Chapter Twenty-Five: Jest

Wastewater treatment plant, in a gray-white office building, inside a certain room.

Shi Yu Lianyi stood by the window, watching the three people arguing below. From this lofty vantage point, he could command a broader view. The raised voices of the trio had startled the beasts; several ferocious creatures were slowly tightening their encirclement, aiming to seize their prey at the opportune moment—something he could see clearly from up here.

He covered his lips with his right hand, struggling to suppress the laughter threatening to escape. Once his emotions settled, he mused silently: (It can hardly be called a good idea. As someone who employs the Law of Impermanence, I should offer another way to solve the problem—such an approach would be more appropriate.)

In his mind came the shout of the bespectacled youth: (You deliberately paused just now, you bastard, you’re definitely holding back laughter!)

(Haha.)

(You’re not even trying to hide it anymore—you’re laughing at us! Is blowing up the dirty water pool really that funny, you pervert?)

The man in the suit couldn’t help but chuckle.

(Sorry, but the comedic effect is especially strong when you earnestly discuss this topic. Please forgive me.)

(I’ve made up my mind—after this, I’ll buy a few magazines about cross-dressing men and send them to Kardesia. She’ll be very interested.)

(Such an act is less a counterattack and more mutual destruction. Do you hate me that much, Gong Sun?)

(Rest assured, Shi Yu, I’ll run away and leave you to suffer alone at the first chance.)

(Such moving friendship.)

This was not good.

This psychic was far too at ease. Even when handling serious business, the tension seemed to drift away like a balloon let loose the moment one spoke with him, causing even oneself to relax. Whether it was the confidence of a psychic or his innate personality, it was hard to say. Compared to his usual state, he was almost easier to deal with when agitated.

(What are you trying to say?)

At least, he hadn’t forgotten the original purpose.

(Takizawa Yoshihisa’s “Strange Aspect: Communion” uses wastewater to create beasts of varying abilities. Your solution was to destroy the sedimentation tank, depriving Takizawa of his material supply. From the perspective of psychic combat, this is a brute-force method.)

(Aside from the environmental impact, brute force is very practical. One of the best lessons I learned from my seniors is: if violence solves the problem, there’s no need to think.)

Unarguable—this principle applied in real combat, too.

If fighting in another area, he would have gladly let them proceed as they pleased, laughing in the shadows. But—

(Kardesia also lives in Dingyi District. I doubt waking up to a strange smell would be pleasant for her. If you could consider other solutions, I’d be grateful.)

(Oh~~ then hurry up and help us, Shi Yu! If we don’t act soon, the wastewater pool will be out of control~~~)

The bespectacled youth drew out his voice with exaggerated sarcasm.

He could almost picture the expression on the other’s face—remarkable, how vividly the mood translated into their inner voices.

(If you can grasp the opponent’s logic, ordinary solutions become easier. Consider the vessel for the Law of Impermanence, its manifestation, possible environmental limitations, and the desires, purposes, or thoughts revealed—try to unravel it from these angles.)

(That’s a bit different from our usual focus on essence, range, and ability limits. From what we’ve observed, the vessel for the Defiled Water Beasts is wastewater; the ability is to create diverse and powerful animals from it; there’s no obvious environmental restriction. What’s revealed is… life exists even in sewers?)

He hadn’t finished before the bespectacled youth refuted himself.

(No, that’s not right. Consider his declaration before activating his ability—he regards filth as a product of death, and the beasts he creates are new lives born after the process of decay and abandonment. Evil beasts born from corrupt wastewater—perhaps what he seeks is a form of rebirth, albeit twisted…)

Impressive, as expected.

Shi Yu Lianyi applauded lightly, showing his admiration.

(Evil Law users are always like this. If you consider the vessel of the ability more closely, the solution is right before your eyes… Now, I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll go ahead.)

(If you gave me the solution outright, or came to help, I’d be a lot happier.)

(Don’t ask that of me~ My psychic power is just convenient telepathy, so please don’t drag me into direct combat.)

(Switching back to the psychic identity now?)

(If life is a drama destined to end, then everyone on stage is an actor changing masks at the right moment. One last reminder before I leave…)

Shi Yu Lianyi observed the beasts’ encircling net forming, and just before they launched their attack, he said: (You’ve been surrounded by eight large beasts for a minute.)

(You manipulative pervert!!!)

