(1)
The sea was tinged with a faint orange-yellow hue, as the setting sun slowly descended, stretching the shadow of the flagpole long across the ground.
A few soldiers, dressed in the ceremonial military uniform, were meticulously lowering the National Flag.
When she opened her eyes again, An Jing saw the yellowed ceiling above—a sight both familiar and strange.
It was familiar because its layout resembled a classroom, yet strange, because—this wasn’t the classroom she usually attended.
Or rather, it wasn’t a classroom at all, merely decorated to look like one.
“Awake?” The nurse gently stroked her head, making her realize that the soft and springy pillow under her cheek was actually the nurse’s thigh.
“Ah… When did I fall asleep?”
“When I was massaging your legs.”
“Ahem…”
“Have you been neglecting exercise lately? Your muscles are really stiff. Even if you don’t do intense workouts, you should at least do some stretches every day. That way, you can keep your body flexible.”
“…But that’s what girls do, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean, just for girls? Any exercise that’s good for your health is worth doing. Do you want me to teach you? It’s very simple, just like this.” She gently lifted An Jing’s head, letting her lean against the wall to sit up, then leaned over the desk to demonstrate what looked like a Yoga pose.
“That looks pretty easy…”
“Of course, just do a few sets every day.” The nurse smiled and patted her head. “If you let our Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor check your pulse, she’ll probably say you have a deficiency of qi and blood, and a weak body.”
“You have Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors here?”
“Of course.”
“I thought an institute like this would only have Western medicine…”
“To be precise, that’s Modern Medicine, but TCM is really good for therapy, so we have both. Just because something can’t be explained doesn’t mean it’s unscientific—just like your superpower.”
“Uh…” An Jing scratched her cheek. “So, does that mean today’s tests are done?”
“Have you rested enough?”
“Almost…?”
“Then we’ll be testing your superpower again soon.”
“Still here?”
“No, this time we’re going to the Laboratory. Not only are we going to test how long your mind-reading can last, but also whether different materials can block your ability—and see if we can safely trigger more of your powers.”
“So I’m the guinea pig again…” An Jing sighed.
“Learning about your own abilities is important, isn’t it?”
“What if, because I have superpowers, I get sent off somewhere to complete missions?” An Jing’s imagination ran wild.
“Of course not. Our research goal is to replicate your superpower.”
“Ah… If everyone had mind-reading, that’d be… kinda scary.”
“Not necessarily. Maybe people could finally understand each other better.”
“That easy, huh…” Even as a middle schooler, An Jing couldn’t bring herself to believe that things would be as ideal as Jiang Yujing suggested.
“No matter what, that’s what science is—researching the unknown, and turning it into something humanity can control.” Jiang Yujing poked An Jing’s forehead gently with her slender finger. “Alright, little one, after the tests today, how about I take you out for some fun?”
“Fun?”
“Go-Karting. Ever tried it?”
“Huh?”
“You’ll see soon. But for now, let’s finish the tests!”
“…I’m not going to have to spend the night here, am I?”
“Of course you are. We need to do more detailed observation reports.”
“Don’t make that sad face, little one.” Jiang Yujing ruffled her hair with a smile. “I promise you’ll have a great time later!”
“Go-Karting… What is that? I’ve only played racing games…”
“It’s just like the games, but with real Go-Karts.”
“In real life? But this place doesn’t look like it has a track…”
“Don’t underestimate our research institute!”
(2)
“Maximum mind-reading duration: fifteen minutes… Afterwards, extreme weakness occurs… The side effects get worse the longer the power is used…” Jiang Yujing and Yu Minghui, who had been waiting by the door, gathered together to read the freshly printed Test Report, its pages still smelling of ink.
Meanwhile, An Jing leaned wearily against the wall, looking like she never wanted to move again.
“So it not only leaks out…” Yu Minghui frowned, nodding slightly, “but by the end, you even lose control and start crying…”
“Exactly. And after the extreme test, her skin gets so sensitive that even a light touch causes it to bleed.” Jiang Yujing nodded. “This isn’t a power that can be used carelessly.”
“And I still have a headache… Feels like a crowd is still chattering in my head.” An Jing muttered as she leaned back, though in fact, she had spent half an hour lying in bed before coming out—otherwise, she wouldn’t even be able to sit up now.
“Among all the materials tested, a certain Berllium-Containing Material can partially block her mind-reading, causing her reception to become patchy and intermittent.” Jiang Yujing seemed quite pleased. “So superpowers aren’t all-powerful, after all.”
