Chapter 18: Mental Source Energy
Chapter 18: Mental Source Energy
"Mental source energy."
Up until now, Ji Xinghuo had no idea how to obtain this type of energy, but from its name, he could guess that it was somehow related to willpower or cognitive functions.
He opened the interface of the Myriad Astral Eyes and took a careful look.
On the left side of the interface, the information column remained unchanged except for the numerical values. However, on the right side, the holographic human body that resembled him exactly had something noticeable happening. The intricate neural network representing the "Thousand Dexterity Hands" within its arms began to flicker faintly, drawing attention.
As his gaze fell upon it, the following words immediately appeared: Thousand Dexterity Hands, Level One, Upgradable.
There was now an additional option to upgrade, which wasn't there before.
"Upgrade?"
Ji Xinghuo's heart skipped a beat, and he almost lost control of himself. "Could this upgrade option directly enhance my supernatural abilities?"
He struggled to calm himself and focused his attention on the "Upgrade" option.
Instantly, the intricate lines within the Thousand Dexterity Hands in the holographic human body became brighter, glowing with a radiant light. Streams of energy flowed rapidly along the neural network.
At the same time, Ji Xinghuo felt changes in his physical body.
Starting from the brachial plexus nerves in his neck, a slight heating sensation extended all the way down to his arms, palms, and fingertips. It felt like something was crawling inside, causing an itchy and numb sensation with a hint of prickliness, but it was all within his tolerance.
The numerical values on the left side of the interface were also fluctuating.
Originally, it displayed 【Supernatural Ability: Thousand Dexterous Hands (Level One 10/47)】, and the first number within the brackets represented the progress of the current level of the supernatural ability. Now, it was rapidly increasing! It had taken him three arduous weeks of training to raise the progress from 1 to 10.
But now, it was rising with each passing second!
Ji Xinghuo appeared motionless under the surveillance camera in the interrogation room, maintaining his calm demeanor. However, his inner turmoil resembled a tempestuous storm.
At the same time, the numerical value in the column 【Mental Source Energy: 137】 was plummeting at a rapid pace.
Ji Xinghuo observed carefully and even paused to test his theory. He confirmed that with every increment in the progress of his supernatural ability, one unit of Mental Source Energy was consumed. The increase and decrease between the two were in a direct 1:1 ratio.
Half a minute later.
The progress of the Thousand Hand of Dexterity reached 47/47, and the upgrade process stopped automatically.
Ji Xinghuo carefully savored the changes within his body. His hands, hidden under the table, began to vibrate at an extremely high frequency, but the amplitude of the movement was minuscule. After a few seconds, they returned to normal.
He could feel his hands becoming more nimble, easily accomplishing movements that were previously impossible.
His reaction speed and stability had also improved significantly!
In the interface, the information about the Thousand Hands of Dexterity had been updated as well. The number within the brackets changed to (Level Two 1/227), and the holographic body still indicated that the supernatural ability could be upgraded further.
"Level Two Thousand, Agile Hands!"
Ji Xinghuo exhaled softly.
He had already experienced the challenges of upgrading an exceptional supernatural ability.
The vast majority of rangers remained at Level One throughout their lives, and only a small number of intermediate-level rangers or higher were able to reach Level Two after years of training.
Yet, he had achieved this feat in just three weeks.
He glanced at his Mental Source Energy and found that he had exactly 100 points remaining.
"The progress required for Level Two Thousand Dexterity Hands is 227, almost five times more than the previous level," Ji Xinghuo calculated. He realized that even with the remaining Mental Source Energy, it wouldn't be enough to upgrade the Dexterity Hands further.
Without knowing how to acquire more Mental Source Energy, it was more prudent to conserve what he had for now.
"Mental Source Energy..."
Ji Xinghuo muttered to himself, his curiosity piqued. What exactly was this energy that could directly upgrade his supernatural abilities? It reminded him of experience points in games, but after some experimentation, he confirmed that Mental Source Energy did not increase his star power or facilitate evolutionary advancements.
He couldn't quite understand it, but the revelation left him deeply shaken.
"If I could obtain more Mental Source Energy..."
Just as Ji Xinghuo was contemplating the potential uses of Mental Source Energy, Min Chongwu walked into an office not far from the interrogation room, followed by Yan Xiao.
"Director Zhou!"
"Director Zhou."
The two men called out almost simultaneously, but they received no response.
Seated behind the office desk was a middle-aged man in his forties. His appearance was ordinary, his build was average, and his physique showed no signs of physical training. If he walked down the street, he wouldn't attract much attention.
Min Chongwu and Yan Xiao had already composed themselves before entering, even softening their footsteps.
They looked at the man behind the desk, their faces betraying a hint of surprise.
As one of the three deputy directors of the Sword Bureau and the one ranked first among them, Zhou Yishang held a position of power second only to the bureau chief. Yet, at this moment, he was intently focused on the screen before him, his brow furrowed as if he hadn't heard their greetings.
"Director Zhou, what are you looking at so intently?" Min Chongwu asked curiously.
Zhou Yishang finally lifted his head. "Take a look."
He gently tapped the desk, and the screen's image was projected into the air, enlarged for easier viewing. Min Chongwu immediately recognized the scene on the screen as the area beneath the building where Ji Zongbang had been killed.
This was a surveillance recording.
And it was captured from multiple angles, providing a clear view even though the scene was shrouded in the darkness of night.
