Liu Yun's performance lasted about three minutes. When it ended, the flames suddenly disappeared as if they had never been there. There wasn't a trace of soot on Liu Yun's fingers. If it weren't for the asphalt being melted and dented by the fire, Zhang Lei would have even doubted whether it was magic.
After the performance, the distance between Liu Yun and Zhang Lei seemed to shrink instantly. In fact, it is difficult to keep a secret. Humans are social animals after all, and when a secret is kept in one's heart, one can't help but want to find someone to confide in.
Now that Liu Yun has demonstrated his superpowers, it means that he and Zhang Lei share the same secret. Once they have a common secret, their relationship will unconsciously become much closer.
"Actually, Tianxiao also has superpowers, but her superpower is an air-based superpower, and the current index is relatively low, so it can only be used on herself. Therefore, I can't show it to you. However, you two are about the same age, so you should get to know each other better. Tianxiao has been educated at home since she was a child and doesn't have many friends. If everything goes smoothly, you may become our colleague. Let's get to know each other first."
Liu Yun took Zhang Lei to the rented house they were staying in. While helping Zhang Lei put on various patches on his body, he chatted casually with Zhang Lei to ease Zhang Lei's tension.
The machine that detects a single value already requires a patch to be attached to a person for about one second. The instrument that needs to thoroughly detect a person's superpowers requires even more.
This machine cannot detect what kind of superpower someone has. It requires the owner to have discovered their superpower and learned how to use it before it can detect the effectiveness of that superpower. Moreover, if the superpower has any effects that the owner has not yet discovered, this machine will also help to discover them.
After accepting the stack of money, Zhang Lei completely gave in and agreed to perform his superpower under the monitoring of the equipment. Otherwise, he really didn't know how to demonstrate this superpower, or whether they would think he was a fraud.
Liu Yun and his group were wary of Zhang Lei's exceptionally high superpower index. Zhang Lei, in turn, held Liu Yun, this burly man, in awe. Not to mention that Liu Yun seemed to have some martial arts skills, even if he had no superpowers or martial arts skills, Zhang Lei was confident that he could handle Liu Yun's muscles alone, unless he could have a stroke of inspiration. However, that would be tantamount to killing another person, and this time it would probably be classified as self-defense, and it would be difficult to classify it as an act of bravery.
"She's about the same size as me?" Zhang Lei looked at the huge breasts that were almost as big as his head and felt dizzy. Luckily, she wasn't a classmate of his, otherwise most of the boys would probably be bleeding so badly they would become anemic.
"I'm older than you, you have to call me big sister!" Tianxiao was very unhappy with his question. Women are strange. When they're older, they're unhappy if you think they're older than them; when they're younger, they're unhappy if you think they're younger than them. Sometimes they're unhappy if you think they're older than them, and they're also unhappy if you think they're younger than them. Besides, they won't be happy if you're right about their age. Of course, you can't ignore it...
"Air-based superpowers? Is there such a category? How are air-based superpowers used?" Zhang Lei cleverly avoided the question. Zhang Lei was not very old and did not have much experience with women, but he understood this principle: don't get entangled in one question with a woman, and most women will follow suit and change the subject.
Zhang Lei was a little shy around girls, especially those around his age. Although Tian Xiao was actually about the same age as him, her figure and clothing made Zhang Lei feel like he was taking Liu Yun's words out on someone else. To Zhang Lei, she was clearly an older sister, and calling her "auntie" wouldn't be too far off.
"Yes, my ability is colorless, odorless, and doesn't show any outward signs, so it's unlikely I can demonstrate it for you. But if I explain it to you, you'll understand!" No matter how mature Tian Xiao looks, her age doesn't match her appearance. Besides, showing off is a common trait among most children, especially little girls. Preventing them from showing off is probably harder than stopping them from bothering Liu Yun. If it were Liu Yun, it would be impossible. If it weren't for quickly allaying Zhang Lei's suspicions, he wouldn't have demonstrated his ability. Moreover, explaining it once would expose far more than demonstrating it, assuming he wasn't lying.
"Yes, yes!" Zhang Lei nodded excitedly. He had never seen any superpowers before. The only thing he knew about was the superpower in his own body, but he was never quite sure if it was a special ability. Today, he saw Liu Yun's performance for the first time.
"Brother Liu Yun's superpower is flamethrower. You saw it? It can even melt steel plates. Although my superpower isn't very offensive yet, once I reach level one thousand, its power will be immense. When combined with Brother Liu Yun, it will be even more powerful!"
