Chapter 262 - : Real Charlatan (1/2)
Chapter 262: Real Charlatan
In Wild Pigeon Bar, just as Jiang Baimian was thinking about how she could reasonably use her available resources to break through the illusion predicament and inform the robot guards, Clam Dragon Church, and the other factions about the ‘enemy attack,’ Shang Jianyao—who had failed to communicate with the surveillance cameras—took out a loudspeaker from his tactical backpack.
Amidst the music, he held the loudspeaker and shouted at one of the few human consciousnesses outside. “It’s already dark! The wind is still so strong! Don’t you know it’s time to return home!”
This sounded like a tirade directed at people who played outside without any heed for the time or the weather. In fact, it was a way to realize Inference Clowning. But with the help of a loudspeaker, the effects would be greatly reduced. Shang Jianyao had to provide guidance to a certain extent, and it could only be used on individuals.
As his voice echoed, the target’s consciousness paused for two seconds before jogging to a certain spot on the street.
Jiang Baimian sensed this and roughly understood Shang Jianyao’s idea.
After the Superior Heartless used the illusion to influence the people in the bar, it meant that he had an interaction with Shang Jianyao and couldn’t hide his consciousness. In other words, one of the human consciousnesses Shang Jianyao sensed was very likely an enemy.
The enemy might not be able to understand human language, and they knew that the premise of the strong wind came from an illusion and that it was fake. Therefore, they wouldn’t be affected by Inference Clowning.
This seemed like a good thing, but they would be exposed when they reacted differently from other human consciousnesses. They would be like fireflies in the night—bright and outstanding.
The tallest tree always experienced the strongest winds!
However, Shang Jianyao’s response wasn’t perfect in his haste. Jiang Baimian quickly thought of a few flaws.
The first was that the Superior Heartless’s ability range far exceeded Shang Jianyao’s. The place he was currently hiding was outside Shang Jianyao’s perception range. None of the human consciousnesses were real targets.
The second was that the Superior Heartless could make the people outside experience auditory hallucinations and maintain the same reaction as him.
Third, among the human consciousnesses outside, some of them might be fake—a created illusion.
How troublesome. I can only eliminate them step by step… Jiang Baimian cooperated with Shang Jianyao and sensed the changes in the electric signals to determine if the affected person was a fake or a real person.
After urging a human to return home, Shang Jianyao switched targets and repeated the same trick. At this moment, he was like a mayor in a settlement who had used a loudspeaker to make an announcement.
…
Abbess Zhou Yue walked toward the most powerful part of the illusion as if she were performing a shaman dance. This was the confidence an Awakened with similar abilities in the same domain had regarding the corresponding signal.
I’m so tired… Zhou Yue couldn’t help but complain after walking for a distance. As she walked, she had to gyrate her waist, sway her body, and move her hands. It was simply too exhausting!
It was difficult for a clergyman like her, who had never undergone professional training.
This exhausted her to the point of having blasphemous thoughts. Should I disguise myself and sneak into the Furnace Church to learn how to dance?
…
In Serene Dream, the lady boss—Aynor—stared at the computer screen as she repeated the warning in fear. However, the ‘person’ lingering behind her and blowing at her neck from time to time still existed.
After nearly a minute, Aynor felt something cold on her shoulder.
She couldn’t control herself any longer and let out a scream. “Ah!” At the same time, her dark-brown eyes turned extremely dark.
…
In a building along Riverfront Avenue.
A man suddenly took off his clothes uncontrollably, rushed to the balcony, and peed against the wind.
After peeing, he woke up, confused and happy. He was confused as to why he had acted as if he had been possessed. He was happy that he had proven himself by defeating the wind with his pee.
In a room in the other building next to his.
A woman was holding a book she had found in a city ruin and said to her child, “If you can’t read, you won’t even be able to take on many missions as a Ruin Hunter!”
“I can hire someone to read the mission statement,” her child replied stubbornly.
The woman suddenly felt a rush through her head. Without thinking, she raised her arm and slammed it against the table. Amidst the loud bang, she roared, “You have to pay! Are you going to learn this?”
After shouting, she regretted it and felt that she shouldn’t have done that.
Her child—who was originally rather strong—cried at this moment. “I’ll learn, I’ll learn…”
…
In Wild Pigeon Bar, Long Yuehong suddenly felt hot-headed for some reason as he listened to Shang Jianyao’s ‘broadcast.’ He suddenly stood up and fired at the area where many humans were unconscious.
This was something he had previously wanted to do out of impulse. After all, they were Heartless in his eyes.
Fortunately, he shot based on the assumption that the Heartless had their bodies hunched in preparation to pounce on him. Every shot was fired into the air, not the ground. Due to this, nobody died.
Bai Chen shrunk herself even more under the other window. She seemed to think that she wouldn’t react in a random manner that might cause an irreversible outcome or be affected by the hallucinations too much if she didn’t move, look, or listen.
Jiang Baimian jumped and rolled before arriving at the door.
Just as she opened the door and wanted to take out a grenade from her tactical backpack and throw it outside to create a commotion to attract reinforcements, she was suddenly stunned.