Discernment isn't just simple component analysis!
Discernment ability users can see energy flow at the cellular level! They can even pinpoint the disguised gene chains of Corpse Ghouls!
A chill exploded down his spine! Lin Wei's amber eyes scanning his 'wound' was magnified infinitely—the 0.3-second hesitation when her fingertip lingered, the slight frown when she bandaged him… it wasn't worry! It was detection!
"She hides too deeply… terrifyingly deep."
All memories of Lin Wei were retrieved at high speed: her silent figure hugging her knees in the corner of the classroom, her focused profile while bandaging the injured, and even… her breathing rate as she guarded his stretcher while he was 'unconscious'.
No flaws! An energy containment that even his Soul Jade Physique hadn't detected!
"A-grade potential… the threshold of the Condensation Realm… she should have awakened long ago!" The conclusion pierced him like an ice pick—this girl had completed an absolutely silent ability latent period right under his nose!
Even more fatal was… she had seen too many of his 'wounds': the scrapes from being 'mentally attacked' in Zheng Xiyun's illusion, the lacerations from 'narrowly escaping' the Rat King's claws, and even the 'fracture' in his left arm now.
Every wound was a script, yet she had replayed it frame by frame with her Discernment eye!
"Wait!" Suddenly, Ling Chen seemed to remember something!
Named Lin Wei… Panshi Military Region… Bianwei (Discern Micro) ability. These points of information flashed through his mind, combined with his rich memories from his previous life, constructing a ridiculous yet extremely logical truth.
He had an impression of this Lin Wei… the Commander of the Panshi Military Region's granddaughter!
All anomalies instantly connected—her ability to hide her power for so long right under his nose, the military's high regard for Linghui Academy, even sending tanks and helicopters.
And now… the calm expressions of those staff members!
So that's how it was… so that's how it was!
"It's not a coincidence… it's an information disparity under bloodline privilege!" He almost sneered, but then immediately felt relieved.
"Indeed, if you play with people's hearts, you must be prepared for your heart to be played with. The more you play with people's hearts, the more you will realize the limits of being human."
"But… I haven't been human for a long time."
The 'check' piece suddenly appearing on the chessboard forced him to completely rearrange all his plans, and the urgency of time was even greater!
Commander Qin, to protect his bloodline, deliberately had Lin Wei take her mother's surname, and had not even seen Lin Wei for over ten years.
"When such an abrupt event occurs, people undergo a long process of adaptation and trust. She probably doesn't know her identity yet, but she will soon!"
Ling Chen's eyes flickered.
At this moment, seeing everyone's gazes, Lin Wei's body stiffened slightly.
She subconsciously looked at Ling Chen on the stretcher, and a complex, unreadable emotion flashed deep within her amber pupils—there was nervousness, unease, and a hint of… bewilderment at being thrust into the spotlight.
She pursed her lips and, escorted by two soldiers (almost under escort), walked towards the heavy alloy door marked "S". The door slid open silently, revealing a soft but cold white light that instantly swallowed her slender figure.
Then it was Chen Xue.
As the scanner swept over Chen Xue's palm, a silver light burst forth! The instrument's alarm value shot straight to A-grade!
The officer was shocked: "Non-combat energy! Spectral analysis shows… it can repair brain damage?! Immediately classify her within S-grade protection!"
Ling Chen was not surprised by this; healing ability users were sought after everywhere.
Finally, it was Ling Chen's turn.
The scanning beam enveloped the stretcher.
"Identity confirmed: Ling Chen, male, 18 years old, Linghui Academy senior. Ability registration: Beast Control (Bat Control), C-grade potential (affected by severe injury). Status: Severely injured (left arm fracture, moderate blood loss, residual radiation contamination), vital signs weak, ability core severely overdrawn. Assignment: Medical Center Intensive Care Unit, isolated observation."
The electronic voice reported the results. C-grade potential, severe overexertion. Compared to the A-grade brilliance of Lin Wei and Chen Xue, it appeared dim and unremarkable.
As the medics lifted Ling Chen's stretcher and headed towards the medical passage, Chen Xue subconsciously followed but was blocked by the caution tape at the entrance. A young soldier instinctively stepped forward: "Please stop! The medical area requires isolation…"
Before he could finish, the tactical terminal on his shoulder suddenly burst into dazzling red light! Amidst the piercing alarm, a cold electronic voice boomed:
"Warning! S-grade authorized target approaching! Grant immediate passage! Repeat! Grant immediate passage!"
The soldier's face changed drastically! He saw that Chen Xue's palm had, at some point, lit up with a soft silver glow, and tiny specks of light, like a flowing galaxy, wrapped around her fingertips—this was her ability badge, and also her pass!
