S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
At this moment, Director Nick Fury was staring at the satellite footage, his brows furrowed. He had no idea what the White-Clad Warrior was up to this time.
Meanwhile, across various factions—the Avengers Tower, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and the Mutant Brotherhood—many had also turned their attention to his movements.
While some speculated about his actions, others suspected he might be unwilling to accept being weaker than Messiah and was preparing to make a move.
...
Outer Space—Earth's Orbit
Syd continued absorbing sunlight at an incredible rate.
As time passed, his internal light energy quickly reached its maximum capacity. Then, he heard a familiar notification sound.
[Light Energy +1]
[Light Energy +1]
[Light Energy +1]
One after another, notifications chimed, and his energy points steadily increased.
One day passed…
Five days passed…
[Energy Points: 129,347]
Floating in space, unmoving, Syd finally opened his eyes. Looking at his energy points nearing 130,000, a spark of anticipation flashed through his eyes.
Would this be enough to push his unlocking progress further?
Without hesitation, he poured all of his energy points into Balder's unlocking progress.
The next moment, his energy points dropped to zero, and Balder's unlocking progress flickered.
(Unlocking Progress: 91%)
Seeing the 91%, Syd's eyes lit up instantly.
But in the next second, his excitement faded as he frowned.
There was no new ability notification!
"What kind of scam is this?"
"Or… is the next ability the most important one, so it's harder to unlock?"
Syd furrowed his brows.
Annoyed but with no other choice, he could only continue gathering light energy, working toward 95% or, ideally, 100% unlocking progress.
He was certain that Balder's Omega ability would be revealed at either 95% or 100%!
As Syd continued absorbing light energy, the world's governments gradually relaxed.
Even the general public, who had been observing him for days, began to let their guard down.
After all, five days had passed, and the White-Clad Warrior remained eerily calm and silent.
If he had been planning something, he would have acted by now.
But while the world watched with curiosity, certain American politicians were preparing something far more sinister.
Since their last confrontation with Messiah, they had suffered massive losses—countless soldiers and vast sums of money were wiped out.
This left them filled with resentment and humiliation.
Yet, despite their fury, they dared not retaliate against Messiah directly.
However, after extensive research and planning, they finally found a potential way to kill Messiah!
...
A Secret Research Facility
A high-tech silver corridor led deeper into the underground base.
Five fully armed soldiers marched forward, escorting a young girl clad in black leather.
"Let me go! Let me go!"
"Why are you doing this to me?!"
Kitty Pryde—Shadowcat—struggled violently, trying to break free from the grip of the soldiers on either side.
But no matter how much she resisted, she couldn't escape their grasp.
A deep sense of despair crept onto her face.
Around her neck was a black mutant power inhibitor, completely suppressing her phasing abilities, rendering her powerless.
Why?
Why was this happening?
She had merely gone out for supplies—how had a group of soldiers suddenly appeared to capture her?
What was their purpose?
What did they want from her?
Still filled with confusion, she was dragged to the end of the corridor, stopping before a large silver door.
A middle-aged man in a white lab coat led the way, verifying his iris scan, fingerprints, and security codes.
With a mechanical hum, the silver doors slid open.
What lay beyond was a massive laboratory spanning hundreds of square meters.
The lab was filled with advanced technology, experimental beds, and scientists of various ages and genders, all wearing white lab coats.
But what caught Kitty's attention the most was the five containment cells in the center of the lab.
Three were empty, but two were occupied.
...
Inside the First Cell
A gold-and-red monstrous tiger prowled within.
But in the next second, its form melted into a puddle of liquid, only to reform back into a tiger moments later.
It lashed out at the walls of its cage, its body shifting between solid and liquid states.
Whip! Whip! Whip!
Threads of gold-and-red tendrils shot out in all directions, covering the entire interior of the glass cell in a horrifying web.
However, no matter how violent its attacks were, it couldn't break through the glass containment.
"You're wasting your time, Subject One."
A beautiful blonde woman in her thirties chuckled, watching the creature struggle.
"I've told you many times—you cannot break through this specialized containment."
"Let me out!"
"You damn bastards!"
The monstrous tiger—Symbiote Bullet—roared furiously.
"If my master finds this place, you're all dead!"
Its eyes burned with hatred, locking onto the woman outside the cage.
This vile woman had been experimenting on it repeatedly—gassing it, unleashing monsters on it, and subjecting it to countless tortures.
Many of these cruel experiments had been her own ideas!
"Just sit tight with Subject Two for now."
The woman—Delia—smirked, unfazed by the threats.
She knew exactly who the Symbiote's master was—Messiah.
With a smirk, she cast a glance at the second containment cell.
...
Inside the Second Cell
A young woman sat curled up in the corner.
This was none other than the long-missing mutant—Rogue.
Her ability to absorb and store the powers of others had once played a crucial role in evolving the Sentinel robots to near-perfection.
But ever since the Sentinels proved ineffective against Messiah and the White-Clad Warrior, she had lost her value and was transferred to this lab.
Here, she had suffered endless, painful experiments, enduring the same torment as Subject One.
...
Back in the Hallway
As Kitty Pryde was brought into the lab, she immediately recognized Rogue and gasped in shock.
Delia turned her gaze toward the new arrival, an intrigued smile forming on her lips.
"Oh? Another adorable little subject?"
The dozens of scientists in the lab also turned their attention toward Kitty Pryde.
They all knew exactly who she was.
Suddenly, a holographic projection of an elderly, white-haired man in a suit appeared in the center of the lab.
Senator Richard, his expression cold and stern, spoke in a commanding tone.
"The experiment will now begin."
The researchers immediately straightened up, their expressions serious.
"Understood, Senator!"
"What are you going to do to me?!"
Fear filled Kitty's voice as the two soldiers forced her to the center of the lab.
As the researchers stepped aside, a man emerged from the shadows.
He appeared to be in his twenties, his skin deathly pale, as though he had never seen sunlight.
"You…"
Kitty Pryde's eyes widened in confusion and terror as she was dragged toward a silver experimental table.
(End of Chapter)
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