Despite the blurry footage, the figure in the black attire looked eerily familiar to everyone present.
"Is that... the Messiah?"
"How is that possible? It's him?"
Countless American military officers were stunned and incredulous.
Could the horrific explosion that destroyed the base have been caused by the Messiah? When did he acquire such mutant abilities?
The destruction of a military base was no small feat. If the Messiah had used powers they were familiar with, they might have understood. But this unfamiliar force…
Had the Messiah grown stronger or awakened new mutant abilities? "It's impossible, this can't be happening!"
"The Messiah must be using some kind of trick!"
There were murmurs of disbelief.
"Could it be that the footage was mistaken, and it isn't really the Messiah, just someone who looks like him?"
Just as someone suggested this, another distress signal came in from a different base.
The scene shifted to that base, and to their horror, they saw the same figure—floating above the base was the Messiah.
At this moment, he was radiating blue light from his hands.
Under the watchful eyes of countless officers, the Messiah held a blue beam extending over a hundred meters, effortlessly slicing through the military base as if it were a toy, with a casual and playful demeanor.
No matter how the base's defenders retaliated, launching rockets and other weapons, the Messiah remained unmoved, continuing his leisurely destruction of the base.
The onlookers could clearly see the terror on the faces of those in the base.
Soon, the base was reduced to rubble, and all the officers within perished in despair.
Witnessing this scene, the military officers shivered in fear.
At the same time, they realized something crucial.
The destroyer of the previous base was indeed the Messiah! The disbelief was palpable.
Amidst their fear, they were also filled with anger.
"This bastard!"
The Messiah was becoming increasingly arrogant; if this continued, he would become uncontrollable. Did he really think they had no means to deal with him?
If pushed to the limit, they would even consider deploying a nuclear weapon to eliminate this threat!
They could not believe that under a nuclear attack, this person could survive!
Quickly, an enraged general issued orders for countermeasures.
Various military bases began setting up traps.
Whenever the Messiah dared to approach, it would be the moment the traps were triggered! Some traps were designed to obliterate anything within a ten-kilometer radius, and they were confident that the Messiah could not withstand such conditions!
There were even decoy bases, empty but rigged to explode when the Messiah came close enough, ensuring he would be consumed by the blast!
However, as they seethed with anger and anticipation, Syd seemed to sense something amiss and ceased his destruction of the military bases.
New York, as dusk fell:
In a shadowy corner, Syd emerged from invisibility.
Having destroyed two military bases and feeling a sense of temporary vindication, Syd was contemplating his next steps. At that moment, the symbiote, which had been dormant in his right hand, stirred.
Looking at the small head of the symbiote, Syd asked, "What's wrong?"
The symbiote responded gravely, "Syd, something doesn't feel right!"
"I sense a growing danger, and it gets stronger the longer time passes!"
"There might be a plot targeting us!"
As the symbiote's bond with Syd deepened, its strength increased. Of course, this came at a cost; the symbiote had become dependent on Syd, much like humans need oxygen. While it could survive briefly without him, prolonged separation could be detrimental, potentially leading to its demise.
Nevertheless, the symbiote was obsessed with its growing power and would fight fiercely against anyone who tried to separate it from Syd.
Ignoring these side effects, the symbiote's enhanced sense of danger indicated a looming threat.
Despite not fully understanding its own strength, the symbiote could still sense imminent danger. This was undoubtedly significant, possibly even a plot specifically aimed at Syd.
Hearing this, Syd was momentarily taken aback.
As time passed, the danger was drawing closer? With a little contemplation, he began to speculate on the nature of this threat.
It was likely another military scheme…
"It seems I can't afford to slow down my progress…" Syd murmured to himself.
Although he was already very strong, it was clear that it was not enough. If he halted his growth, he could fall into danger, becoming a target of others' schemes…
Determined, Syd resolved to continue his efforts.
Initially, he had been contemplating whether to focus on practicing his abilities or collecting energy points to further unlock Bardell's progress after destroying the two military bases. Now, he realized that he could do both simultaneously while also gathering something else.
The most effective and fastest way to enhance his power was to acquire the Infinity Stones!
Collecting all six would potentially enable him to achieve cosmic-level power!
Syd estimated that his current strength was approaching that of the Celestials.
Above the Celestials was the cosmic level, which was the combined power of the six Infinity Stones.
"Unfortunately, due to various reasons, the Infinity Stones have been weakened. It seems they can only reach cosmic-level power…"
Though these were external artifacts, gathering the Infinity Stones would provide him with more self-defense capabilities until his own powers were fully developed.
With this thought, Syd also considered the imminent threats and the hidden Celestials within the Earth's core.
These various dangers made acquiring the Infinity Stones a top priority.
(End of Chapter)