Chapter 9: Mobile Phone Wallpaper

One day later, at the Awakening Ability Assessment Institute of the Xia Kingdom.

This newly built assessment institute, only half a year old, sits atop a hill on the northern outskirts of the Xia Kingdom's capital, covering an area of a full thousand mu; it includes not only awakening assessments but also an awakening ability research department, medical and logistical support for the Awakening Bureau's special action team, and more.

Yang Yi's test content included strength, speed, range, dark matter absorption efficiency, and other extended abilities.

Following Professor Wu's instructions, Yang Yi punched a specially designed machine; the computer beside it displayed a force of one thousand tons. The eyes of the surrounding researchers shifted uneasily; though no one spoke, the shock in their expressions was impossible to hide.

Yang Yi knew that from this moment on, she would have to hold back.

After the speed, control range, and other tests were completed in sequence, the researchers around had gone numb; their gaze at Yang Yi was no longer like looking at a person, but rather like looking at an alien species they had never encountered before.

This gaze, filled with shock, curiosity, and a desperate desire to study her, made Yang Yi feel somewhat uncomfortable; after finishing a few more tests, she said she was a bit tired and wanted to rest.

A researcher led her to a lounge, politely asking what drink she needed; she asked for tea, then sat alone in quiet solitude.

The lounge was fully equipped with a television, computer, newspapers and magazines, and a refrigerator stocked with various drinks; if hungry, one could order food at any time, but at this moment she had absolutely no mood for any of it.

She missed her "secret base" by the seaside very much. It was a patch of forest on a cliff facing the ocean, with a sheer drop of ten thousand feet below, the cliff top strewn with jagged rocks, rarely visited by humans; it was her exclusive territory.

She had cleared a patch of ground in the forest, using whatever wood and vines were at hand to make a reclining chair; whenever she felt irritable or depressed, she would go there to sit, pouring all her emotions into the boundless blue ocean before her.

"Are you there?"

She seemed to be speaking to someone, but she was the only one in the lounge.

"I know you don't want to talk to me; you always ignore me. Never mind, anyway I know you are there, always there..."

"I want to go back, back to Haibei City, that fifth-tier seaside small town. I had already prepared myself to grow old there in solitude. Who knew... sigh..."

"I love the seafood there, the seasonal fruits available year-round, and the leisurely atmosphere; what I love most is that it is right by the sea; I love the ocean."

"Do you think Chris's blue eyes look like the sea? The first time I saw his eyes, I was captivated; so azure, so deep."

"I want to return as soon as possible, but it seems... I cannot go back..."

————

Awakening Assessment Institute.

In an office, Director Zhou looked at the documents in his hand, which listed various professional data; after a long pause, he threw the documents onto the desk.

"Professor Wu, just say it straight; how are her test results?"

"To be honest, it shattered my understanding."

"What? Since the appearance of dark matter, you have been in charge of awakening research for over two years, right? Even if she is an A-rank, can that shock you so much?" Director Zhou touched the cigarettes in his pocket and held back.

"She manipulates dark matter energy with great skill." Professor Wu, with graying hair, pushed up his glasses. "Other awakeners are currently still in the exploration stage, but she already operates with ease, as skillfully as using her own third hand. If we compare dark matter energy to electricity, most awakeners have only learned to press the switch, while she has already learned to absorb, convert, and store. While others have taken one step, she has already taken three."

"So, can other awakeners learn this method too?"

"Perhaps some talented awakeners have already learned it, but certainly not as freely as she does."

Director Zhou recalled the scene at the United Nations that day; at that time, many awakeners had not completely lost their abilities; they were elites selected by various countries, yet the strength they displayed then was less than one-tenth of their usual power and was easily suppressed by the security personnel's firearms.

But Yang Yi stood suspended in mid-air, one hand controlling the crowd to descend to the ground, the other maintaining a telekinetic barrier to block the explosion; that scene was unforgettable for a lifetime.

"So, just how strong is she? How high is her potential?"

"Let me give you an analogy: if awakeners are batteries, then according to the different aptitudes of each battery, the absorption rates differ; to fully charge, some need a month, others a week. But they will all eventually fill up, because their capacity is limited."

"Does her battery charge faster? And has a very large capacity?"

"No, she might never fill up completely. Her capacity is hundreds or thousands of times greater than other batteries, and it is still increasing; if her capacity growth rate exceeds her charging speed, then she will never fill up. Simply put, her ability is in a state of continuous dynamic growth."

