The Undying Transmigrator

Chapter 22: Exposure

Mo Wen watched the orderly crowd evacuating the event venue. Ren Sisi spoke over team comms as if nothing had happened: "This mission went surprisingly smoothly today, no complications. After we wrap up, want to check out some local attractions? This city's way more lively than others - there's even a concert happening."

Mo Wen remained silent, organizing his thoughts.

The one affecting him was still a highly capable new human who likely didn't understand the specifics of his psychic power... Or perhaps simply couldn't replicate the effects of death or near-death experiences, causing the illusion to collapse.

Not everyone shared Mo Wen's intimate familiarity with death.

But this didn't mean the illusions had ended. This might just be another layer. Even if he kept breaking through by suicidal actions, as long as his opponent kept layering more illusions, escape would remain impossible.

"Invisible"... Assuming that was his real codename. His objective seemed to be intelligence gathering, specifically targeting Mo Wen rather than using him to attack Dream Corporation.

No matter how much new humans respected human rights, they wouldn't let someone potentially dangerous roam free without warning. The fact he encountered a Corporation agent immediately upon deployment suggested possible betrayal by the company - though unlikely, since he still held considerable value. The intel this agent sought seemed like something easily obtainable if there were moles in upper management.

His psychic abilities...

Mo Wen didn't understand their value, but past experience suggested it would inevitably lead to endless lethal encounters.

Unfortunately, lacking the means to forcibly break the illusions, he could only play along - either feeding false information or trusting his teammates to rescue him.No, wait!

While special abilities based on psychic power might be useless, the psychic energy itself could prove effective.

Against physical manifestations of psychic energy, only physical countermeasures could neutralize them, making for complicated battles. But in mental warfare, psychic strength alone determined victory.

At equal energy levels, stalemates occurred. But a one-level difference meant complete domination over the weaker party.

Was "Invisible" truly energy level 5? Or had he been fed false information?

Mo Wen normally only maintained level 3 output. Only by using the prohibitively expensive experimental-grade Dreammaker VI augmentation could he briefly reach level 5 without dying.

Now, he focused his attention, unleashing greater psychic power.

[Current Energy Level: 4. Augmentation Stability: 97%]

Psychic energy beyond human limits shook the surroundings. The clear world stretched into smeared afterimages, cracking like faulty rendering.

[Current Energy Level: 5. Augmentation Stability: 42%]

No flashy transformations - pure force crushed all resistance.

The illusions trapping Mo Wen shattered instantly under the psychic surge.

Mo Wen thought he heard someone get critically injured - the wet sound of what might be brains or blood spraying out.

Then came Ren Sisi's real voice screaming through comms: "Have you lost your mind?! Psychic output at this level will explode people's heads! Retract it now!"

[Current Energy Level: 3. Augmentation Stability: 98%]

Mo Wen hastily dialed back the energy, but the outburst had already affected bystanders and his augmentation.

A remaining civilian wiped his nose, staring at the blood: "Nosebleed? Must be from eating too much heaty food lately."

Someone nearby handed him tissue while plugging their own nose: "Not just you - lots of people are bleeding."

"Damn, maybe someone brought a radiation source that just activated?"

Orderly evacuation nearly collapsed into chaos from the radiation panic until event staff intervened: "Remain calm! Strong radiation would affect signals and equipment. Our detectors confirm this isn't radiation."

"Unknown anomaly detected. Please exit calmly for medical screening."

"Dream Corporation security has arranged examinations. Trust our reputation - you'll be fine."

Mentioning corporate responsibility instantly restored order.

They didn't care who scheduled the exams, but Mo Wen did.

He saw his account balance and bill.

Ren Sisi had reported him, and the Corporation responded accordingly.

While breaking the enemy's illusions justified his actions, the collateral damage was undeniable. Even if he could shift blame to get reimbursement, he'd have to front the costs first.

Unbelievable - mission fines exceeding the payout!

Then a strange thought struck Mo Wen.

If his level 5 psychic leakage nearly killed nearby people, would level 6 or 7 individuals radiate enough energy to exterminate all life on the planet?

But level 5 already required cutting-edge tech to survive. Higher levels would surely be fatal.

Dismissing the thought, Mo Wen explained the situation to Ren Sisi while filing an incident report.

The Corporation took it seriously, ordering Mo Wen confined to headquarters until they resolved the issue.

At least he could use the downtime for proper training...

...

In a near-orbit fortress,

Machines treated "Invisible"'s psychic backlash injuries as he analyzed the intel gained.

"That girl literally risked her life to reveal something unexpected."

"Bad news: That inter-dimensional entity called Mo Wen possesses psychic strength rivaling or exceeding mine, with reserves suggesting potential for further temporary amplification. Also shows signs of death-and-revival experiences and anomaly detection - may jeopardize our plans."

"Good news: Dream Corporation remains unaware of our operations. They apparently lack related tech and haven't fully grasped Mo Wen's value, still focusing on developing technology based on his physiology."

"Dream Corporation currently poses no threat to our timeline. No need for premature elimination."

"As for handling Mo Wen - that's your call. Kill, detain, recruit, or ignore? We're days from success anyway - leaving him be might suffice."

The iron-cold voice on the comms responded: "Understood."

"I'll handle it appropriately."