Chapter 208 The Hand of God
Ling Yun froze: "Xiao Rou, when did you get out? Weren't you going through the third simulation? How come you're here so quickly?"
Gu Xiaorou's voice was a little lazy: "I just came out too. I was planning to rest for a bit, but I really wanted to sneak a peek at what you were doing, and then I discovered something so interesting. If I had known this would happen, I would have gotten out of the third simulation earlier."
Ling Yun chuckled wryly and touched his nose, thinking to himself, "Fun? You're still doing this to keep an eye on me, aren't you?"
The Yellow Book Barrier within his body was originally merely a spiritual imprint. Although it possessed an extremely complex structure and vast space, only the spiritual entity could enter; non-spiritual entities were inaccessible. Even after Ling Yun took control of the Yellow Book Barrier from Yu Xiujie, he could still only enter the barrier using his spiritual energy field, while his physical body remained outside. This was determined by the barrier's characteristics and structure. Even Yu Xiujie, in creating the Yellow Book Barrier, ultimately abandoned his physical body, dedicating only his spiritual entity to it.
If Ling Yun hadn't had that extraordinary encounter upon entering the Heavenly Net Barrier, the Yellow Book Barrier would probably still be the same as before, unchanged.
All the changes occurred after Lingyun left the core space. After Lingyun's body was crystallized by energy, the characteristics of the yellow book barrier also changed. Lingyun was surprised to find that under the control of the Heavenly Net Barrier Model, the yellow book barrier also had the wonderful function of overlapping space. Moreover, it no longer existed as a pure spiritual imprint, but became a self-contained entity, forming a wonderful and independent space.
This space is both independent and intimately connected to him, more like a newfound ability born from the Lingyun Energy Crystal. However, this ability is far too powerful; not only can it survive independently without the need for Lingyun's energy, but it also combines offense and defense. Lingyun essentially possesses a weapon he can never discard and that no one will ever notice. With the yellow book's barrier present, his safety is implicitly guaranteed.
In this way, Ling Yun essentially carries an invisible house with him, and one of immense size, capable of housing not only his spiritual body but also physical objects. In a sense, this is the legendary supernatural power of a mustard seed space, a technique only gods can master. No other supernatural being can even dream of achieving it.
Of course, Ling Yun only received this benefit because of a fortuitous encounter, and no one else could possibly experience such an encounter.
However, as the true form of the yellow book barrier, Ling Yun's real self still cannot enter the barrier, just as no matter how strong a person is, they cannot lift themselves up by their hair.
The first thing Ling Yun did after discovering that the barrier could allow physical entities to enter was to let Gu Xiaorou go inside for training. He wanted to experience the same training that Old Master Yu had given him. However, Gu Xiaorou's training of supernatural abilities from a young age had become ingrained. If he were to return her to a state where she only possessed a mental energy field, like a blank sheet of paper, she would not be able to achieve the state of emptiness and clarity without thought.
In truth, even if Ling Yun had experienced the same complex and intricate journey as Gu Xiaorou before meeting Yu Xiujie, he still wouldn't have been able to achieve the state of emptiness and clarity devoid of thought. This has nothing to do with talent or hard work; it's entirely a matter of circumstance. It's like a blank sheet of paper that can be sketched on at will; whatever you draw on it becomes what it is. But once a drawing has been made on a sheet of paper, altering it becomes almost impossible. Fortunately, Ling Yun met Yu Xiujie shortly after acquiring his supernatural abilities, thus beginning his extraordinary life.
After being sent away from the headquarters of superpowers by Tang Tiejin, the two decided not to return to school. Instead, they went to the apartment that Gu Xiaorou had unintentionally bought, a secret place known only to the two of them.
Ling Yun mainly wanted to use a period of quiet reflection to sort out his experiences at the Superpower Headquarters. Whether it was the crystallization of his body's energy, the control of the Skynet Barrier, Ye Feng's sword strike, or the vast amount of memory information he obtained from Xue Tong and the other two, as well as the most important Superpower God's Hand, he had swallowed it all and stored it in his brain. Most of it had not yet been digested and understood. Moreover, time was too tight at the Superpower Headquarters, and he had neither the time nor the energy to do these things.
