Chapter 208: Survival of the Fittest
The next morning, Chu Hang packed his backpack and went downstairs.
Charles was waiting for him in the hall.
"You're leaving," Charles asked.
"Yes."
"Where to?"
"To find other Mutants," Chu Hang replied. "I've learned everything I can here."
Charles turned his wheelchair and looked out the window. Scott was on the playground, instructing John in practicing his Fire ability.
"Your goal isn't to integrate here."
"No."
"Then what is it?"
"To become stronger," Chu Hang said. "Stronger than anyone."
Charles was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.
"I won't stop you. But there's something I need to warn you about." He turned his head. "Hellfire Club, have you heard of it?"
"No."
"A Mutant supremacist organization. Its core members are Black King Sebastian Shaw, Red Devil Azazel, and White Queen Emma Frost. They are even more radical than Eric."
Charles paused.
"You're likely to encounter them while you're out looking for people. Be careful."
"Are they very strong?"
"Black King absorbs energy. White Queen is a top-tier telepath and can turn into diamond. Red Devil can teleport."
Charles looked at him. "You are strong, but they are an organization. You alone would be very dangerous."
Chu Hang nodded: "I'll be careful."
"And this." Charles picked up a piece of paper from the table and handed it to him. "Some clues about special Mutants."
Chu Hang took it and glanced over it.
On it were five names and addresses.
Darwin, Armando Muñoz, Las Vegas. Ability: Adaptability.
Angel, Angel Salvadore, San Francisco. Abilities: Insect Wings, Acid.
Banshee, Sean Cassidy, Dublin, Ireland. Ability: Sonic Scream.
Colossus, Piotr Rasputin, Ural Mountains, Soviet Union. Ability: Metal Transformation.
The last name was crossed out, the handwriting blurred.
"Who is this?" Chu Hang asked.
"Someone I don't want you to contact," Charles said. "His ability is too dangerous, and he's already gone mad."
Chu Hang didn't ask further, folded the paper, and put it in his pocket.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome." Charles extended his hand. "If you run into trouble, you can come back."
Chu Hang shook his hand and turned to walk toward the door.
Outside the door, Jean stood on the steps, holding a notebook.
"These are the notes I compiled," she handed them over. "About psychic energy."
Chu Hang took it and flipped through a few pages; the handwriting was very neat.
"Thank you."
"Are you really leaving?" Jean's voice carried a hint of imperceptible disappointment.
"Mm."
"Where to?"
"Las Vegas."
Jean looked down at the tips of her shoes, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the notebook cover. "Will you come back?"
"Yes." Chu Hang's gaze rested on her, carrying a profound meaning. "When the power within you fully awakens, when you truly master that power, I will return."
Jean suddenly looked up, her eyes complex and puzzled, yet with a hint of imperceptible expectation. "Are you waiting for that time?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because by then, you will no longer be a girl trapped by power, but your true self—an existence capable of understanding me, and perhaps even standing by my side." Chu Hang's tone was calm, yet contained a powerful premonition. He reached out and lightly touched Jean's forehead, a faint psychic wave flowing through her consciousness, like a silent promise.
Jean stared at him blankly until Chu Hang finished speaking and turned to walk towards the school gate, her fingertips still retaining that faint touch.
Half an hour later, he boarded a long-distance bus to New York in the small town.
The bus drove for six hours, and after arriving in New York, he transferred to a flight to Las Vegas.
At nine in the evening, the plane landed.
Chu Hang walked out of the airport, and his psychic energy instantly spread out, scanning the entire city.
Among millions of consciousness light points, he quickly filtered out the unique energy fluctuations of Mutants.
Three minutes later, the target was locked.
East district of the city, an underground casino, a young black man.
Chu Hang hailed a taxi.
"East District, intersection of Fifth Avenue and Fremont Street."
The driver glanced at him. "That side isn't safe, kid."
"It's fine."
Twenty minutes later, the taxi drove away from the dazzling neon sea of the main road and stopped on a relatively secluded street.
Even here, the air was still filled with a mixture of tobacco, alcohol, and cheap perfume. In the distance, the faint clinking of slot machines and the clamor of crowds could be heard.
Chu Hang paid and got out of the car, ignoring the wary glances from a few thugs loitering in the shadows at the street corner, and walked straight ahead.
His psychic energy precisely located the underground space where the target was. The entrance was disguised as a dilapidated laundry with a faded sign and dusty windows, appearing out of place like the surrounding buildings that tried to conceal their decay.
He pushed the door open; there was no one inside. The back door was ajar, and music and noisy voices could be heard.
He pushed the door open and walked down the stairs.
The Underground Room was smoky and crowded with people.
In the corner, a young black man in his early twenties was feeding coins into a slot machine.
Chu Hang walked over.
"Armando Muñoz?"
The black man's hand trembled, and a coin dropped to the floor. He cautiously took a step back.
"Who are you?"
"Someone looking for you."
"I don't know you," Armando said. "I don't want any trouble."
"I know you're a Mutant."
Armando's expression changed, and he lowered his voice: "What do you want?"
"To make a friend."
Before he finished speaking, a psychic wave came from the stairwell.
A blonde woman in a white suit walked down, followed by a red-skinned man and two burly men.
Armando's face turned pale: "Damn it."
"Hellfire Club?" Chu Hang asked.
The blonde woman walked up, took off her sunglasses, and her icy blue eyes looked at Armando.
"Emma Frost," she introduced herself, then smiled. "Darwin, we meet again."
Armando backed away: "I told you, I'm not joining you."
"I know," Emma said. "That's why we're here to take you."
She turned to Chu Hang: "As for you, stranger, I suggest you leave now."
Chu Hang didn't move.
Emma narrowed her eyes, and her psychic energy stabbed out like a needle, only to hit an invisible wall.
The smile on her face disappeared: "You're a Mutant too?"
"No."
Chu Hang raised his hand, and his psychic energy surged out in reverse.
Emma immediately transformed into her diamond form, her skin shimmering.
But Chu Hang's target wasn't her. His psychic energy simultaneously surged towards the three people behind her.
Red Devil's teleportation stopped, and the two burly men's eyes became vacant.
Three seconds later, the three turned and walked up the stairs, disappearing at the door.
Emma's eyes widened: "What did you do to them?"
"Sent them home to sleep," Chu Hang said. "Now, it's your turn."
His psychic energy bypassed the diamond shell and directly permeated her core consciousness.
"Forget what happened today, and leave here."
Emma's gaze momentarily unfocused, then cleared. She looked at Chu Hang, turned, and went upstairs without a word.
Armando leaned against the wall, panting heavily.
"You... controlled the White Queen?"
Chu Hang smiled faintly without answering: "Nice to meet you, my name is Chu Hang," he said, extending his hand.
Armando instinctively extended his right hand.
[S+ ability detected: Survival of the Fittest]
[Ability description: The body can evolve in real-time according to environmental threats, including but not limited to: anti-toxin, anti-radiation, underwater breathing, vacuum survival, energy absorption, etc.]
[Copy?]
Copy!
In an instant, a torrent of information washed over Chu Hang's consciousness at inhuman speed.
It wasn't simple knowledge instill (infusion), but the instinctive memories and experiences of countless lives struggling, adapting, and evolving in extreme environments, surging into his every nerve ending like a tide.
Three seconds later, Chu Hang released his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly.
