Fiftieth Chapter: Astonishing Discovery

Chapter Fourteen: Astonishing Discovery

(PS: I have to go to the hospital for a follow-up on my depression today, so I won't be around at noon. I don't know when I'll get home this afternoon, either, so I'm posting two chapters back-to-back. While I'm at it, please consider voting for the book, buying monthly tickets, subscribing, tipping, and so on. If you can, please lend me a hand. I really need the support during this new book's launch period.)

"...There's still a trace of my power on them. For now, it should protect them from a certain degree of mutation. Before that remaining power is used up, they should be able to enter the Residual Field without any problems. And if I go with them, I can replenish their power at any time, so they won't have to fear the changes in the Residual Field."

Lu Yuanming told everyone what he'd learned, and the news quickly spread.

This was the most encouraging piece of news they'd received since Lu Yuanming had told them about the apocalypse.

Aside from its terrifying death rate and the fact that weapons from the outside couldn't break through it, the greatest danger of a Monster Field lay in its mutations. Most deaths were caused by them, and the mutations could even turn allies into enemies. If they could solve the problem of mutation, then a Monster Field would be little more than a dangerous, unpredictable natural disaster.

At the same time, Lu Yuanming found Elder Wang and gave him a rough explanation of the power that could resist mutation.

"...A Strong Blessing, a wish, or an emotion?"

Elder Wang stared at him, stunned.

Lu Yuanming had already demonstrated Supernatural Power. Whether it was the three-meter-tall Armored Man that resembled a Spirit Familiar or a Stand User, or the Healing Ability he'd just revealed, all of these were Supernatural Powers. Countless researchers were already studying them, and they'd developed some general theories. But what he was describing now was truly supernatural in the sense that it defied reason.

Lu Yuanming said at once, "That's right. When someone feels a strong wish, blessing, or some other emotion toward me, I can gain power. It seems that I'm the only one who can see, touch, and use this power. But if there's enough of it, I can use it to heal or protect people, or even create things inside a field."

Elder Wang immediately said, "You should've told us sooner! This is a major matter, and one with Strategic Level implications!"

With that, Elder Wang told Lu Yuanming to stay at the base, then left with his people. Just then, the officer came to find Lu Yuanming. His transformation had not yet ended, and his Soul Body was still appearing behind him, so the officer wanted to take him to measure its various capabilities.

Lu Yuanming had planned to do the same. He went with the officer to the base's Weapon Testing Ground, which was naturally full of equipment. He didn't recognize a single piece, but there were plenty of researchers—and they'd been waiting eagerly, eyes shining. As soon as Lu Yuanming arrived and confirmed they had his permission, they swarmed him. They looked like men who'd spent thirty years single and had just seen a naked virgin. They began prodding and testing him, and some even wanted to use all kinds of equipment to cut open his Soul Body.

"Hey, that's a bit much, guys. This is my Soul Body, not a machine!" Lu Yuanming called out, stopping a man with a chainsaw. After they'd covered him in Metal Sheets, he immediately entered the testing area.

The researchers began their tests. They measured his Soul Body's attack power and speed, its Visual Capture of fast-moving objects, its Neural Reaction Speed, and more. The outrageous results appeared before everyone.

"Single Arm Burst Strength: twenty-seven tons. Sustained Strength: eleven tons..."

"Hundred-meter dash: 4.62 seconds..."

"Armor defense..."

Though the tests had been simple, the results still left everyone stunned.

By the standards of modern weapons, the numbers weren't that impressive. But these were the measurements of a living being—or, at least, they were treating the Soul Body as one. That made the results utterly extraordinary.

After all, in the real world, hardly anyone could lift a hundred pounds. Someone who could lift a hundred kilograms would be considered a Little Superman by many. But Lu Yuanming's Soul Body could spread its arms and hold two two-ton metal blocks above its head. It could lift twenty tons with both arms, and with a burst of strength, it could flip a fifty-ton tank!

It truly possessed Superman Strength.

That wasn't even the scariest part. Even more frightening was that his Soul Body seemed to share the monsters' immunity. Ordinary pistol bullets couldn't even pierce its defenses. Rifle bullets could break through the armor, but penetrated only a few millimeters into the flesh. In other words, they couldn't even break the skin.

The only reason was that his physical body was still ordinary, so his Soul Body had to account for it whenever it moved. He also couldn't run at full speed, or he risked injuring his body.

