HuanMeng

Just when he was about to run away and search for his family, Zhong felt a strong hand clamping down onto his shoulder.

"Calm down.

I asked this because I'm planning on removing the brainwashing from Ba Sing Se. Once other nations, or the people themselves, find out about the brainwashing, the Earth Kingdom will be seen as something malevolent.

Riots would break out.

Wars will be started.

Hell will break loose.

In order to prevent something terrible like that, I've decided to put an end to 'it' and Long Feng," 'righteously' proclaimed Genji as he let go of a much more calm Zhong.

Crack!

The seed of loyalty within Zhong's heart cracked and it slowly began to take root in Zhong. His eyes looked at Genji in gratitude and worship.

"Will you help me, Zhong?" asked Genji as he outstretched his hand over to Zhong.

With a stunned look on his face, Zhong looked at the hand outstretched towards him and looked at it. His heart stirred and he felt a multitude of emotions in him.

Joy sprang forth with worship tied tightly to it. With a firm and unshakeable gaze, Zhong got down to one knee and lowered his head.

"I will devote myself to you and the greater good of the Earth Kingdom, Master!" proclaimed Zhong with a devout voice.

Whilst Zhong was lowering his head, the kind smile on Genji's face was distorted by a cold and sly smile.

'I'll soon have my own loyal secret force,' thought Genji as he looked down at Zhong. 'With the Dai Li in my control, the Earth Kingdom will follow.'

…

Minutes later, Genji was walking with Zhong as they looked at every place within the underground base of Lake Laogai.

He saw the brainwashing and studied everything they did and said, learning the process rather easily.

'Compared to immortality and flight, this is much simple,' thought Genji as he was already thinking of ways to improve his hypnotism.

Using both traditional and electromagnetic, these hypnosis are partial control and the other being full control respectively.

"Gather everyone Zhong… we will begin taking over the rest of the Dai Li. This is the place and time where I will need your help," Genji revealed as he looked at the large and empty space he entered.

"Yes!"

With a strong salute, Zhong turned and ran as he began to gather all the Dai Li.

At first, Zhong gathered those whom he already knew and trusted. After telling the Dai Li everything that happened to him and what Genji was planning to do, all of them began to talk to the other Dai Li, slowly gathering all of them.

Within just an hour, all of the Dai Li stood before Genji. All of them were lined up and in formations, ready to listen to Genji's orders.

Seeing the large amount of Dai Li standing before, Genji couldn't help but feel proud of himself.

'Ha! Taking control of the Dai Li… I never saw this coming,' thought Genji with a smirk in his heart.

***

Pa!

"No… NO!"

Pacing back and forth after kicking a man, Long Feng yelled out in anger.

"This isn't him… this isn't Huan Meng! Continue to search!"

A Dai Li agent stepped forward, lowering his head before Long Feng, "Grand Secretariat, there's no more Huan Mengs in all of Ba Sing Se."

"Impossible!"

Long Feng turned to glare at the Dai Li with bloodshot eyes, "That's impossible! Search again!"

The Dai Li said nothing and just backed away before leaving to continue to search.

"Long Feng, you're wasting your time. Hahaha!"

!!!

Turning his head to the side, Long Feng saw that once again, utterly, terribly, impossibly demonic of a man's face right before him.

His eyes dilated and he felt all the blood rush up to his head. Yelling out with all his strength, Long Feng caught the attention of nearby Dai Li.

"HUAN MENG!"

With a cold smile on his face, Huan Meng looked at Long Feng in a mocking manner.

"Are you looking for me? Come get me then, I'm standing right before you," Huan Meng said, condescendingly.

"You!"

With a frown on his face, Long Feng ran forward to Huan Meng whilst also Earthbending a rock over his hand. With all the strength he could possibly muster, Long Feng swung his arm and punched at Huan Meng.

Swish!

However, instead of his fist hitting Huan Meng, Long Feng hit only at air.

"What are you aiming at, Long Feng? I'm over here."

Huan Meng was smirking as he stood a couple of feet away from Long Feng.

Long Feng's eyes widened before frowning in anger, "Don't move!"

Jumping at Huan Meng once more, Long Feng swung his fist only to miss once more.

He didn't just stop there, Long Feng continued to launch himself at Huan Meng, attacking continuously.

In just a matter of minutes, various Dai Li were standing and looking on in awe.

Each Dai Li turned to look at each other, confused as to what to do.

After all, Long Feng was just jumping around and talking to himself…

"It's useless… the Grand Secretariat has no more use for us…" one Dai Li said as he turned around and walked away from Long Feng.

"Wait… something's up…" another Dai Li said as he saw something in the distance.

"What is that?"

"Those are… the Dai Li from Lake Laogai!"

"What are they doing here??"

"Look, there's someone walking in front of them!"

…

After leaving Lake Laogai, Genji led every Dai Li over to Long Feng for a quick and easy take down.

With a smile on his face, Genji looked at Long Feng as he narrowed his eyes in amusement. It was then that Genji remembered the very night he had arrived.

At first, Genji had believed that taking down Long Feng without him noticing would be difficult, yet it was extremely easy.

In order to get a chance to talk with him and enter his room, Genji suggested a small chat whilst drinking some tea.

By putting his hand on Long Feng's shoulder, Genji made use of his acupuncture and made Long Feng feel thirsty.

