Chapter 41: Abnormal Normalcy

Uh…

Lu Xin’s response left the old professors momentarily stunned.

Fortunately Chen Jing stepped in to explain, “We already have clear data on that from his encounter with Special Pollution Source 041. Let’s skip the bullet-dodging test. The professors’ time in the Second Satellite City is limited and we still have many tests to conduct. Efficiency is key…”

The professors reluctantly agreed, shaking their heads and sighing.

Lu Xin felt a shiver run down his spine. Why did these old men look so disappointed?

However the next round of tests quickly captured all of Lu Xin’s attention.

Before the official testing began he hadn’t realized there would be so many items on the list.

After the firearm assessment Lu Xin cooperatively underwent several other tests including short-distance speed, physical sensitivity, complex micro-movement memory and mimicry, and even micro-space infiltration which seemed almost impossible.

The results of each test were astonishing.

Astonishing mostly to Lu Xin himself.

In the 100-meter dash test, with his Sister’s help Lu Xin clocked in at five seconds. He felt as if every muscle in his body had coordinated perfectly, working together in the most efficient way possible to complete the run.

Yet a potbellied professor seemed disappointed, shaking his head. “This is your weak point!”

“A cheetah’s top speed can reach three seconds per hundred meters, and that’s just an ordinary animal. Given your precise control over every bone and muscle, you should be able to achieve even more explosive speed. Of course the human body isn’t ideally built for short bursts of power. Perhaps you need some personal refinement and adjustment…”

“When Gecko was tested previously his best result was 3.9 seconds, much faster than you…”

“So why don’t you try crawling?”

…

Lu Xin remained silent and refused. He finally agreed only to try it himself later if the opportunity arose.

The reason was simple: It was too embarrassing!

The potbellied professor gave a slight shake of his head, expressing his regret.

During the physical sensitivity test Lu Xin sat still and accurately described everything touching his back—including the path of contact, the pressure, and even the shape. In the complex micro-movement memory test he easily perceived subtle and intricate actions and replicated them using his bodily control.

What surprised him most was the micro-space infiltration test.

How could he, standing 175 cm tall and weighing 140 jin, fit inside a wooden box just one cubic chi?

Yet Gecko could hide inside easily.

The crucial part was, with his Sister’s help Lu Xin actually managed to fit inside too.

As Lu Xin’s legs hooked around his neck, his chest nearly touching his rear, his head almost retracted into his body, and his arms twisted, contorting him into an extremely awkward ball within the tiny space, his Sister giggled. “Brother, have you forgotten? When Father used to hit me I could hide in the room’s ventilation shaft.”

Sister giggled at Lu Xin, boasting that she could do even better.

However not every test went smoothly. For instance during one assessment an old professor brandished a very sharp-looking knife at Lu Xin and explained, “Theoretically a Spider-type Ability User should be able to control the muscles around a wound after injury to stop excessive bleeding and even accelerate healing…”

“So if you don’t mind shall I make a cut on your arm first?”

…

Faced with Lu Xin’s firm refusal the professor put away the knife with a look of regret.

Lu Xin found it incredibly strange. What was with this researcher’s obsessive fascination with knives?

…

During a telekinesis test a researcher in a white coat with thick black hair sneakily took a bite of an apple then ran three or four meters away and said to Lu Xin, “Theoretically every Mentally Altered Person should possess telekinesis. In fact anyone with a Mental Power exceeding sixty units will develop it; it’s just a matter of strength.”

“Most Ability Users can’t directly wield telekinesis they just use it to sense other mental powers and evade attacks!”

“We’ve observed your telekinesis before. Come on, make an effort. Take this apple…”

…

Lu Xin sat in the chair with everyone watching him.

After sitting for quite a while Lu Xin finally looked helplessly towards his Sister.

“I’m your sister not your employee…”

Sister ran back and forth across the ceiling, bored and uncooperative. “If you were in danger that’d be one thing. But nothing’s happening now. Why should I foolishly help you grab an apple? Now if you wanted me to snatch his wig…”

Her eyes lit up as she stared intently at that thick black hair.

Ultimately Lu Xin had no choice but to give up again.

He shot his Sister a warning look telling her not to mess with the man’s wig, and at the same time noticed something…

Turns out this professor was bald too…

…

…

“Do you need to rest for a day? We can continue the relevant tests tomorrow.”

After completing various ability tests, blood draws, and sample collections Chen Jing approached Lu Xin with concern.

Lu Xin paused slightly. “What’s next?”

Chen Jing smiled, holding a file. “The next tests are to see if you have the potential to develop other abilities.”

Lu Xin hesitated. “Can we skip these?”

Chen Jing observed Lu Xin’s expression and smiled. “Alright. In that case you only need to do the final test!”

Surprisingly this final test was just a chat.

A middle-aged woman in a white coat, looking gentle and kind, spoke softly with Lu Xin for over half an hour.

…

…

“This should reach C-level right?”

Meanwhile in another office several old professors were rapidly organizing their data. Unlike their usual smiling friendly demeanor they were now stern-faced, meticulously checking and calculating the newly acquired data sets. Some expressions grew increasingly solemn while others held a fanatical gleam…

After they had been organizing for a while the potbellied bald old man remarked with feeling.

“C-level?”

A bald man in a white coat repeated it, chuckling softly. “The ability is C-level but the potential…”

“How was the psychological evaluation?”

As they murmured among themselves the psychologist in the white coat walked in flipping through a file.

The entire office suddenly fell silent.

Everyone looked up at her as if her report was even more crucial than all the other assessments combined.

“There’s a big problem…”

The psychologist in the white coat spoke slowly after a moment.

“What problem?”

Everyone seemed to tense up.

“He’s too normal!”

The psychologist delivered her answer after another pause. “Frankly he’s more normal than I am…”