"That's it?" Armando checked his body, seemingly feeling no changes.
"That's it."
Chu Hang closed his eyes. He could clearly perceive a new, dormant power sleeping deep within him.
It was no longer mere energy, but a complete set of evolutionary code, ready to respond to external threats at any moment, lurking like a deep-sea behemoth, waiting to be awakened.
"What about me?" Armando asked. "The Hellfire Clubwon't let me go."
Chu Hang tore off a piece of paper, wrote an address, and handed it to him.
"Go here. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, find Professor Charles Xavier. Tell him I sent you."
"Can he protect me?"
"Yes."
Armando took the note and nodded.
Chu Hang turned to walk upstairs when the Underground Room door was suddenly kicked open.
Red Devil appeared at the doorway, his eyes blood red, followed by a dozen men in black suits.
"What did you do to Emma?"
"Sent her home to sleep," Chu Hang said without looking back.
"Bullshit!"
Red Devil's figure flashed, appearing behind Chu Hang, his tail striking at his back.
Chu Hang dodged, and the tail embedded itself in the wall.
Red Devil disappeared again, reappearing directly in front of him, throwing a punch.
The fist stopped in mid-air, as if hitting a steel plate.
"Your teleportation is fast," Chu Hang said, "but your mind can't keep up."
His psychic energy surged out, directly penetrating the opponent's defenses.
Red Devil's eyes unfocused, and his body stiffened.
"Take your men and get out."
Red Devil turned and, along with his subordinates, disappeared in a red light.
The Underground Room returned to quiet.
Armando's face was pale: "Who exactly are you?"
"A passing traveler."
Chu Hang walked out of the laundry, the night wind was cool.
A voice rang in his mind, from his main body.
"Buddy, how's it going?"
"Telepathy, Mental Control, Reactive Evolutionary Adaptation copied."
"Excellent. The Time Variance Authority has new developments. Loki found a Kang variant collecting energy cores, preparing to create a dimensional bomb. Speed up."
"Understood."
"Also, be careful of Black King Sebastian Shaw. His energy absorption is tricky, don't confront him directly."
"Received."
The connection broke.
Chu Hang looked up at the night sky and pulled out the paper.
Angel, San Francisco.
Banshee, Dublin.
Colossus, Ural Mountains.
He put away the paper and hailed a taxi.
"To the airport."
The car drove for ten minutes when Chu Hang's psychic energy suddenly detected a powerful and familiar energy fluctuation. That power was like a bottomless pit, frantically devouring the heat, light, and even radiation in the air around the top floor of a luxury hotel in the city center.
Black King Sebastian Shaw.
Chu Hang immediately told the driver to stop. He stood by the roadside, his gaze penetrating the night, his psychic energy firmly locked onto the hotel's top floor.
He could feel the surging and dangerous power, but this was not a problem for him; he could copy his ability at any time, but not now.
He had just copied Darwin's ability and was still in the cooldown period.
"Now is not the time," Chu Hang quickly assessed the situation in his mind. He needed more thorough preparation, or at least, he couldn't act rashly on the opponent's home turf.
He got back into the car and told the driver: "Continue to the airport."
Chapter 209: Black King - Sebastian Shaw
The plane landed at San Francisco International Airport.
Chu Hang found a place to stay for a few days, waiting for the cooldown period to end.
Seven days later.
Chu Hang's mental power spread out like an invisible tide, silently sweeping over every corner of the entire city, centered around him. He closed his eyes, precisely searching for that unique energy frequency among millions of complex life signals. In less than five minutes, his eyelids opened, and a slight curve formed at the corner of his mouth.
Target locked.
Downtown, a nightclub named "Midnight Paradise." The energy signature there was faint yet unique, like an insect conserving all its aura while lying dormant.
The taxi stopped beneath the flashing neon sign. Chu Hang pushed the door open, and a stale smell, a mix of cheap perfume, tobacco tar, and fermented alcohol, assaulted him, almost suffocating him. He frowned slightly, ignored the bald bartender wiping the bar with a dirty rag, and walked straight toward the door leading backstage.
"Hey! Buddy, the back area is off-limits!" the bald man shouted roughly from behind.
Chu Hang acted as if he hadn't heard, pushing open the creaking door. A dim corridor stretched to the end, where faint sounds of water could be heard. Following the sound, he reached the innermost room and raised his hand to knock.
"Who is it?" A cautious female voice, slightly hoarse, sounded from behind the door.
"I'm looking for Angel Salvadore."
The rushing water sound abruptly stopped. After a few seconds of silence, the door opened a narrow crack, and a young, wary face peered out. She had dark brown skin and a pair of clear, emerald green eyes, like a startled small animal.
"Who are you?"
"Charles Xavier sent me."
Hearing that name, Angel's body visibly stiffened. She scrutinized Chu Hang, her suspicion practically spilling out of her eyes. "Professor?"
"He wants me to take you to his school," Chu Hang said concisely. "It will be safer for you there."
"I don't need it." Angel let out a cold, dismissive laugh, with a sharp edge of pain. "I'm doing perfectly fine here."
She tried to close the door, but the panel was held firmly in place by Chu Hang's hand, as if hitting an invisible wall, utterly motionless. Her expression darkened: "Move."
Chu Hang released his hand, allowing the door to slam shut in front of him. He didn't leave; he simply leaned against the opposite wall with composure, as if waiting for a drama that was destined to begin. Sure enough, in less than three minutes, the door opened again. Angel emerged, having changed into a black tight-fitting vest and ripped jeans. There were two unnatural, slight bulges on her shoulder blades.
"Alright, what message did the Professor tell you to deliver?" She folded her arms, her attitude still cold.
"The Hellfire Club is looking for you."
Angel's face instantly changed. "How do you know about Hellfire?"
"I just met a few of their members in Las Vegas yesterday," Chu Hang stated calmly. "The White Queen and the Red Devil."
"Where... where are they?" A barely noticeable tremor ran through her voice.
"I sent them home."
Angel stared intensely at him, her gaze shifting from shock to scrutiny. Finally, she suddenly laughed, with a hint of absurdity and curiosity: "You sent them away? How? Are you a Mutant too?"
"No."
"Not a Mutant, yet you can handle the White Queen?" The words "I don't believe it" were practically written all over Angel's face.
Just then, chaotic footsteps came from the end of the corridor. The bald bartender from earlier, accompanied by four burly, muscular men, blocked the way, sinister sneers plastered across their faces.
"Kid, I warned you." The bald man cracked his knuckles, making a popping sound. "Now, come out and have a proper talk with me."
Chu Hang glanced at Angel, asking with his eyes: "Your boss?"
"...Something like that." Angel's tone was unnatural, and her eyes darted away.
"Angel," the bald man licked his chapped lips, his gaze greedily sweeping over the bulges on her back. "You owe me three months' rent. Today, either pay up, or... use those precious wings of yours as collateral. I know a lot of rich clients who are very eager to see them."
Angel instinctively took a step back. The fabric of her vest instantly tore, and a pair of dragonfly-like, translucent insect wings suddenly unfurled, shimmering with a strange iridescence in the dim light. "Just try touching me!" she shouted, feigning bravery.
"Grab her!" The bald man waved his hand impatiently.
The four strong men rushed forward like hungry wolves.
