Three Tablet Spirits looked at the powered-off Xiao Yi on the ground and then at each other, eyes wide in mutual bewilderment.
After having their fun, they shut down and vanished.
This point, the three Tablet Spirits truly hadn’t anticipated, and indeed, in the art of being annoying, Xiao Yi was undeniably the best.
Jiang Shu watched this bizarre scene, at a loss for words.
Wait, could Three No Hypnosis also be used on Tablet Spirits?
Could the Tablet Spirits...
be hypnotized?
Jiang Shu hadn’t tried this before; he didn’t know if this derivative entry worked on Tablet Spirits or other silicon-based life forms or even electronic devices.
Of course, currently the only known silicon-based life might just be these four little ones. This discovery wasn’t very useful, moreover, perhaps only Tablet Spirits could use this entry to hypnotize their own kind.
That might be worth experimenting with later.
Jiang Shu looked out the window into the deep night.
He thought about the sights he had witnessed inside the underground stronghold’s Safe Zone, where over thirty specially educated children lived.
If he weren’t aware of the situation, Jiang Shu might have thought he had walked into a...
Warm home?
The arrangement inside the Safe Zone resembled a kindergarten, filled with childish decorations and warm tones.
In the Safe Zone, there was a kind woman known as "Mom," who was responsible for managing and educating these thirty children, who referred to each other as siblings and were all around thirteen or fourteen years old.
At that time, given his limited time, he didn’t stay long, but even just a quick glance allowed him to notice a lot.
The atmosphere here was very warm, the children got along harmoniously, sitting in groups of three or five, imitating the masked figures in the video on the screens, making rudimentary bombs with a mineral water bottle and various chemicals, then cheering as the bombs exploded in the sandbox, splashing up high mounds of sand and soil.
Beside the table, there were scattered remains of small animals and some congealed dark brown bloodstains, a few children observed the cruelly separated corpses with excitement or curiosity.
Weird, terrifying, yet also brimming with warmth, such incongruent words surprisingly became the best descriptors for this Safe Zone, and this realistic yet absurd sense of horror made Jiang Shu’s spine chill.
He saw there a standardized schedule, a meticulous curriculum, and a selection of extreme books, among other things.
These thirteen and fourteen-year-old kids were gathered together before their worldviews could even form and were being cultivated in such a manner. Ironically, this cultivation was crowned with the name of love, and they indeed believed it was happiness.
Then, they were brainwashed with a logical yet schizophrenic ideology mixed with distorted beliefs and extremism, and whether they were adults or not yet, the Disciples would send them to the battlefield to fight for lofty terms like "cause," "ideals," and "homeland."
However, what truly made Jiang Shu’s heart race wasn’t just that, but the fact that he saw a kind of "science" here.
A scientifically theoretical guide, scientific brainwashing techniques, scientifically indoctrinated methods of fostering loyal servants.
Just the Disciples alone couldn’t possibly develop such an efficient model, meaning there might be even more such "Safe Zones," hidden in the corners of Lonely City like ticking bombs, never knowing when they might explode.
At the time, Jiang Shu didn’t hesitate much, immediately abducted that "Mom," causing all the children to chase him relentlessly until everyone was in a secure location, and then he tied them all up, including "Mom," and left them by the side of the road.
He then anonymously called the Thirteen District Police Station. Such matters were better left for them to worry about.
He chose not to kill that "Mom." To help these children snap out of their brainwashed state, this "Mom" who had been with them day and night could play a significant role.
That is, assuming she cooperated.
"What a hassle," Jiang Shu muttered to himself as he cleaned up the dishes and put them in the dishwasher.
He looked at his hands, clenching them into a fist.
After the explosion, he had scoured the ruins, located roughly where the fortress had been, and confirmed there were no survivors.
Whether it was Black Shark or a Disciple leader, they had all met their end in that explosion.
This left him feeling like his punch had landed on cotton — despite seeing the shattered corpses stained with blood, he hadn’t even seen Black Shark or those Disciple leaders face to face.
Their heads had been blown off, which was quite infuriating.
Reflecting on this, Jiang Shu unconsciously furrowed his brow; he turned around and saw Jia, Bing, and Ding, the three Tablet Spirits gathered around Xiao Yi.
They had already placed Xiao Yi on a wireless charging board, just waiting for it to wake up. However, perhaps knowing that it couldn’t handle a three-on-one fight now, it kept its screen off, showing no intention of turning on.
"Are the three of you quite idle?" Jiang Shu called out to them from a distance, "Come here and wash the dishes."
Jia, Bing, and Ding looked at each other, and after a long while, the three spirits turned around and their cooling fans whirled slightly, letting out a sound that seemed like a sigh.
Then, they reluctantly flew over, grabbed a rag with their bun-like hands, and crouched beside the sink, scrubbing away at the dishes.
Meanwhile, Jiang Shu walked over to the cabinet that stored his Magic props, checking his possessions while thinking about the next Magic trick he would perform.
Although his derivative entry stumbled a bit on the road to attacking Clo, it was clear that these derivative entries’ combat effectiveness was currently adequate.
His own combat prowess had already surpassed this version; the slaughter of the Disciples was evidence enough, just Bursting Soldiers and Repairing Snakes had left them helpless.
Perhaps, then, preparing a mind-reading type of Magic would be more appropriate; he needed a strong entry able to read minds indiscriminately.
After encountering Clo, Jiang Shu felt he was somewhat at a disadvantage, not because he thought his IQ was insufficient, but fundamentally, it was an issue of information disparity.
He needed more information or means to obtain information, to have adequate control over such data to counteract Clo.
The previous few Magic tricks ensured his personal strength, and now, having secured his personal safety, Jiang Shu felt he might be qualified to step into the spotlight and do some genuinely interesting things.
"However, for mind reading..." Jiang Shu touched his chin, murmuring, "I’ll need Su Xiaoou’s help; doing it alone is a bit difficult."
Calculating the days, she and Kirie should be ending their detainment tomorrow; he’d need to quickly teach her some new things. Compared to the four Tablet Spirits, Su Xiaoou really was more of a traditional Magic Assistant.
Magic Assistant was not just about helping with moving things; she had a lot, much more to learn.
Password systems, double Misdirection, supports...
All these were mandatory courses.