Chapter 397 Xia Xiao'an needs treatment - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

In the nameless base's cafeteria, Lao Wang and Lao Gui, two highly capable individuals, erupted into a fierce battle. At first, Lao Wang merely thought that Lao Gui was having some mental issues, but he never anticipated that Lao Gui would kill two people, including the psychiatrist, a benefactor who once saved his life, who was killed outright. What's more, Lao Gui accused him of being a grotesque and tried to kill him on the spot. If he hadn’t fought back with all his might, he would have ended up like the psychiatrist, beaten to death. The psychiatrist was quite powerful too, but unfortunately, he was caught off guard and killed in the ambush. Once the battle broke out, the cafeteria descended into chaos. Many had been mere spectators, suddenly turning their knives on those around them, demanding, "Tell me, are you grotesque?!" The sudden turn of events threw the dining area into panic. Someone yelled out, "Everyone calm down! Calm down! This happened so unexpectedly, there must be a reason. We can sit down and talk about it..." The one shouting was a very strong individual named Lao He, who commanded a certain level of respect within the nameless base. However, the next second, Lao Gui roared, "You're grotesque too! You're the leader among them!" Disregarding his ongoing battle with Lao Wang, Lao Gui suddenly turned and launched a fiery punch in his direction. Boom! Caught off guard, Lao He was sent flying. At that moment, there was someone standing in the direction Lao He was propelled, who pulled out a sharp trident-shaped weapon. With a squelching sound, the aged body was pierced through by the trident. Blood gushed forth. Lao He's entire being was in a bad way. How could his luck have turned so sour? He wanted to utilize his abilities to recover a bit and save himself. However, before he could act, the individual who had stabbed him with the trident quickly struck several more times. Lao He fell down straight, grabbing the attacker's collar as he asked with his dying breath, "Why?" Fear filled the attacker's face, "Because I’ve indeed turned grotesque..." He rolled up his sleeve and said, "Look, there are countless eyes and tendrils on my arm, I can't let anyone know." In his final moments, Lao He glanced at the person's arm, which bore nothing. Madness! He fell straight down, dead. In just under a minute, six individuals with abilities lay dead in the cafeteria, five were severely wounded, and the remaining were all at least lightly injured, regardless of their participation in the fight. In the shadows, Su Miao's magical illusionary clone observed the battle in the cafeteria, marveling at Xia Xiao An's burgeoning abilities. She had developed the ability to communicate via telepathy with others. Her psychological suggestions had evolved into mind control, impacting an enemy's perception through these means... Continuing on this path, it's difficult to imagine the extent of Xia Xiao An's potential growth. This power was remarkable. In combat situations, Xia Xiao An could subtly mislead enemies, causing them to believe they had successfully killed their foes. Under such circumstances, the enemy would often momentarily relax their guard. At that point, Xia Xiao An could launch a decisive attack. Life or death would be determined in that instant. Su Miao's gaze moved to Lin Jiu Jiu, who was approaching the cafeteria's entrance. Three individuals with abilities shifted towards her, intending to escape promptly. They ran into Xia Xiao An and Lin Jiu Jiu head-on. The encounter made them pause. They didn't recall seeing girls this beautiful at the nameless base. Xia Xiao An and Lin Jiu Jiu's beauty surpassed even that of the women they recently captured during a wild hunt outside. In that suspended moment, Lin Jiu Jiu pointed at the trio. Within an instant, they fell into a dream-like state, collapsing unconscious. Xia Xiao An stepped forward. With a swift motion, she unsheathed her sword, precisely piercing the hearts of the three individuals, cutting their throats to ensure silence. These were heinous criminals, devils from hell masquerading in human skin. From just one look, Xia Xiao An could hear their vile thoughts. Su Miao noticed Xia Xiao An's psychological shift and blinked. This scene was worrisome. Xia Xiao An's response clearly showed that she was affected by what she heard. Her reliance on telepathy was becoming apparent and perhaps was the reason she’d developed capabilities such as mind control. However, if one's mind was too easily influenced, Xia Xiao An could end up in a situation similar to a previous arbiter of the skies, Gan Pu. Gan Pu had an inherently resolute and powerful psyche, but he consumed too many nightmares, growing stronger, but eventually he lost his mind. The worst part was