Chapter 412 Be sober, don't be controlled! - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

In the post-apocalyptic world, the organization known as the Twelve Priests was known by anyone with a phone or internet access. However, ever since Su Miao killed the first-generation Priest of Heaven, no one knew who succeeded the role. Similarly, after the first generation's demise, the identity of the second-generation Priest of Earth was of no concern to anyone. From an outsider's perspective, only a rare few knew that Lin Jiu Jiu was the new Priest of Heaven. Before heading to the Twelve Priests' headquarters for training, she was completely unaware of the true extent of her powers. After undergoing intensive training, she was entirely transformed. It also helped that her daily diet consisted of mutant vegetables and fruits provided by her sister, Su Miao. The items that others desperately craved, Lin Jiu Jiu could easily obtain. Unbeknownst to her, she had become immensely powerful. Mirroring. Lin Jiu Jiu invoked her ability. In a flash, an uncountable number of fine threads appeared within the formation's barrier. The Black Dog Priest, who was in a deep slumber, was instantly controlled, awkwardly moving towards the Black Serpent Priest to attack. Duan Tiangang, who believed he had control of the situation, suddenly found his body acting against his will. He realized he was being controlled. "You, how are you using my ability?" Duan Tiangang asked, panic in his eyes. No one understood the terror of puppet control better than him. It was a complete manipulation, making the puppet do whatever he commanded. He had used this power to harm countless girls and kill numerous ability users. Yet, he had never imagined experiencing the sensation of becoming a puppet himself. Lin Jiu Jiu remained silent. She raised her hand, retracting all the puppet strings Duan Tiangang had released, thereby strengthening her hold on him. The more Duan Tiangang resisted, the more thoroughly he was controlled. "Spare me, please spare me..." Ignoring the pleas of such scum, Lin Jiu Jiu manipulated the two puppets to attack the Black Serpent Priest. The Black Serpent Priest steadied his mind, forming seals with his hands to summon a demon dragon crafted from sinister energy, which surged toward Duan Tiangang and the Black Dog Priest. Boom! Duan Tiangang and the Black Dog Priest exerted all their might in resistance. The Black Dog Priest was obliterated by the demon dragon in just a second, while Duan Tiangang, covered in blood, was sent flying. Terrifying corruption spread over Duan Tiangang, with tendrils continuously sprouting from his body, as if attempting to assimilate with the Black Serpent Priest. Moreover, the corruption sought to reverse its course along the puppet strings to infect Lin Jiu Jiu. Whatever had previously prevented the corruption from reaching Lin Jiu Jiu seemed moot now, with a tangible connection in place. Lin Jiu Jiu decisively abandoned her control over Duan Tiangang and picked up a microphone. The scenery around her dramatically shifted into a concert stage. The Black Serpent Priest and the once self-governing Duan Tiangang looked around in disbelief, their expressions shifting repeatedly. The Black Serpent Priest, especially, was baffled. How could someone establish a specialized domain within the array he had set? Domain? The Black Serpent Priest's face turned grim. "Welcome, everyone, to my concert!" Lin Jiu Jiu stood on the stage, waving at them. The Black Serpent Priest immediately launched an aggressive attack on Lin Jiu Jiu, but all his assaults vanished into the void near the stage. He considered targeting Xia Xiao An and Zhang Qian, intending to leverage them as hostages against Lin Jiu Jiu. However, upon closer inspection, Xia Xiao An and Zhang Qian were also on the stage, lying down, but out of his reach. Duan Tiangang was bewildered as his lost underlings reappeared. "Boss, is that you?" "Big Brother, what happened to you? You, you..." "Where are we? How is there a concert here? When did I get a glow stick?" "Holy crap, boss, what's up with this? The idol on stage is so cute." "Shut up!" "......" Duan Tiangang gazed toward the stage where Lin Jiu Jiu began her performance. He felt a rush of affection, finding her irresistibly adorable. His genuine desire was to wave the glow stick in his hand to support Lin Jiu Jiu. Only the pain from his injuries kept him lucid. "I shouldn't be affected by mental abilities; why is this happening?" Duan Tiangang longed for an answer. Before he could figure it out, he noticed his fellow band members were completely caught up in the concert, vigorously cheering. "Hey! Hey! Hey!" "Snap out of it! Don't let yourselves be controlled!" Duan Tiangang grabbed a fellow band member and shook him, hoping to rouse his consciousness. The captured