Chapter Three: A New Discovery

Everyone’s curious gaze was fixed on Tang Yi. Because he hadn’t seen sunlight for so long, the energy-saving lamp’s glow made his face appear a little pale. Tang Yi closed his eyes, focusing his thoughts on attracting other abilities. Suddenly, he realized his consciousness had entered a novel world—a strange realm where the light was neither too dim nor too bright, but just right. It felt somewhat like outer space, yet also reminiscent of a boundless sea.

Within this space, Tang Yi perceived himself as a perfectly regular circular “landmass,” about half a meter in radius. Surrounding his own “land” were seven smaller circles, each like an isolated island, but far tinier than his own. Observing his own territory, he noticed an arrangement of trapezoidal structures—like pyramids with their upper two-thirds sliced off, each with a semicircular groove in the center. Counting them, there was a single trapezoid in the very center, six in the innermost ring, seven in the second ring, eight in the third, and nine in the fourth. The fifth ring did not house trapezoids but instead had ten black dots scattered across the land.

Of the other seven landmasses, none had as many trapezoids as Tang Yi’s; only two had two each, while the rest had one apiece. Atop each of these trapezoids rested a glowing orb. On Tang Yi’s own land, the central trapezoid and the six in the innermost ring each bore a luminous sphere, their colors all distinct. The central orb looked like a crystal ball, with a milky white glow sparkling within.

As Tang Yi released the restraint on his absorption ability, the milky light surged, shooting out two groups of beams—each group containing countless rays. One set connected directly to the trapezoids without orbs, each beam linking to a single trapezoid, while the unconnected rays darted wildly within the land’s boundary. The other set of beams radiated outward from above his land. Startled, Tang Yi instantly reined in his absorption ability, and the beams vanished at once.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, Tang Yi opened his eyes, glancing at those around him—the members of Team Three and Professor Feng. Suddenly, he understood: the landmasses in his sea of consciousness must represent the manifestation of these various abilities. His awareness only extended about ten meters in all directions for now. He immediately shared his discovery, which fascinated everyone, as no one had ever noticed this before. After pondering for a moment, Professor Feng mused, “This must be related to your unique ability, otherwise someone would have discovered it by now. Perhaps only Peter, with his own special gift, could sense something similar.”

Tang Yi chuckled, “Let me try absorbing some abilities—no sense letting them go to waste! I think I can still absorb twenty-four more!” With that, he returned to his mindscape, directing the central orb to release two rays—one automatically connected to a trapezoid lacking a sphere, and the other, controlled by Tang Yi, linked to a trapezoid on another landmass. As soon as the ray connected, a faint glow appeared on the targeted trapezoid, gradually coalescing into a new orb. The rays then swiftly retracted and disappeared. Tang Yi repeated the process for the other six, creating new orbs semi-floating above the trapezoids, unlike the original ones, which were firmly embedded. One, however, could not be cloned—Professor Feng’s ability, once absorbed, could not be taken again. This discovery thrilled Tang Yi!

After finishing, he announced, “All done! Shall I give you all a little demonstration?”

“Yes!” everyone cheered, eager to see how their powers performed in his hands. But the results left them speechless: his miniature tornado was much smaller than Captain Wu’s, barely the size of a palm. His water control only succeeded in splashing water onto his own face. The replication ability failed to even duplicate a single finger after a long struggle. His fire-starting power produced only a match-sized flame, and his telekinesis looked more like simple levitation. Lastly, when he tried to heal, he only managed to restore half a green leaf, turning the rest yellow. Team Three’s members laughed so hard they could barely stand, even the usually stern Professor Feng burst out in hearty laughter. Tang Yi’s confidence took a serious blow, and with a cry of “I quit!” he shot away.

Everyone was stunned. Professor Feng’s heart dropped, and he immediately called the operations team…

Tang Yi flew out in a huff, landing on the rooftop of a tall building, taking a deep breath as the sun sank towards the west. Just as he was about to express his feelings, someone swooped down beside him—a man in a steel helmet and police uniform. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he began, “ID and flight permit, please!” He pulled out a PDA-like device and, without looking up, started scribbling with an electronic pen, muttering, “You were speeding in flight—two points off your record. And you were flying off the designated route—that’s another two points. You only get twelve points per year; I wonder how many you have left.” His last words sounded more like he was talking to himself.