(Good night, bespectacled madman.)

A heavy thud echoed from below—surely one of the psychics venting all his fury on the hapless beasts.

The suited youth chuckled softly and turned away.

“Is it fun to toy with idiots?”

Then, a man’s voice called out.

He looked, somewhat surprised, at the corridor outside, and bowed.

“Good evening. You arrived even faster than I expected.”

A tall man, masked and clad in black, leaned against the doorframe.

“Long time no see, Shi Yu. Give me a rundown, then come help out.”

Even through the mask, Shi Yu Lianyi could imagine the other’s sidelong glance. Speaking of which, with this man’s personality, it was amusing that he went out with his face covered… As he pondered the reason, he smiled and replied, “As you wish.”

·

Below the office building, Gong Sun Ce transformed his white giant hammer into a sharp spike, smashing a porcupine-shaped beast into a puddle of wastewater.

Alice shot several wild hounds, as a swarm of dark mosquitoes flew in from all directions, obscuring her vision. The hunter’s voice sounded exasperated: “Blow up the pool already! This isn’t the time for a war of attrition. The earlier fight with the masked man already drained me—I can’t guarantee stable teleportation much longer!”

The youth was pondering the hint given earlier.

Consider the vessel of the power more closely—the suited man’s phrasing meant he agreed with most of the deduction.

Following that logic, what is the vessel for the Defiled Water Beasts?

Takizawa Yoshihisa, when crafting these monsters, seemed to intentionally separate filth from water: the filth formed a core inside, while water made up their bodies. In the earlier battle, his first thought was to destroy the core, but that had the same effect as brute destruction—they would still reconstitute after being shattered, with no notable change.

Gong Sun Ce bound a bear-shaped beast, locked in combat with the masked woman, using invisible cords.

“Lady, please try breaking the beast’s core alone. The desired effect is to shatter only the internal nucleus without damaging its body structure—can you manage that?”

“If you treat me to dessert, I can.”

“All right, all right. Please.”

The masked woman pressed her fist against the bear beast’s belly.

The immobilized bear stared anxiously at the small fist; from those watery eyes, the youth could read panic. The beasts were indeed exquisitely made—so much so that the psychic felt some empathy for their plight.

After all, he himself had been struck by this woman not long ago, and though she claimed to have held back, his abdomen still ached faintly.

“Hidden Strike.”

From the youth’s novice perspective, he couldn’t discern what technique the combat specialist used. He simply saw the masked woman announce the move as if demonstrating, and the bear’s internal “core” shattered in an instant.

The body, previously clear except for the core, turned murky. The youth watched intently, hoping to confirm his theory.

The beast immediately opened its mouth, ready to cry out in death throes.

But death never came; the bear blinked, realizing its core had quickly reformed—it hadn’t died after all.

Alice rolled her eyes. “So it’s completely useless?!”

“Nonsense; at least it showcased my superior combat skills.”

“Your amazing technique isn’t any more effective than Gong Sun Ce’s hammer against these beasts!”

“I could handle this faster myself.”

Gong Sun Ce ignored their bickering, swung his hammer, and restored the poor bear to its original form.

He’d observed closely just now.

Within the bear’s mass of filth, there was none of the typical grit, clay, or debris found in wastewater. These should have separated out in the sedimentation tank. If Takizawa was merely using the wastewater itself, his beasts wouldn’t be so “clean.”

He understood what the suited man meant.

The psychic adjusted his glasses. “I think I understand Mr. Takizawa’s intention. Humans and beasts are living things, and the remnants left after their decay are organic matter—thus suitable as vessels for new life.”

“You’re giving a biology lesson at a time like this?!”

“Hardly. My last brush with biology was in high school. What I’m saying is, knowing this makes it easy to devise a countermeasure… His power is strongest in this environment, but for the same reason, it can be easily neutralized here. Choosing the battleground in advance isn’t always an advantage.”

The blue-haired hunter sighed, “Explain it in three sentences.”

The psychic pointed to the distant wastewater pool.

“That’s it, Alice. To deal with wastewater, we simply use the plant’s professional equipment.”

Above the pool, the green patterns on the biochemical flesh wall flickered with eerie light.

Whatever crossed Alice’s mind, her face took on a sickly hue.

“…Are you serious?”

“I am.”

Hearing this, the masked woman silently scratched blueberry cake from tonight’s snack shortlist.