259: Chapter 260 The Untouchables

Red Lake Town, located to the south of Sandstone Town, is a scenic Coastal City on Outpost Planet.

Back when Shelter defeated the Orks tide outside Coastal City.

Red Lake Town, along with Tieling Town to the west, logically announced its accession to the Spark Alliance, becoming an important member under the Alliance's jurisdiction.

Because it borders the boundless sea and lacks the dense heavy industrial pollution zones found in Coastal City.

Consequently, its natural scenery and fishery resources are quite excellent.

Many casual players who dislike fighting and killing flocked here, contracting a large number of shallow-sea seafood farming bases.

Every day, quite a few of The Fourth Calamity come to the beach here to fish, dive, or ride jet skis, effectively turning this place into a joyful tourist and entertainment city.

It is worth mentioning that.

Before this city officially joined the Alliance, its actual Administrator was a group of wild Psykers huddled together for warmth in the wilderness.

Because these Psykers focused all their daily energy on meditation and researching how to control their Psionic powers to prevent them from going berserk, they had no intention of oppressing the common people.

Therefore, the administrative management here was quite loose.

Yet precisely because of this, the living standards of the lower-class civilians in Red Lake Town were miraculously much better than those in the Hive Cities under the high-pressure rule of the Imperial Governors.

After joining the Alliance, Red Lake Town basically maintained this relaxed state of autonomy.

Subsequently, with the influx of large amounts of capital and engineering teams from the Spark Alliance.

Modern processing plants, green parks, and large Alliance schools were built here one after another, and the living standards of the local people rose accordingly.

At this moment.

The sky gradually darkened.

But the hustle and bustle on the streets of Red Lake Town had not ceased.

The giant Ferris wheel in the seaside square rotated slowly under the neon lights, bursts of heavy metal music drifted from the distant beach, and the rich aroma of barbecue and seafood filled the entire main road.

"Sss—"

A hovercar pulled up steadily outside the main gate of the Red Lake Town Alliance school.

Lin Li pushed open the car door and stepped out with long strides.

The few young local guards responsible for perimeter security, although they often saw the Leader's image on the square's television broadcasts.

But now that the real person appeared at such a close distance, they were still flushed with excitement, suddenly standing at attention and saluting, their voices trembling:

"Greetings, Leader!"

Lin Li nodded, without wasting words, and walked hurriedly into the gate of the Alliance school.

The current Archon of Red Lake Town had long received the news that the Leader was coming in person.

At this moment, the Archon was waiting respectfully at the foot of the steps of the school office building with a few guards to welcome him.

This Archon was a middle-aged woman who looked about forty years old.

The Archon had dark skin and kept hair in a capable short cut; although there were wrinkles at the corners of the eyes, the figure was well-maintained, exuding a mature charm.

Lin Li strode up to the Archon and was about to greet the person, but after frantically searching his mind for a long time, he just could not remember the name of this town's Archon.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

To cover up the embarrassment of not being able to recall the name.

Lin Li could only quickly straighten his face, pretending to be in a great hurry and anxious, and asked directly:

"Where are Rhine and Willow? How are they doing now? Where are they?"

The Archon looked Lin Li over carefully with those beautiful eyes, and after confirming that the Leader was not angry.

The Archon walked quickly in front to lead the way, swaying the waist.

"Lord Leader, please follow me. They are currently quarantined in the intensive care infirmary under the school."

Lin Li followed the Archon through the long corridor and arrived at the infirmary on the second underground level.

At this moment, the corridor outside the infirmary was densely packed with many local civilian Psykers. They looked nervous, as if facing a formidable enemy.

After all, the initial awakening of every wild Psyker was an extremely dangerous event, one that could even be called a disaster.

Because Psionic awakening is often accompanied by intense Warp fluctuations.

In the mildest case, the awakener might suffer a mental breakdown and explode on the spot because the person cannot bear the power;

In the worst case, it is highly likely to tear the barrier of the reality dimension directly, attracting demonic possession.

By then, all life in the settlement would be completely devoured by the Warp demons!

Lin Li ignored those awestruck gazes and pushed open the heavy iron door of Infirmary No. 1.

He saw Rhine lying on the hospital bed at a glance.

At this moment, Rhine's face was covered with fine beads of sweat, and her lips were pale.

But overall, whether it was her mental state or the vital signs data on the monitor, everything appeared quite stable, and there were no signs of being driven mad by the whispers of the Warp.

Seeing Lin Li push the door open and enter.

A flash of surprise crossed Rhine's eyes. She gritted her teeth, forcing her weak body to try and sit up.

"My Lord!"

Lin Li stepped forward quickly, pressed down on her shoulder, and pushed her back onto the hospital bed.

"Lie still." Lin Li's tone was gentle, his eyes filled with concern, "How do you feel?"

Rhine lay down obediently. She thought for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly:

"It feels... like a beehive was suddenly stuffed into my head, it's so noisy! There are many messy sounds buzzing inside. However, I can still endure it."

Lin Li carefully observed Rhine's pupils and checked her forehead.

After confirming that although she had initially awakened her Psionic powers, her mental will was still clear and there was no immediate life-threatening danger of demonic corruption.

Lin Li's suspended heart eased by half, and he asked: "Where is Willow? Where is she?"

Rhine weakly raised her hand and pointed outside the door: "She is in the room next door."

Lin Li comforted Rhine with a few words, turned and went out, and arrived at the door of Infirmary No. 2 next door.

He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

However, the scene before him made Lin Li feel completely unexpected!

The imagined picture of painful struggling due to Psionic overload did not appear.

Willow, this girl of only fourteen or fifteen years old.

Was currently sitting quietly on a metal chair.

