Powerstone Bonus Chapter
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James Howlett is a man known by many names; the most common being Logan and Wolverine.
As the most popular mutant character in Marvel, perhaps second only to Deadpool, it's no exaggeration to say that his name is a household fixture. Even people with no deep familiarity with the X-Men series may still recognize Logan's rugged face or at least know of his famous adamantium claws.
When it comes to Logan, the first thing that comes to mind is undoubtedly his self-healing ability, an iconic power that has fascinated fans for decades. This remarkable ability, which allows Wolverine to heal from virtually any injury, is often described as speeding up the body's natural healing process to an almost instantaneous rate.
According to the established lore, Wolverine's self-healing powers work ideally in proportion to the damage he receives. Small injuries, like a simple cut or gunshot wound, are healed in the blink of an eye. However, more serious injuries, such as losing a limb or having large portions of his body blown apart, take longer to recover from. Despite the slowed regeneration, the process never truly stops, and unless Wolverine is entirely obliterated, his body will regenerate no matter how severe the injury. He could be reduced to nothing but a head, and even then, he'd eventually regrow the rest of his body.
What makes Wolverine even more fearsome isn't just his self-healing ability. Years ago (Marvel Timeline), during a nightmarish experiment conducted by the shadowy government project known as "Weapon X," Wolverine's skeleton was coated in Adamantium—a virtually indestructible metal harvested from an extraterrestrial source. This metal, as famous in the Marvel universe as Vibranium, is of godly quality, granting him near-unlimited defense. His bones, laced with this metal, protect his vital organs like an impenetrable suit of armor beneath his skin.
As a result, any physical attack on Wolverine is almost futile if it doesn't aim to pierce his bones. Even the Hulk, in his most furious and berserk "World War Hulk" form, has managed to incapacitate Wolverine but couldn't kill him because Adamantium protects his skeletal system. Wolverine's regenerative abilities further ensure that even if he were skinned alive, his body would grow back—and although running around naked wouldn't be a pleasant experience, it wouldn't be life-threatening.
[TL Note - My dumbass thought "world war" was a typo and was about to change it to world breaker, lol]
Yet despite all his powers and his sturdy physique, Wolverine, like many iconic heroes, is not immune to narrative inconsistencies. As a mutant who often finds himself subjected to the whims of writers, his combat prowess fluctuates depending on the needs of the plot. He can go from being nearly invincible, shrugging off bullets like they're mosquito bites, to being knocked out by a random thug's well-placed punch.
The first time Wolverine appeared in Marvel Comics was in a minor role, playing second fiddle in Hulk's publication. But even in that small appearance, it became clear that Wolverine had a potential upper limit high enough to challenge the Hulk himself. Over time, Wolverine confronted the green behemoth on multiple occasions, their clashes showing just how resilient Logan could be.
Despite the decisions that make him sound like a glorified sandbag, Charlie knows that Wolverine is a top-tier hero. After drawing Logan from his B-level hero pool, Charlie wasted no time in promoting Wolverine to his list of frontline heroes, considering him a prime candidate for one of the highest combat powers in his roster.
Reflecting on this acquisition, Charlie couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude towards Link, whose self-sacrifice brought such powerful heroes into his game's hero pool. Not only did this enhance Charlie's frontline combat capabilities, but it also significantly increased the proportion of superheroes in his roster. With Wolverine by his side, Charlie's pool of heroes had never been stronger.
This situation reminded Charlie of a line from a Captain America movie: "If anyone could have an army of super soldiers on the level of the Winter Soldier, they could easily influence any government and become a major power." While Charlie found this statement slightly exaggerated, it wasn't without merit. With more heroes in his arsenal like the Winter Soldier, and even stronger ones, Charlie knew he had already surpassed Hydra's strength in the MCU by a wide margin.
[TL Note - I disagree (Global Reach and Influence, Advanced Technology and Weapons 'remember, all of SHIELD's weapons could be said to also be Hydra', The Winter Soldier Program, Project Insight, Superhuman Resources 'including Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch' though they later turned on Hydra, Control over the Mind Stone and the Tesseract 'remember, what belongs to Shield belongs to Hydra,' and lastly Leadership... so, yeah, Charlie is nowhere close.)]
Of course, despite feeling the inflation of power, Charlie reminded himself not to get carried away. It was important to maintain a clear understanding of his limitations. While his superhero roster was growing, there were still constraints, such as his inability to deploy heroes in multiple locations at once or conduct multi-threaded missions simultaneously.