Although he had time after returning to school, there were too many rules and it was inconvenient. Therefore, Ling Yun thought of asking the school for a leave of absence for a while to consolidate the results of his cultivation during this period.
Gu Xiaorou naturally had no objections; on the contrary, she strongly supported it. The reason she entered Jinghua University was entirely for Ling Yun's sake, so she had no interest in her studies. Moreover, the young girl had a little something in mind: being able to live alone with Ling Yun in this secret little world for a period of time was the happiest and most joyful time in Xiaorou's twenty years.
Ling Yun chose to call the dean directly to ask for leave. Since they had met before, he had no choice but to take advantage of that relationship.
The old intellectual, who had always believed Ling Yun to be some kind of secret agent, readily agreed without questioning why. He clearly considered Ling Yun a spy from the national security department, infiltrated into the university to crack a major international case. Finally, the old man couldn't resist and mysteriously inquired about Ling Yun's identity. Ling Yun could only offer a few perfunctory answers, pretending to subtly reveal that he wasn't an ordinary person, thus satisfying the dean's unusually strong curiosity. He even managed to get leave for Gu Xiaorou at the same time, making the dean later wonder why he had to ask for leave for a female student when he had a mission. Was Gu Xiaorou also a national agent? He couldn't help but secretly sigh, "Jinghua University truly produces a constant stream of talented people!"
Since Gu Xiaorou could no longer enter the second level of the barrier to cultivate the Void Clarity Realm, and the combat training on the third level seemed too basic, Ling Yun directly placed her into the Segment Simulation. The setup remained the same as before, starting from the first segment simulation and progressing to the highest, the fifth segment simulation. However, having thoroughly grasped the structural characteristics of the barrier, Ling Yun was able to discern the difficulty of each segment simulation. Given Gu Xiaorou's strength, entering the fifth segment simulation would clearly be quite challenging, and the barrier's randomness was considerable, strictly adhering to the abilities of the individuals entering the simulation.
It's not that Gu Xiaorou's experience will be exactly the same as Ling Yun's. Depending on the time and people involved in the simulation, the environment and gains will vary greatly. What Gu Xiaorou learns from the simulation may not be what Ling Yun wants her to learn, but it is precisely what Gu Xiaorou needs most. Ling Yun has already vaguely sensed this.
Gu Xiaorou was utterly shocked by the yellow book barrier. Unlike Ling Yun, who was previously an ordinary person, Gu Xiaorou, having grown up with many supernatural abilities, naturally understood what the yellow book barrier meant. This kind of barrier, possessing creative power, could no longer be called a barrier; it was a kingdom, a kingdom of gods, and the creator of this kingdom was a god. The girl could only marvel at Ling Yun having such a powerful teacher. In comparison, Ling Yun's special abilities seemed insignificant, and in terms of progress, they were actually somewhat lagging behind.
A month of peace passed in the blink of an eye. In addition to cultivating his superpowers, Ling Yun also had to find time to study his major courses. His semester at Jinghua University was almost over, and the final exams were in another month. He had less than two weeks of class time in total. If he didn't study, he would probably fail and have to retake the exams. Although the dean could make special arrangements, Ling Yun was still quite serious about his studies. Fortunately, after gaining his superpowers, his brain was far more developed than that of ordinary people. In one month, even if he only studied for two hours a day, he completed all the courses for his first and second years.
Gu Xiaorou had a nonchalant attitude towards this. Her environment was too far from the school; for her, the school was merely a place to hide her identity. Whether she was expelled or rewarded, the girl didn't care. Moreover, having grown up abroad, English was as fluent as her mother tongue, so even without attending classes, learning English was effortless for her. The girl, however, showed unusual interest in the fracture simulation. Except for the time she had to spend with Ling Yun, she practically spent entire nights on it. After conquering the first two sections of the simulation, Gu Xiaorou completed them almost in one go and moved on to the third section.
