After the intense events had finally come to a close, Charlie allowed himself to sink into the comfort of a long, well-deserved sleep. The battle, the chaos, and the storm of thoughts that had swirled in his mind were now distant memories as he fell into deep rest. Hours later, he awoke feeling refreshed, his body recovering from the toll of recent battles. The first thing he did after rising was head to the washroom, where he washed up and enjoyed a quiet breakfast, his mind still processing the whirlwind of events. As he sipped his coffee, Friday began reporting on what had happened after Charlie had finally succumbed to sleep the previous night.
The report was succinct, as always, yet thorough. Friday informed him that the evidence had been successfully recovered. After Charlie's departure from the scene, the confrontation between the Service Division and the pharmaceutical organization seemed to have ceased, at least temporarily. Both parties had been wary of continuing their fight in such a volatile and dangerous underground environment. In a surprising show of cooperation, the pharmaceutical organization provided Agent Ivan Petrov with a dynamic map of the underground system to help with the retrieval of missing agents. Afterward, both sides—cautiously but decisively—pulled their forces out of the ruins, each retreating back into the shadows, leaving the scene behind.
However, the most intriguing detail remained shrouded in mystery. No one, not even the most daring of them, had dared to uncover the truth about what lay sealed beneath the ruins. The very idea of what might be buried down there had sown seeds of doubt among the agents and factions alike. Though there was no concrete proof regarding the accusations the pharmaceutical organization had leveled against the Ninth Special Service Division, the suspicions lingered in the air, and it was clear that no one would be walking away from this situation without questions gnawing at them.
Charlie raised an eyebrow as Friday detailed the developments. It was surprising to hear accusations aimed at the Ninth Division. If the pharmaceutical factory's claims were valid, it raised an unsettling possibility—that the asylum's role in these events went deeper than even Charlie had anticipated.
But this wasn't Charlie's problem. The more chaos and sabotage, the more opportunities came his way. After all, Charlie was more than happy to operate from the sidelines, a ghost on the periphery. The deeper the divisions between these rogue factions, the more missions and tasks funneled toward him. He relished that thought.
Take Link, for example. If it hadn't been for Link leaving such a large batch of experience points in the form of his massive army of clones, Charlie might still be grinding in low-level quests to collect Hero Points. Instead, this mess of events had turned into a goldmine of progress for him.
After all the hardships and moral compromises, Link's road ended with nothing but a crushing defeat—a mix of brutal kicks and crushing blows. In hindsight, Link's blackened pursuit of power seemed pointless from his perspective. Yet, from the larger viewpoint of history, it had immense value. His enormous army of clones, once his greatest strength, had transformed into high-quality experience points for Charlie, becoming a critical milestone in Charlie's rise to godhood.
With breakfast out of the way, Charlie decided to rest for a bit, his mind still racing from the whirlwind of upgrades and events. As he lay back and closed his eyes, his thoughts drifted to his ongoing project—recreating the face of Tiffa Lockheart for Friday based on his hazy memories. His mind wandered to the countless attempts he had made to "pinch" the face into existence, adjusting features, tweaking expressions, yet always missing the mark.
---
Refreshed and fully awake, Charlie logged into his game. As expected, the massive influx of experience from the defeat of Link's clone army had pushed his progress bar through the roof. Not only had he leveled up, but the experience bar for his next level had shot up by a staggering amount. What once felt like a slow grind had suddenly become a sprint. Charlie couldn't help but grin. This was the kind of progress every player dreamed of—the feeling that everything was finally falling into place.
And with each step forward, new features unlocked, expanding the possibilities before him. Players could now control three hero characters at the same time, moving from duo battles to full triple-team fights. It was a game-changer, bringing Charlie one step closer to his ultimate goal: commanding the entire Avengers or Justice League in battle.
But before he dove into the new features, Charlie had a critical task ahead of him—drawing new skills.
He could hardly contain his excitement as he prepared for the consecutive draws. He rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. The first draw, of course, was guaranteed: Spider-Man. In Charlie's pool of heroes, Spider-Man's core stats were unparalleled, and more powers from him would only enhance Charlie's abilities.