Chu Hang didn't even move his feet; he simply glanced at them indifferently. In an instant, an invisible mental force swept out like a tsunami. The four charging strong men simultaneously froze, as if a pause button had been pressed, their eyes instantly becoming vacant and soulless, like four puppets deprived of their spirits.
"Get out." Chu Hang commanded softly.
They turned mechanically and walked out of the corridor with stiff steps, like puppets on strings.
The bald bartender's eyes widened, his mouth gaping wide enough to fit an egg. "W-what did you do to them?"
"Angel doesn't owe you anything." Chu Hang slowly walked up to him, his mental power silently infiltrating his cerebral cortex like an invisible probe. "Starting today, forget this person exists, forget she has wings, and forget she owes you money. Understand?"
"...Understood." The bald man replied mechanically, his eyes dull.
"Scram."
The bald man turned and walked away, staggering as if recovering from a serious illness.
Angel slowly retracted her wings, her torn vest hanging limply. She looked at Chu Hang, her eyes filled with awe, fear, and a hint of wavering she hadn't even noticed herself. This man had solved months of her nightmares in just a few seconds.
"Who... who exactly are you?"
"Just passing through." Chu Hang didn't explain, he just held out his hand. "Come with me. The Hellfire people could arrive at any moment."
"Why should I trust you?" She resisted verbally, but her conviction was clearly lacking.
Chu Hang took Jean Grey's notebook from his pocket, opening the flyleaf where Charles Xavier had personally written an inscription to Jean. "You should recognize this."
Angel took the notebook, her fingertips tracing the familiar signature. She flipped through a few more pages and saw the detailed notes on mental power control inside. "This is Jean's handwriting... I've seen it before."
"You know her?"
"She was with the Professor when he came to find me three years ago." Angel handed the notebook back, her expression complex. "I don't want to go to that school. I hate being locked in a cage."
"Freedom?" Chu Hang looked back at her, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "That bald guy just now wanted to sell your wings to the highest bidder. Is that the freedom you want?"
Angel bit her lip, unable to respond.
Just then, a violent explosion echoed from the direction of the nightclub's main hall! A blast wave, carrying glass shards and smoke, rushed into the corridor.
Chu Hang's mental power instantly swept through the area. In the smoke-filled hall, three figures clearly emerged: the Red Devil Azazel, and Riptide and Impactbeside him.
"Damn it!" Angel's face instantly turned pale. "It's them! We can't beat them!"
"You can't beat them." Chu Hang shook off the hand she had instinctively grabbed him with and stepped into the chaotic hall.
"It's you again." The Red Devil Azazel's scarlet eyes narrowed, emitting a dangerous glint. "It seems the White Queen was too lenient. Today, you must pay the price for your arrogance."
Riptide raised his hand with a sinister grin. All the residual alcohol in the broken bottles in the nightclub instantly gathered into a ferocious Water Dragon, roaring as it charged toward Chu Hang. Chu Hang stood his ground, his mental power building an invisible wall in front of him. The Water Dragon slammed violently against the barrier with a muffled crash, then exploded into a shower of spray.
At the same time, Impact slammed his hands onto the floor, and a visible wave of kinetic energy swept along the ground. Chu Hang simply raised his hand, and all the debris flying toward him strangely hovered in mid-air. Then, with a flick of his wrist, they shot back the way they came, only faster.
At that very moment, the Red Devil's figure flashed behind Chu Hang. The tip of his demonic tail, gleaming coldly, struck toward Chu Hang's neck like a venomous snake!
Chu Hang didn't turn his head. His mental power condensed behind him into an invisible large hand, which accurately and powerfully clamped down on the tail. Vast mental power surged through the tail into the Red Devil's consciousness. He let out a bloodcurdling scream, his body went limp, and he collapsed onto the ground, convulsing violently.
"Go back and tell Sebastian Shaw that Angel is mine now."
Before the words even finished, the nightclub ceiling exploded with a loud crash, leaving a huge hole. A middle-aged man wearing a refined white suit and a peculiar helmet calmly leaped down from the opening, landing steadily in front of the three of them.
Black King, Sebastian Shaw.
Chu Hang's mental power swept over him, and he immediately sensed a terrifying force field within the man, frantically devouring all energy like a black hole. Furthermore, the helmet perfectly isolated him from any form of mental intrusion.
"Interesting."
The Black King adjusted his stiff collar, his gaze passing over his fallen subordinates and finally settling on Chu Hang.
"My capable lieutenants have fallen into your hands two days in a row."
He walked over to the Red Devil, checked him, and then straightened up, his eyes sharp as knives.
"It's not pure telepathy; it's more like... the materialization of will. Unfortunately, it's useless against me." He pointed to his helmet.
"How about joining us?" The Black King showed a hint of an appreciative smile. "The Hellfire Club needs talent like yours. Power, wealth, status—I can give you all of it."
"I'm not interested in those things." Chu Hang replied calmly. "I just want to become stronger."
"Then you should join us even more."
"You can't teach me."
The smile on the Black King's face gradually faded. "Young man, arrogance comes with a price."
He violently threw a punch. There was no flashy movement, just pure force.
Chu Hang's mental power barrier instantly condensed in front of him. However, the moment the fist touched the barrier, he clearly felt his mental energy being frantically absorbed by the opponent's body! The barrier shattered with a crash after only half a second.
[Ding! S-Rank Ability [Energy Absorption and Conversion] detected. Copy?]
"Copy." Chu Hang muttered internally.
The punch whistled past, and he dodged sideways. The fist grazed his cheek and slammed heavily into the load-bearing wall behind him. Accompanied by a loud crash, the entire wall exploded into a large hole.
"It's useless." The Black King's voice carried a hint of cruel pleasure. "Any form of energy will only make me stronger!"
His attacks followed one after another, his fists and feet whistling as they tore through the air. Chu Hangcontinuously dodged, knowing that using energy defense was just "charging" the opponent before fully mastering the new ability.
Seeing this, impatience flashed in the Black King's eyes. He stopped pursuing and instead placed his hand on the wall.
The wires and light tubes in the entire building erupted with dazzling electrical light simultaneously, and all the current surged frantically into his body. Blue arcs of electricity enveloped his body, as if Thor had descended.
"Then try this!"
A thick bolt of lightning erupted from his entire body, like a giant plasma dragon, instantly engulfing Chu Hang.
This time, Chu Hang did not dodge.
Facing this violent current, he simply raised his hand. He possessed the Divine Physique constitution; lightning was inherently part of his authority.
The plasma dragon, capable of melting steel, became as docile as a small snake before him, circling his body once before finally turning into a faint electrical spark at his fingertip, quietly extinguishing.
"Thanks." Chu Hang grinned. "You helped me... warm up."
The Black King was completely stunned. He couldn't comprehend what was happening before his eyes. Energy strong enough to wipe out an army was dissolved by the opponent with such casual ease?
"Now, it's my turn."
Chu Hang took a deep breath, no longer suppressing his power. He raised his hand and aimed at the ground.
There was no lightning, no Impact wave. But the concrete floor beneath the Black King's feet instantly became as soft as quicksand! Caught off guard, half his body immediately sank in.
"What is this..." The Black King's expression changed drastically. He tried to exert force to break free, but Chu Hang suddenly clenched his hand.
"Solidify."
The concrete, which had just been fluid, instantly solidified, becoming ten times harder than before, firmly trapping the Black King's lower body in the ground. This wasn't an energy attack, but pure matter manipulation, against which the Black King's ability was useless.
