Chapter 5 - Ability Zero
Time flies quickly.
Timmy passed the high school final exam by the Min Lwin's help and they both get a chance to enter a top grade Technological University. Although Min Lwin got a scholarships program, most of the scholarships program are not fully funded. They just offer a little discount for students.
Min Lwin's mother disagree to take a school loan. So, Min Lwin paid the cost by cash. He gets the most of that money by selling one of his technologies.Also he become a partimer in a big technological company.
The company now he working is Metal Paladin Co.Ltd and it was one of a major companies in hero supporting tools production. Their founder is Superhero Metal Paladin. Metal Paladin is one of the fist generation heroes, that popular as the great 47s.
Before this decade, Metal Paladin Co.Ltd is the market leading organization but their standing is get worse after the death of Metal Paladin by old age.
They produce supporting tools for heroes, combat robots and suits for police and military. But even after passing 50 years, their technology don't imporve and their combat robots' power are still D rank. Even the best robots they build only reach C+ Rank. (Ranks F-,F,F+ ....)
So, police need to catch a C rank villian with a dozen of combat robots. Some villains even mock that their robots are just a can of fish.
Actually, Metal Paladin's products are not that bad in quality. Almost all of the robots that build by the companies in their field are the same. Due to the current age technological limits, no one cannot make a superior suits, robots or weapons for mass production.
Metals that exist in the world are not strong enough to create more powerful robots. Although they can use nano techs to make a special metal that they need, it's not possible to mass production for police departments.
So, the suits and robots make by non technological heroes are still limited in C+ rank.
Although Super Hero Metal Paladin's suits are in A- rank, no one cannot imitate that. And there is no A rank technological hero in current time anymore. Even in the whole history of heroes, there is no S rank for technological hero. Most of technological heroes are super hacker in supporting role or B rank combat heroes. That is why most of the heroes in other type look down on technological heroes.
Min Lwin's general manager is a beautiful women in her late 20s. She is almost 30 but really pretty. She has a pair of blue eyes like irish. Her height is 5ft 6 ins and it's just a little shorter than Min Lwin who is half boold asian. her hair waves naturally and its swaying eveytime when she moves and it's very cute.
Her name is Freya Berrygreen. Metal Paladin is her grandfather. Most of the heroes families are hidden their identity but after a long time passed, secrets are not no more secrets.
Berrygreen family's identity is already shown to public and some of the other former heroes' families are the same. Also Berrygreen family is getting weaker in these days.
There are no more mutants with ability in their family. In last generation, there is only freya was born and she is also not a mutant. So their surname will erase forever when she marry to someone.
Since Freya was a beauty, there is many Men that want to marry her. Especially, Demitri family from Russia want to plan the wedding for freya with their young master by using the promise that Metal paladin gave in unseriously long time ago.
But, Freya decline in fully decision. Dimitri only want to get armour technologies from berrygreens since their mutant ability is only to tranforms their hands into metal or claws. So, they need to protect their bodyies with special armour and if they get Metal Paladin's technologies, they will be improved.
Today, Russia have 3 S ranks and nearly 10 A ranks. Almost all of the half A rank and one S rank are from dimitri family. They also have a large hero army full with B rankers. So, the position of Russia Heroes Association's president is theirs.
That is why freya decline their offter. she don't want to make a political wedding.
...
Min Lwin entered the office and handed a blueprint to his manager. Freya have a great expect upon him.
The Copyright for Hero alerting radar system that Min Lwin invented when he was high school was bought by Metal Paladin. In specificty, Freya herself came to their school by pretending as a teacher from other school. When she talked she want to buy copyright, Min Lwin become nearly dead by surprise.
"So, you want to product a new powerful super suit instead of another powerful robots for polices?"
"yes, although it's a little hard to make a suit, I can solve it. Super suit can do more efficiency than robots with same materials.
in theory, my suits in this blueprints can reach C+ rank and it's also can develop more. If we can mass production, it will be more useful than any other existing robots and suits. Anybody who wear these suit will be a C rank hero. Actually, it's just simple model and don't have a weapon. If we added weapons, it can even reach to higher ranks."
Freya galred at Min Lwin and just gave a barely smile. Min Lwin shock by that smile. Even the blueprint in his hands was swaying.
Min Lwin's drawing skill was not that bad, but his hand writing was at worse. It's like a neaely collapsed building after earthquake.
It's too messy to readable and it take a hour to understand for Freya. She even question about some parts that she failed to understand. After a while, Freya said to Min Lwin.
"As expected from Greenhood Highschool's No.1 inventor. it's really innovation." She stop her words in half and get up from the chair. And looking away to the outside of glass window.
The outside views is really amazing. Since they are on the high building, One can see small version of people moving around the city roads. Also Cars and Hover bike are also running on the roads. They even see the low rank hero wandering the city for the maintaining of peace.
"but... Your project is more similar like Nasa's space shuttle program. Using the same materials but your suits may take more production cost than combat bots."
