Esper X Family – Chapter 98 – Feels Like Found Family is Better

[Reminder: The mental space’s terrain is generated based on the user’s subconscious impressions. Please do not panic. We wish you a pleasant training session.]

Ye Yao’s vision went black.

By the time her sight returned, the surroundings had completely changed.

The prompt had said that the mental space battlefield would reflect the user’s inner world.

When Ye Yao saw the scene around her, her breath instinctively hitched.

“…Is this really what’s inside my mind?”

The setting sun hung like congealed blood, staining the entire cityscape in a rust-colored haze.

Steel and concrete drooped like melted wax, frozen into grotesque lava-like cascades along the sides of buildings.

The earth was split by a bottomless chasm, as if the world itself had been torn in two.

Not a single intact structure remained in sight. Everything looked like a sheet of tin foil that was crumpled by a giant hand.

The entire world was devoid of life, with not a single soul in sight.

Only Ye Yao stood alone in this desolation.

The overwhelming realism made her feel suffocated.

Though Ye Yao had always insisted that the Prophet was slandering her, she couldn’t help but worry if she would really destroy the world in the future.

She herself had often dreamed of reducing everything to ruins.

And now, the mental training pod had simulated a scene eerily similar to those nightmares.

Just then, a petite figure emerged from the wreckage.

Her long white hair cascaded like a silver waterfall, reflecting the hues of the apocalyptic twilight.

Her eyes held an emotionless chill.

She stepped out from the ruins like the architect of this devastation.

And she looked exactly like Ye Yao.

It was as if she was staring at a mirror.

Or perhaps… at the future version of herself.

“A mental copy… and this ruined world. They really know how to pick the battlefield…”

Rеαⅾ οn КatReaԁіոgСαfе

Ye Yao had no mood left for mind games with her mental copy.

If she stayed any longer, she would have trouble sleeping tonight.

“Fission.”

Ye Yao whispered the word.

And the mental space shattered instantly.

An electronic alarm blared in her ears.

[Warning! Warning! The training pod has malfunctioned due to unknown circumstances. Emergency hatch opening. Please exit the mental training pod immediately to avoid accidents.]

Ye Yao sat up inside the pod.

The next second, several technicians rushed over to inspect the equipment.

Startled, Ye Yao quickly scrambled out.

“I-I didn’t break it! I didn’t do anything!”

One of the technicians cut her off.

“It’s good as long as you’re unharmed. It’s probably a system error. Are you feeling any discomfort?”

“No…” Ye Yao shook her head.

“Good. You’re free to go now. We need to conduct a full inspection. Compensation will be issued to the affected user later.”

Watching the technicians dismantle the pod with intense focus, Ye Yao was at a loss for words.

They didn’t even consider blaming the user?

They would rather assume that the equipment malfunctioned than suspect her.

How touching.

At least she hadn’t exposed the truth. She would let the Countermeasures Bureau figure it out themselves.

Ye Yao grabbed the two lolis by their hands and made a quick escape.

On the way, she cautiously asked Luo Jianhua:

“Little Luo, under what circumstances does the mental training pod usually malfunction?”

“Hmm… I don’t know. I think this is the first time I’ve heard of something like that.”

Rеаⅾ оո ΚαtRеaⅾіոgСαfе

In Luo Jianhua’s memory, the training pod had never broken before.

After all, it underwent maintenance every day.

There was no possibility of issues piling up.

Luo Jianhua couldn’t help but glance at Ye Yao.

If it wasn’t the equipment’s fault…

Then it had to be her sister’s doing.

But she didn’t voice the question, pretending that nothing had happened.

Ye Yao suddenly thought of something else.

“By the way, to what level can the mental training pod boost one’s mental power?”

“It’s said that progress becomes very slow at around A-rank. S-rank Espers can’t even activate the pod’s functions when they lie inside.”

Ye Yao had her answer.

She must have unleashed mental power exceeding the S-rank treshold inside the mental space.

That was why the pod had crashed so spectacularly.

After all, her mental power had been 75 before entering.

Who could’ve guessed that it would skyrocket exponentially inside?

Mo Qiuli softly chimed in: “Ye Yao, did your mental power improve at all?”

Ye Yao glanced at her stat panel.

【Mental Power: 75】

Not a single point of increase.

Probably because she hadn’t even trained.

She had obliterated her mental copy instantly.

What kind of training was that supposed to be?

Feels like Found Family is better.

“Nope.”

Rеаⅾ oո KаtRеаԁingСαfe

Luo Jianhua smiled.

“Well, the pod malfunctioned midway. It would’ve been effective under normal conditions. Still, users usually feel mentally exhausted afterward. You can’t stay in for too long.”

“Huh?” Ye Yao made a skeptical noise. “It makes you tired? Then it’s trash!”

The white-haired loli declared her verdict.

Does that even count as slacking off?

Any training that drained her energy was, in Ye Yao’s eyes, a waste of life!

She would rather spend that time slacking off. At least she would get happiness in return.

Perhaps family activities would boost her mental power even more.

Compared to the pod, the System won by a landslide.

The trio had barely left when Lou Wei appeared before the ruined training pod.

The technicians were still inspecting the damage.

Lou Wei asked: “What caused it?”

“Possibly an anomaly within the mental space. Only the user would know for sure.”

Since its development and deployment, the mental training pod had never malfunctioned.

After all, it was only used in designated Countermeasures Bureau facilities, with maintenance checks done daily.

With no prior records of failure, the technicians were left stumped.

There was nothing to reference.

“The user, huh…”

Lou Wei fell into thought.

With a mental power of 75, there was no way Ye Yao could’ve damaged the mental space.

Lou Wei had never tried destroying it himself. After all, he hadn’t been able to activate the pod for years.

That left only one possibility: Sequence 001’s ability had acted up.

Reaԁ оn KаtRеαԁiոgСаfе

But it wasn’t time to interrogate her. He could only wait for Luo Jianhua’s report.

Feeling guilty, Ye Yao fled the underground training facility and returned to the surface.

After taking in a deep breath of fresh air, she exhaled in relief.

Would she have to pay for breaking such an expensive-looking machine?

She quickly dismissed the thought.

Someone else would handle it anyway.

No point in overthinking!

“Sister, where else do you want to visit?” Luo Jianhua asked.

“That restricted area Ms. Yang mentioned earlier… what is it?”

As the saying goes: The more you’re forbidden from doing something, the stronger the urge to do it.

The term ‘restricted area’ was inherently tantalizing.

Ye Yao couldn’t suppress her curiosity.

Luo Jianhua hesitated.

“That would be… the zone for contained Sequence Espers.”

Ye Yao’s eyes lit up in realization.

No wonder it was off-limits.l

Under normal circumstances, no one was allowed near it.

“Little Luo, do you know where it is? Can we at least take a peek from afar?”

Author Note

It’s time to eat trash ¹ junk food

Please continue to generate electricity with love~

Text: Going home, see you tomorrow