Chapter 97: Forced Enhancement

Returning to the assigned room, Qi Chen collapsed onto the bed, shedding the exhaustion that weighed down his entire body.

So much had happened recently that his nerves felt tightly stretched. Now that this phase had temporarily come to an end, he finally had the leisure to carefully examine his own situation.

As for the investigation, it was beyond his capability to resolve, and he trusted that Fu Ying and the Warm Guy would handle the remaining matters well.

He had a clear self-definition: find the eerie and the enemies, then crush them completely.

For now, he just wanted to immerse his mind in the room adorned with masks and see what changes had taken place.

...

Closing his eyes, Qi Chen entered the mask room. An indescribable sense of relaxation instantly enveloped his spirit, and all worries seemed to vanish like smoke within this special space.

Approaching the Overlord mask, he gently reached out to touch it. This time, unlike before, there was no resistance; his hand truly made contact with the sharply defined black-and-white mask, where anger and sorrow intertwined.

A chilling sensation blossomed at his fingertips, and he felt a deep connection.

A low growl sounded. The Overlord mask suddenly flew off the wall on its own and swiftly took shape into a robust, gray-white figure.

So it turned out the Overlord could manifest physically within the mask space!

Looking up at the black-and-white mask, Qi Chen smiled faintly without speaking. His main purpose this time was not the Overlord, but the other white mask.

His gaze moved along the wall until he found it.

Compared to the last time, the mist surrounding the white mask had thinned significantly, allowing him to almost see the mask’s full details.

Its colors were the inverse of the Overlord’s: a white base with black accents around the eyes and mouth, and most strikingly, a red dot on the forehead.

“This is…” Qi Chen momentarily could not recall which figure from a past life this mask represented, but deep down he knew it was also a renowned existence.

Yet, more than who the mask corresponded to, he was curious about the mask itself.

Pausing thoughtfully, Qi Chen stepped forward to the mask and gazed at it solemnly, then asked,

“What… do you want?”

...

Qi Chen’s voice echoed in the empty mask space, yet the white mask remained unchanged, hanging silently on the wall like a real mask.

The Overlord by his side let out a low growl, and Qi Chen sensed the thoughts conveyed.

For now… the white mask seemed incapable of responding.

This surprised Qi Chen somewhat, but he had always only a superficial understanding of the mask space and the masks themselves. He had long felt distinct from other eerie walkers.

At least, he could not fully align himself with the conclusions summarized by the Eerie Handling Department.

If the eerie beings of normal walkers truly embodied some form of their spiritual power, then he was more like a vessel. Though influenced by the Overlord, he still had no clue which aspect of his spirit the Overlord reflected.

Perhaps the answer would come once the mist surrounding the white mask dissipated completely.

Suddenly, Qi Chen felt an icy hand rest on his shoulder. Turning, he saw the Overlord silently pressed against his back!

What was it trying to do?!

Before he could react, the Overlord performed the eerie integration again, its entire body surging into Qi Chen’s own in an instant. A stark black-and-white mask swiftly appeared on Qi Chen’s face in his consciousness.

But this time, Qi Chen did not feel the overwhelming power that usually accompanied the eerie integration; instead, his entire being was flooded with raging fury!

The surging anger crushed his reason, leaving only a sliver of clarity.

Yet that faint rationality was no match for the wildfire of his wrath, especially since Qi Chen lacked the power to release it, forced only to endure the furious blaze consuming his mind!

Suddenly, the Overlord withdrew from Qi Chen’s body, standing quietly like an unyielding iron tower at his side.

Qi Chen, utterly drained, sank down with a heavy sigh. Though here in the mask space he existed only as a form of consciousness, he still felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

Could the eerie integration be overpowered like this?

Gasping heavily, he looked up at the silent Overlord and felt an inexplicable sense of grievance.

He realized the Overlord seemed intent on helping him adapt to the fury its power stirred within him, so that in future eerie integrations he could maintain his composure.

Especially in moments of complete mental openness, so as not to lose himself entirely—this had always been Qi Chen’s initial fear.

The Overlord wanted to overcome this alongside him.

Only… it came on rather suddenly.

As Qi Chen began to recover somewhat, the Overlord moved again, and to his horror, plunged back into his body!

“I…”

Qi Chen never managed to speak the words on his tongue, once again engulfed in the extreme rage the Overlord brought.

How long this lasted was uncertain.

...

“Ding-ling-ling!”

A sharp ringing cut through the air. After hours of training, Qi Chen sluggishly answered the communicator, hearing the Warm Guy’s voice:

“Mask! Get to the department immediately!”

Hearing the urgency laced with restrained excitement, Qi Chen snapped to attention and asked,

“What’s going on?”

“Why does your voice sound like you’ve been gutted?” The Warm Guy frowned, thinking Qi Chen had not fully recovered, then quickly added, “There’s urgent intel. Hurry over! Old Li is heading back early—expected to arrive in Third City within two or three days!”

Qi Chen was instantly alert.

One major reason the Eerie Handling Department had been so passive was that Old Li was out of town, and many eerie walkers had left with him.

If Old Li was returning now, the situation would soon reverse!

But… why was Old Li returning to Third City so quickly? Only a few days had passed.

There was no time to ponder this. Qi Chen quickly changed clothes and rushed out, confident that more detailed intelligence awaited him at the department.

Meanwhile, other eerie walkers had received the same notice and were also hurrying to the department.

The turning point arrived sooner than expected.

...