently, it's very interesting. Let's check it out and try out its power together."
Xue Lei was a bit stunned by this, "Brother Papercut is teaching you something new?"
He had taken Luo Nan's excuse seriously.
Luo Nan chuckled, glossing over the situation. Honestly speaking, he was uninterested in hand-to-hand combat.
Part of it was because he felt like he was not meant for this sort of stuff. Another part was because he was too strained by the amount of work he had to do. From the internal to the external, From the fleshly body to the soul, from the self to his believers, from Gear to the cloud world...he really couldn't spare half a minute. He didn't have the energy to start another project.
He could only apologize to Xue Lei for his enthusiasm for now.
Luo Nan arrived at Gear earlier than Xue Lei and saw Papercut walking in and out of the reception hall with hands clasped behind his back. He was looking at the construction team doing work.
He looked like a supervisor at first glance, but his jolly and plump face wasn't threatening at all.
"Brother Papercut." Luo Nan came up and greeted him, "Let us go to the bar in the passageway at the bottom of the lake. Construction's not done yet on the surface, so it's a bit messier. It should be much cleaner underground."
"It's okay. Try working with it later. It's better to have some open space." Papercut waved his hand, deliberately flashing his left wrist and attracting Luo Nan's gaze.
Luo Nan saw that a black wrist guard was wrapped around Papercut's white plump wrist. It was rather eye-catching. Papercut even deliberately bent his wrist twice; the material of the wrist guard appeared to be quite tough and flexible, but Luo Nan was unable to tell anything else.
"What's this?"
"The Flywheel Arm, man."
"Oh, so this is it..." Luo Nan finally recalled what Papercut said last night. He was going to bring combat machinery, and this was the name of the combat machinery. The name gave off a feeling like that of an artificial limb, but Luo Nan never expected it to look like a wrist guard. He never expected it to bend so easily.
"Is it made out of some flexible metal material?"
"Its composition of metal isn't high. After all, the majority of known metal materials aren't suitable to be controlled via the interference from soul strength. Particular attention is required for the pairing."
Papercut took off the Flywheel Arm and gave it to Luo Nan, "You'll know once you try. This thing is quite light. Here, I've sent you the manual."
"There's even a manual?"
"Of course, there's even after-sales support," Papercut chuckled. He helped Luo Nan put it own and taught him the basic methods of use.
Luo Nan put on this toy, and he felt some differences between it and normal sports wrist guards. It was a bit thicker, aside from the different material. The sensation of it on his wrist was very distinct. Luckily, it utilized memory material. Luo Nan only needed to bend his wrist a few times to feel comfortable wearing it.
Comfort wasn't something that was key for combat machinery. Even Papercut said, "Though it is very light, it is very easy to use. You don't even need a teacher. You'll know what to do with a glance. As for the speed, destructive power, and so on. It's mediocre in all of these qualities. But it's quite fun for a toy. It's just for you to experience the techniques of the control class and see if it spurs some interest for you to research deeper into the control class. Have you understood the manual yet?"
Luo Nan didn't utter a sound. He turned his wrist, looking at the complicated structure of the Flywheel Arm. With careful observation and looking at the manual, Luo Nan discovered that this toy was weaved into several different layers, and each layer was independent. They were like warped scales, cascaded layer upon layer. There appeared to be ten pieces in total; not as fragmentary as one would expect.
They seemed to be very tightly interlocked. Only when Luo Nan deliberately pried them apart did they reveal a tiny crack. These armor plates were integral parts of the Flywheel Arm and served as attacking weapons as well. The structure was quite ingenious.