Chapter 5 of 100

Chapter 5

15 min read3,819 words

"Who is this?" A mature beauty with alluring chocolate skin and silver-white hair walked up.

"Let me introduce you, this is Yi Zhou, a guest invited by Professor X." Jean Grey said to the dark-skinned beauty in a complaining tone, clearly in a state of addressing her best friend.

Ororo was clearly very interested at this moment. She circled Zhou Yi a few times, looking at him with a very peculiar gaze. As she circled, she said, "Is a boy like this worth so much attention from the Professor?"

"Based on the abilities he has shown so far, he is very powerful. But whether he is a mutant still needs to be confirmed," Jean Grey replied while adjusting the equipment.

"He's not necessarily a mutant. Could he be one of those mutated superhumans?" Ororo continued to ask curiously.

Many people think mutants are mutated humans, but in fact, as time has progressed, the mutant race has developed a distinct racial form. Their appearance is the result of stable genetic changes, specifically the X-gene. One could say that with the X-gene, mutants have become a race distinct from the human population. This is also why governments around the world implement high-pressure policies toward mutants; their mature racial characteristics make them a significant potential threat.

In this regard, the special cases that arise for various reasons, which we commonly refer to as psychics, are less of a threat and thus more acceptable to the government. These special cases are so rare that even Professor Charles, who has once used his telepathic abilities to observe all of humanity, tries to recruit such individuals as much as possible. For example, Zhou Yi.

Chen Ran, in his efforts to recruit Zhou Yi, had a research mindset, but more importantly, he did not want a potential power to fall into enemy hands. The best way to prevent this was to turn this potential power into a friend.

Ororo was examining Zhou Yi, and Zhou Yi was also examining Ororo. Unlike the common dark-skinned people, Ororo did not have prominent thick lips or a flat nose. Instead, her nose was high and straight, and her lips were full and alluring. Combined with her alluring skin and exquisite, charming face, she was no less attractive than the most enchanting models in fashion magazines.

Especially her fiery figure wrapped in a tight leather outfit was a tantalizing temptation, and her lustrous silver-white hair added a mysterious charm.

At this point, Zhou Yi could only say that the mutants' claim that they are biologically superior to humans was correct, not just in terms of abilities. In terms of appearance alone, they were far above the average. Of course, this was just a playful thought.

Seeing Zhou Yi boldly examining her, Ororo did not get angry. Instead, she walked up to him, extended her hand, and said with a charming smile, "Hello, Mr. Zhou, I am Ororo, a teacher at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."

Naturally, Zhou Yi shook Ororo's soft, boneless hand and said earnestly, "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Ororo. Honestly, you are one of the most enchanting ladies I have ever seen."

Ororo smiled naturally and said, "Is that so? Then I am truly honored. Even if it's from a big boy like you!"

Zhou Yi looked at the height difference between them and sighed, lamenting in his heart. Trying to win over a mature woman in this half-grown state was no easy task. At least for now, he saw no hope.

However, this did not dampen Zhou Yi's spirits. He began to use all his charm to communicate with Ororo, but the progress was minimal. They were just chatting, and with Ororo's experience, dealing with a young playboy like Zhou Yi was no problem. After all, she had once been the leader of a criminal organization.

The two of them joked and chatted quite happily. Jean Grey, however, paid no attention to this. After adjusting the equipment, she interrupted their conversation and said, "Alright, you two, if you want to chat, you can schedule another time. Now, Yi Zhou, take off your shirt, we're starting."

"Of course!" Zhou Yi, who had already managed to get Ororo's contact information, did not want to be overly persistent. He took off his shirt and stood in front of Jean Grey.

At just sixteen, Zhou Yi, like most Asians, was still developing, but his body was extremely strong, with muscles and bones nearly perfectly proportioned. Even by Caucasian standards, he could not be considered weak.

The most peculiar thing was the fiery red three-legged crow mark on Zhou Yi's back, firmly centered. A pair of golden eyes glowed with fire, surveying the surroundings with an air of invincibility. Massive wings stretched to his shoulder blades, surrounded by countless winds and flames. The sharp three legs stood on a blazing sun, with the sun's disk resting on his lower back, and divine flames flying around, even the corona and flames were intricately detailed, making the golden crow look majestic and awe-inspiring, creating a breathtaking visual impact.

Jean Grey and Ororo, who had never seen such a divine creature, were momentarily dazzled, their eyes filled with admiration for the artwork. Zhou Yi, however, was not bothered by this; letting two beautiful women see it was not a loss for anyone.

However, Jean Grey and Ororo, being experienced mutant mentors, quickly regained their composure.

Jean Grey asked in disbelief, "What is this? I feel some incredible power from it?"

"This is the three-legged golden crow, a symbol of the sun in Chinese mythology. This is a birthmark I was born with. My mother tried many ways to remove it, but unfortunately, she didn't succeed. That's all I know," Zhou Yi shrugged and explained.

"You mean your power is innate, and it's a blessing from a deity?" Ororo stepped forward, touching the pattern on Zhou Yi's back, and said with a sigh, "That's truly amazing!"

"About that, I can only say I know nothing. If I knew, I wouldn't have agreed to come here for testing," Zhou Yi replied.

"You will get your answers, and so will we!" Ororo's whisper echoed in Zhou Yi's ear, her fingers lightly tracing his back, the soft touch sending electric-like sensations through his body, making him involuntarily tingle.