"You..." Astonishment and fury appeared in the Black King's eyes for the first time.
Chu Hang didn't give him a chance. He took the faint kinetic energy absorbed from the Black King's struggle, added his own strength, and converted it into pure destructive force—in the Black King's own way—concentrating it into a single punch.
"This punch is for you."
He threw the punch, but not at the Black King. Chu Hangunderstood that direct attacks were ineffective against the Black King's energy absorption ability, so he punched the ground instead.
The massive kinetic energy from the punch was fully exerted upon the ground. The floor instantly collapsed, and the Black King's figure vanished amid the rising cloud of dust.
Chu Hang didn't intend to kill him; that was Magneto's job.
Chu Hang walked over to Angel by the corridor entrance and grabbed her arm. "Let's go."
"Where... where are we going?" Angel stammered, still reeling from the immense shock.
"Ireland, then Russia." Chu Hang's voice was calm, as if discussing an ordinary travel plan. "To find the next target."
"Target?"
"A Mutant who can emit sonic attacks." Chu Hang simply stated his purpose. "I want to become stronger, and meeting and defeating more powerful individuals is the only way. You can choose to go to Xavier's school and live a stable life, or you can follow me and witness all of this."
Angel looked at him, then at the deep pit where the Black King had vanished, and remained silent for a long time.
Xavier's school was a cage, but wasn't this filthy nightclub one too?
The former was gilded, the latter was rusty, but both were essentially cages, preventing her from flying freely.
The man before her was powerful, mysterious, and full of unknown danger, but what he displayed was an absolute power she had never imagined—enough to break all rules.
That wasn't security; it was something far more tempting—the possibility of no longer being prey.
"I hate cages." She finally made up her mind, a flame igniting in her emerald green eyes. "I'll go with you."
"A wise choice." Chu Hang nodded, pulled her along, and quickly disappeared into the night.
Chapter 210: B-Class Ability? Don't Want It.
The plane landed at Dublin Airport. The moment the cabin door opened, a cold, fishy wind, like a knife, swept through, making Angel Salvador, dressed only in a thin jacket, shiver violently.
She instinctively hugged her arms, her fingertips icy. She hated this bone-chilling dampness, and even more, she hated her helpless fate, like a piece of luggage, carried from one place to another by a mysterious man she had known for less than a day.
But she had no choice; the Hellfire Club wouldn't let her go, and the man named Chu Hang was her only lifeline at this moment.
Chu Hang picked up his simple luggage and walked out of the cabin expressionlessly, seemingly oblivious to the biting cold wind.
Angel trotted to catch up, her heart a mix of emotions as she looked at his steady back. This man was powerful enough to easily crush the Black King, yet he was also as cold as an ancient, unmelting block of profound ice.
The taxi drove away from the airport. The driver, a warm-hearted man with a thick beard, asked them where they were going in a heavy accent.
"City center, just stop anywhere," Chu Hang said concisely.
Outside the window, rolling green fields and the silhouettes of distant ancient castles rapidly receded.
Chu Hang closed his eyes, and a vast mental force spread out like an invisible tide, instantly enveloping the entire city of Dublin.
Hundreds of thousands of conscious light points lit up and dimmed in his mind. He sifted through them at an astonishing speed, filtering out all ordinary people's consciousness fluctuations, precisely searching for that one abnormal and powerful energy source.
Angel watched him nervously, even her breathing softened. She had seen Chu Hang in action before, but never had she felt him unleash such an unfathomable investigative ability up close, which deepened her awe of him.
In less than three minutes, Chu Hang opened his eyes, his deep gaze devoid of any ripples.
"Found it?" Angel asked in a hushed voice.
"Mm," Chu Hang's gaze turned towards a certain direction outside the window, "By the Liffey River, a bar called'Song of the Sea God'."
Angel wisely didn't press further. She had begun to get used to Chu Hang's style of doing things: identify the target, act directly, and never over-explain.
The taxi stopped on an old cobblestone street in the city center. Chu Hang paid, and the two walked side by side.
The air was filled with a mixed scent of hops, grilled meat, and damp stone. The bar's sign was a hand-painted golden trident, somewhat mottled under the gloomy sky.
Chu Hang pushed open the heavy wooden door, and a strong aroma of mixed heat, tobacco, and whiskey assailed them.
Behind the bar, a red-haired young man in his twenties was wiping glasses, his movements clean and precise, as if the surrounding commotion had nothing to do with him.
It was him. Chu Hang's mental force had already locked onto him.
He walked straight to the bar. Angel hesitated for a moment, then followed closely, sitting in the seat next to him.
The young man looked up, his emerald green eyes scanning the two warily, lingering on Chu Hang for an extra two seconds. "What can I get for you two?"
"Whiskey," Chu Hang said.
"...Coke," Angel whispered.
The young man, Sean Cassidy, poured their drinks. While wiping the bar, he spoke casually, "You're not from around here." His eyes were scrutinizing.
"Just passing through," Chu Hang took a sip of the spicy whiskey, meeting his gaze calmly, "and looking for someone."
"Who are you looking for?" Sean's body tensed slightly.
"A Mutant who thinks he can escape his identity by hiding in a corner of the World," Chu Hang said indifferently.
Sean's motion of wiping the bar suddenly froze, his emerald pupils contracted sharply, and wariness instantly turned into hostility. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Charles Xavier knows you're here, and so does the Hellfire Club," Chu Hang put down his glass, his voice not loud, but it struck Sean's heart like a heavy hammer, "but they are not what you should be most worried about."
Upon hearing the name "Hellfire," Sean's face had already turned pale, but the latter half of Chu Hang's sentence made him even more confused and angry. He took a deep breath, lowered his voice, and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "Follow me."
He led the two through the noisy crowd and turned into a staff storage room piled with barrels. As soon as the door closed, Sean immediately turned around and glared at Chu Hang: "Who exactly are you? What do you mean they're not what I should be most worried about?"
"The Hellfire Club are just wolves who smell blood," Chu Hang's tone was calm, almost cruel, "but the real hunters are the ordinary people with guns who make the laws. They've already started sharpening their knives, preparing to cage all Mutants like you, or put them on the dissecting table. Hellfire wants to use you, and they, they want to eliminate you."
These words were like a basin of ice water, extinguishing all of Sean's anger, leaving only a bone-chilling coldness. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his eyes flickering with a light that was a mixture of struggle and fear.
"How do you know this? What makes you say that?"
"I just rescued her from Hellfire," Chu Hang gestured towards Angel.
Angel nodded and added, "Black King Sebastian Shawpersonally made a move, and the result... he was beaten like a child by him."
Sean's face grew even paler, and he mumbled, "I should have known... I thought hiding in Dublin was far enough..."
"As long as your genes are still there, hiding on the moon won't help," Chu Hang looked him directly in the eye, "the White Queen can find you, and the robots specifically designed to deal with Mutants by future governments can find you even more easily. You have nowhere to run."
"Then what should I do?" Sean's fists were clenched tightly, almost a growl, "Go back to Xavier's school? Be kept like a protected pet, waiting for the outside World to decide our fate?"
"I've been there," Angel couldn't help but retort, "Professor Charles doesn't force anyone..."
"Then why didn't you stay?" Sean sharply countered.
Angel was speechless.
