The principles of mental control are not complicated; inspiration, enchantment, brainwashing, and suggestion can all be considered abilities within the realm of mental control. According to information Yang Ying obtained from the secret lore of the Tai Chi Guan, many factions have researched this subject.

Among these, enchantment spells are relatively common. This type of magic can make an ordinary person believe everything the speaker says, and it leaves no lingering side effects.

However, enchantment spells are ineffective against Awakened individuals, and they are also temporary when used on ordinary people; those affected usually realize the truth a few hours later, as if waking from a dream.

In contrast, the brainwashing technique invented by the Ape-men is more thorough, capable of controlling even Awakened individuals, and it lasts a lifetime.

Its drawback is that those who are brainwashed lose a significant amount of emotion and creativity, making it difficult for them to become master-level experts.

The mental control utilized by the Divine Race is the most perfect, complex, and precise form of mental manipulation. Not only is it permanently effective, but it also carries no adverse aftereffects.

Do not be misled by that faint, dim yellow light; it contains an immense amount of memory fabrication and personality shaping techniques, allowing the subject to perfectly retain their original thoughts and creativity, with only the object of their loyalty having shifted.

Yang Ying recalled Grimorun, canceled his stealth mode, walked around the desk, and stood before Tong Jinhe, asking, "Do you know who I am?"

Tong Jinhe slid his sword back into its scabbard. "You are the young man who defeated my nephew, Tong Zhishan. I do not know your name, but my friends are currently investigating it for me. I will now obey your commands."

Yang Ying hummed in acknowledgment. "Then first, let me ask you a question: do you harbor resentment over my defeat of your nephew, Tong Zhishan?"

Tong Jinhe nodded. "I did, once."

"And when were you planning to act on it?"

"In a while. After I look into your background, and once everyone has forgotten about Tong Zhishan and you, I planned to make my move."

"Do you still intend to act now?"

"Of course not."

"Good. I have a task for you. If Tong Zhishan or any of his other relatives or close friends attempt to seek revenge against me or the Xin Family, you will be responsible for stopping them. Understand?"

"I understand."

"Very good."

After arranging matters, Yang Ying recalled the Dark Templar he had been using for surveillance and departed while cloaked.

The Ghost aircraft flew high overhead. Yang Ying stood on its back, looking down. It was already deep into the night, and the heavy, goose-feather snow that began in the morning had not stopped. The ground was cold and damp, and the roads had accumulated a good amount of snow, though it didn't affect traffic, as mag-lev vehicles did not need ground contact.

Such heavy snow also affected stealth capabilities. If a pedestrian happened to be looking up with military-grade binoculars, they might notice a trajectory high in the air that seemed dissonant with the surroundings, occasionally parting the snowflakes—like a large piece of moving glass in the sky.

However, the likelihood of such a pedestrian appearing was exceedingly small.

Back at the hotel, Yang Ying had just entered his room when he received a communication. The source displayed an unknown number.

Yang Ying frowned as he opened the communicator. A man in uniform, blond and blue-eyed, in his early thirties, appeared on the screen.

"Mr. Yang Ying, greetings. Allow me to introduce myself first. My name is David, a Psionicist." He displayed the badge of the Psionic Temple. "I apologize for this intrusion, but I wished to ask if you have any knowledge of the battle that took place at the foot of Mount Wudang at the end of last month."

"The one where two Ape-Worshippers died?" Yang Ying had expected someone to approach him; he was only surprised the communication hadn't arrived sooner.

David nodded emphatically. "Since you are aware, I will move directly to the next question: were those two Ape-Worshippers killed by you?"

"Yes," Yang Ying replied frankly. "I left plenty of traces at the scene; it shouldn't be difficult to find. In fact, I've been waiting for this contact. Why only now?"

"That is because you are a recipient of the Solar System Medal. The security classification of your file has reached Level A. Reviewing your data requires extensive approval processes, which caused the delay. However, we should still be in time."

David continued in a sincere tone, "Since you have encountered Ape-Worshippers, you should understand that you are now in danger. An Ape-Worshipper might find you at any moment." The subtext here was: "You need to accept our protection."

Yang Ying certainly had no intention of accepting; he had plenty of bodyguards. "There is no need to worry about me. I can take care of myself."

David persisted, "We have observed that since that incident, you have been traveling across the world without any fixed itinerary, until you supposedly vanished in Sydney the day before yesterday. Where are you now? Are you safe?"

Yang Ying laughed. "I am very safe right now. As for my location, the fewer people who know, the better."

If it were an ordinary communicator, its location could be pinpointed via satellite. However, Yang Ying's communicator had been modified and could not be tracked or eavesdropped upon.

Yang Ying had handled the entire modification process himself. After all, he possessed immense talent in mechanical engineering dating back to his previous life, even surpassing his skills in CV. Any component in his hands was modified and assembled as naturally as breathing.

After his psionic awakening, his learning capacity increased, and this inherent talent grew with it. His eyes seemed capable of piercing machine casings to see the internal circuitry; there was never any deviation in knowing exactly where each part belonged.

David was also aware that Yang Ying’s communicator was untraceable by satellite, and he had no recourse regarding Yang Ying’s tight-lipped secrecy. He could only say, "In that case, please keep yourself hidden. If we cannot find you, perhaps the Ape Cult cannot either. That will be all for now."

With that, he severed the connection.

Yang Ying put down the communicator, frowning. David contacting him now, rather than earlier or later, precisely when he had "vanished," felt too coincidental.

He immediately contacted Kalia, getting straight to the point. "An Ape-Worshipper who infiltrated the Psionic Temple just contacted me. My location might have been exposed."

As he spoke, Yang Ying glanced toward a small, low table behind him upon which rested a matchbox bearing the hotel's name.

Kalia’s gaze sharpened. "Are you certain, sir?"

"He terminated the connection. Besides my location already being compromised, there is no other possibility." Yang Ying was ninety percent sure of this.

Kalia immediately urged, "If that is the case, sir, you are likely in danger. I suggest you leave Mount Wudang immediately."

"How can I let him get away so easily!" Yang Ying shook his head. "I have a plan. We need a mole planted deep within the Ape Cult—two or three would be even better."

The Ape Cult was a tightly structured and deeply hidden organization; the Psionic Temple had failed to eradicate it despite thirty years of effort. Without gathering more intelligence, they would remain perpetually on the defensive.

Kalia inquired, "Then what is your specific plan?"

Yang Ying replied, "We will use his own scheme against him. When he comes calling, we will have the Dark Executor develop a few inside contacts for us. You are responsible for monitoring the Ape Cult's movements via the network. Report any issues directly to me. If the Ape Cult sends operatives to Mount Wudang, I need to know their itinerary so I can arrange an ambush."

"Forgive my bluntness, sir, but that will be extremely difficult," Kalia admitted. "We still lack sufficient understanding of that mysterious address. Intelligence to the level of monitoring their travel schedule will be quite challenging."

"What level of success can you achieve?"

Kalia pondered for a moment. "The hard drive the Commander obtained last time contains a large volume of data on the Ape Cult. We have used that data to construct an operational model for them. With some additional intelligence support, we should be able to extrapolate some of their actions."

Yang Ying asked, "What is your confidence level?"

Kalia answered, "Forty percent."

Yang Ying nodded. "Forty percent is enough. Proceed."