Xia Zhen was both surprised and delighted. She never expected that Ling Yun would have such a magical ability to record the scenes he saw at any time. Doesn't that mean that Ling Yun is a living, high-definition digital camera?
Fang Yu and Yun Hai's expressions darkened. They hadn't expected this young man to be so capable at such a young age, able to record the entire process of using a missile. How did he do that? They had never seen or even heard of such a strange technique before. It must be some kind of auxiliary technique, using the magnetization principle of the Five Elements to record events that occurred moments before. However, creating such a technique was both time-consuming and lacked offensive power, making it rarely usable in combat—a truly counterproductive endeavor.
In reality, Ling Yun was merely releasing the portion of the panoramic view stored in his brain. The Mirror Technique could not only generate panoramic views in his mind, but also store views that he considered important at any time, which he could retrieve whenever he wanted. Although a large amount of stored data was constantly entering his mind, Ling Yun still felt that the capacity of his mind was far from full, as if it were a bottomless black hole, tirelessly absorbing matter.
Fang Yu snorted and retorted, "It doesn't prove anything. You're not a camera, how do you know you're not deliberately causing trouble? Don't think you can get away with creating a non-existent illusion."
Ling Yun smiled calmly: "Alright then, let's file a complaint. I suppose the headquarters' barrier also has a recording function. If we ask the instructor in charge of the barrier to bring up the footage from just now, it shouldn't be too difficult."
Upon hearing this, Fang Yu and Yun Hai's expressions changed drastically. Xia Zhen seemed to have just remembered something and exclaimed with delight, "That's right, Ling Yun! The headquarters' barrier has a recording function. I was so angry that I didn't think of that. Let's go. This time the evidence is irrefutable. Let's see how they can still argue."
A fierce glint flashed in Fang Yu's eyes. She knew she had no choice but to stop the two men and alter their memories. Otherwise, if a complaint was filed and the matter was investigated, even Team Leader Ye Feng wouldn't be able to protect her.
Using a highly destructive weapon within headquarters, nearly causing a death, violated the fundamental rules of the superhuman code. Being expelled from headquarters was the least of his worries. Although he was a veteran superhuman, there was no room for leniency or excuses in the face of these ironclad rules. The superhuman headquarters never demanded reasons; what was done was done, regardless of the cause. Once, an instructor unintentionally violated a relatively minor rule, and despite no adverse consequences, received double the punishment. The reason was simple: as an instructor, the punishment was doubled—a severe penalty to deter others, and no one was exempt.
Furthermore, punishments for those with superpowers are carried out by the barrier itself; the instructors simply input their punishment recommendations into the barrier's control center. Before this cold, machine-like barrier, there is absolutely no room for leniency or reason. This is the main reason why the iron-fisted rules of the Superpower Headquarters have been successfully implemented for so many years; even the head instructor will not be spared punishment if he violates the rules.
Thinking of this, Fang Yu secretly gave Yun Hai a wink. Yun Hai had been his partner for many years, and the two were already of one mind, so he naturally knew Fang Yu's intention. The mental energy field suddenly flashed and disappeared, transforming into two invisible wind shields that descended upon Ling Yun and Xia Zhen. Fang Yu's body shot out like lightning, extending one finger from each hand and forming a strange and complicated hand seal. A layer of blue light immediately emanated from the fingertips. With a flick of his wrist, the blue light flew out, shooting towards Xia Zhen and Ling Yun's backs like shooting stars.
Xia Zhen suddenly felt her body freeze, as if she had been plunged into an ocean made entirely of superglue. Every step was incredibly difficult; an invisible force restrained her waist and limbs, making it hard for her to move. She was both shocked and furious, never expecting Fang Yu to launch a sudden attack. Turning her gaze to Ling Yun, she saw that the young man was also radiating a faint silver aura of spiritual energy, resisting the wind shield. Clearly, he had also been subjected to the same surprise attack as her.
