In theory, the specially made tempered-glass box alone should have provided more than enough protection.
Even firing a small-caliber pistol at it would not have been enough to penetrate it.
But the club members' loss of reason still made Director Huang's heart pound with fear.
So far, not a single member of Caolu Academy had passed the minimum standard test for superpower awakening.
Director Huang Weiguo felt somewhat uncomfortable, but that was not why he kept a stern expression.
His face was dark because he felt he had failed to do his job properly.
The protective measures should have been more thorough!
His preparations had not been adequate!
However...
There really was nothing he could do.
More and more creations of alien civilizations had appeared on Earth over the past month or so.
There was too little time, and too many unexpected situations!
But those were not excuses.
Nothing had happened this time, but what about next time?
Huang Weiguo felt that he had to take responsibility for every member of Caolu Academy!
"Please have Number Thirty-Nine begin the test."
The sweet-voiced, beautiful young woman in military uniform maintained order at the scene.
The person holding Number Thirty-Nine's tag was named Su Qiangwei.
The girl appeared extremely calm, as if nothing could faze her.
She could lose.
As long as she maintained enough style and lost with dignity, it wouldn't matter!
As long as the green hills remained, there would be no shortage of firewood.
Anything that could not kill her would make her stronger!
Thinking this, Su Qiangwei walked calmly into the testing area and sat down.
Her gaze focused on the alien mask. Countless despair-inducing images immediately appeared before her eyes, causing her to rapidly lose her reason and even go completely mad.
"I am a member of Caolu Academy..."
"I am a reserve guardian of Earth civilization..."
"I will work hard to protect..."
"Grass!" (The plant.)
"Those things they taught in moral education class aren't much use to me!"
"They don't feel real at all!"
Su Qiangwei sensed an invisible, intangible force rapidly eroding her will and disrupting her thoughts.
It was as if four invisible chains had shackled her limbs and were dragging her toward the alien mask!
"I..."
"I am the woman who will defeat Ma Ran and become Caolu Academy's top dog!"
"Although I really hate to admit it, that guy Ma Ran can definitely hold out for thirty seconds, right?"
Su Qiangwei's beautiful eyes were bloodshot. She glared viciously at the alien mask inside the specially made tempered-glass box. "You little loser!"
"You look like a QR code. If I don't scan you with my phone, I wouldn't even know what you are!"
"Get away from me!"
It was hard to tell whether Su Qiangwei was competing with the alien mask or with herself. Her attention was intensely focused and her fighting spirit soared, but she also lost all sense of time.
When she came to, she only felt her arms tighten as two women in military uniforms lifted her from the chair, one on either side, and carried her to a spot ten meters away from the glass box.
From this position, accidentally glancing at the mask would still make her feel somewhat sick and nauseated, producing negative emotions resembling despair, but they were already extremely faint.
"Thirty seconds!"
Huang Weiguo's face was full of smiles. "Congratulations on passing the test! You meet the requirements for superpower awakening!"
After a lengthy round of testing and screening, Fulan Academy had only two members who met the standard: Liu Huadie and He Nanguang.
Caolu Academy had only just gotten started, yet it had already handed in an equally impressive answer sheet. That was quite good!
"Please have Number Forty begin the test."
The person holding Number Forty's tag was none other than Ma Ran.
But Ma Ran handed his number tag to Wu Di beside him.
Wu Di folded his arms across his chest and walked proudly toward the chair, his round, steamed-bun-like face full of arrogance.
Twelve seconds later, he slumped in the chair and panted heavily, like a dog that had not been shaved in the blazing summer heat.
He had lasted only a little longer than Dong Huaiming.
"You've improved!"
A look of relief appeared on He Nanguang's face. "Before, you could only hold out for eight or nine seconds..."
"Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles, and get out more. Sure enough, it helps with growth!"
He had originally been worried that Wu Di might become dispirited after being brutally beaten and perform poorly in the test.
He had not expected that after being thrashed, Wu Di would actually make clear progress and improve significantly in mental willpower!
Among the failures, Wu Di could be considered the strongest.
At least he had not lost his reason and charged straight toward the alien mask. His performance had been fairly good.
Like Dong Huaiming, his name was written down in Director Huang's little notebook as someone who needed special attention and cultivation going forward.
By normal logic, Ma Ran should have been the finale.
But he remained motionless.
That wasn't right!
In the eyes of Caolu Academy's members, Ma Ran was aloof, but he was not the sort of person who acted pretentious like a tube of toothpaste, only squeezing out a little of his ability when someone pressured him.
Sensing everyone's puzzled gazes, Ma Ran smiled faintly. "Actually, my superpower has already reached a state of half-awakening."
"So..."
"There is no need for me to take this test."
After saying this, Ma Ran tilted his head and thought for a moment. Then he slowly walked into the testing area, his gaze falling on the alien mask.
"To put everyone's minds at ease, I'll test it anyway."
Whoosh!
In a daze, it seemed as if a streak of black light flashed.
In the blink of an eye, the mask, which had originally revealed not the slightest outline, transformed into Ma Ran's face!
The despair-inducing hallucinations and deadly attraction seemed to have temporarily vanished from the mask as well!
Ma Ran shifted his gaze away from the mask.
He was relaxed, composed, and completely unstrained.
Clearly...
His mental will was above that of the alien mask!
"This... this!"
Director Huang Weiguo was dumbstruck. He wanted to say something to express his shock, but when the words reached his lips, he could not even form a complete sentence.
At the present stage, Yingchuan Academy had the highest level of superpower research in China.
It was said that the superpowered individuals with the strongest convictions and firmest faith could hold out for three minutes under the alien mask's mysterious force field, and might even make lines resembling the tester's facial contours appear on the mask.
The more one knew, the more one understood how difficult that was.
The other club members were merely laypeople watching the spectacle. They thought that Ma Ran suppressing the alien mask's invisible force field was strong, cool, and awesome.
And then?
There was no "then."
Director Huang Weiguo was different.
His rank was high enough for him to freely browse the vast majority of classified materials.
He knew that faith and conviction could not be cultivated in a day or two.
The admission requirements for superpowers differed from those for Black Rock Martial Way.
There was no age requirement.
Therefore...
As of today, the number of people who had undergone the relevant tests was more than one hundred and ten times greater than the latter's!
Among this enormous testing population, no one had achieved anything like Ma Ran's result!
Although Ma Ran's faith and conviction could not be accurately quantified, Director Huang already had a rough guess in mind.
Ma Ran's performance had been so shocking that Director Huang did not even know how to speak for a moment!
"Superpower... half-awakening?"
"I knew it! Brother Ran really is 'chosen by heaven'!"
"Ahhh! I'm so jealous!"
"As expected of Ma Ran. This kind of public credibility is truly terrifying..."
"Honestly, that's true. If someone else said this, I doubt many people would believe it, right?"
"Am I the only one curious about what Brother Ran's superpower actually is?"
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