"Actually, I've always had a concern."
Wearing her spacesuit, Susan's graceful figure leaned close to Bai Ye as she said, "I keep feeling that something will go wrong with this space mission."
"This cosmic storm was calculated by Reed before he left. After he was gone, we didn't have time to verify the remaining data. If something happens, it could be dangerous."
"Congratulations, your guess is absolutely correct. The cosmic storm will arrive more than ten hours earlier than Reed predicted, so by the time you guys react, it'll already be too late," Bai Ye said with a smile.
"What? Then why didn't you stop the launch?!" Susan wanted to say more, but Bai Ye gently held her back.
"Relax. This cosmic storm really does contain substances extremely beneficial to the human body. It can awaken superpowers without any side effects. Otherwise, why do you think I suddenly wanted to come along?"
As Bai Ye spoke, his eyes drifted toward Ben Grimm, who was chatting with Johnny. Ben felt a chill down his spine for no reason.
"Really?" Susan looked up at Bai Ye's face.
"Otherwise? Do you think I would ever put you in danger?" Bai Ye countered calmly. Susan finally relaxed completely.
"Mr. Bai, the space station is ready for transport. You may proceed now," Victor approached and reminded him quietly.
"Mm, I know." Bai Ye nodded, then asked Victor, "How have you been lately?"
"Thanks to you, sir, the company no longer has to worry about stock prices and such. As for me, under Mr. Wilson's arrangement, I'm now serving as the mayor of New York City."
Victor spoke with humility—none of the frustration he had a few days earlier remained. Following Bai Ye was truly a path to limitless prospects. Simply irresistible.
The same board members who once barked orders at him now treated him exactly like he treated Bai Ye—utter deference.
They boarded the space station—Bai Ye, Susan, Ben, Johnny—all in spacesuits. Soon, with tremendous flames blasting from the boosters, the space station slowly ascended.
After several rounds of acceleration, the station continued rising. As the ground grew smaller beneath them and the blue curve of the planet appeared, a sudden thought flashed through Bai Ye's mind:
With my current strength, I probably don't even need rocket boosters. I could just push the entire station into space by stepping on air.
If the cosmic storm were a few years later, I wouldn't even need to push the station. I could just push Earth itself into the storm's path and let the entire planet get washed by it. Instant global superpower awakening.
Bai Ye chuckled at the absurdity of his own thoughts.
He felt like he was getting too "muscle-brain" lately—wanting to solve everything with brute strength. But then he froze.
"Wait—what am I thinking? I have space abilities! I could just open a massive portal and dump the cosmic storm directly onto Earth!"
Looking down at the shrinking blue planet, an unexpected idea popped into his mind:
What if I revived Earth's spiritual energy?
He could do it. He had the power. But then Earth really would have superpowered people everywhere. The gap between mutants and ordinary humans would truly disappear.
If "everyone can cultivate," then wouldn't it be unnecessary to give everyone additional powers?
However…Bai Ye's thoughts tangled. He couldn't decide.
Among the five who were blasted by the storm in the original story, two of them underwent major physical changes—meaning there was a 40% chance of grotesque mutation.
If he really let the storm flood Earth… billions might turn into what people used to call "mutant freaks."
The only reason he could accept it was because he had a system panel—one that even included a Charm stat.
As long as the attribute existed, anything that made him ugly could eventually be reversed.But everyone else…
Bai Ye tapped lightly on the railing inside the space station, falling deep into thought.
"What's wrong? Even you have things to worry about?" Susan laughed softly as she saw the faint crease between his brows.
"If you were given the chance to gain superpowers, but with a 40% chance of becoming extremely ugly—would you take it?" Bai Ye asked.
"Of course not." Susan answered instantly. "I have you. Do you think I'd choose some unreliable random power over relying on you?"
"…Fair enough." Bai Ye chuckled. Somehow, this reminded him of the options he used to see on websites before he transmigrated—and half the time even selecting them wouldn't guarantee you'd get them.
His thoughts deepened again. The cosmic storm wasn't going anywhere after passing Earth this time.
With his spatial abilities, he could flood Earth with it whenever he wanted. There was no need to rush.
He should talk to the Ancient One first. After all, forcibly turning a huge chunk of the global population ugly… felt a bit inappropriate.
They ruled the planet under "democracy," after all. Might as well put it to a vote.
Once I make a decision… maybe I can give the chat group members some superpower benefits too, Bai Ye thought, watching as the space station fully entered outer space.
Half an hour later—
Johnny stared at the readout on the screen and screamed, "There's a calculation error! The cosmic storm is more than ten hours earlier than Reed predicted—it'll be here in one minute!"
Panicking, Johnny turned around only to see Bai Ye and his sister Susan looking calm as ever. That only made him shout louder:
"Hey! Brother-in-law! Why are you two so calm?! Shut down the station!"
"It's fine. Just leave it open. Dr. Reed's research is correct—this storm can awaken superpowers."
Bai Ye explained. Johnny's eyes widened.
"Awaken superpowers? For real?!"
With Bai Ye's assurance—and after Susan nodded—Johnny and Ben no longer resisted. They made no attempt to shut anything down, allowing the station's hatch to remain fully open.
A minute later, particles glowing with golden light swept in from afar at light-speed.
The particles passed through the bodies of Bai Ye and the others, rewriting the genes within each person as they went.
In that instant, the genome of everyone exposed to the storm was completely rewritten.
But Bai Ye was different. His genetic structure did not undergo dramatic change. Instead, the mutant cells within his body began absorbing the stray energy of the storm.
As the devouring continued, the mutant cells responsible for his Hollow-type abilities began to mutate and elevate—not only retaining their original function but evolving toward conceptual-level power.
And the two abilities he didn't choose during activation through Magneto's mutation stimulator—one of them finally manifested, merging with his Hollow space.
(End of Chapter)