On Saturday morning, when Lin Hai stood at the Stacy family's front door, he specifically checked the seeds in his backpack, along with a Lemon Balm plant he had brought from the Herbal Plant Shop—the same kind he had given Mrs. Kingpin.
The seeds consisted of three offensive "Azure-Edge Leaf" seeds and two defensive "Ironwall Fruit" seeds that were still in the experimental stage.
Lin Hai had named these seeds himself, and their meanings were straightforward—their functions were obvious at a glance. Harry and Peter had no objections either.
"Come in!" Gwen called as she opened the door. She wore a simple white long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, looking more casual than she did at school.
The scent of toast drifted through the house. Gwen continued, "My dad had to work overtime, so we can use the lab in the basement."
The Stacy family's basement had been converted into a well-equipped small research station. Lin Hai spotted several analytical instruments in the corner that were clearly police-grade.
"Those are old devices the police department phased out. They're completely legal." Gwen noticed where he was looking.
"Okay, that's good." Lin Hai had no objections to Gwen's explanation. He had a good impression of her father, George Stacy, and knew he was a conscientious New York Police Department commissioner who loved his family. Someone like that was unlikely to be involved in anything shady.
He then took out the small Lemon Balm plant from his backpack and told Gwen that it was somewhat like Mint. Keeping it on a desk could purify the air and refresh the mind. When she was feeling drained, she could pluck a leaf, crush it, and hold it beneath her nose. Its faintly sweet scent and calming effects would help her brain rest more effectively.
"Oh! Thanks, I really needed a little potted plant like this to help my muddled brain finish its homework." Gwen happily cracked a joke after receiving the gift. Of course, school homework would never truly stump her.
The next few hours were perhaps the most mentally taxing scientific discussion Lin Hai had had since crossing over.
Gwen broke down the phenomena behind his abilities into dozens of testable hypotheses and examined them one by one through experiments. When Lin Hai demonstrated how he could make an ordinary acorn grow into a sapling within five minutes, Gwen's instruments recorded abnormal fluctuations in a bioelectric field.
"This doesn't make sense..." Gwen frowned at the data.
"The energy conversion efficiency exceeds the theoretical limit of photosynthesis by three hundred times. Unless..." She suddenly looked up. "You can cram every condition needed for a seed to grow into a sapling into an extremely short span of time, and use every bit of it with one hundred percent efficiency!"
"Like programming?" he asked tentatively.
"More like 3D bioprinting!" Gwen excitedly sketched a diagram in her notebook. "You directly 'print' energy and matter into plant tissue, skipping the time accumulation required by the normal growth process!"
The analogy enlightened Lin Hai at once. If that was the case, then the reason for his previous failures was obvious. It had not been a lack of energy, but unclear "program instructions."
"Gwen, you're a genius," Lin Hai said sincerely.
Gwen smiled and shook her head. "I only helped you sort out what you already knew."
She hesitated. "Lin... where do the energy and matter these plants need come from?"
That question struck at the core of the matter, and Lin Hai chose to tell Gwen. "I have some special abilities. What you've seen is only part of their outward manifestation."
He knew he would need Gwen to help turn the experiments and theories he completed through his abilities into something theoretical and data-driven. They would be spending a long time together and having more contact in the future. Keeping it hidden was unrealistic.
Gwen looked surprised, but there was also a trace of understanding in her expression. She was surprised that Lin Hai was a superpowered individual, but that explained how he could conduct these experiments.
"Then the Lemon Balm plant you gave me?"
"Yes, you guessed right."
She picked up an "Azure-Edge Leaf" seed instead. "What about this? Is it also a product of your ability?"
Lin Hai placed the seed in his palm and fed it pure Life Energy. The seed rapidly grew, sharp leaves unfolding like blades.
"Oh my God!" Gwen took half a step back. "Is this... a weapon?"
"For self-defense," Lin Hai quickly explained. "You know, New York nights aren't always safe."
Gwen's expression shifted from shock to concern. "You know if something like this fell into the hands of people with bad intentions..."
"Don't worry, that won't happen. These seeds can't be grown by ordinary means. They need special Life Energy before they'll start growing, so only I can activate them." Lin Hai smiled.
Gwen pondered for a long while before finally nodding. "Things this unusual are always fascinating." She suddenly smiled. "Still, compared to the criminal cases my dad deals with, plants that can be used for fighting are pretty cute."
