Chapter 86
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Chapter 86: The Mind
“Why have you come back again?”
The Deputy Director’s face clearly showed no joy, with a subtle hint of drowsiness lurking beneath.
He raised the device in his hand, its red light flashing, signaling that he had control over Ji Yongxing’s actions.
“Teacher, come quickly! I’ve made a significant discovery.”
Ji Yongxing pointed to the nutritional paste on the table, his expression instantly lifting Zhou Zhuo’s spirits.
Zhou Zhuo knew this boy well; after he had forcibly shut down the laboratory, Ji Yongxing’s return felt somewhat peculiar.
Zhou Zhuo walked over, and Ji Yongxing began to recount the third-hand information that Fulan and he had simplified.
Though the source was unreliable, the potential terrifying outcome still weighed heavily on Zhou Zhuo’s mind.
He hurried to the microscope and peered into it, but soon shook his head in disappointment:
“I’m getting old; I can’t see anything clearly in this thick gooey substance. How did you manage to discover this?”
Under Zhou Zhuo’s skeptical gaze, Ji Yongxing hesitated for a moment before deciding to reveal a small part of his secret.
“Teacher, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Zhou Zhuo looked down at the boy, who was much shorter than him, and said lightly:
“Are you a superpowered individual?”
“Huh?”
Ji Yongxing’s mind went blank at the perfect prediction. He never expected the other person to ask this question.
“Uh, I’m not—no, I am.”
After stumbling over his words, Ji Yongxing spoke seriously:
“Yes, teacher, I am a superpowered individual.”
A satisfied smile spread across Zhou Zhuo’s face:
“Did it start after that outing?”
Ji Yongxing was even more astonished. His original plan was to reveal his status as a superpowered individual to conceal even greater secrets about himself.
He hadn’t even told his parents about becoming a superpowered individual.
But Zhou Zhuo seemed to have eyes sharper than his own, effortlessly seeing through his transformation.
Ji Yongxing’s heart began to race; could it be that the teacher already knew everything?
How did he figure it out?
Is he also a superpowered individual?
Suppressing his inner excitement, Ji Yongxing exaggeratedly displayed a shocked expression:
“How did you know?
Are you also a superpowered individual? Did you use your ability to detect my changes?”
“Ha ha ha ha.”
Zhou Zhuo, seeing that his bluff had taken effect, tapped his temple lightly with a satisfied expression and remarked,
"Child, use your brain."
He then pulled a chair over and sat down, continuing,
"Tell me, what is the age range for humans to awaken their abilities?"
Ji Yongxing, as if transported back to a classroom interrogation, replied earnestly,
"Centered around ten years old, with a typical range from six to fourteen, following an approximately normal distribution."
Zhou Zhuo nodded, then shook his head,
"You’re correct, but we now have new data.
"That young man named Wang Xiao, whom you mentioned in your outer city investigation report, is now twenty years old and awakened his abilities just before succumbing to illness.
"This suggests that our previous data was not entirely accurate.
"And you, child, were visibly in a poor state before that investigation, yet returned with significantly more confidence.
"I firmly believe that neither an inspiring hero story nor a psychologist who just received certification less than a year ago could have caused such a noticeable change in you.
"Considering Wang Xiao’s age of awakening, I’ve formulated a bold hypothesis."
Ji Yongxing nodded along, sometimes agreeing, sometimes lost in thought.
When he heard, "A psychologist wouldn’t cause such a change," the tension in his heart gradually subsided.
Zhou Zhuo, still deep in his reasoning, continued,
"I believe the factors for awakening abilities, beyond genetics and age, also relate to physical and mental health.
"When the body suffers a severe illness or experiences extreme mental fluctuations, it may trigger the awakening of abilities.
"Of course, this is merely my conjecture."
At this point, Zhou Zhuo seemed quite pleased with his logical deductions.
Ji Yongxing, too, finally relaxed completely.
His teacher had pieced together a plausible explanation from limited information without uncovering his deepest secret.
Yet, it was impressive nonetheless.
Ji Yongxing nodded sincerely,
"You guessed correctly; I did awaken my abilities during that time. I can’t quite explain the process, but in a moment of despair, I fell into a deep sleep and entered a state of profound relaxation.
"When I awoke the next day, I found that my eyes could see things that were previously invisible to me."
"Indeed," Zhou Zhuo murmured, turning his gaze to the gooey substance under the microscope.
"So, you observed a substance in this portion of the nutritional paste that resembles the mycelium we discovered earlier?"
Ji Yongxing nodded. Since Zhou Zhuo couldn’t detect those elements, the task of separation fell to him.
Now, the former teacher became the assistant, while the former student took the lead in the research.
With Zhou Zhuo’s assistance, Ji Yongxing swiftly extracted the mycelium from the nutritional paste—crushed yet still clinging to life.
The two subjected the half-strand of mycelium to the ten tortures they had devised earlier, finding that aside from its fragility, it was identical to the mycelium extracted from Avian Creatures.
Their initial hypothesis was now confirmed, and their expressions grew grave.
If this mycelium had survived due to the superpowered individual "Holy Shield," what dire consequences had the recent beast tides unleashed?
Zhou Zhuo abruptly rose from his chair and began adjusting his communication device.
As the Deputy Director of the research institutes, his influence in the inner city was considerable.
The communicator connected swiftly, and a lively male voice responded,
"Mr. Zhou Zhuo, how may I assist you?"
"Contact the hospital and have them transport the superpowered individual ‘Holy Shield’ to the laboratory of the Department of Life Technology at the research institute immediately.
"This is urgent; speed is critical."
The person on the other end hesitated briefly but quickly agreed upon hearing Zhou Zhuo’s serious tone.
Zhou Zhuo ended the call, confident that the matter would be handled, and all he needed to do was wait.
Meanwhile, a frail man was roused from his sleep.
His body, though visibly robust from years of fitness, now lay limp on the bed like a hollow shell.
"What’s happening?" he muttered, instinctively raising his arm to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness.
The needle in his arm tugged sharply, jolting him fully awake.
