A full moon hung high over Godolkin University.
The cloud layer was torn apart by a humanoid shockwave, leaving a distinct hole in the uniform clouds and scattering turbulent streams of mist.
Boom!
Two sonic boom clouds vanished in an instant high in the sky; it was Wade, quietly flying back from downtown New York.
He slowly descended from the air, mentally calculating the time and distance, his face full of excitement.
"Nearly fifty kilometers from Manhattan to here in just 90 seconds. Combining the perceived airflow velocity and physical load... there's no mistake; the peak just now definitely broke the sound barrier."
The larger the range of his Gas Manipulation ability, the lower the airflow resistance around him during flight. Once his physical fitness improved, he should be even faster; reaching several times the speed of sound was just around the corner.
Just as Wade was about to land near the dormitory, hurried footsteps and suppressed shouts came from The Woods below.
Hovering in mid-air, he saw the scene below clearly by the moonlight and the dim glow of distant streetlights: several figures in pure white hospital gowns were stumbling out from the depths of the forest, letting out unintelligible whimpers and shouts.
"Let me go... I don't want to go back!"
"You bad people!"
Immediately after, several burly men in heavy black uniforms armed with firearms chased after them, clearly exceeding the standards of campus security.
Wade stroked his chin; he had seen these hospital gowns in the Godolkin University infirmary.
The superpower aura emanating from these people was completely different; it wasn't the weakness of an injured person. Instead, manic and excited compound v fluctuations flowed in their blood, highly unstable.
He remembered the rumors about the "Woods" underground laboratory. He had originally wanted to investigate it but hadn't been able to find the secret entrance.
'Hmph, have the laboratory's guinea pigs escaped?'
Without hesitation, his figure turned into a dark shadow in the air, silently diving down and landing between the escapees and the pursuers.
Before anyone could react, he made a grasping motion with one hand toward the patients who were running like mad.
Hiss—
The sound of air being rapidly sucked away echoed softly.
The students instantly collapsed, their hands clutching their throats. Their faces flushed red from lack of oxygen, and then their eyes rolled back as they slumped to the ground, unconscious.
The captain in charge didn't immediately tend to those on the ground; instead, he warily placed his hand on the weapon at his waist and stared at Wade.
"Who are you? Which college are you from? What did you just do?"
The team members behind him quickly stepped forward to restrain the unconscious escapees.
Wade raised his hands and stated calmly, "Wade Thompson, a freshman. My ability is Gas Manipulation; I just made them pass out from temporary oxygen deprivation. It seems I've saved you a lot of trouble."
The captain stared at him for a few seconds, seemingly assessing the risk, before finally reporting briefly into his communicator: "Targets neutralized. Assisted by a campus freshman."
"I've noted your name; I'll report your credits." He signaled his team to handle the scene and continued stiffly, "These are students whose superpowers went out of control. We must take them back for strict supervision."
"Superpowers out of control?" Wade didn't expose the lie, standing silently as he watched the guards quickly depart.
He turned to leave, but once in the air, he took a turn and followed them silently like a ghost.
The guards walked down the steps of an underground electrical Substation and stood before a metal door hidden behind a wall. The door slid open silently, the crowd swarmed in, and it quickly closed again.
'So that's where the entrance is!' Wade hovered above the Substation, his eyes scanning the slowly closing wall.
It was a dark gray matte material, its edges fitting perfectly with the concrete floor, perfectly disguised as an "ordinary Substation."
He twiddled his fingers as airflow slipped through the metal gaps, quickly noting key information: dual authentication via iris and fingerprint.
When the guard opened the door, he held a weapon in his left hand and operated with his right, indicating no extra protection for the authentication area. The door's thickness was visually estimated to be no more than 15 centimeters, allowing gas molecules to permeate.
"More hidden than I thought." He sneered inwardly, his gaze sweeping over the surveillance wires wrapped around the Substation. The wires weren't buried underground but were attached to tree trunks disguised as vines, with the ends connecting to the main control room of the distant academic building.
"Next time I come, I can cut this section of the line first, then use compressed air to pry open the door gap." He flew silently toward the dormitory building, constructing a preliminary infiltration route in his mind.
On the roof of the dormitory building, Wade took out a spare phone and dialed a number directly.
The phone rang four times before being answered: "Hello, who is this?"
"Ms. Shetty, this is Wade." Wade spoke first, saying calmly, "Just now by The Woods, I happened to help your guards resolve a little trouble. A few... small animals escaped from the Special Care Unit. It seems your security needs an upgrade."
On the other end of the line, there was a few seconds of silence followed by the sound of light breathing: "What did you see?"
"Nothing, I just found an opportunity that might be mutually beneficial." Wade stated his purpose directly, "I'm very interested in special care, especially the part about ability enhancement. Let me get involved."
"No." Shetty refused flatly, saying in an unquestionable tone, "The projects there are highly risky and confidential, not suitable for you at this stage. Wait patiently; the school will plan the most appropriate enhancement path for you."
Wade expected her to refuse outright and continued, "I understand. In that case, for the sake of campus safety and to prevent incidents like'small animals' running loose from scaring ordinary students... I need permission to move freely around campus at night.
I'll be responsible for 'calming' these unstable factors; my ability is very good at that. Consider it... a part-time job?"
Silence lasted for a full half-minute on the other end before Shetty said coldly, "Wade Thompson, are you threatening me?"
"No, I'm offering help." Wade's voice remained steady. "Someone who can handle trouble for you silently is much more useful than someone who just knows a secret."
The other end fell silent. Wade leaned against the rooftop water tank, his fingertips rhythmically tapping the tank wall.
'She hasn't hung up, which means she's weighing the priority of "confidentiality" versus "trouble."'
He knew what he was doing. Shetty's refusal to let outsiders participate in the project was expected; after all, he was just a freshman and hadn't yet shown value matching the laboratory's risks. Thus, he had already prepared the secondary plan of "nighttime access permissions."
Half a minute later, Shetty's tone softened slightly: "I can give you the permissions. But for every calming session, there must be a detailed record reported directly to me."
"Remember, if a third person finds out about this secret, you won't be able to bear the consequences."
"Understood." Wade ended the call, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. "The first step is done. First, 'give him an inch'..."
Just as he put away that phone, his other phone vibrated frantically.
On the screen, Mena's affectionate name and a series of unread message notifications kept flashing.
Wade frowned. The crazy woman's near-obsessive constant harassment over the past few days was exceptionally annoying. "So free? It just so happens I'm short on funds lately and can't get away... I'll find something for you to do first."
He composed his emotions and dialed the number, saying in a low voice, "...I, I want to see you."
Mena hadn't expected him to be so direct. A triumphant chuckle came from the other end: "Oh? My little cutie, having trouble at school?"
"Something like that," Wade replied softly. "The address. I'm coming over now."
"Of course, my poor little guy." Mena happily gave the address of the villa area and made a smacking sound. "Mwah... come quickly, I'm waiting for you."
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