You Are Taming Your Limbs

In the many side halls and corridors of the Council of Five Kings, one passage was crowded with people.

Every time these travelers returned to Nine Realms Station, they needed to go to the mind-screening room where the polarized sextant was located for security checks.

If a traveler exhibited symptoms of Vita Imprint, or if their madness index and spiritual disaster concentration were too high, they would also be sent to the medical department for recuperation until all their bodily data returned to normal before they could be "[released]".

Travelers who had not passed the polarized sextant inspection without the station's permission were absolutely forbidden from returning to the mortal world.

Under the arrangement of BOSS, the inspection team cleared a fast track for the newcomer, Jiang Xueming.

He didn't queue but passed through two isolation gates directly, entering the Spirit Elder Church at the end of the corridor.

On either side of the first floor of the Spirit Elder Church, armed personnel stood guard, and six small doors directed travelers into the mind-screening room.

In the main hall of the church, there were six rows of long seats. Under the arrangement of security personnel, people unhurriedly found their seats and waited to be summoned by the medical examination unit.

Jiang Xueming walked alone towards the newcomer's channel. To the right of the church's altar, he stepped onto the spiral staircase beside the bookshelf, heading to the second floor to undergo verification by another instrument.

The star chart overhead emitted bursts of radiance, and under the reflection of the red and yellow stained glass, the entire church appeared exceptionally mysterious.

As he climbed to the second floor, his steps were quick and steady. The security guards behind him could barely keep up with this new traveler.

He saw the semi-open book house on the second-floor loft, the terrace behind it—and the waiters standing on both sides in front of the terrace, Xiao Qi among them.

Coincidentally, Bu Liuxing had just returned from the large terrace. He had changed his clothes, as if he had just been taken by the waiters to be thoroughly disinfected.

A Xing lowered his head and carefully examined the braille card, which contained the latest mind-screening verification results.

Without paying attention, he bumped into Jiang Xueming.

Jiang Xueming asked, "How were the screening results?"

"Here," A Xing showed the card in his hand.

[Examinee: Bu Liuxing] [Verification Time: July 6, 2024] [Polarized Sextant · Screening Results] [Inspiration: B+] [Mental State: D] [Combat Skills: C] [Madness Index: A-] [Will to Survive: D] [Contraband in Cranium · Spiritual Disaster Concentration: 77%]

Before Jiang Xueming could ask for any useful reference opinions—Bu Liuxing was dragged away by his attendant, who was pulling his ear.

The enthusiastic elder sister, while tugging A Xing, spoke a few words of peace to Jiang Xueming.

"He's fine! He just needs a few days of rest. After returning from that hellhole, his mental power and will to survive plummeted to absolute zero. I'm grounding him."

Seeing A Xing being dragged downstairs, crying out in pain, "Awooo! Awooo!"

Even from a distance, one could still hear the attendant sister's fierce scolding, "You dare sleep around with women!? Got some nerve, huh? Pretty brave!"

Jiang Xueming walked to Xiao Qi's side and nervously handed over his log and phone.

"I've completed the task BOSS entrusted me with. Give me the medicine."

"Coming right up!" Xiao Qi took the items and retrieved a silver briefcase from the bookshelf behind her.

She opened the case. In the two indentations of the shock-absorbing foam lay a Panacea injection.

Jiang Xueming understood and placed the other Panacea he was carrying into the case.

Xiao Qi closed the lid, locked the case, and handed the reward to Mr. Xue Ming, adding, "Please keep it safe. Don't lose it."

"Mm, thank you." Jiang Xueming noticed some oil stains on Brother Qi's lips and reached out to wipe them.

Mid-reach, his hand was caught by the vigilant Xiao Qi, "What are you doing?"

Xue Ming shrugged indifferently, "Nothing. You cleaned my dirty old clothes too. I thought you must be tired, too busy to take care of yourself. I saw something dirty on your face, and my professional habit kicked in, so I wanted to wipe it off."

Xiao Qi suddenly realized and gradually loosened her grip, "Oh! Oh, oh, oh!"

"Let's get back to business. Arrange my mind screening, and try to make it quick." Xue Ming was about to retract his hand—

—only to be grabbed by Xiao Qi again, who even prepared a handkerchief.

"Come, come, wipe it quickly! I'm ready! Don't you dare cure such a good professional habit. From now on, I won't wipe my mouth when I eat."