Chu Hang interrupted the meaningless argument. "You have two choices. One, go back to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, seek refuge under Charles's wing, and pray that the mansion is strong enough. Two, follow me, and I will teach you how to control your power, making you a hunter, not prey."
Sean stared intensely at Chu Hang, as if trying to discern something from his calm face. "Who exactly are you? What is your purpose?"
"Someone who never fears any power and is never content to be manipulated by anyone," Chu Hang's answer was arrogant yet frank.
"Prove it to me!" Sean roared provocatively, like a cornered Beast, "You say you can deal with Hellfire, deal with the government? How? How strong are you?"
Chu Hang slowly extended his hand.
The next second, an invisible but irresistible mental force, like a steel needle, pierced into Sean's brain. It wasn't an attack, but a pure, absolute crushing and domination.
Sean's thoughts, memories, and even every neural signal controlling his body, instantly had their control stripped away. He couldn't even let out a scream, collapsing to the ground, his body violently twitching, his eyes filled only with the most primitive fear of an unknown existence.
"Stop... stop..." He couldn't even utter a plea for mercy, only silent wails deep within his consciousness.
Chu Hang withdrew his mental force.
Sean gasped for air, cold sweat soaking his clothes. He raised his head in terror, looking at Chu Hang as if gazing upon a deity or a devil. The provocation had long vanished.
"Th-this... is this your ability?" His voice trembled.
"The tip of the iceberg," Chu Hang looked down at him, "Now, make your choice."
After a long silence, Sean slowly stood up, trembling as he leaned on the wall.
He knew that in front of this man, all his pride and struggles were just a joke. He finally understood that the World was far more dangerous than he imagined, but for the first time, he also saw another possibility.
"If I go with you," he said hoarsely, "can you really make me stronger?"
"I can teach you how to control your power, so you are no longer a threat to yourself. As for how strong you can become, that's up to you."
Sean closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all confusion and fear had faded, replaced by a desperate resolve.
"Alright, I'll go with you. But I have one condition."
"Speak."
"Let me see Professor Charles first. I want to confirm some things myself."
"Very well," Chu Hang nodded, "Before that, let me see your ability."
...The three arrived at a deserted dock by the Liffey River before dawn.
"It's quiet enough here," Sean said. He took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing, and then suddenly opened his mouth.
An invisible sound wave instantly erupted!
A rusty iron lamp post ten meters away first showed spiderweb-like cracks on its surface, then, with a harsh hum, it exploded into countless fragments!
The Impact caused Angel's eardrums to ache, and she instinctively covered her ears and crouched down. Chu Hang, however, protected himself and her with a thin mental force barrier, remaining completely still.
"This is my ability," Sean's face was pale after releasing it, and his voice was a little hoarse, "It can attack, and also... fly. But I control it very poorly."
"Fly?" Angel looked up curiously.
Sean nodded, and his throat vibrated again. This time, the frequency of the sound wave was completely different, no longer destructive, but forming an upward thrust.
He lifted off the ground, hovering unsteadily in mid-air.
However, in less than five seconds, his body lost balance, and the sound wave output became chaotic. He fell heavily to the ground, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"Damn it," he cursed, wiping away the blood, "I told you, I can't control it well."
Chu Hang walked up to him, his expression calm: "Let me see your throat."
Sean hesitated for a moment but obediently opened his mouth. Chu Hang's mental force, like the most precise probe, delved deep into his throat, scanning the mutated vocal cord structure caused by the X-gene.
[Ability: Sonokinesis]
[Level: B]
[Description: Generates high-frequency or infrasound waves through mutated vocal cords, which can be used for destruction, Fluctuations, or as propulsion for flight.]
B-class?
Chu Hang's eyebrow subtly twitched. This ability reminded him of the Inhumans' king, Black Bolt. That king could destroy mountains with a whisper, and a roar could tear Reality apart.
In comparison, Sean's ability was crude and nascent.
There was no need to waste a precious replication opportunity on a B-class ability.
Chu Hang made his decision instantly. Apocalypse was about to awaken, and the power possessed by that ancient pharaoh was his most anticipated target at this stage.
He withdrew his mental force, having already given up on the idea of replicating the Banshee's ability. His gaze passed over Sean in front of him, looking towards the more distant East, as if he could already see the ancient pyramid sleeping beneath the desert.
"Your problem lies in unstable energy output and insufficient control over frequency," Chu Hang said indifferently, giving a casual pointer, "I will teach you a method for mental force assisted control. As for now, we will first go to the United States. After meeting Charles, I have more important things to do."
Chapter 211: Apocalypse
The private jet landed at the estate in upstate New York.
Chu Hang walked down the gangway, with Shaw and Angel following behind.
Charles was already waiting at the entrance, with Jean standing beside his wheelchair, her eyes fixed on Chu Hang with a complex expression.
"Welcome back," Charles said, his gaze falling upon Shaw and Angel.
"They need training," Chu Hang said. "I'll stay for a few days to teach them some basics."
"You're still not staying?"
"There are more important things to do," Chu Hang said, looking into the distance. "Egypt."
Charles turned his wheelchair and probed with his Spirit, but was blocked by an invisible barrier. He sighed. "What are you looking for?"
"An old guy who's been asleep for thousands of years," Chu Hang said, not hiding it. "Apocalypse."
Charles's expression changed.
"That's just a legend."
"He exists," Chu Hang interrupted. "And he's about to wake up. I need to make some preparations."
Charles fell silent. He knew Chu Hang's temper; once he made a decision, he wouldn't change it.
"What do you plan to do?"
"Find him first, then see how it goes," Chu Hang said, walking into the estate. "I'll stay for three days, then leave once I've taught them."
For the next three days, Chu Hang was in the training room. He helped Shaw stabilize his sound waves to make his output more precise. He also instructed Angel, teaching her how to use her wings and acidic secretions more effectively.
Jean often watched from outside the training room, her eyes filled with both awe and confusion.
On the evening of the third day, after training ended, Jean stopped him.
"Are you really going to Egypt?"
"Yes."
"Apocalypse might be more dangerous than you think," Jean said, her tone filled with worry.
"I know," Chu Hang said, looking at her. "But I need his power."
Jean bit her lip.
"If you run into trouble, remember to come back. The academy will always be your backup."
Chu Hang didn't answer and turned away.
Early the next morning, he flew to Egypt alone.
The plane landed in Cairo, and Chu Hang rented an off-road vehicle and drove into the desert.
His Spirit swept across the entire desert like a radar, and his Space Law was also sensing energy. He was looking for an energy source buried under the sand for thousands of years.
Three days later, the car stopped at some ruins two hundred kilometers outside the city.
He had found it.
His Spirit locked onto a sleeping energy source deep underground. The energy was ancient, evil, yet full of attraction.
"Found you," Chu Hang whispered.
He raised his hand, gathering the power of space in his palm, and tore open a Spatial Rift that led directly to the underground tomb. Chu Hang jumped in.
The Space Law formed a passage around him, with sand and rock automatically parting and closing behind him.
After descending about fifty meters, he landed in a massive stone chamber.
The air was filled with the scent of decay and Death. The walls were carved with ancient Egyptian murals depicting a blue-skinned giant ruling the World.
In the center of the stone chamber, a huge sarcophagus lay on an altar, surrounded by a complex energy array.
Chu Hang's Spirit carefully probed into the sarcophagus, sensing the existence sleeping inside.
Apocalypse.
