North American Detective: I am Proficient in All Kinds of Gun Quick Draws-Chapter 583 - 331_1

To ensure Little Mike's "safety," the manor where he resided was patrolled day and night by professional bodyguards with expensive security dogs, in addition to round-the-clock nanny service.

For this, Dean had to spend over two million US dollars annually.

Of course, this sum was transferred across national borders in the name of Little Mike's non-existent distant relatives.

As for the experts Ross had introduced, aside from visiting once a week to conduct a physical examination for Little Mike, they didn't stay at the manor at any other time.

「Dean parked the car.」

He carried a glass case and arrived at the study on the top floor of Little Mike's house.

Today, Little Mike was not reading as usual. Instead, with the help of a strong maid, he was doing some relatively gentle yoga movements. During the breathing transitions, he had already grasped the Ancient Yoga Breathing Technique Dean had given him, and his proficiency was considerable – he was probably already at L2!

Dean mentally calculated the time and couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

In less than a month, Little Mike, without any prior foundation, had mastered a difficult breathing technique to such an extent.

This child is truly terrifying!

I absolutely must not... let him escape!

Dean nudged the door with his foot.

Hearing the noise outside, Little Mike's breathing rhythm broke.

He turned his head. Seeing it was Dean, he said something to the maid assisting him. The maid nodded, smiled at Dean, and then left the floor.

Dean pushed the door closed with his foot as he entered, walked over to Little Mike, who was wiping off sweat, set down the glass case, and said in a deep voice, "How do you feel about the breathing technique I taught you?"

"It's not bad. My body feels much more comfortable, and I don't get tired as easily. But..." Little Mike lifted his shirt, revealing ribs that pressed against his skin. "It seems I've reached my limit in training. I haven't felt any progress for a long time."

"How long?"

"Three days."

Dean was momentarily speechless. Most people would easily be irritated by Little Mike's unconscious humblebragging.

He naturally knew the reason for this.

The principle of the Ancient Yoga Breathing Technique largely involved affecting the body's subtle aspects to reduce metabolism. To a certain degree, it could enhance sensitivity and control over these minute aspects, thereby prolonging life.

The limit for ordinary people was generally L2, the proficient level.

Going further required reliance on inherent physical talent.

Clearly, although Little Mike possessed outstanding intelligence, he was inherently physically weak and lacked much innate talent in physical cultivation.

L2 of the Ancient Yoga Breathing Technique was his limit.

At L2, the Ancient Yoga Breathing Technique could, at most, slightly control the body's energy consumption; it was unable to help with Little Mike's physical deficiencies.

Dean briefly explained the reason.

Little Mike nodded. "No problem. We can also rely on the Catalytic Agent developed by the Lucifer Organization.

I've already gone through all the available information and found that the main function of the Catalytic Agent is to increase the concentration of hormones secreted by a normal person. Hormones are already the overt expression of human emotions, which is why people injected with the Catalytic Agent are so easily influenced by their emotions.

In fact, the people at Lucifer are only one step away from a successful trial. They're just too stupid to have figured out the key." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Dean sat cross-legged opposite Little Mike, pondering the boy's words. After a moment, he asked, feigning uncertainty, "Are you talking about energy?"

Actually, he had two theories. One was the energy stored in the body. The other was the inherent upper limit of a test subject's physical talent. Once those test subjects reacted with the Catalytic Agent inside them, they would immediately possess strength beyond ordinary people, but their bodies would also quickly deteriorate and collapse. Dean suspected this was because the power they unleashed exceeded what their bodies could withstand.

To some extent, the Catalytic Agent was like an enhanced stimulant. It could bypass the brain's protective limits on the body, allowing an individual to temporarily exert power far beyond what their system could normally endure.

The brain didn't establish these protective limits for no reason. This threshold represented the maximum strain the body could currently withstand. Overloading it would lead to various physical problems, such as rhabdomyolysis, organ failure, fractured bones, and so on. These weren't uncommon in reality.

Training served to elevate this protective threshold set by the brain. That's why individuals with good physical talent, after training, could unleash far greater strength, Speed, and other attributes than ordinary people with average physical talent.

Dean had previously speculated on the cruise ship: a test subject's survival was likely related to the upper limit of their physical talent. The higher the limit, the greater their chance of survival. As for factors like willpower, they played a role, but probably not a significant one.

The reason Dean had only mentioned energy—the most obvious guess—was that he didn't want to give Little Mike any hints. He worried that Little Mike's body might recover too quickly, while his own Beast Taming Skills weren't yet perfected.

If that happened... what might he do out of apprehension?

He didn't want to dwell on it.

Little Mike's ability to read expressions and moods was very weak. This was especially true when facing someone like Dean, who could easily control his micro-expressions and emotions, making it even harder for Little Mike to discern the truth behind his words.

"Energy?" Hearing Dean's suggestion, Little Mike nodded. "That's somewhat related, but it's not the key. The crucial factor for a test subject's success is the upper limit of their physical talent!"