Master Pang Qian was an enthusiastic elder, deeply keen on adding another supremely talented powerhouse to humanity's roster. In his view, even though Yang Ying didn't wish to join the Psionic Temple, his lone act of saving three hundred thousand people in that ravaged city was sufficient proof that Yang Ying was not an inherently wicked person. Thus, he promised to fight for the opportunity for Yang Ying to receive proper training.

As soon as Master Pang Qian left, Captain Wen Yang approached again.

"Ahem... cough, cough..." he cleared his throat twice, "Brother Yang, I have a private matter to discuss with you."

"Captain Wen, please proceed," Yang Ying replied, already buoyed by Pang Qian's commitment.

Wen Yang clapped Yang Ying on the shoulder, saying, "My sister asked me to pass a message to you. She hopes you can forgive that old man Randolph. That old man is merely obsessed with officialdom; although his abilities are mediocre, he treats his subordinates quite well."

Yang Ying felt the immense force of the captain's hand on his shoulder, clearly indicating this officer possessed considerable strength.

Among the people he knew, there was only one woman with the surname Wen. "Your sister? Could she be Major Wen?"

"The very Major Wen who contacted you," Wen Yang declared proudly, thumping his chest. "I am her brother!"

"Your sister is a Major, and you’re only a Captain," Yang Ying teased. "And you have the nerve to say that!"

Wen Yang shrugged it off. "That's because it’s easier for administrative personnel to get promoted! Besides, she was born to be a general. As for me, my destiny is to charge into battle."

"Even in the thick of battle, one can become a general, my old friend. Just be careful not to die too soon," Yang Ying sighed. "Now, my business here should be concluded. I’ll leave the rest to you professionals. If anything urgent arises, I’ll give you my communicator number; just call me."

"Leaving already? Won't you stay for a while?" Wen Yang sounded quite eager to keep Yang Ying there.

"I won't stay. I need to go home and rest. Leave the fighting to you experts," Yang Ying intended to lie low until the first Sentry appeared, hoping to pass the next one hundred and twenty-plus hours safely.

"That sounds reasonable," Wen Yang conceded. "Then shall I send someone to escort you back?"

"How can I let you do that? I can handle such a small matter. You busy yourselves. There are no remaining enemies of the Ancient Legion in the city anyway."

So, after bidding farewell to everyone, Yang Ying got on his motorcycle and headed home. However, spotting the ground littered with broken glass on the way suddenly brought a major realization to mind!

He recalled that when he used his mental energy to interfere with the Great Centipede’s mind, Yang Ying himself was passively affected by its mental torrent, receiving a string of fragmented images. Now, triggered by the sight of the broken glass, several of those images linked together and flashed across Yang Ying’s vision.

It was the scene of about fifty Ape-men just entering the outskirts of Titan’s Light City. One of them held a transparent gemstone the size of an egg and violently smashed it onto the ground, shattering it into countless fragments. Then, pedestrians in the distance suddenly collapsed, falling into a coma. Various magnetic-levitation vehicles on the street lost control, causing multi-vehicle pile-ups, and the Ape-men began their slaughter.

Yang Ying snapped back to clarity, thinking to himself, "That gemstone was the true culprit behind the city-wide blackout, not some single psychic master."

He had mentioned this mass coma incident during his conversation with Master Pang Qian. Master Pang Qian had stated that the ability to unleash a mental attack across an entire city required an immensely vast amount of psychic power—the kind of power concentrated at the absolute apex of the entire solar system's pyramid, achievable only by the Ape-men race or a select few powerhouses among humans. However, the whereabouts of these few individuals at the time of the incident were clearly accounted for; they were far from Titan Star and thus incapable of intervening.

Furthermore, they would never stoop so low as to attack ordinary citizens, making the theory that a psychic master released a stunning mental wave over the entire city completely implausible.

In Master Pang Qian’s words: "That kind of reasoning could only have been conceived by certain non-psychic professors and experts in the General Staff Headquarters."

Yang Ying reached the site of the incident just as dusk approached.

Titan Star's illumination did not rely on the sun but on an artificial light source whose brightness fluctuated according to a twenty-four-hour cycle, meaning it still experienced dawn and dusk.