Tang Yi was left speechless, unsure how to respond. The helmeted officer spoke again, “Don’t play dumb—ID and flight permit. Once I finish with you, my shift’s over.”

“Officer, I just got up and didn’t even brush my teeth—I just wanted to do some morning exercise. I didn’t bring anything with me.”

“Morning exercise? You expect a three-year-old to believe that? The sun’s about to set, and you say you just got up? Come with me to the flight traffic bureau,” he sighed, “Looks like I’ll be working late again today.” Just then, his phone rang with a shrill, automated voice: “Your wife is calling! Your wife is calling! Pick up, quick!”

He answered, and a sweet voice came through, “Honey, come home early for dinner. I made your favorite braised pork and pan-fried fish.”

“Honey, I might be a bit late; I still have a case here,” he replied, cautiously.

“What? Chen Jinnan, how many times is this now? Every time you say you’ll be late, and you don’t come home till midnight! What kind of police officer are you? If you’re not home ten minutes after your shift, you get no dinner tonight. And you’ll sleep on the couch!” Her gentle tone suddenly shifted into a lion’s roar.

“Honey, keep it down, there are people here, I—” The call abruptly cut off.

The helmeted officer shot Tang Yi a vicious glare. “Hurry up, come back to the traffic bureau with me!”

Tang Yi grinned. “Never having met Chen Jinnan, one cannot call himself a true hero!”

“Save your nonsense. If you don’t come along, I’ll have to use force!”

Just then, a figure flashed into view, resolving into a man in a black operations uniform. He flashed his badge at the helmeted officer. “We’ll take over from here.”

The officer immediately relaxed. “All yours, then. I can finally go home!” And with that, he flew away.

The newcomer turned to Tang Yi. “Tang Yi, flying around without your documents is a hassle.” It was one of the men Tang Yi had seen outside the testing chamber—a man from whom he’d once absorbed a speed ability. The agent radioed headquarters, reporting Tang Yi’s location and that he was bringing him back. Patting Tang Yi’s shoulder, he said, “Let’s go.” Tang Yi felt a firm grip, his vision blurred, and in the next instant, he found himself in headquarters’ main hall.

Professor Feng approached. “Tang Yi, take the rest of the day off. Come see me tomorrow for your credentials. You’re assigned to Team One and will start missions tomorrow.” With that, he walked off. Tang Yi nodded helplessly and returned to his room. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he entered his mindscape, trying with all his will to embed the ability orbs into the trapezoids. But the orbs wouldn’t budge. Sighing, he gave up.

The next morning, Tang Yi stood before Professor Feng’s desk. The professor pointed to several items. “These are your credentials for the Special Abilities Headquarters—a special pass, if you like. This is your ID. The original Tang Yi’s family no longer lives here, so you won’t have any complications. This is your issued weapon—a stun gun, not a firearm. Here’s your dossier. Study it today. Team One’s leader is on leave, so you’ll be filling in. Report to Team One after this.” Tang Yi gathered his things and headed to Team One’s office.

Inside, he found all members present. They glanced at him, then returned to their tasks. He sat at an empty desk and began reading his files. Before long, the man who’d picked him up the day before arrived—it was Yi Sanlang, acting team leader and deputy captain. “Tang Yi, let me introduce the team. Everyone, gather round.”

Yi Sanlang introduced the other four members. Hu Dong had flight abilities—the very power Tang Yi had copied from him. Liao Yuansheng possessed intangibility, able to pass through any substance, reach into someone’s chest to remove a heart, or liquefy brains by penetrating skulls. Bullets couldn’t harm him, though explosions and energy attacks could. Tang Yi had also absorbed this power from him. Li Dake could turn invisible—no explanation needed. And Qiao Zhan possessed terrifying strength, able to juggle objects weighing over twenty tons. He once withstood a collision from a fully loaded fifteen-ton truck traveling at 120 kilometers per hour—the truck was flattened, and he suffered only a minor shoulder sprain. After introductions, Yi Sanlang told Tang Yi to change into his uniform and assemble in ten minutes for duty. Tang Yi nodded, closed his eyes for a moment, then headed to the changing room. The others exchanged curious glances.

