BXBX NOVEL Chapter 40 - 40: Guidance and Improvement
As Chen Jing briefed Lu Xin about the situation, she brought him to a spacious office. There, Lu Xin saw for the first time many items he had only seen on the TV and in the books before the Red Moon event.
There was a water dispenser, a small and delicate projector, and a laptop with an incomplete apple on the front cover.
The room was in disarray. It looked as if it had been set up just for this occasion.
A handful of people were already waiting inside, including five researchers in lab coats, four security guards in black police uniforms standing in the corners of the office with their guns, and an amiable old man in thin, golden-frame spectacles seated at the office desk in the center.
“They’re here to help you with your final assessment. There’s a neuroscientist, a brain specialist, a psychiatrist, a mystic researcher, and others. Don’t feel pressured, though. It’s a rule to have security guards around because there was one time when an accident happened during the assessment which brought about disastrous consequences. Rest assured that it’s much better now!”
Chen Jing quickly introduced Lu Xin to the other people in the office cleanly and professionally.
“So, where are the Six Monsters of Qinggang?”
Lu Xin was confused. He hadn’t noticed anything that resembled a “monster”.
“What Six Monsters?” Chen Jing asked.
She looked puzzled.
Lu Xin glanced at Gecko, who was walking behind him, but Gecko avoided eye contact and pretended as if he had heard nothing.
“The Six Monsters of Qinggang, huh? I suppose he’s probably referring to us!”
The old man chuckled and stood up. He shook Lu Xin’s hand and introduced himself. “I’m Chen, the chief director at the Qinggang Special Corruption Research Center. Your assessment today will be chaired by my five colleagues and myself. After the assessment, the six of us will be guiding you in the next stage too. There’s no need to worry. We’re all fully experienced!”
The other five people nodded at Lu Xin.
Lu Xin looked at the six of them one by one. There were four men and two women, and most of them looked like they were in their 40s or 50s. The oldest one was the gentleman before him whose name was Chen. He looked to be at least 60 years old. As for the rest, most of the men were bald. One of the women had luxuriant hair and wasn’t wearing any makeup. She nodded at Lu Xin with a calm and friendly expression.
Lu Xin hadn’t been feeling nervous. But his heart suddenly started to pump faster under their gaze.
“Certainly. They’re the six most competent, most professional, and most well-loved experts and professors in our Qinggang city. Their research in psyche mutations is top-class, not just in Qinggang, but in the entire Alliance too…”
Gecko walked over with a smile and took the initiative to introduce them. He acted as if he had mentioned nothing like the “Six Monsters” all along.
Lu Xin then understood that he was trying to embarrass him. He looked at Gecko with mixed emotions.
“I trust that you two have already met each other. His name is Gecko. He requested to come here himself!”
Chen Jing then added, “You two share similar powers. So, you could see him as a reference!”
“A reference? That’s not a nice name…” Gecko mumbled. Then, he greeted the people in the office with a bright smile that could hardly be concealed by his sunglasses.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!”
“Step aside, please…”
A middle-aged woman in glasses waved her hand, gesturing that Gecko was blocking Lu Xin.
Chen Jing then briefed Lu Xin on some important instructions about the assessment, though she was probably buying time for Lu Xin to relax. Then, the senior professor Chen brought the group out of the office toward the assessment venue. They wanted to test Lu Xin’s first ability there.
“The ability to control one’s body to high precision due to their strong psyche powers is one of the earliest abilities people have discovered after the Red Moon event, and the most common one at that…” The old man smiled at Lu Xin as he explained. When he said “common”, he glanced at Gecko and added, “Certainly, it’s one of the most powerful ones too!”
Gecko nodded in satisfaction.
“Psyche mutants of this type can control their bodies several times better than normal people. And people with stronger psyche powers can control a higher percentage of their bodily constitution, which makes them more powerful too. In essence, you need a higher psyche magnitude to become stronger!
“Therefore, the evaluation of your psyche magnitude is one of the core assessments we’re going to perform today!
“The data on your psyche magnitude will help us guide you better to minimize the risk of losing control!”
“So… May I ask what you mean by ‘guiding’?”
Lu Xin didn’t want to continue to pretend that he could understand everything. He asked the most burning question in his mind.
Apparently, the question caught the old gentleman by surprise. He looked at Chen Jing with a puzzled look on his face.
“They’ll guide you, meaning they’ll help you improve your mutated abilities!”
Chen Jing explained, “For example, all psyche mutants of the Spider Style are natural fighters, marksmen, jugglers, and magicians, because all of you can precisely control every bone and muscle in your body. Therefore, almost all skills involving body control and bodily extensions are easy tasks for you!
“However, not all mutants in this world are of the Spider Style!”
Her voice became serious. “Different branches have occurred in psyche mutations.
“Beside Spider Style mutants, there are other types of abilities too, including Princesses, Doctors, Spirits, and Dream Makers.
“Every ability has its own strengths and weaknesses!
“As compared to experts and professors with abundant research and data analysis experience in mutation cases, psyche mutants themselves have less knowledge about how to make better use of their abilities or how to improve themselves.
“Sometimes, mistakes are made when mutants try to challenge themselves, and that may push them toward the verge of losing control.
“That’s why mutants need guidance!
“You need proper guidance backed by statistical evidence to fully realize your potential safely.”
“Well… That’s why you’re annoying…”
Lu Xin was new to those ideas. But Gecko suddenly started to mumble. “Finally, someone with similar abilities as me has appeared. We can finally tell you all that we’re not omnipotent…
“There are many things which you’ve deduced and thought that I can do, but the fact is that I can’t… It’s impossible…
“For instance, why do you think I can turn into a liquid?
“I’m a human, not a cat…”
“That’s why you need guidance!”
The old gentleman smiled and explained, “You have acquired your abilities because your psyche mutated by chance.
“How are you so certain that you know more about ‘abilities’ than us researchers?”