Chapter 17: In Truth, I Am Also an Esper

“So, you’re Will’s brother, Jonathan?”
The four of them had all seen Jonathan before; sometimes he would come to pick up Will, so they’d crossed paths, though they weren’t particularly close.
“How do you know that Eleven is a psychic?”
Dustin asked with curiosity, his baby teeth still uneven, leaving a gap when he spoke, making him look unintentionally amusing.
“Do you really want to discuss this here?”
Lin Xiao gestured at the students passing by all around them—a crowd of kids around thirteen or fourteen, each as bold as the next, daring to confront the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer without flinching. It was truly remarkable.
Of course, they were also somewhat overconfident, buoyed by a protagonist’s aura. Otherwise, the Demodogs and the Demogorgon would have made short work of them long ago.
Eleven fixed her gaze on Lin Xiao, her eyes filled with a peculiar light, as if she too was curious about how this person she’d never met before could know her.
“Alright, let’s talk inside.”
Mike, showing a touch of leadership, stepped forward and opened the broadcast room door. The group filed in behind him.
Once inside, the usually silent Eleven suddenly looked at Lin Xiao and asked, puzzled,
“Why do I sense something unusual about you? Your life force is far stronger than ordinary people’s, burning like a bright flame.”
Oh, so Eleven could see his extraordinary power. As expected, she was no ordinary psychic—her strength was nearly on par with a level-10 class changer. Lin Xiao was surprised but just shrugged.
“Alright, I admit it. I’m not an ordinary person either. I, too, have supernatural abilities.”
As he spoke, Lin Xiao willed it, and the Star-Destroyer Battle Axe appeared in his hand. Magic surged within him, and the axe blazed suddenly with magical fire, radiating intense heat.
He chose to reveal his identity partly for the sake of convenience in later actions—otherwise, it would be difficult to use his abilities without questions. And with Eleven as precedent, they would find it easier to accept another person with powers.
The three boys stared in shock. Eleven’s powers were impressive but invisible, shrouded in mystery. Lin Xiao’s, however, were plain to see, leaving them no room for doubt.
“Are you a mage or a warrior?”
Dustin asked, his tone full of awe and envy. He thought Lin Xiao possessed powers from Dungeons & Dragons, which wasn’t far off—DNF was, after all, inspired by D&D.
“No, I’m neither a mage nor a warrior. I am a Holy One, a sacred profession born to drive out evil and uphold love and justice.”
Lin Xiao smiled as he explained, leaving the four boys utterly bewildered. If not for Eleven’s example, they might have thought Will’s brother had lost his mind.

Upholding love and justice? Driving out evil? Did he think this was the set of The Exorcist?
Lin Xiao extinguished the flames and put away the Star-Destroyer Battle Axe. The sleight of hand convinced them completely—whether or not he was a Holy One, he clearly possessed powers beyond imagination.
“So, how did you get these abilities, Mr. Jonathan?”
Lucas asked, his curiosity piqued. What child didn’t envy superpowers, didn’t wish to have them? His constant wariness towards Eleven had always been tinged with jealousy.
“Heh, that’s a secret. Perhaps I’ll tell you someday. What’s important now is finding Will.”
Lin Xiao deftly changed the subject, not wanting to reveal the origin of his abilities yet. He would think up a story they could accept later.
Only then did the four boys remember why they had come—they were here to find Will.
Without delay, Eleven approached the Heathkit radio, put on the headphones, glanced at Lin Xiao across from her, and closed her eyes to use her powers.
Soon, static-filled voices came through the radio, as if someone were shouting—and not just one person. There was a boy’s voice and a woman’s.
“Mom, help me…”
“That’s Will! It’s Will’s voice!”
The group cried out excitedly, recognizing their friend.
Lin Xiao watched Eleven intently. Her abilities were indeed formidable—her consciousness roamed the void. This was the kind of power only a high-level mage might possess.
The noise grew louder, Will’s voice becoming clearer and more urgent, calling desperately for help.
“Something’s wrong, Will’s in danger! How do we rescue him?”
The boys clamored, panic in their voices. Anyone could tell Will was in trouble.
Lin Xiao frowned. He’d slain the Demogorgon himself—how could Will and Barbara still be in danger? Had something else happened in the Upside Down?
“Jonathan, you have to think of a way to save Will!”
Mike stepped forward, the depth of their friendship obvious—they would risk anything for one another.
“I have a rough idea where Will is. That world isn’t on our plane of existence, but I happen to know where the entrance is. I just need to pinpoint Will’s exact location.”
He looked at Eleven. She hesitated, clearly reluctant to let him go to that place, but with Lin Xiao revealing the Hawkins Lab entrance, keeping secrets would only breed suspicion. So she answered,
“He seems to be in a forest, hiding from something.”
“The Gloomy Forest! Will’s in the Gloomy Forest!”
The three boys exclaimed, immediately preparing to set out and rescue Will. Lin Xiao quickly stopped them.
“Okay, I’ll go save Will. You boys go home and get some sleep.”

At that moment, the Heathkit radio suddenly sparked and caught fire. Dustin reacted quickly, grabbing a fire extinguisher and putting out the flames.
Once the fire was out, the three boys kept their eyes fixed on Lin Xiao, waiting for his answer.
Lin Xiao had no intention of hiding anything; things had already deviated wildly from the original course, so there was no need to stick to the script. It was time to enter the Upside Down again and rescue Will and Barbara.
“Hawkins Laboratory. The entrance is in the town’s lab. I was pulled into that world before as well, stumbled out through the lab’s corridor, and only later realized Will was also trapped inside.”
Hearing this, the four boys suddenly understood—Will wasn’t the only one who had gone missing; his brother Jonathan had vanished too. What had really happened?
Lin Xiao gave a brief explanation of the Upside Down and how it differed from the real world. In the original story, they had deduced this themselves using the “Shadow Vale” setting from Dungeons & Dragons.
“The Upside Down! A plane different from our own Shadow Vale… Oh my god, what kind of world do we live in? How did things get so strange?”
The boys couldn’t help but marvel; their entire worldview had been reshaped, the edifice of science crumbling in an instant.
“Eleven, I need to know Will’s exact location. Where is he in the Upside Down?”
Lin Xiao didn’t want to go in blindly. He’d come to them to use Eleven’s powers to pinpoint Will’s position.
Eleven hesitated, but with all eyes on her and the lab entrance revealed, keeping silent would only cause misunderstanding. She finally said,
“He seems to be in a forest, hiding from something.”
“The Gloomy Forest! Will’s in the Gloomy Forest!”
Mike and the others shouted, preparing to rush to his aid, but Lin Xiao quickly stopped them.
“Okay, I’ll go save Will. You boys go home and get some sleep.”