Chapter 830: A Surprising Ability Test

“These are all unnecessary…”

Facing the array of equipment Qinggang had prepared—blood extraction devices, X-ray machines, parasitic items used for detecting abilities, and even instruments treated as if they were combating a formidable enemy—none of Qinggang’s mental mutation experts complained, not even about skipping lunch.

Lu Xin shook his head and began explaining to them:

“The basics show no significant changes compared to the previous physical exam.”

“This time, I intend to test something new.”

…

“So what exactly do you mean?”

Fresh from the base, Professor Bai looked at Lu Xin with curiosity and inquired,

“Right here will suffice.”

Lu Xin glanced around the standard meeting room and then nodded lightly. “Shall I start now?”

“Of course…”

Professor Bai sat up straight, his expression growing slightly grave.

“Um…”

Yuan Qinqin, the Occult Expert seated in a corner, couldn’t help but ask, “Should we take any protective measures?”

That question prompted nods from many around him.

After all, testing an ability is essentially about mental pollution.

Although ability users can usually control this pollution, one must still be wary of unexpected incidents.

So under normal circumstances, ensuring the safety of all staff during the test is paramount.

Especially now, when the subject is a lone soldier whose ability surpasses the research limits…

…a person!

Everyone stood before him in thin clothing, watching his demonstration—as if there were no difference between being clothed and not.

“Well…”

Lu Xin appeared somewhat surprised. After a moment’s thought, he added, “Normally, no extra measures would be necessary.”

“But if you’re worried, feel free to wear the protective suits or observe from outside the room.”

…

At those words, experts and researchers alike turned their gaze toward Professor Bai.

“I won’t be wearing one,”

Professor Bai replied calmly, “However, if any of you prefer to wear a protective suit, now’s the time.”

“For efficiency’s sake, please be back within ten minutes; otherwise, you won’t be taking part in the test.”

…

“Wow…”

At that, everyone exchanged astonished looks before many quickly rushed out to the office.

A commotion soon arose in the corridor.

One could hear the rustle of protective suits being donned, inquiries about where to find them, and even the sound of scuffles over them.

Fortunately, there was an ample supply, and soon about a dozen people returned fully suited up.

At the same time, a few chose to stand outside the meeting room, observing through the small window on the door.

Meanwhile, a handful of people remained seated in the room, content to wait without changing.

Among them were Professor Bai, Minister Shen, and Chen Jing…

…but not Mr. Su, who looked like a ball and was watching remotely from another room.

…

“Can you tell us in advance what type of ability test you plan to perform?”

Once everyone was ready and several high-precision Mental Radiation Detectors were aimed at Lu Xin, Professor Bai stood up, clapped his hands for quiet, and said, “It’ll help us get an idea of what to expect and ease our nerves.”

Lu Xin considered for a moment before hesitantly replying, “It’s hard for me to even classify my own ability.”

“But perhaps once I show you, you’ll understand.”

…

Professor Bai mulled it over, realizing he hadn’t grasped much of the explanation.

So he raised his hand without missing a beat and said, “No problem—let’s begin!”

“Alright,”

Lu Xin stood up, pondering where to start.

After a moment of thought, he sat back down, merely adjusting his posture as he looked at the doll placed before him.

The doll sat obediently next to Lu Xin with wide, innocent eyes, as if it were a loyal audience member.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating her face—fresh and soft like a peeled lychee—capable of instantly brightening one’s mood without any extra expression or action…

When Lu Xin suddenly turned to her, a delighted smile spread across her face.

Yet, she still had no idea what Lu Xin was planning.

Lu Xin studied her face and then gently reached out to remove a red hairpin from her hair.

It was an ordinary hairpin, with a rather old-fashioned design.

He had bought it for her as a gift during one of their shopping trips.

Even the nanny teams couldn’t get her to change her hairpin when heading out—let alone remove it.

But when Lu Xin took it off, it felt entirely different.

Holding the hairpin thoughtfully, Lu Xin pondered for a moment, then—

—with a soft snap, he broke it in half.

“Hm?”

Everyone around was suddenly taken aback, staring at Lu Xin in astonishment.

What was he doing?

Was this a trick to tease a girl who liked him?

The doll appeared momentarily stunned, fixated on the broken hairpin in Lu Xin’s hand, her expression tinged with sadness.

Then, Lu Xin covered the hairpin with both hands, paused briefly, and revealed it once more.

Miraculously, the hairpin was completely restored in his palm.

“Huh?”

Everyone froze for a moment, struck by wonder.

They were so intrigued they didn’t immediately grasp what had happened; instead, they found it incredibly amusing.

Even the doll leaned in closer in surprise, her eyes full of delight as she approached Lu Xin.

Lu Xin gently placed the hairpin back into her hair, exactly as it had been.

The two faux pearls on it continued to jiggle gently, now appearing even brighter.