"Hmm, hmm!" A good listener should constantly give the storyteller feedback and support, so that the storyteller will feel conscious and respected, and will continue to tell the story.
"My special ability is to change the composition of the air by exchanging with the outside world. For example, if I am fighting someone right now, I can increase the oxygen content around my mouth and nose, which will slightly enhance my combat ability!"
Zhang Lei realized that they were different from him. They didn't call fighting a fight, they called it a martial arts contest, which was worth learning. He decided that he would call it that from now on, because it would sound very prestigious.
"It's not very effective now. Once it reaches a thousand, I can control the detached air mass. At that time, I can reduce the oxygen level near my opponent, making my attack much stronger. When I reach my limit, I'll make sure he can't breathe at all!" Tianxiao said, waving his fist to emphasize his point.
What she said was actually a bit of an exaggeration. Even if her superpower was strong, it couldn't reach that level because it was limited to a certain area, and controlling movement wasn't that convenient. As long as the opponent moved even slightly more violently, her superpower would be of little use.
Her special ability is mostly for auxiliary purposes. For example, when she works with Liu Yun, she can increase the oxygen concentration around his flames, which will make Liu Yun's flames more powerful. Of course, if she reduces the oxygen concentration, she can also weaken Liu Yun's performance. It all depends on whether Liu Yun still likes her.
Tianxiao's fondness for Liu Yun might be partly due to the inherent attraction between their supernatural abilities. Although the exact reason is unknown, many couples in the Supernatural Ability Division are combat partners, their abilities complementing each other in battle, creating a synergy greater than the sum of its parts. While it's unclear whether there's a direct connection, the sheer number of examples suggests it's unlikely to be entirely coincidental.
"The machine needs some time to be debugged. Tianxiao, since you've started, why don't you explain the current classifications of superpowers to him? It'll also be a way to check if you're paying attention in class. If you forget anything, I'll have your instructor slap your hand later!" Liu Yun said casually to Tianxiao while fiddling with the machine.
"Ugh, if you dare to tell on me, I'll..." Tianxiao originally wanted to say he would never talk to him again, but then he thought that it seemed to suit Liu Yun's wishes perfectly. "I'll... well, once I've mastered it, I'll cause trouble for you when you set fires!"
However, she still didn't dare to disobey Liu Yun's instructions too much, neither for public nor private reasons. So she obediently recalled the events and told Zhang Lei about them.
Episode 2, Metropolis, Chapter 21: Raising a Tiger's Skin as a Banner
Tianxiao really wasn't a good student, but Liu Yun didn't demand too much of her. He kept adding that what she said earlier was probably just talk, and that Tianxiao probably preferred being punished by Liu Yun to being slapped on the hand by the instructor.
From them, Zhang Lei learned that in China, supernatural abilities are broadly divided into four categories: combat, support, unknown, and useless. These can be further subdivided; for example, the support category can be divided into combat support and general support. There are also intermediate abilities between combat and support, such as Tian Xiao's ability, which doesn't quite fit into either category, but leans more towards support. Those unknown abilities, or even those already classified as useless, might discover new uses and switch to other categories. Combat abilities might also gradually become useless as the environment changes, and so on.
The above is a classification based on function. There is also a classification based on the nature of supernatural abilities, which is quite extensive. They only gave a general overview. If they were to describe all the discovered classifications, it would probably take longer than nightfall.
The supernatural abilities that have been discovered can be roughly divided into wind, fire, thunder, and electricity. Thunder and electricity are separate here. Thunder mostly falls from the sky and is a mixture of sound and electricity. For the same degree, it is usually more powerful, but it is also more limited. Thunder must come from top to bottom, and it often cannot accumulate enough charge in a small space. Electricity does not have this limitation.
The above are the most common types, but there are actually many more categories. Others include space, metal, wood, water, fire, earth, biological, sound, light, devouring, erosion, spirit, qi, defense, sharpness, enhancement, reaction, nerve, assistance, dream, transformation, curse, shadow, descent, matter control, condensation, and so on, totaling more than sixty kinds of superpowers. Moreover, this number is still increasing, and no one knows if new superpowers will be discovered.
There's no need to introduce these one by one; we'll go into detail when they appear.
"Alright, now activate your superpower. We'll soon know the full extent of its effects!" Liu Yun finally got the machine working.
