335: Chapter 335 Finding an even more powerful and cruel monster

The bedroom light was turned off.

Only a faint light seeping through the curtains remained, outlining the desk and the stacked books.

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Fang Cheng did not rest immediately; instead, he sat cross-legged on the bed with his eyes slightly closed, gradually drawing his consciousness inward.

Just moments ago, while chatting idly with his mother, a sudden, inexplicable stir arose in his heart.

An unusual Mind Resonance clearly emerged.

Its intensity was more pronounced and clear than ever before, seeming to herald some kind of change.

Fang Cheng quickly gathered his focus, sinking his consciousness deep into the magnificent spiritual palace within his mind.

The outline of the hall flickered in the gloom, and above the dome lay a profound, indescribable darkness.

Several giant pillars and arches supporting the massive structure cast vast shadows.

But tonight, the surroundings here were not completely pitch black; it seemed slightly brighter than usual.

A golden sphere of light representing the core of consciousness floated quietly in the center, emitting a gentle glow.

And high above that soaring dome, the individual consciousnesses symbolizing those who had established a spiritual connection with him were scattered like stars, shining brilliantly.

One of them bloomed with unprecedented radiance at this moment, appearing exceptionally eye-catching.

Its brilliance was so intense that it could almost rival the star representing Wen Xin.

These two stars, like the most dazzling existences in the night sky, hung quietly in the dark firmament.

Fang Cheng's gaze focused on that suddenly brightened star.

It was precisely the projection of Xiaosa's personal consciousness in this Memory Palace.

Upon careful perception, it was not difficult to analyze the reason behind it.

Xiaosa had held a certain sense of awe, even worship, toward him back at the detention center.

At that time, Fang Cheng had successfully established a brief spiritual connection with him.

Today, after being released from the detention center, Xiaosa encountered a kidnapping by the Red Tiger Gang.

At the moment of life and death, the intense desire to survive and the prayer for powerful strength unconsciously emitted by him...

Were precisely captured by Fang Cheng like a radio wave signal.

Taking this opportunity, the spiritual connection between the two sides was activated once again and stabilized with unprecedented strength.

In secret, Fang Cheng transmitted mental suggestions to calm his mind and measures to deal with threats, helping him smoothly survive Chen Chen's cross-examination and escape danger.

A simple act of assistance in reality stirred up ripples in the spiritual world that were far from simple.

Within this, certain more profound Laws were involved.

It vaguely coincided with concepts like "Karma" and "Power Of Will" mentioned in Buddhist scriptures.

Every contribution was like planting a seed.

Every reception could bear a fruit.

Whether this seed could take root, sprout, blossom, and bear fruit perhaps varied from person to person.

But there would always be some feedback, producing slight ripples, causing people and things to evolve in another direction.

The so-called "Mind Resonance" was the result of spiritual-level interaction between the sender and the receiver.

The other party's prayers and gratitude served as the soil for the seed to take root, sprout, and eventually grow.

Explained according to this definition, the higher the intensity of the Mind Resonance, the brighter the corresponding star light spot would become.

This meant that the more "Power Of Will" was fed back from the other party.

When this quantitative change accumulated to a certain extent, it might even trigger a certain qualitative leap.

Perhaps it could bring immense benefits to both parties.

If the intensity of this spiritual connection was divided according to belief Ranks.

Then Xiaosa's worship index towards him at this moment should have leaped from the initial "Beginner Believer" to the level of "Devout Believer".

A strange feeling couldn't help but well up in Fang Cheng's heart.

He didn't expect that the first to reach the "devout" level would actually be a punky thug like Xiaosa.

The star light spot he represented even far surpassed the light spots representing family members like his mother, grandfather, and uncle in brightness.

But upon second thought, he let it go.

The feelings of his family members towards him were more of a blood-is-thicker-than-water trust and care.

Rather than "faith" or "worship" mixed with emotions like awe and looking up.

The former was a natural outpouring of emotion, while the latter carried a kind of spiritual attachment and sustenance.

Their natures were different, so the forms and changes they produced naturally varied as well.

As for Wen Xin, her feelings towards him carried a bit of worship as well.

But the reason for forming the Mind Resonance lay more in that extremely special "medical treatment" experience.

This discovery undoubtedly allowed Fang Cheng to verify a fact.

The execution and harvest of the Mind Resonance ability truly followed the Laws of Karma; every contribution had its reward.

More importantly, Fang Cheng clearly felt that...

As Xiaosa's "star" became unusually bright, the "Power Of Will" transmitted back from it not only increased in quantity, but also had a significant improvement in quality.

