While Blink was training her abilities, Su Zhan sat quietly in his system space, his gaze fixed on the Gravitonium before him. The gravity particles now lay there, silent and still, giving off no hint of the wild energy he had witnessed earlier. If he had not seen the chaos with his own eyes, he might have doubted that this unremarkable lump was the same entity that had swallowed Dr. Hall whole.
"System, can I absorb it?" Su Zhan asked, his eyes fixed on the silent, ominous substance.
"It is in a completely closed state," the system replied. "After testing, it appears to be undergoing internal changes, likely a form of self-adjustment. Absorption is not possible at this time."
"Self-adjustment? That must be because of Dr. Hall," Su Zhan muttered, a trace of frustration in his voice. The idea unsettled him. Did this mean he would have to wait until Dr. Hall fully merged with the Gravitonium before he could attempt to absorb him? The thought was not reassuring at all.
Dr. Hall, now transformed into Graviton, was anything but an easy opponent. Ruthless and unpredictable, he had even managed to defeat the Avengers on more than one occasion. The possibility of recruiting him seemed remote at best. Absorbing him might be the only viable path, but even that was riddled with danger.
Su Zhan's mind raced through the possibilities. If he acted too soon, while the Gravitonium was still in flux, he risked triggering an uncontrolled reaction. On the other hand, waiting for Hall to fully merge with the substance meant facing a foe empowered by the full extent of Graviton's abilities-force fields, concussive blasts, even the power to manipulate gravity on a massive scale. The stakes could not be higher.
He paced slowly, deep in thought, feeling the weight of the decision pressing down on him. The Gravitonium's current state was like a fragile ceasefire, a temporary balance between man and matter. For now, all he could do was wait, keeping a wary eye on the silent substance and preparing himself for whatever storm might erupt when it finally awakened.
Just as Su Zhan was lost in thought, he heard someone call his name. He looked up and saw Blink approaching, her expression more anxious than usual.
"What's wrong?" Su Zhan asked, concern in his voice.
Blink's words tumbled out in a rush. "Something happened to a friend of mine. I have to save her right away. Can you… um… can you help me?"
"Of course," Su Zhan replied without hesitation. He reached out gently, trying to steady her nerves. "Take a breath and tell me what happened. Who is your friend? What is going on?"
Blink drew in a shaky breath. "She's a mutant I met recently. Her name is Sarah, but she goes by Marrow . She can grow extra bones and use them as weapons, and she even has two hearts. I saved her a few days ago, but she just called me and she's in trouble again."
"Mutant? She can grow bones and use them as weapons?" Su Zhan echoed, genuinely surprised. He had seen all kinds of mutant abilities, but this one was especially unusual.
"Let's go," he said decisively.
Blink gave a grateful nod, then raised her hand and threw a crystal. A portal shimmered open in the air, and together they stepped through.
In the next instant, they found themselves in a dimly lit, abandoned basement. The door was closed, and a woman was huddled nearby, shivering with fear. As the portal opened, her eyes widened in relief. She scrambled to her feet and called out, "Great, you're finally here! Who is he?"
"This is Su Zhan. He's my boss now," Blink said quickly. "Come on, let's get out of here first."
She was about to open another portal when Su Zhan gently stopped her. "Wait," he said, looking at Blink. "Do you know why you had to save her again? It is because you only hid last time. You can hide for a while, but not forever. Running away does not solve the problem."
He turned to the woman. "You're Marrow, right? Where are the people who captured you?"
"Outside!" Marrow answered instinctively.
"I heard you can create bones as weapons. Do you know how to fight?" Su Zhan asked.
Marrow shook her head, uncertainty in her eyes.
"That's fine. You will understand soon enough," Su Zhan said, offering her a reassuring smile.
With a wave of his hand, the door was pulled aside by an invisible force, revealing an empty underground hall that looked long abandoned.
"Will he be okay?" Marrow whispered to Blink, worry etched across her face.
Blink shook her head, but there was a new confidence in her eyes. "Don't worry, he is very strong. And I think he's right. Running away is not a solution. Sometimes, you have to face things and fight."
The tense silence was broken by a sudden, bestial roar echoing through the hall. Su Zhan immediately turned to Blink and Marrow. 'Stay safe,' he told them, his voice calm but firm.
The ground vibrated with the sound of heavy footsteps, each one making the walls tremble. It was clear that something powerful was approaching. Su Zhan focused his senses, ready for whatever might emerge from the shadows.
Moments later, their opponent appeared. He was enormous, with green, scaly skin, a massive frame and a long, muscular tail sweeping behind him. Su Zhan's eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the creature.
'Professor Lizard?' he muttered, unable to hide his astonishment. He had not expected to see Dr. Curt Connors, better known as the Lizard, in this place. After all his battles with Spider-Man, what was he doing here, hunting mutants?
Su Zhan called out, 'Hey, big lizard, you're in the wrong place! Mutants have nothing to do with you!'
The Professor responded with a thunderous roar and charged forward, ignoring Su Zhan entirely.
"You dare ignore me? Then I'll show you the price of ignoring me!' Su Zhan said with a confident sneer as he rushed to meet the attack.
Professor Lizard swung his powerful tail with incredible force; the air whistled as it cut through the space between them. Su Zhan ducked under the attack, grabbed the tail with both hands, spun around and hurled Professor Lizard hard into the wall.
There was a deep boom as Professor Lizard crashed into the concrete, but he quickly recovered. Shaking his head, he glared at Su Zhan, let out another roar, and charged again, the ground shaking with every step. His tail lashed through the air, aiming to strike with even greater force.
"Coming again?" Su Zhan taunted. This time, rather than dodging, Su Zhan raised his arm and blocked the tail directly.
The impact was tremendous. Su Zhan felt the force ripple through his arm and push him a few steps to the side, but he held his ground. A grin spread across his face. He could tell just how tough the Lizard was, a worthy opponent who had gone toe-to-toe with Spider-Man many times before.
With a sudden burst of energy, Su Zhan stomped the ground, leaped into the air, spun, and delivered a powerful kick to the Lizard's neck.
There was a sharp crack as the Lizard was sent flying, slamming his head into the wall and leaving a deep dent. The creature collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud, seemingly unconscious.
Marrow stared in disbelief, her eyes wide as she took in the scene. 'Is... is it over?' she asked, unable to believe how easily Su Zhan had defeated such a formidable foe.