Fortunately, his game character had recently upgraded, unlocking a brand-new feature, Charlie had been waiting for the "Auto-Hack" function.
In essence, this feature was similar to the auto-leveling systems found in traditional online or mobile games, where characters could gain experience while the player was offline. Charlie could now assign his heroes to patrol designated areas on their own, following his commands even when he wasn't directly controlling them. This would allow him to use his rest time to accelerate leveling efficiently.
However, there was a catch. The game's mechanics were linked to Charlie's own physical energy, meaning that while his heroes could operate independently, the energy they expended would still affect him. Despite this, Friday—his in-game assistant—estimated that Charlie could handle 24-hour Auto-Hacks without feeling significant strain if he only assigned non-superpowered individuals.
Currently, the system allows up to two heroes simultaneously on Auto-Hack. Still, Friday warned that choosing more than one at a time would start to put a noticeable burden on Charlie. As a result, Friday advised Charlie to focus on hosting one non-superhero unless there was an extraordinary circumstance where Charlie had plenty of energy but couldn't play for an extended period—something highly unlikely at the moment.
The Auto-Hack function was straightforward: the hosted hero would move autonomously within a designated area. According to the in-game map of the selected city, the maximum area covered could span half the city.
During Auto-Hack, the hero would patrol automatically, intercept crimes in progress, and engage enemies flagged as hostile. However, they wouldn't be able to complete complex tasks without Charlie's direct involvement. When a situation of interest—like a suspicious phone call or unusual activity—was detected, the system would automatically flag it, sending Charlie the information. At that point, he could log in and decide whether to intervene.
In essence, the Auto-Hack feature acted like an automatic side mission generator. Charlie could choose whether to pursue these tasks or ignore them.
The first heroes Charlie assigned for testing this function were Daredevil and Batgirl, stationed in Grace City. While Cassandra Cain (Batgirl) was undeniably the superior fighter, Charlie opted for Daredevil due to his heightened sensory abilities, which made it easier for him to detect unusual activities across the city. After all, for street crime prevention, whether it was a martial arts master or a vigilante, the result would be the same—beating up street thugs. Daredevil's advanced perception, however, increased the chances of triggering additional side missions.
The current limit for Auto-Hack hosting was twelve hours before a manual reset was required. Charlie set the timer for the maximum duration and observed as Daredevil began his patrol on the rooftops of Grace City.
Not wanting to log off just yet, Charlie decided to monitor how the AI functioned. In just a few minutes, Daredevil's radar sense triggered an alert: a street fight was happening below.
With precise movements, Daredevil approached the scene, stopping at a high vantage point to observe. Six men were viciously beating two people, who lay on the ground helpless, huddling together in a desperate attempt to survive. One of the victims was in critical condition.
After scanning the situation, Daredevil leaped into action. With no firearms detected, he landed silently among the attackers, catching them off-guard. In less than thirty seconds, Daredevil dispatched all six men with a flurry of fast-paced blows from his batons. The once-aggressive attackers were now crumpled on the ground, groaning in pain.
Daredevil wasted no time in retrieving his baton, pulling off an impressive flip as he shot a grappling hook and vanished into the shadows of the rooftop.
Though Charlie noticed that the AI wasn't as tactically efficient as he would have been in a similar situation, Daredevil's performance was still more than sufficient for handling basic street crime. Hosting AI was clearly effective for experience farming during night patrols.
Charlie originally planned to observe further to see how the AI handled more complex situations, like facing armed enemies or executing stealth operations. However, before he could continue, Friday interrupted with urgent news.
"Sir, there's breaking news from Riverton City," she said, flashing the headline on his screen.
***
URGENT BREAKING NEWS: SUBWAY 9 OUT OF CONTROL!
- Location: Downtown Riverton City
- Time: Ongoing Incident
Authorities have just confirmed that Subway Line 9 is currently out of control! Eyewitnesses report that the train is speeding dangerously through several stations with no signs of stopping. Passengers onboard are attempting to hold on as the situation grows increasingly dire.
Emergency services are on the scene, and city officials are working to regain control of the train. All commuters are urged to avoid the Downtown area and stay away from Subway Line 9 until further notice.
This is a developing story, and we will bring you updates as soon as more information becomes available. Stay tuned for live coverage!
***
Charlie's eyes landed on the monitor. "Subway Line 9 is out of control!"
"A runaway train?"
Without thinking, Charlie's eyes instinctively shifted to Spider-Man in his hero roster.