Fang Yu was overjoyed to see Yun Hai's surprise attack succeed. He didn't care about Xia Zhen's strength. Even if she was the leader of the trainee ability users, she was still a newcomer. No matter how talented she was, her age was a factor, and her strength couldn't possibly surpass his.
However, the seemingly younger boy gave him a sense of apprehension. In terms of seniority, Fang Yu was also a veteran ability user in the headquarters, and he had a good eye for people. While they were talking, he had been trying to figure out the strength of the two of them, but what made him feel uneasy was that although he could see through Xia Zhen's cultivation level, Ling Yun was unfathomable and he could not see through him with his eyesight.
Furthermore, Ling Yun's ability to freeze the powerful missile with his mental force field made Fang Yu extremely uneasy. His sudden attack on the two was actually primarily aimed at Ling Yun. If he could subdue this unfamiliar and mysterious young man, Fang Yu would feel more confident.
First, the wind shield of the clouds restrained the two people's movements, while the blue light had a similar effect to anesthesia. As long as it hit a person, it would cause the opponent to lose their will instantly but would not be harmed. Then Fang Yu would have a chance to calmly use hypnosis to make the other party forget the memory of a moment ago. As long as Xia Zhen and Ling Yun thought that nothing had happened, they would naturally not complain, and Fang Yu and Yun Hai could escape a disaster.
Xia Zhen was completely unaware of the sudden attack of the blue light behind her; her mental energy field was still struggling against the wind shield. Although the girl had made rapid progress recently, her mental energy field, in terms of both strength and stability, was still inferior to that of ability users like Fang Yu and Yun Hai, and she was unable to deflect the wind shield's restraining force in an instant.
With two loud bangs, two silver-white circular light shields appeared out of thin air, blocking the path of the shooting blue light. After two muffled sounds, they intercepted the two beams of blue light, startling Fang Yu who was rushing towards him.
The radiance of the mental energy field flashed across Ling Yun like a gust of wind, and the wind shield shattered with a bang. Without any hesitation, the young man tore apart the wind shield covering Xia Zhen, and with a simple wave of his right hand, a blade of light flew out, suddenly splitting in two mid-air, transforming into two fierce attacks, one aimed at Fang Yu and the other at Yun Hai.
Fang Yu's heart sank. The light shield was clearly conjured by Ling Yun, and the surprise attack had failed. The young man's actions—defending, rescuing Xia Zhen, and then counterattacking—were fluid and seamless. His reaction speed far exceeded Fang Yu's expectations. Fang Yu even suspected that Ling Yun had already taken countermeasures the instant the azure light was emitted.
"Are you trying to kill us to silence us? Or are you trying to alter our memories to cover up your own mistakes?" Ling Yun said calmly, seeing through Fang Yu's intentions. Seeing Fang Yu pause and use his mental field to block the light blade's attack, Ling Yun calmly extended a finger and flicked it hard at Fang Yu's chest.
With a hum, the air seemed to have been pounded by a huge, heavy object, producing a dull yet throbbing sound.
Chapter 161 A Bolt from a Clear Sky
Fang Yu's expression changed. He clearly sensed the terrifying power contained in Ling Yun's flick of his finger. That was definitely not the strength of a trainee ability user. However, he had no time to think about why this young boy possessed such great power. All his attention was focused on defense, and he couldn't even spare a moment's attention. Even so, Fang Yu was not confident that he could block Ling Yun's counterattack.
Evasion was out of the question; judging from the opponent's control over their mental field, they had clearly already locked onto his presence. This boy's telekinetic manipulation was far superior, making evasion utterly impossible. It was like an ordinary fighter jet battling a high-tech fighter jet with target-locking capabilities; the opponent could easily evade his attacks, while he could only withstand the opponent's bombardment. Even using the same ammunition and equipment, the effects would be completely different.