It was no wonder Zhou Ping and Ding Hao were so unlucky. On the night Ling Yun was preparing to return to school, he happened to witness Yang Yuqi's kidnapping. Ling Yun didn't stop it on the spot, but instead followed the clues to Zhou Ping's residence. He hadn't cared about Zhou Ping and Ding Hao before, just like a superior wouldn't care about their subordinates. But unexpectedly, Zhou Ping would use his friends to threaten him. Luckily, Ling Yun happened to see it; if he had returned a day later or a day earlier, Yang Yuqi might have suffered a terrible fate.
Thinking of this, Ling Yun's heart hardened. It wasn't that Yang Yuqi was particularly important to him, but rather that Zhou Ping had crossed his bottom line. No matter what, their feud shouldn't involve innocent bystanders. Zhou Ping's actions were tantamount to forcing Ling Yun to take action against him. Of course, Ling Yun could reprimand him again, or add an IOU, but that would only ever be a threat, not a guarantee that Zhou Ping wouldn't harbor ulterior motives. If he could kidnap Yang Yuqi today, he might kidnap his own family tomorrow. Ling Yun was well aware of the power these wealthy people wielded in society; in a sense, through their connections, they could legally wield influence like superhumans.
Killing Zhou Ping and Ding Hao would certainly solve everything, but it would cause a lot of trouble. At the very least, disposing of the bodies would be a problem, and the sudden disappearance of the two would cause a huge social uproar. Especially Zhou Ping, with his complex family and social background and considerable influence in society.
Ling Yun wasn't afraid of trouble; in fact, he could have easily made things completely undetectable, leaving no trace even for the most professional police. However, it would still be inconvenient, especially since Zhou Ping and Ding Hao didn't deserve to die. Therefore, erasing their memories to prevent them from becoming heartless rich playboys became necessary, and for Ling Yun, this was a simple matter. From then on, he could solve the problem once and for all, no longer needing to worry about being spied on by malicious individuals.
"I'll send her back to school first, then use hypnosis to erase her memories of tonight. That way, she won't remember anything when she wakes up, and it'll save us a lot of trouble." After thinking for a while in silence, Ling Yun slowly revealed his idea.
"Didn't you say she's a recessive gene-based superhuman?" Gu Xiaorou said. "Even ghosts couldn't possess her successfully, do you think hypnosis would work?"
"Let's give it a try. I'm not very confident either. If it doesn't work, we'll just come up with another reason." Ling Yun said calmly, but there was a hint of eagerness on his face. Although Yang Yuqi was a latent gene ability user with her mental field integrated into her body, and although she looked and had the same abilities as an ordinary person, her mental field had involuntarily formed an invisible and imperceptible prototype that could withstand a certain amount of mental impact. This was the main reason why the ghost had never been able to possess her successfully.
However, Ling Yun was different. After a month of patient study, he had gained some understanding of the wonders of the Hand of God. Moreover, through his studies in biology and genetics, he had roughly grasped the basic structure of the human gene distribution in the entire field. Knowing how to arrange it and how to adjust it, and with the optimized data of various superpowers in his mind, Ling Yun couldn't resist trying the most creative approach in human history: artificial gene mutation.
Strictly speaking, this is already challenging the limits of nature. Although the Hand of God has the ability to adjust genes, it is unknown whether the adjustment will be stable, whether it will cause a chain reaction, or even whether the adjusted object will become a monster. Although Ling Yun was stimulated by the Hand of God and really wanted to experiment, reason ultimately suppressed this slightly crazy idea.
He suddenly understood the excitement scientists felt when they achieved major breakthroughs in science and technology, and the repeated risks of imprisonment for violating human covenants to research projects that could alter the course of human history. It wasn't that they wanted to suffer, but the sense of accomplishment from exploring the future was too great, even outweighing the anxieties about the serious consequences. Even knowing the devil was inside, humanity finally couldn't resist its curiosity and opened Pandora's box.
Curiosity, especially for some exceptionally gifted geniuses, is both a driving force and a killer. If used well, it can change the way of life for all mankind; if used poorly, it will be everyone's nightmare.
Ling Yun slowly walked to Yang Yuqi's side, his expression shifting. After considering for a long time, he finally decided to try hypnosis first. If that didn't work, he would consider other methods. He stretched out his palm, which emitted a soft silver light, and was about to press it onto the sleeping girl's forehead.
