CH 48.2

The entrance is quiet for a couple of seconds. Gatekeeper is impatient right now. Sure, he’s free most of the time, but that doesn’t mean he would be happy to waste them on Jiang Yiyi.

Gatekeeper glances at Magician, then speaks up again, “you escort them to their cells.”

Magician quickly gets back into business. He subconsciously checks Jiang Yiyi, and sees no intention to intervene from his part.

Just as he said, he does not care what happens to Lunatic, and is certain Jian Si is not going to die.

Everything is still in his control, as it has always been.

Magician even finds himself entertaining the idea that this development is just what Jiang Yiyi had in mind from the beginning.

Since he is the one making the decision.

‘Doctor’ is now enough of a reason to explain everything, and no other words are needed.

The thoughts quickly pass through his mind and memories. After Ye Wang, the next chronic delusional fantasiser of Jiang Yiyi is born.

When Magician has Jian Si and Lunatic——With Lunatic’s unwillingness disappearing when Jiang Yiyi appears cooperative——taken away, followed by a somewhat lost looking Lin Yi, Gatekeeper leads Jiang Yiyi into the entrance of Block One.

It is certainly full of futuristic equipment. The sealed metallic door has a layer of flashing blue light on it.

Gatekeeper first has to scan his card, then even do a genetic test and status test. After all three are done, the blue light turns green, and then the door slowly slides… into barely enough space for just one person to pass.

Gatekeeper then turns to Jiang Yiyi, and has him place his hand on the light field.

Jiang Yiyi extends his hand, which phases through the layer easily. The colour of the light changes to red.

Gatekeeper gestures to the front.

Jiang Yiyi then passes through the vibrantly red light——It feels odd to pass through. Not in any physical sense, but mentally, like being lured into a trap.

Jiang Yiyi has passed through the narrow doorway, and looks behind himself. He sees the colour of it change back to green when Gatekeeper passes.

Gatekeeper is not in the mood to explain any curious glances at he sees.

Quietly leading from the front of Jiang Yiyi, he takes him upstairs.

After the futuristic door, the decoration and building style reverts right back to Stargaol——Cold, harsh and almost primitive. He looks at the rooms lining the corridor on both sides; unlike the cells on the upper floors, none of them have any sort of windows on the door. Each door is sealed tight…

Jiang Yiyi perks his ears up. The carpet on the floor has almost absorbed all their footsteps. There is not a single sound to be heard.

Clearly, the sound insulation work is phenomenal.

The first floor was quite big, but Gatekeeper was not going to show him around. He leads him straight to the stairs——Stairs which Jiang Yiyi find very familiar, having lived in the 21st century.

It didn’t turn out to be some hyper-pod or whatever that zips them to their location?

Jiang Yiyi then looks around with something in mind, and concludes – this building does not feature any technological implements beyond the technological era he is familiar with.

It almost makes Jiang Yiyi feel homely——Like he is being brought back to the 21st century.

“I have noted,” Gatekeeper, while ascending the stairs at a steady pace, suddenly speaks, “a slight deviation in Magician.”

Jiang Yiyi stops looking around, and instead looks up at the seemingly unending stairs ahead of him, “it was quite noticeable, yes.”

“Was it because of Doctor?” Gatekeeper is only leaving his back for Jiang Yiyi to see ahead of him.

There are no prison officers, not even surveillance cameras here. This is the perfect environment for illicit activities like backstabbing.

Jiang Yiyi stops focusing on the person’s back and answers, “I’ve already reminded him, that there is a certain price to pay to talk to me.”

Gatekeeper continues climbing for some time before speaking once more, “Doctor, you said that you are not an Extraordinary earlier.”

Jiang Yiyi glances at his character panel, “I am only a doctor with some proficiency in psychology.”

“Then I think you should know, Doctor, that psychology is a study of the human mind. It is not an ability with which you can affect, influence or even control other people.”

Jiang Yiyi is silent.

“Even so, Doctor, you will insist that you are not an Extraordinary?”

“That is what I believe.” Jiang Yiyi sees the stairs terminate ahead of him, and he pauses, “I am not an Extraordinary.”

Gatekeeper looks ahead at the direction, then brings Jiang Yiyi to the corridor on the left.

“What do you make of your ability that is beyond what is humanly possible?” Gatekeeper pauses at the second-to-last room this corridor.

Jiang Yiyi look up to check the sign by the cell door. ‘1-002.’

He then turns to the shut door at the end of the corridor. He can just make out ‘1-001’ by the light. Then he looks at the rooms opposite.

‘1-006’; ‘1-007’

Jiang Yiyi recalls the approximate layout of this floor he saw on his way up. There were ten rooms each on the corridor, and from the four corridors he saw, assuming they do not differ significantly, means this floor has at least 40 rooms in total.

He has created a preliminary map of this floor in his mind. Rather than an intentional action, it is more of a habit. It was not even distracting him from his own conversation.

“Before you ask what I make of it, first ask whether it even is the case.” Jiang Yiyi motions towards the firmly shut door ahead.

Gatekeeper is not in a hurry to open it, though. He is still talking.

“Doctor, do you still insist that what you have is a skilful application of psychology, rather than something beyond what psychology is?” Gatekeeper says plainly, “you should know that there is no benefit to lying to yourself.”

“If you know me well, you will know that I never delude myself.” Jiang Yiyi takes a step back, leaning on the door, “in fact, I have held my doubts regarding your definition of Extraordinaries this whole time.”

“If, by ‘beyond humanly possible,’ you simply mean something that no average human can attain by any amount of effort,” Jiang Yiyi pauses, “then what do all of you make of talented genius?”

“We have done a great amount of research on Extraordinaries.” Gatekeeper is unfazed, “enough for us to be sure that the ones we call Extraordinaries are, without a doubt, new humans.”

“I suppose that is where our difference in definition is.” Jiang Yiyi explains, “you treat them as new humans, while I only see it as an innate ‘talent’ manifest.”

Gatekeeper does not care for the nomenclature, because so far, they are talking about the same thing.

“So, Doctor, you are not an Extraordinary, but only one such genius possessing a great innate talent?”

Jiang Yiyi, recalling his character panel, “no, I am not.”

Gatekeeper quietly waits for what he is going to say.

“I am only an average person who has studied psychology and surgery.”