Chương 77: Disguised and Infiltration (1)

Nathan looked a bit swayed by my offer. He asked hesitantly, "That thing you just mentioned that can suppress the use of abilities... Does it actually work?" I replied, "You know I'm telling the truth. It's not miraculous enough to make your abilities disappear completely, but it creates a significant obstruction. At the very least, it will keep your powers from spiraling out of control."

Recalling those iron shackles now, I realized they only obstructed the flow of mana within the body rather than stripping a person of its use entirely. Based on my observations over the past few days, humans needed to consciously channel their mana flow to activate skills above level 20. Without actively initiating that flow, one could still use their skills, but only at lower levels.

This realization made me wonder if I had inadvertently initiated my own mana flow long ago when I accidentally triggered my Strategy skill. But it seemed that whenever my brain was heavily occupied with thinking and plotting, it couldn't spare the focus required to notice the mana circulating through my body. Nathan suddenly reached out, attempting to grab my hand.

Knowing exactly what he was up to, I ducked to the side and teased, "Let me guess, your mind-reading works much better with direct physical contact, right? You wanted to check if I was actively thinking about the location of that material?" Nathan glared at me in frustration but said nothing. I continued, "Even if you managed to pinpoint the location, you wouldn't have any way to retrieve it. But if you help me, I can do it on your behalf."

"... Do you dare swear that you won't let anything happen to me?"

"I can swear that I won't let you die." Noticing Nathan's dissatisfied expression, I tacked on, "Or get excessively injured."

"Fine. I'll go down there with you. But if things go south, don't blame me if I'm forced to leave you behind and run."

"Deal." Nathan then gave me a brief breakdown of what he could actually do. His Telepathy allowed him to project short, distinct thoughts into another person's mind within an eight-meter radius. Each activation required a ten-second cooldown. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. His Mind Control could force a target to believe a premise he fabricated for a duration of ten seconds.

Crucially, the target wouldn't realize their mind had just been manipulated; they would continue to believe it was their own genuine thought even after the effect wore off. I checked his status window. His mana currently sat at a meager 38. I could only hope those skills of his didn't drain too much. The overcast sky made it impossible to tell how much daylight we had left, but the forest had already grown incredibly dark.

I instructed Jonas and Mantir to retreat inside the upper ruins to spend the night if necessary, then Nathan and I slipped back into the abandoned church. Armed with my previous experience, we navigated our way back to the ghoul holding cells rather quickly. The remaining problem was how to neutralize one of those robed figures to secure a disguise without creating a major scene. Stabbing or slashing was out of the question; it would draw blood and ruin the garment.

Blood could also drive the ghouls into an even greater frenzy, causing unnecessary noise. I decided to try a "secret technique" I had picked up from Chinese wuxia movies—a precise chop to the back of the neck to induce unconsciousness. I had attempted it twice before; the first time failed because I hadn't gauged my strength correctly, but the second time had worked flawlessly.

I signaled Nathan to wait in a blind spot in the corridor, then ran straight out past the ghoul-filled cells and pressed myself flat against the wall beside the doorway on the left. The ghouls carried on wildly for about ten seconds before the robed man finally emerged. Timing it perfectly as he stepped through the frame, I aimed directly at the nape of his neck and delivered a heavy strike. The man crumpled to the floor without making a sound.

I dragged him back toward the hidden corridor, then mimicked his actions by tossing a few chunks of meat into the cages to quiet the ghouls down. Nathan watched as I began stripping the robe off the unconscious man, asking hesitantly, "Is he dead?" I replied, "Probably not, but we should tie him up to be safe. Here, put this on." I didn't want the scent of fresh blood to agitate the ghouls in the cells, so I didn't try to finish him off with my sword.

After removing the man's robe, mask, and gloves, I bound his hands and feet securely, finishing by stuffing a cloth into his mouth. Nathan picked up the metal mask I had tossed his way, his face immediately twisting in revulsion at the horrific odor emanating from it.

"This reeks."

"Yeah, but bear with it. It'll help block out the Miasma. You remember what to do once you're inside, right?" I reviewed the plan one last time.

"Find another guy, lure him out here, and then both of us will infiltrate the interior together." The plan was so high-stakes that not only Nathan, but even I felt a wave of tension. His entire body was trembling uncontrollably. If he stayed like this, there was no way he could pull off the task smoothly. An idea suddenly struck me.

"Hey, have you ever tried applying your mind control skill on yourself? Forcing yourself to believe something impossible, or manually regulating your own mood?" Nathan tried to stabilize his breathing, then muttered, "Never. But let me try." He closed his eyes for a few seconds. During those brief moments, his body stopped shaking with fear. When he opened his eyes, I could see a steady calm reflecting in them. I said, "You're going to pull this off."

Nathan repeated firmly, validating his own internal suggestion, "I am going to pull this off."