Chapter 654: The Limit

By the time Wayne returned to the workshop after having dinner with the Beaton Family’s father who was staying behind, it was already close to midnight.

Noticing that the lights in the archives were still on, Wayne went over to take a look and found Lina inside, pulling at her hair while looking at something.

She was looking at the “flashes of insight” that Wayne had initially organized, which were the Extraordinary knowledge he had “translated” according to his personal understanding. Wayne had given the notes to Inessa before he left that morning, and he hadn't expected Lina to still be looking at them after they had been passed around to her.

As soon as Wayne poked his head in, Lina looked over at the window. “You’ve come at just the right time. What on earth are all these things you’ve written here?”

Walking over to the table and leaning in to take a look, Wayne thought what he had written should be easy to understand: “This point is probably about the graded decrease of Extraordinary energy. For example, the same pile of Extraordinary materials might be able to cultivate several relatively low-tier Extraordinary People, but it might still be insufficient to cultivate ‘one’ Extraordinary Person of a higher tier than them.”

When Wayne was “facing” the Wise Sage, a massive amount of “flashes of insight” instantly erupted in his mind. Many of these contents vanished like sparks, making them difficult to recall afterward. However, some feelings were relatively clear and firmly embedded in his memory, even if they were hard to describe in words.

The content of this point was very similar to the “graded decrease of energy in the food chain” that Wayne knew, so he felt it was easy for him to understand.

However, the reason Lina was pulling at her hair didn't seem to be related to this. “I can probably understand the meaning of this sentence, but what’s with this formula below?”

“Uh… that’s something I made up based on my own understanding,” Wayne said truthfully. “It might not be entirely accurate.”

Extraordinary knowledge isn't like mathematics, and Wayne’s own personal experience was limited. He could only make an initial estimate based on his feelings. It was a matter of bold assumptions and careful verification. He would gradually test it when he had the chance.

Fortunately, there are actually many “empirical formulas” in engineering, which are also products of the mindset: “Although it’s not entirely clear why, the calculated results seem to be fine, so we’ll just use them.”

So it’s no wonder that the hidden organizations of this era are so chaotic. If everyone operates this way, then many research findings of Extraordinary Scholars might be “gold in the dross” or “I thought it should be correct,” and all need to be viewed dialectically.

To leave room for future modifications, Wayne generally wrote only one “flash of insight” per page, leaving large blank spaces.

Lina flipped through a few more pages at this point, pointing to the content on both sides. “So this ‘Law of Conservation of Extraordinary Energy’ and ‘Core Trait Enrichment Conjecture’ were also made up by you?”

Wayne nodded. “That’s right.”

The former actually already had explanations in the theories of the Hunter Association (Inessa had mentioned it) and the Holy Spirit Church (David Mills had mentioned it), such as that an Extraordinary Person’s tier is not equivalent to combat power, and Extraordinary abilities of the same tier also vary in actual combat effectiveness.

Wayne, based on his “flashes of insight” and his own understanding, refined it a bit further. He felt that Extraordinary abilities that appeared “delicate but weak” might be because their “cost” was not low and their “energy consumption” was high, which made them seem ineffective. Wayne guessed that there should be some kind of conservation law at their fundamental level.

As for the latter, Wayne thought of it based on the “heavy metal enrichment effect” in the food chain.

As Extraordinary People ascend in tier, they consume more Extraordinary materials or energy, and it is said that they become increasingly “inhuman.” There must be something that is constantly being “refined.”

Lina could only express her helplessness. “Normal Extraordinary knowledge records shouldn’t be like this… Yours are even harder to understand than the things in the Truth Sect and the School of Life. Although the specific descriptions differ, they also reached similar conclusions. No one writes like you, like a thesis…”

Oh, well.

Internal documents aren't popular science books. Just bear with it.

After a few more sentences of discussion, Wayne answered questions and also asked about the latest intelligence. He also explained to Lina which parts of the notes he was more certain about and which were simply “a feeling.”

Lina also had a foundation in this area. Some ideas she might not have seriously organized, but she generally had a concept. Although looking at the formulas gave her a headache, setting aside the formulas didn't prevent her from understanding the general meaning.

Wait a minute.

Setting aside the formulas… understanding the general meaning…

Recalling the previously vague thoughts in his mind, Wayne suddenly felt a glimmer of understanding:

Different Extraordinary abilities, in addition to conforming to the characteristics of their respective “domains,” will also exhibit different types.

