Following his battle against Hebi no Miko, Adam's psychic invasion skills had received a substantial boost.
The transition from the real world to the psychic world became extremely smooth and natural, and there was no longer the same dizziness and discomfort that he normally experienced. Instead, it was just as seamless and discreet as back when Masao Yamamoto invaded his psychic world during their first meeting.
Liu Shouren didn't even realize a psychic invasion had taken place until Adam invoked and fused as one with Mummy.
This wasn't the first time that he had entered the psychic world, but this was the first time that he had come to realize how clean it was.
Adam invoked Ogress to examine the area, only to find that it had already been completely cleared out.
For the average person, such a service would've cost in the millions. Liu Shouren had done far more heinous things than his brother, so the price for a psychic cleanse for him would've only been higher. Furthermore, there was a very good chance that he would've harbored powerful anomalies in his psychic world, but all of that had been eradicated.
He had a rough idea of what had been done to him, and he looked around to find that all of his familiar memories, the ones that he had cherished, hidden, and treasured, had all disappeared.
"How cruel. It seems like they don't want to leave anything behind for me," Liu Shouren sighed, then asked a question that had been on his mind this entire time. "Is my brother doing alright?"
"He's still alive, and he could be alive for a very long time to come," Adam replied.
"Good. At least he'll get to outlive me," Liu Shouren said with a pleased nod, then spread his arms open and yelled to the heavens, "I'm ready!"
As soon as his voice trailed off, his expression instantly stiffened, as if he had been turned into a wax figure.
Immediately thereafter, countless tiny green branches emerged out of all of his orifices, enveloping his entire body in the blink of an eye before transforming him into none other than Madam Tree within the span of just a few seconds.
From Adam's perspective, Madam Tree's form was nothing short of perfect, and it made one disregard her appearance, automatically leading one to assume that her existence was flawless.
This was different from the type of invasive psychic signaling that Succubus Beth gave off. In contrast, it was very subtle and natural, evoking no sense of caution or wariness. It was a type of psychic signaling that could be ignored, but it couldn't be grasped or targeted.
It was a more advanced form of psychic signaling, and it was also more difficult to ward off.
Even though Adam was wary of Madam Tree, he was still able to calmly appreciate her form without any fear of psychic contamination.
The two of them looked across at one another, separated by about five meters, and Madam Tree was the one to initiate the conversation.
"Apologies for meeting with you in this way. We had more appropriate avenues for communication prepared, but it seems like it's difficult for us to establish mutual trust."
Adam was rather surprised by how candid she was being. It indicated that she was about to lay her cards onto the table, which could've been a good thing, so Adam nodded, gesturing for her to continue.
"Setting aside our past conflicts and differences, I'm sure you've realized at this point that your power alone isn't enough to shake our foundation, so you're destined to fail."
"Even so, my actions will result in severe repercussions for you, and that's unacceptable to the powerful figures behind you," Adam countered in a direct and straightforward fashion.
The Gaia Organization had been established on the basis of vast capital investments from a large number of wealthy and powerful individuals, and it was closely connected to all of their businesses, so if the Gaia Organization were to fall, then everything would crumble.
Adam's attacks on the Gaia Organization were going to cause severe indirect damage to all of those powerful figures, and they definitely wouldn't allow such an outcome to arise. Furthermore, Adam's exposure of the Guild of Immortality had already caused severe consequences, and at this point, it seemed that the only solution to this mess was to have Adam killed.
"That is indeed true," Madam Tree admitted. "That's why after we confirmed that you have no intentions of stopping, we tried to pursue some alternative methods to stop you by force, but personally, I'd rather settle this how adapters would."
"What do you suggest?"
Adam was already prepared for a battle, and even if he were to fail, death was not something that he feared, so he wasn't going to back down.
Madam Tree pointed a finger into the distance, and an unfamiliar mountainous terrain quickly took shape.
Adam observed his surroundings with his psychic power to find that countless tiny particles were somehow quickly being molded into a desired form, much like how 3D printers operated.
This was not just a normal manifestation of a memory.
Instead, it felt rather familiar to him, and it felt like some type of technology rather than ability.
All of a sudden, he thought of the Metaverse, and he realized that this was the exact same feeling that he experienced when their services shut down.
With that in mind, he couldn't help but wonder if the Gaia Organization had referenced the psychic worlds of adapters to construct the Metaverse, or if they had referenced the digital model of the Metaverse to alter Liu Shouren's psychic world.