The officer watched Lu Yuanming's tests from outside, listening as the researchers shouted out the results. He remained silent, though a glint of Divine Light flashed in his eyes from time to time. As Lu Yuanming's tests neared their end, he turned to the research group's supervisor and said, "Put all the data into a Classified Military Document. You're in charge here, so remember the Secrecy Regulations. Also, send my recommendation up with it: mobilize every available resource immediately to develop protective equipment for our target's physical body."

Lu Yuanming had no idea. He was having fun in the testing area, and was even tempted to use Colorless Light Particles to multiply his strength. One particle would triple his base strength, and two would make it seven times greater. If he used them, it wouldn't matter whether he became three times stronger or seven—at three times his current base strength, he wouldn't merely resemble Superman. He'd be a true Superman in the real world, capable of breaking through enemy lines single-handedly even on a modern battlefield.

However, multiplying his strength with Colorless Light Particles came with aftereffects. The side effects of one particle were minor, but Lu Yuanming wasn't about to use one casually. Once Elder Wang returned, he might have to enter a Residual Field. He had no idea what awaited him there, so it was best to preserve his full strength.

Meanwhile, Elder Wang was rapidly briefing the highest authorities on the information he'd obtained. During this time, a number of researchers, scientists, and Think Tank members also submitted their analyses.

"...Based on Lu Yuanming's history and records from childhood onward, as well as the Personality Model we established from our analysis, he is an honest man who acts sincerely and speaks cautiously but truthfully. Based on this assessment, there's more than an eighty percent chance that the future he described is real. However, key information remains unclear. The analysis teams are currently working to decode and classify the Harmful Information. A total of 132 teams have divided the potential threats into nine levels. The current recommendation is to use death-row inmates to screen the information level by level. This should help us identify information that isn't harmful, as well as information that causes only minor harm. By proceeding upward in stages, we may break through the Information Constraint and determine the cause of the Great Calamity and how to resolve it."

A man in his fifties was reporting to the senior leaders over video. They all nodded. One of them asked, "Is there any way to prevent a Large-Scale Dissemination Disaster caused by the Harmful Information?"

At the question, the man in his fifties turned pale. He forced himself to calm down before replying, "After tracking down the missing death-row inmate's records, we found that all 'information' about him had disappeared. We only knew someone had vanished, and then traced back from there. That's the only reason we were able to confirm he had existed. But we can no longer find any information about whether he was a man or a woman, young or old. This goes far beyond our previous theory of Cognitive Alteration. This Information Hazard has reached the level of altering Physical Logic and Causality. It's... unprecedented. We couldn't even have imagined such a thing."

The leader who'd asked the question sighed. "The universe is vast, and full of wonders. So what have you concluded about this Information Hazard?"

The man hurriedly replied, "Our analysis suggests this is a Top-Tier Information Hazard Source, the most terrifying kind. Not a trace of it can be allowed to leak. We still don't know whether its Transmission Route is limited to face-to-face contact or whether any form of transmission could trigger it. We don't know its Incubation Period or what effects it has. So I recommend that the country establish a new Defense Mechanism specifically to guard against this Information Hazard. Its Danger Level should also be raised to the highest level, equal to the Nuclear Apocalypse, or even higher. That's our conclusion."

The leaders listened carefully. After the man's report, several more rounds of personnel presented their analyses. They made urgent reports in particular about the source of the power Lu Yuanming had just described. They analyzed that power based on his account and suggested that his Healing Ability might be a small manifestation of it, while its core mechanism might be a miraculous force similar to wish-granting. They hoped the country would immediately step up publicity and promote Lu Yuanming nationwide as a War Hero and Hero of Saving People. They even proposed seeking international cooperation to strengthen the source and reserves of the power Lu Yuanming could obtain.

After all this was over, Elder Wang discussed some matters concerning Military and Civilian Affairs with the other leaders, as well as Lu Yuanming's protection and the unknown disasters that might lie ahead. The details could be left aside for now.

As soon as he was done, Elder Wang hurried to take Lu Yuanming away. On the plane, he read the test report on Lu Yuanming's Soul Body, as well as the reports on the Time Limit for using Supernatural Power in the Material World.

"Thirteen minutes. The duration may decrease if the Soul Body moves vigorously... Thirteen minutes is a little short."

Elder Wang thought about the matter more deeply.

As the only Supernatural Being in the world, Lu Yuanming could not only fight the Root of Disaster inside a field, but also use Supernatural Power in the real Material World. His Healing Ability was nothing short of a miracle. While speaking with the central government earlier, Elder Wang had undergone a thorough physical examination. All his old ailments had been cured. His heart, in particular, had recovered to the condition of a man in his forties or fifties, according to the doctor.

