A Scientific Urban Detective.

Chapter 1136 Doubts about Nen Ability
The battle between Lin Wuming and Archangel Gabriel has reached a stalemate—a stalemate that is disadvantageous to him. If this continues, he will undoubtedly lose!

To turn the tide, there needs to be an opportunity to break the current situation, but such an opportunity is not something that can be created overnight. Lin Wuming has now entered "bullet time" mode in order to seize any possible opportunity to counterattack.

Unfortunately, Accelerator and Right Flame are already locked in battle on the other side, and they probably can't attend to this side for the time being.

Apart from the two of them, it seemed that no one else was qualified to intervene in a battle of this scale and provide Lin Wuming with the opportunity he desired.

Moreover, even if another opportunity arises, it wouldn't make a difference. Even if the situation could be turned around, it would quickly return to its current state.

Ultimately, the problem lies in the vast disparity in strength between the two sides. Without sufficient strength, everything else is meaningless.

"Damn it, I'm already level 5 and I still can't do anything to Him. Is it really only by becoming level 6 that I can deal with angels?" Lin Wuming couldn't help but sigh.

—Wait, am I really already at level 5...? My "telekinesis" ability?
A sudden doubt arose in Lin Wuming's mind.

Not long ago, during a duel with Misaka Mikoto in her "Thunder Angel" form, Lin Wuming comprehended the ability to actively enter a "bullet time" state, and could then forcibly raise his Nen ability to level 5 through technical means.

But actually?
If we completely remove the influence of "bullet time" and only look at Nen ability, Lin Wuming should still only be level 4.

However, Lin Wuming no longer cares about terms like "golden finger" or "cheat device"—"bullet time" is also his ability, and it's an ability that he has already brought under his control.

Therefore, "bullet time" is one's own power, and the Level 5 Nen ability born from "bullet time" is one's own real power, not an illusion.

His ability level test is level 5, his actual combat performance is also level 5, and Lin Wuming himself admits that it is level 5, so his Nen ability is level 5!

...That's how it should be; my abilities are beyond dispute.

But now, facing the test of an absolutely stronger being—the Archangel Gabriel—Lin Wuming has to confront this problem once again.

—Am I really a Level 5 telekinetic user?
Or rather, is the Nen ability I currently possess truly sufficient to deal with an opponent like "divine power"?
If someone were a true Level 5 psychic, they wouldn't be as panicked and powerless as I am now, right?
Yes, it was precisely because he felt his own "powerlessness" that Lin Wuming couldn't help but reflect on his actions.

Since the start of the war with Archangel Gabriel, Lin Wuming has felt this more and more.

Apart from the "Psychic Acceleration Cannon," all of his other methods seemed so pale and powerless when facing Gabriel, a superior being.

You can't catch it, you can't hit it, and even if you do manage to hit it, you can't break through its defense!
Nen ability is an invisible and intangible power, so in the battle against Archangel Gabriel, it was as if it didn't exist and couldn't play any role at all!

—That shouldn't be the case.

As the de facto strongest psychic, Lin Wuming is now an authority among psychics. He believes that psychic abilities should be more arbitrary, and that the ability user can obtain whatever they think.

Nen ability is probably the most classic superpower, the most direct manifestation of personal will interfering with reality.

Instead of feeling like I'm just fantasizing when I'm facing Archangel Gabriel!

—My Nen ability must be faster, stronger, and freer… no, it must be more "self-centered." This is an extension of my will… my will itself!

"Wind Slash, buy me some time!"

Lin Wuming suddenly gave up fighting and instead focused on dodging, repeatedly using "Instant Teleportation" to escape the attacks from Archangel Gabriel.

Thanks to the help of the Fuse Wind Slash, Lin Wuming truly gained a brief opportunity to escape the battle. Taking advantage of this rare gap in the battle, Lin Wuming actively accelerated his thinking speed and entered "bullet time" mode.

The biggest advantage of actively entering "bullet time" is that without the pressure of a fatal threat, Lin Wuming can focus all his energy on thinking about a specific matter, instead of being distracted by thinking about how to resolve a deadly crisis.

—Very good. Although it was a bit tough for Feng Zhan, it should be fine in the short term.

Lin Wuming assessed the current battle situation and then simply put it aside.

—The question now is, is my Nen ability actually level 5?

Lin Wuming began to think... In the fierce and dangerous battlefield, he hid in the gap of time.

—What is my purpose? To defeat this angel before me… or at least to hold him off and prevent him from defeating me!
The problem lies in his own lack of strength; his Nen ability was insufficient to deal with enemies of this level.

Moreover, unless one advances to become a Level 6 Absolute Ability User, it seems there is currently no other way to defeat the angels...

But is Level 6 really the same as "angelization"?
In Academy City's Level 5, both Lin Wuming and Misaka Mikoto have experienced "angelization".

Looking back on the scene, it's true that he became stronger, but Lin Wuming always felt that something was wrong.

Do superpowered individuals have to become "angels" to advance further?

Admittedly, the entire superpower system originated from the source of "magic" as explained by Chairman Aleister, so it's not surprising that the two ultimately converged on the same path.

Even the fuse, Wind Slash, is depicted as an "angel," isn't it?
But Lin Wuming still felt it was inappropriate.

"Angelization" may indeed be a path to level 5 advancement, but it is definitely not the only way.

At least there's no reason for a Stone user like the Slicer General to become an "angel".

There should be other ways for superpowered individuals to advance!

It's no wonder Lin Wuming had such thoughts, after all, the enemy he was facing now was a genuine "angel"; if he only became an "angel", he would probably find it difficult to defeat the real angel in the end.

Whether or not you become an angel is not important; what matters is how to gain the power to defeat angels!

Lin Wuming gradually sorted out his thoughts—it had nothing to do with the archangel Gabriel in front of him; improving his strength was the most urgent thing he needed to do.

It's important to understand that even if we weather this "Third World War" crisis, the truly unsolvable problem of demons still awaits us.

Lin Wuming's consistent approach to improvement has always been clear: he focuses on both Nen ability and "bullet time." Improving either ability would result in a qualitative leap in his overall strength.

"Bullet time" is not something we can rely on for the time being; we'll have to wait for Misaki Shokuhou and Ellie's plans.

So the only thing left is Nen ability.

(End of this chapter)