Chapter 21
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This chapter is edited by Cthulhu. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 21: Sneaking and Stealing
The pixel girl with golden hair and azure eyes stepped forward on the display.
She lifted one hand before her face, standing slightly askew. Her stance resembled a magical girl preparing to transform.
“In this harsh world, there is no place for kindness.”
Bai Yan immediately changed her signature battle phrase.
“Now for a true demonstration of skill!”
He guided Psychic Dancer to finish the introductory mission.
Every Core Operator needed to complete a task before officially joining Babel Tower.
Nightsaber’s mission involved battling monsters on a stormy night, but Psychic Dancer had different objectives.
Her core abilities were Control, Support, and Stealth.
Generally speaking, Psychic Dancer wasn’t meant to engage in monster combat.
Monsters possessed warped minds, making them immune to Psychic Domination.
Yet, Psychic Dancer’s powers would prove invaluable in confrontations with sentient beings!
Her introductory mission was to infiltrate the Augustus estate and retrieve classified information.
Bai Yan knew nothing about the Augustus family. Ultimately, he simply needed to complete the objective.
The mechanics of a stealth mission differed from combat missions, though he still had to control the pixel characters.
In the pixel labyrinth, he needed to avoid the guards’ line of sight. If spotted by the patrolling guards, the mission would end in failure.
Whenever detected by these guards, he had a brief window to either quickly hide or employ Psychic Domination on them.
The black-clothed guards were all superpowers at base level. Currently, Psychic Dancer could only control three such superpowers simultaneously.
The task proved simple for Bai Yan since Psychic Dancer excelled at stealth operations!
When encountering a guard, she could directly use Psychic Domination and then release her control after passing them.
As long as she didn’t face four guards simultaneously, she could proceed without difficulty or resistance.
“If I had picked Nightsaber, elimination would have been the best approach.”
Bai Yan muttered to himself, then directed Psychic Dancer to halt at a small golden chest.
Just as he retrieved the mission tool, a sightless man in black materialized nearby. Wielding a gleaming blade, he charged at Psychic Dancer.
His movements were so swift that he reached the pixelated girl almost instantly.
“Psychic Domination!”
Bai Yan quickly activated Psychic Dancer’s ability to immobilize the opponent. Then he commanded the opponent to end himself.
However, the attempt failed.
The sightless man in black remained frozen for only two seconds before regaining mobility.
“This must be the final boss.”
Bai Yan realized the blind man’s power level surely exceeded Psychic Dancer’s. Otherwise, Psychic Domination would have lasted longer.
The cooldown of Psychic Domination was three seconds, so two seconds provided enough time for many actions, provided he didn’t get caught during that single second of recovery.
Bai Yan manually guided Psychic Dancer to create distance and seek an opportunity to access the chest.
The chest opened, revealing a green scroll.
As Psychic Dancer attempted to flee with the scroll, the blind man suddenly glowed crimson and pursued at incredible speed, as if enhanced.
“Psychic Domination!”
Within just one second, the blind man broke free from control!
Bai Yan directed Psychic Dancer to sprint through the maze. The blind man gave chase.
Due to Bai Yan’s miscalculation, Psychic Dancer was captured.
Consequently, the girl collapsed in a pool of blood, releasing an anguished cry.
“It hurts… Mother… Mother…” These were Psychic Dancer’s final words.
“Save or New Game?”
Bai Yan considered briefly and selected “New Game”.
“I understand it’s challenging to succeed this way on the first attempt. Time to test my micromanagement skills.”
And so, Bai Yan persisted. The pixel girl entered the maze repeatedly, fled desperately again and again, got cornered repeatedly, and failed countless times…
“Damn it, I surrender!”
The constant failures ignited his fury, and knowing the game would become reality added tremendous pressure on Bai Yan.
‘If I don’t finish the mission in time, she’ll perish in the real world!’
Bai Yan inhaled deeply and forced himself to regain composure. He just needed to approach it differently.
“Watch this. This is how Psychic Dancer operates!”
He commanded Psychic Dancer to control three black-clothed guards. Then he shifted the skill focus to those guards.
The perspective changed, and Bai Yan began remotely directing the three guards.
They advanced without drawing suspicion from other guards. This continued until they prepared to open the treasure chest at the maze’s end, when the blind man in black suddenly appeared.
Bai Yan swiftly ordered one guard to distract the blind man, while the other two retrieved the scroll from the chest and escaped.
Finally, Psychic Dancer, waiting at the maze entrance, obtained the scroll.
“Mission complete!”
Psychic Dancer emitted an angelic sound and twirled around.
Bai Yan grinned, set down his phone, and drank some water.
