Chapter 148: Unexpected Awakening - 3 (Bonus Chapter for 1,000 Weekly Recommendations)

"F5-grade?"

As the commander of a special logistics unit, Captain Xie Long, while not an extraordinary himself, possessed a knowledge of the extraordinary world that rivaled even the most seasoned experts. He naturally understood the implications of extraordinary grading, just as he was acutely aware of how difficult it was for a super-powered soldier to elevate their combat level.

To awaken directly at the F5-grade—this was truly characteristic of the legendary "supernova individual."

Though he felt a tinge of envy that his subordinate had not only awakened as an extraordinary but had also stumbled upon such a rare opportunity, Captain Xie Long knew better. Their unit, which had gradually been relegated to a logistics role following the emergence of dimensional anomalies on Earth, stood to gain significantly if they could produce a member with "supernova" potential. It would do wonders for restoring the prestige and status of their unit.

"Forgive my lack of manners, but how should I address you, miss?" Captain Xie Long asked, his tone softening with a newfound respect for the young scholar. "And about 'Rat'—er, Second Lieutenant Zhou's current condition, is he in any danger? Why did you stop us from sending him to the rear medical station?"

"My surname is Su," she replied. "Based on my calculations, the reason Second Lieutenant Zhou is experiencing such a rapid surge in his super-energy level following his awakening is twofold: first, it is related to our current environment, and second, it is due to the influence of our 'super-energy overflow' state. While sending the Second Lieutenant to the rear, away from this high particle density environment and away from us, is logically sound..."

Su Xiaoke nodded politely to Captain Xie Long and provided a brief explanation regarding "particle density" and "super-energy infusion."

"However, Captain, it would be best for you to petition your superiors to dispatch a high-level trans-limit soldier from the LDH Trans-limit Task Force to provide an escort. Furthermore, they must remain by his side until his awakening process is fully concluded and he enters a stable adaptation period. I’ve already explained the relationship between 'pheromone concentration' and 'gravitational strength.' Having a high-level trans-limit soldier present can effectively 'filter' the super-energy particles for the Second Lieutenant, ensuring his safety. Until your people arrive, it is best not to let him leave our side to prevent any accidents."

"So, Miss Su, you mean to say that Little Zhou is being influenced by you?" Captain Xie Long asked, surprised. "And that is why he has such an abnormally high starting point, akin to a 'supernova'?"

As a captain of a special forces unit and a front-line commander, Xie Long’s ability to analyze intelligence was beyond doubt. He immediately grasped the core information in Su Xiaoke's words and pressed on, his gaze sharp. "Then, may I infer that if other soldiers were to 'awaken,' they could also achieve such a high starting point through this method?"

Once they left the core area, the energy anomalies surrounding the Seventh Squad would be impossible to hide, so Su Xiaoke had no intention of concealing the truth.

"It is indeed safe to assume so," she nodded. "The reason the members of the Seventh Squad are in this state of 'super-energy overflow' is purely because our combat levels are lower compared to the high-level trans-limit soldiers who entered the mountain. We struggle to withstand the high-density super-energy environment inside, so we suffer from energy leakage because we cannot absorb it all. We are like 'power banks' charged beyond capacity, and we are essentially 'wirelessly charging' Second Lieutenant Zhou. If you have other comrades who have just awakened, Captain, you might as well bring them over to 'recharge.' After all, this state of 'discharging' cannot be maintained for long. Once the saturated energy within us decays back to normal levels, this excess will simply dissipate and go to waste."

The amount of super-energy the Seventh Squad had accidentally acquired—having been forcefully boosted by Bai Yuxi from F5 to F10—was staggering. However, their internal pheromone concentrations had not kept pace with their energy levels; that required a slow process of absorption, transformation, and evolution. Before that happened, they were like magnets with weak magnetic fields, attracting "iron filings" that exceeded their own holding capacity. Over time, those "iron filings" would break free from the magnetic pull and return to the natural environment.

According to Su Xiaoke's rough calculations, if the group in their "pseudo-F10" state could retain even an F7-grade energy level, it would be considered a success. After all, the Seventh Squad made their living under the Jiaoluo Mountain Base and were not exactly favored by the Firebird Task Force. Building a rapport with an officer directly under the LDH Trans-limit Management Department would be beneficial. Why not use this inevitably wasted energy to do someone a favor?

Unfortunately, while Su Xiaoke’s intentions were good, Captain Xie Long shook his head with a sigh, indicating he couldn't take advantage of it. It wasn't that members of their special unit didn't awaken; it was just that once a military officer awakened, they were immediately reassigned by their superiors to the LDH Trans-limit Task Force as official core combatants. Consequently, despite being a unit that long performed extraordinary missions, they had no extraordinary individuals of their own.

However, this unexpectedly discovered intelligence could be reported upward; it might even earn them a collective third-class merit.

With Bai Yuxi, who possessed the ability to perform "micro-manipulation of particles," helping to control the concentration of super-energy particles, there was no need to worry about Second Lieutenant Zhou being ruptured by the vast extraordinary energy. Furthermore, being located in the logistics department meant there was no shortage of supplies; a few doses of bio-energy nutrient solution were enough to meet the needs of his physical evolution.

Thanks to his background as an elite special forces soldier, Second Lieutenant Zhou’s physical constitution was far beyond that of an ordinary person. He bypassed the initial stages entirely and not only promoted to F3, but his robust physical strength and tolerance for super-energy particles far exceeded the F5-grade limit the young scholar had predicted, stabilizing instead around F6.

Moreover, under Bai Yuxi’s deliberate control, Second Lieutenant Zhou, who had saturated himself with super-energy particles, would—provided no accidents occurred during the adaptation period—naturally ascend to the F7 grade. This effectively saved him about a year of evolutionary time, creating a high-starting-point trans-limit soldier out of thin air.