Chapter 327: Hovering Target (Part 2/3)
Translator: Strivon
The fine threads extending out from the miniature rhombohedron numbered a total of six. The threads drifted and swayed within the device cavity, looking like a struggling and atypical jellyfish at first glance.
Luo Nan pursed his lips as his gaze focused on the inside of the device cavity. A sense of déjà vu washed over him. He felt that he had seen this scene before somewhere.
Crag Burst studied the rhombohedron a few times before turning his gaze onto Worker Zhai. This repair technician had merely gripped a metal rod, and drops of sweat could be seen on his forehead. He looked extremely exhausted, and at the same time, the ripples on the mental plane grew all the more distinct.
Nothing could be said about it. Worker Zhai was an ability user.
Crag Burst studied the man a bit. He felt quite surprised, but it was within the realm of reason. It was very natural to make contact with ability users, for this was a channel introduced by Papercut.
Crag Burst was acting as Luo Nan's bodyguard; he had to eliminate all sources of danger. Frankly speaking, linking this man as a dangerous source was a little difficult.
Worker Zhai's performance was quite so-so.
Such a description could be considered a courteous one. Crag Burst was experienced and knowledgeable. He possessed a measuring stick in his mind. Based on Worker Zhai's performance in disturbing the mental plane just now, Worker Zhai was on a slightly higher level than the 'enthusiasts' of all the ability users he met in the past.
The ability to consciously utilize mental power and influence the material plane was impressive from the perspective of normal people. However, this was all Worker Zhai had to him. The metal rod and the device were used to amplify his powers. If these middle links didn't exist, it would be a wonder for Worker Zhai to lift even a fine hair with the interference ability formed from his level of mental power.
Crag Burst relaxed once he made this judgment. His attention wandered over to Luo Nan, who was still carefully observing the cavity of the device. Looking at how concentrated Luo Nan was, it seemed that the miniature rhombohedron was much more valuable than expected.
The beads of sweat upon Worker Zhai's forehead had already spread into a thin layer. His breathing was no longer smooth as well, but the six 'tentacles' surrounding the rhombohedron in the device cavity didn't seem to have undergone any changes.
Luo Nan opened his mouth at last. "This toy can change further?"
Worker Zhai drew in a breath. He spoke much more quickly this time, "It should. The six tentacles are quite sensitive to interference ability, but it has yet to form a structure that can store and transform kinetic energy—let alone doing things such as magnetic levitation. If the tai chi ball doesn't possess anything of interest, then these tentacles are the parts that are most worthy of our attention…. My ability isn't enough. Can you guys help?"
Luo Nan, Crag Burst, and even Xue Lei viewing from afar were all able to sense the anomaly. Crag Burst acted as if Luo Nan had forgotten to introduce him, and his mouth split into a grin. "So it turns out Worker Zhai is also part of the Society."
Worker Zhai laughed as well. He didn't hide it. "Papercut recommended me into the Society, but right now I'm still in the evaluation stage. It's already been five or so years."
Xue Lei exclaimed, "No way! Is the evaluation very strict?"
Xue Lei was already prepared to enter the professional ability user society and had started the relevant procedures. With the fine woman Zhang Yingying helping him out, he had nothing to worry about. So, he only had a smattering of knowledge over the three-stage process of evaluation, awakening, and professional. He was unclear on these concepts. His heart seized for a moment when he heard Worker Zhai mention five years.
Worker Zhai continued to smile. Luo Nan and Crag Burst didn't explain with Worker Zhai present. In the end, the truth would harm someone.
It must be stated that ten Crag Bursts added together in regard to sensing on the mental plane wasn't enough to surpass Luo Nan. What Crag Burst could discover on the mental plane, Luo Nan could certainly do without any problems. He could do it with more detail, with vivider quality.
From Luo Nan's perspective, Worker Zhai's mental power in the formation of interference ability against the material plane was a tragic sight. Luo Nan had similar faults in his early stages.
Although the displays were similar, the natures were quite different.
Luo Nan possessed mental power that far exceeded normal levels. But because of the special circumstances with Formatting Theory, Luo Nan was blocked off from interfering with the material plane. Later, he relied on the heart lantern of the eyes orifice's coupling to break through his shackles. It could be said that his problem was exotic, and the way he resolved it was extremely out of the ordinary.
Worker Zhai's problem was one of the simplest and most straightforward. He needed to cultivate more. There was nothing impressive about his strength or depth on the mental plane. He was simply not good enough according to the standards of the Society.
Zhang Yingying had once said that there were six hundred thousand ability users in the world. Of them, only seventy thousand are Awakened. It was none other than these seventy thousand people who established the frame of the professional ability user society.
The Society set up records of people who had yet to awaken like Worker Zhai, but they normally didn't pay much attention to them. But if the person's age was lower, like Luo Nan at sixteen years old, they might hold some expectations for them. The problem was that Worker Zhai was already forty years old. The term 'potential' was meaningless when applied toward him.
Speaking these few words made Worker Zhai more tired. He shook his head. "Who's going to come and help me?"
"How can we help?"
"Grip this handle and pour in your power. It won't be a problem as long as you can form interference."
"Then let me." Crag Burst wasn't willing to have Luo Nan make contact with some mysterious oddity. He took a step forward, waited for Worker Zhai to relinquish his grip, then firmly held the metal handle.
The tentacles extending out of the rhombohedron had begun to retract when Worker Zhai relinquished his hand. But when Crag Burst's palm held the handle, large sections of the tentacles suddenly stabbed out. Crag Burst didn't appear to have used much force, but the tentacles became thicker than before. The space within the device cavity appeared much more cramped, causing the tentacles to spiral and fold to accommodate themselves.
Soon, all four people were able to clearly see each of the tentacles noiselessly branch off into five forks, which were more slender than the tentacles a level above them. Then, they extended little by little. At the moment, there was a total of thirty-six filaments. They constantly intertwined to form a marvelous dynamic pattern.
"This is amazing!" Xue Lei's attention was immediately drawn back to it. He looked at it in puzzlement. "Does this toy have a different mechanism?"
Crag Burst was blinking his eyes. It seemed he was trying to recall something. He asked Worker Zhai, "Is this all right?"
"Hold on a sec."
Worker Zhai used a scanner tool to analyze the dynamic pattern formed from the tentacles. The scanner tool outputted a simple diagram, which Worker Zhai cast to the hologram for more work and revision. A short dozen seconds later, a series of dynamic images appeared one after another. They appeared in succession like an animated short film. There was a clear timing to them.
"The structure can now transform kinetic energy, but this isn't enough."
"You need more? Just watch!" Crag Burst was unwilling to let anyone else do the work. He exerted two times the amount of power compared to before while cheerily speaking, but there were no further changes within the device cavity.
Worker Zhai gestured to the dashboard below the metal rod. "Continue. There won't be any problems as long as the arrow doesn't reach the red zone."
"Then I'll play for reals." Crag Burst's lips split into a grin. His bronze complexion seemed to flare with a crimson glow. Even his pupils seemed to have obtained a sheen of scarlet.
His five fingers moved subtly upon the metal handle. He was just about to exert force when he heard someone shout, "Stop!"
Crag Burst instinctively retracted his energy and glanced at the dashboard. He just saw the arrow suddenly jump, nearly entering the red zone.
"...I didn't even go full power!"
"Your interference ability is too rough and broad. It's not suitable."
Worker Zhai's gaze spun to a different direction upon speaking.