Director Zhou could finally hold back no longer; he took a pack of cigarettes from his trouser pocket and skillfully pulled one out.

"No smoking allowed here," Professor Wu frowned.

"I know; I just want to smell it." He had quit smoking for a long time; carrying cigarettes was only for social occasions, but right now he really wanted to smoke one.

"So, could she become a god in the future? With just a random thought, could she rule the Earth, or destroy the Earth? Will the fate of humanity hang on a single thought of hers? Do you, Professor Wu, believe this yourself?" Director Zhou said while laughing.

"A god?" Professor Wu seemed not to hear the mockery in his words; his expression remained solemn. "It's not that absurd. Compared to her abilities, the human body itself has limits and cannot match her current growth rate. Her power cannot grow indefinitely; there will always be a limit."

Director Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, but what Professor Wu said next choked that breath in his chest, leaving it stuck, neither going up nor down.

"But as long as her power grows to an extremely high degree, casually destroying a few small countries will be a piece of cake, for example, the island nation and the stick nation next to us; at that time, it will all be at her whim." Professor Wu's tone sounded like a joke, but his expression remained serious.

Director Zhou held a cigarette horizontally under his nose to sniff it; hearing this, he almost inhaled the cigarette roll into his nostrils and suddenly choked.

"Cough, cough, so why exactly? Why can other batteries reach at most 100 amperes, while she can reach 1000 amperes, and even increase her own capacity? Do you know what this is like? It's like planting a mu of watermelons; all the other watermelons are of normal size, but suddenly a giant appears; there must be a reason, right?"

"There is no fairness in the world to begin with; some people toil and struggle to reach Rome, while others are simply born in Rome."

"Are you saying she is a lucky person born in Rome?"

"No, she is Rome."

————

"Did you find it?" Chris asked while holding dumbbells; the new role required him to maintain a fit physique; he was a disciplined person who would consciously work out for about two hours every day after returning.

"I have collected most of the surveillance footage from the surrounding area, but several high-end hotels and restaurants refused..." Assistant John said.

"I believe you can do it; use money, hire lawyers, whatever method." Chris kept moving, his biceps bulging high with distinct lines.

"Alright, I will do my best."

"No, you must succeed."

John had been with him for two years; the two were good friends. After finishing business matters, John asked in confusion: "To be honest, Chris, I don't understand why you insist on collecting the surveillance footage from that day? Didn't the investigators already clarify? That truck explosion was completely an accident, and you even signed to confirm it."

"I don't know if you believe it," Chris put down the dumbbell, picked up a bottle of water from the ground, and took a few gulps. "The reason I was unharmed that day is because someone saved me."

"An awarner?" John reacted quickly.

After the truck explosion, Chris immediately took the camera; through the cinematographer's high-definition lens, he reviewed the situation at that time, then took the data disk, lying that he had lost it. In other words, only Chris had the high-definition footage of the explosion.

John immediately associated this with the recent sensational news about awakeners.

"I think so; otherwise, who could save me without touching me?!"

Chris's blue eyes lowered, casting deep shadows in his eye sockets. He recalled the explosion that day; the truck hit the roadside guardrail and suddenly caught fire; surging flames and flying fragments; at that moment, the human body was so fragile.

A piece of car exterior flashing with cold light flew past before his eyes; if it had followed its normal trajectory, it should have sliced through his skull, but the car skin strangely curved before his eyes and plunged straight into the hard concrete road surface, its trajectory completely defying the laws of physics.

"It must be your fans! Many fans were surrounding you on the set." John suddenly realized. "I was wondering why you acted so out of character that day, actually approaching the fans proactively?"

Only now did he understand why Chris insisted on collecting the surveillance footage. "If you want to find this fan, simply thank him on your personal blog; he will definitely contact you!"

Chris shook his head. "After saving me, he did not reveal his identity, likely to avoid drawing attention. I do not wish to put my benefactor in trouble."

Chris gazed out the window. The human experiments targeting Awakened ones circulating online surfaced in his mind. His brows furrowed deeply, and his sapphire eyes betrayed a hint of worry.

"Rest assured. Whoever saved you from such a massive explosion must be incredibly powerful. Perhaps even like that A-Rank who saved the United Nations..."

