Yama Reborn

Chapter Two Hundred and Eighteen: Interference

According to Bonfrey's account, he had left the camp before it was attacked that night.

Among the Ability Users, Bonfrey was acquainted with the Professor, so they stayed in the same tent.

In the middle of the night, the Professor suddenly said the tent was too stuffy and went out for some air, then he left the tent.

After the Professor left, Bonfrey stayed alone in the tent for a while. Seeing that the Professor hadn't returned and feeling that something wasn't quite right, Bonfrey went out to find him.

Unable to find any trace of the Professor within the camp, Bonfrey extended his search outside and soon found some traces left by the Professor just beyond the camp perimeter.

"He had two drinks that night, and we also smoked cigars in the tent. I caught these scents in the jungle and followed them," Bonfrey said.

Chen Nuo glanced at Bonfrey but didn't speak.

Bonfrey's following narrative became very peculiar.

"I walked further and further. It was a strange feeling, as if I had forgotten how far I'd traveled. Then, I heard the sounds of battle in the jungle."

"Sounds of battle?" Vanel asked.

"Yes, it felt like a struggle between Ability Users. I sensed intense fluctuations of the Professor's spiritual power, and there was also a strong, unfamiliar force entangled with it. So I pursued them."

"And then?"

"Then..." Bonfrey frowned. "I could sense the Professor fighting someone in the distance. They were moving as they fought, getting farther and farther away. I could only chase after them as best I could, and I pursued them for a long time. By the time I arrived, the battle had already ended. I didn't see any trace of the enemy; only the Professor was lying on the ground by himself."

"And then you brought him back?" Vanel asked with a frown.

Bonfrey was about to say something when Black, the Gray Cat, interjected coldly, "I have a question."

"...Go ahead," Bonfrey exhaled, offering a slight smile.

"You found the Professor fighting someone in the jungle... is that right?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you signal the camp?" Black shook his head. "Don't tell me you were too far away, or that the situation was too urgent for you to return and report, Mr. Bonfrey. Each of us was issued emergency gear. I saw it—the signal flare launcher was tucked into your belt, wasn't it? Shouldn't your first action have been to fire a distress flare to notify the camp before continuing the pursuit? Firing a flare takes only a few seconds; it would hardly have delayed you."

Everyone looked at Bonfrey.

Bonfrey gave a wry smile, thought for a moment, and then said softly, "That's why I find tonight's events so peculiar."

Speaking lower, Bonfrey continued, "Ladies and gentlemen, haven't you noticed the anomalies tonight?"

Everyone was looking at Bonfrey.

Bonfrey said with a bitter smile, "At that time, it was as if I wasn't fully conscious, or rather... I subconsciously forgot many things. I forgot to signal a warning, to fire the flare, and other things I should have done. All I remember is that the only thought in my mind was to chase them down immediately! Beyond that, everything else was, for some reason, completely ignored by me."

"Ignored?" Black frowned. "Do you mean you were distracted?"

"No, not distracted! On the contrary, I was too focused! It's just that I was focused solely on 'pursuing' and neglected everything else. For a normal person—no, for Ability Users like us—isn't such a mental imbalance extremely odd?"

Upon hearing this, all the Ability Users present fell into silence.

Chen Nuo suddenly spoke, "Tonight was indeed somewhat strange."

Everyone turned to Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo spread his hands. "Wasn't it? To be ambushed in our camp by a group of fully armed professional soldiers... Gentlemen! We aren't ordinary people! Even if the mercenaries' night patrols and sentry posts might fail, or be silently taken out by a powerful foe, what about us? There are seven Ability Users here, including a powerful Mentalist of the Mentality Series! Our spiritual power is far more developed than that of ordinary people; even in our sleep, we maintain a sharp awareness of our surroundings! Under normal circumstances, let alone them infiltrating our camp, we should have detected such a large-scale enemy movement long before they even neared it! But tonight? Not one of us detected the slightest hint of the enemy's attack beforehand!"

Everyone realized this, and their expressions turned grim.

"Where are Sea Monster and Golden Bird?" Bonfrey suddenly asked.

"They went to the riverbank. There must have been some trouble with our fleet and gunboats. They went to secure them, and they should have succeeded. However, they haven't returned yet. I've already sent people to provide support," Vanel replied quickly. "Gentlemen, if there's anything else unusual about tonight, please share it! Now is the time for us to cooperate candidly."

"...I fell asleep tonight, and I even had a dream," Black said in a low voice.

Chen Nuo's expression shifted slightly. "So did I."

The two looked at each other, surprise evident in their eyes.