The first attack was successful and it went completely unnoticed!

Once that was complete, Genji followed Long Feng to his and once inside, that's when Genji's second attack began.

Whilst speaking naively and acting rather idiotic, Genji 'touched and played' with the various items that Long Feng owned. Placing them at specific positions and having them combined with each other, Genji's formation expertise came into play.

With this, the second attack was completed in the form of a Formation of Mirage was completed!

Finally, the last attack had been prepared since the very first word he spoke to Long Feng with Genji acting foolishly, Genji got Long Feng to lower his guard.

Getting Long Feng riled up enough to have him personally push him out of the room, Genji placed his hands on Long Feng one… last… time.

With acupuncture, Genji threw Long Feng's senses in disarray for just 6 hours. Yet Genji didn't believe that it was enough, going one step forward, Genji messed with Long Feng's chi path, tampering further with him.

Third attack was complete.

All of these three attacks combined in the end when Long Feng was beginning to prepare to sleep. Laying his mind to rest, Genji snuck back to Long Feng's room and knocked only once before disappearing back to his room.

This single knock finally began Long Feng's spiral into madness.

The formation the room was activated the instant Long Feng opened the door.

Once Long Feng was heading back to sleep, the formation recreated Genji's knock and replayed it randomly within the room.

Long Feng woke up once more, angered, his senses working overdrive and still in complete disarray. With his mind already believing that he was hearing things, it didn't take long for his other senses to betray him.

Before he knew it, Long Feng was seeing shadows.

Within that personal room of his, and a long sleepless night, Long Feng could no longer return to who he was.

His mind was in disarray and tripping over itself, causing Long Feng to see and hear more hallucinations as he spent the entire night without sleeping.

Soon, four sleepless nights passed and Long Feng had become schizophrenic without even realizing it.

At the end of it all, Long Feng had created a person.

Huang Meng.

Or more specifically-

Huanmeng = fantasy/illusion/dream

Made up, nothing but a figment of his imagination.

His unconscious telling him that he was seeing things.

…

Seeing Long Feng acting like a fool before him, Genji couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"You're nothing but a fool now, Long Feng," muttered Genji as he had the Dai Li approach Long Feng and surround him.

Long Feng glanced at the Dai Li around before looking at Huan Meng with a smirk.

"There's nowhere left for you to run, Huan Meng! I have the Dai Li surrounding you," snickered Long Feng.

He looked at Huan Meng's face, wishing to see his face of panic and fear.

"Hahahaha! Hahahahaha! No matter how many Dai Li you bring, you will never be able to catch me," said Huan Meng, his eyes showing ridicule.

"Then I'll mobilize the entirety of Ba Sing Se!" yelled Long Feng in anger.

Huan Meng shook his head, "You don't get it Long Feng. No one will ever capture me, not even you."

"Why not… what makes you so different compared to the rest!"

"Heh…"

"Don't laugh! You've tormented me for various days, you… you…"

"HAHAHHAHA!"

"Crazy bastard!"

"Muahahahaha! Crazy? Me? Tell me, who is the real crazy one here," asked Huan Meng, a wide smile on his face as he looked at Long Feng mockingly.

"It's quite obvious that the mentally deranged one here is you," said Long Feng as he tried to make himself look prim and proper.

Huan Meng snickered and just turned around, walking over to one of the Dai Li.

"Capture him!"

Long Feng looked at the Dai Li agent Huan Meng was approaching and ordered him to capture Huan Meng. Yet the Dai Li stood still and did nothing, looking at along Feng instead with a questioning look on his face.

"Capture that barbarian!"

Seeing how no one was moving, Long Feng was forced to move forward over to Huan Meng, yet when he began walking, the Dai Li moved in.

Throwing in their rock gauntlets at Long Feng, they restrained and held Long Feng down.

"Hold him down! He's not only a danger to others, but also a danger to himself!"

Suddenly, Long Feng heard a voice, a voice he had once believed to be foolish a couple of days ago.

Turning his head, Long Feng glared at Genji, surprise hidden within his eyes.

"Take down that man that's fleeing! Why are you stopping me?!"

Long Feng didn't even bother addressing the fact that Genji was ordering the Dai Li around. Instead, he focused more on Huan Meng, the man who had been tormenting him nonstop for the past four days.

"What man, Long Feng?" asked Genji as he approached the kneeling Grand Secretariat.

"Obviously the man over… there…"

Long Feng turned his head and looked over to where Huan Meng was just at only to not see him there at all anymore.

"You let him escape?!"

Genji shook his head, a cold smile spreading on his face. With a hand pressing onto Long Feng's shoulder, Genji said, "There was no one here, Long Feng. You were the only one here this entire time."

Seeing Genji's smirk, Long Feng felt his body shudder, "You… you're trying to make me look insane?"

"I have no idea what you mean," replied Genji with a smirk.

Long Feng frowned before smiling, "The Dai Li can vouch that I am no lunatic and that you should be put behind bars."

Turning to look at the Dai Li with a confident smile, Long Feng's eyes looked into the faces of every Dai Li agent. Yet none made a move as they remained rooted on their spot with emotionless expression on their faces whilst giving Long Feng a deadpan gaze.

"You all saw him!"

Long Feng yelled, panic began to rise within his body.

"I saw him!"

Just when Long Feng was going to remain quiet, another voice rang out within the Dai Li.