“Stealth mission accomplished. Babel Tower Legendary Points +50.”
“Successfully acquired Transformation Scroll of Deep Ones. You may now invest resources to develop new transformation technology.”
“Mission rewards received. Relic: Invisible Cloak of Hermes.”
Invisible Cloak!
Bai Yan’s expression brightened. Though not high-level, it was an excellent relic with outstanding utility!
Hermes serves as patron of thieves, travelers, merchants, and healers. He invented the art of deception, and the Invisible Cloak is his tool for deceiving the world.
Frowning, Bai Yan examined the newly acquired scroll.
“Transformation Scroll of Deep Ones? That’s peculiar. Why would the Augustus family possess such an item? Do they maintain connections with cultists?”
Bai Yan knew that all Babel Tower missions held significance and never targeted innocents. The Augustus family must pose some form of threat to the world.
The scroll served as evidence, and the most logical explanation suggested the Augustus family collaborated with cultists.
Bai Yan considered the Operators’ Traits, then bestowed the Invisible Cloak upon Psychic Dancer.
“Here’s your reward.”
Then, he selected “Save”.
Maryse was terrified to discover her body wouldn’t respond!
No one knew of her hidden ability. For three years, she had been manipulating others’ minds.
She frequently used her power secretly to control people for amusement, but never imagined experiencing it herself!
‘No, this feels different.’
Maryse quickly noticed something unusual. She retained consciousness, unlike those she controlled who remained completely unaware.
‘Why is this happening?’
‘Who’s controlling me?’
Her body moved involuntarily. She left her bed, exited her room, and walked through the corridor emotionlessly.
‘Help! Help!! Help!!!’
Maryse couldn’t predict what would happen, but she knew it spelled trouble.
‘Someone, please help me!’
Eventually, servants noticed her strange behavior and gathered around.
“My lady, where are your shoes?”
Indeed, she traversed the corridor barefoot.
Maryse completely disregarded the puzzled servants. She descended from the second floor, reached the lobby, and opened the door.
She departed her villa and headed toward the rear of her family’s complex.
‘Hold on. I can’t go there!’
Cold sweat immediately formed on Maryse’s forehead. Before her lay the family’s restricted zone. Even she would face severe punishment for unauthorized entry.
‘Stop! Who’s controlling me?’
‘Will you stop if I call you father? Please stop! I can’t bear this!’
‘Father! Father!! Father!!!’
Yet her pleas proved futile. They only heightened her misery.
‘You bastard!’
Maryse’s small, adorable body continued moving against her will. She reached the entrance of a black villa.
She froze momentarily upon seeing several security guards approaching.
‘I’m finished. This is hell. Father will despise me more.’ Maryse felt dead inside, yet her body advanced toward the guards independently.
‘What’s happening?’
“My lady, what brings you here?”
The guards, confused by the angel-faced girl’s presence, still moved to intercept her.
Maryse raised her head mechanically. Her green eyes appeared devoid of emotion.
“Now for a true demonstration of skill.” Her voice was monotone, though internally she neared breakdown.
The guards exchanged bewildered looks.
Maryse’s emerald-like eyes shifted to silver, gleaming like moonlight.
She gazed at the group, employing Mind Control to issue commands.
“I command you.”
“Forget my presence. Retrieve the hidden scroll and deliver it to me.”
Hearing an compelling voice from their soul’s depths, the guards shuddered, their eyes growing vacant.
“Yes, My lady…”
‘What? So this is the controller’s true objective?’
Unconsciously, Maryse sighed with relief. Thankfully, they didn’t want her body. The thought had nearly frightened her to death.
‘As for the theft of family secrets… What choice do I have? I’m helpless! I need assistance!’
Maryse remained extremely anxious about discovery.
Yet this sensation also sparked excitement!
‘Perhaps my future won’t be so dull after all!’
After some time, a guard finally emerged unsteadily. He carried a document folder containing numerous materials.
“Mission complete.”
Maryse announced, lifting her delicate hands to grasp the folder firmly.
Then she turned and departed.
‘I succeeded?’
Maryse held the folder and walked back to her villa’s entrance.
A dark mist with an indescribable aura suddenly materialized, instantly consuming the folder in her hands, startling Maryse.
She instinctively stepped backward and realized she had regained control of her body.
“Finally, I’m free.”
The black mist gradually dissipated. Though confused, Maryse exhaled deeply, “Phew…”
‘That was so terrifying I almost wet myself…’
Just then, an incredibly detached male voice resonated in her mind.
“I am the Savior.”
“We act to preserve the past and future of this world on the brink of collapse.”
“Psychic Dancer.”
“From this moment forward, you are designated as an operator of Babel Tower.”