Zhang Lei took a deep breath and started his self-examination. Nothing could be seen from the outside, but the instruments on the machine started spinning incessantly.
"Alright, let's ignore it. The analysis will take a little more time. But do you know internal energy? Do you have internal strength?" Liu Yun was slightly surprised to find that Zhang Lei did not experience the weakness that comes with activating his special ability.
"Yes, an old man taught me some!" Of course, Zhang Lei wouldn't be foolish enough to say that he created it himself, not to mention that they would never believe it. Compared to learning internal skills passed down from others, creating one's own is undoubtedly the work of a super genius, and it is only possible if one has mastered one or more internal skills to the extreme.
Another reason is that Zhang Lei doesn't want to be completely without any backing. Although he really doesn't have any backing in this world of superpowers, he can't reveal that. It's like telling others, "Don't mess with me. Even if I can't beat you, I still have my master. Be careful, or the older one will come after you." Zhang Lei had already planned to create a fictitious tiger and then use it to intimidate others.
"Oh, but judging from your physical condition, either you haven't mastered internal energy cultivation or you started learning it too late. You can activate your superpower so easily, so your internal strength must be quite considerable. You must have learned internal energy some time after you developed your superpower!" Liu Yun pinched Zhang Lei's arm. Although he couldn't feel much fat on it, the muscles did appear somewhat loose.
"Yes, it's an internal skill that I started practicing six or seven years after it was created!" Zhang Lei wasn't lying, but he concealed many details.
"Sigh, it's been so long. No wonder your body is so much weaker than an ordinary person's. When you activate your superpower, if you don't have internal energy, it will draw on the vital energy contained in your body. If this happens too often, it will cause irreversible damage to you. Judging from your appearance, you probably used your superpower quite a few times before you had internal energy!"
Although Zhang Lei was deeply shocked by what he heard, he still had no intention of correcting Liu Yun's errors. Despite some deviations in the process, Zhang Lei's practice of his self-created internal energy, especially in the beginning, was essentially the same as unrestrained and continuous use of his supernatural abilities, resulting in basically the same consequences. Since Liu Yun had come up with his own reasons, there was no reason for Zhang Lei to be foolish enough to refute him. Did he not believe the reasons Liu Yun had given him? Therefore, Zhang Lei simply kept nodding.
"But it's not a big deal. With proper care, you'll gradually recover. Besides, as long as our abilities are strong, we superhumans can compensate for our physical deficiencies. I'll check your internal energy later. If it's good, that's fine. If not, we'll find you another suitable internal energy cultivation method. However, when switching internal energy, you should try to use your abilities as little as possible to avoid causing new harm!" Liu Yun seemed to have already considered Zhang Lei one of his own. With such a high ability index, even a useless ability would be very strong as long as it wasn't too outrageous.
Zhang Lei shattered Zuo Jian's heart into mush, so his ability is most likely a powerful combat ability. This kid probably enjoyed the thrill of unparalleled power when he was young, and then used it repeatedly, which led to this result.
"Hmm, hmm." Zhang Lei casually agreed, but he wasn't very optimistic about the new internal energy cultivation method he mentioned. Once his own internal energy cultivation stopped, the pain was indescribable, while the pleasure had faded considerably because he had gotten used to it.
“Your internal energy level isn’t very high. How many years have you been practicing internal energy?” Liu Yunyue held Zhang Lei’s pulse point with one hand and placed the other hand on his dantian.
"Yeah, it's been more than four years, less than five!" Zhang Lei answered honestly.
"You've only accumulated this much internal energy in just over four years? Do you practice every day?" Liu Yun shook his head after receiving Zhang Lei's affirmative answer. "It seems you're not very good at cultivating internal energy. However, your internal energy level might be a factor. But in that case, you'd better not change your internal energy, or you won't be able to use your superpowers normally for at least three years!"
Everyone likes praise, and Zhang Lei was no exception. Hearing Liu Yun's words, Zhang Lei's heart sank. They had previously mentioned that if everything went smoothly, he would soon become a member of the Guoyi Branch. The salary at the Guoyi Branch was evident from Tian Xiao's nonchalant attitude towards money. Zhang Lei's most pressing financial problem would be solved; he could then buy and throw away ice cream without worry. Besides, young Zhang Lei still had a strong desire to serve his country.
Liu Yun was unaware that Zhang Lei's internal energy cultivation method was different from theirs.