Suddenly, the girl's eyes opened without warning, and her bright, clear pupils suddenly burst into an incomparably bright silver light. Her body suddenly floated into the air, and along with her, all the furniture in the huge living room was suspended below the ceiling.
Chapter 209 Last Words
Ling Yun was taken aback and took a step back, looking at Yang Yuqi, who had suddenly undergone a strange change. His Eye of Illusion instantly swept over the girl's floating body. In Yang Yuqi's lower abdomen, a clear, diamond-shaped silver wisp could be seen forming within it. A weak but firm psychic force was forming within the silver wisp, clearly a precursor to the formation of a mental force field: "What's going on? Why did her ability suddenly erupt?"
He suddenly felt a jolt in his chest, and the yellow book barrier suddenly shot out a pale yellow light, which shone on the snow-white wall opposite him like a projection. A faint, graceful figure slowly appeared on the wall, and then the figure slowly revealed its real form, walking out of the projection step by step. It was Gu Xiaorou.
After emerging from the yellow book barrier, Gu Xiaorou went straight to Yang Yuqi's floating side. Her slender hands glowed with a silvery light of telekinesis as she gently stroked Yang Yuqi, who was unconscious despite having her eyes open. After a moment of gentle probing, she softly said, "I don't know what happened. Perhaps her recessive genes suddenly awakened due to stimulation, and she just happened to possess the core of the mental field."
Ling Yun nodded. What Gu Xiaorou said was exactly what he was thinking. Moreover, under the Eye of Illusion, he could clearly see that Yang Yuqi's genes were glowing at certain key points. Having already memorized the genetic blueprint, Ling Yun discovered that Yang Yuqi's genes were undergoing a slow but stable change. Although the changed genetic structure was similar to that of an ordinary person, altering even a tiny part of it was enough to grant someone unexpectedly powerful strength.
Is this a direct demonstration of gene mutation? Ling Yun carefully observed the entire process of change with his Eye of Illusion. This was an extremely rare opportunity to observe, and it would be of great reference value for the future gene adjustment and deduction of the Hand of God.
Gu Xiaorou didn't have the Eye of Illusion, so she naturally couldn't see the genetic changes within Yang Yuqi's body. However, she knew that Ling Yun possessed several extremely special abilities. Seeing Ling Yun staring intently at Yang Yuqi, she couldn't help but ask curiously in a soft voice, "How is it? Has she awakened?"
Ling Yun watched intently, shaking his head as he said, "It's not a true awakening yet. It's just that under the influence of some external force, the recessive gene has developed a self-awakening and self-protection function, which may temporarily give her the basic abilities and telekinesis of a superhuman. However, this ability is not stable and may only appear temporarily. Once the danger is over, the recessive gene will return to normal."
As he spoke, Ling Yun gently waved his hand, and an invisible force enveloped the furniture in the living room, causing it to fall gently to the ground. Otherwise, once Yang Yuqi's mental field disappeared, the furniture would have been in serious trouble, falling to pieces simply due to its own weight.
Yang Yuqi's delicate body slowly descended, gently returning to the sofa. The girl closed her eyes again, as if she were simply asleep. Her pink lips formed a beautiful curve, and her long, curved eyelashes trembled gently. It was hard to believe that the sleeping girl was so beautiful and charming.
Gu Xiaorou gazed at Yang Yuqi, and under the soft purple light, her stunningly beautiful face showed a forlorn expression: "She is really beautiful, Ling Yun... She likes you so much, do you like her too?"
Ling Yun turned to look at Gu Xiaorou. Ever since she escaped from the headquarters of superpowers, Gu Xiaorou had never worn the human skin mask when facing him. The complex and lonely expression on her stunningly beautiful face told him that it seemed as if something she loved was about to be taken away by someone else.
Ling Yun gently turned her shoulders and embraced the girl, stroking her thick, black hair as soft as clouds, saying, "Silly girl, don't you understand my heart? Maybe my heart is soft, but there's only you in my heart, and I only love you."