“That was a neat trick…”

Some, slower to react—like the one trailing Chen Jing, who hadn’t initially been allowed in the meeting room—were seen happily waving their little tentacles, as if ready to applaud Lu Xin.

Only Professor Bai’s gaze suddenly turned puzzled.

His expression tightened as he stared at Lu Xin intently and asked, “Is there more?”

At his query, others began to notice something: by breaking the hairpin and then covering it with both hands, Lu Xin had made it reassemble before their eyes.

It was a simple magic trick, hardly uncommon—but… was the solo soldier here to perform magic?

If it wasn’t magic, then what was he doing?

With that thought, their expressions grew increasingly serious.

…

…

“Yes…”

Lu Xin nodded and patted the doll’s shoulder.

The doll, delighted by his little trick, shook her head in joy.

She savored the feeling of the hairpin against her hair and noticed that it now faintly exuded a different kind of mental power, her gaze not fixed solely on Lu Xin.

At that moment, Lu Xin tapped her lightly, prompting her to turn and look in his direction.

But as she did, she realized Lu Xin was no longer on her right side.

She stood frozen, confused by what had just happened.

Then she felt a hand press on her left shoulder; turning quickly, she saw Lu Xin blocking the sunlight, nodding at her.

Her face lit up with surprise as she grabbed Lu Xin’s wrist.

“Swish…”

At that very moment, a group of researchers suddenly sprang to their feet.

Some were so animated they nearly lost their balance.

“What’s going on?”

They had been momentarily distracted—watching Lu Xin tap the doll’s right shoulder and instinctively checking her reaction. But in the blink of an eye, their attention refocused as they saw Lu Xin suddenly appear on her left side.

He hadn’t moved; he had simply materialized on her left side.

How was that even possible?

Meanwhile, some began to speculate further:

If we can be fooled so easily, then the doll—whose ability makes her highly sensitive to mental energy—should definitely not be deceived by such a trick.

Yet her reaction clearly revealed that she had been tricked.

In her eyes, Lu Xin had seemingly shifted from her left side to her left side—something just wasn’t right…

Just as numerous questions began to flood their minds and they wanted to ask, Lu Xin waved his hand and whispered, “Besides these, there’s another ability for you to observe…”

Under the hesitant stares of those present, Lu Xin looked toward Chen Jing’s side.

Mizang.

Mizang clapped its tentacles in amazement at Lu Xin’s performance.

The little creature, usually overlooked, froze momentarily when it caught Lu Xin’s eye.

Then its little legs grew weak, as if wanting to scamper away.

“Come here,” Lu Xin commanded.

At that moment, Lu Xin had already nodded gently in its direction.

So it didn’t dare to escape. Casting a pleading glance toward Chen Jing—and noting no sign of opposition, as if Chen Jing had just remembered he had a secretary—it shuffled toward Lu Xin in dejected steps.

As it drew closer, its tiny figure became clear to all the researchers and experts present.

“Huh?”

“Who is that?”

“Ah, right—this is Colonel Chen’s secretary…”

“When did this thing sneak in?”

…

Amid a flurry of shocked chatter, Mizang’s body trembled slightly, as if it wanted to hide.

It was often ignored and disliked being forgotten, but now that so many eyes were on it, it was scared.

After all, it already looked like a little monster with hardly any face.

Whenever someone glanced its way, it instinctively wanted to vanish.

Observing the trembling creature, Lu Xin carefully studied it.

Mizang, this little monster, truly resembled one.

Its arms were like tentacles, its legs short and slippery, its head lacked a face, yet a large mouth had grown at the back of its neck; its ears were oddly in place, and its nose sprouted below its neck.

As for its eyes, they were scattered evenly on its tentacles.

Silently, Lu Xin formulated a plan in his mind before gently placing his hand on Mizang’s little head.

For a moment, Mizang’s body shuddered in a peculiar way.

It was as if its skin began to blur, and when it came back into clarity, an exclamation burst forth.

A mouth had appeared on its face.

And a nose—right above the mouth.

Its ears remained pointed, but the eyes… they were still on its tentacles.

Yet in that instant, it looked…

…more like a human.

…although its little form still appeared rather unappealing.

…

“Oh my…”

Everyone present collectively gasped in astonishment.

The more they deduced how such a simple change could occur, the more amazed they grew, craning their necks to get a closer look at Mizang, which now looked just a bit more human. Eyes widened as they longed to inspect it up close.

Mizang raised its tentacles slightly, using the eyes on them to examine its own reflection.

Gradually, it became more excited, in utter disbelief, scrutinizing itself from head to toe as its tentacles trembled uncontrollably.

When it finally realized that its appearance had indeed changed and that it could now eat like a normal person, it suddenly burst into tears, wrapping its tentacles around Lu Xin’s legs as tears streamed from every eye.

“Alright, alright…”

Lu Xin comforted it by stroking its head.

This final act felt like the one performance he had the least control over.

But judging by the outcome, this mini plastic surgery had turned out to be quite a success…