Superpower (Please Bookmark)

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Fang Xing opened the delivery box and took out the drones and surveillance equipment inside.

A sweet, rounded voice sounded, then fell silent.

At Fang Xing's request, all the drones had been designed to resemble various simulated birds, while the surveillance equipment came loaded with camouflage functions.

"My wallet..."

He silently observed three seconds of mourning for his wallet, then made his preparations and began the crossing!

Silver light flashed.

Other World.

Temporary camp.

The camp had now been concealed beneath a layer of camouflage. From high above, it looked no different from the surrounding jungle.

The reason for this was that Fang Xing had been badly startled by the flying monster he had seen before, and had hurriedly upgraded the camp's camouflage.

After all, this is only a temporary camp. It isn't secure enough...

I need to consider setting up a permanent base. A cave in a cliff face, or digging underground... The deeper, the better.

For Fang Xing, there was no such thing as being trapped somewhere and unable to get out.

Therefore, the deeper the cave, the more it could buy him three seconds to escape—and the safer it would be!

Wait! Doesn't that mean... I'm going to turn into a burrowing rat?

No, a hamster sounds cuter...

After making that quip, Fang Xing looked at the surveillance monitor.

"Hmm?"

After scanning it a few times, his eyes immediately lit up.

Based on the route the Four-Person Team had taken before, he had sent the drones to conduct an intensive search eastward—the direction they had come from. As expected, he had found something.

"A hundred miles east, there are signs of a human settlement!"

Fang Xing looked at a photograph showing the outlines of field ridges.

Around the ridges stood houses built from wood and thatch, and people seemed to be farming in the fields.

"Farmland?"

"Looks like these surveillance devices are finally going to be useful."

"Even if those farmers are martial artists, they're probably in their seventies or eighties. Their qi-blood is weak, and they may be deaf or half-blind... They won't immediately spot the surveillance devices. I can send out the simulated bird drones and scatter the cameras disguised as rocks, beetles, and the like..."

By Fang Xing's estimate, only the leader of the four-person group he had encountered before—the Uncut Jade Realm martial artist—had any real chance of discovering the surveillance equipment.

After all, martial artists who reached the Uncut Jade Realm generally possessed a kind of Innate spiritual awareness, making them adept at detecting hostile gazes.

Although surveillance equipment was more like an inanimate object, there was still a chance it could be discovered.

If it were an Uncut Jade Martial Artist from the Blue Star Federation, the chance of discovery would be higher...

The native martial artists here probably don't understand technology, nor do they have interference or detection equipment. The chances are lower... Let's do it!

Fang Xing set the program and ordered the simulated birds to take flight.

A closer look would reveal that their claws were also carrying little things such as stones and beetles.

These simulated birds would travel a hundred miles to the farmland area, then drop the surveillance devices disguised as pebbles, beetles, and so on.

Then... they would silently collect information and data...

More than ten days later.

Yucai High School.

Fang Xing silently held his stance, focusing his consciousness on the Attribute Panel:

First Realm: Skin and Flesh (Skin Refinement: 99/100)

Military Body Boxing Twelve Forms: 9/100 (Proficient)

Great Dragon Stance: 29/100 (Proficient)

"Just a little more, and my Skin Refinement will be complete!"

Looking at his martial arts realm, Fang Xing was quite satisfied. "It's just that the Great Dragon Stance still hasn't entered the next level—the Third Stage Xia Long Teacher mentioned. I'll most likely only achieve Bronze Skin... Fortunately, skin and flesh are part of the same realm. After Flesh Refinement, if the Great Dragon Stance reaches the Third Stage, it will continue refining my skin membrane, transforming Bronze Skin into Jade Skin."

Just then, he caught sight of a pair of eyes filled with undisguised hatred.

The bloodshot eyes belonged to a tall white youth.

"Cole..."

Fang Xing smiled faintly. "What, do you want another spar?"

"No. Let's wait until the Final Exam."

Cole withdrew his gaze and answered politely.

That restraint made Fang Xing regard him more highly, while also raising his guard slightly.

"A Xing, be careful. I heard Cole's family has some money. After losing to you last time, he hired a private coach and spent heavily on qi-blood supplements..."

Liu Wei came up beside Fang Xing and lowered his voice in warning.

Martial arts required steady progress, one step at a time. There was no such thing as achieving a breakthrough of the mind today and having one's supernatural abilities soar overnight.

Even with the guidance of a famous teacher and sufficient resources, it would still take time for those advantages to bear fruit!