member wore a blissful expression: "Boss, I'm very awake, more awake than I've ever been. Don't disturb me. I'm experiencing happiness like never before; I'd be content to die in this happiness." Saying so, he pried Duan Tiangang's hand off, fervently cheering for Lin Jiu Jiu on stage. Duan Tiangang attempted to awaken other members, but none of them paid him any mind. As their leader, Duan Tiangang had never been treated like this before. In a rage, he struck one of his members, only for their body to disintegrate into countless points of light in the air. He continued to pummel several others, each one disappearing in the same way. "This, this, this..." Duan Tiangang became mortified. What on earth was this demonic trickery? As he looked again at the energetic Lin Jiu Jiu on stage, he couldn't help but find the idol even more lovable. The beauties he had encountered before paled in comparison to Lin Jiu Jiu. Moreover, Duan Tiangang felt the pain seeping away and the tendrils stopped growing. He experienced unprecedented happiness. Compelled by this happiness, he raised his glow stick, with the tendrils on his body doing the same, joining in the manic cheering! "Hopeless." The Black Serpent Priest glanced at Duan Tiangang, then at the concert, feeling a desire to retreat. Most crucially, he noticed the golden points of light descending upon Xia Xiao An and Zhang Qian, seeming to alleviate some level of corruption. Yet, having come this far, leaving wouldn't be so easy. "Within this domain, I am a god," Lin Jiu Jiu stopped singing, holding a staff in her hand, fixing her gaze on the Black Serpent Priest. There was a kind of attack method she had long wanted to try. The Black Serpent Priest felt a foreboding and turned to flee. Lin Jiu Jiu gripped her staff with both hands, targeting the Black Serpent Priest. Dream-like starlight burst forth! Boom! The dazzling cascade of starlight obliterated the Black Serpent Priest. Facing the streaming starlight, it was as if he had seen a ghost with his final breaths before being reduced to ashes in an instant. With the concert stage dispelled, Xia Xiao An and Zhang Qian lay weakly on the ground. The shopkeeper, dazed, had no recollection of events due to her earlier unconsciousness. But the Black Serpent Priest's corpse on the ground confirmed everything was real. Lin Jiu Jiu checked on Xia Xiao An, relieved she was not in distress. Zhang Qian, too, was fine and would recover after a rest. The shopkeeper, however, woke quickly. "Where are the things Zhang Qian wanted?" Lin Jiu Jiu asked as she approached the shopkeeper. "There." The shopkeeper weakly indicated a patch of flooring not far away. Lin Jiu Jiu walked over, lifted the floor tiles, and uncovered a locked metal box. With a flick, she cut away the lock and opened the box, her expression shifting to one of curiosity. Inside was a battle mech transformation device, just half a version older than the ones she and Xia Xiao An owned. Additionally, there was a spatial storage device. Without inspecting the contents of the spatial storage device, she set it aside with the battle mech device, intending to discuss it with Zhang Qian upon her awakening. "By killing the priests of the Abyss Organization, you've brewed a storm of trouble," the shopkeeper warned Lin Jiu Jiu as she watched her take the items. "Yes." Lin Jiu Jiu nodded, "I will return the things to Zhang Qian." The shopkeeper opened her mouth, understanding Lin Jiu Jiu's implication. She looked at the still-unconscious Zhang Qian, tears streaming down, choosing not to speak further. ...... Outside the small shop, fear-filled eyes watched. Earlier, Duan Tiangang had surrounded the shop with over a hundred people, fierce and intimidating. Driven by the survival instinct to retain a bystander's curiosity even in the apocalypse, they couldn't avert their eyes, eager to witness whatever transpired. But soon enough, they witnessed Duan Tiangang's entire entourage inexplicably fall to the ground, dead to the last. Some, bolder souls, tried to approach, hoping to scavenge some supplies or equipment. Only to fall in turn. Now, no one dared to approach any closer. However, clever minds were always present. Someone brought an exceptionally long rope, and from a distance, they lassoed it toward the bodies lying on the ground, pulling one back towards them. "Dead." After reeling in the corpse, someone confirmed its state. "That many people, and they're all dead?" an old man remarked, looking nervously at the bodies scattered around the area near the small shop. "From my long years of experience, we should all quickly get away from here to avoid getting caught up in this," the old man advised before running off, abandoning the idea of scavenging anything valuable from the bodies. Life was more important than possessions. "Holy crap, let's get out