"Then what do you want to ask about?" Wen Wen knew Uncle Gong's intentions were not pure, but he pretended to be oblivious.
Uncle Gong took out a small notebook from his pocket and said to Wen Wen, "The captain asked me to ask you a few questions."
"Then ask quickly," Wen Wen said impatiently.
"There's no information about your family in the files, and you don't have any friends. Apart from work, you're like a transparent person. Why is that?"
"Does the Hunter Association ask about such private matters?" Wen Wen raised an eyebrow and didn't answer.
"Okay, then I'll ask another question. Why are you so eager to hunt monsters? Free hunters are rarely like you."
"Because I like it. Some people like fishing and bird-watching, some like playing games, some like to do dirty things. I like to pit my wits against monsters. That's not illegal, is it?" Wen Wen spread his hands and said with a smile.
Uncle Gong shook his head, then made a few notes in the small book. After a moment of thought, he slowly said to Wen Wen, "It's indeed not illegal. Then I'll continue with the next question."
"Ghosts, carrion demons, treants, and superhumans with steel wings. These are the monsters you dealt with alone after arriving in Furong River City. Ghosts might have been dispersed by you, but the carrion demons, the speaking treants, and that one with steel wings should not have disappeared. Where did their corpses go?"
"Even though you've covered your tracks, we in the Hunter Association cannot ignore these things."
Here it comes! I knew they would ask about this!
Wen Wen's eyes narrowed, but his expression didn't change much. He knew this moment would come when he learned about the existence of the Hunter Association.
"That's because..."
"Don't be in a hurry to answer. Since you've covered your tracks, you won't tell me the truth easily, so you'd better think carefully before telling me," Uncle Gong narrowed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa, appearing to be dozing.
"It's related to my abilities. I can't tell you the specific details." Wen Wen remained silent for a moment before speaking vaguely. Uncle Gong's demeanor made him afraid to tell the lie he had already prepared.
"Hmm... you're not lying. I guess that's how it is. I'm satisfied that you could say that," Uncle Gong sat up and said to Wen Wen with a smile.
Wen Wen looked at Uncle Gong curiously, "How do you know I'm not lying?"
Uncle Gong copied Wen Wen's expression and said to him, "It's related to my abilities. I can't tell you the specific details."
"..." Wen Wen felt fortunate that he hadn't told them his prepared reason. If his lie were exposed, his impression points with the Hunter Association would likely decrease.
"Heh heh." Uncle Gong, acting like he was at home, took off his shoes, revealing socks with holes at the big toe, emitting a pleasant odor.
"All of us superhumans have secrets in our hearts. As long as they're not wicked thoughts, my mission from the captain is complete."
"Alright, since you're done, you should leave quickly," Wen Wen said, covering his nose, no longer bothering to hide his desire to see him out.
"Don't do that, young man. I want to eat at your place." Uncle Gong threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out. Wen Wen felt a surge of anger, but since he had made his own room like this, he couldn't really stop him.
"You're too much of a familiar stranger."
"The captain said that if you have no ulterior motives, I should give you some guidance. Do you want it, or should I leave?" Uncle Gong started to put on his shoes, dawdling.
Wen Wen's face flickered with uncertainty. He wanted the uncle's guidance, but he didn't want to treat him to a meal. However, reason eventually prevailed over emotion, and he said with a cold expression:
"I won't make anything special for you. You'll only eat what I eat."
"It's fine, don't be so formal," Uncle Gong said with a grin.
But when Wen Wen brought out a plate of instant dumplings and a bottle of iced black tea, Uncle Gong's expression stiffened. He rushed to the refrigerator and opened it, only to find it filled with frozen food!
So he had to sit back down in disappointment and start eating the pitiful plate of dumplings. "I really can't imagine that a young man like you eats like this every day. Your body won't be able to handle it."
"You said you wanted to give me guidance, so hurry up and say it." Wen Wen also took out a notebook and looked at Uncle Gong expectantly.
"There are five levels for superhumans. You should be in the first stage, the Exploration stage, right?" Uncle Gong asked Wen Wen after chewing a dumpling slowly.
Wen Wen nodded. He knew he wasn't an ordinary superhuman, but he also wanted to find a way to train himself.
"The second stage is called 'Mastery.' In fact, there's no clear boundary between the first and second stages. When you enter the second level, the total amount of your ability won't change, and you won't suddenly gain new skills."
"Then where is the change?" Wen Wen asked humbly.
Uncle Gong extended his left hand. Without much effort, a scorching fireball floated in the air.
"This is the flame of the 'Exploration' stage."
Then he extended his right hand and moved his fingers a few times. A small flame bird, similar in size to the fireball, appeared in his hand. It was lifelike and posed a much greater threat to Wen Wen than the fireball.
"This is the flame of the 'Mastery' stage. Both consume the same amount of energy."
"The difference lies in the control of energy?" Wen Wen asked tentatively.
"Yes and no," Uncle Gong took a sip of iced black tea and continued:
"Exploration is about discovering your potential, knowing what you can do. Those who can set fires know how much fire they can produce, and muscle-type superhumans know how much they can lift."
"As for Mastery, it's about building on what you know you can do and developing something new, making your limited energy exert more powerful force."
"To put it in simple terms, imagine you are a swordsman. As long as you can wave that sword around carelessly, you are in the Exploration realm. But when you start learning swordsmanship, and continue until you become a top-tier sword master, that entire process is that of a superhuman in the Mastery realm."
While Uncle Gong was speaking, Wen Wen quickly jotted down the information. Uncle Gong secretly nodded; this was a very diligent young man.
"Then what about assimilation?" Wen Wen recalled Gu Panxi's chilling form and asked.
"Assimilation... Heh heh. When you go far enough in the Mastery realm, you'll understand it yourself. Telling you now won't do any good." There was a hint of melancholy in Uncle Gong's eyes. He knew how to reach the Assimilation stage, but he lacked the courage to take that step.
"It's the same as that crazy woman said... So, how do I enter the Mastery stage?" Wen Wen shook his head in disappointment.
"There are no shortcuts. Explore your abilities to their limit, and then find a way to break through!"
"To use myself as an example, the amount of flames I can release and the temperature they can reach were fixed when I first gained my superhuman power."
"Before the Assimilation stage, all I could do was use this limited ability to exert greater combat power. Members of those hidden organizations you encountered earlier don't necessarily have much stronger abilities than you; rather, they understand their own abilities much better than you do."
"I heard you're very fast and stronger than ordinary people, but you don't have any outward superpowers. So, you might consider learning some combat skills to achieve a breakthrough in your combat capabilities..."