Yang Ying searched while recalling the images. Since few clues remained, he spent a considerable amount of time before finally locating the area.

The Ape-men had cleaned the scene when they smashed the gemstone, collecting most of the larger fragments. However, some smaller pieces should have been left behind.

Yang Ying crouched down and searched carefully, picking up a shard no bigger than a millet grain—this was the largest fragment he could find. He pinched the shard between his thumb and forefinger, holding it up to the artificial sun to examine it. He discovered that this type of gem possessed an extremely high refractive index, exhibiting a dazzling brilliance akin to a diamond under the light.

Yang Ying had no expertise in gemstones; the fragment in his hand revealed nothing conclusive. At this point, he knew he needed to consult an expert in the field.

Master Pang Qian. He would surely know what this was.

So, Yang Ying rushed back to the Air Conditioning Building without delay. The situation inside the building had calmed down. Wen Yang spotted Yang Ying running back in a hurry at the entrance and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yang, why are you back already?"

Yang Ying grabbed Wen Yang. "I need to find Master Pang Qian. Where is he?"

"I just saw him a moment ago. He’s probably eating now," Wen Yang spread his hands. "Even Psionic Masters need to fill their stomachs."

That comment had an immediate effect; Yang Ying's own stomach began to rumble fiercely. He hadn't eaten anything all day, let alone endured high-intensity combat; his hunger was now ravenous.

"Is there any food left? Get me some too," Yang Ying asked, clutching his stomach.

"Yes. Go to the mess hall and eat to your heart's content. Master Pang Qian is in there too," Wen Yang pointed in a direction. "The mess hall is that way, right at the end."

Yang Ying followed the direction to the mess hall. The military had merely requisitioned the space; the ingredients were their own military rations. Even though it was the 26th century, military rations adhered to the guiding principle of high nutrition, high calories, and low preparation difficulty. The taste wasn't exquisite, but it wasn't unpalatable either.

For someone who had exerted massive physical energy all day without eating, it was the most supreme delicacy.

Yang Ying grabbed a tray, collected a full cart of food, and brought it to the table where Master Pang Qian was eating. He greeted him, "Master, I found some clues that might be related to the city-wide blackout. Please take a look."

"Alright."

Yang Ying handed him a tiny speck of the gemstone, then sat at an adjacent table and began devouring the food rapidly.

Master Pang Qian set down his utensils and raised the gem to his eyes, observing it closely. After a long moment, he spoke, "I see. Where did you find this?"

"In the suburbs, where the Ape-men invasion likely started," Yang Ying replied truthfully.

"Then that settles it," Master Pang Qian nodded in confirmation. "The Ape-men used exactly this kind of Spirit-Gathering Stone to launch the city-wide psychic attack."

"What kind of gem is this? How can it be so potent?" Wen Yang had entered the mess hall and overheard the Master’s statement.

Master Pang Qian held the stone in his hand. "The Spirit-Gathering Stone, as its name suggests, is a gem that concentrates spiritual power. Using such a stone, one can store the psychic energy of a group within it. Once shattered, it instantly disperses that energy in the form of a shockwave, much like a grenade, except the damage inflicted is on the psychic plane. The more psychic power fed into the stone, the greater its power and range, though the required size of the Spirit-Gathering Stone also increases."

Wen Yang frowned. "If the Ape-men use these stones extensively on the battlefield, what should we do?"

"No need to worry," Master Pang Qian looked at Wen Yang. "These stones are naturally occurring and difficult to find, so the Ape-men cannot frequently employ this tactic."

"In that case, I must report this to higher command immediately. Thank you, Master. Brother Yang, please take your time eating; I'll take my leave first." Wen Yang strode out of the mess hall.

Master Pang Qian asked, "Young man, why did you go searching in the suburbs for this fragment?"

"It was guidance from a feeling. I sensed there might be something to find there, so I went to look," Yang Ying wasn't lying; those were indeed the images that had surfaced in his awareness.

Master Pang Qian nodded. "The application of psychic power is endless. For those who have awakened, trusting one's instincts is extremely important."