that he wasn't even aware of his madness, leading to the tragedy at the Yangshan settlement. If Xia Xiao An continued reading minds in this manner, she might fall into a similar fate. It's vital to address this while there’s still time; waiting longer might leave even Su Miao unable to resolve Xia Xiao An's issues. Meanwhile, Lin Jiu Jiu was showing remarkable stability, with no apparent issues. At this point, Xia Xiao An and Lin Jiu Jiu arrived at the cafeteria door. The sudden appearance of these two young women didn't attract much attention from the ability users within the cafeteria. They were deeply engaged in their violent struggles, perceiving others either as grotesques or as having lost their sanity. Some took advantage of the chaos to settle old scores and kill long-hated enemies, thinking this was an opportune moment. Lao Gui had gone mad. The dead could be blamed on him conveniently. Once the base leader, Ruan Jing Quan, started asking questions, they’d have solid reasons. The nameless base already had few ability users left. As long as Ruan Jing Quan didn't want to end up alone, he wouldn't take severe action against the survivors. After all, Ruan Jing Quan was a renowned lecher, caring only for beautiful women. He rarely bothered with other matters. Wait, why did these two young women seem familiar? Someone noticed Xia Xiao An with her characteristic white hair, reminiscent of a bounty post on the night snack app. After another look, the memory came back vividly. He recalled it. Whether it was months or a year ago, Lao Gou from Xixia Town had placed a bounty of 1000 points on the night snack app for a little girl. The girl in front of him fit the description perfectly. Xia Xiao An! He even remembered her name. Right, wasn't Xia Xiao An supposed to be with the witch Su Miao? As he thought this, his body tensed with fear. If the white-haired girl was Xia Xiao An, then the one standing alongside her must be Lin Jiu Jiu. Did the appearance of the pink devil's two companions at the nameless base mean the pink devil herself was here too? The nameless base could indeed be doomed... He opened his mouth, preparing to scream. Xia Xiao An glanced at Lin Jiu Jiu, saying, "Jiu Jiu, let's kill this one first; he's cursing Su Miao." Lin Jiu Jiu looked over and casually pointed, saying, "Alright." The ability user who intended to warn others slumped into sleep. After dispatching him, Lin Jiu Jiu continued pointing others out, and none could stay awake; they all swiftly succumbed to slumber. The scene reduced to just Lao Gui and Lao Wang locked in fierce combat. Under the impact of their battle's shockwaves, a few who had just fallen asleep had their bodies blown apart, resulting in their deaths. "It's you two!" Witnessing the scene, Lao Wang immediately understood what had transpired in the cafeteria. Boom! At this moment, Lao Gui's fiery punch came once more, stronger than ever. Lao Wang momentarily felt dazed, seeing not Lao Gui but a gigantic fiend in front of him. If he didn't fight desperately, he knew he was as good as dead. He had survived in this post-apocalyptic world not through mercy but sheer might. Lao Wang unleashed his full power. Boom! With a single strike, Lao Wang shattered Lao Gui's heart, watching as he fell lifelessly. The dust settled. Clarity returned to Lao Gui's eyes. He looked around in confusion, his lips moving as if wanting to speak, but ultimately, he said nothing. "You..." Lao Wang turned, facing Xia Xiao An and Lin Jiu Jiu. He was about to say something when he noticed the peculiar look in their eyes. Looking downwards, he realized a gaping hole where his chest should be, punched through at some point by Lao Gui's fiery fists. He hadn’t even felt it. Realizing the truth, darkness enveloped Lao Wang's mind, and he died. Xia Xiao An paid no mind to him; clutching her sword, she walked to those who had fallen asleep, killing each with a single slash. The disturbance in the cafeteria caught the attention of others in the base. Since this time of day was when captains ate, disputes and fights inside had deterred other ability users from approaching. Only after the battle ceased did the others dare to come near. They quickly encountered Xia Xiao An and Lin Jiu Jiu. Without needing hand-to-hand combat, those few self-destructed, sealing their own fate. Xia Xiao An and Lin Jiu Jiu exchanged a glance, confirmed that everyone was dead, and continued moving forward. Su Miao had given them three objectives for their assessment: remain uninjured, rescue the hostages, and eliminate all ability users within the private base. Both of them remembered this clearly. Between rescuing the hostages first and killing everyone, they chose the latter. Once all the ability users in the private base were eliminated, the remaining hostages would naturally be safe. Moreover, as per the strategy of capturing