The first Mutant, having lived for thousands of years, possessed countless abilities.
His body was slowly repairing itself in his sleep, waiting for the next awakening.
[Multiple power sources detected. Please select a replication target.]
A list of abilities appeared in Chu Hang's mind. Super Strength, Immortality, Super Speed, Molecular Manipulation, Energy Manipulation... Each was S-Rank. But he only had one chance.
He already had Super Strength, Immortality, and he wasn't lacking in speed or stamina. As for Energy Manipulation and force fields, his Law Domain could already achieve those. Only Molecular Manipulation.
He hadn't encountered this ability before.
It could reorganize matter at the molecular level, change forms and properties, and even rewrite a person's body structure. This was very close to a concept layer ability, with infinite potential.
"This is it."
Chu Hang placed his hand on the sarcophagus, his Spiritseeping in like threads to establish a shallow connection with Apocalypse's consciousness core. He didn't intend to wake the other party, just to extract some information from the power source.
[Replicating ability: Molecular Manipulation]
[Rank: S+]
Chu Hang's brain. He saw the structure of atoms, the arrangement of molecules, and the entire process of material form transformation. The complexity of this ability far exceeded his expectations.
Ten minutes later, the replication was complete.
Chu Hang withdrew his hand and took a deep breath. He felt a subtle change in the Law system within his body; the key of Molecular Manipulation gave him a deeper understanding of the Reality Warping law.
He didn't leave immediately but examined the surrounding energy array.
The core of the array was a countdown device that recharged Apocalypse by absorbing geothermal heat and solar radiation. At the current rate, Apocalypse would wake up naturally in a few hours.
"I can't let him wake up so easily."
He needed Apocalypse, but not now. At least not before he had fully digested the Molecular Manipulation ability.
More importantly, Apocalypse had other abilities worth replicating, such as the amplification talent that could strengthen other Mutants' abilities. But replication required waiting for the cooldown period to end. Before that, Apocalypse had to remain asleep.
Chu Hang raised his hand, gathering the Space Law in his palm. He added another layer of more complex sealing barrier around the original array.
A Space Lock to isolate external energy. A Time Lock to slow down the flow of time within the stone chamber. A Spirit Lock to shield Apocalypse's consciousness.
After the triple barrier was completed, the energy fluctuations in the entire stone chamber dropped to a minimum. Chu Hang nodded in satisfaction and left a tiny spatial coordinate marker on the sarcophagus, making it easy to sense Apocalypse's status at any time.
Just as he was about to leave, a faint energy fluctuation suddenly came from the sarcophagus. Apocalypse's subconscious had detected the intrusion and was trying to wake from his slumber.
"Troublesome," Chu Hang cursed in a low voice.
He hadn't expected Apocalypse's consciousness to be so sharp. If left unchecked, the other party might forcibly break through the barrier within a few hours.
Chu Hang took a deep breath and made a risky decision. He placed his hand back on the sarcophagus, his Spiritsurging in like a tide, directly assaulting Apocalypse's consciousness core.
Apocalypse's mental World was a desolate desert, with a blood-red Sun hanging in the sky.
"Intruder," a deep, ancient voice came from all directions. "You dare to intrude into the domain of a god."
Chu Hang ignored him.
Countless afterimages of Apocalypse emerged from the sand dunes and lunged at him. When the first afterimage reached him, Chu Hang's Spirit erupted like an invisible blade, instantly shredding it.
"Interesting," the voice sounded again, with a hint of interest. "Your Spirit is strong, but in my domain, you are ultimately just an intruder."
The entire desert began to shake. Countless black tentacles emerged from the cracks in the ground, crazily wrapping around Chu Hang. He blocked them with the Space Law, but the tentacles were layered and constantly regenerating, attempting to break through by force.
Chu Hang frowned. In Apocalypse's mental World, the other party had the home-field advantage. If he kept dragging it out, his Spirit would eventually be exhausted. He needed a more direct method.
"Since this is your domain," Chu Hang whispered, "then let me show you what real power is."
He closed his eyes, and the ten types of Law Power within him began to resonate.
Space, Strength, Time, Spirit, Reality, Life, Death, Soul, Devour, Physique.
The ten types of energy intertwined into a huge net, rapidly expanding to cover the entire mental World.
Apocalypse's mental World began to collapse. The afterimages shrieked and turned into nothingness. The black tentacles lost their ability to regenerate and hung down like withered vines. The blood-red Sun dimmed, and cracks appeared in the sky.
"Impossible!" Apocalypse's voice fluctuated for the first time. "How can you possess so many Law Powers? Who exactly are you?"
"Someone greedier than you," Chu Hang said, opening his eyes with a cold gleam.
He reached out, and the ten Law Powers converged into an invisible spear, pointing directly at the core of Apocalypse's consciousness.
"Now, go back to sleep."
The spear tore through the air, instantly piercing through layers of defense. A loud bang exploded in the mental World, and the entire World completely collapsed.
Chu Hang's consciousness was forcibly ejected. He opened his eyes abruptly to find himself still standing in the stone chamber, his hand still pressed on the sarcophagus.
The energy fluctuations inside the sarcophagus had completely subsided.
Apocalypse's consciousness had fallen back into a deep slumber.
Chu Hang breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew his palm. His forehead was covered in sweat; the mental confrontation just now had consumed a lot of his energy.
He took one last look at the sarcophagus and turned toward the Spatial Rift.
After Apocalypse wakes up, he will be the best catalyst to trigger the Phoenix Force within Jean. Before that, I will drain every bit of value from you!
Chapter 212: Molecular Manipulation
Above the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, a golden rift silently tore open, like a golden pupil opening in the sky.
Chu Hang stepped out of it, and the magnificent interdimensional passage behind him quietly closed. He stepped onto the void, the air beneath his feet seemingly condensing into solid steps.
On the corridor five meters away, Professor Charles sat quietly in his wheelchair, as if he had been waiting for a long time. There was no surprise in his azure eyes, only deep scrutiny.
"You went to Egypt."
His Psychic Power had already sensed the heart-stopping spatial fluctuation that crossed half the Earth.
"Mhm."
Chu Hang did not deny it, and with a flash of his figure, he silently landed in front of Charles. "A troublesome matter has been temporarily dealt with."
Charles drove his wheelchair, walking side-by-side with him toward the Main Building. A gentle yet powerful Psychic Power tentatively extended toward Chu Hang—a power capable of soothing the most violent soul.
However, the moment it touched Chu Hang, it didn't hit a barrier; instead, it was like a drop of Water merging into a vast, silent deep sea, instantly losing all echo and direction.
Charles's finger trembled slightly on the armrest of the wheelchair. It wasn't a barrier; it was a Domain of Consciousness that he couldn't understand, one that encompassed everything yet transcended everything.
"Your power..."
Charles's voice carried a hint of incredulous astonishment. "It has reached another Realm."
"There was a small clash; consider this the aftermath."
Chu Hang said lightly, pushing open the heavy oak door of the Main Building.
In the hall, Jean Grey was talking with Sean and Angel.
Seeing him enter, the three of them stopped talking simultaneously.
Jean's gaze fell upon him, and a flicker of confusion and trepidation crossed her beautiful eyes.
She keenly sensed that Chu Hang's aura had changed; it was no longer just powerful, but had gained a profound and vast essence, like the Sea of Stars in the Universe, making her instinctively feel awe, yet uncontrollably drawn to it.