of here!" "Why hasn't the patrol team arrived yet? What if this really spreads?" "They're overwhelmed dealing with killings across several streets in Zone 5; I heard they don't have any more manpower to spare here." "That's not good! What if more people die here?" "So, run for your lives!" ... Though they usually spat in disdain at the patrol team, in moments of true peril, these people found themselves hoping for the patrol's swift arrival—a rather amusing turn of events. In the void, Su Miao observed the crowd's reactions, unsurprised. It was much like when the Demon King descended, and there were countless pleas on the Night Owl app for her to stop him. Yet, in ordinary times, those same people wished for her permanent absence from Earth. Clearing her thoughts, Su Miao turned her attention to Lin Jiu Jiu, curious about how she would handle the aftermath. Particularly concerning Zhang Qian, from the clues available, it appeared that this girl had been targeted for sacrifice by the Abyss Organization's venerated evil god. Under such circumstances, even if the Qilian Shelter were aware, they couldn't protect Zhang Qian. Unless it was Shelter No. 1—that place was different, perhaps it could provide her sanctuary. The golden-haired girl within No. 1's walls was far too mysterious. To this day, Su Miao couldn't gauge the depth of her power. Wait, an evil god had specifically requested a sacrifice? This could be an opportunity for her true self to take action. So far, all experiments had been conducted on the inner-world Demon Kings, without involving the inner-world's evil gods. If she could summon an evil god, obtain its blood, bones, and divinity, couldn't she conduct deeper research? Su Miao glanced at the unconscious Zhang Qian, swiftly recalling a summoning magic array from the "Book of the Abyss." There it was. Among the entries was a summoning array using a marked sacrifice of an evil god as the catalyst. Su Miao looked toward a corner of Wuhou City, her figure disappearing. To ensure the success of this summoning plan, she needed to deal with the remaining matters first. ... Inside the small shop. Lin Jiu Jiu took out her phone and contacted the Qilian Shelter. The shelter responded promptly, arriving overhead with three spacecraft in just three minutes. Ability users donning specialized anti-corruption armor swiftly cleaned up the bodies, disposing of them in high-temperature atomic furnaces for purification. They handled the three Abyss Priests’ bodies with even greater expertise, indicating a familiarity with dealing with such remains. The shop's owner was dumbfounded, watching the proceedings unfold, unable to comprehend how Lin Jiu Jiu managed it all. "Do you need this taken care of?" the leader of the ability users asked Lin Jiu Jiu after a glance at the shopkeeper. "No need," Lin Jiu Jiu shook her head. The leader nodded, leaving with his team and forcibly subduing the rampageous ability users in the chaotic district. Of course, to keep things discreet, Lin Jiu Jiu did not leave with them. She made another call. Within minutes, several more teams arrived in the city, escorting Lin Jiu Jiu, Xia Xiao An, and Zhang Qian away. These were people from the Twelve Priests. Although they weren’t Lin Jiu Jiu’s subordinates, as the Priest of Heaven, she had the authority to command them. ... "They're dead?" In the basement of a rundown attic. The Abyss Grand Priest, cloaked entirely in black, listened to his subordinates' reports with fury. To ensure the safety of the sacrifice, he had personally arranged for the Black Snake, Black Dog, and Black Raccoon Priests to act together. He never expected such a failure, with all three sent priests dead. "The shopkeeper couldn't possibly have such power, which leaves the two girls accompanying the sacrifice. Have we identified them?" The Abyss Grand Priest quickly honed in on the crux of the problem. "We've identified them, but can't confirm it completely." The intelligence officer took out a tablet, displaying several pictures. "They might be Xia Xiao An and Lin Jiu Jiu, who are said to be close to the witch Su Miao." From underneath the cloak, a tentacle reached out, snatching the tablet and repeatedly comparing the images on it. Unbidden, cold sweat trickled down. Taking several deep breaths, he finally said, "It's them." The tentacle flicked, discarding the tablet. The Abyss Grand Priest paced the room, muttering, "If Xia Xiao An and Lin Jiu Jiu are here, does it mean the witch Su Miao is here as well?" "No, I can't risk if Su Miao is around; I must leave immediately." Just as he resolved to depart, he heard a dull thud behind him. It was the sound of a body hitting the ground. In the shattered mirror on the wall, he saw his reporting subordinate dead. Standing a few steps away was Su Miao, with her pink hair flowing. ... (End of Chapter)