Perhaps there was no difference between the two, and with that revelation, Adam felt as if he had just gleaned a massive secret.
Madam Tree could sense his psychic fluctuations, and it was only just a brief glimpse, a fleeing contact between their psychic power, but she immediately noticed that minute changes had taken place in his psychic body.
What an impressive kid! He's sensitive beyond belief and able to control and use psychic power as if it were second nature.
If Adam hadn't been her enemy, she would've really wanted to recruit him as a subordinate, but that ship had already well and truly sailed.
The terrain was being generated extremely quickly, from the mountains to the vegetation, then to the man-made structures, and finally, a straight road appeared, stopping right beneath their feet.
"This is the game location that we've chosen, and it'll be up to you to uncover the hidden content. As long as you can find the hidden leads and uncover the secrets that they contain, you'll give yourself an opportunity to complete your ultimate objective."
Adam was rather skeptical upon hearing this. Was it really possible that they would hand over the key to their destruction to him? Perhaps this was a genuine proposition. After all, the alternative outcome hadn't been outlined.
If he were to fail to beat the game, there was a very good chance that he would be trapped inside, or suffer severe psychic damage, or even be killed outright. Only with such an alluring bait would they be able to ensure that he would take on the challenge, and it was quite befitting of the world's largest financial organization to display such a degree of courage and confidence.
Adam didn't take much time to think, taking a deep breath as he nodded and declared, "I accept the challenge."
Madam Tree raised a hand in an elegant manner before snapping her fingers.
"This is the beginning of the deep dimension game, I wish you good luck."
Her body then disintegrated into countless specks of green light, and even though Liu Shouren's psychic body wasn't restored, his psychic world still remained stable thanks to whatever technology was in play.
Adam watched as an ancient railcar slowly drove toward him before coming to stop, and he stepped onto it without any hesitation.
"Please make sure to sit securely, passenger. The journey ahead may be a little bumpy, but please have faith in Old Jack's driving skills. I'll be sure to get you safely to your destination."
The driver turned around and made a funny face at Adam, but there was a sinister feeling behind his friendly and amicable facade.
Following his battle against Hebi no Miko, Adam's psychic invasion skills had received a substantial boost.
The transition from the real world to the psychic world became extremely smooth and natural, and there was no longer the same dizziness and discomfort that he normally experienced. Instead, it was just as seamless and discreet as back when Masao Yamamoto invaded his psychic world during their first meeting.
Liu Shouren didn't even realize a psychic invasion had taken place until Adam invoked and fused as one with Mummy.
This wasn't the first time that he had entered the psychic world, but this was the first time that he had come to realize how clean it was.
Adam invoked Ogress to examine the area, only to find that it had already been completely cleared out.
For the average person, such a service would've cost in the millions. Liu Shouren had done far more heinous things than his brother, so the price for a psychic cleanse for him would've only been higher. Furthermore, there was a very good chance that he would've harbored powerful anomalies in his psychic world, but all of that had been eradicated.
He had a rough idea of what had been done to him, and he looked around to find that all of his familiar memories, the ones that he had cherished, hidden, and treasured, had all disappeared.
"How cruel. It seems like they don't want to leave anything behind for me," Liu Shouren sighed, then asked a question that had been on his mind this entire time. "Is my brother doing alright?"
"He's still alive, and he could be alive for a very long time to come," Adam replied.
"Good. At least he'll get to outlive me," Liu Shouren said with a pleased nod, then spread his arms open and yelled to the heavens, "I'm ready!"
As soon as his voice trailed off, his expression instantly stiffened, as if he had been turned into a wax figure.
Immediately thereafter, countless tiny green branches emerged out of all of his orifices, enveloping his entire body in the blink of an eye before transforming him into none other than Madam Tree within the span of just a few seconds.
From Adam's perspective, Madam Tree's form was nothing short of perfect, and it made one disregard her appearance, automatically leading one to assume that her existence was flawless.
This was different from the type of invasive psychic signaling that Succubus Beth gave off. In contrast, it was very subtle and natural, evoking no sense of caution or wariness. It was a type of psychic signaling that could be ignored, but it couldn't be grasped or targeted.
It was a more advanced form of psychic signaling, and it was also more difficult to ward off.