The other attendants around had awkward expressions, too embarrassed to look closely.

After Jiang Xueming indulged Xiao Qi's willful nature and wiped the oil stains from her mouth.

Xiao Qi tensed up all over, emitting muffled sounds like a train whistle.

She led Mr. Xue Ming to the front of the large terrace and explained the function of the polarized sextant.

"In the mortal world, a polariscope is an instrument used to detect the optical properties of gemstones. A sextant is mostly used in navigation, as an instrument to measure latitude and longitude."

Xiao Qi spread her arms and stood before a large circular platform with interlocking golden-bronze gears, demonstrating the instrument to Jiang Xueming.

"Simply put! In the underground world, you are an unassessed gem. We'll use this instrument to determine your nature and where you belong."

Jiang Xueming stepped onto the circular platform, and the mechanisms on the large terrace immediately sprang to life.

"Is it okay to just stand here?"

Xiao Qi, clenching his small fists, asked with anticipation. "Yes! Strong moonlight will focus on you soon. If it's too bright, you can close your eyes. Try to relax and don't be nervous."

The bronze and gold mechanisms whirred with the sound of interlocking gears.

A semicircular cover, made of the same material as the platform, extended from the floor.

It resembled a giant eye, with the cover on the ground acting as its iris and pupil.

Jiang Xueming was enclosed within this mask. He saw numerous tracks hanging overhead, with various measuring instruments flying along them.

Many were traditional rangefinders composed of squares and rulers, but there were also lens assemblies of various sizes.

These complex and exquisite instruments gradually converged within the giant eye, forming a slender golden beast pupil, much like the BOSS's own verdant cat eyes.

Above the station, the enormous moon in the sky projected a powerful light source through the beast pupil, shining down on Jiang Xueming.

In that instant, he felt as if he were a naked infant, being arbitrarily observed by an unknown and hidden superior entity.

In less than a second, with a clatter of wheels and steel teeth, the platform returned to its original state.

A dark braille card was ejected from a bookshelf on one side of the platform – this was Jiang Xueming's test result.

Xiao Qi didn't even look at it, pulling the card out and eagerly presenting it to Mr. Xue Ming.

Without delay, and without obstructing the new arrivals waiting for their tests, the two found a secluded, well-lit corner and squeezed together to examine the results.

Jiang Xueming felt uneasy, fearing the card would hinder his journey. He looked at the card as if it were a death notice.

"It's alright!" Brother Qi comforted Mr. Xue Ming. "If you can't get back these few days, I can help send you medicine. I'm reliable!"

The back of the card bore the Nine Realms Station logo.

Flipping it over, the information read:

[Subject: Jiang Xueming]
[Verification Time: July 6, 2024]
[Inspiration: Out of Spec]
[Spirit: Out of Spec]
[Combat Skill: S]
[Insanity Index: None]
[Will to Survive: Out of Spec]
[Contraband in Cranium - Calamity Concentration: 100%]

Xiao Qi and Jiang Xueming exchanged a glance, both hesitant to speak too loudly.

Jiang Xueming pointed to the braille on the card. "What does 'Out of Spec' mean? Can't it be measured?"

Xiao Qi frowned, his breathing becoming rapid.

"No."

Jiang Xueming waited for Xiao Qi to catch his breath.

"There are two meanings for 'Out of Spec'," Xiao Qi thought for a moment, then decided to be direct. "One is that your emotional fluctuations were too large during the test, making it impossible to measure accurately."

"However, if the deviation is within two energy levels, it will still give a range, like vague data between C-B or B-A."

"During the test just now, in a matter of seconds, you went from the grief of your sister being gravely ill to winning a five-million lottery, then your wife died, but your first love returned saying she had a child with you, but the child wasn't yours, it was adopted and died young from illness, yet your cat had triplets. This suddenness could lead to inaccurate readings, resulting in 'Out of Spec'."

This string of unpunctuated sentences left Jiang Xueming bewildered.

"."

He seriously considered the situation described by Xiao Qi and asked, "What's the second meaning?"

"The second meaning is that the data exceeds the measurement range of the polarized sextant," Xiao Qi stated frankly. "Three of your values have surpassed the limits of a natural person: Inspiration, Spirit, and Will to Survive."

"This insanity index," Jiang Xueming pointed to other data on the braille, "and the calamity concentration?"

