New Skills Unlocked
Natasha stared at the spot where Xu Mo and Annie had vanished.
Her gaze fell to the small booklet in her hand.
Two bold Chinese characters—Thunder Blade—were printed across the cover. She couldn't read them, but when she flipped it open, relief washed over her. The contents were in English.
At first, she skimmed casually. Then her eyes widened.
The manual detailed the first five levels of a technique called Thunder Blade. Mastery of these levels promised to increase one's power fivefold, while steadily strengthening the body as well. The progress was slower than consuming the flesh of mutant beasts, but it was permanent, reliable.
Natasha's pulse quickened.
Her combat skills were already honed to near perfection. But her greatest weakness had always been raw physical limits.
If this can even double… no—if it can multiply my strength tenfold…
She had no reason to doubt. After what she had just witnessed from Xu Mo, she knew he wouldn't hand her some worthless trick.
Clutching the booklet to her chest like a priceless treasure, Natasha turned on her heel and hurried downstairs. She couldn't wait to begin practicing this strange "Chinese Kung Fu."
---
Elsewhere, Xu Mo and Annie stepped out of a shimmering space gate, landing atop another skyscraper.
He had chosen to give Natasha the Thunder Blade manual precisely because it suited her talents—and because, truthfully, it cost him nothing. He could reproduce as many copies as he wanted.
The version he handed over contained only ten levels, not out of stinginess, but because that was all his storage ring contained. He had originally written these manuals for Sauron and the others, making hundreds of copies.
Thanks to the White Queen's psychic control, Sauron and his group would follow his orders without hesitation, even unto death. Giving them such techniques only meant their growing strength would help him earn points faster.
Annie tugged his sleeve, her eyes fixed on the massive letters stamped across the building below:
Trask Industries.
Her face tightened. "That's… the company that built those robots, isn't it?"
"That's right." Xu Mo's eyes glinted. "And since I've already started tearing their web apart, I won't stop halfway."
Alarms blared from deep within the Trask building.
The corporation had installed detection arrays everywhere—any mutant within a hundred meters triggered the alert. Xu Mo and Annie, standing boldly on the roof, had been identified instantly.
Xu Mo ignored the alarm. He strode calmly into the building.
Surveillance cameras sparked and died the moment he crossed the threshold.
On the top floor, soldiers swarmed into the corridor, rifles raised. Their commanding officer held a handheld sensor—like a warped compass—that beeped furiously at Xu Mo and Annie.
"Confirmed mutants!" the officer barked. "Drop to the ground! Hands behind your head!"
Xu Mo didn't so much as pause.
The soldiers fired without hesitation. A storm of bullets filled the hall—only to freeze midair, suspended in shimmering stillness.
Terror swept through the ranks.
"Fall back!" the officer shouted, diving for cover.
But the bullets flew faster than flesh could move. Screams rang out, then silence.
When the smoke cleared, only the officer was left alive—because Xu Mo had spared him.
The man's relief lasted less than a heartbeat. Xu Mo was suddenly standing before him.
"Where's your mind-shielding device?"
Every Trask facility was equipped with technology to block telepaths.
"I… I don't—"
His words ended in a shriek as pain exploded through his shoulder. His right arm fell to the ground, severed cleanly. A bloodless blade floated at Xu Mo's side, gleaming cold in the light.
"I'll give you one more chance," Xu Mo said softly, "to choose your words carefully."
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" the officer stammered, pale with fear.
Moments later, Xu Mo and Annie vanished, leaving behind nothing but a towering ice sculpture.
---
Two floors underground, they reappeared before a towering device—six or seven meters tall—flanked by two sentinel robots.
The machines turned their crimson eyes on the intruders.
"No identification detected—"
They never finished. Their eyes went dark, power severed.
Xu Mo glanced at the shielding device. The massive structure warped and folded into itself, condensing into a perfect metal sphere.
With the barrier gone, a space gate shimmered open.
On the other side, Emma Frost—fresh from the shower, wrapped in a towel—arched a brow. A sigh slipped from her lips.
"Boss," she said dryly, "next time, could you at least call before barging into my bathroom?"
For once, Xu Mo looked sheepish. "Didn't think you'd be bathing at noon."
"Women don't run on schedules when it comes to bathing," she quipped.
Beside him, Annie's sharp gaze flicked between them. Instinct screamed there was history here—intimacy, even. She slipped closer to Xu Mo, clutching his arm possessively, chin raised like a challenger.
Emma caught the gesture and smiled faintly. Her eyes flashed silver as she cast her telepathy outward in a sweeping wave.
"Trask Industries," she muttered. "So that's where we are."
She straightened, her tone cool but professional. "What do you need from me, Boss?"
"Take all their scientists, all their research. Everything."
Emma's lips curved. "Simple."
Within hours, under her psychic compulsion, Trask's researchers were obediently packing their work. Ordinary staff—janitors, clerks—were dismissed and fled. Executives stood frozen, unable to resist.
By the time Xu Mo's portal closed, the building rumbled with detonations deep underground. The skyscraper shuddered, then slowly collapsed in on itself.
---
Island of the Dead
Back in his stronghold, Xu Mo handed Emma the captured scientists and sentinel prototypes. Then he returned to his seaside villa with Annie.
Later that night, after calling her family, Annie curled against him, her voice warm with gratitude.
"Thank you, my love. You destroyed both organizations… all for me."
Xu Mo's arm slid around her waist, pulling her close. His eyes glinted mischievously.
"You know," he murmured, "words aren't the kind of thanks I'm after."
Annie's lips curved in a knowing smile.
"Then… do you want to feel something truly exciting?"
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