"Are you saying that my internal source does not belong to the realms of the Dao or magic? Is it possible that it comes from the spirits or Hell?" Pei Yan asked after hearing Hu Wenjun's astonishing account.
Hu Wenjun shook his head and denied, "The energy sources from spirits and the Hell Plane hardly affect humans, strictly speaking, living humans. However, to be safe, we still conducted tests and confirmed that your energy also does not come from these two planes."
"Then I...?"
"We have two hypotheses. First, there might be other planes in this world that we are unaware of, hidden from our sight, and your internal source could coincidentally be from one of these. Second..." Hu Wenjun paused for a moment.
Pei Yan cautiously responded, "Second, my internal source awakened from within our reality?"
Hu Wenjun closed his eyes and nodded in tacit agreement, sighed, and said, "So, do you understand why we are so cautious about you? If it's confirmed you are the first scenario, we need to know if your inner source will affect our present world, and whether we have to face challenges from new plane travelers. If it's the second scenario, does this mean our world environment has also evolved, and you might be an exception? Will there be more like you in the future? No matter which possibility you belong to, we need to prepare."
After a while, Hu Wenjun looked at Pei Yan standing silently with his head down, grinning, and teased, "So, do you feel particularly stressed knowing this news?"
Pei Yan raised his head to glance at Hu Wenjun, then looked at the group of staff specially prepared for him standing in the distance, took a deep breath, and mocked himself, "I am really a bit scared now that you guys might dissect me for research."
"Hahahahaha, alright, go ahead, it's getting late, let's start the initial evaluation of your abilities today." Hu Wenjun laughed heartily and patted Pei Yan on the shoulder as he instructed.
Following Hu Wenjun's orders, Pei Yan approached the staff who were preparing, and watched as they took out a series of small drones from boxes, curiously looking at Hu Wenjun beside him.
"You said you could control electronic devices, and we've verified it somewhat. Can you control this?" Hu Wenjun motioned towards the drones placed on the ground with a nod.
Pei Yan shrugged and loosened his stiff neck, extended his right hand towards one of the drones on the ground, and as he concentrated his mind to control it, the drone's previously still propellers suddenly began to rotate, making buzzing noises as it ascended, swaying up and down wherever Pei Yan's sight turned.
All the staff present marveled at the sight and began discussing. Hu Wenjun stepped back two steps and gave a signal to the staff holding the remote control for the drones.
The staff member took the hint and immediately operated the remote control, performing actions completely opposite to those currently taken by the drones. After a while, he dejectedly shrugged towards Hu Wenjun saying, "Useless, this remote control has lost control over the drones."
Hu Wenjun nodded satisfactorily and instructed another staff member responsible for recording, "Make a note, Pei Yan's ability to control electronic devices surpasses with supreme authority." He then looked at the several cameras set up for recording in the distance and commanded the worker holding the remote control behind him, "Proceed with the next test."
The staff member didn't say much, picked up various drones with several others, and ran outside, positioning them sequentially at intervals of fifteen meters from Pei Yan's feet.
"Pei Yan!"
Upon hearing Hu Wenjun's call and observing the staff's actions, Pei Yan understood without needing further explanation; he raised his hand and waved again, controlling drones over distances of fifteen, thirty, and forty-five meters.
"How many meters?"
"Over five hundred meters now, he is already controlling more than thirty-six drones simultaneously. Shall we continue?" The record staff checked the notes and reported.
Looking at the drones fluttering all over the sky, Hu Wenjun's face showed some excitement, "How many drones did we prepare today?"
"A hundred drones, specifically prepared to test the limits of his control."
"Use them all, extend the distance!"
One drone after another ascended into the sky, and the staff setting up the drones kept running further. Finally, when seventy-three drones filled the sky, Pei Yan could no longer affect the drones placed at the furthest distance, marking 1095 meters as the current limit of his control.
"Bring the remaining drones closer to see if he can make all of them fly!" Hu Wenjun loudly commanded the staff in the distance, craning his neck.
"Alright!" The enthusiastic staff members eagerly carried the boxes back hundreds of meters, randomly placing the remaining few drones on the ground.
Five minutes later, one hundred drones, exactly a hundred, flew in order like a swarm in Pei Yan's control, the collective buzz of flight resonating in the vast Jiezhi Space.
Pei Yan appeared like a conductor of an orchestra, with the drone swarm dancing back and forth with his arms, sometimes flying collectively to one side, sometimes dispersing to flip left and right, the most thrilling scene being when he clapped his hands together, the drones flying towards both sides swiftly gathering towards the center, while everyone exclaimed, they narrowly avoided colliding, forming formations like disciplined soldiers in rows above Pei Yan.
Applauding started at an unknown point, followed by a constant stream of claps, praising Pei Yan couldn't help but feel somewhat smug.
"Bang, bang, bang!" Suddenly, the drones suspended in the air fell one after another, Pei Yan, startled without knowing why, felt a pain at the back of his head, Hu Wenjun's stern voice sounded again, "Cocky! Quickly control the drones to land, the first ones to take off are out of power."
"Oh, oh!" Realizing it, Pei Yan promptly controlled the remaining drones, slowly lowering them to the ground.
Hu Wenjun turned his head to look at the staff responsible for filming; after they gave him an OK hand gesture, Hu Wenjun patted Pei Yan's shoulder, "Go back and rest. Today's training ends here. Tomorrow you rest a day, no training, there's something else for you to do."
That night, in a conference room, five people sat on sofas watching Pei Yan's performance on a screen. Besides Gu Shenghui and Elder Lin whom Pei Yan had met before, the other three were also key figures within the bureau. Meanwhile, a similar scene played out at a military training base in the capital, with a lineup of army leaders in military uniforms sitting on sofas watching the same video footage.
"Is this the young lad Xiaomiao went to train?" A lieutenant general turned sideways and asked.
"Yes." The staff standing behind him responded.
"Quite a remarkable ability; this clearly isn't his limit. We just don't know if his power could affect more advanced tech equipment," the lieutenant general remarked, looking around and sharing his thoughts with colleagues.
"Indeed, indeed, if he can influence more high-end technology, he would be an unexpected trump card on the battlefield in the future."
"Exactly, exactly!"
"It seems, as training progresses, we might need to reach out to the investigation bureau to bring this person over."
Following the lieutenant general's lead, those in the room immediately began discussing.
The lieutenant general removed his military hat, gently sliding his fingers over his somewhat grey hair, expressed his concern, "Tricky, Madman Gu really values this young man, it might be hard for him to let go!"
"We could exchange, anyway—two, no, three for one! Pick from the squad! He never stops trying to poach from us!" A colonel sitting afar suggested.
The lieutenant general didn't respond, instead, he resumed wearing his military hat and leaned back in the chair, lightly tapping his fingers on the armrest, contemplatively watching Pei Yan's goofy grin on the screen.