And the so-called “Extraordinary Person,” whether “ascended” or “fallen,” is essentially developing towards a more “inhuman” direction along the characteristics of their own domain and Extraordinary abilities.

One of Wayne’s Extraordinary abilities was “explosion.” He remembered that during one advancement, he almost completely exploded on the spot.

And by analogy with Wayne’s past successful experiences of courting death, his internal “mana bar,” in addition to that somewhat unconventional “upper limit” that was often exceeded, actually had an even more extreme “limit,” the kind that he couldn’t control even if he didn’t want to self-destruct…

Could it be that a crucial step for him to advance from the “low-tier” to the “mid-tier” category actually required him to detonate a “big one” at some point, and then endure it through his self-healing ability?

No way?

Does it have to be this extreme?

Just thinking about it makes him feel that it must be very painful…

Considering the mutated demons and monsters he had seen before, it might not hurt at all. Perhaps one would simply “pass on” completely with a blink of an eye, or turn into a rampaging monster, howling at everyone.

Wayne was about to discuss the reliability of his idea with Lina when Inessa appeared at the door. “Your injection is ready. I can give it to you now.”

Hmm…

Wayne took it in thought and his attention was immediately diverted. “Why is this injection so big?!”

The all-metal sealed cylinder was still slightly warm, and its size was like a thermos bottle. When he held it, the tips of his thumb and middle finger couldn't touch each other. It felt like it would take half an hour to administer even an IV drip.

If he were to stab this into himself and inject it directly, even a cow would probably roll its eyes on the spot, right?

Seeing Wayne looking at the metal can in his hand with a shocked expression, Inessa began to explain thoughtfully:

“It’s more troublesome to preserve than you might imagine. There’s a double-layered structure inside, and the injection itself is also immersed in another kind of medicine. The gaps are sealed with tin metal on the outside. When you use it, you need to unscrew the cap first. If you can’t unscrew it, then use a candle flame or similar fire to melt the tin seal—that’s all we can do for now.”

So that’s how it is, then it’s not so bad.

Otherwise, if he had to give himself a veterinary-sized injection in front of an enemy during a fight just to unleash his power, it wouldn’t be cool at all.

That scene would feel too desperate, not at all effortless.

After putting away the “thermos bottle,” Inessa had also arrived. Wayne didn’t mention the self-healing ability that the three of them tacitly avoided discussing. Instead, he tried to ask about the feasibility of his method for breaking through his limit.

Inessa and Lina both said, “Perhaps it’s feasible,” and then Inessa asked a critical question: “Although attempting to break through one’s limit is indeed a potentially effective method, the proportion of people who lose control or die as a result is actually higher.

“Even in the Windsor Church relief hospital where Lina and I once stayed, that was a desperate act chosen only by companions who were about to face elimination. Are you sure you can withstand the impact?”

Uncertain.

Very uncertain.

If it were “active detonation,” Wayne could be certain of the outcome through his spiritual intuition, feeling that the power of the ultimate explosion would definitely kill him.

But in the case of “passive detonation,” Wayne had actually survived it once. Perhaps it was because the place where it “exploded” was different; at that time, he felt that his spiritual power was “escaping” rather than being completely consumed.

However, the situation at that time was actually quite perilous.

Thinking back on it afterward, he was like an acrobat who had accidentally fallen while walking on a tightrope. If he had missed “that moment” when he could grab the tightrope, then during the remaining fall time, he would basically only have time to think about his last words.

After some discussion, Inessa believed that even if Wayne chose to take the risk, he should first adjust his state. At the very least, he should wait until the curses he had absorbed completely lost their side effects, and then store some extra Extraordinary materials and potions as emergency measures in case of an accident.

Lina, on the other hand, couldn’t offer any suggestions. She said she hadn’t actually encountered a situation where her advancement was “stuck”…

Finally, Wayne still put away the “thermos bottle,” intending to get a couple of straps later and attach it to his belt as an emergency combat accessory.

This thing has a relatively long shelf life, so there’s no rush to court death for now. He’ll finish the current tasks first, lest he has to recover from injuries or something.

Moreover, even if he were to explode, there’s no reason to do it in his own workshop. If it really came down to it, doing it at the Sailor Gang’s headquarters would be even better, and he could even pretend it was an accident or something.