Watching once-aristocratic kids with fanatical gleams in their eyes stab knives—ones I gave them for butchering carcasses—into the Swamp Lizard corpse, muttering that someday mankind will put all its kind in their place... I was gradually realizing I might've overdone the spiritual indoctrination a bit.
A lot happened that week. Experimenting with spiritual pressure, I confirmed my hypothesis: its effect is stronger the more stressful the situation for the target.
Not necessarily life-or-death—just stressful. For example, to "imbue them with the wild zone spirit," I made all the guys strip naked and stay that way until they'd killed enough monsters to craft replacement clothes from their remains.
Obviously, I didn't exempt the girls from the group, so the guys were in constant stress. And the Chinese aren't exactly packing much "down there" to brag about. So they got massive motivation to hunt and kill beasts. Naturally, rushing led to constant screw-ups and near-deaths, creating fertile ground for my suggestions. A vicious cycle, you might say.
I didn't spare the girls either, making them bathe in the blood and guts of slain monsters to mask their human scent as wounded beast. That turned them into perfect bait for both kin of the killed and predators eyeing weakened prey.
Naturally, the gross gut-smearing and face-to-face monster encounters—while comrades hid—crushed their psyches, letting me channel my spiritual pressure right, embedding my desired worldview.
And of course, those worldviews need building blocks, so in every post-battle moment when they were exhausted, hungry, and suggestible, I lectured them. About the world, mankind, how us poor wretches find our place in this cruel life... Basically, I played sect preacher. And I think I nailed it.
At least, when the dead-tired students, collapsing from fatigue, asked: "Why am I even alive?", "Why me?", "Who's to blame for this?"—I gave detailed answers to their inner turmoil. Core message: monsters and non-believers in the Common good are at fault.
Finding an "enemy" to dump negativity on gave students a second wind in training. I'd never seen them so driven, even under spiritual suggestion. That's what "faith" does. Feels like I'm founding a cult...
Naturally, I didn't start with gut-smearing or streaking. My authority was too weak at first. So they did standard survival drills ending in near-death monster fights. That much my authority covered—and if not, my arm's strong, and monster nests were handy. Good throwing practice too.
Now, a week later, they'd become my loyal followers. Not all, of course. I skipped Zhao Manyan and my cousin, just trained them. Well, "skipped"... I pressed Zhao Manyan lightly so he wouldn't blab what he saw.
No brainwashing him, old friendship and all—but no prying into my plans either. With my cousin, I'm fully confident from her emotions. From day one of practice, even seeing what I did to her teammates, she never felt disgust or anger toward me.
At most, when I sent the other girls to humiliate themselves with beast blood and guts, then bait monsters, she got... offended at me? Yeah, apt word. Toward them, she felt envy, whispering: "Why's little brother punishing them, not me?" Mda, better I hadn't heard that.
Guess ripping her emotional dam while basically beating her played a role. Don't wanna think about it now. Or ever, really. My psyche's messed up enough—won't make it worse.
Anyway, training week's over; time to head to Jinlin. I figured it'd take longer, even planned to extend it. But I underestimated how fragile the minds of these capital greenhouse flowers are—and how big a boost control enhancement talent gives my influence skills. Mmm, pure bliss. Should've grabbed it ages ago.
"Mu Bai."
TuTu tugged my sleeve, calling me. Jiao Jiao stood on my other side. Hm, why so worried?
"Next time you go on a research binge, warn us ahead—we'll stop you preemptively. We don't care what you do to these people, gut 'em for all we care, we'll help. But only with good reason. All this Common good talk, fanatical eyes, zeal to push forward... Straight up, you looked creepy."
TuTu eyed me worriedly.
Oops—did I forget to tell them the goal in my research fervor? And they never questioned, cooperated, only approached post-experiment out of concern for my mental health, not 'cause I'm zombifying people?
Totem take me, my girls are saints! Mu Ning Xue acted similar, but she has an excuse—she's just learning common sense. Her psyche's shaky too. Cockroaches there make my glue-patched roof look sturdy. Anyway, gotta explain to the girls.
"Ahem, sorry about that. Got carried away and forgot the real purpose. Could make it seem like I'm building a cult here, ha-ha-ha."
I laughed it off, but their faces grew more worried. Damn, let this drag too far. Time to fix!
Pulling my beloved girls aside, I explained in detail what drove me, my goals, and crucially—no cult plans. Don't need Black Church parallels in my life, no sir.
"Pffft, should've said it was just political maneuvering. We were starting to worry."
Jiao Jiao exhaled, relaxing. Politics made more sense to a clan princess like her than cult-building for me.
"Yeah, learn to discuss plans with us. Back in Shanghai, you give five minutes' warning for the Black Church fight; now a whole week fretting over your mental health. Don't do that."
TuTu hugged me, pleading with her eyes.
Tch, minx—knows it's a dirty trick. And no "Puss in Boots" in this world! How'd she master that secret technique without his guidance? Women invented it, not the cartoon cat. Life hurts. Anyway, calmed the girls—back to business.
"Alright, folks, stop stabbing mankind's woe-bringer and pack up. Time to move to Jinlin. Show there, in practice, what you learned from me this week. And Totem forbid I intervene once! Monthly retraining with bare asses in the jungle for all!"
I yelled at these necro-animal-tormentors.
"Hai, Mu Bai-sama!"
They chorused, hand to chest, packing fast.
Spotting my girls' laughing eyes, I turned away embarrassed. Begged 'em never to call me that again! What got into their heads for that nickname?! We're not even in Japan! Guess spiritual pressure has side effects... Eh, whatever—main thing, no one died.