In 1962, Brooklyn, New York City.
An Asian young man was staring blankly at the unfamiliar surroundings before him, unable to regain his composure for a long time.
"Did... did I just transmigrate?"
Brian felt somewhat frustrated. He wasn't originally from this world but was a transmigrator.
A day ago, he had transmigrated here and became an unremarkable clockmaker.
Brian Kent, that was his name now.
If it were just transmigration, Brian would have gladly accepted it without being so restless and uneasy.
Only because this was not a peaceful world.
Yes, this wasn't a peaceful world; it was a Marvel world where mutants were about to step onto the stage of history.
As for how Brian knew this was a world of mutants?
The reason was simple: because Brian himself was a mutant.
He didn't know if it was a perk of being a transmigrator or if the original body already had it.
In short, as soon as Brian transmigrated, he awakened his mutant ability.
His mutant ability was called: Seeing the Operational Laws of All Things.
The mutant ability he awakened was almost identical to the superpower of the brain-stealing villain Sylar from the TV show Heroes.
Whether it was a superpower or a mechanical structure so complex it would drive someone mad, Brian could master it with just a glance thanks to this ability.
Moreover, the most terrifying part was that when Brian mastered the operational laws of a certain ability, his body's genes would adjust, allowing him to gain that ability as well.
In short, Brian could gain mutant abilities by observing the operational laws within the human brain regarding those abilities.
Additionally, due to the special nature of seeing the operational laws of all things, when Brian gained a mutant ability, it would automatically be optimized and enhanced, much like the power enhancement of Apocalypse.
Simply put, it was like leveling up to the maximum with one click.
And it would be as easy as moving his arm—he wouldn't need any training to use it freely.
Having Sylar's superpower template brought Brian some slight comfort.
But he still couldn't feel happy.
The Sylar template was indeed powerful.
But it also meant that his existence would be feared by the mutant community.
And he was destined to walk the path of constantly hunting other mutants.
Brian could already foresee himself becoming like Sylar, a terrifying figure that mutants would fear and even unite against.
He would stand apart from the mutants, becoming their natural enemy.
"This kind of mutant ability is basically making enemies of the whole world."
Brian shook his head helplessly, giving a self-deprecating smile. Then he stood up, his gaze becoming unusually resolute.
At this moment, Brian possessed the ambition of facing a myriad of foes without hesitation. Just kidding—it's a mutant ability, after all.
Who could resist the temptation of gaining mutant powers?
Brian certainly couldn't resist.
What's more, as long as he wanted, he could acquire all sorts of coveted mutant abilities, and the only cost was not being accepted by the mutant community.
That's all.
Heh~
Brian glanced at the calendar, which clearly showed the year 1962.
As a transmigrator, Brian knew that the year 1962 was precisely the timeline of the First Class storyline.
This year, a young Magneto and Professor X met each other and teamed up to fight Sebastian Shaw, the Black King of the Hellfire Club.
"First Class, huh?
Perfect, I can blend into the situation and use Professor X's Cerebro to help me find some powerful mutants."
Upon realizing that the current timeline was First Class, Brian had already devised his future plan.
He would join the newly formed X-Men under Professor X, use Cerebro to locate potential mutants, and then quietly steal their abilities.
Of course, before joining the X-Men, there was still something else Brian needed to do.
What he needed was to acquire a mutant ability.
The Sylar template gave Brian the potential to reach the Omega level.
However, without taking other people's mutant abilities, Brian was almost indistinguishable from an ordinary person.
This was the limitation of the Sylar template.
If he wanted to become a powerful mutant, there was only one path.
And that was to plunder.
To take the abilities of other mutants.
Having made up his mind, Brian wasted no time. He casually picked up an antique-style wristwatch from the table in his watch shop and gently held it up to his ear.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
As the watch was placed near his ear, despite the fact that it was broken, Brian heard the ticking sound of the internal mechanisms.
At that moment, it was as if Brian were standing within an enormous, intricate mechanical structure.
Countless components moved in a complex mechanical dance before him.
Yet, to Brian, this complexity was remarkably simple.
"So that's where it's broken."
In just a second of listening, Brian had found the issue with the watch.
He identified the faulty part and quickly opened the back of the watch, adjusted a component, and closed the cover.
With the cover back in place, the previously broken watch was instantly restored to its original state.
This was Brian's mutant ability—the effect of seeing the operational laws of all things.
He only needed to take a glance at a mechanical structure to understand its operational laws and instantly master it.
He could also listen to the mechanical sounds to find subtle, almost imperceptible dissonances in its operation.
This was the power of his mutant ability to see the operational laws of all things.
Just like now, Brian only needed to listen briefly to the ticking of the watch to identify the issue and easily fix it.
Not just watches—anything with a mechanical structure, Brian could effortlessly understand its operational laws and repair it.
Brian put the Omega watch on his left wrist, adjusted his somewhat worn-out clothes, and then took a Colt M1911 handgun out of the drawer.
He tucked the Colt handgun into his coat and picked up his tool bag.
With everything ready, Brian began his first hunting trip.
...
Arriving on the street, Brian looked at the bustling yet somewhat outdated city, gently touching the watch on his left wrist.
"Hopefully, I'll get lucky and find one or two fellow mutants," Brian silently prayed as he raised his hand to hail a taxi.
For now, the only method Brian could think of to find fellow mutants was to wander around New York City, hoping to get lucky and come across one or two mutants.
Although it was like searching for a needle in a haystack, this was still the best idea Brian could come up with.
After all, at the moment, he was just an ordinary person with no abilities.
The initial stage of the Sylar template was undoubtedly very weak.
_______
Note: Sylar is a primary antagonist of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. A super-powered serial killer who targets other superhumans in order to steal their powers. He served as the primary villain of the first season and then as a recurring antagonist