That spiritual energy appeared more condensed and pure compared to the scattered "Power Of Will" absorbed from other light spots.

When this pure "Power Of Will" slowly melted into the central golden light sphere, Fang Cheng could even feel his Flame of Spirituality tremble slightly because of it.

As if crops in a long drought were nourished by sweet rain, or like metal through quenching, becoming tougher.

This feeling of progress, subtle yet real, was presented in full on the System panel.

[You are absorbing external consciousness, refining self-awareness, spirit increased by 0.01]

[You are absorbing external consciousness, refining self-awareness, spirit increased by 0.01]

[You are absorbing external consciousness, refining self-awareness, spirit increased by 0.01]

...

Watching the prompt messages slowly sweep past his eyes one by one.

Fang Cheng's eyes flashed slightly, as if he understood something.

The growth of the spirit attribute did not bring an intuitive growth of muscle strength like physical exercise.

Instead, it could make his spiritual world more stable and his five senses more acute and alert.

He also possessed stronger resistance against the invasion of external negative consciousness and spiritual abilities.

This was not just a simple spiritual strengthening, but also the inevitable path to cultivating the sixth sense, seventh sense, and even the eighth sense, "Alaya-vijnana".

When reaching the end of this path, perhaps he could touch the legendary, immortal Divine Realm...

Many thoughts flashed through Fang Cheng's mind, vaguely capturing a path leading to the supreme.

If he could have enough "devout" level connectors, the pure "Power Of Will" they fed back would definitely have an immeasurable and huge impact on his spiritual evolution.

Consciousness withdrew from the Memory Palace, and Fang Cheng slowly opened his eyes.

A sharp glint flashed across his eyes and vanished, returning to normal once again.

The night was already deep.

The alarm clock on the desk ticked, and the hour hand quietly pointed to midnight.

Fang Cheng nimbly took off his clothes, lay flat on his bed, and pillowed his head with both hands.

In the quiet atmosphere, he sorted out everything that happened tonight.

Chen Chen, the leader of the Red Tiger Gang and an important peripheral faction boss fostered by the Noah Organization in Dongdu.

Such a figure actually chose to betray the organization and took the initiative to come knocking, wanting to seek cooperation with him, the "mysterious killer".

This was undoubtedly a variable and also a rare opportunity.

Tonight's special "meeting" gave Fang Cheng some new considerations regarding the current situation.

He could clearly feel that Chen Chen was ambitious and deeply scheming, by no means as simple as he looked on the surface.

Dealing with such a figure was tantamount to bargaining with a tiger for its skin for ordinary people.

A slight carelessness could result in even one's bone fragments being swallowed up completely.

But Fang Cheng was no ordinary person.

In front of absolute strength, all conspiracies and tricks were nothing more than clumsy performances of clowns.

And from the current situation grasped, Chen Chen indeed had the intention of betraying Noah and breaking away from the organization's control.

If utilized well, this local snake entrenched in Dongdu might become a key chess piece against the Noah Organization.

What's more, he still held trump cards in his hand that ordinary people could not anticipate.

Thinking of this, another face emerged in Fang Cheng's mind.

Xiaosa...

Although this fellow had once seen his true face and had ties with the Red Tiger Gang, there was a risk of exposing his identity.

But at the same time, he accidentally produced a strong Mind Resonance with him, already becoming a high-quality "Power Of Will" provider.

The value was self-evident.

Moreover, this fellow's mind was quite clever, and he could hold his ground at critical moments.

If he were allowed to act as the "spokesperson" between himself and Chen Chen, it wouldn't be a bad choice.

As for those potential hidden dangers...

Wouldn't the problem be readily solved if he completely became his own person?

Pondering for a moment, Fang Cheng's originally slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and he already had a decision in his heart.

Whether to carry out deep cooperation with Chen Chen still needed long-term consideration.

But further contact was necessary.

The intelligence provided by Chen Chen about Scorpion, a cadre of the Noah Organization, could be used just right to test his sincerity and ability in cooperation.

He had originally formulated a hunting plan, preparing to continuously hunt down Noah members to weaken their power in Dongdu.

Only, successively eliminating several cadres including Captain Chen Rui had probably already alerted Noah's higher-ups.

The intelligence network of the Dongdu Branch must be fully activated at this moment, searching for any suspicious clues.

To avoid being noticed by the intelligence personnel of the Noah Organization, Fang Cheng had specifically instructed Xu Hao earlier not to act rashly to avoid exposing his undercover identity.

