Just as the Centipede Wheel hadn't completed its turn, Yang Ying jammed the accelerator down and charged straight for it, yanking the vehicle's nose up at the last second. He shot straight through the large gap in the wheel's center before the Centipede could react—the entire maneuver took a mere second!

Having temporarily escaped danger, Yang Ying muttered that two more jolts like that would surely give him a heart attack.

The danger hadn't passed. Less than a kilometer after breaking free, the Centipede was once again closing in from behind.

Staring at the monstrous visage of the Centipede, a thought formed in Yang Ying’s mind. This giant bug was beyond his ability to handle alone. If he didn't find external help soon, he might as well be looking for death.

“Baal, report.”

As a Zerg Overlord, Baal might have knowledge of this kind of creature. Yang Ying decided to consult him.

“Great Master, may your radiance shine throughout the entire solar system!” Baal’s voice materialized. “Your humble servant Baal has two matters to report to you.”

A report? What could be more important than saving his own life?

Yang Ying cut in, “Hold the report for now. First, look at that giant centipede following me—is there any way to deal with it?”

“As you command! Most supreme Master!”

Yang Ying felt a wave of psychic energy emanate from his right hand. This energy was dense and agile, its essence far superior to the crude, violent psychic power radiating from the Centipede behind him. Yang Ying recalled the Ape-Man he had killed; its psychic energy had also seemed rough, inherently better than the Centipede’s, but still nowhere near Baal’s level.

A strange feeling settled in Yang Ying’s chest. He had communicated with Baal numerous times before and had never sensed any psychic energy from the Zerg Overlord, yet this time the sensation was incredibly distinct.

Baal’s psychic energy circled the Centipede twice before returning, “Eternal Master, the bug behind you is an absolute failure. It is unworthy of mention before the Zerg. Its efficiency is so low that it consumes three hundred percent more energy than a Zerg creature of equal strength!”

Knowing only that it was inefficient was useless. The crucial detail was its weakness!

Yang Ying frowned, pressing the issue, “Do you actually know how to fight it?”

“Demanding Master, your humble servant might be able to use psychic interference to throw it off balance. At this high speed, losing balance will result in fatal consequences,” Baal offered eagerly.

“You stay out of it. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll handle it myself!” Yang Ying remembered his oath. This consultation was a necessity, barely skirting the line; allowing Baal to fight now would constitute a true breach.

“Omnipotent Master, you should be able to master psychic interference quickly. However, please note that using psychic interference will link your mind to that failed bug, meaning you will also be affected by it…”

Baal transferred the methodology for psychic interference directly into Yang Ying’s mind via telepathy.

Telepathy possessed immense advantages; many techniques difficult to express verbally could be conveyed effortlessly through this mental link.

Yang Ying paid little mind to the supposed 'influence.' Should he avoid doing something just because he might be affected? He studied the technique while maneuvering his motorcycle left and right, preventing the Centipede Wheel from building up its top speed.

When he judged he had absorbed enough knowledge, a cylindrical structure ten stories high appeared before him, resembling a massive tank—it was the City Central Air Conditioning Facility building of Titan’s Light!

The building was encircled by a hundred-meter stretch of chain-link fencing. The indicator lights on the fence were still glowing, confirming that it was electrified with high voltage.

Yang Ying’s mind worked at lightning speed, processing a series of associated thoughts, and he immediately steered the motorcycle toward the fence, glancing back periodically at the Centipede, which was keeping pace.

As he neared the fence, with the Centipede Wheel closing within twenty meters, a flash of red light ignited in Yang Ying’s eyes—he acted!

His psychic energy surged instantly into the Centipede’s brain, churning its thoughts into chaos. The creature released its hold on the wheel mechanism, slamming heavily onto the ground, bouncing up, and slamming down again repeatedly. Furthermore, the icy ground caused it to skid forward until it collided with the electrified fence.

Immediately, electric sparks jumped across the Centipede’s entire body, and white smoke began to drift from its carapace. It was clearly beyond saving.

In that instant, fragments of broken images flashed through Yang Ying’s mind. He knew these were memories harvested from the giant Centipede. The images caused a sharp pain in his brain, but it remained within a tolerable limit.