For Ability Users to dream was already highly unusual—let alone two Ability Users both falling asleep and dreaming right before an attack. It was as if their spiritual power had become imbalanced, causing them to lose their precognitive abilities.

"I was awakened by the explosion of a shell," Black said, a hint of shame in his voice. "Normally, I never sleep so deeply! Especially since our Vanguard went missing so mysteriously this afternoon; there's no way I could have slept so soundly tonight! There must be something wrong."

"I also fell asleep, but I woke up a little earlier than you. I was startled awake in my dream, before the first round of shelling... Maybe because I'm a Mentalist of the Mentality Series, my spiritual power is more sensitive than yours. I sensed something was amiss outside, so I woke up a bit earlier. However..."

Chen Nuo paused, then shook his head. "This is still very bizarre! Unless there was a top-tier expert among the enemy—and it would have to be a top-tier Mentalist—it's hard to imagine how they could have interfered with our spiritual power so silently that we couldn't perceive it."

"When I woke up, I didn't sense any fluctuations of spiritual power in the camp," Black shook his head.

Chen Nuo didn't speak. Indeed, he hadn't sensed anything either.

Chen Nuo then turned to Bonfrey. "Please continue, Mr. Orderkeeper! According to you, your spiritual power was also interfered with. What happened after that?"

"You might not believe this," Bonfrey said with a wry smile, "but after I pursued and found the Professor, he was lying there alone. There was no sign of the enemy he was supposed to have fought. Seeing his terrible condition, I immediately wanted to bring him back, and then…"

Bonfrey frowned as he reached this point.

"And then... I got lost."

Everyone: "..."

Got lost.

This was even rarer than a Mentalist dreaming.

Getting lost was something that would simply never happen to someone with strong spiritual power! Ability Users with strong spiritual power could leave their own spiritual markers at any time, and their excellent memories were more than capable of retaining every detail and trace they encountered! Get lost? Impossible!

Even when Empress Lu had lost her memory, she had easily found her way back to Chen Nuo's home!

Of course, Bonfrey's strength was not as great as Empress Lu's. But Empress Lu had been amnesiac and unconscious, carried by Chen Nuo the entire way. Bonfrey, on the other hand, had walked out step by step on his own! How could he possibly forget the route he took and get lost in the jungle?

"How long were you lost?"

"Maybe ten minutes, maybe an hour. I can't judge accurately."

"..."

Chen Nuo frowned. This was even more strange... People with strong spiritual power should also be very sensitive to the passage of time. Even without a watch or any timer, a Mentalist with strong spiritual power can easily grasp the passage of time. There are many ways to do this. For example, one could simply dedicate a trace of consciousness to recording their heartbeat. Moreover, doing so wouldn't affect their ability to perform other tasks. For an Ability User with strong spiritual power, multitasking is hardly an extraordinary skill.

"I forgot... just as I said before, my consciousness was likely interfered with. My only focus at that time was: find the path!"

"So, you not only forgot to note the time... you also forgot to fire the signal flare?"

"Yes. When I was lost, I also forgot to fire the signal flare."

Forgot!

This word plunged all the Ability Users present, including Chen Nuo, into silence. For Ability Users, this undoubtedly meant their minds and consciousness had been interfered with!

To achieve this... Chen Nuo's brows knitted tightly together.

"I carried the Professor through the forest for a long time. I don't know how long it was, but suddenly I heard explosions in the distance and saw flames. I figured something had happened at the camp. The light from the fire and the explosions gave me coordinates and a direction, allowing me to run back."

Bonfrey spread his hands. "Everyone knows what happened next, so there's no need for me to say more."

After a moment of silence, Vanel was the first to speak.

"I'm willing to believe Mr. Orderkeeper," Vanel stated calmly, looking at everyone. "Mr. Bonfrey is highly renowned and a member of the great Cultivator Association. The Cultivator Association has always maintained an excellent relationship with our company. I don't believe Mr. Bonfrey would act with any malice or hostility towards our company's mission. Besides... tonight, that strange spiritual interference didn't just affect him. Harvey, Black, weren't you two also affected?"

Black fell silent. Chen Nuo nodded, also remaining quiet.

The only Ability User in the room who had remained silent from beginning to end, Sato Ryoko, just sat in the corner, blinking her small eyes and watching everyone. Seemingly due to the language barrier, she… still didn't appear to understand.

Several minutes later, Sea Monster and Golden Bird returned.

The handsome Sea Monster was now spattered with blood on his face and clothes. Golden Bird followed him. The elderly woman, however, was spotless, though she looked weary.

The two brought back bad news.

"Our fleet is done for," Sea Monster stated bluntly. He then fell silent, walked aside, picked up a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and started gulping it down.