Lao Gao said, "That splitting thing you mentioned, that's physics knowledge, right? If you didn't study physics well, wouldn't you be unable to learn any of that?"
Luckily, Lao Gao was not a water-ability user. His grades had been terrible. If it were up to him, he probably would never manage to learn something like that in this lifetime.
But to be fair, it was true. Without a certain level of comprehension, there was no way to think up so many methods of attack. And that splitting H2O molecules idea, it did look powerful, but if handled poorly, it could cause accidents. Even Lan Jin, who had graduated so many years ago, still remembered that oxygen was also a combustible gas. When oxygen reached a certain concentration and encountered something flammable, it could trigger an explosion.
Clearly, Huang Jinghe had thought of the same thing. Huang Jinghe said, "If I can really master this ability, and then work together with Lao Gao, the two of us would be unbeatable."
Lan Jin could not help speaking up, "That's only if you two use it well. If you are careless, you could end up blowing yourselves up. If you really want to try it, then experiment more during normal times before using it in real battles."
After all, its destructive power was too great. It would be a shame not to use it. And if there came a day when it was needed, it could be invaluable.
When everyone finished their reviews, one truth became clear. Each person's powers were not really that many or that complicated. They simply lacked practice, so they had not yet learned to use them well. That was why their journey had suffered such heavy losse—
Wait. Actually, when she thought about it, they had not suffered that many losses at all.
Lan Jin said, "Anyway, we should keep thinking things through. Since powers have appeared, they will not just stop at this stage. Right now, we look strong, but as the saying goes, there is always a higher mountain. What if we run into even stronger enemies? We cannot be without vigilance. In this world that is no longer peaceful, danger is everywhere, and malice exists in every corner. Only by constantly improving ourselves can we avoid being destroyed by that malice.
We all understand that. Surviving until now has not been easy for anyone. Of course, everyone wants to live until the day this world returns to normal."
But could this world really return to normal?
No one knew.
This review session seemed simple on the surface, but in truth, each person had far too much they wanted to say. Some even needed to take notes. Huang Jinghe grabbed a notebook to jot things down, while others tried to come up with new ways to use their powers during the discussion.
The review went on from morning until the sky turned dark. It was only when Brother Li came to find them that they realized if they did not go eat, dinner would be gone.
The four of them immediately rushed to the third-floor cafeteria, each ordered a meal, and finally felt relieved once they had eaten.
When the four returned to the first-floor hall, Brother Li came looking for them right away. He said, "If you have time, come with me to the 'top floor.'"
The four were puzzled. What was there to see on the top floor? After all, yesterday these same people had blocked them from entering. Why were they allowed to go today?
Before they could ask, Brother Li said anxiously, "More than twenty people have already gone mad. All the ability users from the base are away. The small rooms holding those people are starting to crack, and I'm afraid our guards cannot hold them. So I want you to come and see if there's any solution."
Lan Jin said speechlessly, "What solution could there be? Once they finish going mad, they'll be fine."
Brother Li gave a bitter smile. "I know once it's over they'll be fine. The problem is, there are so many people in the base. If they only raged on the top floor, that would be one thing, but if they break out and hurt the others, what then? I am responsible for the safety of the ordinary people in this base."
Ling Jiang thought for a while and asked, "How did you deal with it the last time this happened?"
"Electric shocks. We directly shocked them into submission. Last time, it was mostly people who had mutated after eating insect powder. They were not ones who had direct contact with plants. Electric shocks worked if applied long enough. But this time… I don't know if it's because the voltage is not high enough, but they have no reaction at all. And yes, we already increased the voltage."
Seeing Brother Li's anxious expression, Lan Jin asked, "Did you try using salt? Put it in their mouths."
"It didn't work. We already tried. After they swallowed some salt, they did calm down for a short while, but unlike before, they did not spit out bugs. They only vomited, and soon after, the madness returned."
Lan Jin said, "Then that just means you fed too little. Give them more."
After that, the four followed Brother Li up to the top floor. Still, when it came to feeding salt, Brother Li hesitated. "We already gave them two handfuls each. And right now, they are so frenzied, there's no way to force more salt into their mouths."
Lao Gao asked, "During their madness, did they ever show even a moment of clarity?"
Brother Li answered, "No. What's worse, their reaction is frightening. It's not the same as the insect powder cases. Back then, even if someone went mad, other functions remained normal. But these people, even before losing their minds, their eyes turned blood-red. Afterward, their condition became countless times more violent than the insect powder cases.
I already asked around other bases, but since there are so few people who mutate from direct contact with plants, the answers were useless. Everyone said the same thing: just endure it, and eventually, it will pass."
But Brother Li was not worried about whether they would endure. "What I worry about is if they break out of those rooms and hurt the ordinary people in the base. That's why I want you to guard the outside. If anything happens, you are allowed to attack them with your powers until they lose all ability to cause harm."
When Lan Jin heard this, she looked at Brother Li carefully. She was not sure if it was her imagination, but it seemed like Brother Li was basically telling them to kill. After all, once someone was truly mad, they would never recover. Was he suggesting they just put them down?
Wait. Even death would not help. She almost forgot. Back then, one person had already died, yet still continued to attack them in madness. Which meant that death was useless.
Lan Jin explained this to Brother Li, and his expression shifted several times in shock.
At last, the four of them reached the so-called top floor.
The security there was far tighter than yesterday—no, it should have been the day before yesterday. Dozens of guards stood in formation, sealing the entrance with a stance that made it clear: if you dare come out, we will strike you down.
And when Lan Jin and the others heard the muffled howls coming from inside, they immediately understood why these people stood guard here.
That sound… it was truly terrifying.
Brother Li said, "Unless it's absolutely necessary, we would never do this. But listen to that. I really am afraid we cannot hold them back."
The howls were loud, yet it was clear they still came from some distance away.