After tossing away the Anomaly Compendium, the Possession Mask swung its hand toward Luo Shu's position—
Only to hit nothing.
What the—?
The mask was baffled.
To understand what happened, we have to rewind to the moment its core personality awakened.
Originally, the Possession Mask's spiritual form had four faces—each occupying a side of its head:
Joy, the dominant personality, took the front.
Mirth, the unreliable jester, lurked in the back.
Anger and Sorrow, perpetually at odds, occupied the left and right sides.
When the four personalities merged back into the blank-faced original, the front-facing mask became the sole visage.
And Luo Shu?
He had been clinging to Sorrow's mask—the right side.
With Sorrow gone, his grip failed, and he started to fall.
In desperation, he grabbed the top edge of the Anomaly Compendium, dangling from it like a lifeline.
But the mask didn't see this.
Blind to its sides, it hurled the book away—with Luo Shu still attached.
As the mask swiped at empty air, Luo Shu was already flying through the void, spinning wildly as the Compendium tumbled end over end.
Dude, stop flipping—I'm gonna puke!
Miraculously, the book obeyed his mental plea, stabilizing like a magic carpet midair.
That's when it hit him.
The Compendium responds to my thoughts!
Testing his theory, he commanded it to fly—and it did, gliding smoothly through the mental realm.
So this is how the spiritual world works…
Consensus shapes reality.
No need for physics—just unshackled imagination.
Meanwhile, the Possession Mask finally noticed the Compendium's unnatural flight path—and realized Luo Shu had escaped.
Its gigantic form surged forward, a towering titan giving chase.
But Luo Shu, now enlightened, wasn't about to be caught.
He accelerated, racing back toward his own mental fortress.
Seeing it couldn't keep up, the mask dissolved into a psychic tsunami, a wall of crushing consciousness rolling toward him.
The scene was apocalyptic—Luo Shu surfing the Compendium like a rebel fleeing a tidal wave, the mask's fury manifesting as an all-consuming ocean.
This was its true power.
Far beyond what Joy or Anger could muster.
(Thankfully, Sorrow and Mirth's antics had weakened it—had all four personalities united, Luo Shu would've been crushed instantly.)
But it was too late.
In the final stretch, Luo Shu's consciousness dove back into his body—
Reality snapped back.
His eyes flew open, his hand jerking away from the containment glass.
He staggered back, putting distance between himself and the mask.
In the mental realm, the raging sea vanished—only its echoing whispers remained.
A quick check confirmed: Even against the original personality, his Mental Domination still worked.
Partial control. Unlimited activation.
Good enough.
Then, the physical toll hit him.
His clothes were soaked with sweat, his muscles shaking from exhaustion, his stomach gnawing itself hollow.
Mental battles burned calories like crazy.
He checked his tactical terminal—11:50 AM.
Nearly half an hour had passed in what felt like minutes.
But hunger and fatigue were the least of his worries.
The real problem?
He was trapped.
The door to Anomaly-035's containment unit could only be opened from the outside—even with his Lockpick ability, he couldn't escape.
Well, shit.
If Big Beard Jack came looking and found him missing…
Speak of the devil.
His terminal buzzed—Jack's gruff voice crackled through:
"Hey, kid! Lunchtime! Get your ass here before the food's gone."
Relief washed over him.
At least he didn't check my room first.
Putting on his best sleepy mumble, Luo Shu replied:
"Not hungry, boss. Skipping lunch."
"Suit yourself."
Jack, ever pragmatic, dropped it.
Crisis (temporarily) averted.
Now, to solve the hunger issue.
He flipped open the Compendium to Pages 23 and 35, summoning food and water to refuel.
Just as he took his first bite—
"You. Still here. Come. Fight me."
Luo Shu turned.
The expressionless mask stared at him from its glass prison.
The original personality was challenging him.
Yeah, no.
Know when to quit.
Not signing up for round two.
Ignoring it, he slid down by the door and dug into his meal.
The mask did not take kindly to being ignored.
A new onslaught began—guttural whispers slithered through the chamber, dizzying, maddening.
The floor melted into a blood ocean, skeletal hands clawing up, grasping at nothing.
Luo Shu chewed calmly.
So this is the real deal huh?
No more holding back.
The Possession Mask had finally gotten serious.