At the same time, a slender city woman crossed the street, entered a narrow alley, and finally slipped into a room. Inside, a man with a strange helmet stood by the window, gazing deeply at the bustling street.
"Erik, I've uncovered some new information. Both Stryker and Charles are after a mutant named Su Mu, but his ability is only a low-level energy absorption. I suspect he experienced a secondary mutation, which is why he's caught their attention."
Magneto didn't turn around, continuing to observe the scene before him, especially focusing on the ordinary people without mutant abilities.
"Energy absorption, huh... Raven, make contact with Su Mu immediately, and do so before them. A mutant who has both Charles and Stryker's attention must be exceptional. We need to bring him into the Brotherhood of Mutants."
---
Su Mu, unaware of the attention he'd drawn, had left Hell's Kitchen. Using cash "donated" by gang members, he bought a new set of clothes and took a shower at a hotel. Constant energy absorption had allowed him to heal at an impressive rate, recovering wounds faster than any ordinary person. Even old scars were fading, revealing smooth skin.
With a pair of round, dark glasses on, he looked entirely different—now a dashing, 6'2" man. After some casual flirting with the female store manager, who seemed rather disappointed to see him go, Su Mu made his way outside, not wanting to stay in one place too long with the army and Kingpin's forces after him.
He opened the system panel and checked his energy points.
**[Energy Points: 3,425]**
After hours of continuous absorption, Su Mu's energy points had reached over three thousand! He invested all of them into the system, raising his template fusion rate to 23%. Finally, the system chimed in:
**[Template Fusion: 23%]**
**[New Skill Acquired: Reverse Technique]**
**[Reverse Technique lv1 (1/100): Converts negative energy from cursed power into positive energy with potent healing properties.]**
Having finally unlocked the Reverse Technique, Su Mu's survival capability surged, giving him an even stronger healing factor than a lizard. The technique, however, could only be used on himself for now, but as the skill leveled up, it could potentially enable resurrection or restoration of things to their original state.
At that moment, Su Mu noticed through his Six Eyes a figure speeding toward him. It was a hulking man over 6'7" tall, barreling through the street and scattering civilians left and right, some of whom lay injured or worse.
A short distance away, drones and troops were assembling, racing to his location.
The giant stopped about ten meters from Su Mu. His muscular body rippled with dark veins as they pulsed, channeling power to his formidable physique. He was carrying a diminutive man on his back—a man so frail he looked like he could barely stand on his own.
Su Mu didn't flee. Based on the man's speed, he knew escape was futile. Unless he could master the advanced teleportation technique, he wouldn't be able to outrun him.
The giant crashed to a halt, his bare feet crushing the ground and sending fragments of stone flying toward Su Mu. But as they neared, the debris hovered in mid-air, unable to approach him.
Seeing this, the giant nodded, saying, "White hair, blue eyes, and a strange ability. You must be Number 9527, correct?"
"9527?" Su Mu thought. Isn't that a code from a famous movie? Why is this guy calling him that?
Sensing his confusion, the giant didn't bother to explain. "9527, don't resist. Come with me. Colonel Stryker wants to see you. Don't make this harder on yourself, or I'll break every limb before dragging you back."
The giant's tone was calm but contemptuous, clearly viewing Su Mu as an easy catch.
He lunged at Su Mu, his hand extended, but couldn't get any closer.
**Limitless Technique.**
Observing this bizarre phenomenon, the giant's face twisted in anger. "So, you really want to resist, huh? Fine! Let me teach you a lesson before you join us."
Su Mu adjusted his sunglasses slightly, revealing his piercing blue eyes. Casually using his pinky finger to "clean" his ear, he playfully blew on it, then smiled coldly at the giant.
"Fine, go ahead. But if you cry and beg, I'll consider sparing your life. That's the rule."
Outraged by his prey's mockery, the giant could no longer restrain himself and swung his fist at Su Mu, only to be blocked by an invisible force. Calmly, Su Mu lowered his sunglasses and walked closer to the giant, who felt an immense pressure weighing him down, unable to resist.
Just then, the troops arrived, raining bullets on Su Mu, but the bullets too halted mid-air, unable to touch him. Amid the storm of gunfire, Su Mu pressed the giant against a wall, cracking it as he advanced.
"So, not going to cry and beg?" Su Mu asked calmly.
Realizing the power difference, the giant was filled with fear, feeling helpless for the first time. He shouted, "What are you waiting for? Attack!"
The moment he spoke, Su Mu sensed a familiar energy—a spatial disturbance. He focused on the small man on the giant's back, who had indeed activated a spatial power, launching an invisible blade at Su Mu.
It was too fast to dodge.
**Slash!**
A sickening sound echoed as flesh tore. Amid the giant's triumphant laughter, Su Mu was nearly bisected by the spatial blade.