Her hands were unconsciously playing with a small Patrick Star plush doll.

Hearing the door open.

Willow slowly raised her head, using those large eyes that were as calm as stagnant water and without a ripple, to look quietly at Lin Li who had walked in.

Lin Li approached in a few steps and was just about to ask.

Suddenly!

He felt a strong wave of physical discomfort hit him!

A violent dizziness came from deep within his brain, and his stomach churned, as if something repulsive was stripping away his Psionic perception!

Lin Li stumbled back a step, forcing himself to steady his stance.

He looked at Willow's face, which was calm to the point of being indifferent, and a word flashed through his mind like lightning!

He turned his head sharply to look at the Archon who had been standing outside the door, not daring to step into the room at all, his voice trembling with shock:

"Blank?!"

The Archon, who was himself a Psyker, stood at a safe distance, clutching the forehead, face pale, and nodded heavily toward Lin Li!

"Yes, Lord Leader." The Archon's voice was weak, "She is not undergoing a Psionic awakening. She is a rare... Untouchable!"

The so-called Blanks, in the Empire's more official terminology, are called Untouchables or Pariahs.

The essence of this type of person is a human who naturally carries the rare Pariah gene mutation in their body!

Their souls have no projection at all in that ocean of energy known as the Warp!

This is equivalent to saying that they are walking Psionic black holes in the real physical universe!

Not only are they unable to use any Psionic powers, but they will also act like a bottomless pit, actively canceling, devouring, and even erasing all nearby Warp energy and spells!

They are the natural, absolute nemesis of all Psykers and Warp demons!

Unlike Psykers, naturally born Untouchables all carry this genetic mutation from the embryonic stage.

There is no such thing as an ordinary person becoming an Untouchable through some kind of stimulus.

And the Pariah gene is a set of very recessive mutations.

It usually only fully expresses itself around the host's puberty and begins to radiate that uncomfortable anti-Psionic field outward.

Its suppression effect also gradually strengthens with age!

Lin Li looked at Willow before him.

He recalled again that Willow's current age was just under fourteen or fifteen, which indeed matched the puberty age for the full expression of the Pariah gene.

Furthermore.

Back at Shelter, Willow's personality was completely different from her lively and cheerful sister, Rhine.

She was naturally aloof and taciturn, always liking to hide in a corner and stare blankly.

At the time, Lin Li thought the child had developed autism from being scared by the Orks, but now it seems, this was clearly the abnormal magnetic field naturally carried by Blanks, which causes people around them to subconsciously feel aversion!

Lin Li forcibly suppressed his headache and nausea.

He walked to Willow, bearing the suffocating repulsive force, and slowly crouched down.

"Willow." Lin Li tried to make his voice sound gentle,

"How do you feel? Is there any discomfort in your body?"

After spending a few months under the superior material conditions of the Fire Seed Shelter.

Willow's body had finally grown a bit, looking like a normal teenage girl, no longer the emaciated, skin-and-bones appearance from before.

She looked at Lin Li earnestly for a long while.

Still not speaking, she just shook her head gently to indicate she was fine.

Just then, Rhine's weak voice came from outside the room:

"My Lord... because many ordinary students, as soon as they get close to Willow, inexplicably experience dizziness, nausea, and feelings of aversion. Therefore, very few people in the school are willing to take the initiative to play with her; she is usually very lonely."

Rhine paused,

"However, the undead warriors under your command, My Lord. They seem completely unaffected by that feeling. They like Willow very much and often take her out to play. The starfish doll in Willow's hand was a gift from them."

Hearing this, Lin Li understood.

The bodies of The Fourth Calamity in the game were originally cloned, and their consciousnesses were connected via the system data link, so naturally, they would not be affected by this repulsive force directly targeting the soul's magnetic field.

"What do you usually study at the school here?" Lin Li turned back to look at Willow and asked casually.

Rhine, outside the door, replied:

"I am majoring in Mandarin and basic natural sciences here, and I have almost finished the courses. But... Willow seems unable to absorb these theoretical subjects at all."

"Usually, apart from sitting by the sea and staring blankly every day, she just follows those undead warriors to the shooting range to learn how to use firearms and weapons."

Lin Li turned his head, his gaze falling on a small desk beside Willow.

On it lay a piece of drawing paper covered in doodles.

On the paper, drawn with violent lines, was a huge, green head covered in fangs and teeth, blown to smithereens by bullets!

It was the head of an Ork!

Lin Li understood in an instant.

Back then, when their settlement was brutally slaughtered and devoured by the Orks.

The young Willow was hidden in the dark, only able to watch helplessly as those monsters ate her family and friends.

This bloody scene had clearly left an indelible, massive psychological trauma in the girl's heart.

She learned to shoot for the sake of killing, for the sake of revenge!

Lin Li thought for a moment and stood up.

He looked at Rhine outside the door and said in a serious tone:

"Rhine, I want to take Willow away, leave this school, is that okay?"

Before Rhine could answer.

Willow, who had been sitting on the chair in silence.

Suddenly stood up slowly.

She stretched out that slightly cool little hand and tightly grasped Lin Li's broad palm.

Then, she raised her head, her rippleless eyes looking at Lin Li, and nodded heavily.

The night wind howled.

The hovercar sped at full speed across the wilderness outside Red Lake Town, its headlights like two sharp swords, tearing through the deep night of the wasteland.

Lin Li gripped the steering wheel with both hands, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

And in the passenger seat, Willow was sitting quietly, holding that Patrick Star doll, watching the scenery flying backward outside the window without saying a word.

The atmosphere inside the car was not oppressive; instead, there was a rare sense of tranquility.

Lin Li had already mapped out his arrangements for this girl in his heart.