Freakish Attributes

Gu Xiechen lay inside a massive MRI scanner. An invisible magnetic field supported his body as he floated naked within the instrument, which was roughly three meters wide and five meters long.

Inside the Hell Angels Mercenary Group's medical center, the Bearded Commander and a group of senior officers stood silently in the corner, listening to the data reported by a stunning woman in a white coat.

"Perfect muscle structure. On the lean side. Estimated physical strength: approximately two and a half tons."

"Dense skeletal structure, extremely flexible joints, perfect cushioning function in the joint membranes. Overall flexibility: perfect."

"Cellular activity... unbelievable. His bodily activity is twenty times that of an ordinary person. I suspect he could survive even if his heart were shattered."

"The Ren and Du meridians are connected. A true innate master. Mm, the traces in his meridians indicate that he broke through the Ren and Du meridians using his own strength, without any external aid. His future is limitless."

"Meridian capacity is abnormal, over three times that of an ordinary person. His True Qi circulation speed can reach more than ten times that of a normal martial artist. His explosive power is exceptionally terrifying."

"True Qi condensation... My God, ninety-nine percent!"

The beautiful woman cried out in shock. Turning to the Bearded Commander, she said in disbelief, "Ninety-nine percent True Qi condensation? Could he be some ancient monster who has cultivated for a hundred years?"

"Oh!"

The senior officers present from the Hell Angels Mercenary Group all cried out in surprise. The Bearded Commander kept slapping his thigh in excitement. "I knew it! We picked up a treasure!"

True Qi condensation was the degree of compression achieved when an acquired martial artist broke through into the innate realm and transformed True Qi into Innate Qi. A ninety-nine percent compression ratio meant that the Innate Qi in Gu Xiechen's body had been compressed from one hundred portions of ordinary True Qi into one portion of Innate Qi. The higher the compression ratio, the higher the quality of the Qi, and the greater the power unleashed by each unit of Qi!

A ninety-nine percent True Qi condensation level generally appeared only in martial artists who had broken through to the innate realm at least sixty years ago, yet Gu Xiechen looked barely twenty.

"An unbelievable monster!"

The beautiful doctor pressed several buttons on the scanner's control panel. The results of Gu Xiechen's comprehensive diagnosis rapidly appeared on the display before her.

"Pluto-class High-tier Fighter. Future potential... minimum estimate: Mercury-class Fighter!"

The Bearded Commander clapped lightly in approval. Smiling, he said, "Release the hypnotic gas and scan his mental fluctuations."

Gu Xiechen lay bored inside the scanner, blankly watching pale green waves sweep back and forth across his naked body. His heartbeat was slow, with only thirty percent of his True Qi drawn into his dantian. The rest was scattered through his meridians and acupoints. He did not believe these mechanical toys could scan his secrets.

"Treatment equivalent to a second lieutenant? Not bad. An officer right from the start—a high starting point!"

"One year. I'll stay here for one year at most. Then I'll leave!"

"I'll find a few reliable, capable subordinates and take them away from the mercenary group. Hell Angels? They can't deal with Gu Juechen."

Gu Xiechen narrowed his eyes as he considered his plans, failing to notice the colorless, odorless anesthetic gas being pumped into the scanner. He had already inhaled quite a bit.

The scenery before his eyes began to double, and Gu Xiechen's heartbeat slowed further. His powerful tendons and muscles went limp, while his eyelids desperately wanted to droop. He forced himself to move a hand, but his ten fingers only twitched slightly. The claws capable of shattering gold and severing iron no longer had the slightest strength.

Gu Xiechen was startled. His heart pounded violently several times. Streams of pure energy surged from his heart, and copious sticky sweat flowed from his pores. Most of the anesthetic gas he had inhaled was expelled from his body, leaving only a small amount to continue taking effect. Gu Xiechen did not fall unconscious; instead, he entered a state of false sleep. His brain activity became more intense than ever, and illusions rose one after another before his eyes.

