At the same time, a slim and graceful girl crossed the street, entered a narrow alley, and finally walked into a secluded room.
A man wearing a strange helmet stood at the window, peering down at the busy road with piercing, deep-set eyes.
"Erik, I found a new lead," Raven said. "Stryker and Charles are both looking for a mutant named Su Mu. On paper, his ability is only Level 1 energy absorption, but I suspect he has undergone a second awakening. That is what caught their attention."
Magneto did not look back. He continued to observe the world outside, his gaze lingering on the masses of ordinary people. "Energy absorption... Raven, contact Su Mu immediately. We must reach him before they do. Any mutant that draws the concern of both Charles and Stryker is far from ordinary. Bring him into the Brotherhood."
Su Mu, unaware that his second awakening had made him a high-value target for several factions, had already left Hell's Kitchen. Using cash "donated" by local gang members, he bought a new set of clothes and checked into a hotel to clean up.
Because he was constantly absorbing energy to strengthen his physique, his body was recovering at a rate far beyond that of a normal human—even without the Reversal Technique. The scars from his imprisonment had faded, revealing fair, flawless skin.
Now standing at 1.9 meters tall, he put on a pair of round-frame sunglasses. He looked like a brand-new person: an elegantly handsome man with a dangerous edge. As he checked out, the female store manager couldn't stop winking at him, her eyes filled with visible regret as he walked out the door.
Su Mu didn't plan on staying in one place for long. Between the military's pursuit and Kingpin's threats, the city felt small. He opened his system panel to check his progress.
[Energy Points: 3,425]
After several hours of continuous absorption, his points had surged past the 3,000 mark. He immediately invested them into the system. The template fusion rate climbed rapidly before settling.
[Template Fusion: 23%] [New Skill Awakened: Reversal Technique] [Reversal Technique Lv.1 (1/100): Converts negative cursed energy into positive energy. Effect: Potent self-healing.]
Finally, Su Mu thought. With the Reversal Technique, his survivability surpassed even that of the Lizardman. Although the current level only allowed him to heal himself, he knew that as the skill leveled up, he would eventually be able to heal others—or even restore the very essence of objects.
Suddenly, his Six Eyes twitched.
A massive figure was charging toward him at high speed. The man was over two meters tall, a gray-skinned brute with knotted muscles and blue veins writhing like snakes beneath his skin. He tore through the crowded street, carelessly slamming into civilians and leaving a trail of wailing victims in his wake. In the distance, the hum of drones and the rhythmic marching of an army echoed.
Su Mu stood his ground. The Six Eyes calculated the brute's velocity; he was faster than Su Mu's current physical limit. Without mastering the teleportation aspect of "Cang" (Blue), he couldn't outrun him.
The strong man skidded to a halt ten meters away, his bare feet digging into the asphalt and shattering the ground. Shrapnel and stones flew toward Su Mu, but they slowed to a stop inches from his body, suspended in mid-air by an invisible force.
The brute nodded, a cruel grin spreading across his face. "White hair, blue eyes, and that strange barrier... you're Subject 9527, aren't you?"
"9527?" Su Mu recognized the designation from the movies.
"Don't resist, 9527," the man growled. "Come with me quietly. Colonel Stryker wants to see you. Don't make me twist off your limbs to get you there."
The man lunged, reaching out to grab Su Mu's throat. His hand stopped centimeters away, hitting the absolute wall of the Infinity.
The brute's expression soured. "I see. You want to do this the hard way. Let me teach you the rules of being a dog."
Su Mu tilted his sunglasses down slightly, revealing a flash of brilliant, icy blue. He casually picked his ear with his pinky, looked at his finger, and then mockingly blew the invisible dust toward the giant. He smiled, but his eyes remained cold.
"You want to set rules? Fine," Su Mu said lightly. "Here is mine: If you cry and apologize right now, I'll let you live."
Infuriated by the disrespect, the giant swung a massive fist, but it was useless. Su Mu stepped forward, his very presence exerting a crushing gravitational pressure. The brute, despite his immense strength, found himself pinned against a nearby wall. As Su Mu pressed closer, the brickwork began to crumble under the sheer force of the technique.
In the distance, the army opened fire. A hail of bullets swarmed toward them, only to be caught in the invisible "Infinite" space surrounding Su Mu.
"Are you going to cry yet?" Su Mu asked.
Fear finally flickered in the giant's eyes. He realized he wasn't fighting a mutant; he was fighting an anomaly. Panicking, he screamed to the thin, dwarf-like man clinging to his back:
"Now! Do it now!"
The moment the man spoke, Su Mu felt a violent ripple in the air. Space manipulation.
The thin man on the giant's back unleashed an invisible blade made of pure spatial distortion. It moved with a speed that defied standard physics.
Sizzle!
The sound of tearing flesh echoed through the alley. Amidst the giant's hideous laughter, Su Mu's torso was nearly severed in two by the spatial blade.