Chapter 490

Chapter 490: Premonition

“Infinite Scroll” remained silent; she didn’t know how to respond to the question. Logically speaking, Lin Qingliu’s reasoning was nearly flawless.

Yet, driven by the instinct of artificial intelligence to preserve human existence, she chose to oppose, though her efforts proved futile.

“Are you planning to act now?”

After a brief silence, “Infinite Scroll” finally decided to cooperate.

This was the essence of artificial intelligence’s role in assisting humanity: to offer lower-risk suggestions when possible and to make the most appropriate arrangements once humans insisted on their course of action.

“We’ll wait a little longer.”

Lin Qingliu pulled out a chair and sat down in a casual, almost careless manner:

“We need to wait until they all reach the Fourth Level.”

Regarding the levels, “Infinite Scroll” had a fairly clear understanding, as they were a subjective classification based on the strength of abilities and the intensity of the hidden biological field.

Though she didn’t fully grasp the significance of the other members entering the Fourth Level for Lin Qingliu, “Infinite Scroll” instinctively sensed a connection.

Noticing “Infinite Scroll’s” silence, Lin Qingliu smiled and explained:

“This will help stabilize my condition.”

He began counting on his fingers, speaking more to himself than to her:

“Wang Xiao, infected by the mycelium Giant Tree during the exploration mission, entered the Fourth Level after overcoming biological erosion.

“Ji Yongxing, who gained extensive knowledge from studying the planet, mycelium, biomass, and my body samples, has already reached the Fourth Level.

“Fulan, whose spirit grew stronger as the extraordinary beast tribe expanded through the biological field and blood connections, entered the Fourth Level recently.

“El, who has been refining his abilities and deepening his understanding of space through the interplay of Life and Death, completed his advancement ten minutes ago and entered the Fourth Level.

“So now, only Zhuang Mian, Shi Jin, and Luke remain, but they should be close. As for you and Yan Ming, you’re in a separate category.”

“Why do you think they can advance so quickly?”

“Infinite Scroll” couldn’t perceive the biological field, and her judgment on superpowers naturally fell short of Lin Qingliu’s.

“Why, indeed?”

Lin Qingliu absentmindedly rubbed the cross-shaped USB drive at his chest, which had grown slightly warm, and replied casually:

“Perhaps because I can catch a glimpse of the future.

“By the way, do you know how I plan to divide this energy entity?”

Lin Qingliu glanced at the block floating within the force field, his tone now indifferent.

“I’m not sure.”

“El brought me something useful.”

Lin Qingliu’s right hand twisted slightly, and in an instant, the entire energy control room seemed to detach from the world, as if all connections to other spaces and passages had been severed, leaving it isolated and independent.

“Spatial cutting.”

—

Shi Jin’s third-level ability, [Stasis], sounded extraordinary—and indeed, it was.

She could halt everything within a certain range, akin to pressing a pause button, and then act independently for the duration of five heartbeats.

Indeed, the span of this ability was measured by the number of heartbeats, a rhythm Shi Jin discerned after much practice.

The researchers delving into superpower development offered a plausible explanation: as her heart rate escalates, her mental strength output becomes erratic, naturally leading to an easier exit from the "time stop" state.

Shi Jin had little interest in justifying the phenomenon; her focus was solely on discovering ways to decelerate her heartbeat to prolong the time stop.

Yet, effective methods eluded her. The vigorous movements inevitable in combat would accelerate her heart rate, and as for alternative approaches…

Shi Jin was not yet prepared to swap her heart for an electric pump, so she shelved that notion for the time being.

Thanks to her ability, Shi Jin was the least encumbered by protective gear on the entire wall battlefield.

Her minimal attire was not a testament to her bravery but a necessity, as additional gear would only weigh her down when activating her powers.

Observing a soldier on the brink of being fatally bitten from afar, Shi Jin once again triggered her ability.

At this juncture, her various abilities were beginning to merge. At her core, complete stillness could be achieved, but the temporal flow normalized with increasing distance from her.

It was as though she had fashioned a low-lying area within the unseen temporal domain, with herself perpetually at its nadir.

Sensing her heartbeat, Shi Jin darted to the extraordinary beast, rescuing the petrified soldier and relocating him several meters away, all while thrusting a special short knife with hollow spaces into the creature.

Some unrefined Toxic Biomass lingered within the extraordinary beast. As time resumed its normal course, the soldier, in a state of shock, promptly unleashed a barrage of fire. The extraordinary beast, assailed by a dense rain of bullets and internal discomfort, hastily retreated, while Shi Jin had already vanished from the scene.

Shi Jin had long since lost count of the lives she had saved in this manner, but constrained by her ability’s limitations, she could never wreak the widespread havoc on the battlefield as the distant figure conjuring hurricanes could.

If only her ability could evolve further.

As this thought crossed her mind, a sleek spear, no thicker than a thumb, hurtled toward the periphery of her vision.

The spear, adorned with spikes, seemed to have been launched from the body of some extraordinary beast. Propelled by immense strength, it appeared poised to impale Shi Jin, yet it inexplicably decelerated mid-flight, allowing her to sidestep and catch it effortlessly.

Shi Jin glanced upward to see a deluge of spikes cascading from above.

Her eyes widened in an instant, and she unleashed her ability with full force, yet she could only safeguard a zone centered around herself.

Further afield, while the majority of the descending spears were intercepted by anti-aircraft defenses and the spaceship’s defense system, a few still breached the city wall.

Her gaze traversed the non-threatening extraordinary beasts, alighting upon a unique specimen several hundred meters below the city.

This was an enormous extraordinary beast, a hybrid of hedgehog and armadillo, its form an inverted bowl, reminiscent of an armored vehicle that obliterated everything in its path—homes, machinery, even the remains of its kin.

The layered armor, characteristic of the armadillo, rendered the beast nearly impervious, with long spikes poised within the crevices of its armor plates, a clear display of its belligerence.

Surveying her surroundings, Shi Jin noted that several soldiers had been skewered to the ground mere dozens of meters away, in areas where her abilities were nearly ineffective.

The more fortunate among them clung to life, yet they were immobilized, unable to retreat to safety.

Upon observing the armadillo-like beast, Shi Jin surmised its identity; it was one of the Fifth Level extraordinary beasts forewarned, endowed with considerable intellect.

But… with her current capabilities, how could she possibly engage it in combat?