After that meeting, Lin Hai's research advanced by leaps and bounds. With clearer theoretical guidance and the help of Gwen, Harry, and Peter, he soon developed three basic combat plants, including the "Azure-Edge Leaf":
"Azure-Edge Leaf"—modified Pothos seeds that grew sharp-edged leaves upon activation. They could be wielded by hand or thrown as weapons. With his current physical condition and the reinforcement of the energy in his body, their maximum range could reach twenty meters. The leaves were nearly as hard as steel, yet lighter.
"Ironwall Fruit"—modified from walnut seeds. They could grow a six-centimeter-thick fibrous barrier within thirty seconds. Their cellular structure mimicked bulletproof materials and could even withstand fire from small firearms.
"Heartbind Vine"—inspired by a hybrid of kudzu and dodder. It grew at an astonishing speed while remaining quite tough. It could automatically coil around moving targets, with enough binding force to restrain an adult man.
Lin Hai placed the seeds in a specially customized waist pouch with several separate compartments for easy access.
Another breakthrough in his ability came on a Sunday afternoon.
While practicing in the backyard behind his master's clinic, Lin Hai accidentally cut his arm on thorns he had cultivated himself.
He instinctively directed energy toward the wound and was surprised to find that the bleeding slowed while the tissue began repairing itself at a visible rate.
When he had first felt the Life Energy within his body, he had wondered whether he could use it for healing. Yet none of his attempts had ever succeeded. Clearly, after his first ability mutation, he could now do it.
"Bringing the dead back to life and regrowing bones is still a distant dream, but healing obvious external injuries like scrapes and cuts is no longer a problem." He examined the nearly vanished scar in the mirror.
This healing ability was still too weak to handle serious trauma, but it gave Lin Hai enormous hope. He recalled the healer roles from many novels and games he had encountered in his previous life. Perhaps their abilities were the direction in which his healing power could develop?
The following Monday after school, Lin Hai, Harry, Peter, and Gwen, who had only recently joined their little team, were all in the school biology lab. They had applied for a day's use of the laboratory.
A sudden scream from Peter rang out in the lab that contained only the four of them. Lin Hai turned and saw his friend clutching a cut Fingers, blood dripping onto the table.
"Damn it! Why is the edge of this thing so sharp?" Peter looked toward the office desk in the lab, hoping to find some tissues there.
Lin Hai quickly walked over to Peter and grabbed his hand. "Don't move!" His voice was low, yet carried an unmistakable authority.
Lin Hai pressed his thumb against the Hegu point on Peter's palm. A warm green energy surged from his dantian, flowing through his meridians to his fingertips.
Harry and Gwen leaned in at the same time. Three pairs of widened eyes watched as a faint green glow appeared around Lin Hai's Fingers.
Peter sucked in a breath. The bleeding from the wound visibly slowed, and the skin tissue began healing at a rate visible to the naked eye.
"Oh my God!" Peter's voice jumped an octave. "Since when could you...? I mean, this is even crazier than those seeds last time!"
Harry pushed up his slipping goggles. "The rate of cell proliferation has increased by at least several dozen times!"
"Hey! Look here, you've used this ability on yourself too, haven't you?" Gwen suddenly grabbed Lin Hai's arm, exposing the mark left by the cut he had healed yesterday.
Lin Hai nodded and continued focusing on Peter's wound.
He found healing others far more difficult than healing himself. He had to concentrate intensely and precisely control the energy output to avoid triggering any other unexpected adverse reactions.
Five minutes later, only a faint pink mark remained on Peter's finger.
"It doesn't hurt at all!" Peter flexed his finger. "This actually feels pretty nice. Lin, how many more surprises do you have that we don't know about?"
Lin Hai smiled tiredly, fine sweat seeping from his forehead. This treatment had consumed far more energy than he had expected, both physically and mentally.
Gwen suddenly fell silent and rolled up her left sleeve, revealing a small, ugly burn scar on the inside of her elbow. "This was from a little accident when I was twelve. Can you...?"
Girls always cared about their appearance. This scar had made Gwen afraid to wear clothes with sleeves that were too short. Harry and Peter stared at Lin Hai with the eager expressions of huskies, hoping to witness this "miracle."
Lin Hai looked at the expectant eyes of his three friends. "I can try, but I can't guarantee the final result."
After resting for a while, green light shone from his fingertips again. Peter and Harry's eyes also gleamed with excitement as they kept turning their heads between Lin Hai and Gwen.
Peter said, "Man, this is way cooler than growing Kick Mint! Every time I eat your Mint, I practically want to rip out my tongue!"
Laughter erupted in the lab for the first time in a long while. Lin Hai felt the path of energy flowing through Gwen's scar tissue and watched the twisted scar gradually smooth out. At that moment, he believed his past thoughts had been right—some secrets were meant to be shared with the people who mattered.
Before you continue