"Are you... alright?"
She stood up and came forward, her tone carrying a hint of concern that she herself hadn't noticed.
"Better than ever."
Chu Hang walked over to the sofa and sat down, sinking into the soft cushion. "I added a few safeguards to that troublesome matter; it won't pose a threat in the short term."
Charles stopped opposite him, staring at him. "A few safeguards?"
"Space, Time, Spirit."
Chu Hang raised his hand, and a constantly changing mass of golden light slowly appeared in his palm. "And this."
The golden light violently compressed and reorganized in his hand, instantly condensing into a brilliant crystal whose internal structure was dizzyingly complex.
The next second, the crystal silently dissolved, turning into a wisp of ethereal gas before finally disappearing into nothingness.
Sean stared wide-eyed. "This... what is this?"
"The reconstruction and decomposition of matter's most fundamental form."
Chu Hang explained calmly.
Charles's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of his wheelchair, making rhythmic clicks.
He couldn't imagine that this kind of divine authority could be so casually held by a single person.
Jean walked over and sat down next to him. She could feel the terrifying power contained within that mass of energy—a might where creation and destruction coexisted.
She whispered, "This ability... is very dangerous."
Her voice trembled slightly, as if she were recalling the equally uncontrollable power within her.
"I know."
Chu Hang glanced at her, understanding the shared fear in her eyes. "But it is also very useful."
He stood up, walked to the center of the hall, and gently pressed his hand onto the smooth marble floor.
An astonishing scene occurred.
The hard floor beneath his hand seemed to turn into soft, warm mud, slowly flowing and surging upward, beginning to shape according to some invisible will.
A few seconds later, an elegantly shaped, perfectly detailed stone chair "grew" out of the floor, seamlessly connected to the ground, and solidified back into hard rock.
Sean walked over curiously and knocked hard on the chair back, producing dull "thud, thud" sounds; it was incredibly solid.
"My God, this is a miracle."
Angel was filled with envy. "How many abilities do you have that we don't know about?"
Chu Hang simply smiled and did not answer.
Charles's wheelchair turned toward him, his gaze shifting from the stone chair and becoming serious again. "There's always a chance. What if that troublesome matter reappears?"
"It won't get out."
Chu Hang sat back on the sofa, his tone certain. "I reconstructed and locked down the Energy Cycle within its body. Unless an external force of the same level forcibly intervenes, it will remain safely asleep for a very long time."
"What about after that?"
Jean sat down beside him, leaning slightly forward and lowering her voice. "How do you plan to deal with it?"
"There are still many things about it worth studying."
Chu Hang didn't deny it. "More importantly, when it wakes up one day, the World will need a strong enough power to face it, or... to face threats even more terrifying than it."
Charles fell silent. A few seconds later, he let out a barely perceptible sigh.
"Will there... be such threats in the future?"
"The Universe is never peaceful, Charles."
Chu Hang's tone was calm, yet it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer. "What you see are just the ripples on the surface of the sea before the storm arrives."
This made both Sean and Angel look troubled, but they couldn't refute it.
Charles slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they held understanding. "You're right. I already feel that gap when standing before you."
He paused, turning his gaze to Jean, which became complex and profound. "But Jean is different. The dormant power within her body might... have the potential to change everything."
Jean's body instantly tensed up. She knew what Charleswas referring to—that dark, violent flame, yearning for total destruction, which she desperately suppressed deep in her heart.
Chu Hang did not respond. Of course, he knew what that was. But it wasn't the time yet.
"Let's not talk about this for now."
Chu Hang stood up. "I need a few days to familiarize myself with this new power."
Chu Hang went alone to the Training Ground in the backyard.
He stood in the center of the field, slowly raising his right hand and grasping the empty space in front of him. The surrounding air instantly converged and compressed toward his palm.
The gaseous Molecules were forcibly squeezed, first turning into a crystal clear droplet, and then, under even greater force, condensing into a pale blue glowing ice crystal—Solid Oxygen.
He released his hand, and the ice crystal fell to the ground, immediately sublimating into a dense white mist before quietly dissipating.
He casually walked over to a piece of scrap steel plate used as a target and pressed his hand onto it.
Under his will, the arrangement of Iron Atoms began to change, becoming denser and more orderly, forming a super-strong structure far surpassing conventional Alloys.
He raised his foot and stomped hard on the ground. The special alloy plate beneath his foot immediately dented with a clear footprint, but the steel plate he had modified did not even show a scratch.
He walked over to another piece of scrap iron. This time, the iron silently melted like a candle, turning into a puddle of silver Liquid Metal, which was shaped beneath his palm into a slender and beautiful knife.
The blade, like a pool of autumn Water, emitted a chilling glint.
He gripped the hilt and casually swung it lightly at an intact alloy target nearby.
The target broke in half, the upper part sliding down and hitting the ground with a loud crash.
Yet the cut was as smooth as a mirror.
This was a form of cutting that transcended the concept of sharpness; Molecular Bonds were directly disassembled, without even the slightest friction occurring.
Chu Hang tossed the long knife aside, and it disintegrated in mid-air, reverting back into a plain, unremarkable piece of metal.
He looked up, meeting Jean Grey's complex gaze. She was standing at the entrance to the Training Ground, having watched for an unknown amount of time.
"This is a public area."
Jean slowly walked over, her gaze resting on the perfectly cut target. She whispered, "What you're doing... already exceeds the scope that the word Mutant can explain."
"The definition of Mutant itself is very vague."
Chu Hang was unconcerned. "Charles can connect to the consciousness of everyone on the globe, Eric can shake magnetic fields—do you think that's normal?"
Jean was speechless for a moment. She remained silent for a while before quietly asking, "Charles asked me to ask you, when do you plan to leave?"
"Once I can fully control this power, probably... in two or three days."
"And then? Where will you go?"
Jean pressed the question; it seemed very important to her.
Chu Hang's gaze looked toward the distant skyline, his eyes distant, but he did not answer.
Jean looked at his profound profile, and an inexplicable sense of loss and panic surged in her heart. She felt there was an invisible abyss separating her and him.
She suddenly took a step forward, stood in front of him, and bravely looked up at him.
In his eyes, she saw the birth and death of stars, the rotation of the Universe, and the indifference of looking down upon all living beings made her heart tighten. But at the end of that profound depth, she seemed to catch a trace of imperceptible weariness and loneliness, walking alone in the long river of Time.
In that moment, Jean forgot fear, forgot the god-like power, forgot everything. She stood on her tiptoes, closed her eyes, and lightly pressed her warm lips onto Chu Hang's.
Chu Hang's body stiffened for a moment, and a trace of astonishment flashed in his eyes.
It was a naive and clumsy kiss, carrying a maiden's fragrance and a barely perceptible tremor, yet filled with desperate courage.
She quickly pulled away, her cheeks flushed, but she stubbornly did not avert her gaze, as if using all her strength, she whispered, "I just... don't want you to be just a passerby."
Chu Hang looked at her. The still sea in his heart, which had been like an ancient well, rippled for the first time. He raised his hand, his fingertips hesitating for a moment, before finally lightly brushing her hair.
"Jean..."
...Returning to the Guest Room, Chu Hang closed the door and raised his own palm.
Molecular Manipulation. Reconstruct everything, and decompose everything.
If this power were to run out of control, it would be a disaster in itself.