Yang Ying didn't wait to confirm the Centipede’s demise; he sped away instantly. This was the location of the central air conditioning facility. With the AC system down, this building was likely occupied by enemies. Luring the Centipede here to hit the high-voltage fence was a last resort; Yang Ying was unfamiliar with the city roads and would never have chosen this route otherwise.

Fortunately, once the Centipede was electrocuted, the heavy shadow hanging over Yang Ying lifted considerably. Sensing the immediate crisis had passed, he deemed this area relatively safe.

He rode his motorcycle a hundred meters away to a European-style villa—the house with the best vantage point in his immediate view. The temperature had already dropped to negative thirty degrees Celsius; the entire city was encased in ice, and the villa was no exception, its grounds and swimming pool entirely blanketed in white.

Yang Ying stopped at a window on the side of the villa, one that faced the central AC building. He used his telekinesis to open the lock and slipped inside. The window was coated in a thick layer of ice, several times thicker than the light frost coating the windows at his own home, and chunks of ice immediately began to fall inward as he opened it.

Once inside, he closed the window, drew the curtains, and then cracked the window open just a sliver to observe the situation at the facility building.

Silence reigned around the structure, broken only by the occasional residual spark jumping from the dead Centipede.

Simultaneously, Yang Ying pulled up the map to calculate his position. Although he had ridden the motorcycle for at least ten kilometers, the pursuit meant he hadn't been heading toward the City Hall, so his actual distance gain was minimal.

Just as he believed the danger had passed, Baal’s voice suddenly interjected: “Great Master, your humble servant has two matters that require immediate reporting. One is directly connected to the trouble you just encountered. If you do not address it immediately, other troubles may soon find you!”

“Speak.”

“The first matter is a metal plaque you possess. That item is the source attracting that dim-witted giant centipede. It is imbued with an extremely faint psychic energy that resonates with that imbecilic creature!”

As Zerg Overlords could mentally control up to eight population units, they were all psychic experts. Yang Ying placed complete trust in Baal’s analysis.

When breaking into the villa, he had already taken out his lightsaber, laser pistol, and the plaque from the storage compartment. He held the metal plate up before him and asked, “Can other bugs sense this?”

Baal exclaimed dramatically, “Wise Master, you even considered that! Such meticulous thought truly leaves your humble servant Baal utterly astounded!”

“Be serious!” Yang Ying snapped. “Didn’t you say this might attract other trouble? How did that turn into praise for my meticulous thought?”

“Your most loyal servant was merely casting a stone to elicit jade. How dare a tiny droplet like myself compare to your boundless ocean of wisdom?”

Yang Ying’s head ached from Baal’s desperate attempts to flatter him; it was utterly frustrating.

“Less nonsense!”

“Ahem… Although the probability is low, it is possible for it to be perceived. However, remote sensing is only possible if the psychic energies resonate; otherwise, detection requires being extremely close. Exactly how close depends on the strength of the target’s psychic power,” Baal stated with slightly more seriousness. The fact that it could simulate a cough via telepathy showed a significant effort.

“Since that’s the case, there’s still some inherent danger. Who knows when some creature capable of resonating with the metal plate might show up.” Yang Ying said to Baal, “Is there any way to erase the psychic energy on it?”

“That is quite simple, Supreme Master; you can accomplish it with ease,” Baal replied. “You only need to release your telekinetic power to squeeze the psychic energy off the metal plaque.”

Yang Ying followed the instructions. Sure enough, as his telekinesis approached the plaque, he sensed a faint trace of alien psychic energy—so subtle it would be easily missed. Yang Ying found it hard to believe such a faint level of energy could be detected by another being.

He pushed his own psychic energy into the plaque, wringing out the alien energy like wringing a wet towel.

The foreign psychic energy quickly dissipated into the air, ceasing to exist.

Ever since entering this room, Yang Ying had felt that something was slightly off about the space, but he couldn't immediately pinpoint what it was, so he set the issue aside and asked, “What is your second report?”

“Your humble servant’s second report is this,” Baal paused, “Changes have occurred at the central tower of the continent.”