the ringleader first, their primary target was the base leader, Ruan Jing Quan. Xia Xiao An had already pinpointed Ruan Jing Quan's exact location through her mind-reading ability, even knowing what he was currently doing. After eliminating all potential threats who might head to the cafeteria and raise an alarm, Xia Xiao An and Lin Jiu Jiu stealthily advanced. Their exam time had already reached 25 minutes. "This way," Xia Xiao An signaled, leading the way. Along their path, they picked up speed and killed with greater efficiency. Five minutes later, Xia Xiao An and Lin Jiu Jiu arrived at Ruan Jing Quan's residence. In this post-apocalyptic world, most private bases had a very sturdy exterior, but the interiors were often less robust. Here, the soundproofing was atrociously poor. With a blush, Lin Jiu Jiu put the guards to sleep. Xia Xiao An swiftly executed them with her sword to ensure they wouldn't wake up again. "What should we do?" Lin Jiu Jiu asked. She gestured as if to smash through the wall with her palm, questioning if they should burst in. Xia Xiao An shook her head, thought it over, and said, "Jiu Jiu, can you put Ruan Jing Quan to sleep directly?" Lin Jiu Jiu frowned, saying, "I can't do it through a wall, unless I perform a concert." Performing a concert might accidentally kill the hostages too, which would mean failing the test. Xia Xiao An replied, "I have an idea." "What's your plan?" Lin Jiu Jiu inquired. "Just watch," Xia Xiao An said. She took a few steps forward and soon found an ability user. Mind control! A few minutes later, Xia Xiao An returned with the controlled ability user to Ruan Jing Quan’s dwelling. Rummaging through her spatial storage, she found several high-explosive bombs. She tied them into two bundles and placed them in the controlled person's hands. "Let's step back," Xia Xiao An pulled Lin Jiu Jiu as they retreated. The controlled ability user knocked heavily on the door, loud enough to interrupt whatever Ruan Jing Quan was doing inside. "Damn it, who is it?!" Ruan Jing Quan shouted angrily, "Dare to disturb me, I'll kill you, no one can save you today!" "You bastard! You've been skimping my rations, today I'll kill you!" screamed the ability user outside, pulling the fuse. Boom! An explosion rocked the area. The walls of Ruan Jing Quan's room crumbled, and he, clad only in simple sleepwear, was left gravely injured. His mind, already weary from the shock, never anticipated that the lunatic outside his door would resort to such dishonorable tactics, using high explosives. To make matters worse, as he was headed to the door to unlock it, he walked straight into the blast. Ruan Jing Quan was thrown back, collapsing into the dust. However, as the base leader, his strength was formidable, so he survived the explosion. But the two women he had brought for company, one died immediately from shrapnel, while the other was buried under rubble, suffering miserably. "You, you, you!" Ruan Jing Quan sputtered, spitting blood at the controlled ability user. Filled with fury, he glared at the deceased women behind him. "Beast! Come for me alone!" "As you wish," smirked the controlled ability user, pulling the bomb’s fuse and rushing toward Ruan Jing Quan. In a rage, Ruan Jing Quan screamed, "Why, you motherf—?!" "Die! Die! No more reasons, perish, you scum!" the controlled person shouted maniacally. Boom! The explosion roared once again. The individual hugging the explosives didn't manage to catch Ruan Jing Quan in the end. However, this blast left Ruan Jing Quan severely injured, his flesh in tatters, wholly bewildered by what was happening. Within the base, surviving ability users, alarmed by the explosion, began converging on the site. "What the hell happened?" "The scent of blood is overwhelming!" "We're under attack! Trigger the alarm!" "Captain Wang, Captain Zhao, they're all dead!" "The base leader's area is embroiled in battle, hurry and check it out." Ruan Jing Quan’s reputation wasn't great. But without this powerful base leader, their survival would be uncertain. Therefore, ensuring Ruan Jing Quan’s safety became imperative; if he could defeat the invaders, all the better. With so many captains dead already, disposing of the culprits would open up opportunities for them. However, they were forced to halt midway. In the light ahead stood a young girl with striking blue-violet hair. Lin Jiu Jiu waved at the approaching reinforcements, causing them all to collapse into slumber. Seeing their blissful smiles in sleep, Lin Jiu Jiu drew her sword, ensuring they remained in eternal slumber. Elsewhere, Xia Xiao An employed mental suggestions and mind control, instigating the arriving ability users to turn on each other. Within the blink of an eye, the corridor was blocked with corpses. Seeing the corridor packed with bodies, the later arrivals fled in terror. (End of Chapter)