“Hmm… And with safety-standard stimulus tests, no new powers have been triggered.” Yu Minghui’s frown deepened. “Are you sure those stimulation tests are absolutely safe?”
“Absolutely, the radiation level is about the same as when you get a CT scan at the hospital.”
“…” Yu Minghui shook her head. “I need to speak to Dr. Ye about this—no matter what the dose, we can’t put Xiao Jing through such tests. If it doesn’t work, you’ll only increase the dose, and eventually, it won’t be safe anymore.”
“We would never—”
“Sometimes that’s just human nature.” Yu Minghui looked at Jiang Yujing with calm, steady eyes. “Taking care of Xiao Jing is my responsibility now. I won’t allow her to be used as a guinea pig in dangerous experiments.”
Jiang Yujing pressed her lips together, saying nothing—in truth, even if she argued or agreed, it would make no difference.
This matter would have to be decided by Dr. Ye in the end.
“I’m going to Dr. Ye’s office now. In a bit, could you take Xiao Jing to rest?”
“Can I take her to relax a little?” Jiang Yujing stood up as well.
“Relax?”
“We have a lot of entertainment facilities here, too!”
“If she still has the energy.” Yu Minghui smiled gently. “Just don’t tire her out.”
“Don’t worry, I know my limits.”
(3)
The ground level of the institute had fourteen floors, with the ninth floor dedicated as the Entertainment and Recreation Zone for all staff.
And here, taking up a third of the space, was a Go-Kart Track: a winding indoor circuit—not large, but with everything you’d expect.
The track’s décor was rugged, almost unfinished—exposed concrete everywhere, and not even the walls were painted white.
Pushing open the heavy doors and stepping inside, the roar of engines filled the air, and through the glass window, several Go-Karts could be seen racing by.
“So fast…”
“It’s actually not that fast—the track’s just narrow, so it feels quicker.” Jiang Yujing handed An Jing a small cup of glucose water. “So, want to give it a try?”
“Am I allowed? I’ve never driven before.”
“It’s almost like bumper cars, very easy.”
“Really? Uh…” An Jing pressed her face to the glass, watching another Go-Kart whip around a corner and crash into the pile of tires used as bumpers. “So this is a real-life Go-Kart…”
“Exactly. Even if your skills aren’t great and you crash, it’s safe. See?”
An Jing took a big gulp of the glucose water. “Am I going out there alone?”
“There are two-seaters—I’ll teach you. Don’t worry, I’m a good driver.”
“Then… let me try?” An Jing’s fingers itched to try, even though she was still weak.
“Alright, suit up and put on your helmet.”
“Going full gear, huh.”
“That’s just to prevent any accidents. Wait here, I’ll get you a clean set—should be the smallest size for you…”
“So this is the accelerator, this is the brake, and here’s how you steer. For drifting, you do this—!”
“Wow!!”
“Got it now?”
“I’m not sure…”
“Then give it a try yourself!”
“Okay… So this is the accelerator—whoa, so fast!!” “Ease off the gas, hit the brake!”
“Bang—!”
The Go-Kart shot into the bumper tires like a missile, sending a pile of tires flying and clattering to the ground. The kart behind had to swerve sharply to avoid the sudden airborne tires.
The tires weren’t heavy, but crashing into them still stung a bit…
“When you turn, brake a little, then counter-steer.”
“Ah… I panicked and didn’t want to flip…”
“No problem, try a few more times!”
“I think I’m getting the hang of it. Watch me!” “Nice turn!”
“How did you drift just now?”
“You have to go faster to pull off a drift!” “Then I’ll speed up—!”
“Bang!!”
This time, the barrier wasn’t tires but a heap of big, blocky foam.
“I’ll nail it next time!”
“Vroom vroom—”
“Screech—!”
“Bang!!”
Go-Karting was much harder than in the games An Jing was used to.
But she was having a blast. As she got better, she even managed several continuous drifts through the corners.
“Whew… I didn’t know Go-Karting would be so exhausting… I’m drenched in sweat.”
“But you had fun, right!”
“Yeah… By the way, can you play this outside, too?”
“You can, in big cities. I tried it in G City, G Province—it was fifty yuan an hour.”
“So expensive!” An Jing nearly bit her tongue in surprise. “Guess computer games really are the best way for ordinary people to relax…”