Yi Sanlang laughed. “He’s cloning Dake and Qiao Zhan’s abilities.”

“Oh,” they all breathed, but then their hearts leaped into their throats. Someone with an absorption ability was like a walking time bomb.

“Wait,” Li Dake asked, “how many abilities has he absorbed?”

Yi Sanlang patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry—Tang Yi is different. He can control the use of his absorption ability at will; he won’t explode.”

Relieved, the team relaxed.

Soon, Tang Yi emerged in uniform. Yi Sanlang expertly strapped a device to Tang Yi’s left wrist—a locator akin to a GPRS tracker, with a grid and colored dots: blue for self, green for teammates, orange for other headquarters members with trackers, red for others. Tang Yi marveled—it was like his old sci-fi dreams coming to life. Yi Sanlang briefly explained its simple usage. Tang Yi mastered it at a glance. He pulled up the patrol map and saw their route was far from the city center. Yi Sanlang explained that due to the high police presence in the city, crime rates were low; remote rural areas, however, attracted more criminals.

Outside in the parking lot, Tang Yi, who had never left headquarters for safety reasons, felt a wave of relief—especially now that his life was no longer at risk. Looking at the vehicles, he noticed none had wheels, only helicopter-like undercarriages. Curious, he glanced at Yi Sanlang.

“Get in—these are hovercars now, nothing special. You’ll get used to it,” Yi Sanlang called as he climbed in. Tang Yi scratched his head, realizing the world here couldn’t be judged by his former standards.

The hovercar was swift—ten minutes later, they reached their post. Along the way, Tang Yi marveled at the myriad abilities on display: someone assembling a building’s structure with telekinesis, a little girl making rice grow before his eyes over acres, people riding beds or blankets woven from empty plastic bottles, and the most impressive—a broomstick rider, the broom worn down to a single stick. Before he could finish marveling, Yi Sanlang assigned the teams: Tang Yi and Hu Dong together, since both could fly; Li Dake and Qiao Zhan together; and he himself paired with Liao Yuansheng.

That night, Tang Yi pored over his files in his room. Anyone passing by would have thought him mad, exclaiming to himself, muttering, sometimes cursing out loud. His behavior drew derision from his colleagues.

Days passed swiftly. By day, Tang Yi patrolled; by night, he trained in Room 33 of the underground arena. In half a year, he noticed that real combat during patrols boosted his abilities far more than practice in Room 33—his orbs melded quicker with the trapezoids in his consciousness. His “land” in the mindscape expanded, and with each new ability mastered, a new trapezoid appeared where before there had been only darkness. This discovery delighted Tang Yi, and his constant grinning puzzled his partner Hu Dong.

Over the past six months, Tang Yi absorbed over a dozen new abilities. His happiest day came during a patrol, when he encountered a mind controller—a man whose power was like Pac-Man, able to manipulate thoughts. Unlike illusionists, who could only influence others' perceptions with brainwaves and failed against strong-willed targets, this man could read thoughts, implant illusions directly into others’ minds, and even turn people into puppets. He was a serial sexual predator, using his powers to plant false realities in his victims’ minds. He’d committed multiple crimes undetected until one day, his cover slipped. His family reported him, and while he tried to escape by planting illusions in the pursuing officers, he ran into Tang Yi. From five hundred meters away, Tang Yi absorbed his power. While he couldn't yet plant illusions himself, he could resist others' attempts. He quickly subdued the criminal.

Thinking back on this as he patrolled, Tang Yi couldn’t help but grin again. But when he recalled his repeated requests to visit America to find Claire—requests always denied by Professor Feng—his spirits fell.

Noticing, Hu Dong offered, “Someone’s coming to headquarters today. I guarantee you’ll be very happy to see her!”

“Really?” Tang Yi replied, only half-interested.

“You’ll see. It’s a secret for now!”