(Bonus Chapter for Power Stones)
In just over two weeks' time, the Carl Family estate had seen the birth of five new Card Bearers.
As the Carl Family took the "Devil Card" as their totem, each child who had been recognized and nominated by two instructors and overseers, and had been granted the "Super Agent" ability by Kyle, now held an identity card representing themselves as members of the Carl Family.
On the back of the identity card was an integrated background pattern featuring a dual-winged demon holding a sword, stars, and cosmic elements, set against a black and crimson background.
Currently, the codenames of the identity cards held by the five new Card Bearers were Red One, Red Two, Red Three, Red Four, and Red Five.
In the future, this naming convention would continue, even going up to Red Ninety-Nine if necessary. This was just like giving them a pass mark, representing their recognition as the lowest-tier members of the Carl Family.
Above Red was the prefix Black, representing the elite members of the Carl Family. Currently, there was only Black Widow Natasha, who held the solitary codename "Black One."
Moving up from Black was the prefix Jack (Knight), representing the core members of the family. In this rank, there were Logan, Raina, and Howard.
Howard was in charge of strategic technology logistics and wasn't a combatant within the family. Although he had always been based in the Stark Industry building, due to Kyle creating the first fixed portal, the portal's location had been set in the basement of the Stark Industry building.
The estate located on the outskirts of New York and the Stark Industry building in downtown New York were now connected through the fixed portal. Only after this connection had been established did all members of the Carl Family become acquainted with Howard.
The family members respectfully gave him the title of "Great Inventor," on par with Wolf King and Scarlet Eye. Howard gladly accepted this title, which made Kyle feel somewhat awkward for a while.
Regardless, the rules and regulations, selection and training, and ranking system of the Carl Family had all fallen into place in less than half a month.
Furthermore, the construction of the base on the Atlantic Dragon Turtle Island was now more than half complete. In about ten days, the Carl Family would formally move from the estate to the island.
Everything in the Carl Family was developing rapidly in the direction Kyle had envisioned. This was the only aspect that brought him comfort now…
Because in recent days, Kyle had been feeling a stronger and stronger anomaly within his body.
Initially, he had only lost his overt manifestation of Super Regeneration. But as the two weeks had passed, there were moments when his heightened sensitivity was malfunctioning, which certainly wasn't a result of excessive anxiety.
After all, even humans with ten times the physical condition of peak individuals experienced moments during their twenty-four-hour day when some of their Recovery abilities temporarily shut down.
Ever since the day Kyle learned of his genetic mutation, on the fifteenth morning, a silver strand of white hair had appeared amid his brilliant golden hair.
This was a sign of disregarding natural lifespan and the weakening of his life force.
His Healing Factor within seemed to be gradually diminishing in its resistance, and the genetic mutation caused by the nuclear radiation began to slightly damage the superhuman physique of the Super Soldier, causing numerous side effects to appear.
Considering this situation, Kyle felt that the time he had left was much shorter than the initial "one-year" prediction Howard had made. So he decided to undergo a comprehensive physical examination for the second time.
…
Stark Industry building, Basement Level Three.
Howard had long since arranged for a dedicated team to work day and night to convert this space into a medical isolation chamber. All medical facilities inside were at the world's top level, tailored specifically for diagnosing Kyle.
Due to the fact that Kyle had developed a genetic illness due to nuclear radiation, this news was far too significant. If it got out, it wouldn't just shock the Americas; it would create a global sensation.
That's why only Howard was the diagnosing doctor, and he didn't even use a trusted assistant.
In the brightly lit underground medical isolation chamber.
Kyle was wearing an oversized white medical gown. His perfectly proportioned and robust physique looked slightly frail as he sat calmly on the chair, patiently waiting for the final test results.
Not long after, Howard, who was wearing a lab coat over his shirt and suit, walked out of the isolation room, his mask couldn't hide the seriousness on his face as he held the test results in his hand.
"Do you have any alcohol here?" Kyle suddenly asked with a smile, trying to use humor to alleviate the heavy atmosphere.
"What do you want to drink? Do you even know your current physical condition?!" Howard slammed the test results onto the table, even catching Kyle off guard. This was the first time he had seen the typically refined and gentle old gentleman so angry.
"Sorry, I lost control." Howard took a few deep breaths, sighing. "I feel useless, I am unable to help you in any way in your current situation."
"It's alright." Kyle nodded in understanding and calmly asked, "Tell me, how much time do I roughly have left?"
Howard slowly extended one hand, spreading out his palm, then raised three fingers from his other hand.
"Eight months." Kyle fell silent; the remaining time was slipping away too quickly, like the Grim Reaper constantly urging him to depart.
"Kyle, if you're really certain, then leave Earth and head to someplace that can help you as soon as possible. With the Carl Family by your side, everything will be fine." Howard tightly held Kyle's arms with both hands as he looked at him with sorrow. "Look at yourself, you're the strongest hero recognized by the public! You've gone through battles large and small without a scratch, but now you're like a terminally ill patient. Are you sure you're keeping this hidden from the family?"
"I need at least two more months," Kyle said firmly. The number of Card Bearers was still far from enough, and the construction of the family hadn't reached the point where they could leave as he anticipated.
Howard continued to persuade, "But how long can you keep this hidden from the family? Logan and Raina aren't ordinary people; they will definitely notice your abnormality."
"For as long as I can." Kyle shook his head, held his breath slightly, and tensed his muscles. Each muscle swelled and grew, returning to his original perfectly healthy and superior physique.
"You are not going to change your mind on this, do you?" Howard sighed helplessly, knowing he couldn't convince Kyle. He could only report on the latest progress in their research, "I've finished researching and deciphering the formula for the Infinity Formula.
However, producing a single dose of the reagent would cost as much as two hundred thousand dollars. It's possible to manufacture and satisfy a small number of people, but if we want to cover dozens of family members, even Stark Industry might struggle to support it."
Kyle had a strategy in mind, "The Infinity Formula reagent we produce now should only be provided to the core members of the Carl Family. The Card Bearers are still young. When they need the Infinity Formula reagent to slow aging and extend their lifespans, they'll have to exchange it with their own efforts using Evolution Points."
"Evolution Points?" Howard blinked, once again puzzled by this new term.
(End of this chapter)
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