Chapter 51 - 50: Caged Gaze

Bait?

Song Chu’s facial muscles gradually stiffened.

Honestly...

He didn’t expect this development.

"The Nightmare Mother has a fairly high level of intelligence."

Ma Ran looked at him expressionlessly, cracking his knuckles with a snap.

After doing this, he said in a haunting tone, "After some probing, I can now confirm that."

"It hasn’t learned Earth’s language yet and can’t recognize too many Chinese characters or Mandarin for the time being."

"Which means..."

"At this stage, the Nightmare Mother basically can’t obtain information from our conversations."

Hearing this, the quick-reacting Song Chu began to feel a bit tense.

He discovered a blind spot.

Glancing around, Song Chu hurriedly said, "Wait!"

"You mean..."

"All our actions are being monitored by that alien creature?"

Ma Ran’s face remained emotionless: "Yes."

"The previous ’two places where the Nightmare Mother might appear’ I mentioned, was a lie."

"I said that just to guide your emotions."

"At the same time, it was also ’helping’ the Nightmare Mother understand the relationship between us."

"No need to maintain a calm facade, just do what needs to be done."

"Whether you’re nervous or angry."

"These necessary emotional displays will guide the outcome towards the direction I anticipate."

"Since I dare to speak outright, it means I’m a hundred percent sure."

"Relax."

Song Chu let out a breath and stared blankly at Ma Ran, his mind racing with countless thoughts.

This guy...

Really crafty!

Unknowingly, he involved both himself and the alien creature in his schemes!

Ma Ran seemed to have guessed Song Chu’s thoughts.

He curled his lips into a light smile: "Actually, this is an open plot."

"I’m forcing the Nightmare Mother to take action in my own way."

"The more it does, the more mistakes it’ll make."

"Seize the opportunity, and you can land a killing blow."

Song Chu scratched his head and couldn’t help but ask, "But what if it doesn’t take action and continues to play dead?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Ran calmly replied: "If it doesn’t take the bait, there’s still a Plan C."

"With our reaction speed, as long as we remain vigilant, the Nightmare Spores have almost no chance."

"The Nightmare Dust doesn’t affect us much either."

"It has disrupted most of the transportation tools in the A3 District and hindered electronic equipment operations, but..."

"It cannot stop me from taking you out of the A3 District!"

"The A3 District is now undoubtedly completely surrounded."

"As long as we leave with the intelligence and completely seal off this area, the Nightmare Mother is helpless."

At this point, Ma Ran said coldly: "Before finding a host, its activity range is extremely limited."

"The Nightmare Mother surely knows what’s happening outside."

"It doesn’t know whether we’re aware."

"But it doesn’t dare to gamble!"

The biggest difference between Ma Ran and Song Chu is not in Inner Qi Rank, but in the strength of their spiritual will.

A mind that has been honed through countless alien invasions is harder than iron, stronger than steel.

Although Song Chu’s attributes far exceed the average level of normal humans, he is still a person who has lived in peaceful times and hasn’t undergone much trial.

On the spiritual will level, Song Chu’s comparison to Ma Ran is worlds apart.

According to Ma Ran’s calculations, even if his spiritual will strength was the same as Song Chu’s, as long as he reached the Fourth Rank of Inner Qi, he could suppress the hazards of this "A3 District Nightmare Incident" to the lowest limit.

However, Ma Ran prefers a strategy of planning before action.

Under normal circumstances, he would engage the enemy only when he is fully informed or when his combat power can overwhelm.

In general, Civilization Guardians who recklessly charge with just hot blood tend to end up with overgrown grass on their graves.

So...

At Grass Hut Academy, he leveraged the [play] ability to elevate his Inner Qi cultivation to the Fifth Rank, making thorough preparations before taking action.

Even in the A3 District, he didn’t forget to harvest rewards through performance, advancing to the Sixth Rank of Inner Qi.

This level of combat power can already crush the Nightmare Mother!

The trouble lies in the fact that Ma Ran’s combat power is now too strong, but his methods aren’t comprehensive enough.

Lacking tracking and reconnaissance abilities.

When the Nightmare Mother chose to follow its heart and hide, he was somewhat stuck.

Nonetheless, this possibility was also within Ma Ran’s expectations.

If Plan A doesn’t work, then move to Plan B.

Bait, Song Chu, fresh out of the oven!

Ma Ran raised an eyebrow, noticing a weak foreign spiritual power trying to invade his eyes, making him want to laugh.

How can the Nightmare Mother be this weak?

This level of intrusion is only about the same as a mature Nightmare Spore...

A probe?

In a flicker of thought, Ma Ran’s will, like a rod, easily smashed this spiritual power with only twenty percent strength.

He intended to trace back the attack to locate the Nightmare Mother, but once the eerie intruding power was shattered, it immediately vanished without a trace.

"Friendly fire."

Ma Ran’s eyes twitched slightly.

This kind of unscientific and illogical phenomenon at present can only be explained by "Superpower."

The previous occurrence was likely due to a fellow member from another society outside the A3 District trying to help, misjudged by him as the enemy.

In this era, without the "Brand Cryptology" and "Spiritual Network Code," everyone is groping in the dark.

That unknown reckless teammate was really daring.

If Ma Ran had hit a bit harder earlier, the other party would have rebounded into a vegetative state.

When he felt a bit awkward, Su Qiangwei’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

"It’s me, Su Qiangwei!"

"I now plan to use the superpower [Caged Gaze] that I copied from a senior sister at Yingchuan Academy to share your vision."

"Don’t resist!"

"Just now, the senior sister was going to use [Caged Gaze] on you..."

"Then suddenly said ’Such terrifying willpower’ and passed out on the spot."

"I guess it’s mostly because you knocked her out."

"Oh... I don’t even know what’s going on with you over there."

"Three seconds prep time."

"Three, two, one!"

A slightly stronger spiritual power appeared abruptly, slowly merging into Ma Ran’s eyes.

"I see it!"

"Hahaha, this ability is really interesting!"

"Combining [Caged Gaze] with [Unity] can break through communication restrictions."

"To express yourself, just use sign language."

"Don’t hold back, I know you can!"

"I can understand!"

Followed by a crisp crunching sound and fizzing bubbles bursting.

It looks like Su Qiangwei is replenishing energy with a combo of chips and cola.

Ma Ran lowered his head, pondering for a moment, found a small notebook, and wrote "Song Chu" on it, signing, "Can you contact this person?"

"He is right beside me now."

"Dual-line operation, passing messages between him and me, can it be done?"

"With your help, the efficiency of executing the plan will increase, saving more people."

Su Qiangwei did not disappoint, decisively providing a confident answer: "No problem!"

"As long as I talk less!"

"[Caged Gaze] consumes very little!"

End of communication.

Ma Ran, with hands in pockets, looked at Song Chu, who was completely bewildered: "Su Qiangwei has copied the superpowers [Caged Gaze] and [Unity] and is ready to provide support."