Chapter 098: Team Mode

Fortunately, the goddess of learning had finished her experiment. She gently placed little Willy, the pitiful black mouse, down from the lab bench.

"Xiaobai, are you worried that after devouring the 'Abyss Thunder Toad'..." After organizing the notes from her first plasma experiment, Su Xiaoke finally looked up, gave Bai Yuxi a gentle smile, and said, "You're afraid your condition might worsen, right?"

"Yes," Bai Yuxi replied.

"I have some doubts," Su Xiaoke continued. "The disappearance of that Abyss Thunder Toad—could it be similar to when I awakened? Was it fused or assimilated by that so-called 'resonant effect, harmonious fusion of self and matter' from my body?"

Well, as expected, the goddess of learning already understood. Bai Yuxi could only nod and briefly share the details she recalled.

"Exactly!" someone exclaimed. "That seems plausible, doesn't it?"

With Bai Yuxi's reminder, everyone started to realize. This theory sounded much more reasonable than believing the blue lizard on Bai Yuxi's shoulder had eaten that tank-like giant toad.

"Come to think of it, when we were trapped within the barrier," someone noted, "we all absorbed a huge amount of extraordinary energy, which led to a significant boost in our stats!"

"I actually jumped from F4 to F5, upgraded a whole tier... Could this cause problems?" Luo Fei asked anxiously. "I've never heard of extraordinary personnel experiencing such a sudden increase in stats!"

Normally, aside from the dramatic changes during awakening, extraordinary personnel only see very slow growth in their stats. During routine training, even a 0.1% improvement is hard to achieve; usually, there's barely a 0.01% change between two short-term evaluations.

Yet, the seventh squad members had all leaped an entire tier during a single mission. While the boost in strength was a good thing, it was undeniably strange. It was as if a skinny person weighing less than eighty pounds suddenly became a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound heavyweight overnight—clearly violating the law of conservation of mass.

"Actually, even if you hadn't asked, I would have reminded you to pay attention to this matter..."

She pulled a tablet from the pocket of her white lab coat and flipped through the biometric data she had just collected from Bai Yuxi.

Su Xiaoke pushed up the bridge of her glasses with her finger, her lips curling into a faint, curious smile: "It's not just you. I also gained a considerable advancement from the previous incident!"

"Xiaoke, are we going to end up like Xiaobai, with only a few days left to live?" Xia Youyou shivered as she hugged herself in fear. "But I didn't feel like I absorbed any source material—my strength didn't suddenly quadruple like Xiaobai's!"

"Wishful thinking!" Su Xiaoke replied. "I've already said that Xiaobai's case is one in a billion—a rare anomaly. My theory is purely speculative. I can't confirm if this case can be replicated."

She gave her little sister a teasing glance, her eyes twinkling: "I can't even be sure my hypothesis is correct..."

"That's a relief!" Xia Youyou sighed, patting her A-cup chest. "If I died now, wouldn't it be such a waste?"

"Hey, when you say things like that..." Bai Yuxi poked Xia Youyou's shoulder in frustration. "Can't you be a little more considerate of someone who's about to die?"

"It's not that serious!" Su Xiaoke was amused by the two, and though known as an ice-cold goddess of learning, she was actually quite warm and enjoyed laughing among friends.

"A sudden spike in stats can damage physical health, but as long as you don't suffer a vicious cycle like Xiaobai," she explained, "with proper post-event training and recovery, it won't threaten your life. In fact, it might help us quickly improve our abilities."

"I just discovered that Xiaobai's 'resonant effect, harmonious fusion of self and matter' isn't limited to him alone!"

Su Xiaoke's gaze fell on Bai Yuxi, a spark of astonishment in her eyes: "In that state, it creates a special 'effect field.' Anyone within this field can share his ability!"

Everyone paused, not quite grasping her meaning.

"Simply put," Su Xiaoke clarified, "Xiaobai, this anomaly with a cheat code, can share his 'cheat' function with teammates in 'party mode'!"

"If Xiaobai can master that special state, instead of overpowering weaker members and stealing their 'experience points' due to his strong pheromones," she continued, seeing everyone still confused, "he can actually help us level up quickly—just like a max-level player guiding newbies!"

"Godlike!" Before anyone else could react to the goddess’s words, the Black Foreigner was the first to get it. Sliding across the floor, he clung desperately to Bai Yuxi’s leg, crying out, "Please carry us!"

Everyone turned, startled, to look at Bai Yuxi. The implications of the goddess’s words were enormous. If this really worked, wouldn’t they soon soar to the skies, shoulder to shoulder with the sun?

If the powers in the extraordinary world learned of this, they’d go mad trying to recruit this cheat-code prodigy.

Everyone stared intently at Bai Yuxi.

Xia Youyou leapt forward: "Please support me!"

Maya decisively wrapped her arms around Bai Yuxi’s: "I’ll keep you warm at night!"

Drumstick’s eyes sparkled: "God, please accept my kneeling!"

Jason, with a serious face, said, "White, do you need a leg accessory? Prussian precision engineering!"

As captain, Luo Fei tried to keep her composure, but her team had already said it all.

"What cheat code?" Bai Yuxi stammered, "What party mode? I didn’t even start a party! Wait, you’re leading me astray..."

Bai Yuxi herself was utterly confused, shaking her leg to try and dislodge the Black Foreigner, and flustered, "How am I suddenly a cheat-code player?"

"I suspect Xiaobai unconsciously activated the 'effect field' at the time," Su Xiaoke laughed. "If you want to 'farm experience,' you’ll have to hope he can master that state."

Everyone turned in unison, their eyes glowing green as they looked at Bai Yuxi.