Now, with the unexpected "surprise" of Chen Chen, he could obtain intelligence on the Noah Organization from another more covert channel.

He could naturally take action boldly and assuredly.

Even if there were slight omissions during the operation, there was Chen Chen's clue to confuse the public.

Even becoming a potential shield when necessary.

Fang Cheng lay back on the bed and closed his eyes.

Outside the window, the city's neon lights were still flickering, outlining the bustling silhouette of this Night City.

And beneath this bizarre appearance, the hidden undercurrents were surging endlessly.

...

Yuanchen Group building, top floor.

The morning sun rose, and through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, it cast a pale golden layer over the luxurious office.

Chen Chen rubbed his sleepy eyes, let out a big yawn, and walked out from the luxury lounge inside.

On the floor, four men lay sprawling across each other, all bruised and swollen, looking miserable.

Some had black eye sockets swollen like ripe peaches, while others had cracked corners of the mouth oozing dark red bloodstains.

Even more exaggeratedly, the arms of two of them were hanging at weird angles, obviously broken.

They casually threw on a few pieces of clothing that obviously didn't fit.

Looking as if they were temporarily rummaged from some garbage dump, barely covering their bodies, adding a bit of comic relief.

Chen Chen's brows furrowed deeply:

"What's going on?"

Secretary Liu, standing aside, pushed the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose and quickly explained the situation:

"Chairman, the few of them were knocked unconscious last night and dumped in the garbage dump in the suburbs."

"They woke up in the wee hours, walked a good stretch of night road, and only found a phone in a nearby village to call me when it was dawn."

"I just sent someone to drive over and pick them back."

Seeing Chen Chen come out, the four unlucky bastards struggled to crawl up, but triggered their wounds again, wincing in pain and groaning.

One of the scar-faced men, who looked slightly less injured, barely raised his head, his voice carrying a crying tone:

"Boss... No, Chairman... We... We were backstabbed..."

He intermittently recounted last night's encounter and the appearance of the man wearing a white yaksha mask.

When mentioning the "warning" left by the Masked Man to the boss, his words became extremely cautious and tactful.

For fear that transmitting this bad message would cause the boss to vent his anger on him.

After listening, Chen Chen cross-examined in detail for a few more sentences, and after confirming that no more valuable information could be asked out.

A trace of impatient anger flashed across his face, and he waved his hand:

"Get lost, a bunch of trash!"

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Those guys, as if granted amnesty, supported each other and fled the office scrambling.

Waiting for those unlucky bastards to disappear at the door, the office door was gently closed.

The angry look on Chen Chen's face faded like a tide, replaced by a gloomy look.

"Chairman."

Secretary Liu stepped forward at the right time and lowered his voice:

"It seems that Xiaosa indeed has a very close relationship with that 'Sir'."

"Otherwise, the other party would never deal such heavy blows to our people just to protect a punky thug."

Chen Chen walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city gradually awakening beneath his feet without speaking.

The gaze behind Secretary Liu's lenses flickered slightly, and he continued to ask for instructions:

"Chairman, do we still need to provide the detailed intelligence of 'Scorpion' to the other party according to the cooperation agreement?"

He paused, lowering his voice even further:

"Yesterday, that big shot from Noah just sent people over to launch a surprise inspection on all our communication information and equipment."

"Their vigilance seems higher than before. If they discover these underhanded petty actions of ours behind the scenes, I'm afraid..."

Secretary Liu did not finish his words, but the dread within it was tacitly understood by the two present.

"It's fine."

Chen Chen seemed to be deep in thought, and finally spoke after a long time, waving his hand:

"The Noah Organization has just suffered a huge loss, and right now they are being tightly bitten by those mad dogs of the Special Investigation Team, unable to even take care of themselves."

"They simply don't have much energy to manage the life and death of us peripheral factions; right now they are just putting on a show to stabilize the morale of the army."

While speaking, he clenched his fists, his eyes revealing a hint of near-crazy gambling nature.

"Wanting to get rid of their control, right now is the best opportunity!"

"Opportunity knocks only once; loss never returns!"

"However... does that mysterious killer really have the ability to help us deal with those monsters of Noah?"

In Secretary Liu's tone, there was still deep worry.

As Chen Chen's confidant secretary, he naturally knew very well about the terror of the Noah Organization.

"Hehe, those who can deal with monsters can naturally only be monsters."

Chen Chen let out an inexplicable sneer, his gaze drifting toward the steel-and-concrete urban forest outside the window:

"Therefore, we need to find another even more powerful and cruel monster..."