Fang Xing could even sense that Cole's strength was in a period of rapid growth.

By the time of the Final Exam, he might come as a huge surprise!

"Don't worry. Before absolute strength, all schemes and tricks are useless."

Fang Xing answered confidently.

He had an entire Other World as his resource base and a cultivation environment like a Cosmic Secret Realm. He would only grow stronger faster than Cole!

After all, Cole's family circumstances were only so-so. They might not even compare to Gu Yun's!

If Cole truly planned to make trouble during the Final Exam, Fang Xing wouldn't mind letting him experience what true despair felt like!

"A Xing, you've changed so much."

Liu Wei fell silent.

"Everyone changes."

Fang Xing replied.

"Yeah... everyone changes. I hope I can grow stronger too... I have no resources, and my talent isn't as good as yours, A Xing. Now I can only pray that one day I'll suddenly awaken and become an Ability User."

Liu Wei spoke as if he were joking.

"An Ability User? That evolution path isn't all that great..."

Fang Xing shook his head.

So-called "Ability Users" could also be called "Mutants," and their origins were rather strange.

Although most scientific research showed that Ability Users possessed all sorts of bizarre powers, mostly resulting from genetic mutations—a highly random process—one undeniable fact was that Ability Users had not appeared after humanity entered the cosmic age, but after Great Disaster Day!

Genes could mutate in the first place, and it was understandable that humanity would begin evolving after coming into contact with the universe. But according to the Blue Star Federation's projections, such gradual genetic evolution should have taken tens of thousands of years.

Yet after Great Disaster Day, this "process" seemed to have been accelerated hundreds or even thousands of times by some existence.

Some sects even claimed that Ability Users were the favored children of extraterrestrial gods, a "new humanity"!

That was precisely why locating the Extraterrestrial Evil God suspected to possess the Authority of "superpowers" was one of the Blue Star Federation's key strategic objectives.

"Since the origins of Ability Users are unclear... suddenly awakening a superpower might not necessarily be a good thing."

Fang Xing continued.

"I think superpowers have nothing to do with Extraterrestrial Evil Gods. They're simply the normal result of genetic mutations, and the odds are far too low anyway. I was just talking... Besides, wasn't last year's College Entrance Exam top scorer on Chuying Star an Ability User? They weren't subjected to any restrictions or discrimination..."

Liu Wei looked unconcerned, but his feelings were complicated beyond words.

He thought of the black-clothed heretic who had suddenly come to find him before. The man had wanted to recruit him into a sect, offering to help him awaken a flesh-and-blood-type superpower!

Whether it was Steel Physique or Super Regeneration, even the lowest-grade Strength Doubling would bring enormous benefits to a martial artist!

Once acquired, advancing in martial arts by leaps and bounds would be entirely possible!

After all, even the low-level superpower Strength Doubling would have counted as "innate divine strength" in ancient times—the mark of a naturally gifted martial arts prodigy!

He truly had been hesitating...

Compared with naturally awakening a superpower, a deliberately induced awakening was undoubtedly inseparable from an Extraterrestrial Evil God.

Once he became involved, he would be stepping into an abyss!

But... if I can't awaken a superpower, what can I use to surpass A Xing?

If I can't even surpass A Xing, how will I succeed in the College Entrance Exam? How will I escape the Flesh Battlefield?

How... will I make Lian Yi look at me seriously?

Liu Wei secretly clenched his fists.

"Why bring this up all of a sudden? Don't tell me... you awakened?"

Fang Xing suddenly looked at Liu Wei with some suspicion.

"If only I had."

Liu Wei faced him calmly.

He was still wavering and had not accepted the "gift," so he had nothing to hide.

Even if he went to the Infirmary for a genetic test, it would surely reveal nothing.

"I see... Although awakening a superpower on your own is dangerous, people like us have to take a gamble if we want to succeed..."

"Even becoming an Ability User is better than being cannon fodder."

"Besides, maybe Ability Users are simply part of the natural order. Maybe the Federation is overthinking it all."

Fang Xing suspected that his classmate really had awakened some kind of superpower, so he changed the subject and offered a measure of comfort.

Yet that very comfort stung Liu Wei's pride.

"Yeah... if only I had."

Liu Wei murmured.

He had originally still been hesitant, but as he watched his classmates improve at astonishing speed—

Especially Fang Xing, who had come from the same background as him, now surpassing him—he finally made up his mind!

Even if I fall into the abyss, I still want to see that fleeting moment of light!

Thank you to alliance leader Elvin2016 for the reward. The bonus chapter will be made up after release.