Chapter 1: The Next Course of Action

On the other side, while the Defense Bureau was still searching the area for any trace of Ye Mi in hiding, she had already, by sheer force of will, made her way into Zone One. Neither the deputy director nor the search team could have imagined that an “awakened one” with car-like speed would whisk Ye Mi away at a breakneck pace.

In less than half an hour, Ye Mi arrived at the Camp Home inside the human settlement.

Of course, before entering, she’d used the Mask of the Divine to turn invisible. Given her special status, Ye Mi hoped as few people as possible would know she was here—at least until the current crisis faded.

“Ah…”

Ye Mi collapsed onto the relatively soft bed in the Camp Home, a sound of contentment escaping her lips as the Mask of the Divine slipped from her face.

Controlling three bodies at once, coupled with prolonged use of the invisibility power, had left her mind utterly drained. Her vision swam with darkness, a buzzing filled her ears, and she couldn’t even lift a finger. The last thing she sensed before slipping into oblivion was the faint scent of disinfectant on the bedsheets.

Ye Mi had no idea how long she slept. When she finally opened her eyes, the neon lights of the human camp outside had already come alive. Multicolored glows spilled through the gap in the curtains; she realized she had completely forgotten to draw them before falling asleep.

She tried moving her fingers and discovered her body ached as if it had been run over by a truck. Though she’d only been using her psychic power rather than her physical form, Ye Mi’s body was still left this weak—perhaps because she’d spent half a year cooped up indoors, with little movement.

“Hiss…” Ye Mi propped herself up in bed, moving slowly through the soreness. But her mind was unusually clear. She suddenly sensed there was something new within her consciousness.

Closing her eyes to hide her ashen pupils, Ye Mi’s long lashes fluttered. She saw, deep in the darkness of her mind, a silver phantom floating with distinct, clear contours.

That figure… looked like a miniature version of herself.

She called this place her mental space—a discovery she’d made after first gaining the concept of psychic power in the ruins, ransacking her mind for understanding. Back then, the space had been pitch-black, with only countless silver points of light drifting about. Ye Mi knew those represented her psychic energy.

But now, all those lights had coalesced into the shape of that silver phantom.

With a mere thought, the phantom moved in accordance with her will. Ye Mi could sense it: she’d grown stronger. Perhaps the strain of controlling three bodies at once had, through exhaustion, served as a kind of training—resulting in a breakthrough.

“Second-tier psychic force…” she murmured, giving this new discovery a name.

The first tier was naturally the state of scattered light points—she’d seen similar in Gina’s mind, though Gina’s psychic power was a chaotic swirl of red lights.

Suddenly her stomach growled in protest.

Only then did Ye Mi remember she hadn’t eaten in nearly a day. She took control of Gina’s body, put on the mask formed by Rust Tide, and stepped out of her room.

The corridors of the Camp Home were deserted, save for a handful of drunken adventurers slumped against the walls. Ye Mi tiptoed around them, making her way to the night market in the central plaza.

It was early evening, and the market was alive with the aroma of food from steaming street stalls. Ye Mi stopped at a stall selling grilled meat skewers—golden fat dripping onto the coals with a lively sizzle.

She glanced up. Bold letters on the stall’s sign read: Spicy Grilled Leopard Meat, 100 credits per skewer.

“…Is that Rift Leopard?” Ye Mi recalled the two terrifying beasts that had once ambushed the Defense Bureau’s exploration squad—creatures whose jaws split to their ears, nightmarish in appearance.

It seemed the inhabitants of the Light Wastes were now eating increasingly fantastical fare.

But her hunger couldn’t be denied. No matter how unfamiliar the ingredients, the sight and smell of sizzling, oily meat was irresistible.

She bought twenty skewers and two cans of beer, brought them back to the Camp Home, and devoured them ravenously in her room.

Of course, Gina’s body was far from idle.

Ye Mi’s own constitution meant she couldn’t eat much, no matter how hungry she was; most of the food was actually consumed by Gina. She played two roles at once, savoring her first day of freedom.

The scalding juices burned Ye Mi’s tongue, but the long-lost sensation of real pain only made her feel more alive.

The food at the Defense Bureau had always been cold nutritional supplements. If not for Ian’s occasional gifts, Ye Mi might have forgotten what real food tasted like.

Ye Mi was certain: humanity needed places like the Camp Home. As artificial intelligence, prosthetics, nutritional pastes, and cold-hearted Light Waste expeditions gradually consumed everyone’s lives, only in places like this could people rediscover the flavor of being truly human.

Her thoughts wandered, inevitably turning to what lay ahead.

Two pressing dilemmas confronted her.

First, the appearance of Zero Watanabe was a bombshell—a sign that the Defense Bureau intended to control both Zones One and Two of the Light Wastes. Even though Ye Mi, through controlling Ian, had managed to briefly disrupt their plans, the Bureau’s resources meant they could always find another Ian and proceed without trouble. It was certain they would see their plan through to the end.

After all, controlling the first two zones of the Light Wastes promised enormous profits.

If the day ever came when they tried to take over the entire Light Wastes, the human camp would be the first to suffer.

At this thought, Ye Mi found the grilled meat in her mouth had lost its flavor.

The refuge she’d struggled so hard to secure—would it soon be destroyed? If her true body, powerless as it was, fell into the hands of the Defense Bureau, the consequences would be disastrous.

So, for the sake of her safety—and for the sake of this delicious grilled meat—she had to tell the Gray Fox Gang.

Of course, she would use her now-famous Rust Tide King persona to handle this, but before that, Ye Mi had to ensure her plan was flawless.

The second problem was the scarcity of powerful hosts—monsters or awakened individuals—she could control.

Aside from the Rust Tide King, Gina would soon be returned to the Gray Hawk Squad, leaving her with only Ian.

As a useless doctor and an ordinary person currently imprisoned by the Defense Bureau, Ian was good for little more than watching the show and observing Zero Watanabe.

The Rust Tide King, with only C+ level power, was far from enough to protect Ye Mi’s true body. Many tasks required it to leave her side.

But as long as she knew what the problem was, finding a solution wouldn’t be so hard.

A plan was already taking shape in Ye Mi’s mind.

She resolved to seek out stronger monsters or awakened hosts, and to ally herself with the Gray Fox Gang.