Breakthrough (IV)

However, there was no sign of corrosion on Ying Yungui's body, including his sleeves.

07 was such a shrewd person that the moment he realized that the energy he sent out hadn't received any feedback, he immediately chose to withdraw. He narrowed his eyes and said, "You used your ability on yourself to block my direct contact?"

While Ying Yungui didn't think this trick could fool 07 forever, he didn't expect it to be seen through immediately. To put it bluntly, he simply wanted to use this opportunity to test 07's abilities and verify his own assumptions. "So what?" Before he could finish his words, he rushed forward again, closing the distance between them once again.

Seeing Ying Yungui attempting to continue the close combat, 07 decided not to meet the attack head-on. He stared at the attacking figure in front of him and quickly retreated a few steps. Unlike before, every step he took this time left a noticeable dent and crack where it touched the ground.

These cracks connected one after another, splitting the road beneath their feet into pieces. Ying Yungui stepped forward due to inertia, but his feet did not feel the ground. He missed a step and was about to fall into the cracks.

With a "Shua" sound of breaking through the air, Ying Yungui turned over without any support and stepped on the solid ground again.

A pair of purple eyes raised sharply and looked at the indifferent person in front of him. Suddenly, a few red marks appeared under the eyes on the side of Ying Yungui's cheek. He was injured.

"It seems you haven't mastered the ability to release multiple energy forms simultaneously." 07 said meaningfully, tossing a few pebbles in one hand. "It seems your 'surface space'... can't be covered simultaneously when you use 'telekinesis' on yourself."

"Mr. Ying, it seems I still overestimated you."

"Or, without the aid of the limiter, just maintaining this area and controlling the energy from overflowing has already consumed most of your energy?"

07 slowly pulled a silver ring from his pocket and slowly raised it to his eyes. He examined it and said, "Without this thing, your control over energy seems to be far worse than before."

Under the dim moonlight, Ying Yungui pinched his thigh with one hand, forcing himself to remain calm. His initial move of grabbing two hatchets and charging into close combat wasn't a reckless act. Rather, he had already thought through many of the next steps, including the shredded clothing on his left arm. It was a decision he made to temporarily deceive 07, to make him let down his guard.

Even after the hatchet lost its effectiveness, he still chose to close in. On the surface, it seemed like an emotional attack, but in reality, he had already protected himself with "surface space." And this series of deployments and implementations did indeed yield the evidence he had suspected.

07 When using superpowers to erode the opponent, the energy covering the body will flow in the opposite direction on a large scale. In other words, the rare reverse superpower "collapse" also has one of the fatal limitations of superpowers.

“Linear.”

The total amount of energy a psychic can store within their body is capped, just as the total capacity of a large water tank is limited. However, among all types of psychic powers, some can be simultaneously channeled in multiple directions, even requiring the energy to be altered in form. This is like having multiple outlets around a water tank, all of which can be opened simultaneously to release water. Various tools can be connected to these outlets to create different streams, such as high jets, sheets, and sprays.

However, with some powers, the user can freely change the location of the energy outlet while transferring energy. However, if the energy's form needs to be changed, they must stop the original transfer, complete the energy transformation within their closed body, and then start a new transfer. It's like a water tank covered with sliding tracks: the outlet can be moved at will, but its form is fixed and cannot be connected to external tools.

This limitation of the latter ability is known as "linearity." In layman's terms, energy is likened to an unbreakable thread, which can take on many shapes as long as it's not cut.

Ying Yungui's ability is actually nonlinear. He was unable to maintain the surface space while using telekinesis to return to the ground. Firstly, as 07 said, he was affected by the limiter leaving his body. Secondly, he rarely encountered situations where he needed to maintain different energy forms at the same time. In other words, he was not proficient.

His close-range exploration revealed the important information that "collapse" belongs to linear ability, which means that he has found the key point that can theoretically control the defeat of 07 - destroying the changes in the energy form in his body, which is also the core means to fight against all linear ability users.

But theory is just theory after all. Combat is not just talk, it must be combined with reality. Ying Yungui wiped the blood from his cheek, glanced at the cracks on the ground like a spider web under his feet, and then looked up.

07 held the ring up to the moonlight, seemingly observing the flowing, dark patterns on it. The next second, he pinched it with two fingers, and the silver ring was reduced to dust in a gust of wind.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ying, I will never give away anything I have gotten." Under Ying Yungui's astonished gaze, 07 rubbed the area with his fingertips twice to brush away the remaining powder.

"It's getting late, and I have things to take care of, so I won't play with you." His tone was full of ease and indifference, as if he didn't take the battle with Ying Yungui seriously at all, or rather, he didn't take Ying Yungui seriously as a person.

However, Ying Yungui was rarely angry. He knew very well that judging from the fight in the past few minutes, 07's skills and level were obviously quite high. It was normal for an opponent of this level not to take him seriously at this stage.

But he couldn't let 07 and Kong leave like this, even if it cost him his own life.

Just as Ying Yungui was about to give up suppressing and organizing the vast energy within him and decide to fight a last-ditch battle, 07's pale white pupils turned quietly and met his eyes. "I told you, I'm busy playing with you."