"but... one suit can fight against ten combat bots at once."
"There are more than thounsand of pieces in your suit to apply. It may take down the production rate and time. Also the more complex to produce, the more errors may occur."
Min Lwin still quietly for a moment. And he said again.
"Do you think my suits will be burn down like Nasa's challenger by small mistake."
"Yes..."
"then, you don't accept this." Freya don't talk anymore. Min Lwin turned around to left but Freya said in surprise.
"Mr.Merlin, I want to know your skills are magical like your name? From now on, you can start your Alpha project tests. I will watch your results."
"ok, I get it." Min Lwin don't turn back to look her. instead, he nodded and come back to his own office table.
Actually, most of the office's employees don't have a good impression upon him. Their manager is too much care about him who is just a merely parttime worker afterall.
"Are you too confidence about your good looking, huh?"
One of the senior employees murmured under her breath while she was drawing a blueprints with her computer. actually, there is only Min Lwin in this office, who drawn their blueprint with hands. Since he is a part time worker, there is no PC for him. So, he can only use his tablet and hand to draw designs.
Actually, there is no part_timer in Metal Paladin C.Ltd before. Technological engineering is not a fastfood restaurant. He just got a special chance from his manager.
After working in company, Min Lwin look at his salary for this day. It's 200$, his work time is just two day per week. So, he totally get 400$ per week. It's just enough not to die him with hunger.
If his mother don't support him from house payment and school cost, he may be dead by the hunger. And thank to freya, he don't need to wash plates for a whole week to get a few of dollars.
In the way back home, he also go the GHA's clinic for mutants' awaken. Mutants' clinic offer a free test for teenagers that they don't have mutant ability or not. GHA also make a wandering test for ten years old children in school, after that you can tests you don't have abillity or not in regional clinic.
The old doctor with thick glasses shook his head.
"boy, I know you want to be a hero but possiblity to awake ability is too low when you turned 20s. It may be possible that if you get a meteor crystal but there is almost no more ownerless meteor crystal in the world. If it's your hobby is to save people like a hero, then your can become a police or firefighter. although they are not hero, they also help people daily afterall."
Since Min Lwin do ability awaken tests monthly in this clinic, the old doctor know him well and they even become like a grandpa and grandson.
"but, My both parents are mutants. Also my grandfather is a powerful mutant. Even my uncle is a hero, why I don'y have nothing?"
"The possiblity of your awaken is 85% not 100%. May be your outcome is in the place of 15% that say no. I cannot do noting for you, boy. Just think about what I said."
...
After leaving GHA Clinic, Min Lwin entered random mini_mart to buy instant noodles. Instant noodles are the best way to saving your money, but not healthly way.
Suddenly, his phone in the pocket rang. When he look it, it's from his mother.
"hello, long time no see mom."
"Ah, son. It's okay in your school. Do you study hard?"
"Yah, I have a lot of friends in University and also my homeworks are not that hard."
"oh.. then now do you have a girlfriend?"
"No...."
"You should find someone, your not a kid anymore." He stopped his hand that stretch out to the yogurt bottle and laughed what his mother said. Then he picked up the bottle and thrown it to the mart_woven.
"Mom, do you have anything to day me or for only said me to find a girlfriend?"
"Nope, I want to take about this. I'm ill in this week and went to the doctor so, I cannot support money for this month. Was that ok for you?"
"It's okay, now I have a part_time job. So, don't worry."
"Ok, then"
"Wait, what doctor said to mon?...."
Min Lwin tried to ask about her mother hearth problem but a two boy at his age entered to the mart and one of them show his knife to threaten the shopkeeper. Look like they want to dacoity the shop. So, Min Lwin stopped to ask.
"I will drop the phone, see ya."
After closing his phone, he approached the checkout quietly. Now, his blood are boiled, both of his uncle and father are bravely men in their life. So he also want to become hero. It's not a chance?
He pick up the broom at the corner of shop to prepare the two armed bully-boys. They he strated ran and beated one of the armed boy hand to drop out his knife.
Min Lwin may be slim and don't have ability, he trained some basic mix martial arts at school. (Since millie is his crush after all.) Due to the sudden attack, the knife in the boy hand dropped to the floor.
Then he knock the boy chest to make sure he cannnot fight back to him. The boy fall.
Min Lwin looked at the staff and shouted.
"Called 911, We must inform to the police."
but before his words are done. Other boy stretch out his right hand and push in the air. Suddenly, the strange air wave become and striked Min Lwin's chest. He flew out to the air and he feel he was kicked by a bull.
After meet with the cold floor, his conscience start to blur. Know he know that guy is a E+ rank wind type mutant. E rank mutants cannot kill a man with their ability but aleast it's enough to kick out a normal person like Min Lwin.
The last vision he see was the blood. One of the bully-boys stucked the staff neck who tried to called police and his mind blank out.