Major General Song speculated, "It should have been after the investigation team came down, right? At that time, due to reasons you all know, his condition was very poor, especially his psychological state. I feel like it was during such a time that he would be susceptible to Zuo Jing’s indoctrination."

"Some people turn to religion because they can’t see any hope for themselves and seek psychological solace. Lou Wei might be like that too."

"Moreover, he’s the only one who truly offended you, while most of us were just affected in passing, so our mental states are definitely better than Lou Wei’s. He indeed should be the easiest target."

"That’s possible."

After Chen Ming mentioned the possibility, He Gu suddenly said, "Actually, we can’t rule out the former because Zuo Jing might have the ability to forcibly brainwash."

"We’ve always suspected this because Zuo Jing cannot be completely eradicated. No matter how cruel the methods used against Zuo Jing, they keep emerging like bamboo shoots after rain. It’s very likely there’s spiritual energy enabling indoctrination and brainwashing activities."

Bai Quan agreed with He Gu and said, "If it were before, I would deny it, but ever since Zuo Jing sent Psychics to assassinate us, I can’t say that anymore. There’s no way to confirm how many Psychics Zuo Jing has developed over the years."

"Then why don’t they brainwash everyone?"

Facing Chen Ming’s question, He Gu speculated, "This kind of spiritual energy should have limitations, otherwise, solely relying on this brainwashing ability, Zuo Jing would’ve secretly controlled the lower levels, and the Empire would have long been theirs."

"I feel like, as Major General Song just said, the condition limiting this kind of spiritual energy is a person’s psychological state. Those who are mentally fragile and weak are more easily indoctrinated."

"This spiritual energy might even always exist around us, only lingering near those who are mentally weak and affecting them when they are most vulnerable."

"This does explain some things, and it’s also a reasonable guess."

Chen Ming also partially agreed with He Gu’s viewpoint, but he had another question, "Did you previously think Zuo Jing didn’t have any Psychics?"

"Because each Psychic, at the very least, is a person with strong will and the ability to think independently. In the Empire’s comprehensive crackdown on Zuo Jing, people with brains generally wouldn’t join Zuo Jing."

"You can also see the Empire’s attitude towards Zuo Jing. Anyone who gets even slightly deeper involved essentially seals their fate for this life, and they might as well hope for a better rebirth in their next life."

"And compared to the treatment Psychics receive in the entire Empire, the resources Zuo Jing can provide to Psychics are very limited."

"In the Empire, as long as they don’t commit any offenses, Psychics won’t be forced to do anything, and if they want a stable government job, being a Psychic isn’t a problem."

"But joining Zuo Jing, you’d definitely be hunted by the Empire, subjected to even stricter control."

"The resources Zuo Jing has can’t possibly surpass the Empire. Those Psychics who join would instead face intensified hunting by the Empire with no benefits at all."

"There indeed never were any records of Psychics from Zuo Jing before, which is why we’ve always thought this way, but now the situation needs to be questioned."

"Wait a moment."

Chen Ming suddenly recalled something that happened recently and said, "Do you know Yan Xiong and Hu Yi? Aren’t they considered Psychics of Zuo Jing?"

"I know them, one is dead, and the other disappeared for a while afterward, creating quite a stir."

"But they’ve always conducted open activities within the Empire, acting in the gray areas of the Empire’s laws, engaging in activities somewhat like mercenaries thanks to their special status as Psychics."

"Being hired and directly joining Zuo Jing are completely different, not to mention they had two Vice Admirals of the Battle Zone backing them who were the ones directly connected to Zuo Jing."

"So, if Hu Yi continues to remain silent, this matter might end inconclusively. As long as he doesn’t show signs of involvement with Zuo Jing, he remains a Psychic."

"But he later suddenly appeared in our Legion’s division attempting to assassinate you, which put him on the list of suspected Zuo Jing affiliates, but it hasn’t been fully confirmed yet."

"And that Yan Xiong, if you hadn’t killed him, it wouldn’t have been a big issue; at most, the Empire would just detain him for some education and then release him."

"Because before his death, he hadn’t committed any fundamentally wrong actions. At least his stance wasn’t off, he was still on the Empire’s side, and he could entirely claim to have been misled by the two Vice Admirals of the Battle Zone."

"Similar to what you did in the two colonies outside."

"Think about how many illegal things you’ve done, and it has already affected civilians on a large scale. Although many were Zuo Jing affiliates, many were regular folks as well."

"But look, does anyone dare to accuse you? No. That’s the privilege of being a Psychic, so you don’t need to say anything; you are accorded the same treatment."

"Hatred among Psychics stays among Psychics, no one cares as long as it doesn’t affect Empire civilians."

"Psychic privilege means as long as no fundamental mistakes are made, even if caught, there’s a chance of release, but the Empire’s treatment of them might be diminished in the future."

"However, the Black Mist Spirit Ability User who tried to assassinate you is entirely different; his actions endangered the safety of an Empire Vice Admiral, and he came over only after someone leaked your whereabouts to Zuo Jing. Without other evidence, he can be classified as a Psychic of Zuo Jing."