Before he could finish, John suddenly froze, lost in thought. Then his eyes widened instantly. He quickly pulled his phone from his pants pocket and flipped to an entertainment news article he had seen that morning.

"The world's only A-Rank Awakened, the superhero Young Lady who saved the United Nations, is actually a fan of the famous Arkadian movie star, Chris Norton!"

The accompanying images were two photos from a United Nations meeting: In the first, a young girl with a low ponytail sat in the hall, expressionlessly fiddling with her phone. Everyone around her conducted the meeting with utmost seriousness; although she appeared to be listening, her gaze was vacant, as if she were daydreaming.

The second image showed a zoomed-in view of the phone screen in her hand. The photographer should thank modern high-definition cameras; although the photo appeared somewhat blurry after zooming, there was no doubt that the phone's wallpaper was a picture of Chris.

John said no more, thrusting the phone directly before Chris's eyes and exclaiming excitedly, "Can you believe it? The truck explosion and the United Nations explosion happened on the same day. This Young Lady Yang Yi happened to be at the United Nations meeting that very day and saved everyone in the entire building! The UN building is only a few kilometers from the film set. Most importantly, she is your fan! How can there be so many coincidences in the world?"

The more John thought, the more excited he became; his mind raced several times faster than usual. "Moreover, on that day, the film set sealed off the entire road for safety. Your fans were far away. An ordinary Awakened could not possibly save you from such a distance! It must be her, the only A-Rank Awakened officially recognized by the United Nations. No, some say she is Super A-Rank, even S-Rank..."

Ignoring his assistant lost in excitement, Chris took the phone and examined the girl in the picture closely. After finding the pronunciation of her name, he searched for it in his phone's search bar. Countless webpages popped up, mostly news reports detailing her heroic feat of saving the United Nations and her Super A-Rank superpowers.

Besides that widely known video of her saving the United Nations, there were clips of her saving tourists on the beach and luring a sea monster back into the ocean.

Many forums analyzed the scale and strength of her telekinetic field, discussing how she dominated other Awakened with overwhelming power to become the number one Awakened.

Some claimed she was the only person worthy of the title "Superman."

————

The Awakened Administration Bureau is located at the North Fifth Ring Road in Jingcheng. It borders the Awakened Assessment Institute and the Dark Matter Research Institute to the north, and the national political and cultural center to the south. Its geographical location is excellent.

Feng Liancheng led Yang Yi into the staff dormitory building, introducing as they walked, "Third floor, two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, one bathroom. The living room and bedrooms face south, while the study window faces north, directly overlooking the garden and artificial lake. The scenery is nice; you can move in immediately with just your luggage." Speaking thus, Feng Liancheng added with a sour tone, "Unlike me, who was only assigned a single apartment."

Yang Yi was very satisfied. In Jingcheng, where land is worth its weight in gold, this single apartment alone must be worth over ten million. With her previous salary, even if she sold herself, she could not afford it.

"My belongings are still in Haibei City. I'll have the moving company pack them and send them over."

"Rest assured, everything is already on the way. To prevent any petty maneuvers by certain spy agencies, all your belongings in Haibei City have been packed and organized by professionals, and all traces of your daily life have been erased."

Hearing this, Yang Yi paused for a moment, pressed her lips together, and said nothing.

She pushed open the living room window. The afternoon sun was scorching, drying out her skin as if it were about to flake off; whereas Haibei City, being near the sea, would yield a drop of moist, salt-laden water with just a pinch between the thumb and forefinger.

"What is my job?" Yang Yi asked. Since she could not return to Haibei City, she calmly accepted her current situation.

"It depends on how the Bureau decides to utilize you. Other Awakened who join the Administration Bureau, if their abilities suit combat and they are prepared to face danger directly, will join the Special Action Team after training, either to deal with anomalous creatures or to execute special missions. Those unwilling to join can have their work arranged according to their abilities. Our Bureau's principle is to never force anyone to do dangerous things."

Feng Liancheng continued, "However, most Awakened are willing to join the Special Action Team because everyone has long figured out a pattern: only by facing danger and nearing life and death can one break through one's limits and significantly improve one's Awakened abilities. As for your specific arrangement, I truly do not know; you are quite special."

"Didn't you say earlier that I would be dispatched to work at the United Nations?" Yang Yi asked.

Feng Liancheng asked casually, "Do you want to work at the United Nations?"