Yan Xiao didn't understand at first, but when he spotted one of the screens displaying the shadow beneath the bridge pier, enhanced to reveal a vague human figure, he immediately realized it was Ji Zongbang's hiding place.
What happened next took him completely by surprise.
Yan Xiao, in particular, found it utterly incomprehensible.
He had personally faced off against Ji Zongbang, a Super Shadowblade, whose "Shadow Escape" ability was exceptionally adept, reaching at least Level 3. Ji Zongbang was highly skilled in concealing his tracks, especially in dim environments, to the extent that even Yan Xiao struggled to pinpoint his whereabouts.
It was this very ability that had allowed Ji Zongbang to escape despite his severe injuries.
Yet, a novice ranger had seen through his ploy?
Suddenly, combat erupted.
Ji Xinghuo walked towards the main entrance as usual, but then, as if sensing impending danger, he swiftly drew his compound hunting bow and nocked an arrow, taking the initiative to strike.
Almost simultaneously, Ji Zongbang also realized that his cover had been blown, and he emerged from the shadows.
The two moved as if they had rehearsed their actions countless times.
Ji Xinghuo fired three arrows in quick succession, each more extraordinary than the last.
The first arrow struck and detonated an advertisement board. The second arrow ricocheted off the wall of the building, changing direction to hit Ji Zongbang's knee. The third arrow, aimed low, seemed to be targeting Ji Zongbang's chest, but as Ji Zongbang's body lost balance and descended, the arrow found its mark directly in his eye with pinpoint accuracy.
"Hiss..."
Min Chongwu was stunned, his entire body feeling as if it had been electrocuted. If he still had hair, it would surely be standing on end.
Yan Xiao's pupils contracted into pinpricks.
"How is this possible?"
His first reaction was that the video was fake, a product of artificial intelligence manipulation, but Director Zhou had been watching it for so long; surely he would have considered this possibility.
The battle was brief, lasting less than five seconds.
The screen played the scene in a loop, and the three men watched it repeatedly, growing more baffled with each viewing.
Zhou Yishang paused the recording, a thoughtful expression on his face, and suddenly asked, "Which of the three arrows do you think was the most remarkable?"
Min Chongwu's instinctive answer was about to be the second arrow.
"The first arrow," Yan Xiao replied without hesitation.
"Oh?" Zhou Yishang was a little surprised.
"The second arrow was impressive because it deflected off the wall, a tricky technique indeed, but many Super Rangers and Chasers can achieve that," Yan Xiao said, his voice hissing as he spoke rapidly, "As for the third arrow, it involved predicting Ji Zongbang's movement, which is slightly less challenging than the second arrow."
"The true masterpiece was the first arrow."
Yan Xiao pointed to the exploded advertisement board on the screen and explained, "The design of this type of advertisement board is very thorough, eliminating almost all safety hazards. In most cases, even if it's damaged, it won't explode, let alone cause an electric leak."
"The fact that his arrow caused it to explode left me baffled. Was it sheer luck, or did he know beforehand that this particular board was faulty?"
"The explosion itself wasn't very damaging and didn't pose a significant threat to Ji Zongbang."
"The reason he did it was to force Ji Zongbang to detour through the electrified puddle and move closer to the building's wall, creating the perfect setup for the second, deflected arrow."
"These three arrows formed a chain of traps, intricately linked."
"If any one of them had missed, Ji Zongbang wouldn't have been slain..."
As he spoke, Yan Xiao's eyes still held a look of disbelief. Even after watching the surveillance recording over a dozen times, he couldn't fathom how a novice ranger could have pulled off such a feat.
Yet, the evidence was right before their eyes.
Min Chongwu glanced at Yan Xiao, reluctantly admitting to himself that this venomous snake had a sharper mind, capable of discerning details that eluded him.
"But he succeeded!"
Zhou Yishang exclaimed, then shook his head in confusion. "But I don't understand."
He manipulated the screen, bringing up Ji Xinghuo's citizen profile.
Yan Xiao had skimmed through it earlier, but this was Min Chongwu's first time seeing it, and he carefully perused the information.
"This person is a public child, with a clear and transparent identity and background. His movements since childhood have been normal, and the recorded speeches, internet browsing history, and search content associated with him show that, according to big data analysis, the probability of him being a spy or an enemy agent is only one in a thousand."
Zhou Yishang continued in a soft voice, "Among his family, friends, and classmates, as well as people he has come into contact with in the past five years, there are a few who have been placed on the First-Level Surveillance List, but it's not a significant issue, and it has nothing to do with him."
"Artificial intelligence predicts his political alignment and ideological spectrum to be: 93% materialist tendency, 87% pro-Asia-Pacific Commonwealth tendency, and 68% pro-Unification tendency."
"Ji Xinghuo is a model citizen by all standards!"
Zhou Yishang finished reading the profile.
Ji Xinghuo's file was impeccable, and individuals like him were not uncommon in the Asia-Pacific Commonwealth; in fact, there were many, many people who fit this description.
Over 90% of the citizen profiles reviewed by the Sword Bureau fell into this category.
"In other words, Ji Zongbang really did just happen to encounter Ji Xinghuo, and then he was slain by him?" Yan Xiao asked.
Zhou Yishang nodded, "Yes."
"Then how do you explain a novice ranger killing a Superbeing?" Yan Xiao still found it hard to accept.
"Because he's a genius!" Min Chongwu exclaimed, "A peerless genius with unparalleled combat talent, superior to any of us!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