Five draws. Five bursts of golden light. Each one signals something new.
The first skill to appear was Wall Climbing, one of Spider-Man's iconic abilities. According to the game's official explanation, Wall Climbing allowed the user to manipulate atomic forces at a molecular level, letting them adhere to almost any surface—even through clothing or armor. It was a highly functional skill, perfect for stealth missions, and invaluable for assassins or spies looking to operate undetected.
The remaining four draws were an eclectic mix of skills. The most unexpected of them all was Proficiency in Kryptonian. This skill allowed Charlie to read and write the Kryptonian language fluently, as well as communicate with Kryptonians in their native tongue. Amusingly, the skill came from Batman, who had apparently learned the language during his time in Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Charlie chuckled at the thought. Perhaps the skill might come in handy if he ever had to deal with Kryptonians who didn't speak human languages, like Supergirl. For now, it seemed more like a tool for showing off.
Another useful skill emerged in the form of the Super Soldier Physique, courtesy of the Winter Soldier. With this ability, Charlie gained enhanced metabolic capacity, allowing him to withstand gunshot wounds, endure greater physical punishment, and heal faster than ever before. It was an impressive upgrade, boosting his durability.
[TL Note - for the confused readers, he only got the strength and combat ability from Cap, not the entire serum]
Next came Shooting Specialization, courtesy of Green Arrow, a master archer from the DC universe. His bow and arrow skills rivaled those of Hawkeye, and his ability to hit targets with pinpoint accuracy was legendary. Charlie considered it a valuable addition to his toolkit, especially for ranged combat.
The final skill, Martial Arts, was drawn from Matt Murdock. While Matt's combat skills were formidable, they were somewhat redundant compared to Kassandra's near-ceiling-level fighting abilities. Charlie ultimately decided to set this skill aside for now, focusing on more unique powers.
With his skill set expanding, Charlie was steadily becoming the definition of a hexagonal warrior—well-rounded and powerful in every area.
Afterward, it was time for the next stage—card draws. Link's defeat had provided a wealth of points, and Charlie couldn't wait to see what he would pull from the pool.
He spent the entire morning clicking the draw button, waiting for the special effects of each card to play out. The B-tier heroes were consistent, providing him with stable performance bonuses and novelty items, such as a Stark Group employee ID card, Thor's beer bottle, and even another pair of Hulk's signature pants. The more he drew, the more he ended up with mundane items. Still, the chance to score big kept him hooked.
And it wasn't long before Charlie's patience paid off.
Among the new additions to his hero roster was Deathstroke, one of the most dangerous supervillains in the DC Universe. A master tactician, professional assassin, and super soldier, Deathstroke boasted 90% brain development, giving him enhanced intelligence and reflexes. His physical abilities were on par with the likes of Batman, and his exceptional healing factor made him nearly impossible to kill. With Deathstroke in his ranks, Charlie had just acquired a top-tier assassin capable of executing complex missions with precision.
Next, Charlie unlocked Jessica Jones. Known for her raw strength and ability to fly, Jessica was a hero who preferred brute force over finesse. Her power stats were among the highest, but her lack of technical skills made her more of a frontline bruiser. Charlie briefly considered keeping her on his main team, but with Spider-Man already covering strength-based roles, he figured Jessica could be dispatched to other cities to manage defense operations.
Then came the Scarlet Spider—a clone of Spider-Man himself. This was the third Spider-Man variant Charlie had drawn, and he laughed at the absurdity of it all. He'd practically stumbled into a nest of spiders. However, he wasn't complaining. Spider-Man was one of the most versatile heroes in his arsenal, and the clone shared many of the same abilities. Charlie toyed with the idea of creating a Spider-Team—an unstoppable force of wall-crawlers that could be dispatched to multiple locations simultaneously. With the game's new team expansion feature, he could now operate a trio of Spider-Men to dominate the battlefield.
But the true highlight of the day came with the next draw.
Charlie's breath caught as the hero's profile appeared on his screen. It was none other than the iconic mutant with a razor-sharp adamantium skeleton and extraordinary healing abilities—Wolverine.
-end of chapter-
Who here watched Deadpool vs Wolverine