But just as Chen Xiao thought he could catch his breath,
Kitty suddenly turned her face toward him. Sunlight slanted across her face, her eyes shining as though they held flecks of gold. Her fair skin was tinged with pink, like a thin layer of warm jade, glowing with vitality.
So pretty, Chen Xiao silently praised.
Kitty's eyelashes fluttered, and she asked with a smile, "Vitas, we have tomorrow off. Want to go wander around Westchester together?"
"...We're allowed to leave campus?" Chen Xiao froze, his voice full of surprise.
"Pfft." She couldn't help laughing, her eyes curving, her expression radiant. "The school isn't a prison. Of course we can go out!"
After laughing, her tone softened. "But you haven't been here long, and you haven't asked anyone, so it's understandable that you didn't know."
"The school actually organizes an outing every two or three months. Teachers lead everyone to nearby Westchester for a whole day of fun, giving everyone a chance to stretch their legs."
"But normally, students aren't allowed to leave campus without permission."
"After all, people outside are deeply prejudiced against mutants, and ordinary students have limited abilities. If they run into trouble, they can easily come off worse."
"It's different for us X-Men members. We can go out whenever we want, as long as we let the professor know beforehand."
Chen Xiao was slightly taken aback. "If you hadn't told me, I really would've been completely in the dark."
"So that means I can come and go freely now too, and take a look around town?"
"Of course."
Kitty nodded. "With your skills, you could come out unscathed even if regular troops surrounded you. Westchester is just a short walk from here. Safety isn't something you need to worry about at all."
"Tomorrow happens to be a day off and the next scheduled outing, so I thought I'd ask if you wanted to come along. I'm planning to buy a couple of new clothes."
"I see. Let's go together, then. I need a few outfits that fit too." Chen Xiao agreed readily.
Over the past half month, he had shot up from 175 centimeters to nearly 180. His shoulders and back had grown increasingly firm, his muscles clearly defined and powerful, and all his old clothes had become uncomfortably tight.
As luck would have it, Professor X had just transferred a hundred thousand dollars to his account, more than enough to buy dozens of new clothes.
Thinking of Clarice, she seemed to have only three outfits in total. They had been washed gray, their cuffs were fraying, and they had long since stopped fitting. He might as well pick out a few sets for her tomorrow.
Girls looked all the more lively in fresh, neat clothes.
Just as that thought passed, Chen Xiao suddenly realized he hadn't seen the girl that afternoon. He instinctively turned his head, sweeping his gaze over the distant lawn.
His gaze passed over scattered groups of people, and he spotted her at once beneath the grape arbor in a corner of the garden.
The black-haired girl was standing on tiptoe before a small kitchen counter, concentrating on kneading dough. A little patch of white flour had rubbed onto the tip of her nose, making her look adorably silly yet especially lively.
The corners of Chen Xiao's mouth rose involuntarily.
Days like these really do feel grounding.
He sighed softly, withdrew his gaze, and closed his eyes. His awareness sank into his body as he carefully savored the subtle rhythm of power surging and growing without pause.
Last night's battle had made him fully understand the weight strength carried.
He had fought his way up from the fifth basement level, relying entirely on a physique and explosive power that overwhelmed ordinary people.
Had he still been the office worker crushed breathless by life, or a helpless high school student, he couldn't even have gotten close to a single armed guard, much less rescued anyone.
Last night had also brought considerable gains: the one point of Origin from the mission settlement, the newly unlocked Virtual Battlefield, and that piece of Adamantium.
For the moment, he had held off on spending that one point of Origin. Should he use it now, or wait until Bronze Peak to break through in one go?
One would produce immediate results; the other would build up toward a powerful breakthrough.
He was actually more inclined to exchange it for a mental ability, such as telekinesis, to truly put his mental talent, which far surpassed that of ordinary people, to work.
Unfortunately, the system wouldn't allow it.
He planned to enter the Virtual Battlefield that night. During the day, basking in the sun was more comfortable. After all, each trip inside amounted to suffering a real, violent death. It was far too agonizing.
At six in the afternoon, the sun sank westward, and the light quietly grew warmer. Chen Xiao's eyelids stirred, and he slowly opened his eyes.
An entire day of tempering in sunlight had sent all his physical attributes leaping upward again: his grip strength had soared from twenty tons to twenty-four.
That meant a full-powered punch from a stationary position could conservatively deliver fifty tons of impact. With the added kinetic energy from a subsonic charge, a single strike could easily exceed a hundred tons.
This progression, where the stronger he became, the more he gained, and the more he gained, the faster he grew, simply defied common sense. It was even more outrageous than cheating.
Fortunately, this cheat was his.
Muttering that to himself with delight, Chen Xiao turned to look. Kitty had long since disappeared, and Clarice was sitting beside him instead.
The black-haired girl sat on the grass with her legs tucked up, engrossed in a sixty-page "Dragon Ball" manga whose pages had curled from reading and which had been bound twice.
Sensing his gaze, she lifted her head, her eyes sparkling. "Vitas, you're awake?"
"Yeah, I'm awake."
"It's getting dark. Let's go have dinner."
"Okay."
In the cafeteria that evening, Chen Xiao looked at the girl across from him and casually asked, "Clarice, what were you busy with this afternoon?"