...

...

Time suddenly stopped, and seemed to pass by suddenly. When Ying Yungui came to his senses again, the sound of several people talking was heard not far away.

"Over there!"

"Come here quickly! Watch out for the ground!"

The dazzling high headlights of a car flashed by. Ying Yungui raised his arm and turned his head to avoid the direct sunlight. The exposed part of his upper arm was very eye-catching. The cool breeze rushed in through the rip in his sleeve, and his head was still buzzing.

"Are you okay? We are a temporary team sent by the association to provide support. What happened here? Are there any casualties?" A series of questions came down. If it were any other time, Ying Yungui would have started to mock the other party's unprofessionalism, but at this time he had not yet woken up from his daze.

The mission vehicle stopped at a point far away where the ground hadn't cracked. Several people got out, carefully avoiding any cracks in the ground and gathering around Ying Yungui. "Mr. Ying..." Someone recognized him and reached out to check his injuries, only to be slapped away.

"Stay away from me." The energy in Ying Yungui's body began to run rampant uncontrollably, and his vision began to spin. He held on to the last bit of clear consciousness and said, "It's 07...Maintenance Bureau" and then completely fainted.

It was almost noon when Shi Youchen woke up from his intermittent dreams.

The dream that lasted all night meant that he didn't get enough rest at all, so when he opened his eyes, he was still very tired. He thought he had recognized the wrong person and said in a hoarse voice, "Lin Zhouze?"

The man with his back to the bed by the window turned around. His hair was as messy as ever, with two prominent dark circles under his eyes and the light blue stubble on his lips was also quite obvious.

It was obvious that he didn't get a good rest.

Lin Zhouze rubbed his eyes, closed the gap in the window, then walked to the other side, picked up a cup of warm water and handed it to Shi Youchen.

"You're finally awake. I've brought you the medicine. Eat something first." He opened the cloud-painted lunch box on the table and stirred the light mushroom soup. "Eat. You still need to take the medicine you took this morning."

Shi Youchen stared at his movements, not caring to complain about not having washed up yet, "Where's Ying Yungui?"

Obviously, Lin Zhouze's straightforward behavior did not make people feel at ease. On the contrary, Shi Youchen immediately noticed something unusual: "Where is Ying Yungui?"

"..." Lin Zhouze frowned and sighed as he closed the lunch box. "He was attacked on his way back from City A last night and is now in the Supernatural Observation Room. So as agreed before, I'll be accompanying you."

Hearing the word "attacked," Youchen instinctively pulled at the blanket, then stopped when he heard "superpower observation room." "He's not injured?" Theoretically, people who were attacked would most likely be in the treatment room like him, so why would he end up in the superpower observation room?

Lin Zhouze: "They are minor injuries that are not serious. However, his limiter has disappeared and he has lost consciousness, so he needs to be sent to the observation room to avoid any accidents."

"The limiter disappeared?" Shi Youchen thought of the earring he had kept. It seemed that taking it off would not have any negative impact on Yun Gui. "What will be the consequences?"

Lin Zhouze cracked his knuckles, his expression unclear behind his glasses. "In a situation like his, it's hard to say. I guess there might be more benefits if he can wake up safely."

Shi Youchen was silent for a moment. He still trusted Lin Zhouze's judgment, so he didn't ask any further questions. "Give me the soup, and the medicine." He got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up. Then he quietly ate and quietly replenished his body with the medicine.

"..." Lin Zhouze finally couldn't help but ask curiously, "Don't you want to know what's going on?"

Shi Youchen expertly connected the IV tube and said calmly, "He'll know when he wakes up. Even if I ask him now, it won't help him at all." He raised his hand to adjust the IV flow rate and looked at Lin Zhouze. "It's better to focus on taking care of yourself first, so you'll be prepared for whatever you want to do later."

This statement has a double meaning, which not only shows Shi Youchen's own attitude, but also warns Lin Zhouze not to overwork himself.

While Lin Zhouze might be a bit slow in other areas, no one would doubt his intelligence. Furthermore, Shi Youchen was staring at him face to face, so he naturally understood. "I know, but Yan Zhiyuan hasn't woken up yet. There are still many doubts about your attack. Now that Ying Yungui's help is gone, I have to pay more attention."

His expression was rarely serious, and Shi Youchen no longer insisted, compromising: "Now that the three of us have fallen, you should take better care of yourself. Things can always be solved. The more anxious you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes. This is what you have always told me."

"I... I'm not anxious," Lin Zhouze said deflatedly. "I'm just a little scared. You've been in trouble one after another, and they're all related to the Maintenance Bureau. I'm afraid they're going to make some big move soon."

"In times like these, information is the most important weapon. As Deputy Minister of Information, all I can do is analyze as much useful intelligence as possible." He clenched his fingers. "I can't fight like you, but I have my own things to offer."

Faced with Lin Zhouze's heavy confession and oath, Shi Youchen clenched his fists even tighter beneath the quilt, his nails digging into the flesh of his palms. He wanted to say something, but no matter what he said, it would only make him laugh inwardly.

A traitor, teaching a loyal knight how to protect.