Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Franca's heart churned with the vague description of the Demon's Child contained in the execution order issued by the Place—

Demon's Child

Number: Unknown

Abilities: Unknown

Features: Of suspicious origin with no definite source, their actions are unpredictable and hard to summarize into patterns, their moods are fickle and their strategies may change at any time, they have a thin regard for rules and regulations, and occasionally speak in "gibberish" incomprehensible to others during conversations; moreover, they grow extremely fast.

This ambiguous description undoubtedly made it especially difficult to judge the target.

Origin, behavior style, temperament, awareness of the law... none of these were enough to definitively determine whether someone was a Demon's Child.

After all, even without the Demon's Child, most people in today's city would fit this description.

At present, the only two conclusive indicators to determine whether one was a Demon's Child were not comprehensive, and not all Demon's Children were like this. The true number of hidden Demon's Children was unknown to anyone.

The scope of this definition was too broad, almost indistinguishable from having no definition at all.

If the extermination order were to be implemented according to this decree, then perhaps seventy to eighty percent of the city's population would perish.

The most decisive evidence would be to track backwards from the humans who had become Demon Believers before they had made the transformation and investigate the people they had come into contact with one by one.

This task was enormous and inefficient, additionally only being a case of locking the stable after the horse has bolted.

The possibility of error was also great, which is why the execution order called for "arrest" instead of the "death" that usually resulted from an enforcer's intervention.

Franca felt heavy at heart.

The new crisis might not have much to do with her work teaching in the military camp, but it was a crisis that all of humanity must face.

Existences that had no relations with demons but could still spread the faith of demons... Were they those tools concocted by demons, specially designed to evade human Arbitration enforcers?

She wondered if other cities or settlements of displaced people had encountered such weird phenomena.
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The soldiers for the Psychic Pressure Resistance Training had finally gathered completely, with the last two walking side by side and taking their places at the end of the line.

Franca blinked and gathered her thoughts.

If the Demon's Children really did infiltrate every facet of the city on a grand scale, they might end up needing these soldiers before her, should the Arbitration Place be short on personnel. Training should not be taken lightly, as it was also key to building humanity's reserve of power.

Such scenarios had occurred in the past. When the demons entered the real world, they were no longer invincible and beyond comprehension.

Even if attacks from regular people didn't have much effect on them, when there were enough of them, they couldn't be ignored. What's more, the military's large-scale thermal weapons posed a considerable threat even to the great demons.

The city had endured through storms and turmoil for several centuries. Franca believed that as long as everyone worked hard and stayed united, the city would still stand proud, even a hundred years from now when her own bones were long dust.

"Fall in!"

The somewhat youthful voice sounded exceptionally authoritative today.

Franca wasted no words and directly ordered, "Line up and enter the chamber."

Standing at the entrance of the chamber, Franca watched as each soldier passed by.

Her gaze faltered only slightly for the last two.

Despite any disappointments from past training, that artificial human soldier known as Bai E had a reputation too prominent to be ignored.

And the female soldier following him... was a newcomer joining the Psychic Pressure Resistance Training for the first time today.

Franca always held expectations for newcomers' performances, like unboxing a mystery package.

With the activation of the "Spiritual Energy Engine" hidden within the chamber, once again that sensation blurring sound, light, and even space and time enveloped them.

This strange assault that affected all senses and the spirit itself wasn't diminished even though Bai E had awakened his Spiritual Energy.

The pressure of Spiritual Energy was impartial to everyone present.

Encased within it, Bai E felt the space around him begin to distort... so much so that his own body started to ripple like waves.

His Spiritual Energy, which had reached a limit of 4 points, didn't just sit by idly, but joined the "dance" amidst the chaos.

4 points of Spiritual Energy didn't help Bai E cope better with this Spiritual Energy oppression; rather, his uncontrollable personal energy sought its origin from the same source, plunging Bai E even more profoundly into experiencing that oppression on his spirit.

And within this intense, "intimate" experience, Bai E, lost in a distorted field of Spiritual Energy, discovered details he hadn't noticed before—

For instance, wails?

Yes, wails.

What was the source of the psychic oppressive field in the Spiritual Energy chamber?

Bai E certainly had his doubts about this.

