I Can Control Resources

Chapter 360: Chapter 299: Exposed: 100% Hidden Talent

"Subject’s heartbeat is normal. Blood pressure is normal..."

"Testing may now begin."

"Good. Begin!" Lan Ruosi nodded.

"..." Shen Ning’Er watched everything unfold. For some reason, she felt a faint sense of nervousness. Gao Neng’s hidden talents were a mystery to her, too.

’Does he really only have eight?’

’Impossible!’

’Gao Neng must be hiding something.’

...

「In the laboratory.」

Gao Neng could clearly feel a suction force clinging to his body.

The talent testing machine had activated.

In fact, when Lan Xiaobing was attaching the sensors to him, he’d wanted to warn her that testing his talents would very likely cause the machine to explode.

However, with Shen Ning’Er standing at the control console, he decided against it.

The suction force grew stronger and stronger.

Gao Neng felt some hidden element within his body begin to resonate with the advanced testing machine.

However, there was no display screen in front of him, so he couldn’t see the changing values of his hidden talents.

Of course, Lan Ruosi, Shen Ning’Er, and Lan Xiaobing could.

On the control screen, a set of numbers was steadily climbing.

The numbers were changing too quickly.

The first value to settle was for Iron.

Iron Talent: 100.00%

"100%?!" Lan Xiaobing’s jaw dropped. Even though her initial probing had already given her a sense of how terrifying Gao Neng’s hidden talents were, seeing this number still came as a massive shock.

’A 100% talent value!’

"A talent with a 100% value?!" Lan Ruosi’s eyes widened. This number far exceeded his expectations.

When he heard Lan Xiaobing’s preliminary assessment, he already knew Gao Neng’s talents were impressive.

But "impressive" and "100%" were two entirely different things.

After all, 95% and 100% were two completely different concepts.

"So... it really is 100%!" Shen Ning’Er’s understanding of Gao Neng was deeper than Lan Ruosi’s. She’d even had a similar suspicion on the battlefield before.

Then, at the Huashan Ancient Sect, Gao Neng had once again displayed his terrifying talents.

Extracting alloys.

Repairing the Alloy Arena.

All of this proved that the value of Gao Neng’s hidden talents was absurdly high.

Of course, the most absurd feat of all was his ability to block Fang Tangtang’s neutron bullet. Shen Ning’Er suspected this was a major reason why Gao Neng was being tested alone.

The Alliance suspected that Gao Neng might also possess the potential to be a human-shaped nuclear weapon.

"BEEP!"

Just then, the value for the second talent appeared.

"Copper 100.00%"

"Another 100%?!" Lan Xiaobing couldn’t help but cry out.

"Two talents at 100%? Wait, Xiaolan, quick, adjust the display! Get rid of the two decimal places, just show the integers!" Lan Ruosi was clearly just as shocked as Lan Xiaobing.

But he wasn’t just looking at the display screen.

He was also watching the machine in the testing chamber.

The advanced talent testing machine was now vibrating violently, emitting a loud HUMMMMMMM. Something looked very wrong.

"Right away!" Lan Xiaobing immediately made the adjustment.

And at that moment, more and more numbers appeared on the screen.

"Tin 100%"

"Silver 100%"

"Gold 100%"

As these three values appeared, Lan Xiaobing, Lan Ruosi, and Shen Ning’Er were all completely dumbstruck. Three pairs of eyes stared intently at the numbers on the screen.

’Five metal-based talents, all at 100%?!’

’One such talent would be acceptable.’

’Two could just about be called an anomaly.’

’But five?!’

’This is genuinely terrifying.’

"Hey, I think there’s something wrong with your machine!" Just as the three were reeling from the shock, Gao Neng’s voice suddenly rang out from the laboratory.

"Huh?!" The three looked up at the same time. They saw Gao Neng inside the lab, frantically ripping off all the suction cups and data cables attached to his body.

"BOOM!"

A loud explosion erupted.

The advanced talent testing machine... exploded!

"..." Lan Ruosi.

"..." Lan Xiaobing.

"..." Shen Ning’Er.

The expressions on all three of their faces turned rigid.

This was an advanced talent testing machine, accurate to ten decimal places! In terms of manufacturing cost, it was worth over twenty million Alliance Coins.

’It exploded?!’

’Just like that, it exploded?!’

"What is this piece of junk? Are you trying to blow me up?" Gao Neng cursed from inside the laboratory. ’What a f*cking deathtrap.’

If he hadn’t reacted in time, that blast would have singed off at least three of his hairs.

’Terrifying!’

"Uncle Lan, I’m afraid even the advanced testing machine couldn’t handle it," Shen Ning’Er said, finally the first to recover after hearing Gao Neng’s voice.

"Yes, you’re right. I never expected him to possess talents at 100%. And the most frightening part is, we still don’t know how many 100% talents he has!" Lan Ruosi nodded grimly.

