A week had passed since Evan Mercer secured his identity, money, and place in this world. The world still moved at the same pace—but his mind?
His Enhanced Neural Processing had reached Level 3.
[Passive Skill: Enhanced Neural Processing]
Level 3 Unlocked – Multi-Layered Thinking
Simultaneous Thought Processing: Ability to analyze multiple complex ideas at the same time. Predictive Reasoning: Can anticipate outcomes based on probabilities with higher accuracy. Mental Resistance: Stronger resistance to psychic or emotional manipulation.
The difference was immediate.
Where before he had to consciously analyze patterns, his brain now did it automatically.
He no longer just saw the present—he saw possibilities.
People weren't just individuals anymore. They were nodes in a massive web of interactions.
Every conversation, every move they made, every hesitation, fed into a constantly updating model.
And right now?
That model told him he needed power.
Not just wealth. Not just influence. Power over biology itself.
Because the Passive Evolution System required something to evolve. And that meant he needed a way to incorporate mutant abilities into his body.
He had spent the last week researching.
And now, he had a plan.
He would build a biotech company.
Not just any company—a front for genetic research. A place where he could experiment, study, and refine the process of incorporating mutant DNA into his own.
To the world? It would be a legitimate medical firm.
To Evan? It would be his path to ascension.
But to do that, he needed two things—a foundation and a face.
Evan was a mastermind, not a front man. He needed someone else to be the public face of his company.
And fate?
Fate delivered that person to him in the form of a mutant woman running for her life.
Evan walked through the streets of New York, his mind working through logistics, market strategies, and investment loopholes to set up his company without exposing his real goals.
Then, he heard it.
A woman's scream.
Not the kind of scream from a mugging. Not a panicked, lost-in-the-dark kind of scream.
A scream of terror.
His brain instantly processed possibilities.
Too late for a robbery. The scream was moving—not a single location, meaning a chase. Heavy footsteps behind it—multiple pursuers.
He turned the corner into an alleyway and saw her.
A woman, mid-20s, disheveled and bleeding, backing away from three men in dark suits.
She wasn't just any woman.
She was Amelia Voght.
A mutant who, years from now, would stand among Magneto's allies.
But right now?
She was just a mutant with nowhere to go.
Evan knew the signs. The way her body flickered into mist, the way she looked at them with desperation, not just fear.
She had power, but she didn't know how to control it.
The men closed in.
One of them spoke. "You shouldn't have run, sweetheart. Just come quietly, and this won't get worse."
Her form blurred, like she was about to turn into mist—then she collapsed against the wall, exhausted.
She was weak. Overusing her power.
She was exactly the kind of person Evan needed.
Evan moved.
Before the men could react, he grabbed a loose pipe from the ground and swung.
The nearest thug barely had time to turn before Evan's strike connected against his temple.
A clean knockout.
The second man reached into his coat—a gun.
Evan had already anticipated it.
He kicked the barrel before the shot fired, twisted the man's wrist, and drove his knee into the thug's ribs.
The third man took one look at his fallen companions and ran.
Evan let him go.
Let him report back to whoever sent them.
He turned his attention to Amelia, who was staring at him, wide-eyed.
"You… you helped me?" she said, still breathing hard.
Evan studied her.
Red hair. Piercing eyes. A look of someone who had been betrayed before.
She was hesitant to trust.
Good.
It meant she was cautious.
Which meant she was useful.
"You were outnumbered," Evan said simply, wiping blood off his hand. "I don't like unfair fights."
She blinked, still trying to process. "Who are you?"
Evan smiled slightly.
"A businessman," he said. "And I have an offer for you."
Her name was Amelia Voght.
She had been on the run for months.
Her mutation had manifested in her teenage years—an ability to turn her body into mist, making her nearly untouchable.
A corporation—Essex Corp—had found out about her and tried to take her in for 'research'.
She escaped.
Barely.
Now, they were hunting her.
And Evan?
Evan saw an opportunity.
He took her to his apartment, gave her food, bandages, and time to calm down.
Then, he laid out his offer.
"You're alone," Evan said. "You don't trust anyone. You can't live a normal life, and you can't run forever."
Amelia looked away, jaw tight. "I don't have a choice."
"You do now," Evan countered. "Work with me."
She frowned. "Doing what?"
"Building something," Evan said simply. "A company. A biotech firm. You'll be the public face—the CEO. I'll handle everything else."
Amelia gave a dry laugh. "You want a mutant as your CEO?"
Evan leaned forward. "I want someone who understands the stakes. Someone with a reason to succeed. Someone who doesn't just follow the system but knows how to survive outside it."
She hesitated. "And what do you get?"
Evan's smirk was small but calculated.
"A corporation gives me resources, access, and legitimacy. It lets me operate on a level that money alone can't buy."
She narrowed her eyes. "You're hiding something."
Evan nodded. "Of course I am."
A long pause.
Then, finally—
"Fine," she said. "I'm in."
Evan nodded, satisfied.
The first piece of his empire was in place.
Now, it was time to make it real.