The feeling was great, but Zhou Yi did not like it. Ororo's behavior was like a cat with a rampant curiosity, starting to probe into his secrets.

Zhou Yi changed the subject, turning to Jean Grey, "Can we start now?"

"Of course!" Jean Grey nodded, also worried that her friend might go too far. Any conflict would be bad for both parties and the school. So she quickly set up the equipment and said to Ororo, "Ororo, can you do me a favor? I have classes today, but I can't spare the time. Could you cover for me for a couple of classes?"

Ororo shrugged indifferently, "Sure, as long as you're willing to switch classes with me. See you later, big boy." With that, Ororo waved and sashayed out of the lab.

"She's really enchanting!" Zhou Yi exclaimed, then quickly changed his tone, "Of course, you are too."

Jean Grey rolled her eyes and forced a stiff smile, "Thanks, but let's start the experiment now."

She instructed Zhou Yi to stand on a hexagonal platform and explained, "This is experimental equipment we developed for physically enhanced mutants. It can create a stable and controllable gravity field and is equipped with sensitive light detection devices. By using calculation formulas, we can measure most of your basic physical data, such as strength, resistance, and nerve reaction speed, as well as your movement speed. Now, I will start increasing the gravity. Release your force field defense and protect yourself with just your basic physical abilities. Let me know when you're ready, and if you feel uncomfortable, say so immediately."

Zhou Yi nodded after understanding the general idea and made a gesture to start.

Jean Grey turned on the equipment, her clear voice transmitted through the microphone to Zhou Yi's ears, "Experiment begins. Gravity is now 1.2 times, lasting 1 minute. Everything is normal, the subject shows no adverse effects. Gravity increased to 1.5 times... Normal, gravity increased to 5 times. Zhou Yi, how do you feel now?"

As the experiment progressed, Jean Grey became increasingly surprised. As the lead experimenter, she understood what 5 times gravity meant. It was not just additional weight on the body but every muscle, bone, hair, and cell bearing five times their original weight. A creature surviving under such gravity, when exposed to normal gravity, could burst through a bus with just the force of its muscles. This was just a part of it.

At Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, only Beast Hank and Colossus, with their abilities, could withstand such gravity. Now, Zhou Yi, who clearly had reserves, was handling it.

Zhou Yi did a few warm-up exercises, feeling the endless surge of strength in his body under the pressure. He gave Jean Grey a thumbs-up and said loudly, "I feel great, continue."

Jean Grey was slightly surprised but quickly resumed her work, "Experiment continues, gravity increased to 6 times. Monitoring heart and lung functions, everything is normal. Experiment continues..."

As Jean Grey's surprise grew, Zhou Yi's gravity increased step by step, reaching 9 times, the current limit of the equipment, before he showed any reaction. This reaction was not visible externally but was detected through heart and lung function tests.

To put it in perspective, it was like a normal person's reaction after running a kilometer. According to Jean Grey's calculations, Zhou Yi could handle at least one to two more times the gravity, but the equipment could not test further.

"Yi Zhou, can you perform normal movements, like running? If so, try a slow jog inside."

Zhou Yi nodded and began jogging effortlessly. After a few laps, he increased his speed, eventually stabilizing at a sprinting pace. He maintained this speed for about ten minutes before stopping and looking at Jean Grey.

For Zhou Yi, the current environment seemed ideal for training. He could feel his body strengthening under the heavy gravity, a rapid growth compared to the past few years.

This made him feel the potential for improvement in his abilities. Now, he was more concerned about how this initial test would interpret his physical strength.

Jean Grey seemed to understand Zhou Yi's thoughts and did not keep him in suspense, saying directly, "Due to the limitations of the equipment, we can only make a preliminary estimate of your physical attributes. The current calculation shows that your pure physical strength is between 50,000 pounds (about 22 tons) and 60,000 pounds (about 27 tons). This does not include your explosive strength, just the value generated by your normal muscle use. Of course, there will be some data deviation due to different force application methods."

"Additionally, your resistance. The preliminary result is that your body can withstand around 50,000 pounds of pressure, which is the minimum value. In terms of current single-soldier weapons, only large-caliber sniper rifles can harm you due to the point of impact. If you can control your muscles to buffer the impact, this attack should not be a problem for you."

"Also, your speed. The calculation shows that your current high-speed movement has already broken the sound barrier. Without restrictions, your regular high-speed movement speed is around 4 Mach. Of course, due to environmental limitations, your speed will be affected, estimated to be around 3 Mach."

"Finally, your nerve reaction speed. We can only provide an estimated value. Your nerve reaction speed is estimated to be 7 ten-thousandths of a second, which is already at the peak of natural organisms. Speaking of this, do you watch movies? What do you feel?"

Zhou Yi thought for a moment and said, "Normally, there's nothing unusual, but if I focus, the feeling of a still image can be quite uncomfortable."

Jean Grey could only sigh, "I have seen many mutant students suffer unimaginable pain due to their inability to control their superhuman senses and nerve reaction arcs. For you, I can only say you are like a child favored by heaven. If I had to describe it, I would say you are like a divine son. Your physical attributes are already at the Alpha level, and you have other superpowers as well."

Hearing this, Zhou Yi could only chuckle. Divine son, I believe I am a human destined to become a deity.

---