Chapter 942: The Burden of Strong Power
"What are they doing?" The lightning-patterned man leaned against a tree and spoke into the communicator. "Ren Man has been sitting on the ground for almost ten minutes now, and that Xu guy is just standing there doing nothing. Did it work or not?"
"The monitor showed a spike in mental power fluctuations over there reaching over one hundred thousand for about two seconds just now. It should be because we're outside the range of his mental interference, so we can't see any changes," the ponytail man replied from a position about a hundred meters away.
The communicators of these ten players responsible for monitoring were all linked and also connected to Gao Xiaoyan's side in the base building.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, they had agreed to Xu Huo's choice of location deep in the forest far from the base. After all, no one wanted to expose their own strength data, and Xu Huo was someone they absolutely could not win over. Successfully getting Ren Man to begin super evolution was the best possible outcome.
That's why Gao Xiaoyan had only arranged for ten people to keep their distance and follow—both to monitor and to protect.
"According to Mr. Xu's test data, within a three-hundred-meter range, he shouldn't be able to detect our people. General prop characteristics can't reach that distance either. As long as our people don't appear in his field of vision..." The staff member hesitated for a moment before adding, "But if it's one hundred thousand, that's uncertain. Reaching that value means his mental interference range should be about four hundred meters. Our people might have been exposed long ago."
"Doesn't it say that if multiple players use mental power simultaneously, the values might temporarily stack?" Gao Xiaoyan asked.
"That phenomenon does exist, but Ren Man's value is simply too low," the staff member stated frankly. Compared to Xu Huo, Ren Man's few thousand barely counted as a fraction.
"Are you seeing any changes in Xu Huo?" Gao Xiaoyan inquired. "If you enter his mental interference range, you should be able to see his movements. Even if you can't, your field of vision should undergo some changes."
"Nothing at all," the lightning-patterned man said. "Those two are like idiots... Mental evolution operations look so stupid. If someone ambushed them, would they even react in time?"
"Several hundred meters away—unless you're using thermal weapons," the ponytail man chimed in. "But if thermal weapons enter their mental interference range, they'd detect them earlier than ordinary players anyway."
"Xu Huo not moving doesn't mean he can't move. He might be a bit stronger than he lets on. If he can activate a spiritual realm, you can see him from outside, but once you enter, you might not even find the person."
The ponytail man paused, then continued, "But I've heard that some powerful players can make you completely unaware that you're within their mental interference. You'd believe everything you see is real. They can also selectively interfere within their mental power coverage. At that level, truth and falsehood become indistinguishable."
"There was once a player who used his mental power to create an entire city, one that could even support people's daily lives."
"Simply put, it's like radar—the kind with built-in electromagnetic waves," the lightning-patterned man said. "But this must be a huge drain on the player's mental energy. They can't maintain it for long."
"Xu Huo is only a C-level player, barely able to project his mental power outward. Aside from instruments detecting it, whether he can actually successfully interfere with others is still uncertain."
"His data can't be wrong," Gao Xiaoyan said. "Stable at fifty thousand. Even if he can't open a spiritual realm, he can achieve similar effects with props. Little Bun is also on the verge of evolution, easier to perceive than ordinary players. It's bound to succeed."
"If only we could keep him here," the staff member said shamelessly. "Do you think he likes men or women?"
Gao Xiaoyan shot him a look, while the lightning-patterned man laughed at him through the communicator. "A player with that kind of talent would be a hot commodity in any other district. Even if you offered him every ass in W37, he probably wouldn't give you a second glance."
"If beauty doesn't work, we still have weapons and props," the staff member said, a bit excited. "So far, there's no definitive conclusion on the cause of super evolution, but among successful cases, over half were triggered by external factors. If we keep him here, we'll hit the jackpot!"
"Listen to this old man talk—he can barely handle one, and he's already thinking about mass production." The lightning-patterned man teased, then suddenly paused. "Xu Huo moved."
They could see but not hear. Xu Huo wasn't particularly interested in their conversation. After making a full circle, he went to the boundary of the spiritual realm. Here, the vertical pupil couldn't go any further, nor could it see very far.
But having a pair of eyes several hundred meters away was still a novel experience. He wanted to go check out the indoors, so he ended his guidance to Ren Man.
Aside from evolving a few fragments of the spiritual realm and barely opening a convenient door, Ren Man had made no further progress. He had called out to Xu Huo a few times during the process but got no response and gave up. Perhaps to cherish this hard-won opportunity, he made several more attempts—like trying to enlarge the hole in the ground or make the monitor complete—but none succeeded.
Then he saw Xu Huo appear before him, his face pale and slightly drained. "You've been here the whole time?"
"Using super evolution power puts immense strain on the body, especially the mind. It's best to make a proper plan based on your body's endurance," Xu Huo said. "You've just crossed the threshold of super evolution. Your mental power can only be projected outward with the help of props or in specific locations. But before you get proficient, it's best not to use it casually. Other players might not have strengthened their mental power, but it's not hard for them to launch targeted attacks."
"I understand." Ren Man nodded sincerely. "Thank you. I thought I'd miss this opportunity forever..."
"Are you really not going to do anything to Sister Xiaoyan?"
Xu Huo smiled faintly. "Maybe I won't need to force her. Gao Xiaoyan will come to me on her own."
"She won't," Ren Man said firmly. "Because the mayor of W37 Base City is a woman. She would never set the precedent of using women's bodies to gain benefits!"
"If she did that, W37 wouldn't be where it is today!"
"Quite principled." Xu Huo commented noncommittally.
"I know it sounds ridiculous—a bunch of people who might not even have their next meal worrying about such things," Ren Man said, meeting his gaze with determination. "But if it means sacrificing Sister Xiaoyan, I'd rather give up my own life!"
Xu Huo looked at him with mild interest. "You've gotten your benefit. What if W37 unilaterally breaks the agreement?"
"Absolutely not!" Ren Man said with full confidence. "Because this is W37 Base City!"
A hint of a smile appeared on Xu Huo's face, but it lacked sincerity. "Pretty words. But you might not remember them tomorrow. W37 Base City is still in decent shape right now... Have you been to other base cities?"
Ren Man's smile faded a bit. "I've seen abandoned base cities. Ours will never become like that. And one day, we'll return to the prosperity we had before the mutant tide."