With a loud bang, Yunhai, who had been waiting for his chance to strike, was suddenly thrown into the air. Blood gushed from his mouth in a straight line, tracing a perfect arc above his body before crashing heavily to the ground. Yunhai tried to struggle to his feet, but his face immediately turned pale. He had barely propped himself up when a sharp pain shot through his chest. He couldn't help but cough up another mouthful of blood, finally collapsing again. The almost suffocating feeling in his chest told him that Ling Yun's finger strike had damaged his internal organs.
Fang Yu was stunned. He never expected that Ling Yun's finger was aimed at him. It turned out that he had secretly changed the force, and the real attack was actually aimed at Yun Hai. As a result, Yun Hai was caught off guard and was seriously injured, and immediately lost his fighting ability.
He took a step back, pointing at Ling Yun with a mixture of shock and anger, and shouted, "You are so despicable, you actually ambushed Yun Hai!" But he completely forgot that he had ambushed first, so this curse was actually the same as cursing himself first.
Ling Yun almost burst out laughing. He thought to himself, "This guy attacked first, and he still has the nerve to accuse me of being a sneak attack? Besides, I didn't actually launch a sneak attack. I just used a trick to switch the attack. You weren't on guard, and you still blame me for sneaking up on you. It's really strange."
He ignored Fang Yu. Even if these two were officially recognized superhumans, their strength was far inferior to his own, and they weren't worth his attention. He turned to look at Xia Zhen. The girl had already returned to normal and was gazing at him tenderly, her eyes revealing unreserved praise and excitement.
"Are you alright?" Ling Yun asked. The wind shield had been torn by him, so Xia Zhen was naturally unharmed. However, seeing that her expression was a little strange, Ling Yun couldn't help but ask her.
"It's nothing." Xia Zhen shook her head, a strange feeling rippled in her heart, and slowly said, "Yun, I didn't know you had grown to this level... Your power has far surpassed mine. Perhaps it was a disservice to you to have you come to the Superpower Headquarters for an apprenticeship."
"What are you saying..." Ling Yun interrupted Xia Zhen's sigh, pointing at Fang Yu and saying, "How do we deal with him? What do we do now?"
Xia Zhen glanced at the somewhat dazed Fang Yu, a sharp glint in her eyes: "Don't worry about him. I've changed my mind. I'll take you directly to my cousin Xia Lan. With your abilities, you can enter the Superpower Headquarters directly without going through the apprenticeship assessment. She's the deputy leader of Superpower Group One and has the authority to apply to the higher-ups for special talent recruitment. As for those two, I'll report to Xia Lan together, and someone will take care of them. When did such scoundrels appear in Superpower Headquarters? It's time to clean them up."
Fang Yu felt a surge of anger rush to her head. When had she fallen to such a state, being looked down upon by two newcomers and even called a scumbag without any politeness? A raging fire burned in her heart, instantly melting away the last shred of reason and fear she had. She took a step forward, glared at them, and shouted angrily, "Who did you call a scumbag? Say it again!"
Xia Zhen slowly said, "You and Yun Hai tested powerful military weapons at headquarters, almost harming Ling Yun and me. This violates Article 27 of the Superpower User Code. After causing such consequences and when we clearly stated that we would file a complaint, you not only showed no remorse but also used suggestive language to threaten us, which violates Article 17 of the Superpower User Code. After we refused, you tried to forcibly stop us and attempted to alter our memories, trying to deceive us. This violates the principle of respecting the Superpower User Code. From any perspective, you have no reason to do this. Moreover, attacking colleagues is not just a matter of violating the code, but also a matter of your character and morality. I call you a scoundrel. What's wrong with that? You want me to say it again? I dare not only say it again, but I dare to say it a hundred or a thousand times."
Her words were logical, well-reasoned, and supported by facts, leaving Fang Yu no choice but to admit them. Although she still glared angrily, her momentum had softened, and she was speechless for a moment, unsure how to refute Xia Zhen.
Yunhai slowly sat down on the ground. Although he spat out blood, Ling Yun had not used his full strength in this attack. Therefore, after using his mental energy field to soothe the turmoil in his internal organs, he felt much better. He continued to heal himself with telekinesis while glaring angrily at Ling Yun.