A female officer, wearing the rank of major, quickly emerged from deep within the passage. Her gaze swept over the silver light in Chen Xue's palm, her pupils constricted, and she immediately stood at attention and saluted: "Your Excellency, 【Silver Priest】! The Boulder Fortress Medical Center salutes you!" She stepped aside, her voice filled with reverence, "Commander Qin has ordered: your treatment authority covers any area of the entire fortress!"
Chen Xue stood stunned, looking at her glowing palm. S-grade authority? Your Excellency, Silver Priest? These unfamiliar terms left her bewildered. But looking at Ling Chen's pale face on the stretcher, she suddenly clenched her hand, and the silver light flickered like breathing.
"Lead the way." Her voice held an almost imperceptible tremor, yet it was exceptionally firm, "He needs me."
The major waved her hand, and two soldiers immediately replaced the medics, lifting the stretcher. Chen Xue entered the medical passage accompanied by the officer, and the caution tape silently lowered behind her.
The Boulder Fortress · Medical Center · Intensive Care Isolation Room
Cold white light, like a shadowless lamp, enveloped the entire room. The air was filled with the strong smell of disinfectant and medicine. Various monitoring instruments emitted regular, monotonous "beep beep" sounds, and cold numbers representing heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation flickered on the screens.
Ling Chen lay on the hospital bed, connected to even more tubes and electrodes. His left arm was fixed in a cast, and he wore an oxygen mask, looking even more "weak" than before.
A doctor in a sterile isolation suit and two nurses were busy recording data and adjusting the infusion rate.
The ward had one-way glass. Outside the glass wall, Zhou Zhengyang and another white-haired, sharp-eyed old man in a white coat, sharp as a hawk, watched Ling Chen silently through the observation window.
"Vital signs are stabilizing but extremely weak. Left ulnar fracture confirmed, accompanied by slight bone displacement. Symptoms of hemorrhagic anemia are obvious. Trace radiation residue and unknown neurotoxin metabolites detected in the body… consistent with exposure to mutated rat groups and radiation sources."
The doctor held the medical report and reported to Zhou Zhengyang and the old man, "Ability core fluctuations are extremely weak, almost undetectable, consistent with a severely overexerted state."
Zhou Zhengyang nodded, his gaze still fixed on Ling Chen's pale face: "Old Zhang, what do you think?"
The old man, referred to as Old Zhang, was the chief expert of The Boulder Fortress Medical Center and also an authority in the field of ability research.
Ling Chen remembered him; he was the director of that research institute in his previous life!
He pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, his gaze behind the lenses as sharp as a surgical knife: "From physiological indicators, he's just a heavily injured, near-death ordinary ability user. C-grade Beast Control, low potential. This severe overexertion will likely leave permanent damage, and his future achievements will be limited."
He paused, then changed the subject: "But… Director Zhou, what you mentioned earlier, the instrument suddenly malfunctioning during field detection, and that out-of-control bat…"
Zhou Zhengyang frowned slightly: "The instrument malfunction might have been an accident. That bat… it was later examined and had faint energy residue in its body, but its intelligence was low, it was indeed an ordinary mutated creature controlled by a Beast Control ability. It's just… the data interruption was too coincidental at the time."
"Coincidence?" Old Zhang's lips curved into a meaningful smile, "In the apocalypse, excessive coincidence… often means disguise." He walked to the control panel, pulled up a set of data, "Look at his brainwave spectrum when he was unconscious."
On the screen, Ling Chen's brainwave map in an unconscious state was displayed. The waveform was chaotic, with faint fluctuations, consistent with deep coma and severe injury. But Old Zhang's fingers slid rapidly across the screen, amplifying, filtering, and enhancing a very brief segment of the waveform, almost drowned out by noise!
An extremely faint, abnormally high-frequency, and terrifyingly complex waveform was clearly extracted! It was like the most precise code, hidden beneath the chaotic background noise, flashing by in an instant!
"This is…" Zhou Zhengyang's pupils constricted!
"A kind of… extremely subtle mental fluctuation residue." Old Zhang's voice carried a hint of solemnity, "Its frequency is so high, its structure so complex, far exceeding the brainwave characteristics of ordinary Beast Control ability users! Even… more… bizarre than the A-grade mental ability users we've recorded!"
He turned his head, his gaze piercing through the glass as if it were tangible, landing on Ling Chen: "This young man… is definitely not simple. His unconsciousness… his weakness… even his ability level… could all be a disguise."
