The Quest for the Supernatural

In the aftermath of the college entrance examination, what followed was university life.

Having achieved commendable scores, Xi Gu had his pick of most institutions. Thus, he opted for a top-tier university in the provincial capital.

Upon entering university, like any other student, he attended classes, engaged in club activities, and indulged in online gaming. Throughout, Xi Gu found genuine enjoyment.

Compared to the average student, his most notable distinction was his choice to rent an apartment outside campus instead of living in university dormitories.

After all, cohabiting closely with others posed certain risks — not to Xi Gu, but to his peers.

While confident in his self-control, becoming overly entwined with others remained a sensitive matter.

With university life came an increased degree of freedom. Any day without classes felt like a holiday. By strategically selecting general education courses without strict attendance or assignments, Xi Gu could enjoy up to four or five free days in a week.

During his freshman year, he mostly confined his activities within the province.

However, by sophomore year, his travels spanned the entire country. By junior and senior years, while his peers were preoccupied with internships and postgraduate preparations, Xi Gu had traversed the seven continents and the four great oceans, encompassing the entire globe in his explorations.

But do not misunderstand: his wanderlust wasn't driven by a love for natural beauty, but rather a search for individuals like himself.

— Other supernaturals.

Initially, upon gaining his powers, Xi Gu believed in a hidden realm, much like the tales from novels where various supernaturals clandestinely battled for power and treasures. Powerful nations schemed and probed one another in shadows, while mercenaries and dark organizations emerged, all accompanied by myths of Atlantis and extraterrestrial civilizations.

Yet, no matter how hard he searched, Xi Gu couldn't find any kindred spirits or any "supernatural organizations."

Upon entering university, Xi Gu set out globally, initially scouring metropolitan areas, hoping to stumble upon someone like him.

Failing that, he shifted his focus to remote regions and ancient relics.

— In the Himalayas, legends spoke of a centenarian monk who could levitate. Despite being featured in world mysteries, Xi Gu discovered that the supposed levitation was merely an optical illusion caused by the refraction of glacial light.

— In Europe, a boy renowned for his prophetic abilities allegedly foresaw world events for over a decade. However, upon investigating, Xi Gu discovered this "prophecy" was a fabricated marvel. A benefactor utilized political science students to predict global scenarios, followed by publicity stunts to cement the "prophet's" reputation. The so-called seer was merely a well-crafted charade.

— Other tales lured him to mysterious pyramids, Eastern Africa's mystical relics, Pacific ancient civilizations, a Southeast Asian temple's mind-reader, and an incarnation of Shiva in India...

All of it, every single bit, was false!

Despairing over the fabricated tales of supernatural wonders within human society, Xi Gu shifted his gaze to the marvelous and enigmatic natural world.

Rumored to harbor yetis, dragons, UFOs, and ancient immortals, the mythical Shennongjia — a region even more diverse than Haruhi Suzumiya's SOS Brigade — was scoured by Xi Gu in a mere half day. Still, he found nothing.

Regardless, he persisted, meticulously investigating every nook and cranny over several days, yet he couldn't locate any phenomena that defied explanation.

— While he did stumble upon some species not yet recorded in biological annals, none were related to the supernatural.

Xi Gu then ventured to the Bermuda Triangle, a location that topped the charts of "world's unsolved mysteries" since the last century. Even after diving thousands of meters below the ocean's surface, aside from a brief encounter with an unusually large octopus, he emerged empty-handed.

— Where were the wormholes? The phantom ships?

Gradually losing hope, Xi Gu, in a state of growing apathy, embarked on journeys to various naturally wondrous sites historically surrounded by bizarre tales, debunking countless "unsolved mysteries."

— Loch Ness, the Heavenly Lake of Changbai Mountain, Death Valley, Kunlun Mountains, the ruins of Lop Nur, the Bottomless Pit of the Underground Drilling...

And yet.

All of it.

Were lies.

Despair consumed Xi Gu.

No — there remained a glimmer of hope.

Collecting himself, Xi Gu directed his attention towards the most crucial and secretive places.

— The intelligence agencies of nations worldwide.

Even someone with the individual prowess of Xi Gu couldn't necessarily uncover the entirety of the world's mysteries. But if he were to compile intelligence on the "mystical" and "supernatural" events from across the globe, amalgamating the core secrets of the major powers, surely he could grasp the true nature of the world?

Such were Xi Gu's thoughts.

However, one matter demanded consideration.

Compared to his previous investigations of societal claims of "supernaturals" and explorations of the so-called "mystical regions" in the natural world, national intelligence would undoubtedly be safeguarded in ultra-secret locations, heavily guarded, protected by powerful weapons, and monitored by the most advanced technological measures.

Iris recognition, infrared sensors, DNA verification, ground density measurements, radiation penetration... These technologies were a given, not to mention the others yet to be encountered.

Though in terms of sheer power, Xi Gu had already ascended above the world. If he wished, he could annihilate humanity within a day, utilizing the shockwaves from his strength combined with his unparalleled speed.

— However, he had no intention of positioning himself against societal order. Even less so did he want to reveal himself to the world, bearing the weight of billions of people's fears and disdain as a lone villain.

Thus, the art of infiltrating these areas undetected became paramount.

— Firstly, evading the naked eye was simple.

After reaching an apex in physical agility, neural response speed, and heightened sensory abilities, Xi Gu could easily exploit the human vision's "blind spots."

In essence, he could stand merely a meter away from someone and effortlessly "disappear" before their eyes.

— Then came the other challenges. To escape infrared thermal sensors, he needed to retract his body's heat, a facet of his "control" abilities.

After several days of experimentation, Xi Gu successfully incorporated this into his talent tree. Using his multifaceted sensory skills, he managed to regulate his surface temperature and heat radiation between 0 and 50 degrees Celsius.

— Evading panoramic cameras was the next hurdle. Leveraging his extreme speed, not even cameras capturing thousands, or even tens of thousands of frames per second, could pin down his movements.

By sensing minute changes in camera systems, Xi Gu could use these variations to achieve "invisibility" under surveillance.

— Beyond this, there was the task of controlling the air disturbances around him, modulating his weight on the ground, regulating the minute changes in his muscle movements, altering his hormonal secretions, and even controlling the beating of his heart...

Ultimately, after perfecting every minute aspect of his control to an awe-inspiring level and realizing he could deceive most of the world's monitoring equipment, a satisfied smile graced Xi Gu's face.

— The operation could commence!