Even though Adam was wary of Madam Tree, he was still able to calmly appreciate her form without any fear of psychic contamination.
The two of them looked across at one another, separated by about five meters, and Madam Tree was the one to initiate the conversation.
"Apologies for meeting with you in this way. We had more appropriate avenues for communication prepared, but it seems like it's difficult for us to establish mutual trust."
Adam was rather surprised by how candid she was being. It indicated that she was about to lay her cards onto the table, which could've been a good thing, so Adam nodded, gesturing for her to continue.
"Setting aside our past conflicts and differences, I'm sure you've realized at this point that your power alone isn't enough to shake our foundation, so you're destined to fail."
"Even so, my actions will result in severe repercussions for you, and that's unacceptable to the powerful figures behind you," Adam countered in a direct and straightforward fashion.
The Gaia Organization had been established on the basis of vast capital investments from a large number of wealthy and powerful individuals, and it was closely connected to all of their businesses, so if the Gaia Organization were to fall, then everything would crumble.
Adam's attacks on the Gaia Organization were going to cause severe indirect damage to all of those powerful figures, and they definitely wouldn't allow such an outcome to arise. Furthermore, Adam's exposure of the Guild of Immortality had already caused severe consequences, and at this point, it seemed that the only solution to this mess was to have Adam killed.
"That is indeed true," Madam Tree admitted. "That's why after we confirmed that you have no intentions of stopping, we tried to pursue some alternative methods to stop you by force, but personally, I'd rather settle this how adapters would."
"What do you suggest?"
Adam was already prepared for a battle, and even if he were to fail, death was not something that he feared, so he wasn't going to back down.
Madam Tree pointed a finger into the distance, and an unfamiliar mountainous terrain quickly took shape.
Adam observed his surroundings with his psychic power to find that countless tiny particles were somehow quickly being molded into a desired form, much like how 3D printers operated.
This was not just a normal manifestation of a memory.
Instead, it felt rather familiar to him, and it felt like some type of technology rather than ability.
All of a sudden, he thought of the Metaverse, and he realized that this was the exact same feeling that he experienced when their services shut down.
With that in mind, he couldn't help but wonder if the Gaia Organization had referenced the psychic worlds of adapters to construct the Metaverse, or if they had referenced the digital model of the Metaverse to alter Liu Shouren's psychic world.
Perhaps there was no difference between the two, and with that revelation, Adam felt as if he had just gleaned a massive secret.
Madam Tree could sense his psychic fluctuations, and it was only just a brief glimpse, a fleeing contact between their psychic power, but she immediately noticed that minute changes had taken place in his psychic body.
What an impressive kid! He's sensitive beyond belief and able to control and use psychic power as if it were second nature.
If Adam hadn't been her enemy, she would've really wanted to recruit him as a subordinate, but that ship had already well and truly sailed.
The terrain was being generated extremely quickly, from the mountains to the vegetation, then to the man-made structures, and finally, a straight road appeared, stopping right beneath their feet.
"This is the game location that we've chosen, and it'll be up to you to uncover the hidden content. As long as you can find the hidden leads and uncover the secrets that they contain, you'll give yourself an opportunity to complete your ultimate objective."
Adam was rather skeptical upon hearing this. Was it really possible that they would hand over the key to their destruction to him? Perhaps this was a genuine proposition. After all, the alternative outcome hadn't been outlined.
If he were to fail to beat the game, there was a very good chance that he would be trapped inside, or suffer severe psychic damage, or even be killed outright. Only with such an alluring bait would they be able to ensure that he would take on the challenge, and it was quite befitting of the world's largest financial organization to display such a degree of courage and confidence.
Adam didn't take much time to think, taking a deep breath as he nodded and declared, "I accept the challenge."
Madam Tree raised a hand in an elegant manner before snapping her fingers.
"This is the beginning of the deep dimension game, I wish you good luck."
Her body then disintegrated into countless specks of green light, and even though Liu Shouren's psychic body wasn't restored, his psychic world still remained stable thanks to whatever technology was in play.
Adam watched as an ancient railcar slowly drove toward him before coming to stop, and he stepped onto it without any hesitation.
"Please make sure to sit securely, passenger. The journey ahead may be a little bumpy, but please have faith in Old Jack's driving skills. I'll be sure to get you safely to your destination."
The driver turned around and made a funny face at Adam, but there was a sinister feeling behind his friendly and amicable facade.
