Just as Chen Chen was about to pack up the weights, he noticed something.
There were some fine specks of dust attached to the weights.
These specks of dust were fine powder from when Chen Chen chipped the crystalline to test its substance. These fine fragments attached themselves to the weight as if some unknown force pasted them there directly.
Static electricity?
Chen Chen raised an eyebrow.
He took out a weight from the briefcase again and brushed it against the table. Nothing happened.
Logically speaking, this was a perfectly sensible observation considering the weights were made of stainless steel with high nickel content. The maximum magnetic susceptibility was only 0.25, designed specifically so that it should not have its precise weight affected under any circumstances.
However, after being altered by his superpowers, these non-magnetic weights were ever so slightly magnetized.
Chen Chen attempted to peel off the crumbs and tested with the magnetized weights again. As expected, the crumbs stuck themselves to the weight.
What was the reason behind these weights becoming magnetized? Was it caused by a magnetic field? Or the electric field?
Or was it…
An idea suddenly occurred to Chen Chen.
Chen Chen pointed the radiation detector at himself and began trying to discharge the energy filaments from his mind.
Even though he might have already overexerted his energy today, it should still be fine to discharge a tiny amount. After all, the protagonists in the movie seemed to be doing fine even after bleeding out a river worth of blood from their noses.
Bearing that in mind, Chen Chen clicked the button on the detector.
“Beep!”
Following the resulting signal prompt, Chen Chen quickly retracted his power and took a look at the detector. Just as he had suspected, the detector displayed results in both the electric field and magnetic field criteria.
Based on Chen Chen’s understanding of physics, electric fields referred to the static electricity generated by a static charge. Since there was no such thing as an idle static charge, magnetic fields were present as long as there was a moving electric field. Thus, electric fields and magnetic fields were two co-existing entities. Whenever there was an electric field, a magnetic field would be subsequently generated, and vice versa.
“In other words, this power of mine is actually a form of electromagnetic force?”
As Chen Chen read the numbers on the display, he began further diving into the subject.
If that was the case, Chen Chen began to get a vague idea of how his ability operated. However, the specifics would still need to be verified.
With this facet in mind, he took out a draft paper and jotted down several strings of formula:
Coulomb’s law formula: [F=(k·q1q2)/r2]
Uniform electric field formula: [W＝F·s·cosθ]
Electrostatic field formula: [W=qU]
Afterward, Chen Chen brought Coulomb’s law into the two latter formulas and then calculated them based on the electric field strength of the earth’s surface set at 100V/m. The results of his finding were that the formula for uniformly strong electric field did not conform to his results from his previous observation which was 0.36N. Instead, it was closer to the electrostatic field formula.
Was this indication that his control of the weights and marker pen was done using electrostatic field manipulation?
An alternative way to describe it would be electric charge manipulation.
This was not an uncommon application in real life.
Back in the early sixteenth-century, humans already discovered that spiders possessed the ability to fly.
Along some coastal regions, spiders were able to glide across the ocean up to hundreds of kilometers. Back then, people believed that it was simply caused by the extremely lightweight spiders being blown by the wind, but the truth was not as it seemed.
Even without any wind blowing, the spiders were still able to take flight. Many people had even noticed spiders gliding four to five kilometers overhead.
Unlike the case with other creatures, this variation of flight was not enabled by the propulsion force generated by the flapping of wings. It was another form of energy – electrostatic field.
The gist of it was that spiders had an organ known as a trichophyta that emulated a reaction with the electromagnetic field of the earth.
It was similar to how one could make the ends of their hair stand up by rubbing a balloon against their scalp. This phenomenon was known as an electrostatic force. The trichophyta in spiders enabled them to float along the electrostatic field on earth.
To summarize Chen Chen’s ability in a simplified way, he was creating a highly concentrated localized electric field around a targeted object, thus simulating a thrusting effect. This was how the weight came to be magnetized.
Chen Chen himself was not even aware that he was actively channeling a localized electric field. This observation was similar to the way that humans were naturally born with the need for breathing but very few people were aware of how they were able to perform the act of breathing.
It was the same for the protagonist in the movie. They simply recognized that they were able to move objects without ever questioning the underlying principles behind it.
Following this process of thought, if Chen Chen’s ability truly stemmed from manipulation of electric and magnetic fields, chances were likely that he could go one step further. For example, the manipulation of electric current, perhaps even electromagnetic waves or better yet, light.
Chen Chen recalled that in the first Chronicle, the protagonist Andrew controlled a bolt of lightning amid the thunderstorm to strike and kill the protagonist Steve with it.
At the time, Chen Chen assumed that it was merely a coincidence. Looking back at it now, everything clicked.
After all, the essence of this ability laid in the manipulation of the electromagnetic force. Similarly, the essence of electromagnetic force was the interaction between charged particles and protons, therefore, the protagonist could not have manipulated electric currents by chance.
Upon making the connection, Chen Chen turned to the laptop beside him.
If he was truly able to manipulate electric currents, he should be able to destroy the computer lying in front of him.
Upon noting this possibility, Chen Chen unplugged the laptop just to be on the safe side. After that, he began imposing the will in his mind onto the laptop lying before him.
In an instant, the display on the laptop began flickering rapidly as if it was facing some form of magnetic field disruption.
As the disruption gradually grew in severity, the laptop suddenly turned off with an abrupt “pop”.
Having witnessed this, Chen Chen rubbed the resurfacing nosebleed as he began to find himself intrigued.
Surely, it was an interference effect of the electric field.
This explained how the protagonist in the movie was able to apply the superpower on themselves to fly, form energy fields around them, and block bullets. All of these had to do with the usage of electric and magnetic forces.
When Chen Chen thought of this, he became surprisingly delighted.
All this time, he thought that the superpowers from Chronicle originated from sources such as concentration or willpower. Although abilities of that caliber would be remarkable as well, it was still comparatively weaker than electromagnetic forces.
After all, manipulation of electromagnetic force was the equivalent of manipulation over all things related to it. It was a force present in all known entities. It could be applied on the most minuscule base atomic scale as well as on a macroscopic scale on significant entities.
This was an ability that was effective down to the most microscopic scale…
It could therefore be concluded that the protagonist’s usage of electromagnetic force in the movie was still far too unrefined.
Chen Chen contemplated.
After all, if they were able to switch from macro to micro, they should be able to use electric fields to create light anywhere similar to Gandalf’s holy light technique.
At the same time, the created light could be utilized to form phantoms and holographic images, essentially casting an illusionary spell to trap someone.
Furthermore, Chen Chen could freely manipulate the chemical bond and structures of matter, making a toy out of all kinds of substances…
This was one of the four fundamental forces of the universe, the electromagnetic force.