"Are you serious, kid?" Howard stammered.
Escaping from a Nazi concentration camp was no ordinary feat. Even the most skilled agents might struggle to survive there, yet this child showed no signs of lying.Moreover, the tattoo on his arm bore the unmistakable mark of the camp, a symbol that no parent would voluntarily subject their child to.
"I'm not joking," Alex affirmed. He then took Howard's lit cigar, placed the burning end in his palm, and squeezed it out.
Howard's heart raced as he watched, thinking, 'Is this kid really going to do something so extreme?'
Alex casually blew on his palm, and the ashes from the cigar scattered in the air. His palm remained unscathed because he had absorbed all the heat from the burning cigar.
He then formed a small, fiery red energy ball on his fingertip and pressed it onto the cigar. In an instant, the cigar turned red-hot and disintegrated into ashes before Howard's eyes.
Howard's eyes widened in astonishment. He realized that the child had just demonstrated a supernatural ability, and his initial disbelief quickly turned into fascination. He hadn't anticipated this.
Seeing Howard's reaction, Alex maintained his calm demeanor and said, "I'm not joking, and I have a name. You can call me Alex. What I need is a legal status in the United States, and I arrived here by flying."
Howard sighed in relief, thinking that this request wasn't too difficult to fulfill. "Is that all?"
"I want to follow you," Alex added after a brief pause. Since he didn't know anyone in this world, he figured he might as well stick with Howard, who could provide him with food and shelter.
Howard agreed, "Alright, I'll make you my adopted son. But don't push your luck too far, or I might just change my mind."
As a genius Howard immediately realised the potential Alex possed and having him as a son is a great asset. He could also study more about the kids abilities as well. Who knows maybe he will never be able to find another gifted person like Alex in his lifetime. So Howard decided to take a gamble and adopt Alex
Alex smirked and said, "Okay, it's a deal"
Howard knew he was taking on quite a responsibility by allowing this child to follow him. But the benifits outweighs the risk.
As they made their way to a lounge, Howard picked up the phone on his desk and quickly arranged for Alex's legal status as his adopted son. In this era, wealth had its privileges.
Once the paperwork was done, Howard turned to Alex and said, "Your identity has been established. I'll officially declare you as my adopted son. You'll need to call me 'father,' alright?"
Alex rolled his eyes and retorted, "Nope, not gonna happen."
Howard chuckled, "Don't be so aloof. Can you at least tell me where your powers come from?"
"I possess the X-gene in my body, which underwent a mutation. It's an evolutionary step beyond regular humans, much like how Homo sapiens replaced Neanderthals," Alex explained matter-of-factly, as it wasn't a secret in this world.
"X-gene?" Howard scratched his head. Despite being a genius scientist, genetics wasn't his field of expertise.
Howard pondered for a moment and then turned his attention back to Alex. "Can I have powers too?"
"Abilities aren't common, and you need the X-gene to awaken them. Not everyone has this gene. Some have it, some don't, and some only awaken their powers when they're extremely frightened or angry," Alex explained.
Howard leaned in, intrigued. "What about me? Could I have the X-gene?"
"Come here," Alex said, beckoning Howard closer.
Howard approached Alex, who quickly plucked a strand of Howard's hair. Howard winced in pain.
"Testing the gene."
"Ding. No abilities detected after testing."
Alex sighed softly, letting go of Howard's hair, and said casually, "Unfortunately, you don't have the X-gene."
(End of this chapter)