All of this showed how important Lu Yuanming was. He knew many crucial details about the root cause of this calamity, as well as the possible apocalyptic disasters to come. He was the most important person by far—more important than Elder Wang himself, more important than any other individual on Earth. But that also meant that many people harbored ill intentions toward him or coveted what he could do. The wealthy and powerful, growing old and frail or suffering from terminal illnesses, would want to be cured. So would warlords, dictators, and old imperialist powers like the USA. Wouldn't they want to control Lu Yuanming?

That was why Lu Yuanming's safety had to be fully secured!

Thirteen minutes of Superman Time was nowhere near enough. The biggest questions were how much using that Superman state drained Lu Yuanming and how serious the side effects were.

"It looks like we'll need to draw up a security protocol for him... The best choice would be someone close to him. He's young, after all, and at that age, it's only natural to be attracted to women," Elder Wang thought to himself.

But those were matters for the future. The most important thing now was the Residual Field on Chunxi Road. Having something like that in a Downtown Area was a huge hidden danger, and it was why Lu Yuanming had to enter it himself.

Before long, the plane landed right on Chunxi Road. The team preparing to enter the Residual Field was ready and waiting: twenty-eight people in total, including eighteen soldiers assigned to security and ten specialists in various fields. With Lu Yuanming accompanying them, the Exploration Team numbered twenty-nine.

Except for Lu Yuanming, the other twenty-eight all wore modified Biohazard Suits, each with an attached Oxygen Tank. The suits could isolate them from all physical contact with the field. Lu Yuanming wore only a Bulletproof Vest and Steel Helmet so his Soul Body could manifest.

Lu Yuanming led the team in, with the eighteen soldiers at the front. The Exploration Team entered the Residual Field.

As soon as they went in, Lu Yuanming's Soul Body emerged behind him. Sure enough, this was a field, and it had Dark Matter Characteristics. At the same time, his Soul Body pinched five Colorless Light Particles and brought its hand down. White Light burst forth, enveloping everyone. The sick were healed, while a faint layer of White Light wrapped around the healthy.

Everyone had already been told that the White Light could protect them from mutation, so no one panicked. As soon as they entered, they began examining their surroundings.

The Residual Field no longer looked like the small island in the sea. They were inside a Damaged Building. Its shape was strange: the walls curved, and the floor was full of bends. The whole structure seemed elliptical rather than the usual box-like shape of a human building.

The ten researchers immediately began collecting samples and operating their equipment. One of them took out a Laptop and began calculating data and measuring various constants. The Exploration Team didn't explore the building, but instead immediately held their position.

Lu Yuanming didn't understand any of that, but he remembered his mission: he was there to protect the Exploration Team.

Just then, one of the researchers let out a startled "Huh?" and immediately called over a few others. They gathered around him and looked at the data he'd calculated, all staring in surprise and uncertainty. Then one of them ran over to Lu Yuanming and asked to leave the building and inspect the area outside.

The building was in ruins, and they could get outside through any of its many gaps. So the soldiers went first, Lu Yuanming followed close behind, and the researchers brought up the rear. The group passed through a huge breach in the wall and left the building. Outside, everything was hazy, like Frosted Glass. They couldn't see anything beyond a hundred meters from the building. The field seemed to be a small area about three hundred meters across, containing only the building and the hundred-meter-wide area around it. Of course, there was also space extending upward, and they could even see the stars through it.

The researchers immediately took samples of the ground, the building's outer wall, and the air. The researcher who seemed to have noticed something called over two others, and the three of them began photographing the starry sky, entering the images into a computer, and calculating formulas.

Minute by minute, the time passed. Lu Yuanming and the military team leader kept checking their watches. They had only thirty minutes for their first exploration. Once time was up, they had to return immediately.

Only five minutes remained before they had to go back. The officer in charge was about to order everyone to regroup when the researcher who'd first exclaimed suddenly shot to his feet, knocking his computer onto the ground. Everyone around him reacted at once. The soldiers pointed their guns toward the surroundings, while Lu Yuanming ran toward the researcher, calling out as he went, "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

The researcher seemed utterly shaken. He pointed at the data on the computer and tried to speak, but couldn't get a single word out. Only when Lu Yuanming reached his side did he finally shout, "N-no, that's impossible! This is..."

"Mars!?"