Chi had no idea what had just happened. He had only locked eyes with Zhong Yan for a moment before the world spun violently around him, blurring his vision.
By the time he regained his senses, he saw that Airi had removed the Ether blade from his neck, and Zhong Yan's tone had softened considerably.
"Looks like you're in a tough spot. Want to know where the ones who attacked your friends went? And what your friends are going to face? Agree to my condition, and I'll tell you."
Zhong Yan spoke calmly. From reading Chi's memories earlier, he had discovered that Chi was exceptionally strong — managing to gain some advantage even when two of the Twelve Shields overwhelmed his four companions.
Granted, part of that might have been because the two Shields were holding back for some reason. Still, it was clear Chi's strength far surpassed the average fighter.
Thus, Zhong Yan wanted to recruit him. Akatsuki was in dire need of capable people — and Chi was exactly the type they needed.
Incidentally, when Airi found out about Zhong Yan's decision, she grew visibly annoyed, puffing her cheeks and huffing coldly, though she didn't voice any objections.
"You... you know about those guys?!" Chi's voice grew urgent the moment he heard Zhong Yan's words. "Tell me! Those people are too bizarre — they can use Ethereal abilities! What about my friends... what happened to them?!"
Facing Chi's agitation, Zhong Yan patiently explained the existence of the Exaltists — and revealed that Chi's friends would likely be turned into hybrid Ethereal-human experiments.
When Chi learned that his comrades — those who had fought beside him through life and death — would be mutated into monsters, panic and fury overwhelmed him. He desperately asked for the location of the Exaltists' headquarters.
But even Zhong Yan didn't know where it was.
"I'm going to save them!" Chi clenched his fists, his face twisted into a fierce, almost feral expression.
At that, Zhong Yan poured a bucket of cold reality over him: "It's impossible. Those people have hidden themselves outside New Eridu — even farther out than the Outer Ring. Unless they come to find you first, you'll never reach them."
"And as for the condition I mentioned earlier... you need to join us."
Zhong Yan's tone was noticeably firm by the time he repeated the offer. But Chi, burning with anger, could hardly hear him.
"Let me out of here... I'm going after them," Chi said, speaking directly to Zhong Yan — since he figured whoever dragged him here could also send him back.
But given Zhong Yan's nature, there was no way he would simply let Chi walk out, especially after such blatant disrespect. His patience thinned visibly.
"Seems you still don't understand... Some things aren't up for negotiation. You need to recognize reality."
The instant he finished speaking, Zhong Yan's gaze locked with Chi's — and Tsukuyomi activated, dragging Chi into an illusory world.
Inside the genjutsu, Chi suffered seventy-two continuous hours of mental torture — reliving a nightmare where his transformed friends fought against him.
He was given two impossible choices:
Kill his friends.
Or be killed by them.
Regardless of what he chose, the repeated cycle of slaughter and death shredded his mind — until he hovered at the edge of complete collapse.
Yet, in reality, only a moment had passed.
"He's already down?" Watching Chi collapse onto his knees, gasping for breath and drenched in sweat, Airi couldn't quite believe it.
He had been shouting and struggling to escape just a second ago — how had he crumbled so easily?
Clearly, this was Zhong Yan's doing. But what exactly he had done, Airi didn't know. After all, illusions like that didn't work on a part-Ethereal like her — otherwise, Zhong Yan would already know everything about her too.
"I... I agree..." Under the effects of Tsukuyomi, Chi finally calmed down. He understood now that what he had just experienced was merely a taste of what was soon to come.
At this point, the only ones he could turn to for help were Zhong Yan and Airi.
"Good." Zhong Yan nodded with clear satisfaction at Chi's submission.
He then turned to Airi and said, "This will be Akatsuki's third member. As his senior, you should teach him the rules."
Airi blinked for a moment before understanding clicked in.
"Got it, Boss. Leave him to me," she said, stepping forward to help the kneeling Chi up. Once Zhong Yan activated Kamui again, Airi took Chi with her out of the Kamui space.
Immediately afterward, Zhong Yan also activated Kamui and departed — though this time, his destination wasn't Hollow Zero or New Eridu...
It was the Outer Ring.
...
"The pressure here is way lower compared to New Eridu. No wonder those guys are so active here. The Outer Ring... really is a paradise for criminals," Airi said, gazing out over the desolate landscape.
Zhong Yan didn't comment. He simply observed the surroundings quietly.
This was the place from Chi's memories — the place where he and his companions had lived. Due to its remote location atop a mountain, very few people ever came here.
Moreover, Chi and his companions were among the rare few in the Outer Ring who possessed great strength, yet hadn't formed their own faction, nor joined the biker gangs. They mostly spent their days wandering aimlessly.
They had chosen a peaceful life — largely because of Chi's past.
In his younger years, Chi had committed many atrocities with his overwhelming power, eventually awakening to his wrongdoings and choosing to live a life of seclusion here.
Incidentally, Chi's real age was much older than he appeared.
Originally, he wasn't a native of New Eridu either. He had journeyed across the sea, seeking a peaceful existence here.
In truth, his choice had been the right one — until fate intervened. Now, all his companions had become experimental subjects in the hands of the Exaltists.
"Airi, from now on, you'll stay active in the Outer Ring. Same contact protocols as before. Remember — don't draw too much attention. You're still on the Exaltists' wanted list."
After a long silence, Zhong Yan finally gave her instructions.
Then, activating Kamui once more, he moved on to other parts of the Outer Ring — determined to track down more members of the Exaltists.
After all, those people wouldn't stop after capturing just four experimental subjects.
The real action was always hidden in the liveliest places.