Xia Zhen glanced at the two with disdain: "Let's go, Ling Yun." She grabbed Ling Yun's arm and was about to leap away. Fang Yu knew that if these two left, he and Yun Hai were finished. He had to stop them no matter what, but Ling Yun's strength far surpassed his own. Even if he tried his best to stop them, he would only end up like Yun Hai, severely injured and forced to watch them leave unscathed.
He was extremely anxious, but at a loss for what to do. He hesitated for only a moment, and Xia Zhen and Ling Yun had already vanished. Fang Yu stared grimly in the direction they had gone, his mind racing. Suddenly, a crazy idea flashed through his mind, startling even himself. But he couldn't care less at that moment; he rushed to Yun Hai's side, scooped him up, and ran wildly in another direction.
A moment later, Ling Yun and Xia Zhen walked through a quiet grove of trees and stood beside a straight avenue. In front of the avenue was a secluded manor, divided into left and right sides by the avenue. Perpendicular to the avenue were four relatively narrow cement roads, dividing the manor into ten small sections. Each section had an identical lush green lawn and a seven- or eight-story flat-roofed building. The windows of the buildings were opaque glass from the outside.
The rooftops of each building were covered with several large dish-like devices, resembling satellite antennas, which spun back and forth like globes. At first, Ling Yun genuinely thought they were satellite devices used to receive some kind of signal, but he immediately felt a chill. His Eye of Illusion saw occasional faint blue energy pulses at the tip of the needle-like iron pipe supported in the center of the dish. Even from a distance of hundreds of meters, Ling Yun could still feel the extremely abundant energy reaction, but the energy would disappear without a trace after reaching a height of fifty meters in the air, and he didn't know where it went.
Ling Yun secretly guessed that this big pot should be one of the energy replenishment devices supporting the headquarters barrier. It seems that the Superpower Headquarters is not entirely a world of superpowers, but a combination of superpowers and high technology. Even if it is people-oriented, it must keep up with the times.
Although the building has few floors, each floor is enormous, resembling a small platform. However, its purpose and interior facilities are indiscernible from its exterior. The black asphalt road lacks any landmarks or signs, and none of the buildings have any directional markers. It appears to be an abandoned community.
"This is the official residence of the superhumans. Each building represents a group, as you can tell from the number. There are ten groups in total at the Superhuman Headquarters. My cousin, Xia Lan, lives in the building on the left at the end of the main road. Those two scoundrels who claimed to be from Group Two live in the building on the right. Their group leader is called Ye Feng. He's a sinister guy, but he's really strong, only a hair's breadth away from Xia Lan. He's always being suppressed by my cousin, so he's very resentful," Xia Zhen said, pointing to the end of the main road ahead.
"How many official superhumans are in one group?" Ling Yun couldn't help but ask, looking at the villa-like building. It seemed that the superhumans lived in good conditions. As expected of government officials, they could enjoy extraordinary treatment. This manor was quiet and cozy. It would be a good place to live and cultivate.
"There are probably seven or eight, and each group has one group leader and two deputy group leaders. However, because the group leaders of Group 1 and Group 2 are quite old and will retire in a few years, they rarely concern themselves with the affairs of their groups. These two groups are actually managed by Xia Lan and Ye Feng."
"Doesn't that mean each superhuman can occupy an entire floor of the building?" Ling Yun stared blankly at the seven- or eight-story building. If a group of superhumans only had seven or eight people, then on average, each person could indeed occupy an entire floor. Judging from the building's height, it was clearly two stories high, and each floor was probably a duplex.
“Of course, people with superpowers have special status, so what’s a little bit of treatment for them? Besides, many of them are out on missions, and many floors are still empty,” Xia Zhen said with a smile to Ling Yun.
Just as Ling Yun was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he grabbed Xia Zhen and quickly retreated.
With a deafening boom, a bolt of lightning struck the spot where the two had just stood, instantly blasting a crater a meter deep into the solid ground.