Xiao Qi explained, "The insanity index shows 'None', which is the best-case scenario. During the test, you were almost like a dead person, with no mental activity. External factors have practically no impact on your mental health."

"Oh," Jiang Xueming said dismissively.

"But this contraband in the cranium, along with the calamity concentration, and your combat skill are quite concerning," Xiao Qi changed the subject. "Generally, after a mission, passengers' combat skills decrease. They expend energy during sightseeing and occasionally get injured or exhausted during investigations. Take Bu Liuxing, for example. After this trip, his combat skill dropped from B to C. Because of this particular value, I'll need to take up ten minutes of your time. Come with me."

With that, Xiao Qi pulled Jiang Xueming towards the training range of the Nine Realms Station's Armaments Department.

The spacious training ground had few people, mostly injured individuals undergoing rehabilitation.

Brother Qi greeted the head of the Security and Defense Department and requested a private, soundproofed training room.

Under the cold fluorescent lights, a large table was laid out with weapons, including various knives and firearms.

Xiao Qi stood opposite the table and said solemnly, "Mr. Jiang Xueming, according to the station's regulations, if a passenger's combat skill reaches level A or above, and their calamity concentration exceeds fifty-one percent, they must undergo a re-verification and registration of their weapon skills."

"From now on, everything we say and do will be recorded. Please take this test seriously. Pick up the nearest weapon at hand, without looking closely. Choose by instinct."

Following Xiao Qi's instructions, Xue Ming followed his instincts and grabbed a firearm.

Xiao Qi loudly announced the firearm's model.

"A Browning M1911 pistol, a handgun whose reliability has been proven over a century of history. It's a very sturdy and durable weapon."

Xiao Qi continued with her instructions.

"Please find the ammunition among the weapons in front of you as quickly as possible and shoot freely at the twelve targets behind me—as always, don't think about why you're doing this."

Before her words even finished, Jiang Xueming's body was already moving.

His eyes scanned the messy weapon parts on the table, then he dug out two magazines from them.

He checked the chamber, and the slide locked back.

He inserted a magazine and released the slide.

A crisp metallic click echoed as the bolt locked into place.

Flames erupted from the barrel, striking the alien targets.

The twelve targets were fifty meters away. In the first round of shooting, Xue Ming took down seven of them.

One target per shot, he emptied the magazine with extreme speed.

Xiao Qi shouted, "Reload."

Jiang Xueming unhurriedly flicked out the empty magazine and inserted a fresh one.

Before firing again, he crouched low, his head peeking out. He used one hand to drag the gun's iron sights, pulling back the slide slightly, using the ejection port's gap as a temporary observation window. Only after seeing the golden bullet being pushed into the barrel did he feel at ease. The entire process took barely an extra second.

He then fired four more shots and stopped.

He had taken down eleven of the twelve alien targets in thirty seconds, without missing a single shot.

One target remained standing. It was a safety target, depicting a frail, weeping young girl.

The other eleven targets depicted monsters of various appearances, gunmen, and masked figures.

The humanoid targets had bullet holes in their heads.

The monsters had bullet holes in their eye sockets.

The bullets had hit their weak points, taking them down in order: gunmen → monsters → masked figures.

Xiao Qi's expression was complicated; she didn't know if this was good or bad.

She yelled, "Disarm!"

Jiang Xueming immediately complied, removing the magazine and thumbing out the two remaining bullets.

The last bullet, which had been in the chamber, was also ejected by the extractor during the slide's forward movement and flew out.

Before the bullet could fly far, Jiang Xueming firmly caught it in his palm and placed it back on the table. The bullet stood perfectly upright, primer facing down and bullet tip facing up.

"Alright! The test is over. You can speak now." Xiao Qi took out a handkerchief, intending to wipe Jiang Xueming's sweat. She only realized when she got closer that the man, who had held his breath with such precise marksmanship, had not a single drop of sweat on his head. It hadn't even felt like a warm-up.

Jiang Xueming looked at his hands, utterly bewildered.

"What's wrong with me? My hands, my body... they moved on their own. Am I sick? How long will it take to treat?"

"Don't worry, you don't have a mental illness. You're just a little bit capable of fighting. According to the polarized sextant, you're a very dangerous individual. BOSS will watch the video. I'll send you home right away." Xiao Qi breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Newcomers to the station all go through a period of adjustment. The inner spiritual energy is intertwining with the physical body, trying to achieve unity. Simply put—you're taming your limbs."