He walked to the window, looking at the scattered lights in the Manor. In his Perception, Jean was standing alone in the corridor not far away, her Emotions no longer low or confused, but filled with an unprecedented excitement and determination.
At the same time, he could more clearly sense that deep within her Spiritual World, that dormant, suppressed Great Power was slightly stirring due to her intense Emotions.
Phoenix Force.
It is closely linked to her Emotions.
Chu Hang's eyes became incredibly profound.
His original plan required a stronger stimulus... an opportunity strong enough to make her break all shackles and face the deepest fear within her heart.
But now, an unexpected Variable seems to have appeared.
Chapter 213: Mutant Ability Amplification
The seven-day period had arrived.
As the system's cooldown notification faded from his mind, Chu Hang stood silently by the window. The night was inky black, and the starlight dim. The Nine Laws within him flowed smoothly like tamed rivers, and molecular manipulation had long become an instinctive breath.
He pulled an old map from under his pillow, his fingertip tracing a coordinate in Egypt circled in red.
Apocalypse's tomb.
His last visit only copied molecular manipulation, which was far from enough. In that ancient Mutant's genetic treasure trove, another ability he was determined to obtain lay dormant: Mutant Ability Amplification.
He needed it.
For Jean.
As this thought flashed, Jean Grey's figure involuntarily appeared in Chu Hang's mind. Sometimes in the dead of night, he could perceive her fleeting mental fluctuations, tinged with fear and confusion, as she awoke from nightmares. The Phoenix Force, that cosmic power, was sealed deep within her soul by Charles's mental shackles. But the shackles already had cracks; that giant firebird would one day break free and burn everything.
Ability Amplification, perhaps, was the only key to taming the Phoenix.
Chu Hang put away the map. Without disturbing anyone in the manor, a golden spatial rift silently opened in the room. The light swallowed his figure, and he vanished instantly.
The next second, he was in the boundless desert of Egypt.
Hot air mixed with sand rushed at him. Chu Hang's mental power swept across the sky like radar. After confirming no satellites were prying, he raised his hand and pressed down sharply on the sand beneath his feet.
The Space Law transformed into an invisible blade, and the dry ground tore open, a bottomless gap extending fifty meters underground.
He leaped in, and the rift silently closed behind him, leaving no trace.
In the tomb chamber, eternal darkness and silence enveloped him. His mental power had already spread out, clearly mapping the entire underground palace's structure in his mind. Three layers of barriers—Spatial Lock, Time Lock, and Mental Lock—still perfectly guarded the central sarcophagus, ensuring Apocalypse's slumber.
Chu Hang slowly walked to the sarcophagus, feeling its cold, hard touch against his palm. He closed his eyes, and Apocalypse's vast list of abilities unfolded in his consciousness.
Super Strength, Immortality, Energy Manipulation... He skimmed past those powerful abilities, precisely locking onto his ultimate target.
"Mutant Ability Amplification."
[Copying ability: Mutant Ability Amplification] [Level: SSS]
A complex information stream instantly washed over his brain. This was not a simple enhancement but rather a process that started from the deepest part of the gene chain, deciphering and rewriting the X-gene sequence, breaking the shackles of individual growth, and forcibly stimulating all potential.
He saw the terrifying aspect of this ability. If guided unsuccessfully, the target's gene chain would instantly collapse, turning into a writhing mass of flesh in extreme pain. And even if successful, an indelible imprint would be planted in the target's spiritual World, turning them into Apocalypse's most loyal puppet.
Chu Hang didn't need puppets. What he wanted was the core principle hidden beneath the domineering methods—how to safely guide genetic mutation, how to stably release that suppressed potential.
Fifteen minutes later, the copying was complete.
Chu Hang released his hand, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead. He could clearly feel a new power lurking within him, like a cold viper, coiled deep within his genes, flicking its dangerous tongue.
He could even sense the tyrannical will contained within it, belonging to Apocalypse, that toys with all life.
He slowly raised his right hand, and with a thought, the Law of Life surged in. A golden-red light appeared in his palm. Enveloped by this light, the nascent power gradually shed its ferocity, becoming gentle and stable.
Chu Hang gazed at this ball of light; it would be the key to saving Jean.
Charles's mental shackles were a temporary solution, not a cure. The harder the suppression, the fiercer the Phoenix's rebound would be. It could no longer be suppressed; it had to be guided. Jean needed to gradually touch, adapt to, and ultimately control that power while fully conscious.
And this required an opportunity. An opportunity that would make her feel the threat of Death, yet remain within a controllable range.
Apocalypse was the best catalyst.
Chu Hang turned and faced the sarcophagus again. He raised his hand, and the Nine Laws intertwined and converged at his fingertips.
The structure of the Spatial Lock began to disintegrate.
The flow rate of the Time Lock quietly slowed down.
The strength of the Mental Lock's barrier was weakened by thirty percent.
He precisely reduced the total strength of the triple barriers to only forty percent. At this rate, Apocalypse's consciousness would fully awaken within nine to twelve months.
After all this was done, an extremely faint resonance, like a heartbeat that had slept for thousands of years, emanated from within the sarcophagus.
One beat, then another, slow and heavy.
Chu Hang's mental power, like invisible tentacles, probed deep into the sarcophagus. In Apocalypse's barren desert of consciousness, the blood-red Sun hanging in the sky seemed brighter than last time.
A deep, hoarse voice echoed on the mental plane.
"You've come again, intruder."
Residual memory fragments had been triggered.
"Do you think this ridiculous seal can trap a god?"
Chu Hang withdrew his mental power, a cold, sharp curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
God? He had stared down Odin and personally ended Thanos's reign. Apocalypse was far from qualified.
He turned and prepared to leave. Nine to twelve months—this time was enough for him to thoroughly modify "Ability Amplification," remove all Mental Control backdoors, and ensure Jean's guidance was foolproof.
This was a huge gamble. The stakes were Jean's soul and the Multiverse's most violent power. Win, and the sky would be vast; lose, and it would be eternal damnation.
A hint of solemnity, almost imperceptible even to himself, flashed through Chu Hang's heart. But he had no choice. This was the only path to free Jean from her destiny.
Just as he was about to step into the spatial rift, the vibration within the sarcophagus came again, a bit clearer than before.
Chu Hang did not look back.
Let him continue his dream of ruling the World. When he awakens, he will be greeted by a Jean Grey who has truly taken control of her own destiny, wielding the Phoenix Force.
Golden light flashed, and the stone chamber returned to darkness and silence. Only that faint, almost imperceptible heartbeat, quietly counting down to a destined moment... A few seconds later, Chu Hang's figure appeared in the backyard of the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
The setting Sun was like blood, staining half the sky.
He looked up at Jean's room on the second floor of the main building. His mental power could clearly perceive her sitting by the window, reading, her appearance serene and beautiful. But beneath that calm exterior, deep within her soul, a golden-red energy was violently clashing against the layers of shackles set by Charles.
He could even hear the whispers of that power, sometimes seductive, sometimes roaring, constantly tearing at Jean's will, making her endure unimaginable torment every waking second.
Those cracks were more numerous and deeper than before he left.
Chu Hang withdrew his gaze and turned to walk to his room.
He never feared challenges. Coming from the smoke of World War II, traveling through the dark forest of the Universe, every step he took was like dancing on a knife's edge.
He survived, and thus became stronger.
This time, it would be no different.