GA: Chapter 48 – [Natural Authority] Power Upgrades and a Brand-New Ability
To most scientific researchers, spiritual qi was a truly unique energy. It didn't exist on Earth originally, and theoretically, its emergence should have disrupted countless scientific formulas. Surprisingly, it didn't.
Instead, the appearance of spiritual qi opened up entirely new directions for those very formulas. Research that had previously advanced slowly suddenly found clarity and potential, accelerating in ways that were previously unimaginable.
This was very different from Gao Wu's world, where Su Yunqing resided.
Over the past few days, Bai Xuan and Su Yue had thoroughly studied the mutant creatures in the nature reserve. After organizing and sending all their data, it was time to leave.
Su Yue would return earlier than Bai Xuan. Unlike him, who nominally belonged to the Spiritual Qi Bureau but largely scheduled his own time, Su Yue's life was more structured. Outside her dedicated training periods, she had other tasks to handle. The nature reserve had been her rare moment of relaxation.
"Once we get back, take a proper bath to relax, and hand these materials to the professional chefs to process," Bai Xuan suggested.
Su Yue's cooking skills were decent, but there was no replacing a professional chef.
Back home, it was already three in the afternoon. As they prepared to shower and grab a bite, Bai Xuan's phone suddenly rang.
"What is it?" he asked, frowning.
"Trouble," came Huoyou's sharp voice. "A mutant male lion has escaped from the Hangcheng Zoo."
There was a trace of cold anger in her tone. Clearly, this incident had her fuming.
"Wait… the zoo is still open?" Bai Xuan blinked. He had assumed all zoos had been shut down the day after the global awakening of abilities. Humans awaken—so too do the animals—why would the zoo still operate?
And the news hadn't reported anything. Was anyone even visiting it at this point? Bai Xuan shook his head helplessly.
"They did close it, but instead of centralizing the animals, the zoo was remodeled. Staff were assigned to monitor whether the animals mutated," Huoyou explained.
"Most have changed physically but haven't become aggressive or dangerous."
"Of course, some people let their guard down. One of the animals got someone killed during feeding and ran off."
Huoyou sighed. "You can't underestimate them. Even if they were tame before, once mutated, you can't relax, or you might get killed."
"It's not just the mutant beasts. Livestock and pets across Hangcheng—and even nationwide—have started showing aggressive tendencies."
"Mutant livestock numbers are low, and even post-mutation, they aren't that strong. They're still limited by food, and ironically, their prices have increased. Pets, however… cats and dogs—if they haven't bonded with you as their owner—they could attack."
"Though they've awakened abilities, their melee skill isn't strong. Dogs are manageable, but cat claws? Razor-sharp. Some people have been hospitalized from a single scratch—it went right through. But if a mutated pet considers you its master, it obeys completely. Kind of like a police dog or a guide dog. Their intelligence has increased too, making commands easier to execute."
"All in all… a mixed bag."
Bai Xuan nodded. Not bad. It had a bit of that mischievous, lively vibe. Perfect—when La Lulas arrived, he could take it out for a stroll without worrying about the rest.
"Send me the location. I'll handle it," Bai Xuan said.
"I'll take care of the body myself," Huoyou replied.
"Okay."
A terrifying roar shook the forest. Birds, beasts, and insects scattered in every direction.
"This mutant male lion looks fierce," Bai Xuan muttered.
"Wasn't its wild nature suppressed at the zoo? Or did mutation restore its instincts?"
Floating casually above the treetops, Bai Xuan picked a branch to perch on, observing it without urgency. He now understood why Huoyou had remained so calm while describing the situation—they were far out in the wilderness.
"Its aura's decent… but nothing compared to the Crimson Giant Tiger we encountered in the nature reserve."
"And it doesn't have a fire-lotus mark on its forehead."
Thinking back, only that first Crimson Tiger had shown such a mark. No other mutant beasts displayed it. That tiger had been intelligent—it would stop resisting after creating a layer of defense, a level of arrogance few beasts possessed. Even though it eventually died, that pride had been notable.
Perhaps it was simply a matter of aptitude. Bai Xuan could sense the intense flames within the fire-lotus mark, yet the crimson tiger had not manifested them fully. Given enough time, it might reach considerable strength.
"Roar~~"
The mutant lion's muscles tensed instinctively, sensing a predator. Its fur bristled, and its eyes locked onto Bai Xuan.
"Spotted me, huh?" Bai Xuan remarked casually. Not surprising—a lion's senses are keen, and instinctual danger detection is natural.
But it was useless.
"Boom!"
"Roar!!!"
A mysterious force surged through the lion's body, immobilizing it. The energy seeped inside, and with a mournful wail, the lion collapsed heavily onto the ground.
"Telekinesis is… interesting," Bai Xuan said, stepping down from the tree, watching the corpse with a faint smile.
Telekinesis—or perhaps psychokinesis—was the ability to influence matter with thought. He wasn't entirely sure which term applied; his "Natural Authority" had simply manifested this power.
While this newfound telekinetic ability was intriguing, Bai Xuan considered it less important than the other powers [Natural Authority] had granted him over the past few days.