How could something like this be possible? Could a Superpower even accomplish something like this?
No! That wasn't right!
It was precisely because it could accomplish something like this that it revealed how terrifying Superpowers truly were!
But a Superpower capable of cutting off air was simply too terrifying! Whether for humans or other living creatures that needed to breathe, it was an extremely threatening Superpower!
"More accurately, I didn't cut off the air. I merely controlled the oxygen around your body so that you couldn't take it in."
"I didn't touch the oxygen inside your body. Your current situation is equivalent to holding your breath. With your current physique, lasting five to ten minutes wouldn't be difficult."
Bai Xuan seemed to have seen through Huo Yu's thoughts and explained with a smile.
Then, with a casual wave of his hand, Huo Yu found that she could breathe normally again, though her breathing instinctively became somewhat hurried.
If she were holding her breath normally, there naturally would have been no problem, because whether to breathe depended on her own will. But if she were passively unable to breathe, unable to take in the oxygen she needed, the fear and panic in her heart would be indescribable.
After a brief silence, Huo Yu digested the shock Bai Xuan had given her.
"What range can you control?"
"And for how long?"
There was nothing more to say. Regardless of what Bai Xuan's true Superpower was, merely being able to control oxygen was enough to make them take him far more seriously.
Oxygen was simply too important to humanity!
After all, oxygen was the gas that sustained normal human respiration. Without oxygen, humans would die.
It started with dizziness, blurred vision, weakness in the limbs, and physical frailty, then progressed to nausea, irritability, near suffocation, and a state of utter listlessness, before finally ending in unconsciousness and death!
Oxygen was one of the most important factors in human survival!
Although some experts had once proposed that oxygen was the chief culprit behind the shortening of human lifespans, and that humans could live longer without it, the humans who could survive without oxygen definitely were not humans in the modern sense.
Humans today, without exaggeration, would die without oxygen!
Under such circumstances, it went without saying just how terrifying Bai Xuan's ability to control oxygen was.
More importantly, judging from Bai Xuan's words, he could even directly extract the oxygen from inside a human body!
What did that represent?
Suppose that, with the Reiki Revival, everyone's Superpowers grew stronger and their physical constitutions improved. Some people might even be able to go an hour, a day, or even ten days without breathing.
Against such people, Bai Xuan's oxygen-controlling Superpower would not seem so powerful. They could simply kill Bai Xuan first, and wouldn't the oxygen return afterward?
But if Bai Xuan could control the oxygen inside the human body, then no matter how powerful an Esper was, as long as they still needed to breathe and needed oxygen, no matter how long they could endure without taking in oxygen, they would die in the shortest possible time!
Taking the brain alone as an example, if the oxygen cycle within the brain were completely cut off, the other party would lose consciousness within ten seconds.
Ten seconds! Even if the Reiki Revival was a means of refining the human body, how powerful would an Esper have to be to transform the brain, the most important region of the human body? And after transforming it, how much longer could they extend that time?
Could they kill Bai Xuan within that time?
One had to know that Bai Xuan's Superpower was far more than simply controlling oxygen! As far as they knew, he also possessed the ability to control the Venus element and The Thunder element!
In terms of talent, Huo Yu did not think anyone could surpass Bai Xuan! Not even herself, nor those monsters in the military district!
"The range? Does something like that matter?"
"Or would you believe me if I told you?"
Bai Xuan smiled and spoke in a calm tone.
"That's right. Before an ability like this, no matter what you say, I can't possibly believe it."
"I believe they won't either."
Huo Yu gave a bitter laugh. Before the ability to control oxygen, whatever Bai Xuan said was meaningless.
Even if one obtained complete data, there would still be people questioning its authenticity.
"Your ability really is terrifying."
Huo Yu put away the documents and could not help sighing.
As for Bai Xuan's Superpower, she did not even know what words she should use to describe it.
He could control the Venus element, The Thunder element, and even oxygen. Could it be that he could freely control all the elements of nature?
"There is no longer any need to sign the documents. Given the talent you've displayed, this kind of written agreement has little binding force over you."
"As long as you don't do anything illegal or taboo, or endanger the country and its people, that's enough."
"But let me make one thing clear first. I believe you because I witnessed your ability with my own eyes, but others may not. If nothing unexpected happens, people will definitely come to challenge you later."
"You can handle that matter as you see fit. Just don't kill them."
After learning how terrifying Bai Xuan was, Huo Yu's words became exceedingly tolerant. Otherwise, such words should never have come from an official like her.
Talented individuals had to be treated differently.
Especially now, during the Reiki Revival. Such talent was not talent in scientific research, but talent in combat. What if they failed to treat him well and he turned against them?
Who knew what the upper limit of Superpowers was? What if they were stronger than humanoid nuclear bombs?
"You really are tolerant."
Upon hearing Huo Yu's words, Bai Xuan had initially thought she was joking. After all, how could the country possibly grant someone so much freedom? But now, it seemed to be true.
"What else could we do but be tolerant?"
Huo Yu rolled her eyes and said irritably.
"It's not as if I haven't investigated you. You have excellent grades, mature thinking, and your own plans for the future."
"Normally, neither intelligent people nor ordinary people would reject the country's recruitment, because they know the country cannot possibly allow Espers who possessed great power at the beginning of the Reiki Revival to live freely among the public."
"Because they are unstable bombs. If they don't explode, that's one thing, but once they do, they will endanger the public."
"Joining the country and accepting its supervision is their best option."
"But you—if there weren't conditions attractive enough to draw you in, you intended to refuse, didn't you?"
"You couldn't possibly be unaware of the country's attitude toward geniuses, yet you still considered doing so. What does that mean? You have complete confidence in your own strength!"
"That confidence is not in your future potential, but in the present! You believe your current strength alone is enough to negotiate with the country."
"You couldn't possibly be unaware of how powerful the country is. After all, this is the information age. Many things can be found online. Even if the information isn't complete, one can still learn seventy or eighty percent of it."
"Furthermore, when you learned that there were quite a few Espers like me in the country, and even Espers stronger than me, you showed no panic whatsoever. Instead, you seemed relieved, as though you felt that you were no longer alone."
"If you are not arrogant and conceited, then there is only one explanation: the Superpower you awakened is incredibly powerful—so powerful that even after considering all these factors, you still believe you have the qualifications and confidence to negotiate."
Before you continue