—An endless field of white tulips. A tall, white-haired old man whose yellow skin was covered in age spots stood hand in hand with a pretty young red-haired girl amid the flowers.

—The old man and the girl smiled at Gu Xiechen together. The girl stood on tiptoe and waved to him.

—Gu Xiechen stumbled across the white tulips, running excitedly toward the old man and the girl.

—"Dad! Mom!"

—The excited cry had barely left his mouth when the old man and the girl began to waver, slowly dissolving into the air.

—The illusion changed again. Gu Xiechen seemed to arrive in a magnificent palace. The white-haired old man lay dying on a soft couch, looking at Gu Xiechen with gentle eyes.

—"Good child! Your mother is gone. Your father is going to keep her company, or she'll be afraid at night!"

—"Don't cry. Never cry again! Your father has to leave you something good! This is a world where people devour people. Since your father can't take care of you as you grow up, I must leave you something good."

—A fist-sized red crystal core flashed before his eyes.

—"Heh heh, this is the heart core of a prince. Doesn't it look like a ruby? Touch it. It's soft. You can eat it."

—"Your father cultivated bitterly for a hundred and fifty years. All my essence, energy, and spirit are contained within it. Good child, before you completely fuse with it, do not tell anyone about the Xieyuan Daotai."

—"You must memorize the nine cultivation methods of the Hanyuan Zhen Dian before destroying them. Your father spent over a hundred years comprehending the Dao Treasury, and with the help of the world's nine best supercomputers, calculated the Hanyuan Zhen Dian. Cultivate well! Until you reach the highest realm, never reveal a single word from it!"

—The old man's figure gradually faded away. In his place, a tall, cold, imposing old man suddenly appeared, his body wrapped in a sinister aura like that of an evil demon.

All the illusions exploded into fragments. Gu Xiechen snorted coldly, and two streams of gray-white gas burst from his nostrils, forcing the last traces of anesthetic from his body.

"Gu Juechen! Just you wait!"

His right hand lashed fiercely toward the scanner hatch. Explosive force erupted from his fingertips, and the arm-thick alloy locks on the hatch's three hidden latches shattered with a piercing blast. Sharp alarms rang throughout the medical center. Under the stunned gaze of the beautiful female doctor, the naked Gu Xiechen leaped from the scanner and casually gave her full chest a hard squeeze.

"Ahwooo!"

The female doctor felt as though her left breast was about to be crushed. Tears welled in her eyes as she staggered backward. Humiliated and furious, she glared at Gu Xiechen. If she had had a weapon at hand, she would have shot this damned bastard without hesitation!

"Nice feel! But if you dare drug me again, don't blame me for raping you!" Gu Xiechen glared fiercely at the tearful doctor, then crooked a finger at the Bearded Commander. "Big Beard, is the Hell Angels Mercenary Group in the kidnapping and extortion business? What was the meaning of drugging me?"

The Bearded Commander burst into loud laughter and nodded approvingly. "Even specially formulated anesthetic gas couldn't knock you out? Heh, heh heh, impressive! Come with me. I'll explain it all properly!"

He placed a hand on Gu Xiechen's shoulder and led him out of the medical center.

The stern-faced middle-aged woman beside the Bearded Commander asked coldly, "What were the scan results?"

The tearful female doctor pitifully got to her feet. Her hands quickly pressed several buttons on the scanner, and another long passage of text appeared on the display.

"Extremely high mental activity. His peak mental fluctuation rate exceeds that of an ordinary person by 10.7 times! If he isn't a madman, then there is over a ninety percent chance that he can develop psychic abilities!"

A trace of shock appeared on the middle-aged woman's rigid face. She exchanged looks with several senior officers beside her, and the group silently left the medical center.

The female doctor viciously rubbed her left breast, then slammed a fist onto the control console.

"Pervert, just you wait!"

Oh, right, comrades, hurry up and cast your votes and whatnot.

This chapter was a little short, but that was how it turned out when it was written.

The next chapter would be longer.

(To be continued)