Chapter 69: Breath of the Deeps (Part ½)
Rui Wen was projected onto the altar as a star and this star was projected into Luo Nan's heart as well. It wouldn’t directly tell Luo Nan Rui Wen’s position in the real world, but that connection and its corresponding information were unrivaled.
This cognition manifested itself within Luo Nan’s call and blessings. It exploded in the middle of the dense black clouds like fiery thunder surging towards the skies. The earnest rolling thunder, the diffusion of psychic waves, swept across the night skies of Xia City to join with the millions and millions of life forms in juxtaposition.
There was only one target on the planet that would give the right match.
Luo Nan had an epiphany and this was his attempt at acting upon it. It was like the stroke of God that leads to his drawings. He didn’t know if he would obtain the expected result; all he could do now was to wait.
“Scout, scout?” The sound of Crag Burst calling out brought Luo Nan back to reality.
“I’m here.”
“What the hell did you leave for?”
“I’m at the fighting arena…… I’m seeing if there are any trails of Rui Wen. It's in preparations of making a psychic drawing.”
“Huh? So how is it? Can you do it?”
“It’s hard to tell.”
Right now lies just came out of Luo Nan as easily as opening his mouth. But this wasn’t really a lie in a certain sense. He really had been preparing for the psychic drawing, but now the drawing was already completed.
Crag Burst was a bit disappointed, but soon he changed topics: “The Secretary wants to talk to you. She asks if now’s a convenient time?”
“The secretary? Oh, you mean Sister He? Yea now’s good. How is it not convenient?” Luo Nan just felt that things were odd. He Yueyin could have just contacted him directly using the HexaEar. Why did she first go through Crag Burst?
Crag Burst went “oh” and soon a new call came through: “Hello Mr. Luo sir, this is He Yueyin, society internal codename ‘Secretary’.”
“Uh? Sister He.” Luo Nan didn’t understand why she suddenly mentioned an “internal codename”. It sounded like she wanted to get reacquainted again. It was very odd.
He Yueyin soon explained: “The Society has already received Crag Burst’s report and has decided to intervene in this matter. Due to the relationship to a certain company, the Society has entered confidential procedures in order to avoid trouble. Those participating in the operation are addressed by “internal codenames” without exception. The pre-briefing and post-briefing will be in accordance with these procedures. Considering how your circumstances are special, the operation briefing from Friday night will be treated accordingly by the public release on Monday.”
Luo Nan suddenly felt that things were so bureaucratic. It was as if he had entered a department of the military. Had the ability user society always been like this?
Crag Burst soon explained everything with deep emotion: “What a change in customs. It’s like I’m back in the army.”
He Yueyin continued her dispatch: “As for you Luo Nan sir, the codename I originally drafted for you is called ‘Artist’.”
“Mm. It’s very good. Very fitting.”
“But it’s way too fitting. It’s too easy for people to make the mental connection. Apologies, I’ve heard a few things about you sir from Crag Burst. The current circumstances that you and your family face are not suited to stand in the foreground of politics.”
“.....Perhaps.” Luo Nan thought of Yan Yongbo at this time.
“I just heard Crag Burst call you ‘Scout’. This codename is quite vague; it’s more appropriate. Let’s use this codename for the current operation? If you don’t mind.”
“No problem.” Luo Nan didn’t care about this sort of empty reputation. He was more concerned about the next steps in coordinating with the Society to save Rui Wen as soon as possible.
“Then. He. Cough. Secretary. What are we doing next?”
“Reinforcements will arrive soon and the society will put the entire city under surveillance. The decision on the situation will be dependent on whether Quantum Corporation is willing to negotiate.”
“Then Crag Burst and I……”
“As for you, there currently isn’t a clear mission for you. This is because there is a matter that needs to be handled as soon as possible.”
“Huh?”
He Yueyin voice was tranquil: “Mrs. Luo Shuqing just sent you to Xia City’s Renai Hospital two minutes ago. The current diagnosis for you is a persistent loss of consciousness, a light coma.”
“Huhhh?” Crag Burst nearly heard something insane. “Isn’t Scout right here?...... You’re talking about his main body?”
Luo Nan was speechless for a time. He didn’t about how long he had stayed in his out-of-body state until now. It must have been at least 3~4 hours. He had been pretending to be asleep before his soul left his body and his soul had traveled in a circle around the city. It was time to go home.
Clearly, it had been impossible for him to get off the car by himself…...
This was yet another time when he wasn’t able to be awakened within the short past two days. And this time, he really couldn’t be awakened. It must be known that Luo Nan’s aunt and uncle had snuck in an evaluation for Luo Nan with the doctor when they visited Luo Nan’s grandfather. It was unavoidable for these two guardians to be overly imaginative under these circumstances.
“Mr. Luo. Crag Burst said that Sir has attached his soul onto the crow, but I don’t believe this is true.” He Yueyin didn’t call him by his codename. This matter had nothing to do with the operation.
Luo Nan saw that his out-of-body state matters could not be concealed any longer and was just about to spill the beans when He Yueyin said: “I’ve consulted with You Lao1. Your current state is very likely to be a highly complicated version of a soul sending state. In other words, most of your consciousness, or maybe your soul, has been projected via your ability to come onto the crow’s body……”
“Huh?”
“This is a very troublesome situation. This causes sustained wear and tear to yourself and the target of the sent soul. If you don’t separate yourself in time, the consequences will be extremely serious. I’ve already told Crag Burst that you don’t need to go anywhere right now. Mr. Bai of the Society is rushing over here right now. He’s a master in dream techniques; his academics in soul studies are very deep. Let him come make a diagnosis. I’ll handle the situation with the hospital.”
“Uh. Wait. Sister He. I’m at this……”
Luo Nan didn’t know why the most powerful psychic of the Society, You Lao, would make a mistake in judgment. Right now though, he clearly didn’t have time to tarry over this matter. He was just about to explain when his consciousness suddenly went sluggish.
“Do you hear something?”
“Mr. Luo?”
Luo Nan didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he concentrated his energy to listen. He had a better answer a breath later and immediately spoke:
“Sister He. Help me out. Brother Octopus has a better understanding of my situation. Talk to him for a moment. I seem to have discovered Rui Wen right now……”
“Where is she?” asked Crag Burst and He Yueyin at the same time.”
“Let me make sure…….”
A marvelous feeling was fed back once again from a far distance before he could finish speaking. Luo Nan’s mind was like a stone in freefall. It was drawn over to the greatest degree under the wonderful effects of gravity
Boom!
The stone fell into the water sending clear ripples surging. The surrounding environment suddenly went quiet and only this small stone of his continued to fall.
His consciousness chafed against the “water” and minute noises soon mixed in with the weak background noise. Finally, things became serene.
Luo Nan was not puzzled at all by this marvelous perception.
The pulling effect between the pyramid structure and the star told him that his consciousness had actually locked onto Rui Wen’s position and was trying to contact Rui Wen’s consciousness.
As for the reason why was there this deep body of water……. There was actually a reference to this before; Jack’s defenses around his consciousness were like this.
Only, Jack's conscious defenses ought to have stemmed from his body being altered. It was stable, firm, and rigid. It was like a pool of half-frozen backwater.
As for Rui Wen….. She was breathing.
You Lao (游老, literally You Old). He was first mentioned in Chapter 36.1. He is one of the few psychics in the Society.