"Dad, it looks like our only option is to activate that super machine," Lan Xiaobing said, having also come to her senses. She adjusted her glasses and took a calming breath.

"There’s an even more precise one?" Shen Ning’Er asked, surprised.

Even with her extensive knowledge, she had never heard of the Alliance possessing a "super machine" beyond the advanced testing machine.

"It’s not about precision, it’s about durability," Lan Ruosi said, shaking his head. He then added, "The super machine Xiaobing mentioned isn’t as precise as the advanced one—it can’t measure talents to ten decimal places—but its ability to withstand strain is far, far greater!"

"Durability?"

"Correct. That machine is exclusively for the use of the Strongest," Lan Ruosi explained.

"I see. But if it’s exclusively for the Strongest, there can’t be many of them, right?" Shen Ning’Er said with a nod.

"There aren’t. The entire Alliance has only one, and it’s right here!" Lan Ruosi gritted his teeth, seemingly wrestling with a major decision.

"Dad, if we’re going to measure Gao Neng’s hidden talents, that’s probably the only machine that can do it," Lan Xiaobing said immediately, seeing her father’s hesitation.

"I know," Lan Ruosi replied, but he didn’t make a decision right away. He tilted his head back and clenched his fists again.

"Dad, that machine can’t possibly explode!" Lan Xiaobing insisted.

"And what if it does?" Lan Ruosi shot Lan Xiaobing a glare.

"How could there be a ’what if’? That super machine’s durability is thirty-five times greater than the advanced one’s. There won’t be any problems!" Lan Xiaobing maintained.

"Fine. If something does happen, we’ll just have to fix it," Lan Ruosi finally conceded with a nod.

As a scientific researcher—especially a mad-scientist type—he could never resist the impulse to probe an unsolved mystery.

This was his conviction!

Without that conviction, it would have been impossible for him to reach his current standing.

"Great! I’ll take Gao Neng to Special Lab No. 1 right now!" Lan Xiaobing exclaimed, thrilled that her father had agreed.

She acted as if she were afraid he would change his mind.

As for whether this decision would end up screwing her father over... she seemed to have never thought about it at all.

Lan Xiaobing took off running.

In a flash, she was back inside the glass-walled laboratory. Her face was flushed, and she stared at Gao Neng with an intense ’green light’ in her eyes.

A chill ran down Gao Neng’s spine under her intense gaze.

"Sister Xiaobing, what... what are you planning now?" Gao Neng almost subconsciously took a step back. The intensity emanating from her was just too startling.

"I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" Lan Xiaobing advanced on him, her eyes practically glowing.

"Good news? Bad news? Uh... let’s start with the good news, I guess?" After a moment’s thought, Gao Neng decided hearing the good news first was the better deal.

"We’ve already measured it! Your talents for Iron, Copper, Tin, Silver, and Gold are all at 100%! Are you surprised? Did you see that coming?!" Lan Xiaobing said excitedly.

"..." Gao Neng was a little startled. ’Is that really good news? They actually managed to measure it. I already knew that, okay?’

’My hidden talents... are finally exposed!’

’So, what does the future hold for me? From now on, will I be some super-genius with the entire Alliance watching my every move?’

Gao Neng wasn’t sure.

But he knew one thing: if any real problems arose, Shen Ning’Er would help him figure things out. So, there was nothing to worry about.

"Wow, that really is great news!" Thinking this, Gao Neng immediately put on an exaggerated smile, acting as if he had no idea.

"Hahaha, I told you it was good news! Seriously, Gao Neng, you’re the only person I’ve ever seen with five talents at 100%!" Lan Xiaobing said, happy to see his reaction.

"Has anyone else ever reached 100%?" Gao Neng paused. He had thought he was the only one.

"Of course! Every one of the Strongest has at least one 100% talent. You didn’t know that? Hmm... I guess you wouldn’t. But you’re even more amazing than them! At least, none of them have as many as you. Five talents at 100%! You’re a super-genius!" Lan Xiaobing added.

"Hahaha, of course! So, Sister Xiaobing, what’s the bad news?" Gao Neng laughed, but internally he was mulling over her words: ’Every one of the Strongest has at least one 100% talent.’

’What does that mean?’

’Does having a 100% talent mean you can become one of the Strongest? Or does becoming one of the Strongest grant you a 100% hidden talent?’

’Both were possible.’

However, Gao Neng leaned toward the second possibility. Lan Xiaobing’s exact words were, "Every one of the Strongest has at least one 100% talent."

’The meaning of that sentence should be...’

’...that becoming one of the Strongest causes a 100% hidden talent to emerge, right?’

But this theory contradicted what Gao Neng had learned. After all, the textbooks he’d studied all said that hidden talents could not be changed.

’So what did Lan Xiaobing really mean?’

He couldn’t be one hundred percent certain just yet.