Chapter 23
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
This chapter is edited by Cthulhu. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 23: Power Possession
The buildings in the bustling city rose like a dense, dark forest. People lived isolated in narrow rooms, each pursuing their dreams.
A calm-looking young man stood on the apartment building’s roof, gazing at what lay below.
“Unbelievable…” Bai Yan stretched out his hands, feeling the gentle wind beside him.
His body and senses had improved in all aspects, reaching levels beyond ordinary human capabilities.
Bai Yan walked to the building’s edge and looked down. He could clearly see even a cigarette butt on the ground. Then he stepped forward deliberately, missing a step. He fell.
As Bai Yan plummeted, he showed no fear, reaching out to grab the railing. His body swayed in the air, but he was different now. With the power captured from Nightsaber, maintaining balance in the air came easily.
“It’s amazing having superpowers!” Bai Yan calmly let go again, hooked his feet around the railing, and swung his body at an incredible angle into his floor’s outer corridor.
He removed his white shirt, tossing it gently into the corridor.
“Deep Blue World.”
The white shirt had risen barely half a meter when it froze. Everything stopped forcibly.
This was the superpower.
Two seconds before the skill ended, he retrieved the shirt and put it back on.
‘I made a mistake.’ He realized he had erred, too excited about capturing Nightsaber’s power.
Bai Yan checked his phone again and logged into the game. Nightsaber’s mood had dropped to 5, yet her loyalty had increased to 7. This puzzled him.
“Is she a masochist? No, that can’t be right—her mood dropped.”
Bai Yan shook his head gently. ‘I shouldn’t take their powers carelessly.’
Power Possession was an ability to take over and use others’ powers.
Bai Yan pressed the “Power Possession” button on screen, revealing three options: “Capture,” “Copy,” and “Replace.”
“Copy” allowed him to obtain operators’ powers temporarily without affecting them.
“Replace” enabled operators to swap abilities temporarily, proving crucial in critical moments.
“Capture” could directly seize operators’ full powers. He could use this to counter and discipline disobedient operators.
Though no truly evil individuals existed among the core operators, some held values vastly different from normal people and might commit extreme actions. As they grew stronger through the Babel Tower’s power, he would need to restrain them.
Bai Yan realized he alone could control and guide these operators who might not prioritize saving the world.
He recalled the Babel Tower story from Noah. After the legendary disaster, the Mythological Era’s people migrated east, settling on a plain.
One day, someone asked, “How do we know there will be no more disasters?”
“The Rainbow!” came the reply. “Rainbow promised mankind there would never be another cataclysm!”
“But why should we entrust our future to the Rainbow?” the man argued.
“We should prevent the flood ourselves. Come, let’s make bricks.”
“Yes! We’ll build a city, a tower reaching the heavens.”
“We’ll rely on ourselves! We won’t let catastrophe destroy our children’s future!”
Bai Yan set down his phone after finishing the story.
He decided to return the power. Immediately, Bai Yan felt discomfort, taking time to readjust.
After the discomfort passed, Bai Yan felt even more guilty toward Nightsaber.
“Next time I see her, I’ll treat her to omurice. No, the ‘Savior’ wouldn’t do that.”
The Power Possession duration was brief. Bai Yan recovered within seconds and returned to his apartment.
Sitting on his bed, he found a new video online.
[Shocking! Humans controlled by psychic powers!]
Bai Yan contemplated deeply. The Psychic Dancer’s identity being exposed would cause problems. Mu Ling’s situation already worried him.
He clicked the video and froze. While other characters appeared normal, the “Psychic Dancer” appeared as a pixelated figure, making the video seem comical.
“?”
A stream of “?” comments scrolled past.
Brightnight: What happened? Where’s Loli? The cute little girl!
Scarlet: Strange. The first video showed a real person. Why is it like this now?
Autumncamesoon: Identity protection maybe?
Hejizi: That house looks luxurious. Impressive for Tatsumi.
NoOneRepeat: What a huge study—like a library. Mind control is scary.
InkDyedRiver: That superpower is so cool!
Watching the pixelated figure, Bai Yan pondered why the Babel Tower chose this approach.
“Why did the Babel Tower post the video?”
The videos posted suggested two things: introducing superpowers to Tatsumi’s people and revealing the Babel Tower’s existence.
“What’s the reason?”
Currently, Bai Yan couldn’t determine the motive. He only knew everything the Babel Tower did aimed to save the world.
“I’ll think about it later.” He checked the operators’ training results.
Nightsaber’s attributes remained unchanged, indicating a plateau. The Psychic Dancer’s DEX had risen from 41 to 45. Her mood fell to 3, though loyalty stayed constant.
“Not bad. Should I let them rest?”
Bai Yan realized he’d grown softer.
“Indeed, knowing they’re real people makes it harder to be strict,” he muttered.
For the next phase, Bai Yan planned to focus on the Babel Tower’s infrastructure. Once the first stage activated fully, the game would officially begin.
Mu Ling lay on her sofa, thinking. ‘Why did he take my power?’
After consideration, Mu Ling concluded the Savior was dissatisfied and seized her power.
“I haven’t performed well enough.”
If Bai Yan knew her thoughts, he might think Nightsaber was masochistic.
Mu Ling had always been this way since childhood. Her family raised her believing individuals must sacrifice for the many.
She lay silently until feeling her strength return. Regaining her power made her appreciate it more than ever.
‘I understand now. It wasn’t punishment but a warning.’
Mu Ling looked at the concerned Huo Xin and stood.
“Are you alright, my lady?” Huo Xin asked, startled.
“I’m fine now,” she replied calmly. “I understand his intentions clearly.”
“What?” Huo Xin wondered what his master had realized.
“Instead of being idle like this… I’ll train harder.”
The Babel Tower’s ultimate mission was saving the world. As a member, why wait to be assigned missions?
As a new member, she’d been too passive!
“Nightsaber joins the training.”
Maryse sat on her pink bed, contemplating her life.
She’d become a member of the Babel Tower, a mysterious, wanted organization.
‘What next? Talk to father? No, impossible.’
Maryse’s eyes cooled. That man wouldn’t believe her—he never trusted anyone!
“If I can’t resist, why not enjoy it?”
The thought surprised her as she spoke it aloud.
“What was I thinking?”
Then a voice echoed in her head.
[You are entering an imaginary space. You will receive adjusted training and simulation training next.]
“What?”
