With a thought, Chen Xiao flicked his finger lightly in the water curtain, sending a string of water droplets flying. Staring at the droplets, he subtly moved his mind, and the droplets split open in mid-air, transforming into countless smaller particles, which then floated slowly as he directed his will…
This is the new superpower Chen Xiao gained after what happened at Hundred Island Lake: telekinesis.
This ability came from Monica, that perverted woman. After investigation by Lao Tian and others, the preliminary conclusion was that she was a psychic.
Telekinesis is a very special superpower. Chen Xiao's current ability allows him to move objects remotely using telekinesis, and he can even throw things away forcefully or fix them in place. After testing, his telekinesis was rated as C-level, just a little bit lower than B-level.
Chen Xiao stared at the dense row of water droplets in the air, then suddenly clenched his fist, a strange light flashing in his eyes!
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!!"
The water droplets shot violently towards the bathroom mirror. Like a volley of bullets, they struck the mirror, and with a loud bang, the mirror shattered!
Even the smallest object, when manipulated by telekinesis, can be struck with high-speed impact... its destructive power is astonishing!
From this perspective, if Monica had really wanted to kill a few of my people at the resort, it would have been an incredibly easy thing to do—Monica's telekinesis was a whole level stronger than mine!
Suppressing substance...purifying agent...devouring...replicating...
Chen Xiao silently repeated these words in his mind.
Mom and Dad...did you really do this back then? Was it for my sake?
Chen Xiao casually draped a bath towel over himself, stepped out of the bathroom, and walked barefoot back to the window—outside, a torrential downpour was underway. The air was thick with moisture, and everything appeared shrouded in mist.
He couldn't help but recall the scene that had unfolded before he returned to his room that evening:
Just after the wheelchair-bound eccentric Shi Gaofei told him the test results, Chen Xiao was taken into a closed, circular conference room-like place.
The room was very large, with only a chair in the middle, and the surrounding walls were made of gleaming metal.
Just after Chen Xiao sat down in the middle chair, the surrounding walls began to flash with light, and several images appeared.
It looked like there were a dozen or so windows, and behind each window was a person. Chen Xiao was sitting in the middle, being watched by those people through the windows...
However, they could see Chen Xiao, but Chen Xiao could not see them.
All Chen Xiao could see were the images displayed on the windows—they were probably some kind of metal display screen.
There were more than a dozen windows, but not all of them displayed images. Chen Xiao silently counted them and found that only eight windows had images displayed.
The images shown above are all drawings of human figures—not portraits, but rather images familiar to the vast majority of people in the world:
Face cards in playing cards
Clubs of Spades: Four Kings, four Queens, four Jacks, making a total of twelve windows.
However, not all twelve face cards were present. Chen Xiao noticed: two Kings, one Queen, and one Jack were missing.
"We know all your information. So it's necessary to ask you a few questions."
The sound coming from the speakers in the room was clearly synthesized and mixed. One could barely distinguish whether the voices were male or female, but could not discern the original quality of the sound.
"This is the Service Agency's committee," a man's voice said slowly. "According to the Service Agency's rules, a vote is valid if more than two-thirds of the committee members vote. There are eight committee members present here now, which means that our decision is legally binding."
Chen Xiao, who was sitting in a chair at the time, asked, "What do you want to say?"
"About you."
Chen Xiao noticed that it was a woman's voice coming from behind a window with the Queen of Hearts.
"Me?" Chen Xiao raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, you.” The Queen of Hearts’ voice was steady: “Given that you have been confirmed as a superhuman, and based on our observation of you over the past period, as well as the comprehensive test that just ended, our committee is very keen to admit you into the service as a full member.”
Chen Xiao sighed inwardly: What's meant to happen will happen.
Old Tian had previously reminded him that with his current level of ability, not to mention possessing several abilities, he was already considered an outstanding individual. Even if his current strength didn't reach that level, his "purification" and "devouring" abilities alone made him highly valued by the Service Society! Logically speaking, the Service Society would definitely want to absorb such a special individual into its system.
Otherwise… Chen Xiao's existence is truly hard to say whether it's a blessing or a curse for the world's superhumans!
"What obligations must formal members bear? And what rights can they enjoy?" Chen Xiao did not answer immediately, but instead posed a counter-question.
All the flower cards around fell silent for a moment.
Chen Xiao's final answer was a plum blossom card, signifying that becoming a full member would grant them access to the service's global membership benefits, including recognition, protection, a fixed income, equipment, and many other privileges.
"Privileges?" Chen Xiao found the word somewhat amusing.
“Yes, privileges.” Club J explained calmly, “We are superhumans. Although we don’t want to interfere too much in this world, the innate abilities of superhumans allow us to easily obtain things that ordinary people cannot or find very difficult to obtain: status, wealth, power, and so on. Although we are not obsessed with these things, in order to maintain the operation of the organization, we do not deny that the service organization has a certain amount of power in the secular world—I believe you understand what I mean.”
Chen Xiao understood, of course.
Putting everything else aside, just consider Shi Gaofei's "holographic stereoscopic virtual" equipment; it was even sold to NASA in the United States, which gives you an idea of its capabilities...
And then there's this "Home Island"...
"Then, what about obligations?" Chen Xiao shook his head: "I know there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. What will I give in return?"
“That can’t be generalized,” the Jack of Clubs replied casually. “The service agency’s official members are divided into two types. One type is field personnel, who must take on more work, including completing missions all over the world. I believe that Thunder Fox, the Jack of Spades, must have explained this to you before. At the same time, as a field personnel, you must bear certain responsibilities for the area where you are stationed, such as when an unusual situation arises and you are required to step forward…”
"Like city heroes?" Chen Xiao couldn't help but laugh. "I've read comics, like Spider-Man protecting New York, Batman protecting Carson City... Is that right?"
"While this analogy isn't perfect, it's true in a way," Club J replied with a hint of a smile. "We are a group of watchers. Protecting and observing are our responsibilities and obligations to this world! We don't consider ourselves a privileged class, nor do we think of ourselves as gods... However, as the first group among humans to embark on the path of evolution, we are born with an inescapable responsibility!"
"That sounds pretty noble." Chen Xiao smiled noncommittally. "You're not going to tell me something like 'With great power comes great responsibility' next, are you?"
The woman with the Queen of Hearts spoke up: "We are not empty idealists. We live in this world, and we are inevitably swayed by this worldly way. This has nothing to do with nobility... I think you should be able to understand what we mean. Theoretically speaking, you can join any superpowered organization. However, we believe that we are your best choice."