Spiritual Energy can only be provided by living beings with psychic power; inanimate objects are absolutely incapable of wielding or even mimicking the effects of Spiritual Energy.

So where did the Spiritual Energy come from that was necessary for creating the chamber's oppressive effect?

From the instructors?

Franca?

Was the chamber actually her Spiritual Energy amplifier, allowing her to apply pressure on a scale similar to that of the Bug Race's rulers?

If humans had this technology, wouldn't it have been employed in battle rather than merely in training? Wouldn't they have already struck at the Bug Race's homeland?

Bai E didn't believe in this fleeting guess of his.

However, at that moment, he "discovered" more tangible "evidence."

Evidence stemming from Spiritual Energy resonance.

Wails.

This field of Spiritual Energy was in such agony, it was as if countless tormented souls were crying within it, unable to find peace.

The pain was boundless and traceless, ceaselessly tormenting them.

Only when their will had completely dissipated, and even the last trace of resentment had been wrung dry, would the eternal torture quietly fade away.

It was then that they would finally find true rest... or perhaps be completely erased from existence.

This sinister speculation sent a chill down Bai E's spine, a psychological "weakness" that made his performance against Spiritual Energy suppression even more dismal.

The distorted sense of space grew more intense, leaving Bai E feeling dizzy and utterly disoriented.

So much so that he staggered with every step, as if he might fall at any moment.

"..." Franca frowned upon seeing the slightly moving figure.

How could his performance be worse than last time?

The results of Psychic Pressure Resistance Training should only get better, even for a pig-headed recruit.

Of course, occasional fluctuations were normal, but when they occurred to this legendary "hero," it was all the more disappointing.

Franca moved her gaze away, looking instead at the female soldier standing beside him.

Their eyes met...

"..."

"..."

Are you alright?

How can you keep your eyes open?

Franca's eyes widened, fixating on the other person—do you like to sleep with your eyes open?

Rose looked around in confusion, first at her surroundings, then at Bai E, and finally at the young woman who was likely the instructor.

She said nothing, but her face was blank.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

Why does everyone look so pained?

Why is everyone staggering?

What's wrong with them?

Why don't I feel anything?

The stark contrast between her experience and that of the others sowed seeds of doubt in Rose's mind.

But even filled with doubt, she did not speak out easily, fearing she might disrupt the others' "important business."

It was only after confirming that the new recruit was indeed unaffected by the Spiritual Energy suppression that Franca approached, "You... you... you... you're okay?"

Now full of self-doubt, Rose, who was usually bold, spoke in a tentative voice, "I... should I be okay?"

"You don't feel anything?"

"What should I be feeling?"

"..."

"..."

Believer!

That word abruptly flashed through Franca's mind.

Such individuals were natural born nemesis to demons, their presence in the world akin to a "black hole" in high-dimensional space.

They could not sense Spiritual Energy, nor could they be affected by it.

Wherever they went, demons must keep their distance by three feet!

Believers were the natural enemies of demons, but they themselves held no potential for growth in Spiritual Energy.

Such individuals were extremely rare among humans, so much so that they defied the concept of "proportion."

If Franca was not from a prominent family that had access to a wealth of knowledge, she might not have thought of this rare species so quickly.

Every Believer was a masterful demon hunter!

"Stand right there, don't move."

Franca decided to observe further.

It's not like she could run away; it was best to confirm before reporting it higher up.

Otherwise, it would be quite embarrassing!

...

Bai E had slept until evening, waking even later than last time.

It was an exceptionally deep sleep.

It was no wonder that Psychic Pressure Resistance Training always started in the afternoon and required a full day's cooldown time; the mental exhaustion was indeed supreme.

Awake, Bai E kept the slight "enlightenment" from before his fainting deeply tucked away in his heart.

He was determined to gain clarity about it in the future, but certainly not now.

Feeling his stomach rumble with hunger, he quickly went to the cafeteria for some gruel, then hurried off to meet Yue Ying at their usual spot.

Perhaps due to the late hour the day before, or perhaps because Yue Ying had something on her mind, the two hadn't been able to properly communicate after the awakening of Spiritual Energy.

Having awakened his Spiritual Energy for a full day and fumbling with its use on his own, he was filled with countless questions, all waiting for Yue Ying's explanations.