Zhou Zhengyang's face became incredibly serious: "You mean to say…"
"Activate the 'Deep Diver' protocol." Old Zhang's voice was cold and decisive, "Use the 'Brain Probe' to perform a deep scan of his mental core! I want to know what secrets are hidden deep within his brain!"
"Brain Probe?!" Zhou Zhengyang gasped, "That thing is still in the experimental stage! Forcibly scanning could cause irreversible brain damage or even brain death! He's a severely injured patient right now…"
"Extraordinary times, extraordinary measures." Old Zhang interrupted him, his eyes unwavering, "A 'C-grade' ability user who can control bats to 'luckily' escape from a Corpse Ghoul tide, carries traces of Giant Lizard radiation toxins and Rat King crystal nucleus residue, and whose brainwaves are so bizarre… his value is worth the risk. If he's 'clean', the Medical Center will do everything to save him. If he has a problem…"
A cold glint flashed in Old Zhang's eyes, "Then, his brain will be the most precious research sample!"
The order was quickly given. Several technicians in special protective suits, like futuristic warriors, pushed a bizarre-looking silver instrument, covered with flashing indicator lights and probe interfaces, into the isolation ward. At the top of the instrument, a slender metal probe, glowing with a faint blue light, slowly extended like a viper's tongue, aiming at Ling Chen's temple!
Crisis! An unprecedented crisis! More fatal than facing the Rat King and the Corpse Ghoul tide!
Ling Chen remained 'unconscious'. But the cold will of his Soul Jade Physique was already like a taut bowstring!
He could clearly feel the palpable mental pressure emanating from that probe! It was a terrifying force capable of penetrating the surface of consciousness and reaching deep into the soul! Once scanned, his Corpse Ghoul essence, the secret of his Soul Jade Physique, and even his memories of rebirth… would all be exposed!
So, this kind of thing had already been developed at this time?
What to do?! Resist forcibly? Expose his strength? That would be suicide! Play dead to the end? Allow the scan? That would be an even surer death!
A moment of extreme peril!
Just as that faint blue probe was about to pierce Ling Chen's temple skin!
"Woo—woo—woo—!!!"
A shrill, piercing air-raid siren suddenly blared throughout the entire temporary gathering place without warning! The alarm, like the trumpet of death, instantly tore through the silence of the Medical Center!
"Warning! Warning! Large-scale Corpse Ghoul tide energy reaction detected! Direction: Northwest! Distance: Thirty kilometers! Magnitude: Over one hundred thousand! Threat level: Devastating! Repeat! Devastating threat!"
"Warning! High-energy mutated beast energy source detected! Quantity: Three! Energy intensity: Bone Eater Stage Peak! Repeat! Bone Eater Stage Peak!"
The fortress's internal broadcast system was instantly taken over by piercing alarms and cold electronic voices!
The entire Medical Center instantly descended into chaos! Dazzling red lights flashed wildly in the corridors and wards! The piercing alarm deafened everyone!
"What's going on?!" Zhou Zhengyang and Old Zhang's faces changed drastically! They looked sharply out the window!
The sky to the northwest of the fortress was, at some point, covered by a rolling black cloud, like ink! Within the black cloud, countless crimson points of light flickered faintly like stars! Those were the eyes of the Corpse Ghouls! A suffocating, terrifying aura, mixed with the stench of corpses and chaotic energy, swept over like a tsunami! Even through the thick city walls, the destructive pressure could be clearly felt!
Even more terrifying, in front of that black cloud of Corpse Ghouls, three colossal black shadows, like small mountains, were crushing towards the fortress at a terrifying speed! The energy fluctuations they emitted were like three C4 explosives about to detonate, very strong! They were Bone Eater Realm! Three of them!
"Enemy attack! Highest level enemy attack!" Zhou Zhengyang roared into the communicator! "All non-combat personnel immediately enter shelters! Ability user training camp! Combat units! Immediately enter first-level combat readiness! Quick!"
The Medical Center instantly entered wartime status! Amidst the piercing alarm, medical staff and technicians scurried and shouted like ants in a disturbed nest! The 'Brain Probe' instrument was roughly pushed into a corner, its faint blue probe hanging limply.
Inside the isolation ward, the few technicians also stopped the scan, clumsily secured the instrument, and rushed towards the emergency shelter passage with the others.
"Everyone, don't stay here! Get on the helicopters and transport vehicles quickly! Head back to the depths of the Qinling Mountains, to the Panshi Military Region!"
In the chaos, Ling Chen, lying on the hospital bed, slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze was no longer the weakness and bewilderment from before. In those bottomless black eyes, a cold, sharp gaze, like a deep, icy abyss, flashed by in an instant! At the corner of his mouth, a cold, almost imperceptible arc curved upwards.