She looked up, her voice soft. "Learning to make pastries with a teacher."
"Did it go smoothly?" He was a little curious.
She pouted and muttered quietly, "I tried a few times... and messed them all up."
"It's okay. Skills like that take repeated practice. Try a few more times, and you'll naturally get the hang of it." He gently reassured her.
Of course, she might also discover through practice that she really wasn't cut out for it, and finally throw in the towel with a smile.
After all, who could say for sure without trying it themselves?
Reassured by Chen Xiao, she obediently nodded. Then her eyes lit up. "Vitas, I've read 'Dragon Ball' five times already! When are you going to draw what happens next?"
To help her shake off the afternoon's dejection, Chen Xiao thought for a moment. "...Tonight."
After dinner, while it still wasn't completely dark, he paid Professor X another visit.
In the underground base's medical area, the professor was bent over his desk reading documents. Hearing the knock, he looked up, his gaze gentle. "Vitas, you have something you want to ask."
Chen Xiao nodded, sat down across from him, and got straight to the point:
"Professor, my mental power is clearly very strong, so why haven't I awakened abilities like telekinesis or mental scanning?"
At Chen Xiao's question, Professor X smiled softly. "So that's what's been on your mind. We'll have to start with the traits of the human mind."
"The mind has different traits?" Chen Xiao was somewhat surprised.
Professor X nodded. "That's right. The mind does possess different traits. For instance, the telepathy I awakened stems from the 'mind intangible trait.'"
"So even though my mental power has become extraordinarily strong over the years, I still cannot touch reality. I can't even lift a cup."
"I can clearly sense that your mental power is exceptionally abundant, even substantial."
"As for why it has yet to manifest any mental abilities, that is very likely closely connected to your mutant gift."
"It's related to my mutant ability?" Chen Xiao seemed to grasp something.
Professor X spoke calmly. "Exactly. When a mutant first awakens, their mind, or rather the origin of their consciousness, has actually already been quietly reshaped by the X-Gene."
"After all, the body and consciousness are two sides of the same coin."
"This also explains why some mutants grow increasingly extreme in their emotions over time: brutality, bloodlust, uncontrollable aggression..."
"It is because their power itself is eroding their minds in turn, then distorting their consciousness and emotions."
"Your mental power is strong enough, yet it has not developed any ability to interfere with reality. That means your mind did not acquire the trait of 'materialization' when you awakened."
"Unless your ability someday breaks through its limits and achieves the reversal of turning your mind from intangible to tangible, you won't be able to move a speck of dust, no matter how strong it becomes."
"Of course, there is another possibility: a second activation of the X-Gene."
"But you've read the relevant data too. The probability is practically zero."
"Furthermore, because everyone's mental traits differ, once they encounter outside mental interference, their own abilities will also be affected."
"In mild cases, their progress stalls. In severe cases, they may never advance another inch for the rest of their lives."
"That is why, unless necessary, I have always offered only gentle guidance rather than forcibly intervening."
"For instance, the students rescued from the research institute suffered severe damage to their consciousness. I won't rashly delve into the depths of their memories to block or alter the traumatic episodes."
"Because the essence of my ability is to cover existing memory traces with psychic energy, then implant new content."
Chen Xiao nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Professor."
Professor X smiled warmly. "Teaching you is my duty. There's no need to thank me."
Having cleared up his confusion about mental matters, Chen Xiao did not disturb him any further. He stood and took his leave.
Back in his single dorm room, he showered and dried his hair.
Then he put on a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, laid out paper and drawing tools, and prepared to fulfill his promise to Clarice.
Just as he was about to begin drawing, a soft knock came from outside.
He opened the door to find Clarice standing there in white pajamas printed with little bears. The ends of her hair were slightly damp; she had clearly just showered.
She tightly hugged the roughly hand-drawn manga to her chest.
She blinked, her eyes filled with anticipation. "Vitas, have you started drawing already?"
Seeing how eager she looked, Chen Xiao couldn't help chuckling. He raised a hand and ruffled the wisps of hair over her forehead. "I was just about to start. Come in."
Once the young girl entered, he left the door open rather than closing it.
Being alone together in a room late at night with the door shut for too long would hardly be appropriate.
He didn't mind himself, but he had to consider the girl's reputation. People's hearts were unpredictable, and rumors often spread faster than knives.
The first chapter of "Dragon Ball" told of Bulma going into the mountains in search of a monkey, happening upon Son Goku, and coaxing him into coming down the mountain with her to find the Dragon Balls. It also introduced the Dragon Balls' premise and Capsule technology.
The second chapter covered amusing incidents after the two set out, such as Goku waking early in the morning and discovering that Bulma had no balls.
The third chapter told of them rescuing Master Roshi's sea turtle along the way, encountering a robber while taking it back to the sea, and delivering it safely to the shore after driving the robber away.
Each chapter ran over thirty pages, with more than a hundred panels. Drawing from memory, Chen Xiao finished the third chapter in half an hour.
"Wow! Vitas, you're amazing!"
Looking at the stack of manuscript pages on the desk, Clarice's eyes sparkled. She hurriedly put them in order, one by one, following the page numbers Chen Xiao had marked in the lower-left corners.